Wheeee another chappie :p thanks to those who replied HAHA here's the single chappie then aha about 8.5k or so(?) it might be short for some of u out there but well I've never put so much in one before so I don't know if its gonna turn out good or bad or just plain weird so please bear with me *laugh cry emoji* xD Didn't have time to reread it cuz of national exams coming up so... Sorry in advance if there's any grammatical errors or stuff ehe
"Monsters don't sleep under your bed, they scream inside your head,"- unknown
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Things were not looking good.
'Calm down, Kidou. Think. Think like you always do,' Kidou told himself as a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his cheek. Endou was on the ground, gripping his leg in pure agony. Fubuki wasn't any better, the pool of blood below him was growing larger by the minute. He had to take action. Endou was out of the question. With such an injured leg, it was going to be extremely hard for him to continue attacking.
Kidou rushed over to Endou's side first. Carefully but hastily, he dragged Endou out of the dorms. Gardass was howling and wiping furiously at his eyes. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that he was also keeping a grip on his own broken joint.
He then rushed to Fubuki's side.
"Fubuki... Can you stand...?" Kidou asked as he watch the other try to support himself with the help of the wall.
"Get me a piece of cloth," Fubuki snarled with gritted teeth, anger seething through his teeth as his eyes locked onto Gardass, bloodlust strong enough to kill.
"But-"
"Just do it!"
Kidou looked around and saw the curtains. Gardass seemed to be slowly regaining his sight. He had to hurry. Tearing the piece of cloth which held the curtains in place, he delivered it to Fubuki who immediately snatched it, held the front of his shirt with his mouth and began tying it tight around his body in attempt to slow the blood flow. Kidou could see through Fubuki's gritted teeth that having something pressing onto an open wound is not a pleasant feeling.
"This should do for now," Fubuki said with a shaky breath once he was done and pushed away from the wall, facing the monstrous beast which had already started crouched towards them. No doubt that despite having a broken limb and large size, the werewolf was yet still fully capable of pouncing and seizing them between his claws.
Kidou raised his gun while Fubuki raised his own weapon. Giving each other a glance-- a strange sense of trust coursing through them--as they nodded.
3..
Gardass snarled as saliva dripped from the side of his mouth.
2...
Gardass flexed his hind limbs, gathering up the energy.
1...
They both dodged to the side as Gardass pounced. Not giving them a break, Gardass quickly turned around and began chasing whichever one his body reacted to. Although his eyesight had been impaired, he still had the keen sense of smell of a werewolf.
Kidou cursed as he noticed the werewolf hot on his trails. Glancing around the room, he jumped onto one of the beds and took advantage of its elasticity to dodge the bulldozing bunch of meat-- werewolf. He was lucky that he had managed to jump high enough as inertia played it's magic into getting Gardass to slam himself into the wall.
Gardass was stunned for a few moments as he shook his head, trying to shake off his daze. That's when he felt the coat of fur in his back being ripped open by a burning blade. Ice boy had took a strike, sending his back bleeding. Just as he turned to return the blow, he was met with once again with a sudden burst of excruciating pain as he felt a bullet lodge itself into his beefy shoulder, shredding through muscle and flesh. He howled and swipped backwards, successfully sending Kidou crashing into the wall, crumpling to the ground.
Groaning, Kidou froze as he felt a gust of wind by his neck. The genius opened his eyes to be met with the wet snout of the werewolf pack leader sniffing him, as if to confirm the position of the jugular vein of his prey for a one-time kill. Just as Gardass unhindged his jaws in an attempt to attack, he was once again pulled back by a pair of milky white arms.
Gardass clawed at the arms chocking at him, painting them a grosteque red. Kidou watched frozen as he could hardly process what was going on. He was almost dead, just like that. He was-
"KIDOU! DO IT!"
All of a sudden, Kidou became very aware of the weight of the silver gun in his hands. Expression darkening, his brough the gun up at arm's length, the barrel touching the furry chest of the monstrous beast before him. This was going to be the first life he ever took.
What if he regrets this? What is he realises the true extent of taking the life of another?
Gardass howled, sending chills down his spine as he released the hammer of the gun. There was no time. Deep inside, some part of him told him that he will never ever forget this for the rest of his life. That it shall forever haunt his consciousness. But...
He had to do it
There was no other choice
Squeezing his eyes shut, he pulled the trigger.
____________________________________________________________________
Someoka barely had any time to react as he felt Gardenia's teeth rip into his forearm mercilessly. He shrieked.
The pain. The pressure of her fangs puncturing into his skin tormented him to no end. He tried tugging his arm away but ended up only tearing more of his own flesh. The bitch wasn't going to let go.
Just then, Someoka remembered how someone had once told him a wise quote which he--at the time was immature and rebellious-- had brushed it off as "life-lessons-which-people-expect-you-to-care-about-101". He never thought that it would be helpful him at this critical point
The more you struggle, the more problems you get into. Sometimes, it's that's what they want give it back to them, but tenfold.
If the bitch is so desperate to have my arm, I'll give it to her!
