Another chapter! How long has it been. What? Five months?! What the hell happened? Oh, right. School happened...
Anyway, I'm so sorry for the wait, and if anyone still wants to read this, here it is.
Kouko
The girl standing in front of her was the girl Kouko had least wanted to see. She could feel hot liquid dripping down a long, thin crevice in her arm, the pain lost to the flames.
The shadowy figure before her straightened up into a hunch-backed fighting stance, bloody scissors brandished in her hand. Takechi Otoya coughed a few times and narrowed her bloodshot eyes.
"So it's you, huh?"
Swallowing to clear her aching throat, Kouko edged away with a knife in one hand and a Walkie Talkie in the other. "Stay back."
"Don't think I will," Takechi growled, taking large steps forward and nearly stepping on the girl's peeling dress shoes. "That's the thing with bombs. You can't really use them in close combat."
Saliva dripped from her slightly open mouth. She was clearly fatigued, to the point where her judgement would be severely impaired. Kouko had read enough on the effects of smoke to know that.
I'm having difficulties as well, she thought, adjusting the crude filter she had put over her mouth and nose before the attempt. The difference is that I have backup, and she doesn't.
They had reached the far end of the hallway. There was nowhere for Kouko to run. Bracing herself, she clenched her fist around her knife and thought of the necklace plastered to her bare skin beneath her uniform.
"End of the line," Takechi hissed, pausing with one foot in front of the other for stability. "So this is what you were workin' on all that time. Pretty impressive, I'll give you that."
Kouko rubbed the tears from her eyes, not letting her guard down for a second. "Thanks."
The scissors flew across her field of vision, missing her by an inch. "Just thought you might like a compliment before you die!"
Her blade rended the air, crashing down onto the knife like an avalanche. Kouko reeled from the blow, her wrist throbbing as she stuck back and was swiftly deflected.
Takechi lunged at her legs, grabbing them in her burning sleeves and twisting them out from under her.
"This is what you get!" she roared as she forced Kouko into the concrete floor. Her green eyes glowed with insanity. "I won't let anyone touch her!"
Fear made Kouko lash out, swinging her knife at whatever flesh she saw. Takechi parried her blows and tried to pin her aching head to the floor. She gasped like a fish out of water as her mask was ripped off, and fire flooded her lungs.
"Stairs!" she screamed into her Walkie Talkie. If anyone else came down to help her adversary, she was done for. "Stairs!"
Letting go of her head, Takechi gripped the plastic radio. "Talking to your buddies!" She ripped the phone from the girl's sweaty hand and threw it into the wall, where it broke with a loud crack. "Let's make this fair, huh? One on one!"
"…not fair," Kouko croaked, her now free hand latching onto Takechi's right wrist, pushing away the scissors. "The second you talk about killing someone, it stops being fair!"
"Don't you fucking start!" Takechi fought downward, slowly overpowering Kouko's weaker arm. She swung her other fist into the girl's nose. "I'm not the only one trying to kill."
"Ah!" Kouko cried, jerking her knife up to protect her face as blood dribbled out her nose. Something caught on the blade, gliding over it like butter.
Takechi swore and yanked her hand away, bleeding from a nasty cut across the knuckles. "You bitch!"
Before Kouko could react, bloody fingers dug into her knife hand, worming into her grip.
She's going to take my knife away, Kouko thought, terrified. Oh my God.
She held on tighter, but the moisture on her palms betrayed her, and she felt the weapon slide further away with every second. No, she thought desperately, searching for any strength she had left. Help. Please, someone, help me!
The fear inside her reached its peak, leaving placidity in its wake. In that split second, she thought of Irena-senpai. Of Shiena. And finally, of Suzu.
Her life flashed before her eyes as the grip stalled between her thumb and forefinger.
"Namatame!"
"Azuma! You heard her over here, right?"
Takechi tensed up for a moment. That moment was all Kouko needed to wrench her knife away.
"Dammit!" the raven-haired girl rasped. Fueled by anger, she yanked her own weapon hand free and stabbed Kouko's shoulder, eliciting a silent cry of pain.
