"Lookin' good, Kusama."
Nowaki looked up from the straps of his bullet proof vest that was wrapped around his torso over his black turtleneck sweater. Over his black jeans, a set of straps wrapped around the top of his thighs and around his hips. Several items were fastened to it: a knife, a can of mace, and even a pistol. Emiko had advised him against using it, but had loaded it anyway in case of emergency.
Emiko walked up to him, a large, black trench coat in her hands.
"Remind me again why I need all of this," Nowaki said wryly as he obediently held out his arms and allowed Emiko to slip the coat onto his arms. Emiko pinched her lips together.
"Nagasaki has managed to slip through the fingers o' the police fo' a year. He's gotta have some sort o' weapon. You need to stay safe, so I done put a few extra weapons in there," she said. Then she considered it for a moment, looking Nowaki up and down. "Well, I guess the trench coat ain't necessary, but it looks badass, so who cares?"
"It reminds me of an action movie me and Hiro-san watched," Nowaki mused. "The guy could stop bullets with his mind."
"Focus, Kusama," Emiko said firmly. "I'm just gonna assume that'ya ain't never been in combat befo'? Trust me, it ain't like a movie. You gotta focus, or you will end up getting' killed."
"Mm," Nowaki said with a nod. He raised his hands and flexed them, watching as the leather fingerless gloves stretched to adjust to his movements.
"We'll be landin' soon- you ready?" Emiko asked. Nowaki pursed his lips.
"Physically? Maybe. Mentally? Probably not. All I know is that I want to kick this guy's ass within an inch of his life," Nowaki muttered. Emiko patted his back.
"And'ya will," Emiko said. She turned from Nowaki and went to a nearby cabinet, which she opened to reveal several objects. She beckoned Nowaki to her, and he curiously walked up to the cabinet, raising his eyebrows at the objects inside. Emiko gestured to it. "Take yo' pick."
Nowaki's eyes raked over baseball bats, metal pipes, hammers, and golf clubs. His eyes, however, landed on the last blunt object.
"That one," he said without hesitation. He stepped forward and retrieved it, weighing it in his hands. Emiko laughed.
"You really are one crazy mother fuck'ah," she said.
"I wonder how it feels to have a crowbar lodged in your skull," Nowaki said darkly, twirling the crowbar and deciding what end he would be doing business with. He decided on the end with the hook, and he experimentally swung it. The weight of the blunt object was perfect, gaining plenty of momentum and force without throwing him off balance.
"I'd imagine it don't feel too good," Emiko replied. "Now, when'ya get down there, you'll have a radio transmitter on yo' phone- I connected it while'ya were getting' dressed. It'll pick up our signal, and we'll be givin' you instructions though it. If you're in a pinch, focus on gettin' out o' there, 'cause we can't swoop in a rescue'ya."
"Got it."
"And… Kusama? One warnin'. You're probably gonna walk away with more than just a flesh wound. You could lose a limb," Emiko said solemnly. Nowaki looked out the window, where the shores of Sweden were just coming over the horizon, bathed in the scarlet glow of the rising sun.
"I'd rather lose a limb than let that sick fuck touch my family."
"Alright, Kusama. The town Nagasaki was spotted in last is just north o' here. Should be about a fifteen minute run," Emiko shouted over the sound of the jet's engine. Nowaki stood nearby on the pavement of the runway, his trench coat billowing about his legs. His crowbar was held loosely in his hands, the tip scraping the ground.
"Got it," Nowaki shouted back. Emiko saluted him before ducking into the jet. The door closed, and the engines screeched as the jet began to move. Nowaki turned away from it and began running in the direction Emiko had pointed in: towards a forest.
His heavy, black boots pounded against the pavement, then sloshed through mud as he ran through soggy dirt where snow had melted. He ducked into the trees of the forest, brushing past pine needles, not caring if they cut into his cheeks.
