You hit the wall hard, all the impact taken by your left elbow. You screamed in pain, clutching at your damaged limb. Your opponent, the formidable Leonard, chuckled in amusement, watching patiently as you shook your arm and clenched your fist to regain the feeling. "I'm not going down without a fight!" you promised, staring up at the strategist.
"Wouldn't be entertaining if you did," he replied, a large grin plastered across his face.
You scowled and tried to look unfazed, however, on the inside you were dead scared by this man and his enormous strength. 'Fully rested I just might have been able to beat this guy, but right now, in this state…I'm living on borrowed time' you thought, barely dodging a series of quick punches.
"It's only a matter of time before you slip up, and then girly, you had best be praying I don't accidentally kill you," Leonard sneered, swinging another heavy fist your way.
You sidestepped before realising you hadn't moved far enough, and the blow caught you in the ribs, causing you to crouch down and grasp your side. Closing one eye in pain, your gritted your teeth and stood, arms swaying uselessly. "What? Had enough already, girly?" he smirked, tilting his head slightly as he regarded your bruised form.
"Why? Do you need a break?" you retorted, slapping your signature grin across your pained features.
Roaring in anger, he raised another meaty fist and pitched it directly at your head. You threw yourself to the side just in time, and as he overbalanced from the momentum, you took your chance. Spinning your legs underneath you, you kicked his hefty knees with all the force you could muster. As he instinctively knelt to cradle his cracked kneecaps, you swung your foot up and scored a direct hit on his already sore nose. He stumbled back with a yelp, hands to his crushed and bleeding nose. His piggy eyes centered back on you, and wiping the blood away, he advanced once again. Your previous attacks had all but drained you, and it was nearly more than you could take to actually stand and oppose him. His charge rammed you against the wall, and you felt your lungs protest under his immense weight. Your eyes widened in fear at your vulnerable position, and as he raised a fist, you winced and waited. 'This is it? This is how it's going to end? But who will take care of the foundation? Oh wait…L would…so I guess my death won't actually matter to anyone…'
A dark-haired detective rose from your preconscious memories and you shook away the thought. 'No…and even if he did care, he'd never show it…'
You watched the fist move in slow motion towards your head, before closing your eyes in frightened anticipation.
A shrill tone stopped his punch half way and he cursed before reaching for his phone. "What is it? I'm in the middle of something…oh…oh, really? It has started, has it? 1 Vehicle? You sure? I didn't think they'd be that stupid…yes, I'm coming now, don't start anything until I'm there!"
He turned back to you, obviously impatient to leave. "Guess I don't have any more time to play, so I'll just put you out of the way until I can deal with you properly."
Taking your arm, he roughly dragged you over to a dark, windowless room and threw you in. You landed heavily on the floor, cracking your head on a heavy wooden table on the way down. Blacking out, the last thing you saw was Leonard's smiling face as he jammed the door closed with an iron pipe.
"Aizawa-san, I need you to search the lower floors starting from the north stairwell and progressing through to the southern elevator. Matsuda-kun please follow the same pattern as Aizawa-san on the ground floor and the first floor. I have contacted the police and alerted them to the location and Yagami-san, I would like you to direct the police as I tell you through the earpiece."
Each investigator affirmed their understanding as their roles were set out, Aizawa and Matsuda slowly climbing into the empty space hidden under the flooring. "Ryuuzaki, what are we to do if we encounter hostile units?" Aizawa asked, struggling to pull all his limbs inside the small compartment.
"Please avoid conflict at all costs, this is a reconnaissance mission, however, if it seems inevitable, finish it as quickly as possible and progress. Our number one mission is the safe retrieval of Ahiru-chan," L answered, his voice sounding low and grave in the earpieces.
"Ok," Aizawa said, nodding his head at Yagami before sliding the flooring back over himself and Matsuda.
"Yagami-san, aim for the western side, the entrance there will break easily and Matsuda-kun and Aizawa-san will have the most cover there," L advised, speaking slowly as his mind raced at an incredible speed, trying to consider all the possible outcomes.
"Understood, Ryuuzaki. I'm 200 meters from the entrance; I will bail at approximately 100 meters," Yagami said, his face set with determination.
