Lawless was already regretting agreeing to this.
It felt too much like when he'd traveled the world with... him. When he spent so much of his time in concert halls, listening to the beautiful music and watching that angelic figure onstage.
...ah well.
At least this guy was a violinist not a pianist. Made it slightly easier to sit here and make sure the guy Masaaki had described didn't show up.
A clash of metal and footsteps made him turn from the musician.
The audience that wasn't the eves and servamps had leaped to their feet, pink eyes glowing, revealing all sorts of weapons.
Lawless groaned. He muttered, "You gotta be-"
"DAMMIT!!" Masaaki yelled. He looked at the rest of the group to check they were on the same page before he pulled the staff Doubt Doubt had lended him out of his jacket. "THIS WHOLE CONCERT WAS A TRAP!!"
"...what the-"
"STAY THERE AND FOCUS ON DODGING ENGEL-SAN WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS!!" Masaaki yelled.
Engel hesitated, then closed his eyes and continued to play his violin.
Music calmed him.
And in this situation he needed all the calm he could get.
He could hear the fight beginning below the stage. As he heard the shouts and yells of Masaaki and all those other people'd been with him, he tightened his grip on the violin bow, pressing it into the strings harder so that he could hear the faintest squeak in the music.
But he didn't care.
His patience was running by the minute. A crease was growing in his forehead, his eyes screwing shut.
He knew he'd been in this situation before. Onstage trying to play an instrument while screans and sounds of a struggle played below him. Some faint memory that surprise surprise, was giving him a major headache.
"You were too noisy during my performance you damn rat. I'll kill you."
"I was just teaching these rude vampires to be a good audience! What's wrong? Where's your gratitude?"
"Die."
As if that voice had been a command, Engel dropped his violin.
"Fuck..." he muttered, stumbling backwards. "Fuck- fucking hell... I'm performing I can't- not now-"
YOUR AUDIENCE IS MADE OF DEMONS YOU DAMN IDIOT!!
A voice rang sharp and loud through Engel's head.
The voice that appeared every single time he approached a piano.
The voice that sometimes came with his worst headaches.
"Shut. Up," Engel snarled. "Not now..."
I WON'T SHUT UP- HYDE'S HERE!! CAN'T YOU SEE THE SHIT RAT- CAN'T YOU RECOGNIZE HIM?! GO TO HIM!!
"I can't-"
"ENGEL-SAN LOOK OUT!!"
GO TO HIM NOW- BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE DAMMIT!!
"I said not now!! I'm performing you damn asshole I can't-"
"What's wrong... Todoroki?"
"FUCK OFF!!"
Engel threw the first thing he picked up at the man who was now floating inches above the stage.
...shit.
That'd been his violin.
He wasn't sure if it was fortunate or unfortunate that the man caught it and placed it on the ground. He reprimanded, "Tsk tsk... a musician should treat his instrument with more respect ya know... you were way most respectful when you played the piano Todoroki-"
"I've never played the piano AND STOP CALLING ME TODOROKI!!"
Engel flung himself at the man. He could fight and the man was unarmed too. This... wasn't just recklessness talking the anger this man provoked...
...right?
"ENGEL-SAN DON'T-"
"HEY EVERYONE! STOP THEM FROM INTERRUPTING ME! I WANNA HAVE A 1 TO 1 WITH AN ANGEL!"
After several moves even the stubborn Engel had to admit... this'd been a really shit idea.
Even though Engel was fast this guy was very Not Human, dodging with perfect ease and sometimes moving too fast for Engel to see. And the stupid fucking headache really wasn't helping him concentrate.
"Nice skills! YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE FIGHTING TODOROKI?"
ENOUGH TO PURIFY YOU DEMON!
Engel fell to his knees at the voice in his head. His vision glitched with pain and he gripped his hair so tightly a slight movement would've ripped it from his head.
YOU'RE NOT SERI- STOP FIGHTING ME! YOU KNOW WHO I AM-
"LET ME THROUGH DAMN YOU!!" Engel yelled in unison with the voice.
"Oh?" the man questioned smiling easily at the down musician. "Did that bother you... Todoroki?"
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
"Just call me Prototype... Angel-chan!"
