Author's Note:
Gah! It certainly has been a while. I think work is sucking up more of my time than I wanted it to. Nevertheless, I don't plan on abandoning this story, not by a long-shot! With the battles occurring side by side at different places, I'm carefully planning it so as to not turn off my readers at any point while still making it coherently understandable and not too confusing, wish me luck!
Chapter 61: A Doctor's Code.
Fallen.
"Clank! Krank!"
Sparks followed with the clash of blades, I watched as cracks formed on the two blades resting in my hand. My skin tore as desperation slowly etched over the whole of my being, forcing me to grip harder under some illusion that it would help. This monster named Koenig stares at me with the same chilling glare he had an hour ago, with not but a sweat dripping down his chin. My wounds stung, throbbing with every second passing, so much that my stance lingers on, shaken, unsteady. It's an embarrassment for me to look this way as a doctor.
"Fwooo..."
The howling wind hasn't died down since we first got up here. Looking around, my eyes quickly sharpening to one side to another, I could see the pale, gray night. The moon surrounded by an ocean of clouds. The air feels as heavy as ever, death being so apparent it almost choking down on my throat. One can feel that something big is gonna happen tonight.
"Shink!"
The blade closed in on me with but a second, ripping the sleeves of my windbreaker even as I tried my best to dodge. My skin tear as the cold blade sent a wave of chill through my touch and a spike of searing pain lingering on the wound. As I find myself pushed back, Koenig's eyes, silent, focused, invisible, pierced into mine even as he attacked me. With no moment to rest, my two arms flail in an attempt to counter, slashing through the air and onto his arm.
"Zink!"
It would've been a clean hit, the blades should've punctured his flesh, and the katana thrown to the ground from the convulsions of his arms, but that was only my wishful thinking. Mind-numbingly, the silver edge of his sword blinded me as it snaked its way up in an unbelievable fashion, completely blocking out my counterattack with insane speed, unlike anything I had ever seen. The speed he moved would've dislocated a man's shoulders in an instant, but there he stood, flicking his sword arm with uncanny agility and precision still, unfazed and untouched.
What. The. Hell.
"Guh! Kuh! Cough!" A pasty, iron taste overwhelmed my tongue, a cough or led to a blotch of dark red blood falling on the concrete floor beside my feet. Darn it, I can't keep this up much longer, I can't tank anymore of his attacks! So far, it's been impossible to detect his movements, to gauge his attacks, to even see them coming. They're either too fast, too strong or just plain impossible! Worse yet, every time I disarm him of his weapon, a bigger, more dangerous one appears in his hands, as if out of thin air!
"Hragh!"
It's been ages since I last yelled in a fight, but now, the desperation all but demanded it. Eyes pinned not on the enemy, but the glistening silver blade, my daggers sings as the air is razed, sliced apart with clean surgical while flying towards him. Tensing my muscles, Koenig and I traded blows at lightning fast speed, every one of our attacks sliding down towards our vital points. A slash to his left only managed to tear onto the sleeves of his coat, while most others sent sparks flying into the air, sizzling and burning my cold, dead skin as they landed.
"Ka-shink! Clank! Krack!"
Though the man in a long, black trench coat before me moves as if he has little strength behind his strikes, they hit with unimaginable power. With a sudden flick of his blade, I could barely even watch as the sword, a katana blade ornate ans exquisite as they come, slices against me, ripping through the chest area of my windbreaker, completely tearing it apart as well as slicing through my skin. This time, the pain shot up through every part of my body as if cold, iron poles were injected through my bloodstreams. My muscles tore as if screaming out in pain.
"Gah!" Blood spilled up my mouth again as I screamed to the dark skies above, nearly losing myself to the barrage of pain. That was when I realized my steps were shaken, the whole of my body getting pushed back as my legs hit the concrete floor hard to maintain my balance. Koenig shot the tip of the blade at me the instant I got stunned, and the only thing I could do was bring up my twin daggers in defense.
"Ka-shink!"
