Yukimi stumbled through the door of her house, her face pale and sickly. She could barely utter a single word, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The moment Genta saw her, his eyes widened in alarm, and he rushed over, his heart pounding with worry.
His mind was filled with hundreds of questions like, who was the person who did this to her? what happened? Is she hurt?
How much damage does she take?
Is she hungry?
Do I need to call the hospital?
Will she need to go to emergency care?
Can she even stand?
"Yukimi!" he exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to steady her. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
He was glad that those were the words that came out of his mouth instead of the hundreds of other questions he had currently swirling in his mind.
Yukimi leaned against him, grateful for his support, but her mind was elsewhere. "Vail..." she managed to gasp out. "Vail is attacking."
For some reason, Genta felt as if he had expected this and he scolded himself for forgetting about Vail.
His wife almost died because of his....mistake.
Genta's brow furrowed at her words, his face tightening with concern. He quickly scanned her for any visible wounds, his hands trembling slightly as he checked for injuries. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
His hands scanned her body searching for any sign of a wound, his eyes eventually landed on the pretty hefty mark around her neck.
Where he could see some blood dripping out of her throat... Genta felt his blood pressure skyrocket for a second.
He was angry, enraged even but he managed to quickly calm himself down for her sake.
Yukimi shook her head weakly, forcing herself to speak despite the exhaustion and fear that gripped her. "Don't worry about me," she said, her voice stronger than she felt. "Tamaki and Hikaru... they need help. Vail is too strong for them. They might die. You have to go help them, Genta."
Genta's eyes widened with a mixture of fear and determination. He knew the situation was dire if Vail was involved. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the battle ahead. He gave Yukimi a reassuring squeeze, his voice calm but urgent.
"But what about you?"
"I will be fine," Yukimi said offering him a warm smile.
"You are injured, I would not be able to live with myself if you were hurt further" Genta held her body very close to his, she had drained all of her energy running back there.
He would not let her get hurt again.
"Don't worry about me, I will be fine, I promise!"
She had that jovial look on her face that made his heart skip a beat, it was as if he was being reminded of the reason why he fell in love with her, to begin with.
"I'll go," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "You stay here and rest. I'll make sure they come back safely."
Yukimi nodded, her eyes filled with a mixture of worry and trust. She watched as Genta grabbed his gear, his movements quick and efficient. He gave her one last look, filled with love and determination, before heading out the door.
Genta arrived at the battlefield, his heart racing and his eyes scanning the scene for any sign of Hikaru and Tamaki.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw the two boys lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless. But then he noticed an orange glow emanating from their belts, the healing energy slowly fading away as it worked its magic.
He recognized that energy, this was the same energy he saw his son use a few days ago in order to save Daiji.
He recognized that energy a bit too well as he knew who was the person who was skilled enough to do something like this.
The sight of them breathing heavily but otherwise okay brought a wave of relief crashing over him. Genta let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and whispered, "Thank you," his gratitude directed at whatever force had intervened to save them.
Meanwhile, far from the battlefield, Akaishi's face twisted with annoyance. Once again, his meticulously laid plans had unraveled. He had been ready to unleash an army of Gifterians to annihilate the Weekend base and end his enemies once and for all. But then, Gifu's voice echoed through the chamber, stopping him in his tracks.
"No, this is just getting entertaining," Gifu's voice was laced with amusement, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He stood before a grand chessboard, the pieces representing his allies and enemies. His eyes lingered on the king piece, the wild card in this intricate game.
Gifu's gaze then shifted to the rook piece, a reflection of Vail. "So this is what you're setting up, huh!" he said, excitement evident in his voice as he looked at the board. The rook piece representing Vail was positioned directly in front of another rook, this one symbolizing Genta.
Pov change
Aaron stood in front of the holographic simulation of Gifu, a scowl etched across his face as he glanced at his win-loss ratio.
Lose to Win ratio: {9,999 to 0}
"Goddamn, he is beating your ass!" Yami's demonic voice echoed in his mind, dripping with a mix of amusement and mockery.
Aaron sighed, clearly annoyed. "Yeah, it's a bit frustrating, but what can I say? He's basically a god."
"So was Suel," Yami retorted.
Aaron rolled his eyes, correcting him. "No, Suel was no god. He was just a man with an exoskeleton who happened to get lucky."
