A/N: Sorry for the delay, but real life sucked me back into its clutches. Here's the first half of the ending, because who knows how long the second half is going to take. Much love and thanks to those who reviewed and those who emailed me, especially Zining and Rabid Lola. I hope this chapter works.

Italics are for characters' thoughts.

Disclaimer: I don't own Getbackers.

Endgame, part I

--For Icarus, who flew too close to the sun.

Kouji's heart was pounding in his chest, but he pretended not to hear it, or the rumbling of thunder close enough to make the hairs on his arms stand up. The last exchange had been a close one. He had thrown a huge boulder, which he had super-heated so that it would burst into multiple flaming rocks a second before impact, making it nearly impossible for any target to dodge. The rocks were hot enough to burn holes through a tree trunk, and the right-sized rock, thrown with enough force, could take off a limb. If he ran out of rocks, pebbles could be thrown like red-hot bullets, and a handful of them was usually more than enough to take down one man.

He listened carefully for movement, and then peeked over the edge of the half-wall to scan the street. It was empty, except for huge craters where the Thunder Emperor had stood only seconds before. Was it possible that his boulder attack had completely vaporized his enemy? Kouji doubted it. He must have somehow dodged his attack. But where was he? He couldn't have been hiding. Kouji was a veteran of many fierce battles, and he knew that these kinds of opponents weren't the type to hide. The slight twisting feeling in his gut told him that his opponent was probably much closer than he'd like, but peering up and down the street showed him no sign of Raitei. This fight was proving far more difficult than he had anticipated and he was forced into a sort of one-man guerilla war rather than open battle. His heart told him that he was being a coward for not facing his opponent man-to-man, but his mind knew that directly taking on the person who conquered most of Lower Town, including his own gang, in less than a year would be very, very stupid.

Kouji wasn't foolish enough or arrogant enough to assume that he would win, but because of those three, he had no choice but to keep going. He clenched his hands until his knuckles started turning white at the thought of those men whom he had been foolish enough to trust. When this was over, he would make sure to let those other gang leaders know exactly what the cost of betraying Suzuki Kouji was….

He was leaning his elbows on the balcony railing and gazing down into the dark alley far below, alone, when he heard the door open in the room behind him. Seiichi had returned, right on time. His vice commander, right hand man since forever and before, stopped at the threshold to the balcony and patiently waited for his presence to be acknowledged. Kouji could sense excitement, tempered by pride, determination, and solemn duty, coming from the man. Good. This meant that his men were successful.

Kouji let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and turned his attention back to the darkness beneath him, ignoring Seiichi for the moment. It was a nice night, quiet and peaceful, especially for Mugenjou, he thought. Well, quiet and peaceful here anyways. A large part of the western block was probably in complete chaos right now, what with the fire that his men had just set. He wished he could stay here, looking down on the side street below, with the cool night breeze playing gently against his face and Seiichi watching over him, waiting on him as always. It would calm the iron-edged butterflies in his stomach. He smiled grimly. Right now, leaning on the railing, he probably looked like a man wondering how high up he was and if he jumped, would he learn to fly in time. Of course, he would never jump, would never throw his life away to find out. Some things were worth the risk, and some things weren't.

Seiichi cleared his throat and stepped out onto the balcony. He stopped a respectful distance behind and to the side of Kouji. Kouji gave no sign, but Seiichi began anyways.

"The mission was completed as planned," he reported. "Two entire blocks. It will look like some vagrant's trash fire got out of hand and spread from building to building, since the streets are so narrow and everything is so close together. The clean-up should keep VOLTS busy for at least two days."

"Aa," said Kouji, without moving.

Seiichi threw a worried glance at the older man. Kouji had always been the serious type. He'd often disappear for days to meditate on a decision and train his ki, but he would return refreshed and clear of mind. Seiichi had always followed Kouji because he could trust in Kouji's decisions. Kouji always made the right decision because he was always calculating the options, like a chessmaster, thinking three moves ahead, looking for openings, taking advantage of others' mistakes. His decisions were sometimes ruthless, sometimes cruel, but that was how you had to survive in this demon's lair. You had to become a demon yourself. And Seiichi was forever indebted to Kouji for this—Kouji, who took all the responsibility for his choices onto his own shoulders, who became a demon for them, so that they could all stay untarnished, pure, clean of conscience. He was their savior. He was their covenant. He was their human sacrifice to Mugenjou.

