Author's Note:
The action escalates, and adrenaline rushes as Amato and his Famiglia rushes to uncover the truth, to retrieve the next Legacy Arm, as well as to help their new friend! What has happened to Hinata? Is her life in jeopardy? Will the sacred item of the Zanna Famiglia slip away from the their grasp once more? I guess the only way to know is for you to read on!
Chapter 59: Those That Hunted.
The night sky, one usually darkened by shadows, deep in the hue of black and blue, is now lit up by a soft tint of orange and red. Clouds scatter as if in fear of what is happening. As we rushed towards our destination, the sky gave me no real comfort. Soon, a great number of sounds hit my ears, amidst the voices of my friends, my Famiglia. When we saw the bloodstains a few blocks back, we got riled up. Occasional glances to the sides showed me Sergio and the others gritting down on their teeth, worry spilled all over their faces. It only made me move that much faster.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..." Our heavy breathing was soon drowned out by chatter, as well as the call of a horn almost anyone is familiar with.
"WheeeoooooWheeeooooWheeeoooo !" The howling horn was only a soft warning to the sight we would lay our eyes on, one which would drive us into slight panic and disbelief.
Many of the people living in this district had already came out, gathered around where we were heading. There, the one house standing that had captured everyone's attention, was ablaze with red and orange flames. Sparks kept churning out from the burning house, the charring of wood could be heard. The faint smell of soot almost suffocated me as we got close. The murmur of the public was only overpowered by the blaring horn of the firetruck as well as the movements and commands of the few firefighters at the scene.
My mind was stressed out, thoughts swirling in a chaos. It was difficult to even focus with everything happening around me. Somehow I found my eyes staring into the fiery whips of flames licking down on Hinata's abode, as if hypnotized by the light and flare.
Then, as if drawn out from deep within my memory, I recall the dreams I had been having.
Charred flesh, screams of agony. The masses curling, swallowed the by the sea of flames. Debris falling everywhere. I could feel my skin drying up, cracking in the heat. My body ached just by being in close to the flames. The sensations I felt in that dream surfaced for a few seconds, almost devouring my mind. It left my body trembling with weakness as my mind tried to process the images flashing by in that instant. Then, my imagination took over, bringing up Hinata's face, how she suffers while being slowly roasted within the flames. Trapped and dying in the place she would call a sanctuary, in the place she call home.
"Gah! Hinata! Hinata's in there!" My body was suddenly overcome with wild panic, my eyes widening in shock. It felt similar to the time when I almost lost myself to the feral grip of my Awakening. My steps burst forward, despite the fact that several firefighters and civil workers had us held back with yellow and black caution tapes. The voice of my friends calling out to me were muzzled, and all the sounds around me became hardly audible.
"We need to save her! She don't deserve to suffer like this!" Hands clutched down on my shoulders, but my body just kept pushing. It was more of a reflex than anything else. A sharp turn to the sides showed me Kiera's face full of concern, with Sergio and Johann yelling out to me, their voices muted.
Then, the wave of compulsion just disappeared, the tremble to my touch slowly faded away.
"...sent in some people to search... do our best to save your friend..." The blurry faces and muzzled voices from the ones blocking my way and holding me back began making sense. The whole experience, the rising of such a sensation, left me disoriented. It felt very much like the inertia from when I got up to my feet from my seat after having sat down for a while. Many eyes of the public had fell on me because of my reaction, all while the roaring blaze of orange and red hissed and cackled in the distance.
"Amato, what happened?" Sergio yelled out his words, a hint of despair in the tone of his voice. In response, I turned to see Kiera and Sergio, and even Vito at the back, greatly concerned over what just happened.
"Vito, what's wrong with him? Why'd he jump like that?" Kiera roared out to Vito with the same desperation, her voice telling me even she was slightly afraid, hoping Vito's answer would appease her unease. Instead, Vito spoke no words, and just gave me as well as the others a puzzled yet serious look. I guess he himself didn't know why I went into that outburst. Johann and Aria just stood there watching, with concern. I think they didn't know what should be said.