"Good luck, Yagami-san."
The white van flew down the deserted street, engine roaring and blinding lights flashing erratically. "There!" shouted a man and shells erupted upon the metal vehicle.
A dark flash emerged from the open sliding door before disappearing behind a corrugated iron fence. The van continued on, unabashed. "Stop it!! It's going to crash right into the building!" shouted another man, realising that no one was driving the speeding van.
The shots ceased as guards ran to escape the van as it careered straight into the building, shattering glass and smashing through the wall at a high velocity. "Quick! Check the van!" ordered Leonard, watching the scene from a monitor in the control room.
Reluctant to enter, a guard smaller than the others was roughly shoved inside to investigate. After a short inspection, he exhaled in relief and turned to the others to signal that it was empty. "Secure the perimeter! Make sure that no one else gets in!" shouted Leonard, losing interest in the discarded van.
The guards rushed to comply, running back to their allocated positions. Just then, flashing lights spun around the corner of the building, and countless police cars arrived at the scene. "Dammit! We've been discovered! Hold your ground, men! We're going to have an old fashioned shoot out!" cursed Leonard, trying to count the number of police cars blocking the road.
"Chief?" asked a tall man in a suit, holding a gun loosely as he shielded himself behind his open police car door.
"Yes, we have a plan. Will you listen?" Yagami said, speaking from his place behind the iron fence.
The man nodded and threw a communicator to him. "Okay, this is Yagami Souchirou. I want you all to listen as I lay out the plan…"
Matsuda shuffled uncomfortably beneath the van's floorboards. "Do you think it's safe yet?"
Aizawa hesitated, listening for any unusual noises. Hearing none, he turned to Matsuda in the darkness. "Yes, I think it's safe. Let's go."
Shoving the floorboards away, Matsuda and Aizawa nodded to each other before running in different directions, guns held tightly in their perspiring hands.
Matsuda climbed the stairs and quickly searched every room on the first floor. A few times he had to dive into unlocked rooms as a few guards sprinted past, shouting something about the building being surrounded. Finding no trace of you on this floor, he took the southern elevator back down to the ground floor. He had found no trace of you on the ground floor either and was about to notify L when he noticed a door barred with an iron pipe. 'That's definitely worth having a look at,' he thought, sneaking a glance into the room.
At first, he didn't see anything noteworthy in the room. However, something told him to look again, and this time, he noticed a dark shape huddled on the floor. His eyes widened as he recognised your blonde hair, and he yanked the pipe from its place before bursting into the room and crouching by your side. "Ahiru!" he whispered hoarsely, shaking you gently by the shoulders.
On your journey back to consciousness, you registered warm hands on your shoulders before the pain from the fall exploded throughout your skull. Your head went straight to your hands in agony and on the way you nearly head butted Matsuda. Your vision was dark and the throbbing from the top of your cranium overwhelmed the sound of the investigator calling your name frantically. After a few minutes of suffering, the pain shrank to a bearable level. You turned to face the shouting investigator, eyes wide in surprise. "Matsuda?" you asked, before the situation registered and you threw yourself on him, "Close your mouth! You don't know who's around!"
"Matsuda-kun! Have you found Ahiru-chan?" called L's voice, sounding slightly anxious.
He tried to reply in the affirmative only for it to be muffled by your hand. "Matsuda-kun?" L asked, confused.
You removed your hand and moved it to your mouth with an extended pointer finger to make sure that he talked quickly and quietly. He nodded before replying to L, "Yes, I've found her on the ground floor. She was unconscious but I revived her and she seems be alright."
He then muttered, "Alright enough to completely wind me by jumping on me…"
"What was that?" asked L, his voice laced with suspicion.
"Uh…he said that we're on our way out now!" you jumped in; making sure Matsuda couldn't say anything else.
You two crept out of the room and back down the corridor, heading for the exit and freedom.
