Chase Part 9

Azure sighed, he couldn't believe what his life had come to. Eight years ago he thought he'd gotten away from Noir, left the life of serving him behind forever. Gone "straight" or as straight as an assassin could. Yet here he was working for Noir's brother. Azure shook his head, that was another unbelievable part, that Noir had a twin brother. What the hell? Still Azure couldn't let him hurt Silvia like the other Silvia in that video, so instead he'd do whatever Bela said. Azure paced the room back and forth, he remembered those six months eight years ago when he'd been good. Or tried to be. He'd hunted down several powerful terrorists and a few rapists, yet he'd kept his nose clean other than that. He'd killed a mere twelve people in that time. Then Noir got to him again, and twisted him back into what he'd been. A horrible monster. Azure had managed to stay afloat just barely. Though he kept sinking lower as time went on. By the time he entered Beacon, his last attempt to be a good person, he'd fallen into all his old habits but one. He never took that name back. He still didn't want to be feared, and that's what that name inspired… inspires. When he met Silvia they got close fast, he was close with the whole team, but never as close as he was with her. Until it ended. Though in many ways it never did end, it still hadn't. Everything was fine for awhile, the two of them and their team completed several hard missions, Azure started to feel like a normal teenager. The year was coming to an end when the attack happened. The worst attack that the city had ever seen. Though this one was solely done by humans. He himself responsible for many of it, whether he was in control or not. After that he fell apart. He left Beacon and Silvia, joined a new team and took on the White Fang. Azure remembered how he'd stopped joking, he'd mostly picked it up as a defense mechanism, to hide the pain but it had stopped working. That was until he met Viridian. Viridian was a good guy (If not a little conceited) but he didn't approve of Azure's methods. Viridian for all his faults, firmly believes everyone has the right to live. Azure couldn't change and they separated.

Azure stopped and looked at the pure white wall. He'd been a mess, hell he still was. Azure rolled up his sleeves and looked at the scars that covered his arms. He'd put them there himself. After leaving Beacon he hallucinated, heard voices, couldn't sleep, and most of all he just wanted to end it all. He never could though, someone always needed his help.

Azure sighed and sat down. He'd spent his whole life trying to save people, but he couldn't. Not everyone. But he could save Silvia and Viridian at the very least. A voice rang out through the rooms speakers, It was Bela.

"Your friends have one more chance to leave. If you can convince them to leave I will spare their lives. I suggest you hurry and convince them."

Silvia groans, slamming her fist on the keyboard. "Damnit!"

"What's the matter?" Viridian asked leaning back.

"As far as I can find, which is little, there are no files on Azure."

"None? But they took him right?"

"Yes, of course they did." She leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen. "But why not keep records of their enemy?"

"Maybe... maybe they're hiding him."

"Well yeah."

"Alright so he isn't in the computer. But we know he's here somewhere. So we can just look around." Silvia stands up, avoiding his gaze.

"I can't lose him, Viridian." Viridian looks over at Silvia.

"We won't. He's going to be fine."

"I know, but I've lost him so many times. When we first tried to be together, and the time after that. And I'm scared for his own safety, too."

"You should put a tracker on him." Silvia turns to look at him, smiling slightly.

"I'm not an over obsessive parent. Plan B. Let's go."

"Goody." Viridian says before running out of the room. Silvia follows him, praying that Azure is okay. After a few minutes of running they turn a corner and there Jade stands at the end of it, leaning against a doorway.

"Hey you two. How are you doing?" He calls down at the duo. Silvia pauses, silently cursing to herself.

"How'd you find us, Jade?"

"Um the cameras?" He says pointing at the surveillance cameras. She glances at the one he's pointing to.

"Probably should have done something about those."

"You don't say?" Viridian asks.

"It's time for you to leave." A voice says from behind them. Silvia's hand grips onto the hilt of her sword, pulling it out as she faces the voice behind her. It's Azure, he locks eyes with her, but he doesn't smile. From the other side of the hall Jade speaks.

"Bela got him to work with us. Isn't that nice?" The grip on her hilt tightens.

"How do I know it's not another one of your lackeys?" Silvia asks.

"Silvia it's me. For real. And I'm telling you to leave. It's for the best."

"Why? After we came all this way, you expect us to turn back? And why help them?"

"I do. Go back to where you came from. This is your last chance."

