Chapter 54 [Ready]

I'm really in deep shit now.

I block another punch again with my shield; causing me to slide backward on my feet.

"Stop resisting, Haru!" Lina command.

If I keep on blocking her punch my arm won't last much longer. Lina pulls back her fist to land another attack; she landed another punch at my shield but this time instead of absorbing the force I deflect it outward to the left.

Never have I had a woman attack me while she is wearing a short dress that compliments her curve and heel; well there is a first time for everything, I just have to hold out until my ride arrives.

"Haru! I'm helping you!" Lina exclaims as she lands another punch on my shield.

"Helping me by attacking me!?" I retort.

"You are sick Haru and you need help, stop resisting!" Lina repeat.

Instead of another punch, she barrages me with a lightning-fast jab; if I could describe what it looks like in my end, the punch was so fast that I could only see the afterimage of it left behind.

She stops her barrage and lands another punch so hard that I was sent back flying away from her; I fall to the ground and slide a few feet backward on my back.

"Fight back Haru!" Cindy said.

"I won't hurt her!" I grunt; as I trying to get back up.

"What?! Why?!" Cindy ask.

"Because I still love her!" I confess.

"I remember her now, she the girl from the funeral. Damn Haru, if you don't want to do it, I will take care of it myself!" Cindy said and two headlights appeared behind me.

"No!" I let out.

I turn and face the motorcycle; its side opens up and slides out two automatic machine gun. I look at Lina then back at the motorcycle. Lina raises both of her arms to block before the motorcycle start raining bullet on her.

I place my feet on the ground, pushing my own body upward and I extend the shield again; running toward the gunfire, I block the incoming bullets with my shield.

Dust starts to gather around my shield as the bullet deflect and hit the wall and ground of the alleyway. The gunfire stopped suddenly and I hear Cindy shouting something in my earpiece.

"Are you crazy!? Why did you?!"

"I won't let her get hurt!" I said while breathing heavily.

"Fuck! shit! fine! Do what you want!" Cindy grunts.

The motorcycle light turns off and the weapon slides back in the body; my shield turn off and Stoalium battery shoots out from the gauntlet. Steam begins to come out from the battery slot as the gauntlet begins its cooldown.

Suddenly, something slams me from behind and pushes me toward the wall; my body crashes to the wall, cracking the wall but not enough to tear it down but my body stays close to the wall. When my eyes glance to the left side; I can see Lina holding my left arm out with her hand while she pins my body to the wall with her right shoulder.

"Why did you help me earlier?!" she asks, her voice beginning to turn raspy.

I ignore her question while trying to wiggle out of her pin; she realized what was I doing, she tightens the lock and pulls my hand backward while pushing my shoulder giving pressure to my shoulder blade and causing pain.

"Haru!" Cindy called out.

"Don't interfere" I whispered under my breath, I could hear her grunt from the earpiece.

"Answer my question!" Lina command me.

"Because I won't let anything hurt you" I answer; I could hear her sniffing behind my head.

She softens her grip; giving me a room to catch my breath but she still pinning me to the wall.

"Why?- Why did you say those word? I thought you didn't care anymore?"  Lina sniffled; her tears fall onto my shoulder and it absorbs into my hoodie; I could feel her warm tears.

"I care! I cared about you, don't you realize that?" I said.

"You said you cared. You said you won't let anything hurt me but don't you realize that you are hurting me right now?" Lina said.

"My heart in so much pain because of you, Haru!" Lina continues.

I close my eyes as her word, bore into my heart and stabbing every inch of its wall. I have always know that I'm causing so much pain to her, that why I left. I never thought I would meet her again.

"My mind is confused, my heart is broken, anger rise inside me accompany by sadness because of you. Why won't you just come home and stay just like before? Forget the revenge please, I'm begging you..." Lina begged; as she lay her forehead on my back after releasing her grip on my arm.

"I have— to finish what I started," I said.

