CHAPTER 22.2:
Fujisaki. Fikasiju.
Nagihiko and Nadeshiko were the children of the most notorious yakuza in Japan. The assassins coming for Nadeshiko in that parking lot suddenly made sense. Surely their group had many enemies. And Nagi wanted them both out of the Guardians not because they didn't want to get tangled in the black market mess, but because they had their own market to worry about.
The former King kept Rima out of it, too, because he probably didn't want her involved in a way that would put her under his enemies' radars.
I had to give it to him. It was all well-played. Well done, Nagi.
He managed to save himself and his loved ones all the while making sure one of his enemies (my family) was walking right into their perfectly orchestrated death trap. I clenched my fists, aching to smack Nagi in the face. The bastard made me believe he was pure, that he only wanted his loved ones safe. Well, that was true, but then he didn't bother informing me I was nailing my own coffin shut.
Why would he, though? We were enemies.
Ikuto dragged me from his back and turned me to face him. I struggled, a new-found strength climbing up my spine. But then, his eyes searched my face, the warmth in them back all of a sudden.
"Listen to me, Amu. You need to go with them right now. We don't have much time," His voice sounded strained, almost pleading.
I spat on the ground between us. "Bullshit, Ikuto. Bullshit! I don't want to hear anymore of your lies. Stop making me run in circles," My voice wavered but I held my head high.
"If you're going to kill me, anyway, why don't you just shoot me right now?" I taunted, "Or would you rather use a knife? Run it deep across my neck, maybe? Or do you feel more like gutting me instea–"
The loud sound of skin hitting skin reverberated in my ears. I looked up at Ikuto's raised hand, incredulous. He slapped me. Bastard.
I glared at him but lost focus when he shook me hard – really hard. And then he looked me straight in the eye and spoke to me.
"We don't have time for this, Amu. Just...just trust me. We're going to take your family back – Yoru and I. You go with Fujisaki, they'll keep you safe," he said.
I scoffed. "Safe to kill me, probably,"
Distantly, I heard Nadeshiko gasp in that way of hers that said 'that's not nice'. I almost turned to glare at her but then I suddenly heard gunshots not too far from us – twenty feet away, more or less.
"Shit!" I heard Ikuto hiss as he covered my head with his hand.
"Get in the car!" Yoru yelled.
The twins brandished slick, black guns in each hand, looking like they'd been holding one since they were born. Nadeshiko gracefully trotted to the side of the car, her guns poised perfectly in her hands. Ikuto shoved me in the back seat and Nadeshiko sat beside me, tucked the other gun on her coat and gripped hard on my sleeve.
Gunshots came after gunshots. I saw Yoru walked backwards to the car, automatic gun still hoisted to shoot. A bullet grazed his right bicep and he jumped back. I snapped my attention from where the bullet came from and saw two figures walking towards the car, clad in automatic guns.
"What the fuck, Nagihiko?!" Yoru shouted, "Those are your men!"
I trained my eyes on Nagi in front of the car. "I had nothing to do with them, I swear!" he answered back.
"You said nobody knew you were meeting with us!" Ikuto bellowed.
Nagi turned to him then, shot the party-crashers a disgusted look. He opened his mouth but someone beat him on talking first.
"Hello, cousin!" an elegant feminine voice called out.
I looked back at the two figures. Now that they were closer, I noticed one of them was a girl. Her pixie-cut-styled hair had the same shade the twins had. She smiled sinisterly at Nagi and then scanned the place probably for Nadeshiko. Despite the heavy tint of the car, I couldn't help but flinch when she landed her eyes on us.
Nadeshiko paled. "T-Temari," she whispered.
So those were the cousins...
"We mean no harm," the boy beside that Temari girl said, "but I believe you have someone the group wants," he glanced my way.
I sucked in a breath. He was that guy who delivered Ami's letter. Come to think of it, it was probably from him all along.
"You have no business here, Rhythm," Nagihiko snapped, his voice sharp as a dagger.
The boy blew out a shrill laugh. It sounded terrifying, demonic, even. I squinted at him. He also had that purplish hair color the other three had it almost reached his waist and was tied in a messy ponytail. Nadeshiko flinched beside me, like she suddenly realized she fell down the devil's den.
A lot of things still didn't register to me but the sequence of events up to now had me thinking that the twins were seriously involved in the underground world one way or another. I stared at the thick rope that tied my hands together.
If I could only find something to cut this with...
My eyes wandered back to the people outside. Judging by the situation we certainly have less than five minutes before the duo starts shooting like madmen.
"Don't make this harder on us, Nagi," the pixie girl, Temari, said.
She looked regal, well-poised. But I knew too well that she was a cold-blooded killer. Actually, the two of them looked similar to the twins. What made them differ were their eyes. The twins had golden yellow ones and the two of them had pale violet, almost lilac.
Nagi engaged him in a stare-down, his guns pointed at each of the intruders.
I tore my eyes away and glanced inside the car for something to cut the ropes with. A glint of silver caught my eye. I noticed a small knife poking out but then I realized it was Nadeshiko's coat pocket it poked from.
"Untie me," I whispered to her.
She firmly shook her head but let go of my sleeve.