Namatame and Azuma were standing near them, confused and afraid. Her opponent shouted over to them.
"I got her! Get… get Ha-!"
Kouko tried to stab Takechi's arm, but the girl deflected her blow into the floor at the last second.
"Go!"
The other two left, leaving only them. The black-haired girl's head was filled with pain and smog. All she had were her instincts now, and they weren't serving her well.
Grinning maniacally, Takechi pulled her knees onto the girl's stomach, right into her diaphragm. "We both know I had you right there. All you did was prolong the inevitable."
Unable to breathe, Kouko choked and thrashed beneath her weight. "Le-t me go…!"
No more words came out. It was impossible to breathe. Kouko took a few swings with her knife and fist, but all were effortlessly blocked. She simply had nothing left.
Without a trace of her usual joy, Takechi folded her arms and stared down at her work. Blood began to drip onto the floor from the wounds on her hand and Kouko's arms. Sighing, she slumped forward a bit, letting her fingers drag on the concrete. An eerie calm settled over them, two exhausted assassins waiting on death.
Hush, Kouko thought, relaxing amidst the infernal jungle climbing the walls around them. If she's going to kill me like this, I might have some time. Don't think. Save oxygen.
So she lay there utterly alone, praying for a miracle.
Suzu
The last thing Suzu heard was a crunch and static.
Cold sweat dripped down the back of her neck. Seconds earlier she'd detonated the bomb under the stairs, meaning Kouko, Shiena, and everyone else were trapped in the basement. Now she'd lost all communication with Kouko, and she could've sworn she'd heard Takechi screaming over the walkie talkie.
Taking a deep breath, she scooped up several of the labeled detonators in her trembling arms and pulled over some boxes she'd gathered earlier than day. They skidded on the floor rather loudly, and Suzu really hoped some janitor wouldn't wander in to investigate the noise.
Setting down the detonators for the time being, she stacked the boxes one by one on top of each other, praying they wouldn't break or fall under her weight. This part of the plan had been rather hastily cobbled together that same morning, when Suzu had realized where the vent to the basement actually was. Namely, on the ceiling.
No matter how well you plan, she thought as she made another step for herself, you always forget something.
She sighed and stepped back from her handiwork. Before her stood a stack of plastic boxes three high, followed by another single box. Suzu picked up her detonators again and backed away several yards. This would not be easy.
An image of Kouko fighting Takechi flashed in her mind. Gritting her teeth, she ran as fast as her hundred-year-old legs could carry her. She leapt onto the first box, then up to the stack, then higher, reaching out to grab the grate of the ceiling vent.
Her fingers grazed the metal, and she squeezed it as hard as she could. Gravity yanked her downward, along with the detonators. They fell to the floor with a collective crack. She winced as the metal dug into her fingers.
"Forget the detonators," she breathed, straining to hold on. She grabbed on with her other hand and pulled down hard. She had never been great at pull ups, so she hung there for a few seconds, breathing hard.
It occurred to her that she must look pretty stupid. For someone like Azuma or Takechi, this would be child's play. For her, it was a test of everything she had.
That only fueled her resolve. She gave one final yank and the grate came down, hanging by its hinges. Suzu fell about a foot as well, her foot scraping the top of a box and sending the tower crashing down.
She lifted her foot and wedged it into the grate. Using her arms and leg, she pulled herself up into the vent as her muscles screamed in protest. Her sweaty hands threatened to slide down the metal sides of the duct at any moment. If she fell from here, she'd definitely break something.
"Come on!" she yelled at herself. She jammed her other foot into the wall of the duct and straightened her limbs even more to push herself upward. It was black as tar inside the vent, so she felt around desperately for an edge to climb onto. Her arms burned like hell.
Her hand closed around something. With a yell of victory, she pushed herself in that direction as hard as she could. Her head hit the top of the vent and her body collapsed onto solid metal plating. The sound of it echoed through the dark tunnel.
She coughed and got to her knees, doubled over and breathing hard. She hadn't done anything that straining in quite a while.
The things I do for family, she smirked. Her silvery bangs stuck together with sweat and fell in front of her golden eyes. She let them hang there as she crawled through the duct, sniffing every few seconds for smoke. It wasn't like she could see a damn thing anyway.
