Heavy breathing could be heard throughout the silent streets of Downtown. Alongside this was fast footfalls. A man in a business suit was running his ass off, taking sharp turns around building corners here and there. This man was none other than Richard. His face was drenched in sweat, and his usual composed look was filled with terror. It was clear that he had been running for quite some time. Even Hours, maybe?
'How does he keep catching up!?' Richard shouted internally as he turned to look behind himself, where he saw Don, who was still calmly walking towards him. Richard's eyes went wide. "What the hell is this!?" Richard shouted at the top of his lungs before screaming and crying for help.
"Help me!"
"Someone help me, please!"
"Anyone, please help! He is going to kill me!"
BOOM!
A resounding gunshot echoed throughout the night, and Richard suddenly collapsed. "Huh...?" Richard looked to see what tripped him, only to find he was missing half of his left leg. He screamed at the top of his lungs in a high pitch scream filled with both terror and pain. Perhaps the sight was more of a shock than anything else since he was still wide awake and had yet to pass out. Unfortunately, all of the adrenaline running through his body was also probably keeping him awake.
"No one is coming to save you." Don's voice spoke emotionless from behind Richard. Richard turned from his leg to see that Don was right in front of him. "H-How did you?" Richard couldn't process it. Don was several meters behind him, but now Don was right in front of him. He couldn't understand what was going on. Don gave Richard a blank expression. "Go ahead. Try to cast a mirage, I dare you." Don placed the barrel of the shotgun to Richard's head.
"W-Wait! Wait! Just one moment! Can we talk about this!? A-A negation! Yeah, we can make a negation. We are civil people, aren't we? I'll stay away from you and April! I'll never approach anyone that is associated with you! I promise. I swear on my honor as an Offical of The World Government!" Richard would beg and plea. Don shifted the barrel from Richard's forehead, which caused Richard to slowly relax until he felt a sharp pain near his right leg.
BOOM!
Another gunshot would resound throughout the night. Richard would cry out in pain and agony. Don would press the shotgun barrel to Richard's cheek now, which caused him to grit his teeth and turn back towards Don with a glare.
"You bastard! If you are going to kill me, then just kill me, or do you get off on tormenting people!?" Richard would shout at the top of his lungs. A delirious expression took over his face as if he were a crazed madman. "I bet you do! After all, your mother was nothing but a filthy whore on the streets, and your father was just a drug and gamble addict!" Richard scoffed. Don didn't react with any facial expression. His face was still blank. Finally, he would shift the gun towards Richard's left arm and pull the trigger, which sent the arm flying off.
BOOM!
The gunshot echoed throughout the night. Richard bit back a scream and instead laughed like some kind of masochistic madman. "I was right! I hit the nail on the head! Did I piss you off, huh? You know... we are one of the same. We love to put people in their place. We enjoy watching filth squirm and suffer. You enjoy killing someone just as much as I enjoy watching them suffer." Richard snickered. Don would blow off Richard's right arm then let the shotgun rest against his back.
BOOM!
Once more, a gunshot would resound throughout the night. Richard could only laugh now. He was missing pretty much all of his limbs. It was amazing that the man was still alive at his point. Regardless, Don didn't care. "I told you to use your power." Don would remark, which caused the man to laugh even more. A broken smile curved across his face. "I did! I have! I am no longer here! All you are killing is an illusion!" Richard would taunt Don. Don shook his head while withdrawing his Silver Desert Eagle. He would pull back the hammer with his thumb, which gave off a resounding CLICK sound.
"Then die." Don would place the barrel to Richard's head. Just before Don pulled the trigger, the body wisped away like some kind of illusion, and Don shifted his aim towards a building. Don's abyssal gaze shifted towards Richard to see he was hiding in a building nearby. The man freaked out for a moment since he wasn't expecting Don to find him, but before he could react, Don pulled the trigger. The bullet went straight for Richard's forehead, and the man's brains splattered all over the inside of the building.
KABOOM!
Don would close his eyes and holster his Desert Eagle. He would begin walking away. He didn't need to verify that Richard was dead. Why? That was simple. He knew Richard was dead. Don had activated the Evolution of his Seed Power. From the moment he started walking after Richard, Don's Evoluted Seed Power was activated. Everything was in grayscale. Everything appeared completely still. To Don, Richard wasn't even moving. He waited for eons for Richard to keep going. He wanted to embed terror into the man for what the man had done. Not specifically to him, but to April. The terror that Richard gave April... Don wanted to repay Richard in full with interest. This was why he 'chased' after Richard for hours. To Don, it felt like years, but for Richard, it was merely hours.