Someoka then gathered up his resolve and let out a battle cry as he thrusted his hand into Gardenia's throat, reaching into it as deep as he could. He could feel Gardenia chocking as her grip on his arm loosened just a tad bit. Although his arm felt as if it was on fire, he continued his efforts and finally was rewarded with a reflex action from Gardenia who snapped her jaws open, coughing and jerking as she steadied herself once more. Someoka took the chance to quickly gain some distance between them.
"You... Bastard...!" Gardenia gasped, her eyes glaring daggers at the pink head.
Someoka returned it back with just as much venom. "Said the one who almost bit my arm off,"
Gardenia spat to the side as she wiped her furry nose- or would snout be a better word?
"Wait till I tear you to pieces!"
Gardenia lunged forward at Someoka who immediately spun to the left. Eyes darting wildly for any thing that could be used as a weapon in midtwirl, his gaze landed upon a hammer. Taking note of the blood that was upon it, he rather not know what it was doing in the middle of a torture basement as he quickly picked it up. Sure enough, Gardenia lunged forward him once more.
He needed timing. The hammer was small and no doubt would only be able to deal damage to the werewolf if it was a head-on collision. Literally.
His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he watched Gardenia come closer and closer, the glint in her eyes with the ferocity of a true wolf.
Wait for it.
Her claws were outstretched as they aimed for his neck. Oh, just imagining the sweet juicy juices that would just squirt out of his neck sent chills down her spine. The though of being able to savoury every single drop slowly was enough to make her salivate.
Blood rushed in Someoka's ears as he bent his knees in preparation.
Almost there.
It was clear at this point that Gardenia knew that he was coming at her with a hammer. But the thing was so small, it would hardly do any damage to 200 pounds of werewolf meat... Right?
Luckily, Someoka's determination and fiery will didn't allow him to fall for Gardenia's overconfidence.
And.....
NOW!
Someoka swung with all his might. Gardenia immediately ducked downwards in which Someoka had already saw through the moment her gaze went downwards. Changing the course of his hammer, he landed thr literal head-on collision, sending Gardenia crashing unceremoniously to the cold, hard floor beneath. Taking advantage of her stunned moment, he leaped onto her back and brought the hammer down again and again and again and again...
Juices squirted as the floor was painted a dark crimson. Someoka stopped when he felt Gardenia go limp under him. He panted, stopping for a few moments. Realisation began to dawn upon him that he had killed yet another living organism.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
Suddenly, he was flipped over and pinned onto the ground, the snarling werewolf upon him, blood and saliva mixed together as it dripped onto his face. Shit, he had let his guard down and boy, was Gardenia pissed at him for bashing at her head.
Someoka was no match for Gardenia's werewolf physique making all the struggling but a waste of energy. Flinching away as the werewolf sniffed him, he silently cursed himself for not having turned her brain into mush when he had the chance.
This is it. He was gonna die. He felt Gardenia's huffs of hot breath against his neck as the werewolf came up close, fangs gleaming in the dim lighting of the basement, blood pouring down the wound on her head and the putrid stench of her breath which reeked of whatever leftover food she had for lunch. Someoka looked straight ahead at the werewolf without a single strand of fear in his steely cold eyes. After all, if he was gonna die, he was gonna die in dignity.
Just as Someoka was prepared to submit to his fate, a gunshot resounded and Gardenia's eyeballs rolled to the back of her head. She came crashing down onto him, almost crushing him under her weight. Someoka was stunned. For a moment, he failed to register what had happened.
"Well, good thing we made it in time, Huh?"
Someoka glanced over to see Fubuki, Endou and Kidou at the door. Kidou held a silver gun in one hand while his other supports Endou, whose feet was contorted in a awkward position, face scrunched up in a look of agony. Fubuki was clutching his chest tightly where blotched of blood seeped through what looked like a hastily tied-on piece of cloth but showed no emotion on his face.
A grin broke out on Someoka's face as he rolled Gardenia's dead body over, freeing himself from the weight. He saw how the bullet had pierce through her heart from the back.
"Thanks, Kidou. You saved me there," Someoka stated, earning a nod from the genius.
For a moment, everyone just stood in silence. They then entered. Fubuki examined the scene for a split second before his expression darkened. Following his line of gaze, Kidou saw Gouenji on ground on his knees before a silent Kogure who laid there in a pool of blood. Gouenji's back was to them so they couldn't really see what was going on. Meanwhile, Tsunami was still upon the wretched chair, slightly hyperventilating at the series of events that just came down. Being at the sidelines, he saw it all. How Someoka had tried to crack Gardenia's head, how Gouenji had mutilated Samson and rendered him beyond recognisable and Kogure... Gosh, Kogure...
He didn't even know anymore. He didn't know. He didn't want to know...
How did this happen to them?!
How did they get caught up in this kind of riptide in the first place?!
How?!
Black spots danced in Tsunami's vision as he continue to shrudder in his spot, his restraints the only thing keeping him from falling to the ground with all his violent movements.
"Tsu... Mi...!" he faintly heard his name being called out and someone limping towards him before everyhting went black.
Cap.. tain..
______________________________________________________________________________
Hiroto walked through the hallways without a worried expression. He knew there was something up. There was no doubt that something was going on that Fubuki and the others involved didn't tell the others about.
