Night One Hundred And Fifty Eight
Age 1991
The Catacombs...
Irene followed behind the others at a slow rate. "Are you guys sure it's North?" She asked.
"Positive." Eins nodded. "But don't worry. I'm sure he's being controlled or something. We can take him in peacefully." They were a small group. Eins, Light, Kitsune, Max, and Shiki. As well as Irene. They had no idea where Hero, Shelly, or Ken were. They were currently slowly walking through the many twists and turns of the massive catacombs. It had been shaking earlier but was now coming to a stop...
"I... I just can't believe my brother would ever do anything like what that Bright man did..." Irene said shaking her head. "Even under mind control... North would have enough power to bust out... It must be something else..."
"I kind of hope so to." Kitsune sighed. "North is a cool guy. I'd hate for him to end up in prison... Also I can't see him as being the kind of person who'd do anything like this..."
"Sadly I can..." Light said letting out a sigh. "It's one of the many reasons why I make sure to try and be with big brother. Humans are creatures that exist to be in packs. It isn't healthy to be alone... And the people with hero complex's like big brother and North are idiots... Not idiots in the sense of their dumb, more like... They just don't get people... They place it all on themselves... They throw themselves at the problems of the world. Even if its to much... And they allow despair to take them over when they see that the worlds problems are far bigger than they ever thought. That's why I'll be there to pull big brother back out of the void if he falls in."
Max let out a sigh shaking his head. "That would never happen."
"I can pull big brother back-"
"Not that you blind fool." Max threw his arms behind his head as he walked with the group a large smirk slowly crossing onto his face. "If what you said is true, and North is Bright than we have nothing to worry about. Because now that Hero's seen what its like to fall into that void, he'll never go that far. North will be a lesson for Hero."
"Don't insult my brother or Hero..." Irene said slowly.
Max cocked his head at her as he stared. "Or what?"
"Max... I swear to-"
"Quiet." Eins said suddenly holding his arm up. "Do you guys hear that?" Shiki let out a small grunt nodding his head.
"What is it?" Max, Irene, and Kitsune, all three asked.
"Crying..." Light said a look of worry crossing his face. "It sounds like Ken, and Shelly... They must be in trouble."
"What!"
The group ran forward, finding massive holes, and torn down pillars. It looked as if hundreds of bombs went down here. Somehow the entire underground catacombs had become opened up. It was a miracle the entire place didn't just collapse from all the fighting. It was obvious a large battle had gone down here. A 'very' large battle... The group ran faster all of them hearing the crying now. They turned the corner and they saw it...
It was a large open room, made out of several bones much like the rest of the catacombs. What made this one different was the fact that it was opened up, from all the fighting allowing for tons of room to move and jump around. The room was stained red with blood, and in a corner they saw them. Hero, who's entire right arm was stained red, he looked find, but his clothing was messed up and dirty, and he didn't have his jacket. In his arms he held Ken who had her face buried in his neck sobbing loudly, her clothing was a mess covered in holes and tears, and she was coated in blood living up to her name as a red sister. Next to her crying softly was Shelly. Her clothing was intact save for a hole in the stomach area. All three of them looked fine, save for some bruises and cuts, on Hero.
Of course...
That hadn't been what got their attention.
In the center of the room laying on a pile of bones and blankly staring up at the roof of bones North could be seen. He had a peaceful look and even had a smile on his lips. The cause of death was obvious, if the fist sized hole in his chest was anything to go by...
They all stared in shock, and horror, and quickly put it together what the blood on Hero's arm meant... Even Max, and Shiki, had stunned looks on their face. Irene let out a terrible cry running over to North's body and grabbing him as she began to sob her heart out crying over her brother.
Eins slowly fell to his knees staring at the corpse. Max and Shiki stood there not knowing what to do while Kitsune slowly walked over to Hero, and the two girls who now noticed them.
"H... Hero..."
"Kitsune..." Ken slowly sniffled a bit moving away from Hero and quickly wiping her eyes. Hero stood up staring at Kitsune.
"Hero did you-" Kitsune was silenced when Hero suddenly pulled him in for a hug.
"Y... Yeah..." Hero's voice was a little shaky as he nodded his head. "I was the one..."
Kitsune patted Hero on the back as him and Hero, quickly moved away from Shelly, and Ken moving to a quieter area of the cave. "So... You really did it..."
"Yeah..." Hero nodded wiping at his eyes for a moment. He let out a small gulp staring at his hand which was stained red. "I killed him."
"So North really was Bright..." Kitsune asked slowly.
"Yeah..."
"And he wasn't mind controlled..."
"Yeah..."
"And he tried to kill you all?"
"Yeah..."
"Well okay then." Kitsune folded his arms as he nodded his head. "As far as I'm concerned you didn't do anything wrong. Self defense. He attacked first right?"
Hero flashed back to the punch he threw which had started the fight... "I'm not really sure Self Defense would count there, but for the most part yeah... He was trying to kill me when I..."
Kitsune placed his hand on Hero's shoulder as he nodded his head. "It's alright. I believe you. I've known you for Two Ages Hero. Your not the type of guy who would kill an innocent. You're a superhero after all right?" He smiled as the drone in his hair flew over and landed in Hero's snow white hair.
"I... I don't think I can use that title anymore..."
"Don't think like that..."
"Yeah don't be stupid..." Kitsune, and Hero looked up seeing Max, Shiki, and Light. It had been Max who spoke first. "You did everything you could. Besides... Judging from those other wounds, he was a dead man anyways... Just a single look at the body and I can tell he had serious enteral damage. He'd be dead within a few hours tops. And I know how you fight... You didn't cause those right? So even if you hadn't killed him, he'd have died anyways... On top of that even if by some miracle he didn't die, he'd be sent off to Night Shade, which a hell hole. Basically he was dead no matter what, it just happens that you were the trigger this time."
