Chapter 9 is here! YAY!
No beginning notes for this chapter. Whee!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its respective characters and I make no profit from this story.
Now, on with the chapter!
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Ryou stirred in his sleep, body slow to awaken, even as his anxiety flooded back in waves. His features scrunched up in agitation and he burrowed further into the blankets, trying to force the thought of what he was supposed to do today out of his mind.
However, his movements faltered when one of his blankets sighed and wrapped tighter around his back. Ryou's eyes flew open in shock which quickly changed to confusion as tanned skin filled his vision. 'What the…?' his eyes moved upward, past a muscular chest and smooth neck and landed on the face of none other than Bakura.
Dumbfounded, he stared at the Kaitsune. Why was Bakura in his bed? 'More importantly, why is he holding me so close?' he asked himself. Ryou's gaze flickered to the other man's lips and his mind stuttered to a stop. Cheeks painted a faint pink, he hid his face in Bakura's chest.
'Come on, Ryou, what are thinking? He's not even part of your species! Stop acting like a lovesick Roshez.' he mentally shook himself. His gaze snapped back up to Bakura as the sound of the Kaitsune's yawn rang out in the room. He focused on Bakura's large canines and slightly curled tongue until the mouth closed and he was gently readjusted on the other's chest. Bakura's head fell to the side of the pillow, his breathing remaining deep and even.
Taking a few deep breaths of his own, Ryou moved slowly up Bakura's chest, wiggling a bit to loosen the grip of the tail coiled around him and coming to rest a few inches above the older man's lips. He took in the Kaitsune's handsome features and, swallowing, leaned closer.
'It's not as if this means anything,' he reasoned, 'Just a quick kiss to satisfy this damn curiosity of mine and it'll be over and done with. Besides, he's fast asleep and will be none the wiser.' Keeping a close eye on Bakura for signs of waking, he bridged the gap between their lips.
His lips were…soft. This wasn't exactly what Ryou was expecting. Perhaps he thought they'd be rough like everything else about Bakura. He had to admit, though, it was a nice surprise.
Eyelids drooping, he lay heavily on Bakura's chest, pressing his lips fully against the other's. A small moan started to build in his throat, but the sudden sight of red eyes looking back at him caused it to die before it had a chance to escape.
'Well, now what?' his inner voice asked sarcastically.
Ryou froze, lips still connected to Bakura's. They locked gazes, the Kaitsune blinking up at him with a look of both surprise and embarrassment. Ryou felt his cheeks burn and he pushed away from Bakura, feeling the tail around his waist slacken. Scooting to the other side of the bed, he let his bangs fall in his face to hide his mortification. 'God, what a time for him to wake up!' his mind screamed. 'I knew that was a bad idea!'
He could hear Bakura jumping from the bed and begin shuffling around the room. Ryou chanced a look at the Kaitsune, whose face resembled a ripe tomato. He was muttering to himself and coughing as he rummaged through the room, picking up random objects and moving them unnecessarily.
Worried about the reaction, Ryou scooted back further on the sheets, his back hitting the support ropes as he reached the edge. "Um…Bakura?" The Kaitsune stiffened, his back turned toward Ryou. "I'm…uh…sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." he shrugged weakly, at a loss of what exactly to do.
Bakura swished his tail uncomfortably and walked over to Ryou's dresser, digging through for a shirt and pair of pants. Finding what he was looking for, he came back to the bed, tossing the clothes next to Ryou. Eyes not meeting the humans and still a bit flustered, he said, "You should probably get dressed. You don't have much time before Nibori speaks with your government and it will take you a few hours to get to Mars."
Ryou grabbed the garments from the sheets, holding them to his chest and climbing down from the bed. He thanked Bakura and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready.
Bakura watched him go. As the door closed, blocking Ryou from sight, he flopped onto the bed uncharacteristically, rolling onto his belly. What had Ryou been thinking? Why had the little human kissed him like that? Had he actually grown fond of Bakura? Did he care for the Kaitsune as more than just a friend?