He saw the illusion was cast just after his leg was blown off. Richard had cast the illusion and crawled his way towards a building to take cover. Perhaps the illusion put the caster into an invisible state or something that the naked eye could not see. Don concluded that since no one saw Richard when Don originally blew his head off back on the bridge. Regardless, Don was able to see both the illusion and Richard. So the entire time he dared Richard to use his ability, he knew that Richard had already used it. He just wanted to plunge Richard into further confusion when he pointed the gun at him.
Richard would no longer be a problem. April would never have to worry again. This was the end of April's stalker.
Once Don opened his eyes, the coloration around him was once again visible. The look in his eyes was still deadpan, but not as abyssal was before. It would take a few more hours to return to the outpost, but he was greeted by Rose once he did.
"Were you here the entire time?" Don asked while looking down at Rose, who looked up at him and nodded. "Yes." A brief silence would befall them. "Did you settle your score?" Rose would inquire, and Don would nod. "He is dead." Don would remark, and Rose would nod. "Did you check?" She would ask, and Don would shake his head. "There was no need. I killed both his illusion and his real body." Don would reply. Rose would nod silently.
"Why are you out here anyway?" Don inquired, and Rose stepped up to him.
"I want to train under you." Rose would remark with a firm resolve.
"Train under me?" Don's brow rose. Rose would look into Don's eyes. She could see it. It wasn't as clear as day as before, but it was still there.
The Abyss.
What made the Abyss truly terrifying was how deep it went. It was endless, and there was no guarantee that one would come back once they plunged into it. Sure, hitmen and hitwomen had their various reasons for killing. Some enjoyed it. Some only killed for the money, and others out of revenge or simply to punish others. However, those who dove into the Abyss were not like others. Those that willing dove into the Abyss were known as Reapers. Death Incarnate. They stopped at nothing to achieve their goals. They would bring down the entire world if they needed to. Even if they had a foot in the grave, they would keep going on. They were truly killing machines.
Rose wanted to train under Don for one reason in particular. Don was still able to love and be loved while being someone who had dove into the Abyss. It was mysterious and unique. She had met hitmen and hitwomen before, but no one like Don. Don interested her, but not in the sense that a lover would get. It was more along the lines of her wishing to find out how Don could hold onto his sense of self while diving into the Abyss.
She had her thoughts that maybe it was simply April, but April wasn't here. April didn't call out to him. April didn't stop him. He had been gone for several hours and still returned with his sense of self intact. Sure, she would admit that April held a major key in keeping him stable, but there had to be more, right? It couldn't just be her. It couldn't be that simple, right?
"Then... let's see what you got." Don would finally remark after several moments of silent thinking. He would remove all of his gear and shrug off his combat vest. This caused Rose's brow to raise in curiosity. "Draw your blade." Don would remark while pulling out his Karamabit from his back pocket and take to a battle stance.
Rose didn't think they were going to fight here and now of all places. Besides, wasn't Don tired? She could tell Don looked fatigued, but still... was she being underestimated? Rose felt like she was. She would hover her hand over the hilt of her katana and take to a battle posture. "Are you sure you are going to fight me like that? With only a knife?" Rose inquired with a serious look.
"It is all I will need." Don would remark bluntly, which caused Rose to grit her teeth. "Fine, don't blame me if you lose an arm or something!" Rose exclaimed before drawing her blade in a flash while stepping towards Don. Don would catch the blade with his Karamabit deflect it away while stepping back. Rose would also take a step back since she knew she was open but found it odd that Don did not press forward. Regardless, Rose put on the pressure and swung short and swiftly. Deadly cuts that could kill someone if they cut clean. Don would evade what he could and deflect what he couldn't. Don was waiting for an opening now. Rose was cautious and wary, so Don couldn't find one. The reason he didn't attack after he deflected her earlier cut was that he was getting a read on her.
Since he had a good read now, he could play her like a fiddle. As their cat and mouse game went on, Rose was beginning to sweat and become exhausted. She would swing out of frustration, and Don took this moment to deflect her weapon, which threw her entirely off-balance. Don would follow up by elbowing Rose in the chest. Rose would step back just in time, but before she could counter-attack, Don had reached for her collar. He pulled her in and stepped to the side to try and trip her.
