To Be A Scrapper (Suzuya Juuzou)

Chapter 86

Previous trivia: Who would most likely play chess?

Answer: Shin

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"I-I'm sorry." The apology raced past Jiro's chapped lips in a mess of jumbled up sounds. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

His body shook violently against the wall, still recuperating itself over the purge that had escaped his bowels. His mind, however, raced at a thousand miles per hour with each second that flew by.

He hoped his words would reach Ryuu, although forgiveness was the last thing Jiro wanted from him. He hoped his words reached Emi as well, who looked at him as if he were on the verge of shattering to a million pieces, which was exactly how he felt.

"We need to hurry." The blond pushed himself off the wall, immediately wobbling to his feet right before the puddle of vomit as he felt the walls spin around him. He refused to give into the dizziness that scratched at his brain, however, the thought of risking the only remaining companion he had did not appeal to him in the slightest.

He wouldn't let Emi die, even if he had to rip his own heart out and feed it to her.

And so, with his head spining like a record and his heart ramming against his chest, he took off down the unfamiliar hallway, knowing full well that an exit would not be found, but merely attempting to get the girl as far away from the hell that was coming for them.

Another apology drowned itself against his stained lips, carrying the weight of the knowledge he wished he didn't have. Ignorance. All he begged was for a little bit of ignorance, and the hope that they could somehow find a way out of the mess they were forced into.

The sound of Emi's footsteps behind him was no longer calming. Instead, it produced an alarming sense of desperation that erupted from him like a volcano, crawling up his feet and into the pores of his skin.

Had this been the feeling that attacked Ryuu as he shut the door behind him, separating himself from the world, with the intent to give his life for the ones who would give theirs for him? The mere contemplation of the idea stung at the boy's heart, and with it came a wave of unwelcomed despair.

Because Emi's footsteps had fallen into pace with the ones at the distance, and they were getting louder and louder by the second. It was only a matter of time before they reached the two. The hallway had to end at some point.

What would they do then?

What if they had no other option but to fight back?

The agonizing truth of it all was that they had lost a comrade while fighting a war that wasn't even theirs to begin with. Ryuu. Of all people, it was Ryuu the first one to go. The most skilled elite combat wise, the youngest to ever join the team, the walking life-hazard that was Ryuu... would be no more.

The thought burned at Jiro's brain like a wildfire.

The elites had lost one member, and one was missing. Was Shin even alive? Had he suffered the same fate Ryuu did?

There was not a single chance of winning, Jiro knew that fact all too well. Ryuu had taken the only weapon with ammunition, leaving Jiro defenseless while Emi had only two shots left in the trinity reaper. Could things get any worse?

Right at that moment, as if the heavens were spitting bad luck at his very existence, Jiro had to forcibly freeze in his tracks. They had come upon the end of the hallway, and the walls sang the elites' bitter goodbyes like mournful prayer: quiet mumbling at the beginning, then suddenly rising violently against the cement barriers that held them captive.

Another wave of bile came burning at Jiro's throat, and with his heart running a marathon he forced himself to swallow, refusing to show weakness in front of Emi.

The girl however, in her quiet assessment of the situation, saw right through the desperation hidden behind Jiro's hazel mirrors.

"Listen," He breathed out, his hands running through his blond locks and across his sweaty forehead, expression awakening a thousand storms before he dropped to his knees to be at eye level with the girl's lost gaze.

"We're going to have to fight, little Emi."

Emi could feel Jiro's desperation traveling across his trembling fingers as he set them against her shoulders. The girl stood motionless, her heart agonizing over the broken figure of who she considered her brother.

"I want you to be strong. Please, promise me you'll stay alive no matter what."

"Promise." She whispered, intertwining her pinky finger with his, both limbs releasing energy incomparable to a million earthquakes.

Jiro took a long pause just to stare at the small girl in front of him. He dragged his watered gaze upon every scratch, every undulation and bruise on her body. He forced her image into the deepest parts of his memory, as if the action would somehow transport her inside some unknown part of him, and out of the danger that was racing towards them. Jiro knew, however, that wishful thinking would get him nowhere.

It was when the wall at the opposite end of the hallway burst into pieces of flying matter that Jiro somehow swallowed every ounce of regret he had carried in his life, and turned to face the hungry beasts that came his way.

He felt Emi tense under him, but before her trembling hands could settle into a fighting position, Jiro's body slid in front of hers.

"What are you-?"

"It's going to be alright, Emi."

And the signature smile that seemed to have been lost came rushing toward his lips at the very last moment.

"Stay behind me, alright?" The sincerity that pooled around Jiro's hazel gaze almost stole the oxygen from Emi's lungs, and she could merely stay quiet as complete shock settled into her whole body.

"What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't save my little Emi from her bullies?"

"Jiro..."

The girl's lower lip trembled violently, an unwelcomed sense of fear beginning to crawl up her legs, gluing them to the floor.

"You protected me when I was on the verge of losing myself." Jiro whispered, squeezing her hand inside his before securing her position behind his back.

"It's my turn to protect you."

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As of today, this story is officially 3 years old! :") they grow up so fast. It was on the 31st of January 2016 that I published the first chapter.

The next chapter might be the last one, guys. I'm saying this so you can mentally prepare yourselves.

Trivia: Who would most likely play basketball?

A. Ryuu
B. Jiro
C. Shin