Of Heroes and Villains

The Sharpened Dagger

Liu hadn't been expecting company. He'd been sure staying so far from home would leave him without acquintances, but no such luck followed him.

To say that seeing Don's face again surprised him would be an understatement.

"What do you want?" he grumpily said as he opened the door to his hotel room. Don had two people with him, but Liu recognized neither.

"Have you heard about Lan?"

"Of course I've heard about it. What do you want?"

Don let himself in, but the other two stayed at the entrance. "You've also heard about what Omen did, right?"

Liu didn't know where the boy was going with this, but doubted anything good could come of it. "What of it?"

"He's gonna be up to a whole lot more than that. We're here to recruit you."

Liu snorted. "And why would I help you? The last time we met, you made me lose my job."

"Forgive me if I don't shed a tear for your unfortunate circumstances. Also, as to your reason; Would him being behind what happened to Lan be enough for you?"

Liu clenched his fist, but tried not to let his anger show on his face. "Why would it? She's a reason I lost my job, too."

Don gave him a look that made it clear he saw right through the veiled hostility. "You only took the job to take care of her, didn't you? Regardless of what's happened since then, she's your cousin." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But if that's not enough for you, then go with survival."

Liu glanced behind him, preparing to take the two out to clear a path for himself to escape. "What're you talking about? Why would Omen go after me?"

"He'll be going after everyone," said the blond man at the door. "He's declaring a war on the world, with esper superiority being his main goal."

Liu smirked. "And why would I be against that? We're espers, you know."

"Because he won't think twice about killing his own kind," said the woman next to him. "I used to work for him, and he attempted to get rid of me. If Omen succeeds, no one wins."

Don walked up to him from behind. "What do you say, Liu? Not only did he try to kill Lan, he also just might kill you. If you say no, we'll leave it be and never bother you again. We don't have time to mess around."

"What'll it be?" asked the blonde.

"Fight or flight?" offered the woman.

Liu was about to tell them to fuck off, but the room suddenly started changing. The hotel room's walls turned white, and a beeping sound filled the room.

"Don't be a dipshit, L," Lan said, standing next to the bed. Another Lan was lying on the bed, a life support mask covering her mouth.

Liu stared at her in amazement. "You brought me here all the way from America?"

The girl smiled, moving her bangs to the side, showing her third eye. "I was always the stronger one, remember?"

Liu frowned. "Are you strong enough to beat this?"

Her smile turned meek. "I don't know. What I do know is that I don't want to just lay down and die."

"I don't think you have much choice."

"I do have a choice in the matter of whether or not I help against Omen, though," Lan said, her eyes filling with determination. "I need you to go with them, Liu. Don't be a dipshit."

He shook his head. "What use will I be in battle? They said they're in a hurry, so my abilities won't come in handy at all."

"But ours will."