Yakuza | DISCONTINUED | 2023 VERSION AVAILABLE NOW

Illumi: What the hell did I do to deserve this?

How interesting.

Leaning just a bit to my left I evade a Nen dart that came my way, and it pins itself to the soil instead. Shooting a blank stare to the direction of the source, I expected the hostility to waver; instead it heightened, enough to certainly catch Akira's attention. She might look enamored by the fireworks, but I've spent enough time around her to know she grasp her tendency to act.

The pursuer was on the other side of the river. Provided that I give enough effort, this could be moved along swiftly. He had been tailing us ever since I left the Yakuza Estate with Akira. He's seen me at a rare, vulnerable state, which should be enough of a reason to eliminate him, but he is also witness to my persuasions of Akira and has followed her from that point. It's strange, why every individual I desire to kill gives me more than enough reasons to do so.

I vaguely sense another projectile approaching, this time from behind and directed to the girl. Gingerly, I relocated myself to sit opposite her so we lean on each other's backs, before catching the bullet between my thumb and forefinger. It stubbornly kept spinning, causing me to waste a degree of my Ren in order to make it stop abusing my skin.

"So," I casually begin, "Fireworks, huh?"

"Yeah." replies the redhead, waving a hand to repel another projectile, "I think they're allegorical. Fireworks are loud, bright, but the night sky is calm, quiet, and tranquil. They're two sides of the same coin, unable to function without the other."

"Tell me, are you certain that you're an assassin?" I query, allowing a fraction of a smile to tug at my lips. She laughs, leaning back against my shoulder; something was caught aflame in front of me, which I then realized to be poison formed as a dart. Facing right, I produce a pin between my fingers and used it to deflect another oncoming knife.

"I don't feel like moving." the female states, much to my amusement. I pull myself from her back and expel my hostility towards a few areas before me. Their movements halt, before they begin to struggle. Half-heartedly I move and sneak up behind the nearest hitman, though from his reaction I would presume he only saw a blur. Changing my fingers' form accordingly, I relieve the man of a functioning heart before moving onto the rest of his comrades. I vaguely grew aware that Akira had begun to move as well, wiping out those farthest from me.

A slight prick at my left cheek shoves me back into the present as my vision catches a malicious grin in the leaves. Blood seeps through the skin he had cut and he thinks he's omnipotent. I opted to grab his hand and twist it to an uncomfortable position, stepping on his foot while gripping his shoulder until he lets go of his knife. Afterwards, I twisted his arm and let him writhe, leaving just in time to see Akira overthrow three men off the bridge. Pushing down the ghost of a smile that made its way to my face, I join her, announcing my presence by attacking a man who intended to shoot her from behind.

We leave the bridge, causing the rest of their members to surround us. They all wore malicious expressions on their faces, smug about the advantage they misinterpret to possess. It was very tempting to prove them wrong in one sweep, but if that were to be, neither me nor Akira would enjoy ourselves. So I held my ground and patiently waited for them, moving only when the woman beside me grabbed my arm and spoke in my ear.

Amused, I comply and throw her towards the attackers' direction. As she kills them, I face half of the hitmen and dedicate some few pins to each head, pleased at the way they convulsed before their bodies eventually went limp. I sigh in exasperation, kicking the corpses to their comrades while wielding more needles to use.

The sound of grunts and little mewls of pain were accompanied by the occasional crack and or dislocation of bones. I was particularly fond of the moment where Akira and I were side to side before turning the opposite direction to shoot at the other's attackers. Perhaps I was too quick to judge and she truly is capable of holding her own on a fight. She is still inferior to my own prowess, however.

"Seriously?" she remarks in irritation, and I turn my head to see numerous red laser dots on her person. She didn't move, and upon seeing the look on her face I realize that I too was getting aimed at. How pathetic of them, to resort to snipers when direct confrontation didn't prove to be efficient.

Bullets fly, but Akira didn't heed them until they were no more than an inch from her. In which case, I realized the protective power around us before seeing it; a force field of orange and red cloak us from all projectiles, flares of fire erupting from where the attacks hit. With another gesture, she expelled the now burning projectiles away with seemingly twice the speed as they had come, and I closely watch as the men in hiding exposed their positions by pathetic yells of pain. The redhead closed her hands into fists, and their screams grew louder. Only when she lowered her hands that the noises stopped, and the force field around us disappeared.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." I voice, partly messing around with her as we hide the more conspicuous bodies. Akira just scoffs, rolling her eyes but there was no denying the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Does it make a difference?"

~

"You're awfully calm for someone who almost died a while ago."

She only spared me a glance, continuing to drink her fruitshake happily. I roll my eyes, shaking my head in disbelief at her. It makes me wonder sometimes, how long I can hold out before I become insane like her.

"Assassins are supposed to be calm in the middle of chaos, Illumi." she voices, "And you're supposed to be the one who knows that... right?"

I gave her a sharp glare, "Watch your tone."

"How!? Sound is picked up by ears, not eyes! I really don't understand language, why the hell is that an expression anyone uses. It doesn't make sense... kids will get confused..." she muttered the last part to herself, leaving me both astonished and disturbed.

Never again will that woman be given a fruitshake.

"Unless you want to be mistaken as a statue, get moving!" she calls back at me, and I urge my feet to move. "Slowpoke."

I felt myself wavering as my pace quickens to match hers, "I am more than able to outrun you, Yakuza."

"Is that a threat, a challenge, or a promise? No," she stops me from answering, "I don't care."

Drawing my lips into a line, I roll my eyes, "How mature."

"How boring."

"You do realize that this kind of conduct should not be observed from someone with you-"

"Oh look, a cat!" she began to wander off in pursuit of the orange feline that ran past her.

An audible sigh comes from me and I mutter, releasing whatever degree of exhaustion I could, "Why?"