POV : Tiêuve Ngọc La
She, and the rest of the working girls are the brothel sat in the common room watching the channel broadcasting the anti-ABB protest. Given the huge attention the area, the brothel had been shut down, cleaned of evidence, and closed until the situation stabilized.
This left everyone without much to do as they weren't allowed to leave regardless of what occurred, the guards patrolling the building were primarily paid to keep them prisoner, rather than protecting the property from outside intrusion.
"Do any of you think this will do anything?" the seventeen-year-old Catrina asks the rest of the room, eyeing the T.V screen with scorn and helplessness.
"No..." the twenty-year-old Luo mutters, habitually squeezing her hands together to endure how anxious she is.
"You all know what I think... The government is in on it." Xiulan growls, most didn't think her wrong either given the times they'd had to service the Police Chief...
*Boom!*
The eruption from the T.V interrupts the argument, the broadcast flickering and swaying nauseatingly as the cameraman flees from the scene. They didn't even get to see the origin of the attack, but most could make a could guess with everything they knew.
"Oni Lee..."
Tieu can't force herself to raise her cup of tea to her mouth, the chance of Kieu or one of her friends being injured in the blast souring even the act of breathing.
Once the broadcast is recovered, they're shown a chaotic and emptying street, a small crater in the middle of the road and people running all over the place. The cameraman was doing his best to capture everything but there were too many points of interest to keep his focus.
Minutes pass, and eventually it centers on Armsmaster who'd arrived atop his Tinkertech motorbike. Only for his discussion with Assault and Battery to be interrupted by a young, shirtless and blood-covered teen.
"T-that's-!" Tieu sucks in a breath at the sight of Kieu, what on earth was he doing there!?
"You know him, miss Tieu?"
"M-My son."
"Poor boy! Is he hurt?"
"You don't have to watch this, Tiêuve."
"No. I must." she sharply retorts just as Kieu starts berating the hero.
"Fuck off you smarmy armoured cunt!" her adopted son's voice echoes through the room, and everyone stays silent as they watch the confrontation. It strikes deeply with them, the fact the PRT hadn't lifted a finger in their stead drawing their ire almost as much as their captors.
They were stuck suffering here while the heroes slept comfortably on 'The Rig'. It made me angry, resentful, and appreciative of the boy illuminating the hypocrisy of it all.
Unfortunately, once the rant was done and the boy had run off, the door to the room clicked open and an ABB gangster walked to Tieu's side. "Come with me."
...
No one speaks up, not daring to draw attention to themselves. They knew what was happening, the boy had broken the rules, the mother and son would both pay for it. When Tieu was gone with the gangster, most of the women broke down and sobbed at the cruelty of it all.
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POV : Kieu
*Beep-Beep-Beep*
"Kieu? Are you alright? You weren't near the attack were you?" Amy's tired voice asks over the phone as I make my way up the steps of the apartment building.
"I'm fine. Murata Hotaro and Takeshita Hotaro, have you seen them yet? They were next to the explosion."
"I-maybe? I don't get to see names with so many people needing me." she admits, "Even now I barely have a minute break to myself." she says, and I can hear yelling in the background of the call. "I need to go, I'll try look for them. Sorry."
I sigh, "It's alrig-"
*Beep!*
The call cuts off as I reach my apartment, but I don't enter as I spot a letter nailed to my door. "To Kieu Ngọc La..."
I feel my stomach drop as I open it, "Kieu. You warned of what would befall your mother should you step out of line. Your words with Armsmaster were well said, but you should have kept the target of your anger centred solely on the PRT. You crossed the line.
But. We are merciful. We will give you a chance to save your mother. On the back of this letter you will find directions to her location, follow fast enough and you may have something to salvage. We deeply regret that it has come to this, but understand it is a consequence of your own actions.
With regards, your Masters..."
I barely restrained myself from crumpling the paper. Why didn't I think of the cameras around!? Of course they'd be recording the heroes...
"Tieu!" I growl, turning the paper over and sprinting out of the apartment. I didn't care if it was a trap or not, they could have nabbed me instead of sending a letter. If there was chance of the letter be true I wasn't gonna dismiss it.
---------------------------
My legs ached as I sprinted from one side of the city to the other, dressed in only a shirt and bloody trousers, the coagulated fluids still clinging to my arms and under my fingernails. I didn't acknowledge it and continued running, playing along with the wild goose chase I'd been set upon.
As soon as I reached one location I'd find another message, sending me elsewhere. I'd been at it for hours now, and despite my exhaustion, I hadn't slowed...
I was back in ABB territory, a couple blocks from the brothel that held Tieu. I followed the directions into an alleyway, behind a large apartment complex where the dumpsters were located... My step slowed to a halt as I spotted some ABB members, dressed in the familiar colors of their gang.