Then, as my sight drifted to the sides, my eyes caught the flash of a familiar dark blue, as well as the particular ornate sniper rifle tapping the ground, being used as support.
"Dante!" I could say I wish I didn't see him like that, slowly making his way towards us while dragging his body forward. His eyes were squinting, I could see the marks under them showing the amount of stress he had went through. His blue shirt was stained at the side in dark red, and shocked as I was, I could see the stain slowly growing in size. As Vito wasted no time getting to work, pulling out bandages and casts out of nowhere, the rest of us were left stunned in disbelief.
"Several punctured muscles, a rip in one of his main arteries. Would've been real bad if we didn't find him sooner." Vito's clinical assessment was devoid of emotions, but the meaning of his words was enough to drive me into panic. "What the hell did this?" There, with the next line came the tone of worry and slight disbelief, even fear. Vito just had his eyes pinned on Dante, doing his best to fix him up. It was when his eyes lingered on to Dante's wounds did they sharpened with anger and focus.
"Will he be all right?" Before I could say anything, Kiera's commanding voice burst out, full of concern and anger. I don't blame her, none of us expected Dante to fall, with such serious injuries even. Something told me Kiera was blaming herself for sending Dante in alone.
"He'll be okay, but we can't have him moving." Vito replied without taking his eyes off of his hands, which were tightening the bandages and gauze around Dante's wound. The rest of us were silent, we just looked at each other with fearful eyes, worried for our comrade. Sergio must have had taken it hard, as all I saw him did was stare at Dante with fire in his eyes, unmoving. Sweat rolled down his brow as his fists trembled.
Who was the one who did this to Dante? Who would be capable enough? Are they after the Legacy Arm as well? Questions after question popped up in my mind, as I watched Dante being put to rest by Vito while he gave him the full-body check, making sure there were no injuries that escaped our sights. Despite Vito's suggestion, Dante refused to lie down, be it on the ground or on the nearby bench, his stubbornness choosing to lean on the walls instead.
Fear emerged from my thoughts, giving birth to a slight tension that gripped the whole of my body. Worry for Hinata only drove my mind further to the edge. I didn't know what to think, which issue to focus on. But, looking at Dante, the tension in my body soon exploded. Dante, he didn't have to suffer like this, he didn't have to get hurt! His injuries became the only thing in my mind, and soon, my fear warped into something else entirely, evident from the grit on my teeth and my fists, the fingers digging deep into my flesh.
"Darn it!" I screamed out, eyes widened, surprising everyone with the volume of my voice alone. Fear became anger. It was a simple thing.
I'm just furious at whoever did this to my friend.
"... Ngh.. Wait..." For the moment, my anger was sapped by the sound of Dante's voice. Surprised, we focused our attention at him to see him waking up and trying to speak. It was still very difficult to face him, to see him in pain. "Boss... I'm sorry for failing you like this..." Dante mumbled on, his words barely loud enough to reach us amidst the dwindling fire and the chatter of the public a few blocks away. The words were a shock to hear. I didn't want to hear Dante blame himself for fighting and getting hurt, and I certainly don't want him to state that it was his own fault that it happened.
"All... is not lost... She's... still alive..." After we all calmed down and Vito gave his approval, Dante begin his explanation, capturing our attention with his first line of words. As he recalled the memory from within his mind, we watched a awe seeped into the light of his eyes, he was more amazed than anything else. "I watched as the explosion occurred, a flash of light and a pulse of energy before the flames engulfed the whole of the house, and nothing else..." Dante continued, speaking as if he still didn't believe his own eyes.
"The girl called Hinata walked out of her burning home, untouched by the roaring flames spreading out all around her. That was the last thing I saw before blacking out."
Right after Dante finished, his body dropped downwards as he fell into a deep sleep. Immediately Vito took over and begin taking care of him, and Kiera and the rest of us were left with pondering on this piece of news. A small smile stretched across my face before disappearing a split second after. Hinata's still alive! It was all my own imagination! Turning to the fire, I'm glad what I saw in my mind wasn't reality. There were another problem though, she might still be in danger!