My feet sliding back and inch, something soft could be felt even through my thick, army combat boots. Dante slipped into view, grunting and writhing in slight pain. I could see him gritting down on his teeth by reflex, his hands closing into fists, his fingers digging into his skin. It is a horrible sight for any doctor. And I'm certainly not gonna make his condition any worse!
"Swoosh."
My attention on Dante for a second, my sense screamed as the silver blade went for my throat, no doubt a decisive strike. For some strange reason, a new strength entered my veins, leaving my hands shaking with excitement. Before the blade touched my skin, my steps took me forward with my eyes piercing down on Koenig, the glare a natural reaction. Before I knew it, my hands were already moving on their own.
"Ka-chik."
The next moment, my fingers were wrapped around the katana blade, the sharpened edge breaking skin and flesh. I can feel the cold of the blade spreading through the whole of my hand, the pain heating up everything else, and the metal scraping against my bone, but I didn't care. My fingers barely holding on, the sight of my hand forcing down his blade brought a look of surprise to Koenig's silent face, one that had remained neutral for hours now.
Adrenaline pumping, I throw my arm as soon as the surge of strength came, tearing the blade off Koenig's grip.
"Clank! Krink, Shink!" The blade slid to the edge of the rooftops, its blade stained from top to bottom with my own blood.
Throb. Ba-dump.
My wounds and my heart cried out at the same time, leaving me with panting breaths. My left hand is dropped to the side, twitching with a huge cut running down palm. It seems the hand's useless now. Still, the frustration hasn't died down, and with little effort, my focus returned.
"Hah.. Hah... Hah..." Still glaring at my enemy, I couldn't tell if I'm tired or just plain furious. Driven by all that's happened, the words, how I really felt, just popped into my mind.
"I don't care who the hell you are, who you work for, or how insane your capabilities are... Nobody comes between me and my patients, especially when they're already hurt!" When my roar, my declaration ended, I charge with one hand raised, dagger firm in my hand. Now I know how the Boss felt, how he can lose himself to his instincts and recklessness, with no regards to his own well-being.
I always thought he was just stupid. I guess I was wrong.
"I won't let them feel any more pain than necessary!" The words just burst out, and yet, they felt more natural than anything I've said before. As they end, my dagger sliced through the air, coming down on the enemy before me, and for once, determination fueling my strength.
My, aren't I a hypocrite. My mind recalled the dozen times I ignored my job as a Doctor, taking the responsibility so lightly anyone else in the field would have been disgusted by my actions. There was that one time when the life of my Boss hung on a thread, and I was still able to joke about it. Eyes pinned on Koenig even as I stopped right in front of him, these thoughts spilled forth, hounding my mind. My mind heavy, distracted, it took seconds before the sight of the sledgehammer, now tucked between Koenig's fingers, caught my attention, already swinging in a huge arc towards my face.
I tried to dodge, but alas, I was too close, and too little too late.
It was a mistake, a poor show of skills. No rationale in my actions, I left my body to my primal desires, letting anger and fury rule my thoughts. Dammit! Am I going to die here? I never thought my life so fragile. The few seconds it took for the impact to come felt like an eternity, and all I could do was watch and wait, pain and weight locking down on my muscles, the whole of my body. I felt pathetic, the only thought in my mind was to close my eyes and give myself up to the coming end, even as I refused it with every fiber of my being.
"Vito!"
A screeching yell with a pained voice and a sudden tug on my ruined cloak, pulling me off my feet, sending me flying a few feet back. Navy blue hair dangling, covering the side of his face, my eyes blew right open to see Dante standing above me, pulling out a pistol and aiming it at Koenig, his face pale and drained, but his eyes determined. His other hand on my shoulder while his right knee supporting me at my back, I could feel his body shiver and convulsing violently before he pulled the trigger at the next instant.
"Bang!" A single shot flared up the night, the wave of sound shocking me back to reality. Darting towards Koenig, I see him calm, but with a troubled look on his face. A charred hole sizzled from the heavy end of his sledgehammer. Raising a hammer to block a gunshot, how is that even possible? The very sight drove my mind into a new level of caution and stress.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A volley of shots came right after the first one, as Dante only glared with piercing eyes when I turned to him, completely adamant about getting a shot at the enemy before us. The steel gaze he still had, despite his injuries, despite the sheer impossibility of the enemy we're fighting against, left quite the impression on me. It helped me think, to focus, and gave me a reprieve from the worries, the fear, the panic in my mind.
