It has been a long time since she felt this kind of rage – a level so intense that she has no qualms about trying to kill a person. After all, back at Krama, killing is a regular occurrence… right?
That's why after punching him straight in the face and noticing how deep the crack is after being thrown directly to the wall, the little autumn felt no remorse, no mercy, and most of all, no pity towards the old man who's now coughing blood out due to the intensity of her punch.
She doesn't like to hurt her fellow number, but after seeing what he had done to her dear family? Enough is enough!
'More…' She thought to herself while taking a step forward, eyes gazing hazardously at the bloody old man. 'Dismember him, sever his head, make him wish he was dead.'
But before she could even take another step, a few hands tried to grab her arm, forcing her to whip her head and witness countless police officers trying to bring her down. Some even had their guns out and were aimed toward her.
"…"
"Ha!" It's laughable, really. Even after doing nothing to protect her dear friend, they still dared to try and stop her, her of all people!
"Grab her!"
"Restrain them both!"
"Miss Aki, please! Calm down!"
'Calm down?' Chuckling, she lowered herself and purposely tripped the nearest officer, forcing him to tumble on the ground. That momentum was all she needed before intentionally grabbing his leg and throwing it on the group of officers who had their guns out. Even if the others were still clutching her arms, such strength wasn't enough to pin her down.
After all, she's a 'Numbered'. A human who was experimented on for years. Acquiring such an abnormal physique is a normal occurrence for them.
But unfortunately, for the people who don't know of it, seeing her prowess left them speechless, bewildered, and most of all,
Terrified.
It's as if a monster had stepped inside their establishment and would soon destroy the very facility that is seen as the city's protector.
So, without even giving them the time to recover, the little autumn immediately twirled around, sending the people who were grabbing her arms elsewhere, as if some kind of force was able to pull them apart from her. But in reality, she was simply too strong - a strength that doesn't befit the capabilities of a normal human being.
And then the sound of a gunshot echoed through the room.
If it wasn't for her heightened senses, surely, her leg would have been shot. It was moments like this that the little autumn couldn't help but acknowledge how useful those experiments were. Painful, yes, but if the outcome was a success, the Numbered will turn into creatures that either transcend human capabilities or become inferior and die.
Thankfully, she was the former.
"Are you an idiot?!" Even with all her rage consuming her sense, she could at least decipher whose voice cried out. "She's a victim! Why are you shooting her?!"
"…"
'Officer Ain…' Chuckling at how ironic his statement was, the little autumn continued her advance. 'If only we had someone like you, back in the day.'
But it's too late.
Too late for anything to change.
That's why she immediately stepped on the old man's stomach upon reaching where he lay, eyes blazing at the intensity of her rage. He continued to spit blood out as he tries to wiggle his way out, pushing the little autumn to lift her foot and strike him for the second time.
"Yuzu!"
Ignoring her call, Aki finally pulled him by his shirt, readying herself to punch his bloody face. It was there that she noticed that he was crying, begging her to stop.
She knew that he was speaking, she could clearly see his mouth moving. But for some unfathomable reason, she just… completely blocked him out. Aki doesn't want to hear his excuses, his begging, and his plead for her to stop.
Because she won't, not until she sees his miserable and worthless self lying dead on the floor.
So with one last pull, she was about to land her critical blow when someone deliberately stopped her by looping their arm on hers, while the other person held on to her waist and covered her eyes.
"Cassandra!" The little autumn cried out, knowing full well whose hands were blocking her vision. "Let me go!"
"No!" As if to prove her statement, her grip on the little autumn's waist tightened, just as the other person who was holding her arm slightly tugged on it as well. "Don't pull too hard, Ain! No matter how strong she is, there's a limit to how much her body can endure!"
"I know!" Grunting, Officer Ain pleaded. "Miss Aki, please! You have to calm down!"
'Why?'
'Why must I endure this atrocious ordeal?'
'Why can't I simply end his pathetic life?!'
