Chereads / HellBorn: Prince of Shadows / Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

Five years ago, if you had told him he would have become an assassin, Kitty wouldn't have believed you. But now, here he was, on a mission to kill someone. Since he had taken on the role of Nyuujaku, this was all he did. He didn't like it, but he wouldn't quit.

He owed it to Damien to keep his legacy going.

Kitty couldn't move on from him. No matter what, he would always love Damien and only Damien. He didn't want to forget about him. No one had touched his life the way he had. Kitty had offers from men, both romantic and sexual, but he turned them all down. No one could ever compare to the love of his life. One day, Kitty would die and be with him, and his dad and Jack, for all eternity.

Until then, he would endure the guilt and fear that came with taking a life. If it was for love, he'd block it all out and carry on.

Tonight's task was simple: eliminate a yakuza boss, Kazuki Miyamoto. A small, fat, balding middle-aged man who wore shirts way too small for him. His rap sheet was through the roof. Murder, assault, drug smuggling. There was no end to his sins. He found his way on Nyuujaku's kill list for executing the family of a man who owed him money. All three were shot, including a seven year old boy.

Before then, he'd only killed rival gang members, low-level criminals who had committed horrendous acts themselves. He wasn't on the list for that. Gangs murdering other gangs was common, and it helped clear the streets of thugs. But this time, he went too far. He killed an innocent woman and child. It was only fair that his life was ended, too.

Kitty snuck into the yakuza base and hid himself on the balcony, being as silent as possible. Miyamoto lounged on a tattered old sofa with his gang surrounding him. From what Kitty could hear, they were discussing a recent drug deal.

It shouldn't have been too hard if he was stealthy. A quick, quiet bullet in the head for each member would have been enough. He had his sniper rifle with its silencer on. He was concealed well enough. They shouldn't have been able to find him.

That was what he thought.

As he readied his rifle and peered through the sight, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him back. He fell onto his back, dropping the gun. He glanced up to see a tall, burly man towering over him. His survival instincts kicked in and he slammed his feet into the man's face. His nose made an audible crack from the impact of Kitty's boots.

He rolled to the side, leapt to his feet and pulled out his knife. Before the man had time to react, Kitty stabbed his throat. The blood gushed out like water from a hose pipe, and he fell down dead.

Kitty grabbed the rifle and crawled to the edge of the balcony again. He could still make the hit if he was fast. He aimed the gun again, searching for the enemy.

But they were gone. They were all gone.

Kitty's heart began to race. Where did they go? Had they heard him fighting one of their men?

His suspicions were confirmed when the balcony underneath him collapsed and he hit the floor below. He sat up, vision blurred and feeling nauseous, and turned his head to find out what the hell had happened. He soon realised he was cornered by the yakuza.

Kitty didn't even have time to register anything when they attacked. Kitty fought back, dodging bullets, knives, even machetes and axes. He slashed and stabbed all who were in his way. But it wasn't good enough. There were too many of them.

This was it. He was going to die. But, to be honest, he didn't care. He was ready.

He closed his eyes as the yakuza advanced on him. But they didn't hurt him. He waited, yet there was nothing. After about three seconds, he heard the yakuza screaming.

Kitty's eyes snapped open in interest, and was shocked at who had come to his rescue.

☽☾

In the hidden tomb in the centre of Hell, Satan entered carrying a bucket of soapy water and a cloth.

"Time to wash my coma son!" He sang, despite being the only one in the vicinity.

He arrived at Damien's coffin, humming to himself cheerily. He had been taking care of him since he first fell into his deep sleep, washing him, changing his clothes as he grew into an adult, feeding him his medication. It would have been a brilliant bonding experience if Damien had been aware of it. But Satan continued looking after him unconditionally out of love for his son.

Satan opened Damien's coffin with a grin on his face. His smile disappeared when he found it empty.

"Oh shit." Satan muttered. "Oh shit!"

He dropped the bucket and ran out of the tomb, yelling for Leviathan's assistance.

☽☾

Kitty stared up in awe and confusion at his saviour, the one person he never expected to see again but desperately hoped he would.

"Dimmy?"

Standing among the yakuza dead, Damien smiled so sweetly it made Kitty's eyes tear up. Was it really him? It couldn't be. Kitty had seen him die. Despite his anxieties, his heart told him, pleaded with him that he was right – it was Damien.

The only yakuza left was Miyamoto. Without his lackeys, he was powerless and cowardly. He fell to the floor in tears, trembling like a frightened dog and begging for his life. Damien's attention turned to him. One of his shadow tentacles raised to kill Miyamoto, but Kitty got there first. He delivered a swift punch to Miyamoto's throat, crushing it with his impeccable strength. He coughed up blood and fell down dead.

Damien gave Kitty an impressed whistle, which made him smile. Then he stared into Kitty's eyes and took his hand.

"Sorry." He said.

This made Kitty burst into tears and he pulled Damien into a hug.

"Why did you leave me?" Kitty whispered with a pained voice.

He heard Damien give a sad sigh, and he squeezed Kitty gently. "I didn't mean to. I didn't know what had happened. One minute, I was fighting. Then everything stopped. I'm so sorry, Levi."

Kitty nodded and pulled back to look at Damien. He was taller and slightly older. His face was more masculine, but still pretty. His body shape had filled out more, gained more muscle, though he was still slim and delicate. He looked so grown up and handsome that it took Kitty's breath away. He stared at him in amazement and adoration.

It seemed that Damien felt the same way about him. He looked Kitty up and down and smiled.

"You look different." Damien said with a dreamy look in his eyes. "Even more beautiful than when I first met you."

Kitty giggled and kissed his cheek. "You, too. I missed you."

The grin on Damien's face widened. He averted his eyes for a moment, then raised them to look directly into Kitty's.

"I, um," Damien began. "I need to tell you something, before I wuss out. It's pretty important."

"What is it?" Kitty asked. Damien was clearly nervous, which made him anxious.

Damien bit his lip. He held onto Kitty's waist and inhaled.

"I want to tell you that I," He exhaled shakily. "I love you."

He said it so fast that Kitty almost didn't understand. When the words registered in his mind, his eyes widened and he began crying again.

"W-What's wrong?" Damien asked in concern. "Why are you crying? Did I mess up? Fuck, I'm so sorry. If you don't feel the same way, it's fine-"

Kitty silenced his rambling with a kiss. They stayed like that for a few seconds. Then Kitty smiled and wiped his eyes.

"I love you, too, silly."

Kitty threw his arms around Damien's neck and held him close. Damien hugged him back with a content sigh.

Kitty pulled back and cupped Damien's face with his hands. He stared into his eyes, praying to himself that he wasn't dreaming.

"Are you real, or have I gone mad?" He asked "It's impossible. I saw you die."

Damien chuckled and held Kitty's waist. "I'm hard to kill, remember?" He stroked Kitty's hip with a weak frown. "I was asleep for a long time. But I woke up. I sensed you were in danger and knew I had to help you. It was like being hit by lightning. I just jolted up and instantly knew what to do and where to find you."

With a laugh, Kitty hugged Damien again. "Good. I'm glad you're home."

Damien pulled back with a sweet laugh. "You've gotten taller."

"So have you!" Kitty giggled. "Your hair's really long, too. I like it."

"Thanks." Damien stroked Kitty's own hair, that was pulled into a low ponytail on his shoulder. "I love your new hairstyle. Simple, yet elegant. It suits you."

Kitty grinned and thanked him back. Damien held his chin and kissed him. Kitty blushed when he pulled away and stared at him affectionately.

They held each other for a while, wrapped in the bliss of finally being together.