Something acrid entered her nose. She swallowed and moved faster. It wouldn't be long now.
The sounds of the fire made their way to her ears as smoke began to waft toward her. Soon the crackle became a deafening roar, and the smoke grew thicker by the second. She paused and grabbed at the air filter hanging around her neck. They'd thought ahead that far, at least.
With the white mesh secured over her mouth, she moved another foot forward… and felt nothingness. She felt around with her hand, and sure enough, she had reached an edge. Beyond it was a straight drop of who knew how far. Not only that, there was a bit of light coming from the precipice, illuminating the thick smoke.
Since she couldn't turn around in the duct, there was only one option for going down feet first. "All right," she whispered to herself. "Let's hope I'm short enough."
Curling up into a ball, she counted to three in her head and somersaulted forward.
Her stomach soared into her throat as she fell through the toxic clouds. What little air was left in the basement tore up past her. She couldn't see the bottom, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She was alone with gravity.
Something crashed into her feet and gave way with a bang. Crying out in pain, she found her eyes filled with dazzling, deadly light. Tears began to blur her vision as she landed hard.
Right on Takechi.
"Fuck!" Takechi wheezed as the girl landed on her back. Suzu felt something snap beneath her elbow.
With a face full of black hair, Suzu grabbed her around the arms and wrenched her off of Kouko. A knife clattered to the floor beside them, splashing her skirt with blood.
They hit the stone with a thud. Suzu couldn't believe there was any strength left in her arms at this point, but she held on for dear life. Right then, she was the only thing preventing Takechi from eviscerating the both of them.
"Get off!" the girl hissed, thrashing and trying to worm out of her grip. Her movements slowed immediately as her visage contorted in pain. "Shit!"
She gripped Suzu's forearms in her sticky hands, but made no attempt to pry them apart. Blood smeared her sizzling skin.
Beside them, Kouko had risen to her knees, coughing violently. She reached for the fallen knife and fell over in the attempt, hitting her chin on the floor.
"Kouko!" Suzu called to her. "Take my mask!"
The black haired girl dragged herself closer and pushed aside Takechi's singed ponytail. Her ice blue eyes had begun to melt and run down her cheeks. She was fading fast, her fingers shaking uncontrollably as she reached out to take the air filter from Suzu's blotchy face.
She paused right before grasping the elastic string.
This couldn't be happening. "Take it," Suzu insisted. Her eyes clouded further. "You've been down here much longer. I'll live."
Kouko stared blankly at the pattern on Takechi's tie. Her now opaque glasses slid off her nose and dangled from her ears. The voice that escaped her cracked lips was like sandpaper.
"I… wouldn't count on any of us living, at this point."
The frown on her face was not an expression of defeat, but of determination. She pulled the mask from Suzu and slid it over her own head with unforeseen fierceness.
"We've got a target to kill."
The filter seemed to have helped a little. Kouko bent over and retrieved her knife. Suzu slowly loosened her grip on Takechi and found that the raven haired girl still didn't fight back.
"I think she's had it," Suzu rasped, the smoke beginning to seep into her system. "I'm letting go of her, so be ready."
Kouko nodded, poised to strike at their enemy's throat.
She swallowed and released Takechi. The girl crumpled on top of her, arms sprawled. Suzu grunted and rolled her onto the floor face first. Once again, no protest.
"Looks like she's passed out from the smoke," Suzu coughed, getting to her feet and starting down the hallway. "Come on! No time to lose!"
The two assassins raced down the hallway as it fell apart before their eyes. Embers fell from the ceiling and landed in showers of sparks, burning their legs and catching their clothes on fire. The smell of burning shoes and flesh wafted up with the smoke.
"Shiena-chan!" Suzu shouted, catching sight of the girl curled up outside a door consumed in flames.
The brunette glanced up at them with bloodshot eyes and sooty glasses. "Finally!" she choked, using the wall as support to stand. I thought I was done for…"
She tripped into Suzu's shoulder. "Easy," the older girl said, steadying her as she swayed with the flames. "Are they in the room?"
