Alt POV: Back to Square One (Junichi Kanie)

As my blind determination to get even with the Broker waned, I remembered that I happened to do it a bit too soon. I left him with nothing and even if I turned back right now, it would be like trying to squeeze juice out of a dried orange. But if I know his kind, they don’t stay down…. And instead, they pick their ways back up even if they have to start from scratch.

I’ve seen that look a lot of times before, and that was the face of a man who knows how to hold a grudge. Meaning that even if I give him a couple of days to recover, he will not be willing to cooperate with me. Which meant that I had to toss him a carrot on a stick yet again.

Dawn arrived when I boarded the train and so did the early hours of morning as I walked through the doors of the Guildhouse. However, I was given plenty of space by the others around me as they didn’t want to mess with someone drenched in blood that was not his own.

Night Rules were in effect from tonight, meaning that lot was about to change…. The Guild was more crowded than usual but most of the crowd was more focused on the quest boards, leaving the counters mostly open.

“Welcome…How may I be of assis….tance, Sir” Guess the Spark behind the counter got caught off guard with all the red on me being clear in the bright environment

“I’m here to post a request….open to anyone.”

A few minutes passed as I had to provide the needed details and almost an hour passed as I walked back to the house. I closed the door behind me and sighed as I was ready to turn in.

A warm shower and a lot less red on me later, I went straight up to my room and collapsed face first onto the hard bed in exhaustion.

I was expecting the ghosts of yesterday to haunt me in my dreams, but I guess that was the only break I caught…however, it was hardly a good night’s rest.

It was already the middle of the evening as I woke up, and as I left my room, I ran into Lawrence-san who left Akio’s room. He looked exhausted as he closed the door behind him and sighed, and he turned his head towards me and didn’t even say a word once.

“How’s he doing?” I asked

“Can’t say for sure till he wakes up…. but he’ll live” He then looked down while still leaning on the door “I’m used to saving people who were on the edge of their lives, but this was a first for me”

He took a moment to recollect himself “I’ll keep an eye on him for a couple more hours. Just in case the worst happens”

“Lawrence-san…. How are you holding up?”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Jun-kun… I’ll be fine-”

“Don’t give me that shit, I asked because I care. And I’m not going to back down until you give me an answer I can accept” I’m not going to let that excuse get the better of me ever again

“Let see, panicking out of my mind, sleep deprived…. And scared, I guess. It’s just a thing in my old line of work, I can hardly think about myself until I’m sure my patient’s going to be fine.”

“Just, don’t hold back if you want someone to talk to, you hear me?”

Lawrence-san paused for a moment “Yeah, I hear you” and he immediately switched gears “Mai-chan and Meguru-chan ... .saved you some leftovers in the fridge. They said if you wanna…”

“Alright”

“I’m just gonna…check on him” he was trying to hide the fact that he needed some alone time, but it didn’t slip past me…. However, I let him have his wish as he went back inside the room and closed the door behind him.

However, the silence didn’t last for too long….as not even an hour passed until Lawrence-san came out of the room, calling out for me

“JUN-KUN!” he shouted at me from halfway down the stairwell. But I knew instantly what got him riled up.

I stopped contemplating at the table and ran towards the stairs, skipping steps on my way up, just to make it to the room a second faster. I didn’t even realize that I crashed through the door until I was through it. And there he was with his eyes open, looking straight at me.

A wave of relief washed over me, along with a momentary chuckle.

“Oh my god…. You gave me one hell of a scare you son of a bitch”

Akio’s reply was a series of mumblings which had me concerned for a moment

“It was a first for me doing this as well, he might still be groggy from all the after-effects. I’d say we give him a few minutes to acclimatize.” Lawrence-san assured me, putting a hold onto my fears of the worst

“What did you do to him?”

