As exciting as things were back at the ice cream parlor, that isn't the only place our lively bunch of heroes happened to get themselves tangled into. While Johanne, Kiba, and Metok handled their business with Megumi and Kohana there happened to be another topic of importance on the table back at the Kamijou Residence.
Walking into the door with a long sigh and tossing a bag onto the couch on the other side of the door, a large thump could be heard hitting the couch, "Jeez. Not only does the bloody woman flirt me to death. She works my fingers to the bone." Edward firmly planted himself against the fabric with a deep sigh. "Finally get a day off I suppose…"
The silence in the room was settling in and Edward's eyes slowly began to fade shut with a smile painted across his face that seemed like an eternity to him until…
The door swung open firmly and zip of blurred energy rushed through the door, "Ah! This is unacceptable!" The entire event shaking the pictures hung on the walls and rattling decor.
Edward jumped off the couch in anger and shock at the turn of events until the rush of energy passed him, knocking him back to the couch, and eventually stopping in front of him, "What in the blazes is going on…?"
Finally taking the time from rambling close to the speed of light, Edward wasn't alarmed in the slightest knowing that what stopped before him was Avelessi jumping up and down excessively, "Edward! Perfect! I cannot find anyone else! Or rather maybe my suspicions are correct! Or maybe they've finally been silenced in our absence! Oh dear, oh my!"
"Calm down friend, calm yourself. You've been hitting the sweets a little too hard. Kiba and Johanne are taking the day off. I saw them before I left Megumi's." Edward leaned forward and took a closed switchblade from his pocket and flipping it over to reveal a comb and fixed his hair with a sigh.
Avelessi rubbed his chin in reflection about the Johanne and Kiba comment but nodded in agreement considering how much fighting they'd been doing but rapidly shook his head, "Alright! I need to share this information with you then! It's about Kaito!"
Edward halted his combing for a moment to turn his head and put up an eyebrow, "Did something happen to Kaito?"
Avelessi placed his hands at his head and shook it, "I don't know, that's what's bothering me so much!"
"What are you getting at? Weren't He and I talking just fine around a week ago? He looks chipper if you ask me." Edward pushed the conversation forward.
Avelessi shook his head profusely and brushed his arm, "For a couple of days now. He's been incredibly silent… I try to speak to him. He dismissed it swiftly or doesn't bother in my direction. He'll come back late in the night carrying large bags and it looked like he was covered in blood…"
Edward blinked uninterestedly and leaned back against the couch, "You know we're both ex-assassins, correct? Maybe he got back from cleaning up a 'mess.' I'm sure he isn't doing anything out of the ordinary. He's cleaned up his act since joining us. Suppressing his murderous urges and all. Our job was very controversial."
"But why isn't he reporting any findings? Any leads? What's he been doing so secretive that he can't say anything?" Avelessi paced across the floor and sighed, "I could tell from the way he walked, how he moved. He's hiding something more. His mannerisms changed, he's been much more active. I have to see what's going on!"
Edward let out a loud yawn and crossed one of his legs over the other and groaned softly with his eyes shut, "You have a go about that friend. I'll be-"
"I need your help, Edward! I know you have some idea where he's been going or at least his old stomping grounds. I could pay you back generously. I need to figure this out and no one else is available!" Avelessi almost begged at this point, tugging at the edge of Edward's pant leg.
"Edward peeked open with one eye and ran his hand down his face with a deep sigh, "Make me one of those Italian minty coffees you made the other day and I might change my mind." Letting off a smile from his resting position.
Avelessi's eyes grew bright in excitement as he bowed respectfully and scampered toward the kitchen, "Right away, signore!"
Sometime later the two of them sat around Johanne's kitchen table with not a sign of their group coming through. Their plan was discussed as thoroughly as possible to make sure they could collect the information needed.
"Alright. I'll tell you this right now Avelessi. This isn't going to be in any way easy. Kaito and I were both revered in the organization as men who could get things done with ease. Almost earned us inner circle positions but we had our reserves. Kaito's been killing since his father had been taken away from him just for the opportunity to take it all back." Edward took a long sip of coffee, followed by a deep sigh.
"What are the details of that instance by the way? I mean… I remember you talking about that when you fought him at the museum but…" Avelessi quietly questioned Edward which made him grip the cup tighter.
