"Damn it!" Hizashi yelled in a fit of rage. His phone started ringing, Niko already knew it would be her granddad and he was a very harsh and strict man, she quickly made her way out of the office before he vents all his anger and frustration her. He took a deep breath and answered the call.
"Hizashi why do you keep failing?" He asked furiously.
"I just need one more chance sir, I promise you…"
"I'm tired of your promises. I've been watching you for a while now and time and time again you've made decisions that have brought forth this problem. You were too soft to kill Hayato yourself so you left him to die by fire and Daijirō got him out. You also spared his daughter because she would have no memory of that night and now she's with him. You killed all your agents that night so I wouldn't find out you willingly let one of them live."
"I know I made a few mistakes but…"
"A few? You don't seem to understand the gravity of this situation, Hizashi even if I decide not to kill you for all of this; you are as good as dead. Hayato will have your head and will come for mine. He's more resourceful than his father and smarter. He's always 2 steps ahead; I'll come for you once I've taken care of this." Chairman Fukuda said.
"There you go again, giving them more credit than they deserve. I'm your son goddamnit!"
"Then act like it. I never regretted taking in Daijirō, he was the son I always wanted but he kept his family away from my reach. Kids with a bloodlust that would benefit me, I've always regretted killing him but it had to be done. You can say I was a bad father but so are you; you've neglected your own daughter giving Ichika all your time while she struggles for your approval. Your daughters are even better than you Hizashi; you're a worm, just die already." He coughed badly while hanging up. Hizashi yelled with tear filled eyes and smashed his phone on the floor. Niko was outside the office eavesdropping so she decided to help her father gain the Chairman's acceptance like she did when she made the XK-20 by reducing the deadly toxins in the XK-27 which Hizashi failed at. She decided to catch Jack and June on her own or at least triangulate their location.
Jack's Hide Out…
Everyone was seated and silence filled the atmosphere when suddenly Jack blacked out. He woke up inside the burning house and Enji was there too.
"What's happening Jack? I can't move." Enji said.
"I don't know, something just dragged me down here. I can't move either." They suddenly heard a noise at the far corner of the house. Something was trying to break through the floor boards.
"It can't be…" Jack muttered in shock.
"What can't be…? What's coming out of there?" Enji asked worried, "Is it another personality?" Enji watched in fear. The floor bursts open and a little kid steps out with tears in his eyes. With each step he took towards the door, the fire slowly went out.
"Who's that and why is he crying?" Enji asked.
"Huh!" Jack sighed, "That's Hayato Arai, the core persona. He's hid himself down there and cried for over eighteen years. I tried to break open the floor but it wouldn't open." Jack answered. Hayato opened the door and looked back at them.
"Thank you Jack… And you too Enji." He said and stepped out.
"Jack are you alright?" Antonio asked after he collapsed. Jack slowly got up trying to understand where he was, he suddenly saw June and ran to her and gave her a big hug.
"What's happening?" June asked confused.
"Ichika, it's really you. You've grown very big and beautiful." Hayato said with a big smile on his face.
"Hayato? My… Brother? That's you?" She asked.
"Yes!" He replied enthusiastically, "I'm starving, hey Mr. Do you have something good to eat?" He asked Antonio who was completely confused.
"Me? Umm… I think so, check the fridge." Antonio replied and they watched Jack run over to the fridge like a little kid and took out an ice cream. "He just called me Mr." Antonio whispered to June.
"What's happening to him? Did the news about us being related break him more?"
"No, I think hearing his little sister was still alive brought a little bit of light into his darkness and he regained control of his body again. Jack told me that the XK-27 completely split them in two at the age of eight. He never surfaced again and left Jack in charge of his body. If I'm right, his mind never grew passed that age and that's why he is acting like a kid." Antonio said.
"This is just so confusing. I love Enji, Jack is a bit much and my big brother that I didn't know I had are all in one body. I slept with my brother, God!" She muttered.
"Technically, you slept with Enji not Hayato." Antonio tried to make her feel better.
"Last time I checked siblings are bonded by blood regardless of their state of mind. Huh!" She smacked her forehead, "My dad really broke him."
"Ichika! Want some? It's really good, he has different flavours." Hayato said carrying the ice creams over to June. She felt sorry for everything he had been through and decided to spend time with him. He handed her a spoon and they spent time eating and talking.
"You're dating Enji? He didn't tell me, I thought you would have gone for Jack instead." Hayato said.
"Wait you've met them? Where are they?"
"Yes. They're back at the house; I saw them when I was coming out. The fire is gone now so they'll be fine." Hayato replied.
"House? Our family house that burned down years ago." June asked.
"June, don't dig up suck traumatic memories." Antonio said. Hayato suddenly dropped his spoon and looked at the two of them for a while. They froze wondering if he was going to freak out.
"It's okay really. Now I see why Mum and Dad fought so hard with their dying breath to make sure I survived. They must have known you were safe and wanted us to take care of each other." He picked up the spoon and continued eating.
"He's surprisingly taking this whole thing well." Antonio said and later left to make sure their location was still safe and prepare for Jack's next attack.