Whatever the case, it felt urgent.
He couldn't just hardly focus on the match after seeing Gardass' reaction...
.
.
Let alone see him disappear from his seat moments later.
Hiroto had an internal battle from then on as to whether he was to follow. Clearly, they had reasons for not informing the team about this, right? What if his presence would only mess up their plan? What if he gets in the way of some secret mission?
Hiroto decided to give it a while. If the others do not return by an hour, he would go for a hunt. And apparently as it turns out, he did have to get off his seat.
Keeping in mind that he could be killed at any given second, he kept his guard up. It was as if he was the main protagonist in a horror movie, waiting for someone to just pop up screaming bloody murder. It felt even more so when he said to stumbled upon an open door...
He hesitated, contemplating whether it was worth the risk. There were blood tracks which lead from inside to the outside, suggesting that whatever that was there is already out. Dragged even.
Sucking in a breath, he peered inside to find it dark. He could make out a faint outline of a lump on the ground. Fumbling for the nearest switch, he choked as the lights switched on, the scent of blood thick in the air.
Gardass. There was Gardass. On the ground slumped against a wall. Eyes opened but dead. There was no longer the predatory glint that once had raged with fury. No sadness, no nothing.
What the heck happened here...?!
Before he could make out what was happening, a flash came from behind him, followed by a curse. Hiroto whipped around immediately in alarm.
No, not again. He wasn't going to let this go again. Dashing after whatever it was, he ran as if his life depended on it. He could make out a short, figure... Almost the size of a toddler running with a huge camera strung around his neck. Hiroto quickened his pace. He managed to cut the distance between them thanks to his consistent training as a footballer. These distances were hardly any problem for the meteor striker.
Reaching out a hand as he ran, Hiroto reached as far as he could. Almost.. Almost... And there!
Hiroto managed grab hold of whatever thing that was running from him by the shirt collar but despite it being small, it sure as heck was heavy. The thing turned around and shot out a thorny arm. Hiroto's eyes widened as he nearly lost an eye from the sudden attack. (A/N: well.... Eye see.. That's what happened)
Taking that moment, Hiroto grabbed onto the less thorny part of the bark O4 arm and threw him to the wall with all his might. The thing shuddered as it shook his head after the collision. It was a troll....
Whipping out the Swissblade he kept with him ever since the Games started, he took the chance to pin the troll to the wall by stabbing it's shirt into the wall, the edge of the Swiss blade already touching it's neck, drawing some blood. Hiroto had to admit that he had allowed some of his bloodlust to seep out as he spoke.
"Well, if it doesn't happen to be the one who posted those fake articles about us killing the werewolf tribe,"
The smile on Hiroto's face was wide and angelic, but the tone he carried was the opposite, each syllable drenched in malovelence. The troll beneath him trembled.
"I-I was just d-doing my job...!"
The blade began putting some pressure onto the troll's neck, immediately shutting it up. Hiroto picked up the camera and pressed a button. Sure enough, a photo of him standing inside the werewolf dorm gaping at Gardass' corpse--or should he say, carcass-- could be seen. Swiftly deleting it from the camera's memory he turned back to the trembling troll.
"..Right..." Hiroto's wide smile matched the Cheshire cat as he tilted his head to the side innocently. "And framing us of doing something that we didn't do and trying to get us on the werewolves' side if your job because ...?"
The troll tensed, the question left hanging.
"I see. It's sad that we're going to do it this way," Hiroto looked to the side as an apologetic smile crept onto his face. Another blade was flicked open in a second and stabbed into the thigh of the unsuspecting troll which squealed like cattle being slaughtered. And in Hiroto's eyes, maybe it was just that. When met without answer once again, Hiroto twisted the blade and pulled it out before going for another spot, earning yet another bloodcurdling howl.
"Still no answer? Well, that's a shame,"
Hiroto continued on. Just before the blade stuck itself into the troll's right eyes, it finally gave in.
"Alright, alright! I-I was u-under the orders of t-the Dark Game c-commitee!" the troll exclaimes as the blade hovered just above his right eye. "So please... Just.. S-stop...!"
"My friends may be in grave danger because of what you did. How are you going to repent if something bad happened to them, hmm?" Hiroto kept his voice sweet as he asked with equal venom.
The troll was almost weeping.
"I-I'll- I'll recreate- r-rectify it! I'll make a-another article claiming- claiming THAT THE H-HUMAN REPRESENTATIVES A-ARE INNOCENT! " the troll screamed. "So please... P-Please just... stop!"
Hiroto let out an internal sigh. Thank goodness it started talking because he didn't know how long more he could keep up the act. Every single blade he struck down was like a stab into his own consciousness at the sickness of what he was doing. It screamed at his very being to stop as the troll cried out in pain. It was not in his nature to hurt another living soul.
Pulling the blade away, he gripped the troll by his neck to prevent him from fleeing.
"You do know what's going to happen if I don't see that news tomorrow, right?"
Hiroto tightened his grip just o proved his point. The troll nodded vigorously in fear, eyes wide in trepidation.