“Promise that you won’t flip out” My concerns returned in that instance

“Lawrence-san”

“I uh….had to replace all him blood”

“You did what?!” The words escaped my mouth before I could even process what he said

“I know, I know…Perfectly valid reaction, but his blood was contaminated. Whatever Nakamura-san was put through, his hemoglobin wasn’t bonding with…. Look, long story short. He went clinically dead for a few seconds and-”

“He what?”

“In a moment, Jun-kun. But I had to transfuse a ton of HP potions into him… It was a gamble and I didn’t even know if it would work, but it did. The potion turned into new and functioning blood and there was no rejection whatsoever. He’s only alive because this is a game and the HP potions are wonder cures, he would’ve died painfully if this was real. Or if someone who didn’t know what they were doing did the procedure”

I took a few steps back and towards the far corner of the room to put together everything I just heard. But while he was more surprised about this than I was, I had an easier time processing what he said, as I knew about Yamori-senpai’s twisted creations.

But the possibility of what would’ve happened if I sent Lawrence-san away that day for good, came across my mind…. And eventhough we didn’t have to face that future, it still frightened me.

“Thank you….Lawrence-san” To assure myself that Akio lived because of him, I chose that moment to thank him

“Of course, it the least I could do”

“Jun…” Akio’s weak voice reached us from the other side of the room, and I instantly returned back to his side, with Lawrence-san on my tail.

“Hey, feeling better?”

He sighed “ I don’t think my brain works well enough yet to answer that”

Even after being pulled back from in front of death’s door, he still finds the energy to be a wise ass… Can’t say I expected anything else from him

I turned to Lawrence-san to relieve him of his duty “He’ll be fine…. Talk to you in the morning?”

“Yeah”

Lawrence-san was just about to leave until he suddenly turned back “Also ... .this was my room all this time so should I just…” He was pointing towards the hallway

Of all the times to be the usual oblivious dumbass

“Right, dumb question” He continued after he picked up on my brief silence “Of course, also just…don’t let him sit up…. or move at all. I had to make some risky incisions and with his slow healing and all…. Don’t want him to spill out like a punctured water balloon”

“Lawrence-san!”

“Alright, I’m going” The door shut behind us moments later and we were finally alone

“Who’s the idiot?” asked the other idiot

“Takes one to know one, but it’s thanks to that idiot you are still breathing”

“What happened Jun? What happened at-”

“I found out the truth.” I had to let him know, even if he’d choose never to forgive me “Who Senpai really was…..The basement, everything he did….. I saw it all” My hands didn’t shudder anymore, as if I had fully accepted everything that I saw yesterday.

“Jayden….. He was with me…. Where’s-” Of course he would be looking for answers, but I was done lying… done trying to come up with excuses for my shortcomings.

“I’m sorry, Akio” I paused for a moment to ready myself to revisit that horror

“You shot him?”

“I didn’t believe him at first but, when I did…. I tried to get him out but it was rigged with a trap. I saw him-” The scene of Jayden’s dangling body flashed into my mind, causing me to stall for a quick moment.

“-He pushed me out of the cell to save me but I couldn’t do anything” As much as I hated reminiscing about that day, he had the right to know.

“He played me, Akio….. He manipulated me for years. Used my moment of weakness to wrap me around his thumb I…. I’m-”

“Hey, it’s not your fault” Akio cut me off. “Nishigaki was good…..even I didn’t see him for who he truly was until it was too late.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that I sent you out to die. Even when you had your doubts, I took his side over yours. I don’t think I can ever atone for what I did to you, or to the others that died because of me”

Jayden, Ann-chan ... .their blood was on my hands as well. But just as I was trying to rid myself of one demon, Akio forced me to confront another

“Actually there is-” He managed to catch my attention ““I’m going to be stuck in this bed for the rest of the day, you could tell me about how Misha died”

I pulled myself the chair next to the desk, as I knew I had a lot to tell him…about what happened to her

.

.

.

. (2 months ago)

.

.

.