Burying his face in his arms, Bakura relaxed into the blankets, easily picking out Ryou's scent from the sheets. Breathing deeply, he couldn't help but come to a startling conclusion. Even though Ryou was a human, a hated enemy of his people, he had grown used to the boy's presence beside him. He longed to be with the other and his mind was more at peace when Ryou was there, his warm, clean scent filling the room and clinging to Bakura's own skin.
Balancing himself on his elbows, he brought a clawed finger to his lips and imagined he could still feel the tingle of Ryou against them. Tearing his hand away from his face, he dropped back down to the bed, growling low.
'Idiot, what are you getting yourself into?'
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Ryou stood under the cascade of hot water, allowing it to caress and warm his pale skin. Leaning his head back, he felt his wet hair slide against his back and the splash of the water against his throat. Sighing and lowering his head, he reached for the soap to begin the mundane task of washing himself.
He couldn't understand it. Why did he kiss Bakura? Why had he even wanted to in the first place? He desperately wanted to hate Bakura and the rest of the Kaitsunes for causing him so much pain and grief, yet no matter how much he told himself he should he couldn't bring himself to do so.
Kaitsune or not, Bakura was a good person. Yes, he had his quirks, but so did everyone else in the universe. The others were kind as well. Yami, Yugi, Malik, hell, even Marik had started to grow on him. It was strange how losing his father and being taken onto an alien ship had brought him so much more in life than he ever expected. He felt guilty about this, but it was true.
He smiled sadly. 'I'm sorry, father. I hope you're not too disappointed in your son.'
He watched the water swirl into the drain below his feet and closed his eyes. If he didn't hate Bakura, how did he feel about him? He enjoyed the other's company and his strength and will to survive. He enjoyed the way Bakura had given him so many new things to discover and study, concepts to think through, and had protected him against all those who thought of him as worthless and expendable. Ryou's eyelids fluttered open. In fact, he had grown fond of Bakura over the past few days. Some might say too fond.
Ryou chuckled humorlessly, the sound drowned out by the pounding of the water against the bathroom tiles. He couldn't believe this. Part of him was glad his father wasn't alive to see him now. He didn't even want to imagine what the elder Kio would say if he were to know his one and only son had fallen in love with a Kaitsune. A male Kaitsune, no less.
"I'm such a fool." he whispered, brokenly.
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After towel drying his hair, Ryou threw on the white button down shirt and black pants Bakura had given him earlier. Appraising himself in the mirror, he flicked a few loose hairs out of his eyes and left the bathroom, spotting Bakura near the door already dressed and ready to leave.
He thought it odd the other hadn't showered, but then remembered Kaitsunes didn't require daily washing. It would probably be another day or two before it became apparent Bakura hadn't showered, and even then he wouldn't smell that bad. Not like some humans, who smelled worse than a garbage dump after only one day.
Bakura stepped to the side, allowing Ryou to walk through the door first before following. The two made their way to the Morhir's port at a sedate pace, neither looking forward to what Ryou was expected to do. Once they reached the port, they were to meet with Malik, Marik, Yami and Yugi and also locate the ship Ryou was to use to travel to Mars.
Still tired and nervous, Ryou kept his eyes lowered. The clinking of their steps was soon drowned out by the din of voices and scraping claws that filled the port. The Morhir's port differed greatly from The Opal's. The room was larger, with several ships docked around the circular border and there were hardly any windows decorating the walls, leaving it dark and giving it a morbid atmosphere.
Raising his head, Ryou searched the crowded room for his friends, spotting them next to a small, oval shaped vessel near the very back of the area. He was thankful for this, seeing as how there was less noise and people bustling around there.
Jogging to keep up with Bakura's long strides, he gave a small smile as he stopped in front of the four Kaitsunes. "Hey, guys."
Yugi came forward, looking just as worried as Ryou felt. "Hey, Ryou. How are you feeling?"
Ryou shrugged half-heartedly. "Not too bad, I guess. I'm just worried I'll mess something up."