"The Enforcers are a solider organization." Light nodded. "Either way, all of you will have to kill someone, one day... It's just a fact... Though... What a shame that your first kill was on a trusted teammate..." Light said shaking his head.
Hero stared at both his hands for a moment his smile growing. 'I couldn't do it though...' He thought. 'In the end I had to trick my mind into thinking he was a Bestia Macht... Still... I... I feel guilty... Not about the fact I killed him... But about the fact that I don't feel guilty he's dead... Did... Did I enjoy killing... And when the time comes... Am I gonna be able to take another life?' Hero looked out at Kitsune, than at Light, than over to the sobbing Irene, and over to Ken who had finally stopped crying. 'If it means keeping them safe... I'll do it. Not just from the bad guys either...'
"I'm still shocked to see that Ken broke down?" Kitsune noted. "I mean I thought she was gonna kill North herself? She seems like the type ya know?"
"She would have." Hero nodded. "But that's not why she's crying." He knew the reason. Ken had said so herself. She had been looking at him as the perfect example of what a human was. But he killed that, when he jammed his fist through North's heart. She wasn't crying because North was dead, she was crying because a part of her friend was dead. Shelly on the other hand had been crying both from almost dying, as well as watching North die. She was less, morally ambiguous than Ken was...
Speaking of Ken, and Shelly. Ken let out a sigh as she pressed her back to the cave wall. She slowly slipped on Hero's over sized jacket since her's was full of holes and tears.
"S... Sorry someone from Squad One tried to kill you..." Shelly said slowly looking down.
"It's not your fault..." Ken said shrugging. "Sorry I didn't just pull you out of the fight and instead used North as a way to test out my new form... And sorry about the whole going insane thing and trying to eat him... I gotta work on that..."
"Yeah that's your fault."
"You're very rude..."
Shelly curled up as she stared at the ground. "North was... He always seemed so nice... Whatever he was taking must have really messed with his head... And going on about the greater good... That kind of thing really irks me... I wish I had a chance to punch him and show him what was what..."
"I wish I had been stronger..." Ken said bowing her head. "I should have been the one to put him down.. I've done it... I... I know I can handle it... Instead Hero had to do it... Speaking of Irks, it really annoys me, he used North as a chance to grow even stronger... That was reckless of him... I'm sure he knew that arm would transform into his shield... That was one of the reasons he did it... He wanted to get stronger so in the future he could stop something like this but... But it's not fair... He shouldn't have to make that kind of sacrifice."
"You... You really love him huh?" Shelly grinned.
"L... Love!" Ken looked away as her face went a little red. "I... I guess you could say that... But it's not like... You know... The romantic love... Hero is..." She looked over towards Hero as she smiled. "He's my best friend. Maybe at one point we could have worked out... But he has his eye on someone else. I guess I... I do sort of love him though..." She tapped her fingers together and looked at Shelly. "I mean its the same with you and Eins... Don't look so smug..."
"M... Mister Eins is way better than Hero! It makes sense to be in love with him! Being in love with Hero is just weird!"
"Is not."
"Is to."
Both girls quickly broke down into fighting once more. Some things never change...
Over with Irene she stared down at North, as Eins walked towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder resting down next to her.
"I... I should have been there more..." Eins said slowly. He stared down at his hands for a moment. "I had been so focused on my own issues, not once did I stop and consider that North was going through the same things... It's my fault he-"
"No..." Irene stopped him as she reached up and wiped at her eyes. "It's an older sisters job to watch over and siblings and take care of them. I failed... I only have myself to blame... North was... I should have known far longer... Ever since the death of our father... North... Oh God... How long have you been hurting like this... I'm so sorry..."
Eins pulled the girl in for a hug as he stared down at the ground not knowing what to say... They stopped for a second when they saw a small faint white light.
Irene reached out placing her hand over the hole inside of him, and pulling out what looked like a tiny glass shard. The piece of their fathers Equation. Irene held it in her hands softly bowing her head. "I'm going to get so much stronger... I'll keep the rest of them safe... I might not ever be able to kill all the Bestia Macht, and I might not ever have the goals to save the world like you did North... But I promise... I'll keep my family safe... I'll do it for you North... That's what you want right?" As she said this she felt the shard slowly sink into her hand and be reabsorbed with the fragment she had inside of her. She squeezed her hand shut feeling North's powers slowly merge with hers. For a moment she also saw them. Flickers of his last moments...
'W... What the... The hell... How did... I don't get it...'
'What's not to get North... You said it yourself... The Hero, always wins.'
'Oh... Oh... That's right... I guess he does. H... Haha... Ha.. Ha. H-'
Irene bowed her head once more. "Never again... I won't let any of my loved ones ever fall to despair ever again." She slowly looked up looking at where Hero stood. "I'll keep them all safe. I won't let them ever be alone..."
She had mixed feelings on how to handle it. For the time being she decided it was best to 'not' talk to Hero, for fear of out right attacking him. This turned out to be much harder than she thought it would be when he began to walk towards them.
Back over with Hero he let out a heavy sigh.
'Is it over?'
"'It was a good show-'"
'Not yet.' Hero said internally speaking to God and Row. 'One last thing that needs to be done.'
'What?'
Hero walked forward towards Eins, and Irene and held both his hands out to Eins showing him his wrists.
"When I fought North I didn't fight him as a member of the Enforcers. I killed him as Hero Law. So please. Arrest me."