The sound of Mai's screams of pain died down as she finally passed out after we patched up her arm. But it was replaced by the deafening clatter of the rain outside. Meguru was keeping an eye on her sister and I sat outside their closed door, catching my breath.

My hands were drenched in Mai’s blood as I carried her back from the ambush, and from bandaging up her exposed arm. I had to wash it off but I was too exhausted to move.

“Just… a couple of minutes” I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing.

However I passed out for more time than expected, and I was jolted back to life by the sound of the door downstairs opening. I got up and looked down the stairs at the front door, only to meet eye to eye with Misha.

“She going to be alright?” Misha asked as I was descending down the stairs

“Wasn’t pretty but got her to stop losing health…. Bandaged her up just so she would heal faster.”

“That’s good”

But as she closed the door, her hands appeared more bloodier than mine

“Misha…”

“I did what I had to do Jun… They won’t be bothering us anymore, or anyone in that matter”

As obvious as it was what she insinuated, there was a part of me still in denial about it

“What did you do?”

“The same thing I did to that guy…. I put all of them out of their misery. I tried to toss all the bodies into the dumpster but guess that’s not something you are allowed to do.” How was she saying this with a casual tone

“You didn’t have to kill any of them, Misha-”

“And what would you have me do, then? Huh?” Suddenly, she was in my face…. And there was not a sign of the grief she had the first time around in her eyes. And all of a sudden, a wave of fear just washed over me “I asked you a question, Jun….. I let them live, I let them walk…. And then what?.... Wait for them to walk over us? How would you feel if one of them killed Mai-chan or Meguru-chan today? Would you let them walk or would you rather stop them before they go that far”

“YOU HAVE GONE THAT FAR!” I involuntarily screamed and I hope that I didn’t startle the two upstairs “I believed you when you said you were haunted by that day, I was there by your side when you needed me….. And now you do the one thing you made us swear not to do”

She paused for a moment, but not to rethink her approach “If we are all to get out of here alive, someone have to do the things that others aren’t willing to….might as well be me” She said that and walked away, but I wasn’t done

“Misha!”

“I’m done talking to you about this, Jun…..I’m done talking”

But she decided otherwise

I used to hate being the butt end of Misha’s mischief, but after all that happened between us….those old days never returned, instead… all that remained was nothing but tension….Tension that grew between us as time passed.

She got a whole lot worse as the days went by. It was near impossible to go a single day without being ambushed in this place. At first, she tried to not resort to lethal means…. After a few days, everyone who crossed her path ended up dead on the floor.

First she only killed her attackers, allowing the others to live… Later, she comes up with some excuse and tells us to go on ahead…but the blood on her hands doesn’t lie, and it didn’t take me long to realize that she was killing who we knocked out behind our backs.

I had to pretend like nothing was wrong between all of us. But even as we sat at the same table for a shared meal, there was an air of tension between all of us…. Until that day arrived

A few weeks passed just like how it usually did, and Misha came back way later than all of us…eventhough we all took part in the same quests.

She closed the door behind her and all of us were at the table

“You are late, Misha-nee” said Meguru

“Yeah, got held up…. turns out there is a Sheriff in this place”

“You look like you had a fun time alone” I said, not even looking her at the face will I drank from my mug, as once again, her bloody hands told all I needed to know

“It was necessary, but it was worth it in the end” she replied

“Worth it…. please enlighten me, on what was worth all your…time” Just as she expertly navigated the conversation to keep my sister's finding out about her new nature, so did I

“I think I might have lead on the others” and her words made me forget our strained friendship for a moment

“What?”

“Had to save a guy from getting mauled by a group… Turns out he’s big shot around here, we just have to make a quick stop tomorrow on our way to the Guildhouse”

Of course, it was shady as shit…but I held my thoughts until dinner time ended and Mai and Meguru went back upstairs. And a few minutes later, I was alone with her

“You are bullshitting me aren’t you?”