Yami snickered. "Doesn't change the fact that he had the power to kill some gods."
Aaron waved his hand dismissively. "Low-tier gods. Plus, there are some alien races even his ass wouldn't bother touching with a 100-foot-long pole. Reality warpers are such a bitch to fight!"
Aaron's tone shifted to a more mocking and humorous one. "I mean, Suel was the kind of guy who'd bring a rubber knife to a gunfight and still think he's winning. He probably thought he was invincible because he managed to beat a goddess of creations who were unaware of how to utilize her power"
"It's like me kicking down a toddler and saying I am the strongest or being cocky about it"
Yami chuckled at Aaron's jabs. "Yeah, well, you're not exactly in a position to talk with that win-loss ratio."
Aaron smirked, his frustration easing a bit. "True, but at least I'm aiming high. Besides, Gifu might be unbeatable, but he doesn't have my devilishly good looks and charming personality."
"Or your tendency to get your ass handed to you," Yami added with a laugh.
Aaron couldn't help but chuckle along. "Touché, Yami. Touché."
"Or your nonexistent ability to pull women" Yami added to which Aaron just looked annoyed.
"Ouch that hurt, you know"
Yami's voice resonated again, this time with a more serious tone. "You know, in a one-on-one fight, you stand no chance against Gifu. In any normal scenario, you'd lose."
Aaron nodded in agreement, his eyes drifting towards the Gambling Lion buckle on his belt. "Yeah, you're right. It's fun using it, but it wouldn't be much use against someone who can see the future. The whole point of the buckle is that it's a gamble, and if the other party already knows the result, then it loses its purpose."
A small black aura began to emanate from Aaron's body, gradually taking shape until it formed into the silhouette of Yami. The demon materialized beside him, a sly grin on his face.
"Oh come on, I'm not going to bite," Yami exclaimed, his eyes glinting mischievously.
Aaron chuckled, looking at his inner demon. "You say that now, but I still remember the time you almost had me jumping off a cliff just to prove a point."
Yami laughed, the sound echoing darkly. "Hey, it worked, didn't it? You learned how to fly."
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Barely. And I ended up with a sprained ankle for two weeks."
"Details, details," Yami waved his hand dismissively. "The point is, you have to be unpredictable. Gifu can see the future, sure, but he can't predict insanity. plus you and I both know you have a few screw loose up there"
"Ya think?"
Yami's form solidified further, taking on a more detailed and vibrant appearance. He stretched, cracking his knuckles with a dramatic flair. "You know, Aaron, we need to spice things up a bit. How about we throw in some interpretive dance moves while we're at it? Might confuse Gifu enough to give us an edge."
Aaron gave Yami a deadpan look. "Interpretive dance moves? Really? You do realize this isn't a circus, right?"
Huh, maybe his inner demon had inherited his insanity....granted Yami did say he was an amalgamation of all of his repressed emotions so it was just a matter of time before this emotion came out.
Yami grinned widely, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, come on! A little pizzazz never hurt anyone. Plus, think of the entertainment value. If we're going to get our butts kicked, we might as well make it a spectacle. We could sell tickets!"
Aaron sighed, shaking his head slowly. "You know, a week ago, you were asking me to commit mass genocide, and now you're talking about selling tickets to our fights."
This did get a chuckle out of him.
Yami shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, a demon's got to have range. Besides, if you can't laugh at the absurdity of it all, what's the point? Life's too short to be serious all the time. Especially when you're up against a god with a superiority complex."
Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stifle a groan. "I don't know what's worse—your psychotic tendencies or your newfound sense of humor."
Yami put a hand over his heart, feigning offense. "You wound me, Aaron. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Besides, we both know that my charm is one of my best qualities."
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Right up there with your penchant for chaos and destruction."
Yami smirked, leaning in closer. "Exactly! And it's that very penchant that's going to keep Gifu on his toes. So, let's go over the plan one more time. I distract him with my devilishly good looks and witty banter, and you hit him where it hurts. Literally and metaphorically."
"What kind of jokes do you have in mind?" Aaron said with a nonchalant look.
"You could try using your bull form and use your chainsaw and stick into Gifu---"
"I stop you right there, I know what you going to say, so don't say it"