"Kaito's father was a very well respected man. He was a pharmacist and a doctor. He ran a large store down here in Lower Bodou. He charged dirt for medication if you really needed it. According to his assistants, Kaito looked up to him as a towering god among men. But once his talent with medicine and publicity fell towards our boss. It all went spiraling down. Tohma had to make ends meet with taxes and protection fees creeping on him constantly, The boss used him as a drug mule to get through the tough times. Tohma had always been a physically frail man so he never caused much trouble. He tried to make or buy a cure for himself but it never worked out. Add that fragile nature atop all the extra work and dirt he was forced to do. Tohma was forced into an early grave while Kaito was still young. He grew into a broken tyrant of hate and murder after losing his father to illness and his mother due to the circumstances they'd been put under. She didn't like the dirty part of the job. So she took a hike. Tohma was all Kaito had left. So, here we are." Edward leaned back in the chair, fixing his jacket on his shoulders.
Avelessi stared down into his cup as a tear ran down his cheek, "What a horrible past… Anything like that would drive someone insane." Flashes of Ulysses abusing him and his mother crossed his mind as he finished the coffee.
"He's been kind with sharing that information with me while we were on a mission. Do be gentle with it. His father's final wish was to raise that pharmacy from the ground again and give back to the people. Takedown the boss." Edward rose from his chair motioning Avelessi to follow behind him as they took leave from Johanne's home.
"Alright. Where are we off to first?" Avelessi shadowboxed the air as they walked turning to smile at Edward.
"Our first step is to find him. He usually only patrolled my old stomping grounds in his spare time. I haven't been there to muscle in on the territory so it's rather freelance right now. I only come around there to deliver food and clothes to the children." Edward commented taking quick steps and examining as he moved.
"What made you decide to do that for the children Edward? Aren't you rather young yourself?"Avelessi pulled a hand full of chocolate candies and began to chew at them.
"Back overseas my grandparents run an orphanage. It's one of the loveliest places, to be honest. Always many board games and good stories as kids came through. I learned to play the game my Stand is based on there." Edward slipped a dice from his pocket and flicked it up then caught it in his palm.
"You're both such kind individuals but turned to such dreadful lifestyles… I truly respect the courage it took you both to pursue these choices. Now we just have to make sure our friend is staying on a clear path." Avelessi clenched his chocolate-coated fists together and nodded profusely.
Edward found his energy and attitude humor which brought a pretty wide smile to his lips and remained silent for the time of their trip to the information district of Lower Bodou.
A fair amount of time had passed as several people saw Edward walking through the district and kept their distance from him, knowing the legend that he carried around and some knew his face. This instance also caused him to laugh.
Avelessi somewhat nervously darted his eyes around past the large amounts of bulky thugs clearing the way for Edward. "Y-you seem rather calm… Everyone here looks so rough and tough. They'd eat me for breakfast normally. But they fear you a lot."
"You get that kind of reputation once you've run part of the underground for so long. It's quite the gutbuster for myself though." Edward felt himself get rapid tugged by Avelessi's arm as they crossed one of the openings to an alleyway. "H-hey…! What's the…"
Avelessi had quickly slapped his hand over Edward's mouth while both of them kneeled down behind a set of garbage cans. Holding his finger over his lips and pointing over the can so both could see. Edward's eyes widened slightly as he saw several large bags on the ground with multiple unconscious bodies and Kaito was there with his knife twirling it on his finger.
"W-what's your take on that one? What has he done to those people?" Avelessi question as he watched Kaito slowly take hold of one of the bags and drag it to the man.
"I don't know… He might be running collections for money. Or collecting subjects…" Edward observed closely as Avelessi seemed extremely anxious. "Don't move in yet… We watch."
Avelessi grew much more uneasy as the moments passed. They couldn't exactly get the best view from their angle as to what Kaito was doing kneeled beside the man until his eyes perked wide to see Kaito raising one of his bone knives and slamming it down. He had to quickly cover his mouth to keep himself quiet and out of discovery.
As Avelessi turned to Edward who's eyes were incredibly distraught at the sight, his teeth ground together as another stab slammed down. Edward's eyes darted over to see Avelessi about to climb over the can to confront Kaito on his actions. "W-wait. Look again."