"Don't worry, Ryou." Marik said, leaning down and putting himself eye to eye with the human. "You've been trained by the best. You'll do well, I know it." Ryou felt his nerves lessen slightly. If his friends had such confidence in him, maybe he had gained more skills than he first thought. "Thank you, Marik. I appreciate that."
Yami coughed, catching everyone's attention. "Shall we show him how to work his ship?" Bakura nodded, leading Ryou and the others into the Kaitsune ship docked nearby. The boy couldn't help but murmur his approval as they reached the control room.
There was a large panel to the front filled with buttons, levers, and various other controls to the ship. The monitor looming above it was tiny compared to those in the viewing rooms of the Morhir, but it would still serve Ryou's purpose. In front of the panel were two comfy and overly stuffed chairs, bolted to the floor tiles to keep them steady.
To his right, there was a hallway leading back to a meager bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. Not much, but he wasn't expecting to be using this ship for very long. It was only to take him to Mars and back, nothing more.
"So," Malik piped up, laying an arm heavily against Ryou's shoulders. "You like it?"
Ryou turned his head, grinning. "Yes, it's very nice. I'm thankful to get such a ship. I don't mean to sound rude, but I was thinking I'd be getting something much less…accommodating."
"The council may be hard on you, Ryou, but they're still going to send you off with the proper equipment to finish your mission." Yami said, moving over to the panel and typing in the coordinates to Mars. "I'll get you all set up so you won't have to worry with anything else except the details of what you're going to do."
"You mean of how I'm going to get to Nibori without being seen?"
"Well, that, and how you're going to bring the necessary evidence back here with you and dispose of the body."
The human pushed Malik's arm from his shoulders, eying Yami cautiously. "What evidence?"
The Kaitsunes seemed uncomfortable with his question. "You mean," Yugi spoke up, "You don't know about having to bring certain.items back with you to prove you've completed your task?" Ryou shook his head and Yugi shifted, his gaze falling on anything except the other boy's face. 'That's a bad sign.' Ryou thought, worried.
Yami saved his mate the agony of explaining. "Well, as Yugi said, you have to bring back specific evidence to show you've done what you were sent to do. In this case, a murder mission, you must bring back the heart of your victim. Can't get much more proof than that, can you?"
Ryou paled visibly. "H-his heart! You mean I not only have to kill Nibori, but bring back one of his organs?" The tri-color haired Kaitsune nodded and Ryou felt sick to his stomach. 'Oh God, I don't think I can do this.'
Malik patted the boy on the back, trying to sooth him. "Don't worry, Ryou. It won't be that bad. Like Yami said, the council has made sure you have everything you need for this, including a laser scalpel. It will make it much easier, and cleaner, to retrieve Nibori's heart." He pointed to a bag near one of the chairs that Ryou hadn't noticed earlier. That must have been where his tools were located.
Still pale, Ryou thanked him shakily. 'This mission just keeps getting worse.' he groaned inwardly. Wanting to find something normal his mind could latch onto for the moment, he turned toward Bakura, who had been reserved for the past few minutes. The white haired Kaitsune seemed lost in thought, his eyes glossy and unfocused.
Forgetting his gruesome assignment for the time being, he cocked his head to the side and closed the short distance between them, putting a hand to Bakura's arm.
The Kaitsune stiffened, but as his eyes focused once again on the human he relaxed visibly. "What is it, Ryou?" he asked, swishing his tail idly.
Righting his head and craning his neck to look up into Bakura's face, he released the man's arm from his thin fingers and dropped his arm back to his side. "I was just wondering what your mind was so consumed with. You've been strangely quiet since we left your room."
At Ryou's observation, Marik studied his fellow Kaitsune. "Hmm, he's right, Bakura. It's not like you to keep your mouth shut for such a long time. What's wrong?"
Bakura growled at the blonde, slashing at him with his claws. Marik sidestepped the attack, laughing obnoxiously which only made Bakura angrier. Ryou decided to step in when the white haired Kaitsune prepared to lunge. "Can you two quit bickering? At least until I'm on my way."