"Yeah."
Sighing, Suzu couldn't help but smile. As many setbacks as they had encountered, everything had worked.
They were going to win.
Shiena
She hadn't gone to help Kouko.
She had heard screams and yelling from the opposite end of the hallway. She had known Kouko was locked in a losing battle, desperate for oxygen. She had brought her gun.
And she had been a coward.
Clenching her fists, Shiena knew very well that Kouko might have died back there if not for Suzu's impeccable timing and sheer dumb luck.
What's wrong with me? She thought, reaching into her bag to grasp the handle of her gun. Why can't I stand up to Takechi?
Not that she would need to worry about that anymore. It was over. The three of them stood in a circle in the hallway with victory in their grasp.
Reaching into her shirt pocket, Suzu pulled out a small gray detonator just like all the others. Shiena, in a display of childish humor, had labeled it with a cartoon skull. It was far less amusing now that the time had come.
"I figured I might lose some detonators on my way here," Suzu wheezed, putting a hand over her mouth. "So I kept this one close at hand…"
They moved to the side of the door to avoid the explosion soon to come. Shiena's heart pounded ferociously in her ears as it strained to keep her conscious and alive.
Alive.
"Good work, team." Suzu swallowed. "Cover your ears."
Shiena plugged her ears. An eternity passed as she raised her head for one last look at the basement, an endless tunnel of warmth and death. Fire licked lovingly at what was left of the walls, and charred debris lay a foot thick on the once cold stone floor.
There was a shadow emerging from the flames. Shiena blinked, and realization dawned on her. With a scream that tore her throat apart, she leapt forward. "Behind you!"
Takechi lunged out of the fire like an animal. Her cries were no longer of war, but of pain.
She grabbed Suzu's hand and wrenched it around until it popped like a bottle cap. The older girl lurched and fell to her knees, dropping the detonator.
The other three dove onto the floor in a mad scramble for the device, punching and shoving each other into the searing embers. Bits of crackling wood flew into Shiena's face, leaving dozens of burns.
"Ah!" she cried, rubbing her eyes and spreading the debris with her hands in desperation. "No, no, no!"
A fist flew into her face. She felt her nose collapse under the punch, and her eyes became immediately useless.
"You!" she screamed, letting loose her anger and lunging at the first thing in front of her. "I've had it with you!"
She grabbed ahold of Takechi's hair and yanked it hard before smacking her across the face with her palm. The slippery feeling that followed brough her a sick sort of satisfaction.
Instead of striking back, Takechi threw a punch to Shiena's side. Could she not see anymore? Maybe she'd hit her near the eye.
The punch never landed. Instead Takechi pounced on Shiena's school bag.
Shiena grabbed the bag and pulled it the other way. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Doesn't… take a genius to guess where you keep that gun!"
The resulting tug of war ripped the bag open, spilling its contents toward Takechi. She snagged the handgun out of the air, blood flying off her sliced open knuckles. The light of the fire glinted off the silver barrel and into Shiena's terror-stricken eyes.
"Oh…"
A weak grin finally formed on the raven haired girl's split lips as she jammed the gun against Shiena's temple. "Payback's a bitch."
"I found it!" Kouko gasped, holding up the detonator and getting to her feet before slumping into a wall. "I found…"
Her eyes widened at the scene before her. The passing joy on her face disappeared. "…oh my God."
Suzu managed to stand as well and leaned against Kouko, her wrist hanging at a very unnatural angle. For the first time, Shiena saw the older girl look truly afraid.
Takechi stared up at them from where she sat, her eyes nearly glazed over. "You… know how this goes."
Shiena sat still, every muscle tense. Her life was in the hands of Takechi. The world blurred before her into a collage of a million colors as smoke overwhelmed her. It was getting to Takechi too, she could tell. The raven-haired girl was having serious trouble holding up her weapon.
If this were a normal battlefield, they could just wait Takechi out until the 48 hours were up, or until Ichinose suffocated in that locked room. But here amidst the flames, there was no time to waste. They had to win soon, or they were done for.
