Ren Jin

Junko stares straight ahead, with her translucent eyes widening at the unhinged Riku before her. A stinging sensation burns at the side of her head, and a ringing - softer than the previous shrill - sounds from her left ear alone. Wisps of her silky hair still fall through the thick air after being swept up from the propulsion of the bullet.

Time seems to slow down, as she turns her body in the direction of the bullet that had just powered past her. Junko’s heart thrashes against her ribcage, and the sound of her own uneven breath clogs her ears. Once her body faces the space behind her, Junko’s rapidly beating heart collapses into her stomach, and her wide eyes pulse along with her heartbeat.

The sight of Ren Jin falling down, from the momentum of the bullet piercing the left side of his chest, greets her eyes. Ren’s own stare impale’s Junko’s petrified eyes, while his large body plummets with the slow movement of time. At that moment - it was just Ren, and it was just Junko, staring knowingly into each other’s scared, wide eyes.

Ren’s arm reaches out, extending his hand towards Junko - trying his hardest to grab onto her, onto the iridescent light that always seems to surround her. In those mere moments, Junko’s body shined with a beaming radiance that cascaded from her body, and hushed the figures of those standing by her - for her sole aura was enough to silence that of one thousand men.

She is this irreplaceable, guiding brilliance that welcomes even the most troubled of people. After all this time, Ren found himself chasing after her - after her light. Ren had finally found a soul that wished for nothing from him, except his true, pure happiness. Junko wanted to see him shine, for she knew - without a doubt - that Ren would shine the brightest.

‘Junko…’

Ren thinks in his mind, as his lips are too heavy to part, ‘Thank you… for shining for me. I’ve always tried… to step into your light, to take some for myself. I wanted to shine… like you. Your light, your smile, your kindness… never once dimmed since the day I met you.’

The flashing image of Junko, standing before a despondent, high school Ren, washes over his blurring memory. The light from outside the school windows surrounded her silhouette, and made her hair stand like fire, and her skin glow like flames. He is, was, and always will be, captivated by that glow. Her glow.

‘But… you taught me, that I need to shine on my own… Nobody ever wanted me to shine, by myself. You… you saved me. And I hope that… somehow, someway, I’ll be able to return the favor… and save you too.

‘After all, you deserve to be saved, Junko. You saved us. Now let us save you.’

The dense thud of Ren’s body colliding against the asphalt slices through the surrounding individual’s ears. Junko, unable to involuntarily form breaths, stares at the unconscious body that heaves ragged, thin breaths from his throat. Niko and Jiro run to Ren’s collapsed body, as tears stream down the young boy’s face, and yells of disbelief screech from his counterpart.

All Junko could manage in that moment was to watch the officers helplessly attempt to shake Ren back alive. Despite Jiro and Niko’s helpless screams, an overwhelming silence lingers over Junko’s ears, and all she can hear are the uneven, hollow breaths scraping against her throat. Bringing her head up, her eyes fall upon the vast parking garage beyond her.

“Jiro,” Junko calls in a deep, serious voice. Jiro instantly looks up to his Lieutenant - tears brimming his blue eyes. “Give Niko the keys.” Blinking at her command, Jiro throws his trembling hand into his back pocket, and thrusts the keys into Niko’s chest beside him. “Niko, go take Ren to the hospital. Right now,” Junko issues another order, yet her eyes stray from her subordinate officers.

Niko slowly accepts the keys, and stares up at his big sister. “But, Junko… I-”
“I don’t want you here for what’s about to happen. Take Ren to the hospital right now!”

Stumbling over his disoriented body, Niko stands to his height and sniffles back some mucus. Hiccuping a muffled sob, Niko throws his eyes down to the fading boy below him. Reaching down, Niko begins hoisting a brawny Ren up to his limp feet - when Jiro stands and assists Niko to catch Ren’s other side.

The three boys pass Junko, and an eerie, burdening weight swims through the eye contact in which they hold. Keeping her gaze straight, the boys hobble towards Yuuto’s parked car a ways down the asphalt street. As Junko’s heart beats erratically within her chest, she turns her body back around, and faces Riku once more.

“Well, you know what they say,” Riku starts sarcastically, with that same, sinister look on his face, “An eye for an eye.” Riku stares conceitedly at Junko, while Leiko and Katashi continue desperately nursing their fallen friends a distance away. Scoffing under her breath, Junko’s lips part as her eyes hide beneath her bangs.

“...Makes the whole world blind,” Junko mutters in a whisper, spitting each word as she speaks. “What?” Riku questions, aggravation and anger clearly lacing his tone. Junko shoots her pale, seething eyes onto the boy a few feet beyond her, and bares her teeth - as the pure fury boiling in her stomach pours out of her body.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, you idiot!” Junko’s voice roars from her stomach, and she exposes the knife in her hand once more, and charges at Riku with rage in her step. Taking the boy off guard, he dodges too late, and Junko’s blade slashes against his sleeve - causing his cotton shirt to rip against his arm.

“Maybe you should have stayed in highschool, instead of dropping out to join a dead, dismantled gang,” Junko’s menacing eyes stare straight into Riku’s startled, wide ones, as the glint from the overhead light glints upon her blade. Riku swallows a lump in his throat, and Junko sets off for another attack.

Swinging desperately - with everything her injured body can manage - Junko slits several cuts onto Riku’s moving body. Her eyes remain peeled open, as her teeth clench with every thrash of her blade. Low, anguished grunts emit from her gut, and beads of salty sweat begin falling down her forehead.

A strange, confusing conflict runs through Junko’s crowded mind as she attacks the tiring boy in front of her. Despite her desire to withdraw from the Task Force, Junko finds it hard to stop herself from striking Riku. The glossy, fading look in Ren’s eye haunts her present mind, and pushes her to attack the murderer with even more hatred and malice.