"Hah... What are you doing, Angel... You can't die yet... Hah... We still haven't had that duel.." With pained breaths between each word, I sat there on the ground listening to my fellow member of the Zanna Famiglia, his balance wobbling even as he spoke, as if the words must be said. As wounded as he was, Dante was trying to help me, to give me support. He must be referring to that random promise I threw out when we first met... Can't believe he still remembers that...Hah, some doctor I am. My mind found itself berating itself with a smile on my face as strength returned to my arms, my legs.
I can't find the words to say though, for the shame was still there, so all I could do was smile. Finally, the time to break the silence between my dried lips came.
"Of course, right." It was an awkward response, useless and necessary, but it was all I could muster. Thoughts gathering, my eyes fell towards the enemy once more as I raised a single dagger with my right hand, while Dante did the same with his rifle, fashioning it as his staff.
"Koenig, the King of Weapons. The man said to have unraveled the secrets of modern-day weapons. Master of all arms as well as the rumored apprentice of the Eternal Smith, Talbot of the Vongola." The information leaks out of Dante's mouth, most of the words sent me reeling. Though they were beyond belief, they do provided some sense to the skills this man before us had displayed. What was more intriguing is how Dante got his hands on such information, when I knew nothing of it. He's good, much better than I thought. Six months past already and he still has something up his sleeve to surprise me.
"Why have you come here? Why do you interfere with the Zanna Famiglia?" Dante roared out, pulling strength from deep within him despite the fact that he would be better off resting. For the first time ever, I sense frustration, upset and anger in his words, in his tone of voice.
The next instant, signals exchanged, we jumped upon Koenig, my dagger slashing down at his abdomen while Dante throws his rifle to smash Koenig's skull.
"Clack."
His hammer swung up to his back with a soft thud, the gargantuan weapon is used to block Dante's attack, seemingly robbing all strength from the strike. From his pockets came a gauntlet wrapped around his left hand, the sound screeching as my dagger scrapped against his gauntlet, metal against metal. The King of Weapons stood there right in front of us, barely breaking a sweat or breaking out of his stance. The sight itself instilled a sense of awe as well as despair at the same time.
"Nonsense." With his wild shaggy hair nearly covering his eyes, Koenig spoke with a calm, almost tranquil voice absolutely out of sync with the current situation, all while holding against our attacks and standing his ground. Suddenly, it felt as if my throat was going to get ripped out. The murderous intent finally appeared, gushing out like a tsunami looking to drown out all of my senses. It took but a second before my eyes widen and I kicked the ground, leaping back a few meters, Dante following me at my side.
"Ngh..." When my focus returned, my body ached, shaking and tensed over the feeling before. The very fact that such uncertainty filled my being baffled me to no end. Before it felt so difficult to fight him without any sense at all, as if one was fighting against a machine, but now, I may have just bitten off more than I could chew. From his stance spilled out the presence of a monster, inhuman and unlike anything I had ever seen.
"Chi-chik."
The all so familiar sound, the loading of bullets, the clicking of metal, rang into our ears. At the blink of an eye, his hammer dropped to the ground, his gauntlet nowhere in sight. Koenig stood primed as he was already aiming two guns right at us, a Desert Eagle in his left and Magnum in his right.
"... I am but a Merchant." As eerily calm as ever, Koenig continues his words in monotone, placing little care as he prepped his weapons to fire.
"Bang!"
"Whoa!" The ear-splitting shot burst out into the sky above, sending droves of birds scattering from all directions into a frenzy. Surprised, my arm moved on reflex, barely able to intercept the powerful shot of his magnum with my dagger, the act itself one of pure, dumb luck. Beside me, Dante swung his rifle in great precision, deflecting the bullet aimed at his heart.
