"You can't hide for long." Akira smashed the shelves and boxes with her large scythe. The violette who was hiding behind the dented boxes scurried out of the spot and slammed the pipe on the side of Akira's head, knocking off her mask.
All four of them watched the woman's mask fall to the ground. Akira couldn't believe Shinobu did such a thing. This made her extremely furious that she raised her scythe again in front of Shinobu who observed her carefully.
"HOW DARE YOU! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!"
Shinobu blocked Akira's scythe with the pipe and stayed her ground which was now a challenge for her, given the heavy weight of the scythe and the fragility of the pipe; it could break at any moment and Akira was very much aware of it, hence she pushed the scythe down further, straining Shinobu's arms that were doing their best to keep up with the exerted pressure.
The events happening upstairs were affecting the rest of the levels, cracks started forming on the ceiling that was on the verge of collapsing.
Yushiro jumped away from the spot that was piling up with debris from the ceiling. On the other hand, Kaito was now dealing with the dust and falling pieces from the ceiling. The man slashed all the pieces in his peripheral vision. Fear struck him at the thought of getting trapped in this place or worse. Akira was still fighting with Shinobu she didn't seem to be paying attention to the upcoming disaster that was about to take place soon.
Now that Kaito was distracted, Yushiro took the chance to tackle him to the ground, preventing him from getting up with the strength he had. Kaito tried to push Yushiro away but he couldn't, the teen was determined to take him down.
Meanwhile, Shinobu was fighting her way out of her struggle against the scythe that was about to crush the pipe she was holding. Yushiro ran towards Akira and pushed her away as she stumbled back in shock from the sudden ambush.
Before Akira could say a word, she saw Kaito lying on the floor both of his katanas scattered across the room. A wave of helplessness dawned on her. This can't be possible.
"Do you meddling kids really think you can run from us that easily? Perhaps we've been a little too nice, time to step things up." Akira swung her scythe around and pointed it at both Shinobu and Yushiro.
"We're not afraid." Yushiro growled stepping back alongside Shinobu who got the pipe ready in case Akira decided to attack them with the scythe again, which was likely.
"Stay close to me Yushiro, this is another surprise attack that's all she's capable of doing." Shinobu told Yushiro who nodded.
Those words made Akira curl her fingers. "Brats, how are you still confident about what you're doing? This going to be another foolish mistake!"
Suddenly the ground began shaking violently that even the ceiling was breaking apart.
Everyone in the room looked up and saw the ceiling that was about to collapse at any second. Both Shinobu and Yushiro made a run for it to the exit, confronting Akira was going to be a risky move given the situation.
Akira waited for Kaito who had taken off his loose mask, to catch up with her, when he did they both ran towards the exit where their two captives had just left.
The light on the ceiling became flimsy as half of it had detached from the surface, hanging loosely from its position.
Both Akira and Kaito had left their weapons behind. They had no other choice but Akira deemed it unfair as this was an intrusion into their plans. She was determined to track down those two once this was over.
Akira was now close to the exit as she dashed past the rubble.
However before Kaito could even catch up with her, the man stopped in his tracks as a large object fell on him, crushing Kaito in an instant.
"NO! KAITO GET OUT OF THERE!" Akira cried as she ran towards the pile of rubble that Kaito was buried under.
"Hey watch out it's too dangerous!" Yushiro told the woman who ran back to the center of the room, she was only a few feet away from the exit.
Both Shinobu and Yushiro stood there in the dark while Akira pushed aside the rubble and held onto Kaito whose breathing became shallow. He was bruised and weak from the impact. Akira's tears fell the moment she saw Kaito with his half-lidded eyes and blood flowing from the side of his mouth.
"Akira... you can't stay here..." Kaito's voice was barely a whisper which was making Akira anxious.
"We're getting out of here together Kaito, I can't just leave you here we're so close."
"Go on Akira... leave this place. You have a long life ahead of you."
Akira burst into tears and choked on her words. "Don't say that Kaito you're going to be fine! The exit is just right there we'll make it-"
"Listen Akira, I can't move that much anymore." Kaito gestured to the scars and bruises on his knees that Akira noticed followed by the amount of rubble and pieces from the ceiling light burying his feet.
Akira couldn't accept this reality, Kaito, her partner that she always stood side-by-side with was about to leave her, all by herself.
"Take care Akira and stay strong. Don't let the past hold you back, it's not worth it for a gem like you. Certain things aren't worth fighting for."
Both Shinobu and Yushiro watched as Kaito closed his eyes and fell limp. Akira stayed still like a statue, staring at her partner who had succumbed to his injuries.
Releasing her hold, Akira leaped back as a large part of the ceiling came crashing down where Kaito laid.
After a while, Akira left the area. Shinobu and Yushiro watched the approaching woman who now looked haggard. She stared at the ground in shock unable to comprehend the fact that the person she felt the most comfortable with was gone.
"Why are things always like this?" Akira gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in agitation. "Kaito was a kind person. He didn't deserve this!"
Before Shinobu and Yushiro could say a word, Akira took off down the halls towards the entrance screaming and crying out at the same time while the ground was shaking with debris falling from the ceiling.