You could feel the fresh air on your face as you reached the entrance of the building; blinking from the bright sunlight you hadn't seen for a month. The entrance was a battlefield; bodies of both police and guards littered the grounds, staining the cement crimson. You completely ignored it and took one step into the sunlight and breathed in deeply, reveling in the simple joy of being alive. Suddenly, a cry of pain burst out of the communicators followed by L's quick commands. "Everyone, check your situation. We need to locate all investigators. Matsuda-kun, Ahiru-chan, Yagami-san, Aizawa-san, please confirm."
"I am leading the police to pursue the last of the attackers," came Yagami's deep voice, sounding shaken with worry.
"Matsuda and Ahiru here, we're coming out of the building…wait, AHIRU! Where are you going?"
In the distance, L could make out your faint voice. "I'm going to save Aizawa-san, of course! I'm not going to lose him to save myself! What about you, what happened to we're all in this together?!"
Matsuda stared after you in shock before running after you back into the building. "I'm sorry, Ryuuzaki, but Ahiru is right. I'm not going to leave Aizawa."
You sprinted back through the entrance, adrenaline overpowering the throbbing of your wounded limbs and damaged head. Matsuda ran right behind you, a grim line in place of his trademark smile. Gunshots evaded your eardrums and you shot off in that direction, impatient to aid your possibly injured friend. You misjudged the distance and ran through a doorway only to find yourself in the middle of the battle. Behind an upturned table was Aizawa, propped against the dented metal. On the other side of his cover was a group of guards and also the strategist, Leonard, who were releasing rounds after round at Aizawa in the hopes of finishing him. "Aizawa-san!" you managed, before diving next to him, bullets renting the air you had vacated.
A similarly stunned Matsuda appeared in the doorway a second after, and his faced paled at the sight. "Matsuda! Hide!" you screamed, aware that he was practically a second from death.
He leapt over to a toppled bookshelf and laid on his stomach behind it, shielding his head with his arms. You turned quickly back to Aizawa, trying to form a plan to escape. It was then you noticed the blood slowly seeping out under his suit jacket. You seized the collar and pulled it open, gasping in the progress. "Aizawa-san! We need to leave. NOW!"
"No, Ahiru-chan…leave me here…I'll fend them off whilst you make a run for it," Aizawa replied, shaking his head.
Your eyes narrowed. Too much pain had been inflicted on you to lose another friend. "You're coming and that's final. Don't you dare try and play the hero," you hissed, your eyes lethal.
Scanning around, you realised that the thing that you had mistaken for a bookshelf was actually a weapons cabinet. "Matsuda! What's in that cabinet?" you practically shouted over the noise.
His terrified eyes peered over the top into the cabinet before ducking back down and turning to you, "A few guns. Some smoke bombs-"
You stopped listening as your plan crystallized. "Matsuda, throw a smoke bomb at them, we'll escape under the cover."
He nodded in understanding, and as you threw anything you could at the guards to distract them, he reached inside and pulled out a smoke bomb. He reached inside his jacket and set fire to the bomb with his lighter before throwing it at the bemused attackers. The effect was instantaneous and gray smoke spread around the room. "Matsuda, take him! I'll cover you!" you shouted, pulling a gun from the cabinet before following the men out in the hall.
Matsuda was half-dragging Aizawa in his desperation to escape with his life. Aizawa was panting heavily, his body under massive stress from his stomach wound. You brought up the rear; ready to shoot anything that posed a threat to your trio. After what seemed like hours of nervous running, you reached the entrance. Making your way through the bodies, you finally relaxed your guard and turned to help Aizawa to the waiting van driven by Watari. Light and L were standing outside the vehicle, watching your exhausted trio stumble over.
A flash of movement from a dying guard caught L's eye a second too late. The man was lying on the cold ground, close to breathing his last breath from a massive wound next to his heart. He raised his gun, wanting to take something or someone with him to the next world. His aim focused on a blonde-haired detective and as his vision faded to black and his heart stopped, he pulled the trigger.
L saw you fall in slow motion, your mouth opening in shock. Matsuda heard the noise and turned to see your lifeless body sprawled on the ground. He shouted your name, not wanting to believe his eyes. Aizawa turned as well, his mouth gaping open as he took in your fallen form. Light's eyes burned into you, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief. "AHIRU-CHAN!" cried Matsuda's strained voice carried over the motionless investigators, "AHIRU-CHAN!!"