Sacrifice…. The word echoed ominously in Seiichi's mind for a second. It made a slight chill run down his spine. But then he shook his head and remembered what he was here for.

"You are quiet, Kouji-san. Are you having second thoughts?" he asked, softly.

The other man turned his head and regarded his second-in-command. He saw the concerned look on Seiichi's face, and briefly wondered if his decision would be the death of this man. He felt the weight on his shoulders increase.

"No, I'm not having second thoughts, Seiichi," he said, sounding much older and wearier than Seiichi had ever noticed. "I just…." He stopped.

He couldn't say it. He couldn't tell Seiichi that everything felt wrong, that he couldn't sleep last night because his instincts told him that something had gone horribly wrong with the plan. He couldn't begin to explain why he felt this way. The VOLTS and the Thunder Emperor were supposed to be the ones sensing a trap closing in around them, but instead he felt as if he was the prey. Or rather, he felt like a hunter about to be caught in his own trap. Looking at Seiichi and seeing the blind faith and unquestioning loyalty in that man's face, though, Kouji knew that he had to keep his doubts to himself. He could never let his men see him waver.

Seiichi was looking at him worriedly, waiting for an answer, so Kouji sighed and said, "Don't worry, Seiichi. I was merely—"

"Seiichi-san! Seii—ah, excuse me, Kouji-san," said the man who had just run into the room. He came to an abrupt halt and gave a low bow. "Kouji-san, Seiichi-san, our scouts just told me that the Loulan clan hasn't been attacked yet and that the Silent River gang is nowhere to be found!"

What? Kouji had to bite down hard, so hard that he might have cracked his teeth, to keep his expression neutral. He took a deep breath and willed the little doubts and fears that were trying to reach up and choke him to leave his mind. Now was not the time to jump to conclusions. He had to keep steady.

"Toshi," he said, as evenly as he could, to the scout leader, "where are Harada and Watsuki and their men?"

"Harada-san? He's…he's, uh…."

"When was the last time you or any of your men saw him?" asked Kouji, the feeling of dread increasing.

"I don't know, Kouji-san. A few days ago, maybe," said Toshi, nervously.

"Send your scouts out again and have them look for them," said Kouji. "Also, report on the status of the attacks on Shido and Masaki."

"Yes, Kouji-san, right away," said Toshi, who bowed low and then hurried away.

At this point, Kouji returned to his original position, leaning on the balcony railing with his chin propped on his hands, staring out into the night. Seiichi was still there, but was unsure if Kouji turning his back on him meant that he was also excused or if Kouji was just thinking of the next thing to say. His uncertainty kept him there, half turned towards the door, but unwilling to leave his leader like this. He knew Kouji, and he knew that the calm exterior was all an act for his sake and the sake of his men.

"I'm sure that Takani-san was just late in carrying out his part of the plan," he offered, but even he could hear the falseness in his voice.

No reaction. Not even a perfunctory "Aaa" to show that he had heard.

"Just because Toshi didn't know the whereabouts of the Watsuki-san's and Harada-san's gangs doesn't mean that they were unsuccessful with their parts of the plan. They could be in hiding, waiting for the next phase," he tried again.

Kouji still didn't answer. If anything, he seemed even more tense now. Maybe it was best if Seiichi just left. He felt useless standing around with nothing to do but talk nonsense.

Kouji, staring into the darkness, felt a million emotions and thoughts swirling through him. He wanted to find Takani now and wrap his hands around the bastard's throat. He was so angry that he was afraid he'd light something on fire, that the building would spontaneously combust around him. It wouldn't be the first time he inadvertently blew something up. That man, Takani, had always walked with a swagger, saying how his gang had only joined VOLTS to remove suspicion from themselves so that when the time was right, they could strike from the inside and claim Lower Town for themselves. Kouji almost snorted. Takani, he knew now, was all talk—a small dog that barked loudly. It made him sick to think that he trusted this coward.