The sudden force was disorientating since she wasn't prepared for it. Most people generally backed off after their initial attack since they knew they were wide open; however, Don didn't seem to care. It was like he was taunting death, telling her to take him away. Rose would attempt to at least cut Don while she was being pulled towards him. A slash along the chest or gut. However, Don would use his Karamabit to lock the blade and deflect it away from him safely. Rose tripped and fell towards the ground. She would tuck into a roll only to spring up and take to a guard stance.
Don charged towards her, and when she attempted to cut him swiftly when he was close enough, he would leap over her cut. Then, since she was now wide open, Don would take hold of her hair with his free hand and slam her into the ground as he flew over her. The suddenly painful feeling in the back of her head caused her to wince in pain, but when she felt the edge of his blade against her neck, her eyes went wide, and she felt chills run throughout her body.
'I'm dead...' She thought to herself and closed her eyes as if to admit defeat while steadying her breathing.
"I see... I figured as much..." Don would mutter as he removed the blade and stepped back.
"Figured what?" Rose inquired while opening her eyes to look at Don, who offered to help her onto her feet.
"You most likely excel in assassination and sheath. You seem to lack the expertise for a prolonged and close-quarters fight. I figured it was the case earlier. When we were fighting against those Amazoness'. You were breaking out in a sweat. You aren't used to prolonged battles, are you?" Don inquired while Rose took his hand, and he helped her up.
"My training in that field was mostly basic and minimal. The General and The World Government wanted me to be their Ace Assassin. Which is why they gave me the Code Name: Shade. Someone who strikes from the shadow only to return to the shadow not even a second later." Rose would reply to Don, who would nod while putting away his Karambit. "I see." Don would mutter before walking past her to gather his gear and put it back on along with his combat vest. Rose would sheath her katana and follow after him. "So, does that mean you will train me?" Rose asked. A moment of silence would befall them, and Rose figured Don was going to decline, but...
"My lessons will be cruel and grueling. You may end up with scars here and there. In addition to that, you could even die. If you can't accept any of these, then give up; however, if you are willing to dive into the depths of the abyss, then by all means..." Don would turn around. The air around him would feel inhumane, monstrous even. It was like Rose was looking at a Reaper. "...you are more than welcome to become my pupil." Don would remark with an emotionless tone which was chilling to her. Rose's eyes went wide as she shivered a little. The Don before her wasn't like the one she had seen throughout the past few weeks. This Don was different. Unique. Murderous... and cold; however, she found herself attracted to this Don. She reached out towards him with fascination in her eyes.
"I will." Rose would remark, and Don would nod. "From tomorrow onward, we will begin your training. You will work alongside me and follow every instruction to the point. Do I make myself clear?" Don would add, and Rose would nod. Finally, Don would take her hand and shake it firmly. "The deal has been made. Your contract is sealed. From this day forth, you are my pupil, and I am your trainer." Don would remark.
For whatever reason, Don felt like he had been here before, and he had. Everything he said to Rose was what his trainer told him when he asked to be taught by her. When he asked her to train him. The roles would be reversed. Rose would be Child Don, and present Don would be his deceased Trainer. The more Don let this feeling roll into him, the more he could easily place it. The memory flashed throughout his mind, and his eyes closed with content.
Rose wondered why Don was just standing there with such an expression, so she called his name, which caused his eyes to open. "Is everything alright?" Rose asked, and Don would nod. "Yes. Let's return. I am sure the others have a load of questions for me." Don would remark, and Rose would nod. They would release each other's hand, and both of them would head back inside. Once they arrived, Jen began to pester Don with questions on how he killed those men and if he ever killed anyone else before. She even tried to get seduce him, which failed. He told her the same thing he told Lesha. That his entire body, soul, and heart were for April. Jennifer was pouty about it, of course, but ended up accepting it in the end. Boss was more curious about who taught him to do such things. Don spent the time telling both of them, including Lesha, his background, although it was vague. He didn't fully open up to them as he did with April. He just gave bits and pieces here and there, but it was easy enough for them to piece everything together.
Don also said he would train Rose, which was surprising until Rose told them exactly who and what she was. The remainder of the night was spent with leisure conversation, and eventually, everyone turned in and went to sleep. After all, Rose and Don had an early start tomorrow. First, they needed to begin Rose's training, and after that, they would return to base with Jen and Boss in tow. It was sooner than expected, but it was for the best. For some reason, Don was getting this terrible feeling in his stomach like something was about to happen while he was away. He didn't know what it was, but he wasn't liking it one bit.