Feeling their gaze steer a little closer, they saw that Kaito had moved the bags he was lugging around and pulled something out of one of them. He stood up and revealed himself to be unfolding a large tarp and resting it against the body laying on the ground and doing the same for the other.
"No way… He's passing out blankets to the homeless?" Avelessi's panic slowly subsided into confusion as he continued down the alleyway with the sack behind him and waiting for Kaito to get a good distance away.
The two of them hurried over to see two kids huddled under one of the blankets asleep with an elderly man curled with them as they slept, "Ah. It seems we might have misjudged this one. Strange…" Edward commented bowing to the family as an apology for disturbing their rest.
"We have to keep following him. We don't know what more he could possibly be up to. I'd like to just clear all my suspicions for certain. If that's alright with you Edward." Avelessi advanced his point with a scratch of his head which earned him a sigh from Edward.
The two let a good amount of time pass because making their move but stayed as far as they could away from Kaito's vision as a precaution. On their next stop, they see Kaito creeping along the edge of a truck and half behind another set of cars.
" Alright. We've got our next mark on him. Keep your eyes peeled. If he is doing anything suspicious this openly, surely the boss' goons are near in their black cars." Edward would prelude as he tucked his head around the car carefully enough to not expose his hair and watched while Avelessi scouted for the cars He mentioned.
Kaito waited for the driver of the truck to get on the phone and distract himself before he picked the lock to the back of the van to open it. Once he got his silent entry, He climbed through the back until he reached the front. Edward tapped Avelessi's shoulder and pointed for him to watch. Kaito placed a blade to the driver's throat and motioned him to be silent as he moved him to the back.
"We have to be quick about this. Before he notices." Edward turned away and began to pull out some small knives and a wire, "C'mon. No alarm." Working as fast as he could, he heard the truck that Kaito was in begin to start up. Edward managed to unlock the car they were behind and fidget with the wires enough to get it started. "Hop in little friend. That one isn't normal. The drivers a decoy. You can tell by how he reacted to the hijacking."
Edward and Avelessi climbed into the car and ducked down, Edward using his jacket as a cover to shade his hair and grabbed a pair of sunglasses off the dashboard, putting them on and following their companion at a steady pace. The day progressed to keep the heat off the van and the car followed with each twist and turn throughout Bodou.
After a good couple of hours in their stolen vehicles, Kaito pulled behind a large building and parked before a large docking door. Edward and Avelessi parked around a block away from the drop off locations, just far enough to lose the car but keep their friend insight. The two of them once again sneaking to a nearby abandoned building and peeking through broken windows.
Kaito got out of the large van and walked up to the docking door and banged against it with his fist several times, awaiting his receiver. The two stalking him patiently watched and examined as there was now a man exiting the large door. The man seemed extremely distressed at seeing Kaito.
"Edward, do you think this is some sort of bribe? Is Kaito holding his shipment hostage?" Avelessi questioned nervously with increasing fidgets of his hands, Kaito's bodily gestures were aggressive and motioned the truck several times. Edward simply watched for an ample moment of interference.
The man walked back out with a briefcase and acted as if he was pleading to Kaito for something by bowing several times while presenting it. Kaito snatched the case and handed the man the keys, walking off soon after. Edward left the shadows of the room to keep an eye on Edward but Avelessi stuck around to watch the man with the truck. He'd walked to the back and unlocked it and out came a child that jumped into the man's arms, they'd both seemed to be crying profusely almost joyfully to see one another.
"What was that all about…? He didn't stop once since we were chasing him. When did that kid get in the back of the truck? This is all so odd…" Avelessi began to question himself without noticing he was now alone. "Ah! I have to keep up. Edward will surely leave me behind."
As Avelessi ran for the entrance that both of them came into the building from He didn't see any sign of Edward at all. "Edward? Where did you go? We have to keep going or else we'll…" A chill ran down Avelessi's spine as he made his way down the alley towards their car. His eyes crept around his shoulder to face a towering shadow behind him.
"Or else… what?" A very soul rattling tone came from behind Avelessi but he knew exactly who it was. As soon as he turned enough to get a clear view, his eyes perked to see it was Kaito but before any reaction could form his neck was chopped and knocked him out cold. Kaito said and caught the boy with his free hand as he walked around the corner to Edward leaning against a wall. "You're both such a pain. I came fully prepared to kill you both."