It was Takani who had first approached Kouji with the plan two months ago. He had already talked to Harada and Watsuki by then, and had chosen Kouji's gang as the final member of the team. Kouji never talked to any of them much during the VOLTS reign, since most gangs—those that hadn't dispersed, that is—stayed in their own territory and left each other alone. There was no reason for them to work together, especially since Kouji's gang was based in the eastern end of Lower Town while Takani was in the west, Harada in the north, and Watsuki in the south. Kouji didn't like Takani much from before the VOLTS era, but their territories didn't overlap so there was no reason to fight the man. Still, he'd always been a little uneasy around Takani, so when he was approached with the plan, Kouji had moved forward cautiously. Not cautiously enough, it seems. Kouji realized now that he had not been afraid of Takani's or the Silent River gang's power, but the fact that the entire bunch gave him the impression of water with an oil-slicked surface so that the onlooker was taken in by the beautiful swirls of rainbow color on the surface without seeing what was hidden beneath.

Shit. He knew that Watsuki and Harada hadn't carried out their parts of the plan either. He didn't need to wait for Toshi to get back to him. Those men were all alike: they talked the talk, but when the time came for real action, they all scuttled for cover like cockroaches. He should've known. The uneasy feeling that his gut had been giving him for a while now, and which he tried to ignore, dismissing it as nervousness before the plan's execution, made sense to him now. He should've known that working with low-lifes was dangerous. Those men never changed. Once a coward, always a coward.

Kouji realized that he wasn't angry at Takani, Watsuki and Harada so much as himself. How could he have been so stupid as to let his personal issues blind him to what his co-conspirators were really like? Was he really so desperate for change that he went along with the first group to approach him with a plan? They had played him perfectly, had said all the things that he had been thinking himself for so long, had shown him how VOLTS could be toppled, and he had taken it all in and believed that it was all possible because he had wanted it to be possible. He had refused to believe that there wasn't anything he could do to turn his dream of a new Lower Town into a reality. And now the plan was in shambles. His dream, too. It was all his fault for not seeing those three for what they were.

But wait a minute…. Something was still not right. Something he had just thought had triggered an alarm in his brain. What was it? He had a feeling that he was missing something very important, something that changed everything. Kouji reached back, strained to retrace his steps in his mind. His thoughts replayed themselves backwards … not seeing those three for what they were… working with low-lifes… what was hidden beneath… Takani, Watsuki and Harada...

Takani, Watsuki and Harada.

They had approached him with the plan together.

Kouji concentrated. It was here. Yes, it was—

They had played him perfectly.

Was that it? Realization slowly crept over Kouji like frost. Yes, the phrase rang true to him. That's what had been bothering him all this time. They were too slick. They had said all the right things to make Kouji believe that the plan was right and that it was possible. It was as if they knew exactly which buttons to push to get him to follow their plan. They allayed his fears, dismissed his concerns, and played to his ego so that by the time he agreed to join in, he thought that with their strength combined, much less their numbers, they would be able to take over Lower Town. If nothing else, he should have noticed that the three of them worked together so well, a little too well. They were too smooth. They never bickered about anything amongst themselves like they should have, like the gang leaders they were. There was too much ego amongst the three of them for them NOT to fight about something, anything. But they never did.

Bits and pieces that seemed random before began falling into place now: Takani approaching him with Watsuki and Harada in tow. Takani telling him that they needed a fourth member to cover the eastern region. But there aren't a lot of people in this region. All of the plan is executed in the other three. Harada and Watsuki telling him that his gang was the most important part of the plan. Yet they approached me last. Their unwillingness to discuss how the four of them and their gangs would rule Lower Town together after the takeover, as if they already knew how it would be divided and only I didn't. Takani always waved Kouji's question off with "the people will decide."

It was all coming together in his mind, and it created a terrifyingly clear picture: Takani, Watsuki and Harada had talked together long before they ever approached me. What if they had a plan that I didn't know about? On the night of the original plan's execution, they would all fail to carry out their parts and disappear, and I would be the only one who acts.