We have to help her!
"So, Hinata's still alive, there's a good chance the Legacy Arm's still with her..." Just as I made the promise in my mind, Kiera gave her declaration one step ahead of me. Recovering quicker than everyone else, she quickly regained control of the situation, bring her hand to her cheeks while deciding on what we should do next. The very sight was a relief, it reminded me of how strong Kiera is, a facet of her that I greatly admire."But, where else could she have gone to...?" It was the same question we all shared, the very question that left us stuck there if unanswered.
"I... think I have an idea." To everyone's surprise, including my own, I spoke out in response. The image in my mind suddenly became so clear, the location, the memories, the visions. Though I wanted Vito to bring Dante back to the hotel room, Kiera assured me that he would be safer coming with us. With no time to lose, we began moving towards the location I had in mind.
I just hope I'm right about this.
Through the city we went, my steps fumbling onwards, leading my Famiglia to that particular place. Pushing our way on foot, images began playing in my mind, memories, visions and voices. I only knew of one thing certain. They weren't of my own.
"You can't have friends anymore." The familiar high pitched voice spoke out as if teaching whoever that was listening. With the voice came a blurry sight of a baby in a black suit, the sight itself hardly believable. His face was blocked off in my mind, but the pacifier around his neck was of a clear yellow. There is no doubt he's one of the Arcobaleno. My vision shifted, the pair of eyes in my mind coming face to face with a huge boulder. Then, without warning, fist began raining down on the giant rock, pain splitting onto my knuckles.
Glances showed me cuts, bruises and bandages all over the pair of hands. I knew it was the same girl my senses followed in my dreams, but, just what the heck is she doing? The stuff she's doing looked painful. Was it training?
Information surfaced in my mind, experiences that felt as though it was my own. Whatever my friends were speaking, asking or calling out became blocked off. I don't know what was happening to me, why it was happening to me. Truth be told, it had me worried. The sights I was seeing before me as we moved, the many buildings of the city known as Akihabara, distorted with what my mind saw. The shapes, the placement, they looked eerily similar.
Regular skyscrapers that stood tall and proud right now, flashes past my eyes and changes to ones engulfed to the brim with wildfire. Soot and ash fills my nose as opposed to the pleasant breeze I should be feeling. My senses felt overwhelmed by what I should be feeling and what should have been nothing more but a memory. The scene in my mind showed the passing of the streets at high speed. When I looked down, I saw drops of water hit the asphalt ground. The girl was crying, and she was running back home.
I was left confused, but greatly concerned. Her feelings seeped and melded with my own.
"Amato, what's wrong?" Kiera's concerned voice brought me back, snapping my eyes back to what we were doing. Rushing through the main streets, tears had began forming around my eyes. When the rest of my friends saw me, I just shake my head and wipe those tears away. There wasn't time to find out what's happening to me, Hinata's safety was all that mattered.
"I-I'm fine..." I don't think my stuttered words were any help, but I gave my friends no chance to respond, and only hastened my steps.
"Anyone can be an enemy, every heart is capable of light as well as shadow. Do not let your guard down for anything. One misstep can cost you your life." The instructions were horrible, they frightened the girl as they sure frightened me. The tone of voice was cold, heartless, and it was repeated, drilled into the girl everyday for five whole years. But, the most painful thing was that it was true, no matter how much the girl didn't want to believe it. Her memories had all but convinced her. It made her fearful, distrusting of anyone who approached her.
It was a horrible way of teaching, of raising the girl. I felt as years of such negative emotions suffocated my being in an instant as the memories nearly overwhelmed my mind. All the while, the Arcobaleno made sure she had sufficient training, drilling into her body so much training it nearly broke her bones. She honed her instincts, sharpened them to the peak.
"Amato?" Out of nowhere, a hand landed on my shoulders. Though I saw Sergio's face, on reflex, his arm was pushed away, almost violently. The distrust made my best friend's eyes sink into utter confusion. I don't blame him for such worry, I, myself, couldn't comprehend what was happening.