Edward pushed off the wall and examined them both, gritting his teeth, "You have a lot of explaining to do mate. And we both know this isn't a misunderstanding. I figured it wouldn't be so easy to pull one over on you. But I'm honestly surprised."
"You don't know the half of what you're getting involved in. I've taken the necessary precautions to get the wheel turning. To do that I had to delve back into the business. Do you have a vehicle?" Kaito comments thoroughly and forwards to Edward as he always has. Edward stops for a moment to lock gazes with him and walked towards the stolen car.
Upon arrival, Avelessi was gently placed in the back seat and Edward took the passenger seat. Kaito and Him locked eyes in a very disgruntled silence while Kaito started up the car. "Be ready for a fight." He said to Edward sitting the suitcase in his lap.
Another drive across town later and a long wait in a parking lot very close to the factory lot, the two waited in silence for nearly two hours until two large trucks seemed to have driven past them into the lot and parked. "That's our mark. I'll do the talking."
"Don't trust me after all this time. I can tell what this is already. Those are the boss' movers. I'm guessing you're here for a drop." Edward questioned him with his fingers trickling across the case.
"I would imagine you both followed me throughout the day. I've done a good chain of favors to sort of clean my slate. I bury the man I was before along with the boss. I didn't want to say anything but I got a strong lead on the location of the arrow. The homeless were once movers for the boss that he believed were dead. I got them some supplies to keep living in the dark. The truck was another boy the boss was going to use for experiments. They lost the girl so they wanted to try again. For something better. So I found the boy with the lead from the movers, returned the boy to the father and the father was pushed into selling to get the boy back. But I solved that and now. These men in those trucks are expecting some very high-quality product."
Kaito's explanation opened Edward's eyes entirely and only a sigh escaped his lips, "That'll explain Avelessi's suspicions. He'd noticed that you've been different. He wanted to be sure you weren't wavering. I suppose we made a mistake."
"You did. You shouldn't have come. I didn't want things to turn out this way. I needed to handle this myself. So none of you got hurt." Kaito went silent again and tucked his mask back over his mouth and nose. Edward was stunned at this newer side of Kaito, 'Had Johanne changed him this much…?' Edward exited the car as well, case in hand.
The two of them approached a group of 5 men, one of them had a very strange look about him. He wore a gas mask that looked close to locked to his face, a shaggy mohawk with tattoos along the edges of his head. Just over his shoulder, a tank could be seen. He was dressed in a more casual looking hazmat suit with no shirt underneath and overalls, with tattered combat boots. The rest of the men wore glasses, tattered jean jackets and overalls with boots as well.
"Now why in the hell do ya have us waiting this long!? We gots a strict schedule and you know this bastard!" The mohawked man spoke scratching his rear and approaching ever so friendly to the men.
"Refrain from coming closer. That's far enough. I assume you know why we're here." Kaito instructed as Edward kept his head low and eyes peeled holding up the case.
"Damn right. You better not be holdin' out on us. Less the big guys be real mad. I'm sure you're aware of this." The man snickered and motioned them to advance.
Kaito's breathing had changed somewhat. He seemed uneasy, infuriated even but it wasn't shown openly as his face as shaded by the mask. His fist clenched in restraint as he motioned Edward forward with the case. He'd followed the instructions and advanced with the case, waiting for the mark to execute a capture.
"W-wait! Hold on!" Kaito and Edward's eyes both perked up in an utter panic. They threw their bodies around and over their shoulders to see Avelessi holding his neck and panting softly. "Edward, you were covering for him? This cannot be so…!"
"Now who in the shit is this little runt!? You ain't about to have no rats around here…!" The man immediately went to snatch the case from a distracted Edward but Kaito wasn't allowing this. As swift as a glaring light in the eyes of a deer, his knife was in the man's wrist from a hardy throw. "Sumbitches! Get em!" Two of the larger men pulled out shotguns and the other two grabbed some of the canisters off their backs and tossed them at Edward and Kaito's feet.
Both of them noticed the shotguns being pointed at the canisters rather than them, both only responding, "SHIT!" Taking swift dives to the ground as the canisters went off in a small explosion and soon filled the area with a thick haze of orange smoke.