Ryou's reproach took the men by surprise, but it did the trick. Marik retreated back to his mate's side while Bakura stepped away into the shadows, a glum look on his face.
Yugi watched all of this with interest, whispering conspiratorially in Yami's ear. The taller Kaitsune nodded, a half smirk appearing on his lips. Malik caught this display out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help a low chuckle. 'So, Yami and Yugi have noticed it as well?'
Malik clapped his hands loudly, catching the attention of all in the room. "Alright, everyone! I think it's time we left Ryou to his mission. Remember, he needs to get there before Nibori has a chance to speak with Mar's government officials." He turned to leave, elbowing Marik roughly in the ribs and sending him a look as he made his way out.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch." Marik breathed, rubbing his side and joining Ryou. Keeping one hand pressed against his bruised ribs, he reached into his pants pocket with the other, pulling out a small bag and pushing it into the boy's hands. He winked. "For when you meet up with Nibori."
Marik left the ship, followed by Yami and Yugi. Now, Ryou was alone, except for the dark figure dwelling in the shadows. He faced Bakura, tilting his head and looking into his crimson eyes. Ryou was silent as Bakura's claws raked dully against the tiled floor and he came within a few inches of the human.
The Kaitsune warred with himself for a moment, his face blank. Should he? No one else was around to see…
Ryou jumped, startled, when Bakura's clawed hand grasped his chin, tilting it up gently and his eyes widened as he felt the other's lips come in contact with his for the second time that morning. His eyelids closed on their own accord, but before he could start to enjoy the kiss Bakura drew back.
It had merely been a slight brush of Bakura's mouth against his, completely chaste and though he didn't understand why, part of him was disappointed.
A dark blush dusting his cheeks, Bakura whispered a quick "Good luck." into Ryou's ear then he, too, left the ship, the doors shutting smoothly behind him.
Ryou blushed hotly. He hadn't imagined Bakura would do something like that. None the less, it hadn't been a bad surprise. Smiling, he went to the control panel, plopping down heavily into one of the plush seats and prepared to start his journey to Mars.
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During the trip, Ryou alternated between sleeping and planning out the details of his mission. Time wasn't really an issue right now, seeing as how the Kaitsune ship was nimble and could jump between hyperspace portals with ease. He should reach Mars soon enough to kill Nibori and dump his body somewhere before The Government missed him.
Stretching, Ryou arched his back from the chair, moaning appreciatively as his bones popped. With a sigh he slouched back into the leather, running a hand through his soft white hair. 'Mmm…I need to figure out who I'm going to pin this murder on.'
He had already decided he would find some group to shift the blame to for Nibori's death. He certainly didn't want to be suspected (he was thought dead and wished to keep it that way) and the idea of The Government going after the Kaitsunes for this made him slightly sick with nerves. No, one of the Pro-Kaitsune radical groups would be best. Not only would they be plausible suspects, but they would also be happy to take responsibility for such an act.
Content with the scheme, he researched the different radical groups using the Kaitsune's superb technological hacking systems. (He was blocked from using such programs on other Kaitsune technology, of course) A few minutes of searching and he found a decent enough crowd who were known as 'The Kaitsune Liberation Front.'
He rolled his eyes at the title. 'There's just no creativity anymore.' He chose the KLF for two main reasons: one, they were all completely out of their minds. They were involved in countless fights, mobs, shootings, etc, all in the name of Kaitsune rights. Two, they owned an easily recognizable symbol, which resembled an eye. 'Yes, they'll do.' Saving the information for later reference, he then turned to the bag of tools he had been provided and the small bag Marik had given him earlier.
Unzipping the larger of the two first, he emptied the contents, which consisted of lock picks (computerized hand-held hacking devices), the laser scalpel Malik had told him about, what appeared to be a human janitor's suit, a pair of sneakers (a tad too big), an oversized garbage bag, and a cleansing rag. He raised an eyebrow at a few of the items, but supposed they had their separate uses.