"Can you tell me about our parents?" June asked, a bright smile appeared on Hayato's face and his mouth ran wild. June was happy to see him so excited; the way he talked about them made her wish she took Hayato's place.
"What now?" Enji asked when they were finally able to move.
"We leave him alone with his sister. She's the main reason he hid himself, he felt he wasn't even able to save her." Jack replied.
"He was six, he couldn't do much." Enji sat down comfortably took a good look at the house. Their family picture was there and they looked happy.
"Every single time you took control of the body, I would appear here and memories of that night replayed over and over again in front of me. All I can do now is to avenge him." Jack muttered. They remained there waiting for Hayato to return.
"It's been a week now; I want to see my girlfriend." Enji whined.
"You're forgetting that she's his sister too and this is his body too which you used to commit incest." Jack said.
"In my defence, I didn't know all that." Enji said.
"Now that you know, will you leave her alone?" Jack asked. Enji was speechless, his lips couldn't even move. He just sat there looking at him. "I thought as much, I don't care what either of you do but don't get in my way. I must make the Fukuda pay."
"Someone's coming!" Antonio yelled, "I think your sister found us." He said to June. Hayato quickly started packing some of the things June bought for him. "What are you doing? Leave it, give Jack control." Antonio said.
"No! I'll protect my sister myself." Hayato said with a furious look in his eyes, it scared Antonio. June quickly geared up while Hayato grabbed his swords.
"Are those enough?" June asked.
"Dad thought me his two-sword style, I think I can fight." The area was surrounded, luckily Jack and Antonio had rigged the whole place with traps and the agents sent by Niko kept setting them off. Few assassins managed to block their path when they took an underground tunnel but before their eyes, Hayato took care of them with just his swords.
"What kind of training does an eight year old have to go through to be that good?" Antonio muttered to himself while they kept running. They got to a tube which led to a boat that took them out to sea and they went to another base while the old one went up in flames as a security measure in case they ever left in a hurry, the enemy won't learn much about them or their next move.
"Why did you launch an all out attack?" Hizashi yelled at Niko who reported her activities to him.
"Maybe they died in the explosion?" She said trying to calm him.
"I think history has proven that fire is nothing to those two. You should have let me handle this!" He paced about his office.
"They have someone who's better than me. He discovered what I found out at the same time as me. I had to mobilize every Agent I could before they escaped. I did it for you so you could show granddad that you're as good as June's father." She said and bursts out in tears. Hizashi exhaled and looked at her; he drew her close and hugged her.
"You've done so well Niko, I'm sorry if I never acknowledged you the way I did with June. You are better than me, smarter even. I kept my distance from you because you reminded me so much of your mother. She was the best thing to ever happen to me and it was hard to lose her. I'm proud of the woman you've become, you're just like her. Thank you for sticking with me through everything." Hizashi said holding onto her. She had waited to hear her father say those words and finally see her. Now she's motivated to do everything for him even fight her sister June.
"Hell no!" Jack said and forced his way through the door dragging Hayato back to the house when June asked Hayato to help her break into Fukuda Inc. "We're not going to Fukuda Inc." He said to her.
"I know that attitude, it's you, Jack. I need all my research papers before you blow it up. Unlike you I want to save people." June argued. "Think about it, we attack Fukuda and while they're distracted, we hit them directly at Dad's mansion and end it all."
"Her plan is actually good. Disorient the enemy, they won't have time to think things through and then hit em with a final blow." Antonio supported June. Jack sighed and decided to go ahead with the plan. June went to get ready; they were going to end everything in one night.
"Hey Tony, what do you think is wrong with me? I tried to kill June thrice but my hands always froze, do you think it's because she's Hayato's sister?" Jack asked.
"No, Hayato wasn't aware of that at the moment. I think it was Enji, love affects us in different ways, I guess it made him more confident and his will to keep her safe stopped you." Antonio said, "Now Hayato is in the picture and the two of them want to keep her safe at any cost, that means…"
"It means they might decide to sacrifice themselves for her and I might die. I know we aren't friends but can I ask you for a favour?" Antonio nods, "It's almost certain I'll die tonight, take care of June. Hayato created me; I know he'll rather save her than get revenge. We don't have much time to live anyways." He coughed up blood right in front of Antonio and quickly pulled out an inhaler which had the XK he had tried to purify in it, which kept him going all these years.
"Someone broke into the company!" Hizashi said as soon as the alarm went off in his mansion. "We have to get there quickly, I'm sure it's Hayato and June. Call all the agents!" He ordered Niko.
"No Dad, they're coming here, the break in is probably a distraction to leave us unguarded. Trust me, I know how June thinks. Get ready for war." Niko said and gathered all agents and fortified the mansion. Hizashi waited for them downstairs with a good number of agents but they dropped from the sky and onto the roof. Niko had already anticipated that too and guards were everywhere in the building in high numbers. They jumped onto the glass balcony and agents had them surrounded them, Hayato dropped a smoke bomb and sliced through them while June laid low and shot them down from the feet making it easier for Hayato to cut through them. They both had rabbit masks on with dried up blood stains on it. It looked like Daijirō's own but it was theirs and was significant to each. The Chairman got the alert of the break in and accessed live footage of the company and saw people in rabbit masks looting the whole place, they also easily bypassed all traps and security systems which meant the alarm was to distract them. He accessed live footage of cameras he secretly planted in Hizashi's mansion and saw the chaos that was occurring.