"DON'T YOU DARE USE THE SHIT RAT'S NICKNANE!!"
"Hahaha... careful Todoroki!" the man warned, dodging the musician. "You wouldn't wanna alarm your servamp- HE'S A TOUCH PREOCCUPIED!!"
The musician looked at the audience area to find a blond guy with black tips and glasses. He was holding a yellow and black rapier, blocking an enemy and kicking them in the gut.
...wait.
Engel didn't know what a servamp was.
Who the hell was "the shit rat"? Who was he looking at? Why did this guy keep calling him Todoroki-
"NOT A GOOD IDEA TO TAKE YOUR EYES OFF ME EVE OF GREED!!"
Engel jolted as he felt a hand grabbed his hair and lifted him into the air. He gasped for breath as he was forced to stare into the amused pink eyes.
Put me down or I'll purify you.
Shut up! Engel retorted to the voice in his head. Shut up- if it wasn't for you giving me a fucking headache I'd deal with this guy in 5 minutes!!
IF YOU STOPPED FIGHTING ME WE WOULDN'T BE HERE!
Engel's hand was lifted- but not by Prototype. Instead it moved without his command, trembling as it tried to trace something on Prototype's arm.
"Tsk tsk," Prototype murmured. He held Engel away from him in the air and raised his voice laughing, "LOOK AT THIS! THE ONCE-COCKY AND POWERFUL EVE OF GREED- SO WEAK WITHOUT HIS PRECIOUS SERVAMP!"
I'll purify you-
"HEY!! IF THAT'S WHY YOU'RE DOING THIS YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG IDEA DUMBASS! HE'S NOT MY EVE!"
Prototype only laughed and threw Engel to the side.
Engel was expecting to feel the hard unforgiving floor, but instead he felt someone catch him. He opened his eyes to see the blond guy his head had autonatically turned to before.
...huh?
Why did this guy feel...
Familiar?
Lawless meanwhile had no idea what'd possessed him in that moment. He barely knew this guy- he'd seen him once passed out on the ground as Masaaki and Kuro formed their contract. He only knew the guy as Masaaki's friend and famous violinist and had never talked to him.
Then...
Why had his heart jumped to his throat when he'd seen the fragile figure thrown across the room?
"Lawless!!"
Lawless shook his head.
"How's Trimme doing?!"
"Goddammit- we need to get him outta here!" Lawless snapped. "He's not an eve or vampire he'll die!!"
The musician's vision was going blurry- well. That wasn't true. Everything but the blond boy holding him was going blurry. He could barely hear what the guy was saying but... something about seeing him so frantic about his wellbeing... it made the musician smile tiredly, a name coming to mind.
"...hey... Hyde..."
Something under the greed servamp's shirt glowed yellow. A brightly glowing chain appeared, starting yellow from the back of the servamp's neck but slowly turning to white as it connected to Engel's left ankle.
The greed servamp's eyes widened, a gasp escaping him. For the first time... in 66 long years...
He recognized "Hyde" again.
His breath shaking he turned to the violinist in his arms. It seemed like the musician's head was no longer hurting because he looked alert and confused... just like when...
"The contract is complete!"
"A... vampire?"
"Let's get along~ Licht-tan~!"
"What the-"
"Li- Licht-tan?!"
"What the fuck are you on about?!" Engel snapped. "Why are you holding me- OI!! ARE YOU LISTENING?!"
Hyde had pulled Engel into a hug, nuzzling the nook of the musician's neck. Even though Engel couldn't see it a wide grin broke across Hyde's face as he exclaimed, "I knew you'd come back Angel-chan- I waited for you!!"
Angel-chan...
"How mean of you to make me wait 66 years for your return~"
There were scenes playing in Engel's head... memories of someone... all the while his headache was coming back stronger than earlier...
"You sure kept me waiting my angel~!"
"I was gone for 3 hours you idiot shit rat I had an interview!"
"You could've took me with you!"
"We couldn't bring animals so DIE!!"
"Heh~! You're so mean to the ultinately cute Lawless-chan~!"
"Stop-"
"But that's okay Angel-chan- I'm a patient guy!"