"Good. Now off you go," Hiroto finally let him go, but not without first smashing the camera onto the ground, shattering the glass. He gave it a hard kick to the wall just in case. "Just remember that if you lose your word, it'll be more than just me and Ice Boy coming after you."
The troll paled further, if that was even possible before scrambling down the hallways.
Once it was gone, all Hiroto's strength was sapped out of him as he slumped against the wall, staring at his own bloody hands as a thought entered his mind.
He just did a bloody interrogation.
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8.46p.m.
Kazemaru sat on the bed of their dorm. All of the battles have just finished. As everyone began to retreat from the arena to get back to their own business, the human representatives have taken note of how their leader and some of their friends had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Dinner was silent as everyone continued to wreck their heads over where the others could be. At this moment, he along with Toramaru had taken the initiative to call everyone back to the dorms. Analysing their situation along with their tensions with the werewolf tribe due to the fake news, it would be rather dangerous to move around solo. Some of them might get killed.
"Kazemaru, where do you think the others have gone?" Midorikawa voiced out. The dorm was as silent as a pindrop. The atmosphere was thick with worry. It baffled them that they didn't realise how quite a few of them had just disappeared from their sights. How engrossed they were in the match and extent where they didn't even realise what was going on around them.
Kazemaru was silent as he looked down. Toramaru, who was beside him looked equally worried, brows knitted together.
"I don't know. But we must have fait-"
Knock knock
Evehrone tensed. No one moved a muscle.
Knock knock knock
The rappings had a slight feeling of agitation to the rhythm. Yet no one opened the door yet.
THUMP
Kazemaru snapped out of this daze and rushed over, the younger tiger striker following suit, not wanting whoever that was on the other side to tear the door down. It was rather obvious that kicking served as the final warning. Everyone else got ready with their weapons once again behind the door.
Once Kazemaru opened the door, he was met with a piercing gaze of icy grey.
"Move,"
Almost instantly, everyone scrambled away to make way for their leader. It was obvious that he was not in a good mood. But more so, his tone carried one of slight urgency, like one paramedics would use when they needed to get a firm point across in dire situation. Sure enough, when they got a better look at him supporting Tsunami's limp body as well as and his own battered and bloodied appearance, they understood why he used that tone.
After Fubuki came Kidou supporting Endou whose feet was yet in an awkward angle. Both of them looked weary to the point of exhaustion, the dark circles evident beneath their eyes: one from a battle and another from agonising pain. They looked like they've been through a hellhole, sweat matting their hair as their expressions were sullen. Endou limped, face scrunching up in excruciating whenever he placed some weight upon his contorted ankle.
Someoka came in, cradling his arms tight in his chest. He was in no condition to support not carry anyone and thus walked on his own. Luckily, he had not sustained much injuries to the lower half of his body. He had a look of pure rage and fury as he glared at the groundas if it had done something to provoke his bad side. His clothing was torn in some places but overall he was fine, minus for his arm which probably might have a shattered ulna or a fracture or two here and there.
Last came Gouenji who held another limp figure in his arms, eyes hidden beneath his bangs in a deathly silence. Out of the three pairs, Gouenji's seemed to have the darkest aura. It was intimidating, but one could feel the tinge of sadness the carried along with each step. He did not waver nor stumble as he entered. Gasps were heard as the others saw how mangled Kogure's body was. Their stomachs flipped over when they caught sight of the strings that were attached to the back of his fingers. His half-closed eyelids seemed to speak of terrible pain and agony as if the absence of nails and toenails were not a strong enough proof of the horrors he had gone through. His wrist seemed like it was ready to just pop of, dangling at the edge of the plane joints.
Toramaru closed the door once they entered. Fubuki and Gouenji laid the two down I'm the middle of the empty space I'm the middle fo the dorms.
"Kimiro, go get the supplies. I've checked beforehand, same as usual," Fubuki stated with authority in his voice before turning to the girls. "Haruna, Aki, you guys have some experience in first aid, right? If not, Sayuka will show you all how,"
Everyone got to work, doing what they were told. The rest just stared as they took in the extent of all their injuries.
"I'm not sure if this is the right time but.. What happened...?" Toramaru questioned in a meek voice. Even Teres and the other Internationals were silent at this point.
"We suspected that something was wrong when Tsunami and Kogure had gone missing all of a sudden..." Kidou spoke up. "Not wanting to cause a panic, Fubuki and I decided to investigate things ourselves. Endou and the others noticed us leaving and decided to come along..."
"But what happened next? How did- how did this happen all of a sudden?!" Teres exclaimed in disbelief as his eyes never left Kogure's mangled form.
"Well, we entered the werewolves dorm where we found a code left for us by the werewolves themselves. It was trap and we were forced to confront with Gardass. Knowing the code to where Kogure and Tsunami were, we split into two. Endou, Fubuki and I against Gardass while Someoka and Gouenji went after Tsunami and Kogure," Kidou explained.
The sound of having confronted Gardass' sent the chills down the others' spine.
"It was a trap. He knew we'd gone there. But the upside of it was that the code was apparently a positive one. Probably cuz they think we'd never make it out alive." Fubuki continued, still looking pissed as ever.