"S-sorry, Sergio. I'll explain myself later." Again, I pushed my own problem aside, and focused my mind back at the mission. We were close, it was just a few blocks away now. I hoped the memories don't get worse.
"You have an affinity with fire, that much is clear..." That Arcobaleno who is both hated and loved by the girl, continued with the training. The girl, already exhausted from her training, stood while doing her best ignoring the spiking pain from her muscles. In her hand was a torch, lit by an orange flame, which charred and cackled, burning on with great fervor. "But, it is up to you to master that affinity. Grab it, grab that flame with your bare hands."
The girl was terrified at the idea, but the doubt quickly vanished when she looked into the Arcobaleno's eyes. Trust had all but convinced her it was something that must be done. And so, without hesitation, I watched as the hand reach and covered the flame, holding it by the charred end of the torch.
"Ah!" As expected, pain shot up from her sense of touch, and she cried out and pulled back her fingers. My vision, her eyes, began feeling really wet. Blisters formed around her skin, the sting of pain was unbearable. Immediately, I started hating that baby, but the girl's fearful emotions was drowning into me, influencing my own. Fear not from having to do the training again, but from the fact that she wouldn't be able to complete the training, and leave her companion and mentor disappointed.
And so, she did the very same training countless times, each time the pain worse than before. Tears fell but she kept on going, days after days. Progress came slowly, soon the flames did not burn her, they lost the capability to harm her, instead, being reduced to a soft, warm embrace.
"You need not fear the insults they toss your way at school..." The scenery had changed, the situation as well. For some reason, the Arcobaleno speaks with a comforting tone, as the two of them stared at the setting sun. The painful hue of orange slowly disappearing before their eyes.
"A memory and tribute to your parents, wear the name they've given you with pride..."
"Amato!" This time, Johann's face was the one there when I got out of the daze. Just as I heard the name, my mind returned to reality, with the rest of my Famiglia at my side. "You okay? You've been acting really strange..." To have him so concerned, my reactions must have been a lot more worse than I thought. With a gesture, I assured him it was all right after calming down. Turning to the side and looking down to the ground, I took a moment to collect my thoughts, all that I've seen in the short instance we spent coming here.
"So that's it... That's her true name..." I whispered to myself, confirming my own thoughts. Looking up, the very building stood before me, a charred, empty shell of what it was before. It was the only building in this particular district that looked exactly as it did in my memory. The edges were burned black, many of the windows were shattered. Even the land around it was devoid of life, no grass had grown over the ground, and the sand remained a dull, lifeless gray.
"Hayashi Industries... Are you sure this is the place?" Kiera asked her question out loud to me while standing a few steps away, reading the sign near the entrance, barely standing after so long.
"Yes, this is the place." I replied with certainty, a confident tone to my words. Before I lead the rest of us into the worn down building, though, I found my eyes wandering towards Aria, who had been following us with no complaints. She might be one of the eldest among the group, but as Boss, should I really bring her with us? She might get hurt, and I don't want to bring harm to the Boss of the Giglio Nero Famiglia. I couldn't believe how often I nearly forget about that single piece of important information.
"Aria, we might really be in danger inside, so maybe you'd want to stay out? Return to the hotel, maybe?" My words came out softer than I expected. It felt as though I was doing something unreasonable. Looking at Aria, she just bounced her way in front of me.
"C'mon, if we don't hurry, Hinata might get really hurt!" She dodged my question completely, replying in her usual tone with her usual attitude. Excited and a bit wild, she rushes with her white coat fluttering behind her.
"Aria, listen! You're the Boss of the Giglio Nero, I can't have you-" Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her left arm before she got ahead of me, becoming annoyed and insistent on my thinking. That was when she turned and faced me with a serious look, one of concern and worry.
"She's my friend too, Amato Zanna." Suddenly, I just let go of her arm. Unsure whether it was fear or respect, my mind scolded itself about how selfish my thoughts were before dropping the idea completely.