“As much as you have a problem with how I do things now, I take keeping this little group ahead of the others as a very serious matter…. I ain’t bullshitting, Jun”

“So you happened to run into someone who knows where the others are…. Am I supposed to believe that?”

“Yeah, while you and the others are stuck in your own corner and refuse to move out of it, I try my hardest to keep pushing us forward.” And just like usual, we are at each other’s throats again.

“Look, the guy’s called the Ghost Broker, his place is a bit away from the usual path we take but it will be a worthwhile detour….. We find the others one by one this way and we tackle this place as a team once again….”

She got up and started to walk away “I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince you….You can come with me tomorrow or stay behind, I don’t care either way

I couldn’t even bring myself to look at her after seeing what she has become. But if there was any remnant of the old Misha in there, she’s only this pushy if she is sure about it. Its not like I even have a choice in this matter anyways.

The next day arrived and so did our time to leave as a group to the Guild, but even as we left, Misha pushed her way through to take a different route than we usually do. She didn’t care if we followed or not….Now, it was her way or the highway. We had no choice but to follow, only to find ourselves at a pre-emptive ambush.

At this point, we were used to this… Groups just trying to intimidate with numbers but not even giving a shred of thought on how they are planning to come out alive…..and just like usual we came out on top.

“These guys are getting more persistent by the day…You guys alright?” I first checked up on my sisters, and then….

“Misha… you goo-” But the sound of her gun going off interrupted me.

“Let’s clean up fast and go. We got no time to waste” and he had reached her new low.

Till now, she had only been killing discreetly, breaking necks, or keeping the blood to the minimum while Mai and Meguru were around while she didn’t even hesitate murdering while I was around. But now, she didn’t care.

She approached the guys we floored with her gun out

“No!” This time, I had to stand in her way “Have you lost your goddamn mind?!”

“It’s still too early Jun…. they could get back up and retaliate. We can’t let them go”

“Not when they are around” I reminded her

“Oh please-” She brushed me off and took a couple of steps back “You think they haven’t figured it out already? You give your sisters a lot less credit than they deserve”

I looked behind me at Mai shielding her sister behind her, but both of them looked a lot less surprised and fazed compared to the first two times. It’s only they I realized what Misha said was the truth

“You try to keep them away from what needs to be done, and that only makes them weaker. They need to see this, Jun….. Because it won’t be long before all of us has to do this, whether we like it or not. I can’t be the only one responsible for all of us, all the time.

“BUT WE DON’T ASK YOU TO KILL FOR US!” I had enough of her ways and now she was listening to me with her head down

“You’ve gone too far, Sakuragi…. You’ve crossed the line where there is no coming back from. You think you are helping us…. You think you are keeping us alive? But that’s just an excuse you are hiding behind just so you can go killing”

But suddenly, her eyes met mine for a flash, that didn’t look or feel normal….. I suddenly felt like my whole body went into panic mode, an indescribable fear struck me, freezing me to the point I didn’t even know if I was breathing anymore.

….What the hell was that?

All I could pick up afterwards was her muttering under her breath, it was too fast for me to make sense, but all I could pick up on was “All I did for them” and “It was right all along”

“Misha-nee! Nii-chan!.... enough from the both of you” I was snapped out of my trance as Mai barged in beside me and jolted me from the side. And I used this moment to do the same

“Misha! What’s going on with you?”

And she looked at me with an unsettling calmness “Nothing really, I just had lost it for a second there”

“Oh my god… No” An unfamiliar voice reached us from close to us….. It was one of the assailants

He caught a glimpse of his friend lying in a pool of blood.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” But Misha took the moment to walk towards him with her gun drawn… he started crawling back in fear

“No…please, we won’t bother you ever again…just let us go. We have families” The guy was pleading for her to spare their lives

I wanted to stop her, but I froze up after I remembered what just happened moments ago. I tried to fight it, to stop her…. But I was afraid.