Kidou sighed as he continued the next. "Long story short, Gardass was killed and we head over to basement and... It was a slaughterhouse..."
The sentence hung there. The temperature in the room seemed to have taken a dip.
"M-Masaka (D-Don't tell me)..." Aki covered her mouth in horror as tears began to well up in her eyes. Everyone looked at the duo on the ground.
"Tsunami should be alright... As for Kogure..."
Pin drop silence. For everyone knew what that meant. Kogure was no more. The little prankster who played the role of a jester, the one who always was giggled and laughter after his pranks have succeeded. The defender who helped defended the goal with his famous Senpuujin.
Sobs could be heard as condolences were exchanged. Gouenji remained crouched before the pale body of what remained of the bluenette.
"It's all my fault,"
It was whispered in such a small voice, yet the it was enough to quiet everyone down once again.
"G-Gouenji-kun, we know you're sad but... " Haruna tried comforting but was met with a pair of shimmering onyx eyes.
"I was the one who did it! The werewolf had leaped and the only thing I had was a syringe! The werewolf had used Kogure to shield himself the last minute and whatever that was supposed to be injected into the werewolf was injected into Kogure instead!" Gouenji exclaimed, his voice slightly shaky at his point.
"I was the one killed him!"
No one spoke a word. Never had they ever once saw Gouenji--of all people--lose his cool. Never had they ever witness the flame striker sounding so broken, voice laced with regret.
"Gouenji,"
Everyone turned to the owner of the voice, Endou.
"I understand that you must feel terrible about what had happened and judging by the looks of it, it's natural that your first instinct is to blame yourself," Endou took a step forward, shrugging away Kidou's support as slowly yet pain-stakingly limped towards the blonde.
"But, it was no way in your intention to ever hurt Kogure! You did what you did because you wanted to defend yourself. It isn't your fault that it just so happened to grab Kogure. Sure, we are all in grief from Kogure's passing, but do you think it would make Kogure feel happy that you're blaming yourself for something that had happened in midst of a battle? I don't think Kogure is that type of person, and I don't think you are the type to deliberately harm another too. We do not have control over fate and what's going to happen in the next minute. That's also why we must cherish every bit of time we have left. So for Kogure's sake and as well as your own sake, please, don't blame yourself for what happened to Kogure,"
As Endou talked, he had closed the distance between himself and Gouenji and had put a hand on Gouenji's shoulder, giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze. Endou's speech broke something inside of Gouenji as a stream of tears cascaded freely down his left cheek. It was as if a heavy load had been lifted from him as he stared at his captain in awe and silence. Despite being worn down by his physical injuries, something burned in those chocolate brown eyes. It spoke of friendship, trust and determination. Surrounding Endou was a blinding bright light which shone and lit up the world around him. Everything became brighter, clearer.
This is the captain of Inazuma Japan.
This is Endou Mamoru.
At that moment, everyone witnessed an unseen bond between the two. For a moment, they just looked at each other, not having to say a word.
Thank you, Endou.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door and in came Kimiro and--surprisingly-- Hiroto.
"Hiroto, where have you been?" Fubuki asked. His mood seemed to have slightly alleviated as he let out a tiny sigh of relief.
Hiroto took a scan of the room and his expression became grim. Kimiro, on the other hand, quickly passed the supplies to Sayuka.
"I found the guy who spread the rumours about us,"
"What?" a look of surprised passed on the faces of many.
"It was a troll. Don't worry, if everything goes well, the correct news will be put up tomorrow..." Hiroto need not elaborate as the others simply nodded. There was so much to take in in a span of a mere few hours time. So much seemed to be going on without their notice.
"You're not going to ask what happened to them..?" Ichinose gave him a glance.
"Kimiro gave me a heads up about our... Situation and I saw Gardass' dead body against the wall.. I may not be completely sure but I have a rough idea.." Hiroto trailed off as he watched Sayuka and the others begin to work.
Sayuka, Fuyuka and Aki focused on the unconscious Tsunami while Haruna along with Natsumi focused on those who were conscious. The others just stood silently and watched. It seemed... Weird and somehow disrespectful to just go back to doing whatever they were doing while the body of your fallen comrade laid cold on the ground. They wanted to accompany him at least through this final journey. Megane and Hijikata were in charge on what to do with Kogure. They wanted to do a proper burial but there wasn't really any ground around to do it.
The girls patched up Tsunami, carefully cleaning away his wounds. They had managed to take care of the stab wounds the best they could but there was no doubt that it was going to leave a mark. Well, a few marks. They were lucky that Sayuka had experience in suturing as the stab wound was quite deep. Some stared in awe at the dexterity of her hands as she worked on each one while Fuyuka and Aki took care of the more problematic wound la such as the acid and the burns. They had to make sure they don't leave any left in the wound as those hydrogen ion bastards would really eat away at his skin otherwise. Who knows just how concentrated whatever acid that was that the werewolves used? For all they knew it could be something other than acid, or it could be some special concoction with an extremely high molarity that the werewolves made... But whatever it was, they would do their best to take care of it.