"Hah... Hah..." After impact, I could hear his breathing get harder, his strained voice worsening by the second. Clinging on to his weapon and using it for support, something told me Dante was already pushing past his limits, his body deteriorating with every flex of his muscles. The sight only got me me more angry with myself. Darn it, he should really be resting, not joining this fight! His first wound was bad enough, his body riddled with precise punctures which went deep, some even striking into his organs!
"As to the answer to your first question..." Suddenly, the intent vanished, the rooftop returning to its dull, gray color, leaving the three of us standing in silence, our weapons raised with the howling winter wind clawing against our skin. As much as I hated to admit it, going against him has been ineffective. As useless as this conversation is right now, I could use the time to focus, to at least come up with some sort of a plan. "How can one recommend my wares to others if I claim to know nothing about my weapons?" That one line was puffed up with pride, as a small smile stretched across his face, his twin guns still pointed at us.
Ba-dump.
Damn it all! Hands still gripping down on my dagger, my vision wavered as the utter hopelessness of the situation devoured the whole of my mind, with Dante's condition only pressuring me even more. I have no idea if the throbbing of my heart, my body came from pain or fear. The feeling to my left arm was all but gone, dangling on like a piece of dead meat.
"Vito!"
Huh? Amato's voice? Why am I remembering that right now?
"... Dammit!" That's right. Why was I am up here, atop the roofs looking down to the streets, wind howling in the dead of night anyways? It was to be on lookout, to make sure nothing gets too close to the Zanna Famiglia as they retrieve the objective. Yet, if someone as insanely strong as this man before me is here, doesn't that mean they're getting attacked below as well?
"Gah!" A pained, horrible cry. To my side, Dante fell to one knee, desperately clutching on to his sniper rifle like a crutch, bullets of sweat flowing down his pale, almost bloodless face. Yet, even as his eyes falter, their gaze never fell on anyone but the enemy. His mind was still determined to take down Koenig, despite all he's going through. Compared to him, my worries seemed almost laughable. Without a second thought, I found myself forcing my steps towards him, wrenching him up by his shoulders.
"Ugh... Vito?" From my silence came Dante's voice, and a slightly confused look on his face. That made me cringe a little in annoyance. Is it really so strange to see me being nice and helpful?
"... If he's here, Amato and the others must be in trouble as well. We'll need to finish this quick." I spoke those witty words with my usual dry, cynical tone. The only reason I was able to say that was because the fact was starting to sink in. We're painfully outmatched, and so the outcome would be obvious, yet, there is always a chance. No prediction is absolute. We would win, or die trying. "We're the best the Zanna Famiglia has to offer, so let's prove that statement true!" Soon, every nonsense flying through my mind blurt out in no time at all.
"Sigh... Still as confident as ever, even in this situation..." Dante replied, even as we both primed ourselves for the next assault, my dagger raised while his rifle cut through the air, the wind howling with each swing. At that instant, Koenig only raised his brow, intrigued.
Before he could even muster a reaction, we struck.
Ba-dump.
"Hragh! Augh!" The sound would play through the back of my mind, ringing like a broken player. I would see Amato throwing himself in danger, recklessly disregarding his own safety. Not just him, against opponents completely alien to them, they would fall one by one. Even Kiera.
Dammit, faster, faster! The few seconds we took to engage Koenig felt like an hour, with the ache to my steps every time I kicked the concrete floor of the rooftop. For some reason incomprehensible, my mind would jest about Amato and the others getting struck down, their life slowly etching away with every second. The stress only grew as every moment passed. Distracted, in the next moment, Koenig, with his gun aimed at my forehead, flashed before me, now standing only inches away.
"Crack!"
Before my dagger slashed against the enemy, I was frozen in my steps, my whole body coming to a sudden halt. That was when Dante struck Koenig with his willful strikes, though slower, the range he got from his weapon evened the odds. Before I could seize the chance and strike, Koenig countered, flexing and repelling back Dante's rifle, bringing his guns closer at Dante.
"Bang!"
Twin blasts resonated through the silent night as it barely scraped past Dante's face, a cut splitting through his skin as he stumbled back a step. Stunned by the attack, Dante couldn't see the next attack aiming for him, as Koenig loaded his twin guns, taking advantage of the range to ensure his shots.
