CHAPTER 24.2:

The scream sounded like it came from a horror slasher movie, perfectly pitched and all that. But we all know that this wasn't a movie. The sound was real – painfully, bone-chillingly real. Cold dread washed over me as Ami gripped at the hem of my shirt, still holding onto the gun with a death grip.

In normal circumstances, like I'm-on-a-mission-alone-and-not-in-a-mission-with-Ikuto-and-the-others kind of normal, I would've dragged Ami out of the place and left whoever pawns I dispatched inside to die or whatever. Yes, I could decide that on the spot coldheartedly. In this case, however, I couldn't even form a plan.

If I turn to leave and save Ami and myself first, I might not get back on time for the others. If i drag Ami along with me, I could endanger all of us. It was a no-brainer. But I was still torn between the two choices.

Plus, there was the matter of my parents.

Ami answered my question with a shake of her head which could mean she didn't know or – God forbid – we're already too late and they're dead. I tried my hardest to shake that sinking feeling of failing to save them. Plans be damned, I wouldn't leave without all of us safe.

And that meant I'd have to tear this whole place apart.

Hurried footsteps snapped me back to reality. There was a tingling feeling on my skin, as if my body was automatically going on fighting mode. I widened my stance, grabbed a knife from the dead guy and dragged Ami behind my back.

She probably shouldn't see me gutting men or slicing their necks open but there was no time for decency right now.

The footsteps neared and I prepared myself to attack. We were huddled beside the wall, waiting for whoever it was to turn in the corner. I could tell he was only one man but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Once the figure stepped into my view, I immediately grabbed his collar and hoisted the blade up his throat, ready to end his life right there and then. Suddenly, a hand was placed gently on my waist, grounding me to focus and I gasped.

I realized I was staring at a very familiar face. His dark blue eyes were staring back at me in an intense concentration under the hood of his midnight locks. The hand on my waist circled around me and then all of a sudden the knife was plucked out of my hand, its clang almost reverberating in my skull.

"What are you doing here?" Ikuto asked, his voice strained.

Those five simple words asked so many unspoken things in my mind. I took in his eyes and somewhere in the back of my head I recalled how he always looked at me that way. He knew I also heard that scream but at the moment I saw relief in his face. And then he turned away so swift that I had to contemplate if it really was there.

"We need to move fast," I whispered.

He let me go and Ami immediately reached for me. I grabbed her hand and squeezed. Ikuto gave me back my blade, handle first. His fingers brushed mine as he did and suddenly I could feel the tension rolling off him in steams.

His leather jacket was glistening with blood and his jeans were splattered with the same liquid. I had to put my hands behind my back, afraid that I might grab him and demand to know if he was alright.

Right now I had to believe the delusion that we were all going to get out of this alive.

Ami shivered, almost as if she could read my mind. Ikuto offered her a smile and then, he focused on me, still having that look on his face. "Amu, we know where they are,"

Either what he said gave me so much relief or I was starting to get too emotional, I didn't know. Suddenly, a tear just slipped down my cheek. I saw panic flicker across his face but was gone instantly. So I suck it up and wiped my cheeks.

"Let's go,"

I had never thought how I would feel about having someone die because of me. I didn't have to think about it then, because all I had were men waiting to be at my disposal, their lives mattering to me like disposable chess pieces. My heart never clenched at the thought of seeing any of them dead nor did I felt sadness or loss over their deaths. It just didn't matter to me since we could always replace them back.

Everything was replaceable to me then.

Now, I wasn't quite so sure.

Especially as we met up with Yoru at the farthest room in the mansion. Yoru had a knife stabbed at the neck of a man, his face in a wrinkled, nonchalant expression as he dragged it across the man's neck so slow that I had to shield Ami's eyes from it. We agreed to ambush the place where they kept my parents. On the way, we'd gathered enough ammunition and weapons for the final rescue attempt.