Now, he came to Marik's bag. This, too, he unzipped, and was a bit taken aback by what he found. He didn't really know what he was expecting; a bomb or perhaps a weapon of some sort. Instead, it was just a simple injection needle along with a small vial of liquid.
Examining the bottle, he couldn't help but grin darkly at Marik's gift. 'Sodium Hypochlorite.' He shook his head. 'For when I meet up with Nibori, eh, Marik?' One thing was for sure, he'd never wish to be on the blonde Kaitsune's enemy list.
Replacing the items in their respective bags, he prepared the ship for yet another hyperspace jump. "I should be getting to Mars, soon." he said, glancing up at the monitor showing his location. "Hrm, I need to do a bit more research before I get there. I need to find what hotel Nibori is staying in."
Cracking his knuckles loudly, he leaned over the control panel and typed 'Umo Nibori' into the search engine.
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The ship's doors opened with a light swish of air and Ryou walked out into the sunlight shielding his eyes and dressed in the janitor outfit the council had provided him, the cleaning rag in his back pocket and his bag of tools hanging from his shoulder.
Lowering his hand as his eyes adjusted, his gaze traveled over the horizon and to the city in the distance, its high buildings, spacecrafts, and hover vehicles visible in the glinting light. Even though the Kaitsune ship had an amazing cloaking device, he had chosen to land on the outskirts of the city.
'Better safe than stranded.' he told himself. He didn't want to risk someone stumbling across his ship in the port and discovering what it really was. If that happened his ship would immediately be confiscated and the city be put on high alert, which would be a disaster.
Taking in a steadying breath, he began the long trek to the city. While searching for Nibori's location (and breaking into a few hotel's files), he had discovered the man was spending his time in room number 601 of a hotel called 'The Yorezan,' named so because of its original creator, a Mr. Yule Yorezan. So, this would be his mission destination.
Ryou tried to keep himself from looking conspicuous once he had entered the city. He even went as far as tucking his long ivory hair into the janitor's cap and keeping his eyes to the ground.
He counted down the minutes in his head, listening to the honks of car horns, bickering of other people on the street, conversations at street corners, and the tinkering of bells as people entered shops. If he hadn't been so worked up over what he was supposed to be doing, he would have been able to enjoy his trip home.
After what felt like hours, he found himself in front of the grand entrance to 'The Yorezan.' Hoping his disguise wouldn't have him chucked out of such an expensive looking hotel, he pushed through the revolving doors and gawked when he entered the lobby.
The floor under his feet was a beautiful brown and cream marble tile which reached every inch of the room. The walls were painted an exquisite russet and the bright lighting glinted off the golden trim running along the upper portion of the walls.
There were elevators further back behind the desk, people entering and exiting them every so often. These were his first goal. Expelling the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, he walked closer to the reception desk, thankful the woman behind it was busy helping other customers. Staring straight ahead, he listened to his sneakers squeak over the tile and willed the sweat to stop gathering on his brow.
'Okay Ryou,' he told himself, 'Just play it cool and act like you're supposed to be here.' Readjusting the strap of his bag, he came to a stop in front of the elevators and sighed quietly in relief. Quickly pushing the button with an up arrow, he waited for the elevator to reach the lobby.
As he stood there, he caught snippets of conversation and almost choked when he heard Nibori's name mentioned. Zeroing in to the two men whispering nearby, he eavesdropped.
"I can't believe we have Mr. Nibori here in this very hotel." One of the men said. He was wearing an expensive looking black business suit and his sandy blonde hair was styled handsomely.
The other man nodded, his dark hair reaching the shoulders of his own brown business suit. "To think of all that poor man has been through. I don't know what I would do if I were caught in a Kaitsune attack."
"Me neither, but because of his courage and quick thinking, he made it out alive and his information is going to help our government destroy even more of those creatures."
'Courage and quick thinking my ass.' Ryou thought savagely.
The doors to the elevator opened and Ryou strode in, hitting the button labeled 6 on the elevator panel. Before the doors closed, he caught one more portion of the men's discussion.
"I'd love to shake the man's hand. Do you know what room he's in?" the dark haired man asked.