"Right, I'll keep a look out on the rooftops while taking care of this guy. We can't have any reinforcements coming in for the enemies." Vito quickly declared his proposal before jumping up the buildings like a ninja while carrying Dante over his back, much to mine, Sergio and Johann's eyes of disbelief. With nothing holding us back, we began moving through the broken doors, maneuvering through the many debris scattered across the ground-floor itself. If it's anywhere, she's gotta be here!
The first thing I noticed when we stepped into the lobby was the revolting smell, dried blood, rusted metal, the assortment of odors shot up my nose. It took a whole lot of effort just to suppress the urge to puke. Slowly, my strength was gathered and I took one step after another. It was dark, the shadows held a seeping feel, as if within every dark corner there was something on the prowl. Presence leaked out from every inch of the room, confusing our senses.
"Ugh..." It wasn't long before we started voicing out our emotions, Sergio being the first one to. There was just an inch of light coming in from the moon through slips and cracks, so we stayed close and moved as one, as much as we could. As we wandered on, the hopes of finding her on the ground floor, in the lobby itself, grew smaller and smaller.
"Why the heck is this wreckage still here anyway?" Johann asked out, doing his best to curb the silence slowly filling the room. Our steps brought us to the center of the lobby, where Kiera had her eyes observing the elevator situated in the center.
"An unsolved case." Kiera finally responded to Johann's question, one which got the rest of us riled up with curiosity as well. "Ten years ago, a fire razed the town of Akiba, burning everything to the ground, buildings and people." Making her way in front of us, she began reciting the explanation as if honoring those who died back then, her voice calm, soft, solemn. "It was suspected that this building was the prime target of the arson." She continued, her brown eyes darting from one corner to another, like a detective on the job.
"Someone, police or not, pulled the strings to have this place preserved." Kiera finally stopped with those words, her eyes looking out through the shattered windows, most of them had their glass completely smashed off. Indeed, even the few blocks surrounding the building itself was deserted. The public must still grieve over what happened ten years ago, not a soul seem likely to frequent this area. Then I watched as Kiera pressed the small button, the ones used to call on the elevator.
"Kiera, I don't think the elevator still runs. It has been ten years, right Sergio?" Aria certainly didn't wait a second to question something illogical, already asking Kiera before my mind even connected the dots. My caretaker just stood there, eyes closed as if she expected those words. Aria's call to Sergio wasn't answered, however, and when my eyes zipped towards where he should be, we found out both him and Johann was missing.
"Over here..." Sergio finally responded, calling us over to the center of the lobby itself, where a statue stood, gleaming in the light because of the clean, almost new looking metal it had for its material. It certainly looked impressive, eye-catching even. Its design was very unique, none of the parts were bulky at all. Pistons can be found on its legs, its arms and all the joints while the main body looked lithe, as if object used for the metal sculpture was one made for mobility.
"Wow..." Johann muttered out, staring at the sculpture with awe, while Sergio just nodded to his words. An interesting sight was that there seemed to be something like a cockpit in its design, and it was empty. Whether this was intended or not, we'll never know. Because of this thought, I found myself staring at the piece of art as well.
"Sigh... Guys and their robots..." Kiera's voice caught me by surprise, as I turn to see her shaking her head with Aria agreeing beside her. Embarrassment spilled itself onto my face as I realized we got distracted.
That was when my eyes, or rather, my instincts, caught something, and my body sprung into action.
"Look out!" With not a moment too soon, my arms reached for my two friends, clenching them by their collars. Putting in as much strength as I could, my hands pulled back with frantic speed.
"Whoa!" Johann and Sergio screamed as they were suddenly tugged back, their arms thrown to the sides as they stumbled a few steps back before falling down.
"Crash!" From where they stood, a piston appendage broke through the concrete floor, sending dust, sand and bits of stone flying everywhere. Sergio and Johann were left speechless when they saw what just happened, that they would've been the ones crushed if I hadn't pulled them back second ago. As the dust clouds cleared, we found out the metal weapon that came crashing down on us was in fact the very statue we've been admiring!