Before Shiena could formulate a plan, Suzu held up her hands.
"All right," she croaked. "We surrender."
"No!" Shiena's eyes widened, and more tears fell. "We're so close! Just give me a minute, I'll-!"
Her true friends looked down at her with soft, weary eyes. Kouko dropped her detonator into the fire and spoke in a voice that was barely her own. "Nothing… is worth losing our only friend."
"Dammit!" Shiena squeezed her eyes shut, shame flooding her being. Of course she didn't want to die. Of course she knew they loved her.
Even so, she would have rather died than be the one to ruin everything like this.
She twisted her head around, searching for anything that could get her out of this situation. In the midst of her agony, her eyes fell on the burning door of the bomb room.
An idea began to form. It was risky, to be sure, with a high chance of failure. But it was their only shot.
No pun intended.
"Takechi-san," she said evenly, new energy surging through her. "It doesn't matter whether they set the bombs off or not. The door to that room is locked. Ichinose will die in there either way."
The raven haired girl stiffened for a second. "Is it?"
Kouko and Suzu looked on silently. Shiena knew she was taking a gamble, setting their target free. She just needed Takechi to move that gun, and then, just maybe…
The gun was removed from Shiena's head and aimed at the center of the door. "Not for long it isn't!"
Shiena lunged at Takechi right as she plugged the door with several shots. Weakened by fire, it gave way in a spectacular burst of red hot wood shards.
The recoil threw Takechi's arms backward, and the gun flew from her grip. Shiena leapt up to catch it but was pulled back to the floor by her half-cooked legs.
"Move!"
Shiena rolled over and saw a shock of blue hair go by, a stark contrast to the fire. "Get the gun!" she yelled at her friends, who were getting there as she spoke.
Azuma was faster. Scooping up the weapon, she lunged at Kouko and swung the gun into her temple. The black haired girl sank to the ground with a dull thud.
Suzu was just as easily apprehended by Namatame, who pulled her backward and held a knife to her throat. Shiena watched her crush from the floor, feeling an indescribable relief when she refrained from striking her captive.
It happened in seconds. All their hard work, nullified in an instant. She had taken a gamble, and she had failed.
Takechi had humiliated her yet again.
"Otoya-chan!"
She was vaguely aware of Ichinose crawling over to where Takechi lay, her arms draped over Shiena's legs. The raven haired girl perked up at the voice and rolled onto her side. "Haru…"
Ichinose hooked her arms around the girl's shoulders and pulled her into a weak embrace. "Thank you," she cried, her face streaked with tears. "I-I thought we were going to… to!"
She started coughing and bent double over Takechi's limp body. The raven haired girl laid her tired head on Ichinose's shoulder, having finally given every last bit of her strength.
It might have been her eyes, but Shiena saw genuine emotion on Takechi's blood and soot streaked face. Her lips moved as though she were talking, though her words were no longer audible.
Ichinose started to answer when Azuma staggered up beside them, her expression grim. Her chest heaved from her sudden exertion.
"None of us… has the strength… to escape."
It was the truth. Shiena watched the once skilled assassin trip and fall to her knees beside Ichinose.
"Tokaku-san…"
The three of them huddled together in their own small world, rivalries forgotten in their own impending death. Shiena watched them, mesmerized.
The lot of them were all very different people. They had felt and experienced different things, and they fought for different reasons. Yet here, they were all feeling the same thing.
I don't want to die.
Right now, Shiena needed more than anything to be with her friends. Pushing herself up, she crawled over to where Kouko lay motionless. Maybe she was dead already.
The tears had been flowing for quite some time, so there was nothing new for her to cry.
"Go join them."
Above her, Namatame released Suzu. The older girl leapt over and dropped down at Kouko's side. Her expression was unbearable to look at. It was the face of someone who had become numb to pain being forced to experience it again.
Without a word, she squeezed Shiena tight around her burned arms. The brunette grasped Kouko's hand and resolved to never let it go.
"Thanks," she whispered. "For everything."
Her tiny, secluded world wavered before her. The last sight to meet her eyes was that of her two friends, the friends whose houses she would never go to, whose favorite colors she would never know.