"He wounded you!" The little autumn bellowed, closing her eyes from the barrage of emotions she was currently trying to keep at bay - desperately trying but was proven to have failed. "Why do you stop me? He… he almost…"
'Took you away from me.'
"..."
"I know…" It came as a whisper, those words of affirmation. And the tone she used held just a pint of regret and a whole lot of guilt. But the little autumn didn't want to hear that, she did not want to hear any of it. She knows the level of morality her dear friend holds, and Aki doesn't need anyone to reiterate to her how forgiving Cassandra Lou is.
Those words of hers - two, simple, words - were enough for Yuzuru Aki to understand her friend's intent in wanting to keep the old man alive. After all, he is a fellow 'Number', isn't he?
But so what?
At the end of the day, he wounded her.
It was enough for the little autumn to see him as an enemy.
That's why…
"Let me go, Cassandra." Yuzuru Aki mumbles under her breath, all the while trying to escape from their clutches. She felt their grip tightening, a sign that her strength was enough to overthrow them both. "He doesn't deserve to live… not after what he had done!"
"That's why!" Please…
'Don't let him take you away from me.'
But just when the little autumn was about to escape from their clutches, just when she was about to lay her hands on the man who almost took everything from her, Cassandra opened her mouth and spoke.
"Count your most valued numbers." She began, making the little autumn flinch after hearing that familiar line. "And let the dagger rest in its sheath."
"Cassandra…" Aki whispered, knowing full well where this is going. "S-stop it."
But contrary to her wish, her friend continued to say, "Think of the plants, animals, the sky, and the flowers. List all of those beautiful things… and breathe. 0, 4, 8, 9, 11, 14, 17, 30, 56, 57, 64, 68, 86, and lastly, 90."
Noticing the little autumn's body beginning to slump, Cassandra's next words eventually came out as a whisper, prompting the other police officers to finally put their guns down as they all witness this sentimental yet tragic scene.
"Don't join the seven numbers," Cassandra says, laying her head down on the little autumn's shoulder, tears begging to fall down her cheeks. "And try to live… for the sake of the remaining half."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Yuzu?" Noticing that the little autumn has not yet reacted after hearing those words, Cassandra slowly lifted her head and eventually removed her hand that was covering her friend's eyes. "Yuzu why aren't you-"
But the question she wanted to ask immediately died down after finally noticing the blank and lifeless look of the little autumn. With her short black hair almost covering half of her face, pale complexion, and most of all, numb and downcasted gaze, it was at that moment whereupon the blonde lady had realized what she had done, and how broken Yuzuru Aki had finally become.
"I'm sorry." Her apology came off as a reflex, as Cassandra immediately turned the body of the little autumn to embrace it within her arms. "I'm so… sorry, Yuzu. Please forgive me. I won't… I'll make sure to survive up until the end. Do you hear me? Just… Please just… come back to me."
After taking a long and sharp breath, Aki's next words eventually made even the most hostile man in the room drop his gun, especially after realizing just how much has these two suffered to reach this kind of situation.
"You're alive," Aki whispers, prompting her dear friend to tighten her hold around her.
"Idiot," Cassandra replies, as tears have finally flowed down her cheeks. "I kept on calling your name out earlier. Of course, I'm alive."
"But you're hurt."
Flinching, Cassandra took a few seconds before replying. "That doesn't mean that I died. I'm still here, alive and breathing."
"..."
With the little autumn finally registering the meaning behind those words, she then laid her head on Cassandra's hair and said, "Thank goodness."
Humming, Cassandra could only tighten her embrace while ignoring the looks that they were receiving. After all, calming her dear friend's rage is at the top of her priority list.
And deep inside, the little autumn knew that. Deep inside, she knew how toxic her dependency is on her dear and fellow Number.
But she couldn't survive without it. She wouldn't have been able to live through those hellish times without relying on somebody.
As toxic as it is, it was their only way to survive in this goddamn world.
*****