And that was exactly what had happened. He and his group were exposed now. It meant the end for him and his group. VOLTS would realize that they had a rebellion on their hands, and the Four Kings—including Shido and Masaki, who were supposed to be taken care of by Watsuki and Harada—would come to put it down. The Thunder Emperor himself might even come. The ensuing battle would be bloody and he would almost certainly lose all of his men plus his own life. VOLTS wouldn't escape without losses either, and that's when Takani, Watsuki and Harada would come in and deliver the death blow. They would suffer minimal losses, and the crumbling of the Four Kings and the Thunder Emperor would leave open seats at the top of Lower Town. It was perfect. It was so simple.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

It had been so much easier to think that his co-conspirators were cowards than to think that he had been the sacrificial lamb from the beginning. It was easier to be play the tragic hero than the fool.

And now there was nothing Kouji could do. The wheels were already set in motion, by his own hand no less. He was completely trapped.

Checkmate.

His men had already acted, and the chances of finding Takani, Watsuki or Harada were slim. Even if he did, it would be his word against theirs, and they weren't the ones who had burned parts of Lower Town or caused general mayhem. They would claim innocence, maybe even point the finger at him as the mastermind behind the plan. VOLTS would come down hard and make an example of them so that other gangs would think twice before trying anything. They couldn't let his gang off because then other gangs would sense an opening. In Mugenjou, it was survival of the fittest and no gang, not even VOLTS, could afford to look weak. Kouji wouldn't be able to prove anything, and Takani, Watsuki and Harada would escape unharmed, but would probably be kept under watch for a while. His gang would be the one to pay, no matter what. Would they even be allowed to leave Mugenjou? Kouji wondered. He had no doubt that he himself wouldn't be allowed to escape, but what about Seiichi? What about Toshi?

They can still be saved. That thought was all Kouji had left now. He had no illusions about toppling VOLTS on his own. They were shattered now that he had to face his own stupidity. Kouji took a deep breath. Enough deliberating. It was time he took responsibility for his mistake.

"Seiichi," he said to his vice commander, his protégé, his long-time friend. "I want you to take the younger men, their wives and children, and go into hiding. Leave Mugenjou if you can."

Seiichi, who in the end had decided to stay there until Kouji dismissed him, was speechless for a moment. Of all the things he'd been waiting for Kouji to say, this wasn't one of them.

"B-but Kouji-san! We can't leave now! What about the next phase of the plan?"

"There won't be a next phase," said Kouji. "We're done for. You know as well as I do that Toshi's scouts won't find Watsuki or Harada anywhere."

It was one thing to know this in your heart; it was another thing to say it out loud. Kouji couldn't look at Seiichi as he said these words, couldn't let the younger man know how badly he had been failed. He suddenly felt a hundred years older. Maybe it was the weight of all his men's lives on his conscience.

Seiichi didn't say anything for a moment. Kouji chanced a sideways glance at him and noted that he didn't seem surprised. So he had felt it too. Why hadn't he said anything? Kouji already knew though. Having your men trust in you blindly had its advantages, but it had its disadvantages too.

"I'm changing the plan," explained Kouji. "I want you to take all of the younger men, leave me the ones without family, and—"

"No," said Seiichi.

Kouji stopped, surprised. "No? What do you mean 'no'?"

This was the first time Seiichi had disagreed with him, and the timing couldn't have been worse. He had to save as many of his people as he could while he stayed behind with a contingent of his most experienced men and held off VOLTS.

"I mean that I refuse to obey your order. You can't command me to abandon you," said Seiichi. "I don't know all the details of what has happened, but obviously something has gone terribly wrong, and I refuse to let you kill yourself cleaning up the mess."

Because I would never forgive myself if I did that to you, Kouji-san. You have done so much for me since I was a boy and I can't repay you this way. He didn't say this out loud though. Kouji already knew how much he meant to Seiichi.

Kouji, though, didn't have time to think about what all this meant in terms of their relationship. Seiichi, you idiot. Get out of here! Now is not the time to suddenly develop a will of your own. But before Kouji could say this, a messenger came running in, panic written all over his face. Kouji got a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Kouji-san…Seiichi-san…there are reports that…Fuyuki Shido is…investigating the blaze!...I don't know…how, but he may be…onto us. What should we do?" the messenger said between pants.

Seiichi turned to Kouji, whose face had returned to its usual mask and betrayed nothing.