"What about you?" She lowers her sword, letting nothing but their words stand between them.

"I...I have to stay. There is nothing to do about it."

"What are they making you do?"

"As of now? Convincing you to leave. In the future? Nothing I haven't done before." Azure responds. Silvia blinks, almost as if to fight back tears.

"Please don't make me leave you." She begs, her eyes pleading. Azure clenches his jaw forcing himself to stay stone faced.

"You won't be leaving me. Just... being apart. Silvia you don't need me anymore. You can live without me."

"What about you? I know what you go through, Azure. Your breakdowns and thoughts. What if it gets worse?" Azure flexes his fingers on his left arm, where he sported the scars he'd put there himself lay.

"I'll be fine." He says.

"We both know you're lying." Silvia scoffs.

"Leave Silvia. This world isn't for you."

"It isn't for you either! God damn, Azure."

"I HAVE to stay! You HAVE to leave!"

"What the hell did they show you, Azure? What makes this world so much better than our own?"

"They showed me that I have no choice." Her eyes grow glassy from tears being blinked back.

"You know what? Fine." Azure watches her in silence. Viridian raises an eyebrow. "We'll leave. We'll leave, after everything Viridian and I have done to get here. We came because someone was so selfish to dig his nose into business that was never his to begin with!" She laughs shortly, walking towards him. "Hell, you're so selfish that you can't even acknowledge when others are willing to risk their lives to save you, even though you're too ignorant to not even see it!" She almost screams, but bites it back at the last second, a tear building up in the corners of her eyes. "Maybe I'm not the one that needs you, Azure," she continues, her voice cold and soft. "Maybe you just don't need me anymore." She glances over at Jade. "Where's the exit?" Jade smiles happily and presses a few buttons on his gauntlet. A portal opens up.

"This will take you home." Silvia sheathes her sword, the metallic noise as cold as the tension in the room.

"Let's go, Viridian." Viridian spares a look at Azure. He frowns. Something isn't right. But he doesn't say anything and he turns and walks through the portal. Silvia takes one last look at Azure, her face truly unreadable as she walks into the portal, never looking back. The portal closes.

"Hehe funny isn't it?" Jade asks smiling.

"What is?" Azure says stone faced.

"That she says that you can't tell when people are ready to die for you when that's exactly what you're doing for her. Not to mention why you came here in the first place." He walks off laughing leaving Azure alone in the hallway. He looks at the spot where the portal had been only moments ago. He had sold himself back into a life of horror. He'd never stopped being a killer, an assassin. But he knew that that wasn't what he's talents would be used for. He wouldn't be taking out criminals, he'd be removing obstacles in Bela's way. Slaughtering people, torturing people, being the person he'd stopped being when he was thirteen. But they were safe. Silvia was safe.

Silvia stumbled out of the portal and leaned against her desk. Viridian followed her out and looked at her. She was breathing heavily trying to get a grip on the situation. He was fairly surprised himself, but he was handling it better it seemed. By a lot.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

"Oh just fine." Silvia responds.

"Well that's not true."

"Sarcasm idiot." Silvia retorts. Viridian raises an eyebrow. Definitely not normal for her.

"You know that something was off right? That whatever was going on wasn't what he wanted."

"Ha, something is always off when he's involved." Well she wasn't wrong there Viridian thought to himself.

"He has to be helping them for a good reason."

"Probably to save his own skin."

"You know that isn't true, that's not how he is."

"Oh come on, when he was The Dragon he fought for himself."

"When he was twelve and thirteen? How can you judge him by that. He changed so much, he's been through to much to be the same person. That's not fair. And we have to find a way to help him. Maybe we can't go back without getting him killed, but we find people who can."

"There aren't a lot of people willing to help us." Silvia sighs.

"Yea, Trent won't help us after that baby disaster."

"I heard about that. Azure tried to kill Trent's kids?"

"No, more like remove them from Trent's care permanently to avoid them growing into monsters like their ancestors."

"Oh. My. And Aulora won't help after Selena."

"Yeah, that was bad."

"She attacked him."

"What about Alcatraz?"

"He's in retirement or something. Won't help anyone."

"Fine, then we find help from a different world, we have a lot to choose from."

"That might be the best idea you've ever had." Silvia says smiling. They were going to help Azure afterall.