Yakuza | DISCONTINUED | 2023 VERSION AVAILABLE NOW

Akira: Accommodation

Illumi shakes his head, "No way."

"Like you'd know!?" I snarl, annoyed.

He sighs, not one waver in that passive face, "When it's not a long life to begin with, why bother involving someone in it? You'll just share your pain, and though I do indeed know little, I'm aware that Sirens would want to minimize any agony their Certains may feel. You're delusional and it's pointless."

"Then I should give up finding my Certains, is that it?"

"Yes." Illlumi glanced down to where I laid on the hospital bed beside him, "Why do you persist?"

As I predicted, my answer gets caught in my throat. What he says isn't irrational, but isn't complete, either. "Perhaps it's atonement. Or desperation. I don't know. All I want is to make peace with Midori's memory so I can make peace with myself."

From my peripheral vision, I see him blink thrice before facing away, "It is pointless and you are delusional."

"You know what?" I sit up, irked as I leave the bed, "The sun is setting and very few patients would still be outside. Let's go so I can say anything that severely injures you is an accident."

He gives me an unimpressed look, but gets out the room with me anyway—in a wheelchair. What a spoiled brat.

"We can't defend ourselves once any of our family servants take us back."

I raise my eyebrow at him, strolling through the moonlit garden towards a bench, "Bold of you to assume they'll let you know more about me if they were here."

He looks up at me, confused. "Illumi, they would've killed you before you heard more than you should have. None of our family servants is here."

"Then... he knows because of his relation to your Siren?"

I nod, situating him near me while I take a seat, "Takeo-kun's right to know about anything concerning his brother is irrevocable for me. My Nen, at the very least, reverted to a somewhat searching mode the moment... Midori died."

"Can you tell me how that happened?" asks the male. I couldn't hide the hesitance that made its way to my face, nor avoid the subtle regret I saw in his. Illumi looks away, nodding, "You'll eventually have to choose between your two Certains, Akira. How will you do it?"

After thanking him profusely in my mind, I mull the question over. Then, I chuckle, "Can't just say I'll burn that bridge when I get to it, can I?"

He gives me a disbelieved glance, placing his arms on the rests, ever the royalty, "With your fighting style? No. This is supposed to be important to you."

"It is, but how am I supposed to know? I haven't met either of them and that's not changing anytime soon with you" I lightly punch his shoulder, "weighing me down like this."

Illumi scoffs, surveying himself so casually it seemed safe to assume he was being mocking, "You heard your friend. Your Nen is eating mine. The best course of action would be to leave me."

It was my turn to be incredulous, "I trust Takeo-kun, but not that much. You also sounded really childish there, but tough luck."

"I can't be more important than finding whatever it is you're looking for."

Decidedly raising my gaze to the stars, I reply, "Professional courtesy is making sure your headache of a partner recovers properly for the injuries he endured for your sake." to which he doesn't answer. Poor boy wouldn't understand the concept of friendship if it hit him in the face.

Suddenly, he chuckled. There's a part of me that is aware surprise is misplaced, but it's still not something he could just come at me with spontaneously. He. Chuckled. I think I'm allowed to freeze, at the very least. "Your sister said the same thing to me, once."

"Did she?" I smirk, amused, "This happened after she beat you in sparring?"

Oh, the shock in his face... Kind of adorable. "How did you know—"

"She did the same thing to me." I lean back, "Though, it is also safe to assume she's way stronger than you. She is related to me."

Like I expected, his calm expression returned. "Nothing of what we faced together has proven your skills to be better than mine, and nothing so far suggests that will change."

Using more than average speed, I was on my feet, hands on his knees and forehead pressed to his. The sinister aura I suddenly hit him with took him aback for three seconds at best before he recomposes himself, staring me down in a way that gets to me. Three seconds is not enough.

"Is that so?" I lowly voice, searching his eyes for any and all hints of a falter in his defenses. His walls are firm and tall; it won't be so if it isn't protecting something valuable. I want it, and I want him to know that.

"Come on, it's getting colder." I quickly revert to my light-hearted disposition, driving the wheelchair around, "Let's get back inside."

After getting him back to his room, I proceeded to my own. Now that I think about it, Takeo-kun is overly polite, placing my room so far from 'my patient' like this...

"Triple the chemical content! Remove the appendages!"

I froze, hand hovering over the doorknob as a bad chill shot up my spine.

Changing my vision through Gyo, I warily scan my surroundings, and was not disappointed to see an occupied room next to mine without any visible entrances. I saw outlines of cables, tubes, human-sized containers, lab coats, and...

I reinforce my aura, concealing my presence as I touch the wall for any signs of an entry point. It just so happens that this hidden door is intentionally loud when it opens, causing the people inside to immediately see me.

Humans in containers. Some are patients I've seen just today, downstairs. Takeo, who stands in the middle of it all, has a horrified look; one I prefer to see on Illumi's face instead. On that note, he's going to scold me for being too trusting.

"Akira..." he dumbfoundedly voices as his company began to approach me, pseudo-threateningly.

"Thank you for the accommodation," I spat, as fire visibly overcomes my fists, "Midorikawa-sensei."

The force with which I attacked them with to keep them in the room had me stepping back twice. When their agonized cries and yells hit my ears, it served as my cue to run, and I even almost crashed ungracefully going through a corner. In this moment, I should only have one concern.

I kick Illumi's door down, ignoring the hostile aura he greeted me with.

"Hey there, buddy. We need to go."