We were powerless as we watched Misha put two rounds on each of the surviving member’s head, starting from the guy who begged. She showed them no mercy, it was as if she was a completely different person now

She walked out of the body filled pathway as if nothing happened, he loaded a fresh mag into her tool of death and put it away and looked back at us who were still processing all that happened in the last few minutes

“You guys coming?” She asked us

….We had no choice but to blindly follow.

A half hour walk later, we found ourselves in front of one of the many taverns in Mid-Sec.

“This is the place. Whether you want to join me or not, it’s your choice….” She then looked around me towards the Mai who was stunned to a silence, and Meguru who is almost always silent “Best you guys hang around a bit though”

If it meant getting even a small lead on Hayato, Yukari, Matsuri or any of the others… It’d be worth the risk of being there in person

“We won’t be long, how about you two catch a breather and check gear one more time…. We are heading to raid after all”

Misha had walked towards the entrance and was waiting on me

“Nii-chan” Mai called out to me to catch my attention

“Be careful….Misha-nee, she’s-”

“I know…… I’ll handle this after we are done, yeah?” I assured here, eventhough I had not a single plan in mind

She gave me a nod of approval “Let’s go, Meguru” she went away from me with her sibling in tow

“You coming or not?”

I turned back to join our lost cause.

Not a single word was exchanged between us. A couple of months ago, that almost never happened….. The tavern was relatively light on customers, with most of the table occupants being the ones who had a long night taking down barrels at a time and now unable to say which way is up.

Misha led me to a secluded spot at the back of the establishment where there were two guards standing there.

“Tell your boss that Sakuragi is here. He owes me a favor”

The guard got on his earpiece “H here, there is a ‘Sakuragi’ here for the boss ... .Understood” he got off and stepped aside.

I followed Misha down to the basement and past a narrow hallway full of guards…whoever this guy was, he was the poster boy of paranoia by the looks of it

A room came into view as we ventured further down, and there were more guards in there.

“I knew what I offered was too good for you to turn down…. However I wasn’t expecting a plus one to be joining us today” said the short illusive man with a goatee and a suit

“He stays, this matters to him as much as it does to me” Misha said to defend my presence

“Ah, of course…. But I wish I had prepared a bit more to be in the presence of the once great Junichi Kanie”

How did he?

“Right, I guess we haven’t been formally introduced. You may call me the Ghost Broker….. I deal in the most valuable tool known to man and that is knowledge……my prices are high, but I assure you that my network spans far and wide all across Helios, soon… it will spread all across Ark Sanctuary. If I don’t know anything about your queries, it means that the person you are looking for is a customer of mine, or that what or whoever you are looking for doesn’t exist.”

“You are really that confident in your trade?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Kanie…. I am a man of business, and I must seek…my business. Which means that more than anything, I value my customers…that they get exactly what they want, and that they find me to be the most reliable when they ever need my aid”

“I think you’d have yourself a career selling snake oil-”

“Jun…. Enough” Misha cut me off

“Why don’t we get to business so you can prove to my friend here how reliable you are?”

“Rightfully so, but first…care for some refreshments?” The Broker got up and walked towards a decanter to pour us drinks

“Stop stalling, Broker” And now, Misha cut him off

“Very well… I should warn you, Ms. Sakuragi. That what I owe you is one favor. One question to be answered ... .I suggest you choose wisely.” He went back to his seat “Alas, I won’t stop you from asking more but unlike the first one…..the next one will cost you”

“That’s fine, because I only that favor”

“I see…. So then, Ms. Sakuragi…. Who do you want found?”

So there’s no guarantee that this will pay off….. For all we know, the others could not even be in Helios, and like he said, his network doesn’t extend outside the gates as of yet. The best bet Misha would have right now is to find Hayato

“Akio Nakamura” the answer she gave was the one I least expected

“Huh?!”

“Mr. Nakamura…. Are you sure?”

But eventhough I was barely talking to her, I had to pull her out before she answered

“Just one moment ... .Broker.” and I dragged Misha by the hand a few steps back “What are you doing?”