Ba-dump.
A Doctor's Code, the Oath we must all take, prevents us from using medical knowledge to take one's life. But, have I really been following that code? A slit through the throat, the soft mowing of flesh and skin through the use of my daggers ends the life. A precise impact at the specific area of the joint can rob a man of all feeling of his body forever. The knowledge of every vital part, how easily I could just slip my weapon through to utterly destroy the person lingers in my mind, flashing themselves and tempting me in every fight.
"No!" Fear, worry overcame the whole of my being, prompting my arms, my legs to move, their speed way faster than before. Mere seconds before Dante's head was blown apart, my dagger flew at Koenig's arms, the blade instinctively going for his Radial and Ulnar Arteries, those which severed would lead to death by blood-loss.
"Bang!" Again, the piercing sound nearly blew through my eardrums. I missed, but my lethal act forced his hand to shift. At the slight moment when Koenig's muscles relaxed, my arms crushed down on them with all my strength, resulting in the shot blasting on the concrete floor instead. Before my mind could relax, to think of my next course of action, a piercing pain crushed my elbow, and the whole world before my eyes twist and turn. The next thing I knew, I was flying to the side, thrown like a piece of dead meat. Although, if this keeps up, it won't be long before that becomes a fact.
"Gragh!" My mind abandoned me for a second there, a complete whiteness blanking my vision. When I recovered, my dagger had flew out of my fingers, as the wide, black sky, filled with ominous looking clouds surrounded my vision. The the edge of my sight, Dante, with all his injuries, his grunts, and his struggling, continued trading blows with Koenig, his martial arts letting him hold his ground for now, the rifle swinging all around them as he willed it to strike down on Koenig.
Darn it! Get up! There's no time to be lying around! Those were the thoughts that kept filling up my mind, distracting me from my concentration and only ended up getting my whole body tensed and sluggish, instead of swift and nimble like I wanted it to be. I... I need to finish this before that starts happening!
Ba-dump.
Screaming. Their crimson blood, shadowed by the clouds above, lit by the pale, ghastly moon. All those sensations would flicker into my mind, always appearing when I'm injured or in pain. Instantly, the knowledge returns, of how fragile life is. The skin tears if one knows the right way of scraping it. Whole body could be drained of blood within seconds. All the secrets to a person's body can be found through anatomy. The experience only made it that much easier to remember.
Dammit. Slowly pulling myself up, the confusion went away when the memories became clear. My body throbbed as if in protest to my actions. I can't say I'm thoroughly fit to even be standing up right now. A few steps before me, Dante stood his ground, his dark blue hair in a mess. Still his eyes remained focused. It was as if I could see the blaze of fire formed from his will from deep within his dark pupils.
Why am I trying so hard? Why do I refused to give up? Lying there on the cold, hard ground felt like the easiest thing to do ever back then. There and then, I could've easily just closed my eyes, and fade away...
"Vito! Get up!" The strained voice was piling emotions on top of emotions. The shock of Dante's tone blew my eyelids wide open. With his rifle locked in place, he had lost the ability to attack, as Koenig kept it that way with only one hand, already overpowering the the strength of Zanna Famiglia's top assassin. Koenig's eyes were different now, slightly intrigued, excited, like a predator enjoying the thrill of his hunt.
Ba-dump.
The throbbing of my body, my wounds is now in sync with my heartbeat, even as the memories play like a movie in my head. Lying beneath my feet, the family dog bubbled at his mouth, twitching and convulsing with pain, before coming to a sharp halt. My sister awoke with a hole in her abdomen, the blood slowly gushing out. Even then she was just confused, and looked to me for answers. My parents never awoke after I touched them. I don't even remember what happened.
Despite my harsh trembling, my feet pressed against the ground once more, even as my body slumped to a side, blood still dripping out of my open wounds. Through clouded eyes, the thoughts on my mind only made it easier to focus. Back then, I knew only one thing. With the feeling slowly overcoming the whole of my being, intent pouring out without my control, it wasn't long before I gave in.
I need to kill that man.
