I can't Hurt You - Marcus Lopez Arguello

29

We were crawling through the air vents now. Of course we were. Did you really expect anything different?

We'd left Viktor and Petra to keep each other awake, hurrying so we could get back in time to save them. God, I hope we can get back fast enough. I can't lose Petra.

Saya went in first, then me, then Marcus. By now, we'd been crawling through the tight space for at least ten minutes.

"Are we almost there?" I asked for the hundredth time as we kept crawling.

"Emma, you're my best friend, but if you keep asking that I'm gonna punch you." Marcus said from behind me.

"Asshole." I uttered under my breath.

"Shut up, both of you, I think I see an opening." Saya said.

She crawled faster towards the opening as Marcus and I followed. She got out and looked around the room, as did Marcus and I.

"What's this?" Marcus asked.

I guess he still didn't have the whole school mapped out.

"Basement." I stated.

Saya started to walk, making twists and turns looking for either her cousins or Chico, whichever came first. Marcus and I followed of course.

"I'm gonna flay that bastard." Saya said referring to Chico.

We made one more turn and there he was, fucking Chico. We ran towards him, noticing he was holding a gate door open.

"Chico!" Marcus yelled before Chico closed a gate in our faces.

He locked it behind him.

"God damn it!" Marcus screamed.

"Fucking open up!" I yelled.

"Don't do this!" Marcus yelled.

"Enjoy the family reunion." Chico said calmly before he walked away.

We stomped away from the gate. No one was more pissed than us three right now.

"Well what the fuck now?" I asked angrily.

"There's gotta be another way out." Marcus uttered mostly to himself, turning down the hallway and trying to open multiple doors.

He went up to one and tried shoving it open a few times, before waking towards another one when it didn't budge.

"Like a hidden door or something." He said before turning a switch that turned the lights off.

"Well that's helpful." Saya said sarcastically.

He flipped the switch again turning the lights back on. He faced us, looking worried.

"You look like a crazy person, Marcus. We just have to think about this." I said trying to calm all of us, including myself, down.

"Just keep searching. Petra and Viktor don't have long." Saya suggested.

"And you're gonna do what?" Marcus asked rudely.

"They have my katana." Saya said before trying to walk past Marcus.

"Exactly. You're unarmed." He said sternly as he stood in front of her, stopping her from going anywhere.

"Marcus-" I tried to interfere before Saya cut me off.

I knew the truth about Saya's katana. I was one of the few people who did. Her father gave her that sword. It was the only thing left of him that Saya had. It meant something to her. It meant to her what that pink knife meant to me. It meant to her what that picture of Marcus's family meant to him. The problem is, he didn't know that.

"Look, if I die trying to get it back, I'm good with that. At least it's an honorable death." Saya said to him before trying to walk off again.

Marcus moved to stand in front of her again.

"Do you hear how inane you sound? All this 'honor' bullshit? It's a goddamn sword." Marcus urged.

"Dude-" I tried to stop him before Saya cut me off.

"It was my father's. It's the only thing I have left." Saya said.

Silence overtook us all for a couple seconds.

"Marcus remember the picture. Remember all the shit you went through just to get it back. This is that. This is her picture." I said to Marcus, referring to the night he killed Rory.

"We can't leave her to die, Em. She's our friend." Marcus said to me, ignoring Saya.

"They will slaughter you both to get to me. I'm better off on my own." Saya said.

"No your not." I disagreed.

"Em-" She tried to urge me before I cut her off by pulling both my knives out.

"If you're fighting so are we. They can slaughter me if they want to, but they'll be going through us if they wanna get to you. Take a knife and we'll all do this." I said to her.

She hesitantly took one of them looking at both of us for reassurance.

"You guys are sure?" Saya asked.

"Of course-" Marcus said before he was cut off by a Kuroki throwing him to the side.

"Hey!" I said running up to him.

He'd fallen on the floor and passed out by now.

Fuck, could he die right now? No no no, he can't. He's not dying before I tell him how I feel. I'm in love with him and he doesn't even know it. This isn't it. This can't be it. If I lose Petra I might not get over it for a couple months, but if I lose Marcus I won't ever get over it. No one is allowed to just take him from me like that.

I looked up at the men angrily before one of them kicked me out of nowhere, leaving me barely conscious. I fell next to Marcus, trying my best to muster up the strength to get up.

I can't let them hurt Saya. She's the only Legacy here who hasn't been a bitch. She's the only Legacy who cares about me. She's one of my closest friends.

I saw the Kuroki choke her out, uttering some foreign words to her. She passed out within seconds and they carried her out of the hallway, leaving Marcus and me basically half dead.

"Saya." I whispered trying to get up and go after her.

I couldn't. Years of training and I couldn't.

Fucking Kuroki.