He didn't care that his lungs were straining against his chest. He didn't care that his cheeks stung and itched with cuts. He didn't care that the arm holding the crowbar was starting to get sore with the weight of the hunk of metal.
Had to keep running. Had to protect Hiro-san.
He finally reached the edge of the forest, where there was a large, wooden fence. Nowaki easily scaled the fence and peeked over the edge.
The first thing he noticed was an alleyway. The second thing he noticed was a grocery store.
The third thing he noticed was a figure hidden in the shadow of the building's wall.
Nowaki felt his heart leap up to his chest in fear, and for a split second, he wondered what the fuck he was doing, if coming to Sweden was really a good idea. His cobalt eyes flicked to the left, then widened as he saw two familiar figures. He suddenly remembered why he came.
Shinobu was pushing a stroller down the sidewalk.
And beside him, also with a stroller, was Hiroki.
Nowaki desperately wanted to cry out for his precious fiancé, but his eyes snapped back to the right. The figure was shifting, ready to pounce. Nowaki's heart hammered, unsure of what to do. If he ran out, Hiroki would see him and wonder what he was doing in Sweden. If he waited, the figure would grab his precious family.
As Nowaki was thinking, he didn't realize what his own body was doing. He supported himself on the fence and pulled the pistol from the straps around his hips. He aimed the pistol at a nearby sign on a building, just behind Shinobu and Hiroki. He pulled the trigger and there was a deafening blam as the bullet left the barrel. A millisecond later, there was a second blam as the bullet hit the sign and ricocheted off of it. Both Shinobu and Hiroki jumped and whirled around. Nowaki didn't waste a single second as he launched himself over the fence and sprinted across the street. He heard a snippet of Hiroki's voice: '…something fell?'
Nowaki saw the figure in the alley turn on his heel and sprint down the narrow path, but Nowaki was hot on his tail. He ducked into the darkness before Hiroki or Shinobu could detect him, but he heard Fuyumi squeal in delight. He didn't have time to coo over his baby, though, as he rounded a dumpster and shot at the heel of the fleeing figure. It didn't hit him, but it bounced off the ground and made a thwip sound as it flew into his calf. The figure barked in pain and stumbled to the ground. Nowaki caught up with the figure and dove on top of him, wrenching his head back by the hair.
"Nagasaki Takeshi," he snarled as Nagasaki rolled his eyes back to stare at him fearfully.
"Please… please, I'll go peacefully, don't kill me," he begged, sniveling. Nowaki blinked, loosening his hold ever so slightly. Without warning, Nagasaki growled, flipped onto his back, and reached up to grab Nowaki by the hair. Nowaki's world spun as he was thrown off of Nagasaki into the nearby dumpster, his forehead bashing against the corner of the metal bin. Nowaki hissed, but hardly had time to grab his throbbing head before he was being dragged across the ground by his ankles.
Nearby, Nowaki heard a door slam open, and he was hauled into a dimly lit room. Nowaki frantically looked around, discovering that the room was for storage.
"Never expected you to go as far as following me to Sweden," Nagasaki said casually. He grunted as he swung Nowaki around and threw him against a nearby shelf. A container of bleach toppled from the shelf to the floor, rolling off to the side. Nowaki panted as Nagasaki walked back to the door and slammed it shut. He turned back towards Nowaki, grinning.
"You-" Nowaki began in a wheeze.
"Took you long enough, didn't it?" Nagasaki said quietly, walking up to Nowaki. He lifted his foot to step on Nowaki's neck, forcing him back into the shelf and slowly choking him. Strangled cries tore themselves from Nowaki's throat as he desperately clawed at Nagasaki's heavy boot. Nagasaki continued. "You think running to Sweden in a little Matrix costume will instantly deem you the winner of this fight? Pathetic."
