Ok. This will be weird but bare w/me. I own nothing but the plot, so you can't sue! " " talking. ' ' thinking. (' ') Flashback talk.
Ayumu stood at the base of the stairs of an abandoned school, tired, scratched, bleeding from more places than he cared to count, having just escaped some wacko's latest plot to kill him, and he looked up at that wacko who was at the top of the stairs. He was tall, had dark brown hair and gray eyes, and dressed in a black suit and dress shoes. He was holding a cloth-covered box.
"Very good, Narumi Otouto." The man said. "Shall we continue the game?" Without waiting for an answer, he removed the cloth. Inside were killer bees. Ayumu's eyes widened. "The Blade Children must be destroyed, along with those who help them. You shouldn't have stuck your nose where it wasn't welcome. The blade children have infiltrated this building, searching for me, to kill me before I kill them. But, I will destroy them, shortly after you meet your demise."
"But why? What's the point of all this?!" Ayumu yelled up at him.
"Simple, I want those cursed children to die knowing that what they put their hopes in, you, was all in vain. You can't save them, you can't save anyone, not even yourself!" He paused to slowly open the lid of the box. "Enough talk, now die!" He jerked the lid open, and the bees swarmed out, heading straight for Ayumu. "Oh, did I mention that some of the previous traps had special chemicals on them to attract the bees?"
Ayumu started running down the hall adjacent to the stairs, the freak's maniacal laughter echoing down the halls. 'He had a backup plan incase I survived his traps. And I can't out run these bees for long.' But he ran anyway, he got pretty far before two bees got him, one in his right arm, the other on his neck. Right as they stung him, he turned down a different hall, and quickly forced the safety door shut on all the other bees. He leaned heavily against the door, and raised a hand in front of his face, it shook so bad it was almost vibrating. His breathing was becoming difficult. 'I can't die yet. That freak said the blade children were in the building, I have to warn them.' He slowly pushed himself up and slowly trudged down the hall.
Rio, Kouske, Ryoko:
"Are you sure this is the right place? It looks completely empty." Kouske asked Rio as he surveyed the broken down building.
"Of course I'm sure!" Rio returned, annoyed at having to be asked. "The tracer I put on Otouto's phone led us here. And the hunter's clue could only lead us here."
"Still doesn't look like this is –ooof" He stopped when Ryoko elbowed him in the gut. He glared at her.
"You're such a dimwit Kouske." She said simply. "Now, come on, let's find out what this hunter wants." She lead the way into the school, the others following close behind. Inside, the lights were off but plenty of light filtered in from the windows.
"So, where do you think he is?" Kouske asked. "No cameras, plenty of places for explosives, and no way to know where the hell he is."
"Simple," Rio stated. "We use the tracer on Otouto and that will lead us to him and the hunter. After all, he does have a knack for attracting trouble."
"I can't believe how casually you can say that." Ryoko stated; she sighed. "Oh, well. I guess it can't be helped. So where is he?"
Rio took out her PDA. "He's on the third floor, moving this way from the west."
"So, not too far. Well, off we go." They headed off up the stairs, ever wary of the fact that there could be booby traps everywhere. The reached the second floor landing, and were about to head up the stairs again when they heard heavy slow footsteps heading down towards them.
"That can't be Narumi Otouto." Kouske whispered. "The steps are far too heavy."
"But the hunter must know we're here, so I doubt that it's him." Rio whispered back.
Before they could decide who was right, a weary brown head stuck out from around the corner of the stairs. Ayumu looked blearily at the trio, and smiled weakly.
"I was hoping it was you guys." He said, slightly hunched over, hand on his chest. He slowly sank to his knees, leaning against the wall. "I have to warn you."
"What the hell happened to you?" Ryoko asked as she took his left arm and examined it. Ayumu now was practically gasping for breath.
"Anaphylactic shock?" Kouske murmured just loud enough to be heard. He saw the red blush caused by the fever and knew why the shorter was out of breath.
Ayumu nodded. "Wacko…set bees loose…they chased me… down the hall… and got me." He could barely breathe and talking was difficult to say the least. He slowly bent forward. Ryoko forced his shoulders back to make it easier for him to breathe while Rio gently lifted his head. As she reached around his neck, she felt the bump that was been the bee sting.