"Hey~ Angel-chan I'm bored how much longer are you gonna- ACK!!"
"SHUT UP AND DIE!"
"Let go-"
"I'm not mad- I'd wait for you however long it took~!"
"My head hurts... it... hurt..."
"I've been hurt... this badly... do you really think... I'm gonna-"
"YOU'LL MAKE IT- YOU ALWAYS DO!!"
"Hyde... don't be sad... you stupid rat... I'm an angel... I'm just... going home..."
"NO NO NO- LICHT-TAN!!"
"Promise not to... waste away again... remember... wish for it..."
"I'M WISHING FOR YOU TO NOT DIE RIGHT NOW!! ANGEL-CHAN!!"
Engel gritted his teeth as the nickname echoed in his pounding head. Angel-chan... Angel-chan...
"I know I know- I really am a hopeless romantic! But you like that don't you~ my dear Angel-chan-"
"STOP CALLING ME ANGEL-CHAN MY FUCKING HEAD HURTS!!"
"Ah hahaha! I'm sorry Licht-tan-"
"THAT'S NOT ANY BETTER! I- YOU- LET ME GO RIGHT NOW!!"
"Oh Licht-"
"YOU HEARD HIM LET HIM GO!!"
"DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF ME REUNITING WITH MY ANGEL!"
Hyde resummoned his rapier blocked Masaaki's arm and lunged for him.
"What are you doing?!"
"Oi Lawless-!!"
Kuro hadn't needed to reprimand his brother and start forward- Masaaki had blocked Hyde's rapier by summoning something... something long... black with light blue dots... with a curved... hooked end...
A spear.
His spear.
Dammit...
No...
No not this...
Kuro's breathing was becoming difficult. He wanted to move but couldn't- he wanted to stop thinking of it, he wanted it to stop, he wanted everything to just stop-
~○●○~
The spear clattered to the ground as it resumed its old shape.
Not that Kuro was paying attention to that. He was kicking himself for not dodging faster, for letting the man use Mahiru's concern for him against the eve, for allowing this enemy to use his own eve's lead against him by binding him to the wall making him completely useless in the fight...
For forcing Mahiru to fight on his own.
"Mahiru...!!"
Kuro half fell next to his eve lying on the ground with among countless other cuts and bruises a huge slash that went through his body. He carefully turned Mahiru so he was facing up again. The eve was bleeding rapidly... more so than Kuro had ever seen... his face pale his breath shallow-
"Hey... Kuro..."
Mahiru was smiling at Kuro- why the fuck was he smiling?! Didn't he realize he was gonna die if they didn't get him medical help right now?! He had to be in so much pain with those wounds-
"Tell... Uncle Toru... Sakuya... all the others... tell everyone... I'm sorry..."
"Mahiru you can tell them yourself!! You're not going anywhere you damn pain...!! Just... hold on-"
"Kuro..." Mahiru gasped. He grabbed Kuro's hand- it was cold, it was so cold... Kuro almost flinched at the deathly touch. The eve's other hand was wrapped around his stomach as if trying to hold his injuries together... push through long enough to give Kuro these final words... "Remember... find happiness... without me... okay...?"
"LIKE HELL!!" Kuro retorted, tightening his hold on Mahiru's hand. Don't say that like you're gonna die...!!
"I... I'm sorry..." Mahiru mumbled. He chuckled, forcing a smile and words through painful coughs and gasps. "For... give... me..."
"MAHIRU!!"
"Please... be... happy..."
"IF YOU WANT ME TO BE HAPPY THEN STAY WITH ME!"
Before Kuro was even done talking, Mahiru's honey brown eyes fluttered shut, and the hand that'd been clenching Kuro's went limp.
"...Mahiru...?"
Mahiru didn't move. Not even the gentle rise and fall of his chest... that indicated breathing...
"No..." Kuro whispered.
Tears fell from his eyes and onto Mahiru's chin and neck. He held his eve tightly, muttering without realizing what he was saying, "No no no no... Mahiru... Mahiru... no... there's gotta be a way to fix this Mahiru please... you can't just leave me please Mahiru- you said you'd always be with me you're my partner please... Mahiru..."
Mahiru...
Mahiru...
Mahiru...!