"Kaito! Edward!" Gunshots to fill the area as well as a long scream from one of the men. Followed by the body being tossed outside of the cloud and tumbled over towards Avelessi. The man was still conscious and tried to grab for him but a swift, direct kick to his head knocking him out. "I'm coming guys! I'm at an advantage here. I can hold my breath a lot longer than them because of my Hamon training." A ripple echoed from his mouth and the crackle of hamon filled his body. A swift dash into the smoke made him run into the guy with the gas mask trying to reach down for the case.
"Well, well Lil' runt. Be a good kid and sit right- '' As soon as the man tried to inch closer to the case Avelessi's speed prevailed! He slid across the ground like a professional soccer player trying to score his debut moment and advanced the case in the smoke. "Damnit! Boys! Get that fuckin' case!"
Kaito had just removed his knife from the throat of the last large one with the shotgun when the cry was called out. Edward had been knocked to the ground by a stray swing and into a coughing fit.
"This isn't a normal smokescreen… It's a bleedin' drug! I can't stay focused." Edward fought to catch his stance again and advance in the smoke and throwing several loose jabs at the man who attacked him before.
Kaito and the masked man seemed to have met once again and engaged in grappling with one another. Kaito's movements also seemed to have been affected by the gas, 'This is thick enough to penetrate my mask…? What have these guys developed? No matter.' Kaito rammed his shoulder into the man's chest making him gasp for air and drilled a knife into his leg. A loud groan of pain couple is heard by Avelessi as he and Eminem dispatched the other man.
The masked man fell to the ground holding his leg, just shy of the case and tossed his body over it with what time he could. Edward slammed the last guy to the ground and pinned his arm to his back. "We need this smoke gone!"
Avelessi moved as close as he could to a center and kneeled down, finally releasing his breath, "EMINEM!" His stand flipped onto his back, hoisting itself by its arm, and spreading its legs straight as boards and spun like a powerful chopper black on the single arm. Avelessi's stand wasn't all that powerful but it was nimble and fast, the gale of its spinning knocked the smoke away enough for them to breathe clearly.
Kaito went over to grab the man by his arms and hold him from behind, giving a swift nod to Edward who sent his elbow into the back of the pinned man's head. Approaching swiftly with one of his curved knives around the man's throat, questioning time was here.
"Tell us what you know about the boss' man that sent you! We know the boss wouldn't bother with a small-time job like this." The blade pressed close as Edward openly fought for breath.
The man was now snickering before him with his mask hanging off his cheek. "Like I'd tell a couple of traitors like you," Kaito grunted angrily. "Yeah. We know ya. As soon as you two walked up. Killer Kaito and The Dungeon Master. You ain't foolin' anyone. I didn't expect you but… We have precautions for shitty deals in our division…"
Kaito sent his knee into the knife wound on the man's leg causing an extremely loud groan of pain. Edward lifted the man's head up again by his mohawk and pressed the knife further, "Last warning or we advance to torture."
The man snickered softly and slowly rose his head up by himself and revealed a vial in his mouth. Edward, still panting, barely noticed the vial from the drugs just running out of his system as the man's snickering got louder. Avelessi caught it far too late and his eyes went wide, "HIS MOUTH!"
His speech was incredibly muffled but his snicker grew as he screamed, "TOO LATE". Crushing the vial in teeth, revealing a thick powder on his tongue that he clumped together and spit into Edward's mouth as he fought to breathe. Edward choked immediately and accidentally swallowed it trying to breathe.
"Damnit!" Kaito screamed and chopped the man's neck, knocking him out and immediately rushing to Edward's aid. He was holding his throat and wheezing heavily. A strain of thick purple veins stretched across his neck as he seemed to try and rip his shirt open. "Hold still. Endure it. I'll get you some help!"
Avelessi quickly went over to try and pour some of his Hamon candy down his throat but Edward could only cough it up. "This isn't good. We need to get him back to the Speedwagon Foundation. Megumi's place is closer than Johanne's we have to go!"
"Grab the case. We need samples of whatever the hell that was." Kaito grabbed Edward over one of his shoulders and grabbed the man by his leg. They all made haste to the car that they'd stolen as fast as possible loading Edward in the front and Avelessi in the back to watch their prisoner.
After a good drive back to the shopping district it was around closing time for Megumi's shop. They drove around the back of the parlor and slammed their fists as hard as they could to get her attention.