"Johann, Sergio, it's dangerous! Get back! Move!" I just screamed out the thoughts as they popped into my mind, the adrenaline still pumping from coming face to face with danger. Still stunned, Johann and Sergio nonetheless scrambled to their feet, jumping back a good few meters. Before us, the machine, which seemed so new in contrast to its surroundings, came to life. The cockpit which was empty before, brought up what seemed like a baby with wild, dark green hair, a white lab coat and a pair of glasses. Sitting there with his hands on the controls, he flicked the green pacifier around his neck before turning to face us with a devilish smirk.
Wait a minute, green pacifier? He's an Arcobaleno!
"Impressive as impressive can get, Verdy." Amidst the chaotic situation, another voice found itself cutting in. That was when we saw a stranger standing by the machine, beside its left leg. A flash of light showed me his face, covered with a wild fringe and extremely curly brown hair, it made me wonder just how could he see with such a messy hairstyle. He stood, his back hunched slightly in a very laid back position, a hammer and a chisel in his hands with an out of place lab-coat covering his body. He had the most annoying smile I had ever seen in my life.
"Verde..." Barely catching Aria's words, she stood with extremely conflicting eyes and an uncertain look on her face, staring at yet another Arcobaleno who's presenting himself as an enemy to the Zanna Famiglia.
"Though it bears no rhythm, no tune, no colors, no directions, often times Death's song is naught but silence." The eccentric stranger gave out, clapping his hands in applause at the machine that nearly struck Sergio and Johann down. "Well, since you're all gonna die tonight, I guess I can grant you some courtesy..."
Shocked and surprised, our eyes only widened when Kiera lunged onto him, already armed with her shield. Her piercing glare meant she already had absolute focus, the end of her enemy was the only thing on her mind. But the man did the impossible, responding casually and dodging Kiera's heavy attack almost effortlessly. With the stranger out of the way, Verde, still in his machine, suddenly appeared before her, and threw down both of its piston-powered arms to hammer down on Kiera. Raising her shield in defense, Kiera was pushed back a few meters, stopping in front of us.
"Whoa! Slow down, there's no need to rush... My name's Innocenti, this here's Verdy and... now where did Koenig go again?" Casually, he introduced what seemed like a three-man team, raising his right hand over his eyes as if searching for the third enemy, his comrade.
"Ka-shink! Clank! Ka-shank!"
Unknown to our group already in the building, the clash of metal and steel, weapon to weapon, was happening atop the roofs overlooking the city. Above the buildings that reached to the skies, a doctor fought to protect those wounded. Vito's auburn hair flew in the wind, often getting into his eyes, but he had no time to even care. Throwing a slash in an arc in front of him, he watched as the man skipped to the sides, barely escaping his reach before plunging his own twin daggers right at him.
Vito had no choice but to raise his blades in defense, intercepting the incoming strike and knocking them off trajectory.
"Clank!" He succeeded, to see the daggers flew off his opponent's grip, only to have twin swords slashing down on him, the man he was fighting with already re-armed. He told me it was the first time in years that he felt uncertain, that he felt a tiny tinge of fear. The Angel of Life felt his own threatened, and he had no choice but to jump back.
"Who the hell are you?! How is it possible to fight like that?" Vito spoke to calm himself, but the questions remained unanswered. The man before him, with his long, scruffy black hair touching his shoulders, primed himself with his twin katana, donning a long trench coat that reached to his knees.
With no answer, Vito raised his blades once more as the man who we know as Koenig charged forward with his weapons, throwing a strike with absolutely no intent, no presence. Both sides threw precise attacks and flawless techniques, but Vito's blades did not meet the flesh of his opponent, even after a dozen slashes were thrown. With the cold wind blowing against them, they continued their clash. Vito held his ground so as to protect his comrade resting in a deep sleep behind him.
With conflicting emotions, alarming memories and information, Amato and the Zanna Famiglia comes face to face with the group that had been going after Hinata! Just what do they want with her? What is the revelation Amato felt coursed through his mind? Will the Zanna Famiglia come out alive from this predicament? Give me your thoughts for this chapter in your reviews and watch out for the next update to find out!