“I’m doing what I said I would, Jun”

“Doesn’t look like it when you are trying to find someone who’s dead”

“Did you see the body, Jun?”

I stood silent for a second “What?”

“I said, did you see Akio’s body?”

“No, but what does that even matter, we all saw what happened. There’s no way-”

“We saw Misuzu-san, we saw Yuito….. we didn’t see Akio”

“Just think for a moment will you…. Akio spawned in Typhon, not in Helios. Even if he’s still alive, do you realize how improbable it is that he’s still here”?

“I’m not a leader Jun, and neither are you….. And if there is even a slight chance of Akio being alive and in Helios, it’s worth the risk.”

After she gave her answer, she turned back to the Broker. “I’m sure…..Akio Nakamura… I just want to know where he is”

The Broker sneered “I have to say, Ms. Sakuragi… I admire your instincts…it’s not everyday that someone comes in here looking for a dead man”

Couldn’t it have been more obvious

“But your instinct was right, Mr. Nakamura is in fact in Helios”

What?

“He was seen sneaking in through the gates just over a week ago in fact… However, he seems to have found himself dumpster diving in the Low-Sec”

“Low-Sec…. isn’t that?”

“Where the most deranged animals in Helios wander? You are very much right, Mr. Kanie…… Mr. Nakamura’s bounty has made him a target among the bloodthirsty groups in the Low Sec. He’s like a deer being hunted for sport right now. He has no allies, and he has no place he can regroup to. Unlike most, many people haven’t yet figured out that Mr. Nakamura’s bounty is as worth as a couple stacks of logs in this place. But right now, he is just hiding himself in a den of tigers”

He brought up a holo note on the prompt on his desk and wrote down the details we needed, and finished it off with his personal seal. He took note into his hand

“I guess it has been a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Sakuragi.” Misha reached in to grab the note off his hand, but he pulled back at the last moment

“Actually, how about I let Mr. Kanie hold onto his…. Considering he is the one who doubts my authenticity the most.”

I reached in to grab the note and took a few steps back while looking at it. The note contained a map with the general area where we could find Akio in the Low-Sec

“There is still another matter I must discuss with you, Ms. Sakuragi… privately” and all eyes were on me

“I won’t be long, Jun… You can wait upstairs”

And once again, I didn’t reply to her…leaving her with the shady broker.

Even as I waited outside for what felt like close to an hour, my eyes never left the holo-note. Akio? Alive?.... How is that even possible? I had to see this through. I had to know if he actually survived

And just in time, Misha returned back to my side.

“Akio’s alive Jun”

I couldn’t hold my silence anymore “I don’t know what to believe.”

“Look, I know we haven’t seen eye to eye for the past… I don’t know how long; I’ve lost count at this point. But can we at least put a hold on this until we find him…. Please, Jun”

And after what felt like an eternity, I saw a trace of the old Misha in there “One condition…. No killing”

“I can’t promise you that….not when we are heading into Low-Sec, but I’ll try.”

I took that as an acceptable answer and she closed in on me and gave me a hug, giving me a sliver of hope that things could go back to the way it was

We left the tavern with a new goal in mind for the day. And now it was time to rendezvous with Mai and Meguru.

“Last I saw them were around the back. Chances are they are still there”

We walked into the corner where I last saw both of them go inside, but neither of us expected what we found there.

Both of them were on the ground as a group were stomping them both while they looked like they barely had any strength left to defend themselves.

My breathing stalled for a moment as I assumed the worst

“MAI! MEGURU!” my screams caught the attention of the entire group of five, and to our surprise we knew who all of them were

“Told you the big bad brother of the crybabies had to be close by” The Russian Twins, Anya and Liliya Petrova

“And Sakuragi as well” Their tank, Lucas Fletcher

“What did I tell you, Jay…. They followed us here, they had to” My mirror in their team, Nathan Ashman

"I wish we met under different circumstances, Kanie” And their former leader, Jayden Riley

“RTG?!”