"Whoever the hell has the nerve!" Megumi came around the back with her revolver in hand and noticed that Edward was being held over Kaito's shoulder with a thick purple discoloration around his throat and his breathing heavier. "W-what's the matter with him…? What happened!?"
"I'll let you know when I get in. Have the Speedwagon workers come here ASAP!" Kaito shoved past her into the backroom they'd used for treatment before and rested Edward against the bed. Megumi was shaking at the very sight of him. She solidified her will and rushed to the phone and pulled the book of numbers they'd given her. Avelessi rushed to aid as well trying whatever medical Hamon he could muster.
Kaito left Edward in the capable hands of Avelessi until the medics arrived. Returning to the car to see that the man with the mask was starting to come to and mocked him with a weak laugh. "It-It's only a matter of time…" Kaito yanked him from the backseat and headbutted him, breaking his nose and drug him into the building and into the meat locker.
Megumi sat beside Edward and Avelessi both with tears filling their eyes as Edward coughed loudly, his voice was frail and faint but he spoke to Avelessi, "I-It hurts… Cannot… breathe…"
"We know my friend. Please hold on. We're going to get you back together. I'm giving it my all!" Avelessi's hands were shaken and his Hamon wasn't focused but his entire being was put in. Megumi tightened her grip on his hand and pressed it to her cheek, her sorrowful tears brushing his palm. Edward mustered what strength he could to clear them.
Sometime later the medics from the Speedwagon Foundation rushed into the backdoor and guided Avelessi and Megumi aside. The procedure to set up the room and get Edward into a completely stable position was a troublesome task but after a while, they were able to get an accurate idea of the situation.
Avelessi had noticed that Kaito spent two hours in the meat locker with the man they'd taken hostage and there was barely any light in the room. "K-Kaito… The men from the Speedwagon Foundation have an idea of what's wrong… are you coming out…?" Kaito's glaring eyes peeked over his shoulder as he silently turned from a twitching, tattered body.
As he managed to enter the light, his body was coated in close to frozen blood, his eyes readjusting to it and removing the mask from his lips, "I'm listening…"
The doctor approached the two of them with a very quick paper from a blood analysis they'd done, "We at the Foundation have done our work on numerous diseases, infections, disabilities, so on, so forth. Even the supernatural is within our database. But this is something new. A self-made strand of drugs that escalates into a fast-acting 'poison' without a follow-up substance to neutralize the toxin in the drugs."
Avelessi placed his hands along the sides of his head and shook it, "S-so that means…"
"That means I know where to go. And I'm heading out now. That worthless bastard in that room spilled everything. And I know exactly where to go." Kaito grabbed one of the warm towels from the treatment and brushed the blood off himself from the room.
"L-let me come with you…! We have to stick to-" Avelessi was cut off by Kaito tossing a small bone dagger from his wrist and stopping Avelessi in his tracks with a shake of his head.
"I need to tackle this alone. Your assignment is assisting with your Hamon. I'll be back with the cure for certain." Kaito recovered his mouth and opened the door to walk out before he heard a muffled screech and stopped.
Edward was lying on the bed reaching out to Kaito in utter pain, a tear rolling down his cheek as well while he barely felt his hand moving.
"Don't you die. Your carelessness is putting a lot of people through grief. Rest assured it'll be over soon." Kaito dashed into the night without another word. The entire room was dead silent and fearful of Edward's fate.
Kaito was given the exact directions on where to go and whom he would be meeting once he arrived. It was a fated encounter he was waiting on for so very long and this was a good chance for him to right many wrongs done in the past. Kaito climbed and jumped through alleys and over rooftops with relentless speed and determination. His journey finally ended at a large gate and a very large factory at the very edge of Bodou, almost out of sight. The Bodou City Water Engineering Plant. It was a very large plot, one of the biggest in this large city that kept to itself and distributed health resources to the community. Kaito was now aware where the root of their biggest issues lied and the cure for Edward. Kaito's gauntlet, Five Finger Death Punch, formed over his forearm as he tore open the gate enough to get in. Security wasn't anywhere near as tight as it should be but he didn't care. He made his way through the smaller buildings and the equipment until the larger factory was finally in his reach. "I'm coming for you, Doctor... " He whispered with a sting listing in his tone as he clenched his fist and remotely attempted to quell his rage.