"No, I don't know which room. Even if I did, you wouldn't get a chance to see him. I believe he went out to breakfast sometime ago. Maybe once he gets back we can both speak with him."
After the doors closed and the men's conversation was cut off, he allowed himself to relax. So, Nibori wasn't up in his room. This would make his job a bit easier, seeing as how he could hack into the man's door lock without worrying about Nibori hearing him inside. Though, the thought of Nibori coming back up to his room and finding him trying to break in made him nauseous. 'I'll have to hurry.'
Once he reached the right floor, Ryou made his way out into the hallway, paying little attention to the plush burgundy carpeting beneath his feet. Instead, he counted the numbers on the room doors. '608, 607, 606, 605…' Halting in front of room 601, he dropped his bag to the floor and unzipped it, digging through the contents. Grasping the computerized lock pick, he stood and slid a key card connected to the handheld computer into the door panel, wedging it in the center.
Sweat dripping down his face, he turned on the machine and watched impatiently as it went to work figuring the lock code. Thankfully, the Kaitsune technology didn't let him down and opened the door after only a few moments.
He replaced the lock pick and removed the syringe and bottle from the smaller bag. Taking the large bag back into his hand, Ryou stepped over the border and into Nibori's hotel room. Wrinkling his nose, he took in the sight of a suitcase thrown open on the queen sized bed and night clothes strewn haphazardly over a chair in the corner.
Eyes raking over the rest of the room, he noticed that other than the evidence of Nibori staying here, the area wasn't really that bad. It was nicely furnished, with a large television, closet, and adjacent bathroom with expensive looking countertops.
Shifting the packages in his arms, Ryou looked for a good hiding spot. He eventually selected the bathroom since he would be able to see someone coming inside reflected in the mirror located above the sink. Situating himself between the door and the wall, he put his tool bag on the floor and readied the injection needle. Now, all he needed to do was watch and wait.
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Ryou was startled from his thoughts when he heard a key card being slid through the lock and the door opening, allowing someone inside. He glanced at the mirror, seeing Nibori and what appeared to be two security guards walk past the bathroom.
'Oh great, he's not alone!' He huddled behind the door with bated breath, hoping the other men would leave soon.
Nibori was mumbling to the men, who answered rather reluctantly, and their footsteps sounded throughout the room. Ryou heard the closet door being opened and chairs being moved around. 'They're searching the room!' he moaned mentally.
He held his breath and pressed himself as far back as possible when he heard one of the security guards enter the bathroom and saw the man nosing around via the mirror. The guard seemed to be just making a lot of noise instead of actually searching the room. 'They must have to do this each and every time they come here with Nibori, that's why they're not putting forth much effort.' Grateful for this stroke of luck, he listened as the men gave Nibori the all clear and left the room, grumbling to each other.
Ryou released his breath quietly, hearing Nibori talking to himself and moving something over the bed sheets. 'Well, it's now or never.' He quietly made his way out of the bathroom and into the short hallway between the door and the hotel room, peeking his head around the corner and seeing the old man's suit clad back turned to him. He appeared to be picking out an outfit from his suitcase for when he met with The Government.
Testing the needle, Ryou slinked closer to Nibori, careful not to run into any furniture on his way. He stopped behind the man and raised his hands, tensing his muscles for the attack.
Nibori began to turn, and Ryou took his chance. One of his hands wrapped tightly around the older man's mouth, muffling his cry, while the other plunged the needle into the fat neck and injected the liquid into Nibori's bloodstream.
At the sensation of something pricking his neck, Nibori started thrashing and trying to dislodge his attacker from his back. Ryou held tighter, throwing his entire weight against the man's back and pushing him down onto the bed and luggage, hand continuing to cover the screams and cries for help.
Finally, Nibori slackened, his voice dying in his throat and he grew still. Panting and body full of adrenaline, Ryou held the needle in his teeth and checked the man's pulse with his free hand. When he felt nothing, he eased his hand from Nibori's mouth and stepped back, eyes wide.
He had done it. He had actually killed Umo Nibori.