“You bastards, WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?!” Misha flew off the handle before I had a chance to, but something fell off….I could’ve just sworn I just saw a glow in here eyes, but I might’ve been seeing things in the heat of the moment

“Misha?!” But she didn’t listen to me, and without even a word spoken, she lunged at them

“MISHA, NO!”

Lucas got in her way as she attempted to jump onto the Russian duo who were keeping their old rivals down and out. But even I knew that this wasn’t Misha fighting, she was more like a beast.

She avoided Lucas’ sword and jumped onto him instead, digging her thumbs into his eyes causing him to scream in agony. He only survived because Nathan jumped in and dragged the feral Misha off him, who immediately diverted her attack onto her new target

“SAKURAGI!” Not only were my screams not getting to her, but I had another thing to worry about

“Your fight is with me, Kanie!” Jayden moved into to attack me, forcing me to divert my attention onto him and not on trying to snap Misha out of it

“Shit’ I lunged backwards to put some distance between him and me to allow me time to draw my gun…but I chose poorly, going for my primary as Jayden closed the distance on me.

I couldn’t aim in time and he disarmed me, forcing my gun out of my arms and onto the ground away from me.

Jayden was a mid-flank flex player by trade, and just like many in that role, he too had a pistol sidearm similar to I did. We managed to get ourselves in a close combat dance of dodges and quick shots, with our side arms but both of us were careful on the trigger to make sure we didn't hit any of our friends by mistake.

However, the stalemate broke as I got caught off-guard by a leg sweep, putting me into the ground. Jayden aimed high and pulled the trigger, but I was able to roll out of the way before a bullet found itself in my brain. I got back up on my feet and was quickly able to put the last round in the chamber into his foot, which stunned him for a moment. I threw my empty gun at him to buy me a couple more seconds and I rushed him and knocked him off his uninjured leg with a quick grapple takedown.

I put my knee on his chest to restrain him and struck him in the face to stun him. And I diverted my attention to the other fight.

I happen to witness the other battle progressing to the point that Misha had got her hands on one of the other twins and was about to go for a killing blow with her shield, but she was interrupted as she had to look back and shield herself with her barrier as Anya started opening fire at her trying to save her sister

“Get…away from her!” Anya shouted at Misha

Lucas was in the corner and out of the fight as he was bleeding from the eyes with his eyes still punctured, and Nathan tackled her from the back. Misha shot Anya on her way down with a quick shot from her pulse pistol, but looked like it shattered her gun hand.

As I tried to shout at her again to get through to her, Jayden recovered and pulled me by my jacket towards him and punched me in the throat, leaving me choking and releasing my hold on me

But his biggest mistake was getting back up and pointing his gun at me at point blank range as I recovered.

Put my days at combat training to use, I was able to go for a disarm. Avoided his sidearm and forced his elbow to break. Jayden’s screams of pain didn’t stall either battle, and I managed to bend his broken arm towards him, inflicting more pain to him and ground him once again. This time, I hit harder to put him out of the fight for longer.

But as I looked up, Misha was on the last leg…Nathan took away her weapon, dropped her down, and was now having a knife right above her heart.

“MISHA!”

“Jun!...I can’t…hold him….for long… I need help”

I looked around for one of my guns, and I spotted my rifle on the ground. I ran to it and picked it up and took aim….but I couldn’t pull the trigger

I hadn’t taken a life yet, and I froze. I could only see Nathan’s head, I know for a fact that he will die if I fire. But so will Misha if I don’t.

“Nat….no!” said Jayden from the ground, with not an ounce of strength in his words

I was frozen, and I didn’t know why…. Was it because I didn’t want to get my hands bloody, or was it because of something else?

“I’m slipping, HELP ME!”

I could only hear my breaths at that point, everything else just drowned out suddenly. My gun was aimed right at him…. And I just had to do one thing, but why can’t I?