Haruna got both Kidou and Gouenji to sit down by a bed. She sighed in relief as she realised that they only had a few scratches here and there, nothing major. But the exhausted look on his face made her heart ache. Beside them, Gouenji stared in silence. Haruna had told him to wait a moment while she patched up Kidou. His thoughts began wondering to Yuuka. How was she doing? Was she alright? Did anything happen while he was stuck in this damned place? One question lingered in his mind and he pushed it away back into his mind. Really, it was an enigma as to when he ever get to see her again or if he will ever get the chance to.
Hiroto had offered to help out. Knowing some basis knowledge on first aid, he helped to tend to Someoka's arm which had already began to stop bleeding. But it was clear that the wound was inflammed and that he needed to clean it up. As Hiroto was going to start applying the antiseptic, he casually asked Someoka as to what happened to get his mind away from the stinging pain he was about experience and at the same time update himself on the situation.
"Itte(It hurts!)" Endou couldn't help but let out a yelp.
"Endou-kun, hold still!" Natsumi's voice could be heard loud and clear as she reprimanded the brunette. Endou had a cloth his mouth to prevent him from accidentally biting off his tongue as Natsumi tried to straighten his bones back together. It took a while, but finally a sickening crack was heard, followed by a muffled shriek of agony.
"Alright," Natsumi looked pleased as she brought out the bandages and ointment.
"Arigato, Natsumi. But you could've been just a little more gentle!" Endou had a tear in his eye as he whined.
"Oh, shut it!" Natsumi gave his newly bandage leg a light tap, making the other jolt in pain. Endou scanned around the room. His thoughts darkened as he saw Kurimatsu helping clean the blood of the ground of the dorms. Everything was so sudden. Kogure was dead. Tsunami was badly injured, and he hoped he was wrong but by the looks of it... Tortured.
A chill ran down Endou's spine as he began picturing what the other may have gone through in that period of time. Shaking his thoughts away, he focused on what was going on outside.
Haruna and already finished patching up Kidou and had moved on to Gouenji, the blonde staring into space, apparently still deep in thought. He'd have to talk to the blonde later, just to make sure he was alright. Just then, his thoughts slipped to a certain silverette. The one who guided them through all this mess, the one who had the experience of being in such a hellhole. Endou was still quite unnerved how a kind boy like him be such a cold person underneath the surface. The Fubuki he knew then and now we're completely different persons. It was the Endou realised he couldn't see the silverette anywhere. This puzzled him. Where could he have gone?
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Fubuki splashed his face with cold water several times in attempt to wash off all the dirt and the grime. Looking up, he saw his reflection in the mirror. Long gone was the boy who would build snowman's in the winters snow, long gone was the boy laughed ever so happily with his friends. No. Not during the Dark Games. That Fubuki Shirou was dead. In his place was a cruel, merciless killer who not only killed because he had to, but because it was fun...
And he hated that part of himself.
A deep part of him was worried when he knew that his friends--what he considered synonymous to his lifeline that kept him sane--were chosen to be the next human representatives. In the Dark Games, there is no such thing as amnesty. If you're strong, you prevail. If you're weak, you fail. The strong prey on the weak. Simple as that.
He knew for a fact that the death of his teammates would inevitable. Not everyone would be able to adapt to such harsh conditions of survival. But what was there to do? Deep down inside, he never wish for anyone else to have to go through the same fate as he did. It pained him to see them being forced into this mess along with him. For he knew for a fact that they were chosen for a reason and it may have very well have something to do with him. Incipient boiling inside as it rose within his chest, he landed yet another punch before him, cracking the mirror along with his reflection, sending it his reflection into pieces. He heard a yelp from behind him as a frightened vampire scrambled out of the washroom.
Sighing in frustration, Fubuki splashed his face with water once again before closing the tap.
They should be done by now.
He had exited the dorm and chose to use the public restroom as he wanted the others to be treated first. They only had a number of people who knew about bandaging wound and first aid stuff. If he had been around, there'd be no doubt that he's be fussed around for his injuries. Those were the people his friends were, he knew. They cared for others, some even more than themselves. He was alright. He had been through all these things before. He could withstand these minor wounds. Clenching at his burning chest, he absent-mindedly made his way out of the restroom--not without bumping into someone in the chest.
Stumbling a few steps back, Fubuki tched.
"What the-"
"Well, well, well... If it isn't, ice boy?" a familiar voice chimed.
Fubuki arched a brow at the being before him. "Desuta?"
The devil before him smirked as he crossed his arms.
"So how have they been so far? You think they're gonna make it through? It's only a matter of time before they're gonna be picked off by the games.. One by one," Desuta had a smug expression on his face.
"Yeah, but if you had eyes I'm sure you've seen how they have been doing so far," Fubuki replied. "Oh wait, I forgot you didn't have a brain to interpret what you see with your eyes,"
That hit a spot. The devil growled.
"You do know that it's only a matter of time before I will have to face them. When that time comes, I won't show any mercy,"
"Yeah. And neither will we," Fubuki returned the smirk.
Both of them stared right into each others eyes, bloodlust thick in the air as none of them said a word.
"I guess I'll see you around, ice boy," Desuta gave a hard pat to Fubuki and entered the restroom without another word.