Hands shaking, he ran back to the bathroom and put back the needle before pulling out the large garbage bag. Throwing the pack of tools on his shoulder, he went back to Nibori and began stuffing him into the plastic bag.
Once the body was completely covered, he grasped the head of the bag and started dragging it behind him. 'God, this is heavy!' Steeling himself and calling forth extra energy, he made his way slowly out the door and down the hallway, hoping and praying he didn't meet anyone on the way. It was going to be hard enough getting out of the lobby without drawing too much attention.
He rode the elevator back down to the first floor, stepping out and into the lobby when the doors opened. He threw the garbage bag heavily over his shoulder and tried to appear as if he was just carting around a huge amount of trash as he quickly walked past the reception desk and toward the revolving doors.
Ryou could feel eyes on his back and this only made him move faster. By the time he got outside, he was practically running back to his ship, gasping for breath as his muscles ached from his heavy load.
The faces around him were a blur as he walked swiftly along the walkways, bumping into people here and there. Several minutes later, he was back on the outskirts of the city, and allowed himself to break out into a sprint, racing toward the location of his ship.
Almost collapsing when he reached the area where his vessel was hidden, he dropped the garbage bag onto the ground and unzipped the bag around his shoulder, finding the control lodged in one of the inner pockets which would drop the cloaking feature. Once his ship had reappeared, Ryou took hold of the bag containing Nibori and heaved it onboard, leaving it lying in the middle of the control room.
He quickly went to close the door and practically jumped into the leather seats in front of the control panel, dropping his tool bag nearby. Typing in a destination, he breathed a shaky sigh as he felt the ship lift into the air.
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Ryou landed a few miles away from the city, setting down on a rocky portion of terrain in the middle of nowhere. Now dressed in his white shirt and black pants from earlier, he took the garbage bag, a note, and the laser scalpel with him and came out into the sunlight. Setting the bag out in the open a couple yards from his ship, he tore it open and removed Nibori, laying him flat on the ground.
Gulping, he turned on the laser scalpel and eyed the older man's chest. Reaching out, he ripped open the elegant white shirt and held the scalpel over the flabby skin underneath. Ryou swallowed the lump in his throat and lowered his hand.
The smell of burning flesh made him retch, but he held back the vomit in his throat and continued slicing open Nibori's rib cage. Once finished, he peeled back the cauterized flap of skin and plunged his free hand into the opening, rooting through bone and cartilage, his face pale as his groping fingers closed around what must have been the man's heart.
Using the scalpel, he cut through several arteries and veins, Nibori's body relinquishing the heart after a few sharp tugs. Swallowing yet again, Ryou laid the organ on the garbage bag to his side and turned back to the corpse before him. Then, with the laser scalpel, engrained the symbol of The Kaitsune Liberation Front into the man's stomach.
After the symbol was complete, he put down the tool and picked up the note he had brought out with him. Shoving it underneath Nibori's ribs, Ryou grabbed his things and ran back to his ship.
The bloody piece of paper left behind flapped gently as a gust of wind moved over the ground, shifting dirt and dust alike. Yet it remained pinned beneath bone and flesh, its hastily scrawled message visible to whomever stood over its current home.
The sins of Umo Nibori have been purged with his death; his despicable lies forever silenced by the hands of justice.
-The Kaitsune Liberation Front
TBC
.x Holy guacamole, this chapter took a lot out of me.
Note time!
A Roshez is a species of alien that are…well…let's just call it 'extremely loving.' You wouldn't want to turn your back on one, let me tell you.
For those of us who don't read the labels on our laundry detergent, Sodium Hypochlorite is also known as bleach. Mmmyep. Nibori got his ass injected with laundry cleaner. xD
All of my readers who recognize the room number 601, you may all share a collective chuckle at my lack of creativity here.
Finally, the symbol for The Kaitsune Liberation Front is the Millennium Eye. (Yet again, lack of creativity. Bad Ita, bad!)
If you made it through this chapter relatively unscathed, please leave me a review. I love them so!