“Traitor”

The knife found itself inside Misha’s chest, and her HP bar on our party display drained fast. She was gasping for air as she started coughing up blood, and until there was nothing left in her health bar.

I suddenly dropped my rifle as I noticed what happened, and did she really say that….. I saw the same look on Nathan as I saw on Misha earlier, and the only reason I was spared was because he was shot from elsewhere, knocking him off Misha’s body.

I slowly got back on my feet and walked towards her. I couldn’t hear anything except ringing, and it got clearer the closer I got, she was on the cold hard floor, lifeless and in a pool of her own blood.

.

.

.(Present day, Late evening)

.

.

“I’ve been telling myself this whole time that she died because I was weak…. That I refused to kill someone when it was absolutely necessary. But after all this time I’ve realized that I let her die because I knew if it wasn’t him who put her down…it would’ve been me”

Akio was caught off guard by all this ... .and rightfully so “I wish I’d known sooner.” He replied

“I wish I did too. But I was too late, I was too afraid to confront her…. To tell her what she was doing was wrong. I was a coward, Akio. I was always too scared to stand in someone’s way and tell them that what they were doing was not right. Misha died because of that, and Senpai used me because of that…. I don’t want to be that coward anymore”

A small moment of silence followed as both of us were accepting the truth in our own way

“Can I ask you, Akio? Am I a traitor for what I did?”

He straightened his neck and was looking up at the ceiling “Honestly, I don’t even know if I can answer that for anyone anymore. Because I don’t know…… My hands aren’t exactly clean as well, and I don’t know what I am anymore….. But all I know is that, we had a choice, and we made our decisions…. All we can do now is leave all of it in the past and move on”

“Yeah” Looks like even he has a lot on his mind that he wants to unload ... .Best I can do is return the favor.

“Did you really run into Tadashi?”

“I did, and it went as well as you’d expect…. I tried talking but…..while he was different from what we saw of him on that day. He still wasn’t who we remembered him to be”

Akio sighed “I had a lot of time to think about it as Nishigaki had his way with me….. and part of me thinks that blames me for making him suffer two years of this place all by himself”

“The beta?” I’ve had my suspicions before, but guess he came to the same conclusion

“Yeah…. On our Shizuoka trip, he was considering the invite…. And I said go for it. Maybe what he did was…. Just to get back at me”

“That doesn’t sound to me like the Tadashi we knew, but it is possible. But I still don’t believe it….something about it doesn’t feel right to me…. But best we wait and gather more facts before we jump into conclusions I guess” I expressed my honest opinion to him

“Look, Jun…uhm…. About you asking me to…. well…. lead again. I told you I’d consider it and-”

“You don’t have to worry about it….” I was going to bring that up later but, guess we are cutting to the chase

“What do you mean?”

“All I’ve been doing ever since I saw my good friend taking his life was looking for someone to shadow. Yamori-senpai, Misha, Tadashi…. You. But look where that got us. Back to square one while we are all none the wiser”

I paused for a second to recompose myself “I’m not going to let you go on your own anymore, because I decided that if I don’t want to see my friends and family hurt anymore. I have to be more than a cheap imitation of others…. That’s why I’m going to lead this ragtag group straight into Morpheus. Misha said that I wasn’t able to do it….. This is my chance to prove her wrong”

I got up from the chair and put it back “You said that the Absolute Zero was one of your life’s greatest regrets…. You won’t have to face that anymore”

Akio sneered, and I could sense an air of dumbassery around him

“What?”

“Nothing”

“Spill it”

He chuckled again “ Nah it’s just…. I’ve missed out on a lot since I’ve been away”

And now he made me chuckle “You have no idea…. Now get some rest”

I walked to the door “I don’t want Lawrence-san breathing down my neck more than he already is…. Catch you in the morning, Akio”

“Yeah, later”

I closed the door, putting an end to all we had gone through. And now, it’s nothing but a clean slate for all of us.