"If you still stubborn about your revenge then I have to stop you, no matter what, for mom and Uncle Touka" Lina claimed as she begins to reach for my arm but stopped when she heard another woman voice called out to her.

"Lina, what going on?" the woman with slick long blunt pink hair in a black short dress called out to Lina as she steps out from the back door.

Taking the chance, I slide out one of the flashbangs, pulling the safety off; I throw it toward the woman who just came out. Lina's eyes widen as she saw the flashbang being thrown at her friends, she may be strong but she doesn't know what I throw was a flashbang, not an actual grenade.

Lina let me go and I quickly shoot the hook from my grapple gauntlet toward the motorcycle; I shouted at Cindy through the mic in my helmet.

The flashbang explode and a white light accompanies by loud ringing sound engulfed the entire alleyway; thanks to my helmet the light and the loud sound doesn't affect me as much.

"NOW!" The motorcycle roar to life, it tired begins to rotate at high-speed that causes the motorcycle tire to screeched loudly before heading straight out of the alley with me being drag behind; I look at Lina as I was being dragged on the ground and she returns my gaze.

She and I know that this is not the last time, she will stand in my way again. I cursed myself before squeezing my hand, sending the signal into the gauntlet so the rope begins to retract and pulling me close to motorcycles.

When I finally get close to the motorcycles, I push my body off the ground and climb on to it while we are still moving.

=============================================================================

Three hours later, Back at the Base.

There an air of silence between me and Cindy while we sit facing each other beside her workstation, my eyes wander to the full-face helmet on the workstation. My gaze moves again this time toward Kusagi in the middle of the room practicing her sword skill while watching Voltron on a new tv.

"Haru...?" Cindy let out as her eyes also wander to Kusagi.

"I never thought that I would meet her again" I let out.

"For the last three years, you have never once talked about her, the only time I saw her is at that funeral and now, somehow she finds you here at this very city. This is probably a good time as any to talk about her" Cindy said.

"So who is she?" Cindy queried.

"Someone I know.." My voice trails off as I stare at Kusagi; her stance is wrong but it cute watching her trying to perfect it while watching her Tv-show.

"You don't just jump in the front line of fire of two machine gun, just to protect someone you know" Cindy sassed while tapping her finger on her workstation.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it," I said.

"why? what are you scared of?" Cindy provoked.

"I'm scared if I told you, two things will happen, first she will get involved in our mess somehow and second, what you think will happen when you get captured? can I trust you to not spill everything as they torture you?" I explained; Cindy finger stop, her eyebrows furrow together and a frown appeared on her face.

"Do you think that I'm that stupid? I know more than you, her name Lina Johnson, same age as you,  you go to the same school as her right? and for your information, she already involved in our mess the minute she attacks you in that valley" Cindy said; I clench my teeth and turn my head to face her.

"If you already know then why do you ask?" I said; annoyance can be heard in my tone.

"I want to hear it from your own very mouth but it seems that you don't trust me enough to tell me about her" Cindy said.

"Of course I don't, she more than family" I fumed.

"Care to elaborate?" Cindy provoked.

"I love her and for your information, she not actually attacking me in that alley, she was trying to convince me to forget all about my revenge," I said 

"If she really attacking me, I wouldn't survive in that alley. She was holding back" I continue.

"Holding back, how strong is she?" Cindy ask.

"Stronger than Aegis," I said.

"But Aegis was considered the most powerful strength based hero, how can you be sure?" Cindy worried.

"That fight in the alley mix with the time I spent observing her power while we were still friends confirmed my hypothesis, that I made when I was still young. Her power is becoming more powerful each day and probably still growing" I explained.

"Then what we gonna do? we cant fight a strength-based powered on direct confrontation" Cindy said.

"We don't have to," I said; turning my head to look at Kusagi again.

"Ready your plan, and I will ready mine for her," I said.

Kusagi noticed my gaze; she stops and smiles at me while waving her hands then she continues again her practice.