Though it struck me how Hollywood-ish this scenario looked like, it still didn't deny the fact that all of our lives depended on the success of this mission. And right now, thinking about having someone die because of me wasn't sitting well in the pit of my stomach.

When we rounded a corner that was when I saw Nadeshiko crouched beside an unconscious Nagi. Her face was streaked with tears and she was staring into the space. When she looked up, she slammed me with a wall of emotions so raw I staggered back. I shifted my eyes away from her and settled at Nagi which I regretted almost as soon as I did it.

Nagi had his eyes closed, his face ghostly pale. He was lying on his back. Sickly, thick pool of blood was streaming out of a wound on his stomach in consistent flows. I struggled not to show any emotion for fear of not being able to stop if I did. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Finally, it was Ikuto who spoke.

"Yoru, you need to get them out of here," he said.

Yoru nodded once, helping Nadeshiko up and then carefully carrying Nagihiko in his arms. He looked at me expectantly and then lifted his gaze to Ikuto, a wordless conversation passing through them.

"Ami, you have to go with them," I whispered to my sister.

Yoru, Nadeshiko, Ikuto and even Ami snapped their heads back to my direction. Suddenly, I felt like I'd grown a second head or something. Ridiculous as it was, I felt like all of them felt incredulous about what I just said.

"What are you saying? You're going with them," Ikuto responded to my unasked question.

I shook my head firmly. "Don't be absurd. I'm staying,"

Ami grabbed my hand like it was her life. "But, Nee-chan–"

"No buts, Ami. This isn't a game. You can't negotiate this with me," I spat, more spiteful than I probably intended. "And neither can you," I snapped at Ikuto.

Yoru nodded and wished me luck. Nadeshiko took hold of my sister's hand carefully, like she was a fragile china doll. In some ways, she really was. I just wished we've cleared the entire lower floors but in the back of my head, I knew that was just wishful thinking.

When they were out of sight, Ikuto shot me a glare. "I can't believe you actually think of going through this,"

"Think I'd have any doubts saving my parents?" I snapped.

His eyes reduced to angry slits and suddenly I was scared that I had finally pushed him past his limit. "You and I perfectly know well I can handle this on my own,"

"Fat chance," I mumbled, still defiantly holding my ground but my hand holding the knife shook so violently I almost expected it to make dancing lights out of reflection.

"Amu," I was surprised with the pleading tone of his voice but I kept my head down, afraid of what I'd see if I looked at him.

He grabbed me by the shoulders, hard. His fingers trembled, too. I silently prayed he wasn't as afraid as I was and braced myself. My eyes locked with his, giving him the mad-slash-pleading look I imagined from him earlier.

"Ikuto, I have to do this," I said and stepped away from him towards the last room.

But then he grabbed me back and slammed me into his chest, his arms circling tight around me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Alright.

So, I don't usually rant and I clearly accept that I can't please everyone. However, it is also my concern that we don't forget our positions here. Usually, I get requests on what the readers want to see in the next chapters of my work and most often than not, I comply to their wishes simply because it aligns with my draft or that it won't change whatever I had in mind if I put it there. But seriously, one person has gone too far by sending me a private message as to how that person wanted this story to end and adding – ever so bluntly – at the end of the letter a freakin DEATH THREAT if I did not comply.

Mr./Ms. Death Threat-er, I just want you to know that you do not know where I live and what my real name is. I don't live in Philly, please don't make me laugh. And my name isn't Sabrina, that sounds too elegant for moi.

Alright, enough rant now. I'm starting to feel stupid here. Haha.

Anyway, Chapter 25 (a.k.a. the final chapter) will be posted tomorrow or maybe the day after that. I don't know, clearly depends on my schedule. And thanks, by the way, to those people who don't pressure me on the updates. Clearly, you guys understand that I also have a life besides writing, thank God.

That's that. See you on the next chapter.

With all the love for writing,

Lace Ashdown