"June or should I say Ichika, fight me!" Niko challenged her. June accepted and asked Hayato to go ahead but he refused, Jack quickly took over and dragged him back to the house where Enji was supposed to hold him back. Jack ran ahead shooting down everything on sight. They kept in touch through a wireless receiver Antonio gave them, he handled the break-in operation at the Fukuda Inc. Jack ran into a little girl whom Hizashi had recently adopted and was probably going to raise as an assassin.
"What's a little girl doing here? Probably an assassin in training, It's better to end her." He said and quickly pulled out a gun to shoot her but June heard him and begged him not to kill her. His hands froze again; it seemed Enji was obeying her. The effects of the XK-27 were either deteriorating or he was weakening. He hissed and went pass her moving down to where Hizashi was.
"I don't want to kill you, we were sisters." June said.
"Kill me? You're definitely too overconfident don't you think? We're not sisters, just because you're an Arai doesn't mean you'll win. Dad trained me secretly and I endured a lot just to be as strong as you and honestly I think I'm better than you now." Niko said.
"Don't do this Niko. What Dad did to my family was unforgiveable, you know that."
"Maybe but he's still my father, I'll die for him anytime." Niko said and leaped at June. Both went straight into hand to hand combat.
"You finally made it Hayato." Hizashi said once Jack dropped in leaving ten dead bodies on the floor. "I told Daijirō this would happen."
"Uncle Hizashi, you don't look well." Hayato said right after dragging Jack back in. Jack was worried he wouldn't be able to take on Hizashi since he was still a kid.
"You could have left with your sister and lived happily somewhere safe instead you chose vengeance and put her in danger."
"We both know you'll come after us to end everything. That night proves it. Enough talk." Hayato started slashing while all the agents outside ran and started shooting at him. They seemed a lot for Hayato to handle but then Antonio showed up in a chopper and shot straight into the leaving room and didn't stop. Hizashi hid while all his agents all fell, his ammo finished and he flew away.
"It seems we're alone." Hizashi said with a smile and quickly shot at Hayato who quickly slid down dodging the bullets and swung his swords cutting his pistols in half. Hizashi smiled, the whole place was littered with guns. He quickly picked up a pair and it soon became a shootout. Hayato soon gave in and let Jack take over, his aim was better and precise. Hizashi was shocked at how he got instantly better but then remembered he had other personas that might be better than him. June quickly rushed down after a bloody battle with Niko, her face was bleeding, body aching and gasping for air.
"What happened to you?" Jack asked while still shooting Hizashi from behind a chair.
"I killed her." June said, "Do you know what the worst part is, I enjoyed it, I loved the rush I got from piercing her skin with my dagger and watching the light fade from her eyes." June said and left Jack spooked.
"I'm the one with 3 personalities but girl you need help, that's dark, even for me." Jack said. Hizashi knew Niko wasn't a match for June after what he saw her do when she was little. June quickly shot Hizashi's gun off his hand when he tried to shoot and Jack shot his other arm and his leg. They both started firing at him but intentionally missed vital spots to make him die with pain. In the heat of the moment June kissed Jack and was mesmerized by him covered in blood. While Hizashi bled out, they made out in front of him. June looked around to make sure no one else was coming, as she entered the room again Hizashi with his dying strength pointed a gun at her.
"I'll at least take one of you with me." He muttered and shot at her.
"Ichika!" Hayato yelled and dove right in front her taking the bullet to the heart which XK had almost destroyed already. He fell on his knees but June caught him before he reached the floor. She took off her mask and held him close.
"I guess this is it June. I enjoyed every moment with you, thanks for going out with me." Enji said and vanished.
"If it were to me you would be dead but they chose to save you. Finish what we started and end the Fukuda." Jack said and vanished.
"Stay with me, don't go…" June cried.
"They're already gone; I can feel myself slipping away too." Hayato said, "We were going to die anyways but I'm glad I got to spend some time with my baby sis and fight by her side. Mum and Dad will be happy to know you're okay. Live no matter what sis." Hayato said and slowly gave up. June cried while Hizashi watched as he too slipped away. Suddenly she got up and walked over to Hizashi, her face completely void of emotion, she brought out her dagger kept cutting up Hizashi making sure he was still alive to feel the pain. She opened up his stomach, cut off his fingers, his ears and took out one of his eyeballs. She sat down like a little girl and played with his body while he screamed in pain. She suddenly looked behind her to the hidden camera.
"I'm coming for you." She said calmly and continued slicing up Hizashi. Fear gripped the Chairman as he watched such grotesque and bizarre manner of murder.
"What have we created?" The Chairman asked himself trembling with fear.
The End...