They dump bags of trash into a pile, making snide remarks to each other in Japanese before eventually leaving for more... I search for another message, but after a minute of not finding one my phone beeps, alerting me to a text.
From an anonymous number, "Not fast enough. Feel free to say one last goodbye, face to face."
...
Confused and desperate, I drift from enraged to terrified. Dropping to my knees, I tear open one of the trash bags the gangsters tossed earlier and am immediately met with the stench of iron. It was too dark to see inside so I reached in, pulling out a clump of tangled hair with cracked human teeth intermingled within it.
I gag but reach inside again, blood within the bag staining my shirt up to the shoulder. I grasp something, and retrieve a hand this time... Formerly delicate, pried-off nails, and a familiar ring on an index finger.
A ring Tieu refused to take off.
"Kojiki!? Get out of here you rat!" the ABB gangsters had returned with more bags, bags that likely contained pieces of Tieu...
"H-hey! Wh-what the fuck is this!?" they shout as my everything goes black.
A kaleidoscope of colours.
Beings of impossible size and complexity.
Worms gnawing at my brain.
----------------------------
*Drip...*
*Drip...*
*Drip...*
What...?
I blink and squeeze my thumb and index finger together, feeling the warm blood between them. I don't understand...?
I was pulling pieces of Tieu out of the trash and then...
Turning my head, I look upon the blood, gore, and viscera lining the ground. It wasn't Tieu, but the gangsters from earlier. And I was covered in their blood.
I don't understand.
I swallow and grimace, only now realizing that my mouth might somehow be even bloodier than my hands. I felt like I'd gurgled coins, the taste of iron was almost acidic in my mouth.
Had I done this...?
They got what they deserved.
Did I do it?
It felt good, the blood on my skin.
How?
Why not?
Who's in my head...?
Who else?
This isn't me...
It is now.
*Clap... Clap... Clap...*
"Well done!" Nishihara's voice exclaims from further down the alleyway, a large bodyguard standing at his side, along with Oni Lee leaning against a wall.
"Well done...?" I parrot, throat hoarse. I run my tongue along my teeth and blink at the sensation. My tongue was rough like it had barbs attached to it? And my teeth, it felt like I had fangs, pronounced upper and lower canines you'd only see on predators.
"Indeed! Well done for becoming the ABB's third cape!"
"Cape?" the haze of my mind lessened at that. "Like them? Lung and Lee...?"
"Of course! You're on the roster."
"N-no. No." I growl, feeling the world spin at the very thought of becoming even slightly like them. "No!" I snap and find myself charging at Nishihara, my hand lunging forward and my nails lengthened into small lethal knives of keratin.
*Crack!*
I hit the wall and collapsed to a knee, courtesy of the kick to the liver from Oni Lee. He stands over me with a dangerous-looking tanto ready to cut me down.
"Now, now! We can discuss this like adults!" Nishihara states.
"You killed Tieu!" I shout, only pausing my tirade from the blade now pushing against my neck.
Nishihara smiles almost smugly, "You'll find that we haven't just yet. Your mother is safe and sound in a hidden location. We've moved her for-ah, our own protection. Now, seeing as you breached our last contract, I have half a mind to do away with you entirely... But, as your value has increased, I'm willing to grant some leniency. An update to our contract."
...
"I saw her body..." I growl, the action sounding far more bestial than I was used to.
"You saw someone's body. This was a play, boy. Don't mistake my words, I was fully intending on removing you, but the chance of inducing a Trigger was too captivating. Of course, controlling you would be an issue, an issue solved by not rushing your mother's execution."
...
I glare at him, hopefuly that Tieu was alive and on the border of trying to tear his throat out. Seeing me not respond, he continues.
"Now, we've hidden her away somewhere you won't ever find to assure your compliance... You have three choices. The first, you accept your fate and join us. The second, you resist and die, followed shortly by your mother, if my men don't decide to keep her alive for some time... Third, you somehow escape, joining the PRT in some worthless attempt to fight back. Should that happen we will release the recordings and evidence of your crimes, including the murder of that innocent young Merchant woman... So, do we have a deal?"
The answer, as despicable as it is, was obvious.
"Yes..." I quietly say, almost mumbling.
"Hm?" Nishihara hums as if not hearing me correctly.
"Yes." I utter louder.
"Good!" he says, taking a large jacket from his bodyguard and tossing it over me. "Go home, clean up, and rest for the night. I will send someone to you in the morning. Agreed?"
I nod and stand as Oni Lee withdraws the blade from my neck.
"Subarashii, Kaibyō-chan." he sarcastically says and then leaves without another word, his bodyguard and Oni Lee following after him.
...
Once he's gone I look back down at hand, finding the claws to be gone, replaced with my regular nails. I have actual powers now? Why do I feel worse now than before...
Because you lie.
About what?
Everything.