"Wait a sec, even though it's abandoned, there's still medicine in the nurse's office." Ryoko remarked. "I remember reading something about some things being left behind because the new buildings would have everything, so there would be no need to take anything from here. I'll go find some antidote in the infirmary." She got up to leave when a clammy hand grabbed her arm weakly. She looked and saw Ayumu trying to hold her.
"Wait." He said, raspily. "I have to tell you. The hunter knows you're here, he's going to kill you."
Ryoko sat back down, Rio asked, "How does he plan to kill us? Bomb, sniper, what?"
"No bomb…he'll die too…. not sniper…no gun…. poison gas."
"How do you know?" Kouske asked concerned.
"Saw gas mask…close, deadly gas…. will dissipate…but kill first." He was almost at his limit, and it was harder and harder to talk.
"I don't understand though, why kill you?" Ryoko asked.
"Said I should die… for helping you…. and he wanted you to die… believing that… what you put… your hope in… was for nothing. Knowing…that I can't… save you." His eyelids fell; he forced them open. "You have… to get out… or you will die. He…didn't…count on me… finding you. Run…before…he comes." His teeth were chattering and his voice kept dropping. His head now completely rested on Rio's hand. Her hand was almost burning from his fever.
"Otouto, there's something else isn't there. How did he know about your anaphylaxis?" Rio asked quietly.
"He knows… Aniki." His breathing was irregular now. "He knows…all your weaknesses…he will… kill you." ('Narumi Kiyotaka no Otouto, I have been waiting for you.')
'Kiyotaka-sama, why?' As Rio thought this, Ayumu fell completely unconscious in Ryoko and Rio's arms. "Otouto!"
"Kouske, hurry, get to the infirmary and find the antidote, Rio and I will get Narumi Otouto out and meet with you outside. Go!" Kouske, momentarily frozen, snapped to obey his childhood friend.
The girls laid Ayumu flat on his back. Rio softly laid her head against his chest and heard his heart beat, but it was faint and rapid. Ryoko placed her hand above his mouth and nose and felt his shallow breathing. She quickly grasped one of his arms and flung it over her shoulder and stood. "Come on Rio. We've gotta get outta here or we'll die like Otouto said." She led the way as they swiftly and cautiously descended the stairs.
"Ryoko-chan, how long does Otouto have?"
The girl in question didn't answer immediately. "I don't know. We don't know how long it's been since he was stung, and we don't know what strain on his body could have sped up the anaphylactic shock. But he's still alive, and if Kouske can find the antidote, he'll live."
"And if he can't?"
"Then the hunter gets his wish." Ryoko intoned solemnly.
Kouske:
He ran down every hall. Rio had checked the basic blueprint of this place before they'd entered, so he had a pretty good idea of where the nurse's office was. He turned a sharp corner and almost slid into a wall. 'Calm down, it'll do no one any good if I hurt myself because I'm in too much of a frantic hurry. But I can't help but wonder, why am I trying to help Narumi Otouto? Kiyotaka said he was the one to save us but I don't know. And why did he risk his life to warn us of the hunter and what he knew? He could've let us die; after all, we have tried to kill him in the past before. Heck, I even tried to kill him with anaphylactic shock, knew that'd come back to bite me. So why?' Kouske asked this but he already knew the answer. 'Because he's Narumi Kiyotaka's brother. He shares the same compassion for life. If Kiyotaka talked to this hunter, that means that he was once trusted by him and that he later turned hunter. So who is this freak?'
Before he could answer himself, he found the room he was looking for. He got in and smashed the medicine case glass and began diligently searching for the right one. "Damn it, where the hell is it?" He asked himself out loud.
"Looking for this?" A voice spoke behind him.
'Please don't tell me that's who I think it is.' He turned around slowly and saw the hunter, and he was holding a bottle of liquid marked 'Anaphylactic' and Kouske knew that was what he'd been looking for. "Heh, guess I was too obvious." He decided to bluff and be confident, and at the first chance, kill the guy and get the medicine.
"I see Narumi Ayumu found you. You must be trying to save him, like those girls. Too bad, he'll be dead very shortly. The bees that stung him were killer bees. Even without the anaphylactic shock, he'd die anyway. It's hopeless. Narumi is dead, the girls will follow soon after with the help of some associates of mine, and I'm going to kill you right now."