“Tell me you were lying!” Junko’s raspy, shrill voice screams at the top of her lungs, causing Jiro to look over after placing Ren in the backseat of Yuuto’s car. Riku’s terrified features flash with confusion, and he continues dodging her swift attacks. “My dad is nothing like that! You… you were just trying to get a rise out of me! It was all a lie! Dad, he’s… he’s not like that! Tell me! Tell-”

Jiro appears behind Junko, and grabs her torso - pulling her tense body to his chest. “Junko, stop!” Jiro shouts, tearing her away from the retreating boy covered in wounds, “Please, Junko! Get a grip!” Junko resists against Jiro’s hold, and muffled groans of discontent vibrate in her chest. With wide eyes, Riku slowly continues to step back from the wild animal - training his sight on the unhinged woman.

Not paying attention, he ends up tripping over Rika’s limp legs, and falls backwards onto his backside. The hard asphalt slams against his back, as the overhead lights cast burning gleams of light into his eyes. Junko gradually stops attempting to free herself from Jiro’s arms, and stares menacingly down at the cowering boy. The weight of her glare makes the hair on Riku’s neck stand, and a burning chill runs down his spine.

Lifting his head from the firmness of the ground beneath him, Riku stares into Junko’s penetrating, frightening eyes. “I wasn’t lying,” Riku confirms with a steady voice, but his heart continues to pulse violently within his chest, “Your dad is a terrible, terrible man. And I… I didn’t know that… I thought you all knew…”

Thrusting her body off of Jiro’s now loose grip, Junko stabs her gaze into each cut on Riku’s body. “Junko…” Jiro warns, now that she is free from his hold. Deciding to not respond, Junko stands in her place for a moment before slowly walking over to the grounded boy ahead of her. “Junko-”

“I’m not going to kill him,” Junko assures, deadpanned, while she twirls the knife between her fingers, “What a waste of energy that would be.” Junko approaches Riku, and stands next to his sliced torso. She pours her unwavering, tense gaze into Riku’s own trembling eyes. His tan skin absorbs the light from above, and makes his clear complexion illuminate against the fluorescent light.

“Killing you now would be too easy, and you’re just a kid,” Junko comments as she continues to twirl the blade in her hand, “The real punishment starts when you have to bury your sister.” Raising the knife above her head, she thrusts it downwards towards Riku’s head. The boy squints his eyes shut, preparing for the piercing impact - but strikes no such luck, as Junko’s footsteps retreat against the asphalt.

Turning his head sideways, he spots the blade piercing his thick hair tie that collects his long hair into a low ponytail. A long, shaky breath escapes his lips as his eyes watch Junko walk towards her once abandoned motorcycle, with an exasperated Jiro running after her.

“Junko!” Jiro shouts, finally catching up to his best friend, “Where are you going?!” Junko hoists her scratched bike back onto its wheels, and keeps her gaze onto the vehicle next to her. “We’re going to Mamoru’s apartment,” She answers, throwing herself over the vinyl leather seat, “He has some explaining to do.”

Riku’s eye twitches, and he rests his head back on the asphalt below him. Twisting his neck to his left, his eyes land upon Leiko leaning her head and arms on a limp Rika, while her body shakes with silent, gut-wrenching sobs. Riku’s lip quivers, and he raises his left hand to rest it upon his sister’s lifeless calf.

“Rika…” He whispers, his quiet voice raspy and shrill, “I am so sorry, Rika.”

The night sky casts its bright stars against the empty blackness overhead as Niko hastily taps his fingers on the leather steering wheel. He and Ren sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic, with no sign of it clearing up anytime soon. The salty sweat pouring from his hairline causes the headband on his forehead to rudely slip over his eyes. Irritatedly, Niko rips the cloth from his head, and throws it on the passenger seat beside him.

Niko looks back over his left shoulder, and gazes at the near-unconscious Ren sitting propped up in the backseat. A deep expression of concern and worry washes over Niko’s face, and he turns his eyes back to the crowded highway in front of him. “Hey, Ren,” Niko calls, his voice chipper and laced with anxiety, “I need you to stay awake, buddy.”

With no noise in response, Niko quickly throws his eyes back once more before continuing to speak, “Talk to me, Ren! Or, just… keep listening to my voice, okay?” Niko’s hands rub the cover of the steering wheel while his free leg bounces in place.

“Junko’s amazing, isn’t she?” Niko starts again, trying to keep the conversation, and Ren, alive, “She’s like a big sister to all of us, not just me. But… even though she’s always looking out for us, she needs us to look out for her sometimes, too, you know?”

A warm, yet tight smile spreads across Niko’s face at the thought of his big sister, “That’s why she loves you so much, Ren. You were the only one to make sure you always had her back, when we all thought she could handle it all on her own. She needs you, Ren! So, keep your fucking eyes open!”

Niko’s hands grip the steering wheel tighter, and his knuckles begin to turn white. “What the hell is with all this traffic?!” He darts his eyes around his surroundings, and his eyes land on the carless exit on the highway. Breathing an irritated, short breath, Niko begins steering the wheel. “Screw it, we’re going to the apartment. Kagome will treat you. She’ll help you, okay?”

Pressing further on the gas, Niko takes the exit at full velocity. “Ren, talk to me, buddy!” He shouts, flashing his eyes in the rear view mirror - seeing a dazed, sleepy Ren slouched in the backseat, “Even though you’re a pretty shy guy, I need you to talk like you’ve never talked before! Please, Ren! You, Jiro, Yuuto… you’re all like big brothers to me! I can’t lose any of you!”