Property of the Mafia

[43] Lost Self

"Grab his ankles!"

"Hey, I'm in charge here!"

I cringed reflexively as the man lurched forward and full-on body slammed the ground. A sickening crunch sounded as the enemy's face smashed against the rocks beneath him in a horrific face-plant.

Silvio and Leon exchanged devious smirks of satisfaction as they immobilized another intruder in the passageway. We were wedged between a narrow crack in in the wall so low down that we were eye-level with the intruders' feet. Silvio had proudly boasted about his "100% accurate memory" and had proceeded to lead us throughout the caverns via bizarre man-made tunnels he claimed to have made (using Rosette's strength) to make their hide-and-seek games more entertaining. This specific passageway was so narrow that the three of us were pressed up against one another, shoulder-by shoulder. Since it was designed by children, it was about as broad as a crawl space with a height of barely a metre.

"How many has that been?" I asked with concern in a low whisper. "If we take too many of them out in one spot they're going to start tracing it back to us."

"Hmph. Don't worry, I've got a handle on this." Silvio emphasized, fiddling with his necklace again out of habit. Leon scowled for a moment before facing me.

"What's wrong, love? You look like you want to say something. Anything up?" Leon asked gently, placing his hand on the arch of my back. It was surprising he could be so sharp in reading my emotions despite the darkness around us.

"Do you think it was a good idea to leave behind all the wine? We could've brought one bottle with us so the kids have one less worry on the surface... You know, financial concerns." I asked, flinching for a moment as Silvio knocked down another passing intruder.

"Definitely. If we do end up having a scrimmage amongst ourselves, the last thing we want is to have to use the wine as leverage. As soon as they get their hands on that, we're pretty much finished--that's been their goal all along, after all. We've got to make the priority stopping that."

Silvio coughed loudly, startling the two of us.

"Silvio? Are you alright? Did you choke on something?" I asked anxiously. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the debris scattered across the floor had been kicked into the crawlspace.

"N-No, I'm fine." He retorted stubbornly. "Anyways, we should change spots now. It's been about an hour. Rosette and Aunt Iris should have reached Rei by now. They should be flooding these lowers tunnels soon. Unless you plan on becoming barbecued, you better follow me."

"Flooding?" I repeated. That was news to me. "When did you guys plan this?"

"What, we've got plans to stop the bad guys... we knew it would happen sooner or later. After the tunnels have been flooded, they'll be electrocuted by the current we've set up." Silvio's expression darkened. "We're giving up our home, everything, for this. We can't let them get away so easily."

He did not have the expression of a child. I knew he didn't speak like a child, but that expression... 

Leon suddenly placed his hand atop Silvio's head lightly before rubbing it like an older brother would to a younger one. He persisted for a good thirty seconds as Silvio protested and tried to swat off the former's hand, flailing about.

"Kid. Don't grow up so soon. Enjoy your childhood while you still can." Leon spoke tenderly. Silvio stopped hitting him, his mouth slightly open with surprise. He hesitated for a moment before he turned his head away sharply, flustered.

"I d-don't need you to tell me." Silvio stuttered. "Let's get out of here." He added, quickly backing out of the crawlspace on all fours. I felt my heart twinge slightly with pain. For someone so young to not know affection... I could only contemplate on how spoiled and naive I had been until I had met Leon.