"Send out our best squad and a back-up team," Kouji said, making up his mind on the spot. It wasn't a hard decision to make, as there really wasn't any other choice. He needed to buy more time, simple as that, and he couldn't let the rest of his men know. "Have the tranquilizer sharpshooters positioned in ambush, and bring him here alive if possible. He should at least be given the choice to join us after Amano Ginji falls. We are not murderers, after all. We'll also need powerful people like him to uphold our rule. Seiichi, go with them and make sure that they stop him. If we can keep him from alerting the rest of VOLTS as to what's happened, it would be easier for us all around."

"Hai," said Seiichi, giving Kouji a sharp nod to show that he had understood his real message. Don't let the men know that something's wrong. Only kill the Beastmaster if you have to, otherwise we dig ourselves even deeper into trouble and we lose all chances of escape. Most importantly, don't let him expose us before we have time to run. Seiichi made to follow the messenger, but threw a glance back over his shoulder at Kouji.

Kouji, however, was back at the railing and looking down into the darkness of the alley with the light of the full moon bathing him in an ethereal glow, as if he was already no longer of this world.

Everything happened too fast after that. Toshi had come back with the unsurprising news that none of the scouts knew where Harada's and Watsuki's gangs were and that they hadn't carried out their parts of the plan. Kouji sent Toshi's men out to distract the Loulan gang so that Emishi hopefully wouldn't notice Shido's absence. And then he had to play the waiting game. Waiting to see if his men were successful. Waiting to see if word reached the other leaders of VOLTS. Waiting for his destiny to show itself. Was he supposed to make a last stand and hope his people could escape during the distraction? Was he supposed to sneak away with the rest of them as quietly as he could? Should he try to bring down Takani and the other two with him? It all depended on what news Seiichi and Toshi brought.

When they did come back, in the early morning, it was with good news and bad. Seiichi was successful and they were dragging in an unconscious Shido bound in chains. They had sustained massive injuries, but in the end, the sharpshooters had won. However, the fight had caused a lot of noise, and there were two witnesses. Seiichi caught one, but the other escaped with severe injuries. Some of the men were out looking for the witness, but Seiichi said that the witness would probably die within the hour. Toshi's men had poisoned the Loulan clan, and Emishi was on his way according to the scouts. However, Sakura was going with him, and they were worried that she would realize that the clan was not sick, but poisoned. They had bought themselves a little time, but it was like trying to put out a forest fire with a garden hose.

Kouji decided, then, that he would have to take matters into his own hands. Seiichi still refused to leave, so Kouji explained the entire situation to his people, hoping that they at least would come to their senses and get away. Much to his disappointment, and his pride, no one chose to abandon him. They still believed in him. The women and children were sent into hiding and Kouji did the only thing he could do. If facing the Four Kings—Three Kings, now that they had Shido—and the Thunder Emperor was inevitable, then they would do everything they could to even the odds. Rather than wait for VOLTS to come for them, they would go on the offensive and make one last stand. If they were going to go down, they would do so facing their enemy head on, not with their backs turned in retreat. Kouji sent Toshi and his men to grab Makubex. The boy would be useful as a bargaining chip, and now that Sakura wasn't by his side, he would be much easier to catch. The only difficulty would be getting in and out without anyone noticing, but Toshi's scouts were good at stealth operations. Plus, it was still early morning. The boy was probably asleep. That would take it down to just two of the Four Kings, plus the Thunder Emperor, that they would have to face. Now all there was left to do was get Ginji to walk into their ambush. Kouji took Seiichi with him to the VOLTS lair.

When they got there, they found Juubei and Kazuki gathered around one of Makubex's computers. They were scanning the surveillance cameras. Kouji froze. He thought that they had walked into their own execution, but Kazuki greeted them politely and explained that someone had come in earlier, badly injured, but passed out before they could find out what happened. Thanks to Juubei, that person was recovering at a place nearby and would probably wake up in a few hours. Kouji knew that it was probably the escaped witness. He only had a few hours before they found out about Shido, so he had to act fast. The only good thing was that no one seemed to notice that Makubex was gone, yet. His men must have caught the boy because if they had failed, everyone would know. To make sure that they didn't notice Makubex's absence or continue scanning the cameras, he sent Kazuki and Juubei out to find Amano Ginji. Then he prepared for the final battle.

Endnote: Okay, so I lied when I said that this chapter would have Kouji vs. Raitei. Had to get this part out of the way first. The real climax, next chapter.