"Hah hi ha ha..." A high, ghastly voice within that laugh, even when compared to my usual tone. Have I gone mad? It spread through the night and into the sky above, cutting through the cold winter wind.
That's right... I have already Fallen...
When the thoughts cleared, my mind emptied. Clarity could be felt as I opened my eyes. The weight on my shoulders vanished as my body, my arms took on a completely different stance from before. My legs spread themselves to the sides as my right arm was raised with an acute yet gentle flow of movement, my fingers closing to form a palm. Instantly, I saw the light in Koenig's eyes change. That gave Dante the chance to counter, breaking free from his hold.
"Crack" The next instant, when my mind focused once more, showed Koenig inches away from me, my fist slammed at his right shoulder, shooting at him like a spear. Through my fingers, his bone resonated when struck, I could feel it cracking from touch alone. It it wasn't broken, it would have at least been fractured. Strange, in my eyes, he suddenly seemed so slow, and energy began pouring through my veins. My whole body felt light again. Still, the memories remained, constantly feeding my mind.
As Koenig's eyes widened from their slow, lazy slump, I pulled my right arm back as my fingers returned to their gentle form. There it was, the vibrations that could be felt running through my fingers. As heat resonated from my touch, the weapon held back was released, and my fingers pierced through cloth and skin, striking at his heart.
"Ugh. Ah." Even his cry was a lackluster one, as the strength to yell quickly drained itself from Koenig's throat. Then, silence filled the setting again, as Dante and I instinctively stopped. By reflex, Koenig's hands rushed for his chest, clawing and clutching down on his own flesh in desperation. In seconds, his face flared up red with blood. "Guh... The Touch of Death? What the hell?" Instantly, his composure is broken, as he roared out in blind fury. I don't know if he was angry at us or himself, as anger, fury, disbelief even fear spilled from his tone of voice.
It was little more than a cry from a helpless man, as if hope had all but been robbed from his very soul. But I felt no remorse, no pity, even as I stood there watching.
Before long, his systems silenced his voice, and the light in his eyes disappeared. Stumbling back, weakness forced his knee to drop, before the whole body fell like it was nothing more than dead meat. He couldn't move anymore, and why would he?
His heart has stopped.
Turning away, my legs began taking me towards the stairs down the building. I had enough of the dull, silent night-sky. He who was the King of Weapons laid dead, still and silent beneath my feet as I shuffled and limped my way forward, struggling past Dante, who stood there staring, in confusion and slight disbelief.
"Vito.." Worry masked over his voice, Dante called out to be as I got to the door. I could only imagine what he would say, how he was looking back then. But mostly, I didn't care. My mind was blocking everything out. The only thing I could hear was Amato's voice, for some strange reason. His laugh, his sorrow, the many voices started ringing in my mind.
"... Let's go. They'll need our help." That was my reply, cold, short and to the point. Perhaps he understood what it meant, or maybe it was concern for the Famiglia, but Dante dropped the issue, and stopped the chain of conversation almost immediately. When I finally turned back, he flashed me a small nod in silence, agreeing to my words. Picking up his rifle and slinging it over his back, he pushed himself to move.
Without a second to lose, we left that scene atop the roofs, overlooking the many skyscrapers at its side with fleeting steps. With the eerie moon hanging above us, we stepped through the door before breaking into a sprint, not even turning to look back at Koenig. The very surroundings around us pressed at our throats, the very night itself felt suffocating. As we charged down the flight of stairs, earthquakes and tremors pounded on my wounds, aggravating the stinging pain that came with each of my movement.
The looming feeling was still present. Something that told me there would be more to this night. Much, much more.
Finally! This piece of work literally took weeks to come up with! Every time I started to write, my mind just gave up and go blank! I must have really fell into a slump. Even so, my story progresses! The climax slowly moves on, and the first fight is resolved! Unbelievably, Koenigs lays dead from Vito's hidden power, a skill so powerful you die from a mere touch! Just what was going through Vito's mind? Could it be detrimental to the Zanna Famiglia? And what's happening in the lower floors? Keep your eyes open for the next update to find out!