Marked (BokuAka)

69. Shooting

Trigger Warning: There is gun violence in this scene. There will be a summary at the bottom for those who want to skip this chapter.

Akaashi's POV (Day 41):

Nevaeh and her partner stood beside Akaashi, surveying the house. Adachi Yumi sat inside at her kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal whilst scrolling through her phone.

"Akaashi," Nevaeh whispered, though he didn't respond. "It's time. She's about to leave." His hands quaked, and he reached for the knife secured around his waist.

Am I really going to do this? Am I really going to kill her?

"For Bokuto." He whispered, inching forward as Adachi disappeared from view, before reentering with a pair of shoes and a coat. Panic drummed in his stomach, inching up his throat and clouding his head. Knees trembling and aching, Akaashi continued forwards, preparing to commit the most awful sin.

Akane appeared in his mind again, and Akaashi swallowed a shout of fear and anger. What do you want? You aren't real, just a figment of my imagination.

"I want to see you kill her. I want to see the life leave her eyes and watch Nevaeh instruct you to carve the symbol into her chest." They pointed at the still-bloody carving on their chest, and Akaashi shivered.

It was still dark out, the streets empty other than a small cat perched on a fence post. It watched the group of criminals, judging their life decisions, particularly Akaashi perched in a similar position next to the door.

An itchy black cloth covered his mouth, probably to protect his identity in case they were spotted, though the thick and scratchy nature of the fabric made it difficult to breathe.

Nevaeh waved at him. "Just grab her, we'll tie her up and plan this out. Okay?"

Akaashi had already planned out the entire endeavour, from the time to the method of death to the exact spot he'd stab her.

He shivered again, though it had nothing to do with the cold touch of the wind. Stab her.

"I will." He whispered back, and he grabbed her.

She fought back viciously, scraping her long nails across Akaashi's forehead. A tendril of guilt stabbed him, and in the scuffle, he smacked her head against the floor. Though no blood spilled, she was knocked out cold. "We don't have long." He warned as Nevaeh's partner rushed over to help. "People will look for her."

"Exactly. Which is why you are going to get away." Nevaeh's partner said, and Nevaeh snapped her head to look at the other girl.

"What?" She hissed, and Akaashi echoed her.

"Yeah, what?"

She took a deep breath. "I planned it out. Akaashi, you are going to stab me and cut up Nevaeh's cheek. You'll also batter us up a little bit, and we will do the same to you. You will have a few hours to get the police to the headquarters, and arrest everyone. Just ensure Nevaeh and I don't get arrested. My name is Zahra, by the way."

Nevaeh froze, gaze skittering from Zahra to Akaashi, and back again. "Zahra, are you sure?" She shook her head. "Look, I know we don't have any better ideas, but this is dangerous. What if Akaashi-san kills the prisoners before the police get there? If Akaashi gets caught, there won't be a second chance."

"There isn't any other choice," Zahra said, and she turned to Akaashi. "Get over here. I will call for backup five minutes after you escape." She smiled, trying to comfort him. "First, you'll beat us up, and we'll do the same to you, just to ensure you look like we got into a fight. Then cut a slice into Nevaeh's cheek, or maybe arm... Yes, the arm will work better. Make sure to slash it, not stab."

Akaashi shook his head fervently. "I can't."

"Akaashi, you were about to murder someone. You can beat us up a little." Nevaeh grabbed him and put him in a chokehold. "C'mon, try and fight."

He flailed against her grip, before going limp. "Trust me, she wouldn't believe it."

Zahra analyzed him, before yanking a gun out from a hidden holster. "Okay. Plan B."

"Zahra! What the actual fuck?" Nevaeh exhaled sharply, the breath sounding almost amused. "We don't have any guns."

"I do. But our boss doesn't know. We say she—" Zahra pointed her chin at the unconscious woman slumped against the wall. "—had a secret gun that Akaashi found and shot us with. It's perfect!"

"Except..." Akaashi paused. "I don't know how to shoot a gun!"

"Here, I shoot Nevaeh on the cheek, since that's a harder shot, and then you shoot me and run away. Take the gun, so they don't see my fingerprints on it. It'll be loud, so run. Immediately."

Nevaeh pointed at Adachi. "What do we do with her then? I guess we could say that Akaashi knocked her out, and then shot us and ran. Then the jury will also look more favourably on us, since we wouldn't have, y'know, murdered someone."

"Perfect." Zahra held up the gun. "Okay, Akaashi, shoot me immediately after I shoot her, okay? Promise?"

Akaashi paused, contemplating this. "Alright. I promise."

Zahra kept her expression neutral, though her eyes filled with dread. "Don't flinch." And she pulled the trigger. It dug into Nevaeh's cheek, leaving a huge wound.

Nevaeh fell to her knees, hand flinging to her mouth to muffle the scream. "Finish the plan." She gasped, before proceeding to stop the bleeding with her mask. However, before she covered it, Akaashi could see a flash of white. Teeth. Zahra cut through the cheek. Nevaeh's eyes were wide with fear and pain, and she rocked back and forth, biting her tongue hard enough to draw blood, and stop her from crying out.

Zahra handed the gun to Akaashi and smiled at him. "Do it. We will hide the body. Don't worry." He nodded, and pointed the gun at her stomach, before pulling the trigger.

She remained standing, though her face was twisted into one of pure agony. Blood leaked onto her shirt, and she pulled it up to expose a deep circular wound. Hissing and falling forward, she whispered, "Go!" and Akaashi stumbled backwards. Twisting around to run, he bolted away from the miserable scene, looking for the nearest police station. Please. Please be near.

The last thing he heard was Zahra's breathy voice talking to someone on the radio. "He shot us."

Summary: Akaashi's guards (Nevaeh and Zahra) help him escape, though he has to shoot them to make it look believable. He's trying to find a police station to get help.