He released Nowaki's neck, but Nowaki didn't have time to breath before he was being kicked across the face. He was sent to the floor, curling up to defend himself. He watched in horror as Nagasaki reached behind him, lifted his leg, and dug his finger into his bullet hole wound. He pried out the bullet and threw it in Nowaki's face.
"You know, I honestly didn't think you'd react so fast when I gave your little shit that pill. I had everything timed out perfectly, you know?" Nagasaki said. He stepped on Nowaki's face and roughly turned his head up to face him. "You and your little pretty boy could've walked away unharmed. The only casualty would've been the alien baby. But now, your whole family will die. How would you like it to end? I could drag Kamijou and the baby in here with you already dead, and as I kill them, the last memory they'll have is the image of your throat ripped open. Or, perhaps I could tie you up, drag them in here, and kill them in front of you. Then they'll know that their super-duper strong daddy couldn't protect them. How does that sound, hm? I wonder how much bleach the baby can drink before it dies."
Nowaki gritted his teeth in rage and lifted his crowbar to hit Nagasaki, but Nagasaki laughed and wrenched it from Nowaki's grasp. He swung it almost lazily, and Nowaki screamed in pain as it connected with his right hand and promptly snapped his pinky and ring finger. Nagasaki threw the crowbar aside and increased the pressure on Nowaki's face.
"Make your decision now, or I'll just go with the latter," Nagasaki growled. When Nowaki didn't answer, he smirked. "Hey, you know what else? You know those other two faggots? The old one and the one with the whiny voice? What would you say if I told that maybe my hands slipped on their second son? That maybe, just maybe, it wasn't a stillbirth after all?"
Nowaki's eyes widened in horror. He thought his heart stopped for a moment, but he quickly realized that it was just beating so fast that it had become numb. Nagasaki leaned down, a maniacal grin on his face.
"You should have seen the look on his parents' faces. Such horrified expressions… it was just delightful. Oh, but don't worry, Kusama-san," Nagasaki said lowly. He bent down further and tilted his head. His next words came out in a raspy whisper.
"I sent that demon baby to hell gently."
Nowaki bellowed incoherently, and with an inhuman burst of strength, he grabbed Nagasaki by the leg. He dug his fingers into the wound that the ricocheted bullet had left and ripped the skin, drawing a roar of pain from Nagasaki. He went down, his boot leaving Nowaki's head. Nowaki pounced on him, straddling his hips and wrapping his fingers around his neck, ignoring the pain of his broken pinky and ring finger. He screamed, lifting Nagasaki's head from the floor only to slam it into the hard surface over and over. Nagasaki laughed hysterically the whole time, his giggles broken by yelps of pain.
"KILL ME! DO IT! DO IT!" he shrieked, grabbing Nowaki's wrists and helping him slam the back of his head into the floor. Nagasaki's grip was just beginning to loosen when Nowaki realized what he was doing. He shot to his feet. Nagasaki panted on the floor, writhing in the pool of blood that had haloed around his head. Nowaki went to his crowbar and grabbed it off the floor. He went back to Nagasaki and raised his weapon above his head. Nagasaki licked his lips as Nowaki thrust the sharp end of the crowbar down and pierced his enemy's thigh. Nagasaki screeched, convulsing as Nowaki pushed it deep into the appendage. He paused before violently twisting the crowbar. There was a sickening snap as Nagasaki's femur shattered.
Nowaki wrenched the crowbar from Nagasaki's leg, marveling in the spray of blood that followed and flecked his cheeks. He wasn't finished: he reached down and grabbed Nagasaki by the collar. He dragged him to a wall and slammed him into it, reaching up with his crowbar and pinning Nagasaki there by the neck.
"Heh, heh, heh," Nagasaki half-panted, half-snickered. "You wouldn't kill an old classmate, would you, Kusama? Huh?"
Nowaki furrowed his eyebrows.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
Nagasaki's face contorted, and he reached out to fist Nowaki's collar in his hands. His voice came out in a shrill scream.
"Kusama is an abandoned child!"