I shifted on my seat and faced her, my back to the crazy duo. She looked me in the eye with such familiarity that I wondered whether her amnesia was also part of the act. If it was, then she was one hell of an actress.
"C'mon," I said, "You and I both know we only have less than three minutes before those two goddamn shoots us,"
Nadeshiko seemed to contemplate this for eternity...then, shook her head no again. I almost shouted out in frustration. She was probably the most stubborn girl I have ever known in my entire life.
I grabbed her sleeve. "Look, I don't know if your amnesia is fake or real, but I know you've seen me in action. You know I can take those two down alone,"
And without her knowing, I drove her knife between my palms, cutting the rope in one quick motion but nicking a finger in the process. Well, not that it mattered, anyway. Nadeshiko looked so surprised she didn't even reacted when I took the gun from her hand and the other from her pocket. Then, I dashed out of the car.
Both Ikuto and Nagi paled when they saw me come out. I quickly planted my foot wide and pointed the guns on each side – my captors and the intruders.
The boy in ponytail, Rhythm, clucked his tongue. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Mafia Princess herself. You know, we've been looking all over for you,"
I released both safety from the guns. "Seems like it," I sneered.
Rhythm blew out an insulted sound and made the mistake of taking a step towards me. I pulled the trigger and the bullet shot through his thigh and out, clean and fast. Temari aimed her automatic at me as her comrade fell on the ground and howled in pain.
"Nuh uh," I held my gun higher, aiming for her head, "I'll blow your head up faster than you can pull that trigger,"
This seemed to make the girl hesitate and I made the decision to shoot her on her legs, too. She dropped beside Rhythm as I walked briskly towards them and kick the guns away from their reach. I shot the boy on his other leg for good measure.
He gave me a deadly glare. "I'll get you for this, Hinamori," he spat.
I aimed for his head and smiled. "I'd like to see you try–"
"Amu-chan, don't!" Nadeshiko yelled from behind.
So, she really does remember.
My finger loosened on the trigger a little but I held my other hand up and pointed it at Nadeshiko and the others' general direction. I trained my eyes on Temari. She was silently killing me with her glare, I could feel it. The dark drive she had for killing – it was gnawing at her alive for letting me put them under my mercy. I could see it in her eyes that she was already planning ahead on revenge.
"One more move and no one walks out of this alive but me," I threatened.
Just as I thought, no one moved. They knew I wasn't bluffing. I could do it in seconds without thought. All of these people had done me wrong, anyway. I wasn't killing innocent people. They were all guilty of something.
I turned my attention back to the two at my feet. "Where is my family?"
Temari spat at my shoes and I kicked her in the stomach in return. Distantly, I noticed that I was wearing the same combat boots that had blades inside them.
Huh. Why would Ikuto let me wear this?
"Where did you bring my family?" I yelled, this time at Rhythm.
He sneered at me. "Why don't you ask your sweet Nagi over there?"
I almost winced at his words but I kept my face straight. I raised the gun and shot his shoulder. A loud gasp from Nadeshiko made its way to my ears along with Rhythm's grunt.
"Don't make me use your own guns on you. Where the fuck is my family?!"
"They're dead. That girl over there killed them herself," Temari answered and gave me a bone-chilling smile as she thrust her chin forward.
I followed her gaze and came eye to eye with Nadeshiko. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"She's lying, Amu-chan! I would never do that," she said.
"I don't think I can believe that, Nadeshiko,"
My hand trembled with rage as I lifted the gun.
"Amu-chan, she's telling you the truth! You're family is safe," Nagi interceded.
Temari laughed. "For now, anyways," she said and laughed again.
I shoot her shoulder to shut her up. But just she rolled to her side and smiled sinisterly, clutching at her bleeding shoulder.
I turned my back to them, the two of them quiet on the ground. They were probably bleeding to death for all I know but all my attention was now trained on the four people in front of me.
Ikuto was the first one to step up. "We can still save your famiy. They're just fucking with your mind, Amu,"
"How do I know you're not doing that to me, as well? For all I know you're lying your ass off again," I snapped.
He blinked and gave me an incredulous look. "I told you I won't betray you," he said.
It was all I could do not to smack him in the face right there and then. "Yeah, that was before you actually betrayed me," I couldn't hold back the bitterness from my tone.
I heard the clatter of an automatic dropping to the ground. "You know what? Fuck this. I don't know about you, Amu, but we're wasting time by standing here shitting around betrayal and what not when we can drive off and save your family," Yoru said and threw his hands up in frustration.
"Even now, when you've already spent so much time with us, you still can't tell whether we're faking or not? Really, Amu, really?" he snapped.
My mouth gaped open at his words. I never heard Yoru cuss before so it definitely was a shock to me. The next thing I knew, Ikuto was peeling the guns from me and taking me in his arms.
"This is a lot to take in, but we've been under surveillance since the hospital," he said, shoving me into his chest.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I can't believe we're down to the last three chapters! Ooohhh~ It's so exciting, isn't it? :D Will Amu get there in time to save her family? And what did Ikuto mean they were 'under surveillance'? The twin's roles aren't clear yet. Are they friends or foes? Why did their cousins attack them? Hohoho! So many unanswered questions, so little chapter left!
Give me your reactions, reviews and what not, dear readers! Sankyuu :3
With all the love for writing,
Lace Ashdown