Thank you for everything.
And the curtains closed.
Sumireko
It had been more than long enough. She hadn't wanted to reveal her strength to these people, but unless she wanted the target to die, there was no helping it.
Her, Banba, and Kirigaya had been standing at the top of the basement stairs, or rather, where the stairs had been. The inferno raged below them, and smoke billowed up through the opening. She supposed Inukai and Sagae were just to lazy to show up. That, or they hadn't recognized the gravity of this situation.
"All right," she sighed, cracking her knuckles. "Please stand back."
"You're going to go in there?" Kirigaya cried incredulously, her hand clamped over her mouth to keep out the foul air. She held her teddy tightly against her chest. "That's…"
Sumireko began removing her uniform. The fire would burn her clothes off anyway. "I think you'll find I'm quite capable of surviving in fire," she stated calmly.
Kirigaya watched in shock as her pink skirt slid down her legs onto the floor, and she stepped out of it. Beneath her clothes she wore a red and pink jumpsuit.
"What…" the tiny girl's surprise turned to anger. "If you could've rescued them any time, why the hell didn't you?!"
Oh, that's right, Kirigaya was probably worried sick about the princely Namatame. "Hopefully they're all still alive," Sumireko replied nonchalantly. Inhaling sharply, she felt bad for the poor souls who had no air filters built into their lungs.
She turned to Banba, who looked suitably terrified. "H-Hanabusa-san?"
The blonde smiled at her. "Don't fret, Banba-san. Let's have a tea party after this, shall we?"
Before her silver-haired roommate could protest, Sumireko leapt into hell. She soon landed with a crunch. Waves of heat and particles made it hard to see, but she could still make out several misshapen piles of people. Rushing over to the first, she recognized Kenmochi, Kaminaga, and Shutou. Kaminaga looked the worse for wear, so she hefted her over one shoulder and Shutou over the other.
Holding out her arm, she shot several cables up out of the basement and jumped into the air. The cables pulled her out by the hand and back into the company of Kirigaya and Banba, who stood there dumbfounded.
"You… what?"
Sumireko laid the unconscious girls out on the floor. "Pull them outside and call an ambulance," she ordered. "I'll be back with more soon, so hurry."
The two girls glanced at each other and got to work. Satisfied, Sumireko dove in once again.
The next to be rescued were Kenmochi and Ichinose, then Azuma and Namatame, and finally Takechi. She'd saved that one for last on purpose. Sumireko found her slightly annoying.
She dragged the raven haired girl outside, where an ambulance was waiting. The others were already on stretchers, being loaded into the vehicles. Sumireko thought she heard a fire truck on its way as well.
Regular students clustered all around like vultures circling carrion. Shouts of "What happened?" and "There was a big fire in the basement!" filled her ears. Remembering that she looked rather conspicuous, Sumireko rushed down the stairs and found a shadow to hide in.
"Hanabusa-san!"
The blonde girl jumped and noticed her roommate standing right next to her. "Banba-san," she chuckled, patting the girl's head. "I apologize if I scared you."
"It's fine, since you didn't really go…" Banba smiled a little. "I… see why you weren't bothered by hot tea."
Ah, yes. Sumireko would have some explaining to do. Thankfully, neither Banba nor Kirigaya was the type to squeal. Kirigaya was far too busy tending to Namatame anyhow. Scanning the crowd, she saw the blue haired girl leap into an ambulance before the doors closed.
"I must admit," she said, eyeing Shutou and Kaminaga's stretchers. "I was not expecting such a massive first attempt. Kudos to the both of them."
Banba nodded and watched with her, wondering what exactly the aftermath of the attack had in store.
Inukai and Sagae came into sight, walking down the sidewalk. The pink haired girl's jaw dropped at the scene before her.
"What the fuck just happened?"
The first attempt had happened. And it had failed. Sumireko grinned.
This was where the game would truly begin.
Sorry it's short again. That's what happens when the pacing speeds up, I guess. Wow, I can't believe how long it's been. I agonized over finding a decent ending to this scene, so I hope you guys like it. Remember, I always love to hear suggestions for making the story better.