"Poison gas, right? Otouto already told us about all that, and if he guessed it, it's more than likely correct. Sorry to tell you this, but we Blade Children don't die so easily as you might wish." On the last word, he flicked his wrist, bringing out a hidden knife and dashed at the hunter, ready to stab the obstacle in the heart. But he never got that chance.
The hunter switched the medicine to his left hand and slipped out of Kouske's path at the last second. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the hunter chopped down with his right hand and hit the nerve center at the base of Kouske's neck, rendering him unconscious.
Girls & Ayumu:
"He's been gone too long." Rio stated firmly. "Much longer and Otouto won't last. I'm out of ideas as to what could be keeping him. He knows the antidote so why is it taking so long, unless he was found." The last was muttered softly as an after thought.
"Kouske is too smart to be caught by simple hunter, you know that." Ryoko tried to console her.
She had a first-aid kit in her pack and was treating Ayumu's injuries, but without an antidote, there was little more she could do. His breathing was almost down to nothing, his heart rate had spiked, and if his fever got any higher, is brain cells would start burning, lowering his IQ considerably, if he lived, and that would only happen if they could get the antidote. But she couldn't deny that she too was worried about Kouske's lack of appearance.
"I'm going to go look for him." Rio said. "Two people should be able to find the antidote we need." She got three steps before something flew at her. She ducked down just in time, and the thing flew over her head. She looked and saw it was a knife, Kouske's. Her eyes widened when she saw it. "Ryoko-chan, run!" But no one got that chance. About five men showed up in a ring, one was holding a limp Kouske.
"Sorry, Blade Children." The patronizing voice came from a man walking up to the circle. The men parted to let him through. "He was found where is didn't belong, so I thought I'd return him to you." He threw Kouske's body onto the ground in front of Rio, who immediately checked to make sure he was alive. Ryoko stood protectively over Ayumu. "He was looking for this." He held up the antidote. "But it's already too late for Narumi, he will die now, just before you."
He seemed to right. Ayumu was breathing slowly, harshly, and his body was shutting down as time kept passing.
"Why would you kill him?" Ryoko demanded. "He has nothing to do with us!"
"Yes, he does." The hunter smirked sadistically. "Kiyotaka had big plans for him to help you monsters. I will destroy you and crush any hope you have. That includes Kiyotaka's baby brother."
"I think not." The voice came from just outside the circle. It was Eyes.
"Eyes-kun!" Rio exclaimed. "You're here, you came!"
The boy in question pulled out a gun and shot the hunter in the hand that held the antidote, causing the bottle to fling outward. At that moment, Kouske leapt to his feet and caught it. He tossed it to Ryoko and proceeded to pull out hidden knives and attack the lackeys. Rio tossed down a couple of cherry bombs, effectively knocking out more. Ryoko used the syringe in the bottle, got enough of the antidote, and quickly injected it into Ayumu. One of the lackeys, choose at that moment to lunge at her. She spun around and kicked the side of his head, landing him in the dirt.
"Well that was fun." Kouske remarked. Two seconds later, Ryoko punched him in the gut. "What was that for?!"
"You idiot! Do you know how much you worried me? You couldn't just get the medicine could you! No you had to get yourself caught by the maniac who wants us dead, didn't you!"
"Ryoko, calm down, nothing happened, we're all alive, please don't kill me. By the way, where are my glasses?" He started looking around when Eyes handed them to him. "Thanks."
"Eyes-kun." Rio said tentatively. "We need to get Otouto to the hospital. He's badly hurt without the shock."
"Yes, I've already called the ambulance. They should be here soon." He was as impassive as ever.
"I gotta wonder, what was he doing here in the first place?" Kouske wondered aloud as he put his glasses back on the edge of his nose. "The hunters should have nothing to do with him, and yet this one went out of his way to know his weakness and attempt to kill him. And what does he know about Kiyotaka?"
"We will find out when he wakes up, but for now, we must leave, lest we are discovered." The others nodded at Eyes advice. With the ambulance sirens heard, they quickly left.
That's it. More chapters upon desperate requests.