Cheh.
Fubuki made his way back to the dorm. Upon entering the entering the dorms, he was suddenly pulled by the arm and forced to sit on the bed before he ever registered what was going on.
"Where do you think that you've gone? Do you think it's fine to just walk around with such wounds of yours? What if you fainted or die of blood lost? You may have oh-so-great fighting skills, but that doesn't mean you're not human! No one is going to help you if you really do faint in the middle of the corridor..... " Fubuki zoned out. Well, this was new. He had never seen this side of Haruna before even when she was their manager. He blinked in confusion. From where he was, he caught a few members of the team snickering at his current predicament.
Seriously. what the heck was going on?
"Calm down, Otonashi-san. You're scaring him," Kimiro said suddenly from beside them, a smug expression on her face.
"Oh, apologise. I get too ahead of myself sometimes," Haruna stated but continued. "But Fubuki-kun is our friend and we must always help each other. I can't believe he walked away without being treated!"
Eh...?
Fubuki just sat there awkwardly. He hadn't really been so... 'baby-ed' before. Therefore, this was quite uncomfortable for him. Years back, he would always grit his teeth and take care of his own wounds without any help. There was even a time where he had to close a wound up with a lighter during one of the rounds of death labyrinth.
"Otonashi-san, I think I can take care of myself-" Fubuki said standing up, ready to excuse himself from all the attention the ruckus was attracting but was firmly pushed to sit back down.
If a woman could be scary, the dark smile on Haruna's face would be enough to scare the birds away.
"Mouth shut, clothes off,"
Even the cruel, cold Fubuki felt a shiver down his spine. Damn, she was pissed, alright.
______________________________________________________________________________
" Ouch... That must've hurt bad... " Ichinose muttered as Haruna placed the bandage over Fubuki's mangled chest. The scratch marks tore through his skin. Even with the blood flow stopped (thank you, oh, platelets and fibrin for existing), there was still dots of it here and there. Together with the stab wound Razor made, Fubuki almost looked like a living corpse to be alive with all the wounds.
It was then when they realised the other scars.
There were scars behind his neck and a straight line from his left shoulder to his right, crossing right over his left scapula. There were also small scars from smaller injuries here and there, some were fading, some were permenant. It seemed so odd that they didn't realise them there before this whole ordeal. Just then, it struck them that Fubuki had never changed with them after practice. They'd tease he was too shy to be a male if he didn't even dare to change with his teammates of the same gender. Guess they knew the real reason now...
"Fubuki... "
The grey head turned to Endou, which was staring long and hard at the scars that littered his body. Fubuki's sharp gaze softened slightly-- that is if one was observant enough to realise--as he looked down. There was silence for a moment as Haruna continued her job while eyes continued to stare on at Fubuki's body. What had the silverette gone through when he first came here?
"Those were quite a long time ago... A few years, in fact, " Fubuki said finally looking up. "One of the first few fights I had which I mentioned about getting beat up and all," Fubuki chuckled bitterly as he cast a quick glance to Mark and Dylan, who both had solemn looks on their face. Even Haruna who was previously fuming had calmed down. The memories began flooding into his mind.
Flashback
"What's the matter, weakling? Can't even take a little punch?" the male in front of him didn't seem to be very far from his age, but the blow he delivered into his stomach sent him down to the ground, curled up in pain. What did he do to deserved this...? Why was he even part of this whole thing in the first place?!
Memories of him playing soccer with his friends played in his mind. He clenched his teeth as he was kicked again and again. And again. And again. And again. He gripped onto to those memories for his life as his assailant continued on. He was suddenly picked up by the collar.
"Look at me," his opponent demanded. Fubuki merely stared with dead eyes as dull as ever. This apparently seemed to sparked anger in his opponent and he was given yet another punch to the face, forcefully gripped to look at his face. "I said look at me, "
Fubuki looked at him.
"You're pathetic and worthless, you know that? You're nothing but a stupid brat who always breaks, who always let down the hopes of your teammates. Believe me. I've seen how you scored goals in the tournament. Here's only one thing I have to say about that. You're weak. Weak like how you failed so many times against Desarm. Weak like how you failed to save your brother from the avalanche while you were pushed our of the car. Weak. Weak. Weak," the person in front of him continued to spit into his face. Each syllable dripping with venom as his cold eyes bore into the depths of Fubuki's soul.
"You're nothing but a piece of shit. A failed masterpiece. In the end, you're just gonna be killed, just like the rest of them here who have been eliminated. Because that's how it is. The weak are preyed upon by the strong. But before that you will watch as all your friends are slowly, but surely killed before your very eyes while you watch being unable to do the things. Because that's how it is. Only the strongest will prevail,"
Fubuki whimpered as finally regained his senses from the man's speech. He didn't want that. He didn't want his friends to die. He didn't want to die. He struggled to get the guy's hands off his shirt but to no avail. The other's smirk faltered as he watch him struggle helplessly.
"You disgust me,"
Fubuki was forcefully thrown onto the ground as the other picked up the knife which was on the ground before this. Fubuki trembled as he scrambled to back away from the figure approaching him, weapon gleaming in hand.