Running down the hall, unsure of what's to come after this, Akira replayed Kaito's words over and over again in her mind, trying to make sense of what he was trying to say, as other thoughts came flooding in.
~~~
That day, Akira was sitting in the living room playing with her toy house when her dad came back from work with the unhappiest look on his face that she had ever seen him put up.
Naive as she was since Akira was only a young child at the time, she got up and sprinted towards the door in excitement, and when she almost got close to him, the man let out a cough of disgust and walked away quickly.
This was odd to Akira, she had never seen him so annoyed by her presence, let alone walk into the house like a zombie. She had a bad feeling about this, and asking questions about it might make things worse, so she decided to watch what he was going to do next.
"Honey you're back!" Akira's mother rushed towards her husband, only to be met with a stern look. She backed away, puzzled by this terrible mood he was having at home. Coming back home early on this day was, very unexpected.
Standing behind her mother in fear, Akira observed her father's behavior at the table carefully. This man didn't seem like her father, whoever this person was, Akira couldn't recognize him as her father.
"Don't even think about saying a word. I don't want to hear it."
Both Akira and her mother blinked in confusion. What's going on with him? They both thought as he got up and strolled towards the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of alcohol that he held on tightly to.
"Dear, we can talk later, go to your room." Nodding timidly, Akira ran up the stairs and watched her mother approach her father who was chugging down the bottle.
Akira's father spun around and threw the bottle at the corner of the living room he was clearly in a drunken state and wasn't thinking properly, but to his wife and daughter it seemed like he deliberately did that for other reasons.
"What's going on-"
"Can you be quiet?"
Both Akira and her mother were shocked by his aggressive response. Akira's father was a completely different person now, he was even toppling over the furniture and items in the living room without restraint. He had become senseless. This was scaring his family, they never felt so unsafe in their own house before.
And that was the only beginning, it turns out Akira's father lost his job that same day. He had been repulsive and grumpy ever since. The behaviors he displayed from that day never ceased, it went on every single day, which led to Akira developing a fear of the surroundings at home, something that she struggled to manage with. The horrors of the dangers of crossing paths with her aggressive father were haunting.
There was no income coming in, money was tight and there were constant arguments between Akira's mother and father that lowered her self-esteem and hopes.
Akira's father would always talk about how unbearable both she and her mother were while drinking in the living room. The conversation would end with something getting thrown or shattered. Weekends weren't the same anymore, the family vibe had become non-existent and Akira was now living in her own world where she sought comfort in.
"I really wanna go to the funfair! It's going to be so much fun! Can we go there mom? Please." Despite the dread at home, Akira still kept her hopes and dreams close with her.
"Of course dear." Smiling, her mother patted her head. The spark that her daughter still had was admirable, her mother was proud of her. If only Akira's father saw the good side of things, then these problems they were facing would be solved.
Two weeks since their little conversation, Akira and her mother were now walking towards a building in town. The little girl was shivering in excitement, thinking about the funfair that she was convinced they were heading to.
Akira's mother looked ahead, caught up in her thoughts while Akira skipped down the path, sometimes dragging her mother by the hand to which they both found amusing.
Soon they arrived at their destination. Akira rushed into the building, followed by her mother who watched the state of things at the place.
There were chairs and tables around as children were running cheerfully with their friends. Akira was unable to keep her excitement, the girl sprinted towards the tables with crayons and papers on them.
Meanwhile, Akira's mother and another lady who was working at the place were speaking among themselves.
When Akira was done with her drawing and coloring, she got up and ran towards her mother. trying to hear the conversation.
The lady her mother was talking to held onto Akira's hand as her mother stepped away with a smile on her face that left Akira confused at that spare moment.
"I'll be back." She said and then slowly, the woman walked away.
Akira blinked a few times, confused as to why her mother was leaving her at this place. However the woman's words reassured her that this was only a temporary occasion and that there were other things she had to do while Akira enjoys her time here.
Or so she thought, for her mother never came back at all.
Akira sat on the couch thinking about recent events at the adoption centre and the family reunion that never happened, until two visitors came, a man and a woman in dark coats and shades, observing the place from where they were standing. They looked like agents of some sort.
The woman who spoke to her mother during their arrival at the place about two years ago approached them. Akira couldn't make out what they were talking about because of the loud noises but she could sense their gaze peering into hers for some reason. Surely they didn't know her did they? Akira had never seen these two people before.
Several minutes later, the woman called Akira who came up to them feeling a little nervous. During the two visitors' time at the adoption centre they had been keeping an eye on her and the other children, deciding who to take into their family and that's when they chose her.
From then on, Akira not only became a part of Shogo's family but she also trained to become the stealthiest assassin for Cryptic Sanctuary's missions. Shogo saw the potential in her and aimed to use it to the fullest.
She later met Kaito, who had been training under Shogo for months prior to her recruitment. It wasn't long until they became the most respectable team in all of Cryptic Sanctuary, Mr Moikawa didn't expect them to leave a long-lasting impression.
Akira had never felt any happier despite her role. This was an escape from her endless fears and problems. The very same ones that brought her here.