"Let this be a lesson to you, aye?"
Fubuki was then forcefully flipped around as before being crushed by the others weight upon him. Having no experience whatsoever in sparring and fighting he was pinned to the ground easily, helplessly incapacitated.
"I hope you'll remember this every single time when you look yourself in the mirror you bastard. How useless you are,"
The pain came. It burned as it the blade cut through his shirt and into his skin. So this was what it felt like to be cut alive... Subconsciously, tears began to slip down his cheeks as he bit into his lips to prevent himself from screaming, his delicate lips broke instantly drawing blood. Why.....
End of Flashback
Endou waved a hand in front of the silverette's face as the other merely stared into nothingness. He wasn't sure if anyone saw it but there was no doubt a pained and sad look upon his features as he fell silent.
"Hello? You okay?" Endou asked concerned. He may not know what was going on with Fubuki but he was still his captain and friend, after all. Reaching out, he wanted to give his friend a pat and suddenly he was grabbed by the wrist. The pressure that was applied to it was not at all merciful as he let out a few "oww"s.Luckily, that was enough to snap Fubuki out of his daydream. He quickly released Endou.
"Gomen, Endou-kun (Sorry, Endou-kun). Just... Zoned out a tad bit," Fubuki stared at his hands with wide eyes, still slightly shaken by the bad memories and his own actions. He swore that he wasn't ever going to hurt them. He swore.
"Betsuni (It's alright).." Endou flashed him a fake smile. It wasn't that he minded about that, but more of it was that he was worried for the silverette. Fubuki had looked so lost and fragile for a moment. But it as brief enough that no one else noticed it. But he did. He knew deep inside something was wrong. It worried him that he didn't know what was bothering Fubuki to this extent. Just what had he gone through before this?
Just as he was going to ask more about it, the sound system worked up. Everyone stiffened. An ominous hum reverberating throughout the place. There were no words said at first. It was as if the whole building had sucked in a breath to wait for whatever was going to be said. After a long wait, finally a low, demonic voice spoke...
"All leaders, gather up," the voice said in a slow, slurred pace. The speakers crackled as if the whole system itself was afraid of the voice. The team trembled as it felt like something dark was pulsating through the walls of the building itself. A sense of fear struck deep into their very being as they felt gravity suddenly intensifying, pulling them down. Some even lurched forward at the sudden onslaught of energy. "It's time for the blood sacrifice ritual, "
Almost immediately after that, the signal was cut and everything was turned back to normal.
"What," Kazemaru continued breathlessly. "The heck was that?"
Beside him, Tachimukai was stifling coughs. Scanning across the room, it obvious that the voice had an effect on everyone here.
Fubuki stood up, pulling a shirt over his head as his expression turned grim. Walking over the middle of the room where everyone could see him.
"Listen up. Once I'm out, lock the doors. From this time until tomorrow morning where day breaks, no one will go in and no one will go out-"
"What do you mean? What's going on?!" Dylan exclaimed. A sense of dread filled the pits of their stomach. Something was happenening and that something wasn't just bad. No, it was worse.
"No matter what you see, what you hear from this point out, whatever you do, don't open the door. It's going to try to claw it's way in and when it's in, it's game over,"
Something heavy could be heard from outside. Thumping loudly. The lights swayed overhead, flashing on and off. The whole place seemed to rumble as a loud creaking of metal was heard. The girls hugged each other while the guys held onto the bedposts. Fubuki rushed to the door. Just as he was about to turn it open, Kidou grabbed his arm.
"Wait, aren't you going to tell us what's going on?!"
"I would if I have the time but there is no time! It starts the moment I'm out! Once I'm out, lock the door immediately!" Fubuki practically had to scream as the creaking of metal was too loud. Some covered their ears as the screeching continued. "Just stay in the room and you'll be fine-"
Before he could even finish his sentence, something huge with long, bloody talons came out of the half-opened the door and grabbed him, pulling him out into the darkness. The girls screamed.
'It starts the moment I'm out!'
Remembering enough horror movie scenes and Fubuki's last words, Hiroto wasted no time running up to the door and locking it immediately. Sure enough, whatever that was behind the door began slamming onto it. It didn't seem like it would hold for long...
Well, shit.
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Whee! N that concludes the end of the werewolf arc! (well OK maybe it's not long enough to be considered an arc but OK HAHA) it's a start of a new adventure bwuahah. Hope you guys enjoyed it though ehe. Pls do leave some comments, I would love to hear from y'all :p n Y'know, as I typed how Ichinose and Midorikawa gathered everyone up to prevent any casualties from the tension with the werewolf tribe and all I can't help but think IF ONLY U KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME XD OK forgive this immature human over here who gets excited easily LMAO. alright n Gouenji carrying Kogure... Maybe u can picture a darker version of Kaneki carrying Hide(?) *insert laugh cry emoji*
Anyways, as I mentioned above, I have a huge national exam thing coming up so... This may be the last update until that exam is over... But it won't last for long! Aha good luck to y'all who're facing school and life too bwuaha see u all in the next chappie :) thanks to everyone who still read this story ahah love u guys!