Hiding In Plain Sight

Living for Nothing

Kokichi's body twitched on the ground in front of Shuichi. The bluenette's emotions controlled his brain as he ran towards his boyfriend, dropping to his side. He didn't have a chance to check for a pulse before the police officers started firing their weapons. Hearing rapid thuds, Shuichi glanced up to see a man running towards him, arms out to prepare for a tackle. A wave of calm overcame Shuichi's body, no longer fearing anything as he stepped over Kokichi towards the officer. Once the officer reached him, Shuichi ducked and threw his attacker over his shoulder, flinching at the cracking behind him.

Slipping out the gun from underneath Kokichi's shirt, Shuichi pointed it at the crowd of police officers, one gun against twenty. Frowning, Shuichi aimed and fired the handgun, running behind any possible cover to avoid being hit with any bullets. Gunshots echoed throughout the street as Shuichi fired in response, blood and murder on his mind. He knew Rantaro was waiting at home, and he'd have to go there with Harukawa and Akamatsu. Not Kokichi.

With Kokichi on his mind, the male turned to see Akamatsu lifting the purplette's body, carrying him away. At least I'm distracting the cops from her. Tears welled up in Shuichi's eyes as he aimlessly shot his handgun, seeing both his uncle and Kokichi's deaths flashing before his eyes. "You're under arrest!" A police officer shouted, holding their gun in front of Shuichi's head. "Put the gun down and come quietly."

"Fuck you," Shuichi spat, grabbing the officer's arm and pulling them closer. Flicking the knife out of his pocket, Shuichi stabbed it up into the officer's chest. Blood squirted from each wound as Shuichi stabbed his victim repeatedly, littering their body with holes as they grunted, slowly dying. Scrambling to his feet, Shuichi repocketed his knife and snatched some ammo from his latest victim, reloading his gun and running into an alleyway. Glancing up, Shuichi noticed a dumpster and decided to climb it, needing to escape the corner he'd backed into.

Launching himself onto the dumpster and over the fence hidden behind it, Shuichi hit the ground with a thud. Grunting, his back hit a solid, lumpy surface with a painful whack. "We need to go before you start killing civilians too." Opening his eyes, Shuichi found Harukawa holding him against the building, the woman taking his gun and throwing it over the wall. Shuichi's body grew heavy as he realised he'd just been shooting haphazardly at people he assumed were police. There could've been civilians amongst them. I hope I didn't kill anyone I shouldn't have... Way to make a good name for us Ultimates. You're pathetic, like usual.

Dragging him away, Harukawa raced throughout the street, avoiding police officers as the two ran to safety. Shuichi zoned out, allowing Harukawa to do as she wished. After all, it's not like it'd matter if I died too.

<--o--🩸--o-->

Shuichi sighed as he continued to stare at the ground, walking throughout the familiar ghost town. Harukawa had taken another route, doubling the length of their walk to ensure they wouldn't be followed. "I'll take you to the bar, then go to the shop," Harukawa offered.

"Thanks," Shuichi mumbled, not having the energy to speak any longer than he needed.

"You're a decent fighter. You'd easily rival many assassins I know, although you could work on your stealth," Harukawa mentioned. "Stop letting your emotions get to you, they're going to cloud your judgement."

"It's not that fucking easy for some people; Harukawa!" Shuichi snapped, a lump forming in his throat. "I've seen death, but this is too much. My uncle died because of me, and it's my fault Kokichi's gone too. I'm fucking useless."

"Do you believe Ouma is dead?" Harukawa scoffed. "Someone like you should be able to tell a dead body from a mile away."

"What do you mean?" Shuichi's head snapped to stare at Harukawa. He stopped in his tracks, encouraging the woman to do the same as they stood in the middle of the street.

"Saihara, what Shirogane told us when we met her should tell you what happened to Ouma. The government want us all alive, with no exceptions. Police officers won't be dumb enough to risk killing any of us against the chief's orders."

"Kokichi's going to be okay..." Shuichi smiled to himself. His smile didn't last though, the gravity of his actions beginning to set in. "I killed people for no reason... I've taken them away from their families..." Harukawa rolled her eyes, a hint of sympathy flashing behind the scarlet orbs.

"You did what you felt you had to do to survive. No one will blame you for that. If you think you could've escaped that situation without killing at least one person, then you're deluded."

"Thank you Harukawa," Shuichi smiled. She might seem emotionless and unempathetic, but Harukawa knows how to cheer people up in her own way. The two continued walking home, the bar now in view. Climbing the metal steps to the studio, Shuichi eased opened the door and was immediately tackled to the ground with a hug. "Hi Rantaro," he chuckled.

"Oh thank God! When Akamatsu brought Ouma back I thought something had happened to you as well!" Rantaro mumbled into Shuichi's neck. The greenette helped Shuichi to his feet, allowing him to notice his other boyfriend lying in the corner. Analysing the limp body, Shuichi noticed Kokichi's chest rise and fall in a regular rhythm. He's alive, all of us are okay.

"What ended up happening to him?" Shuichi asked, replaying the scenario in his mind as Kokichi stumbled and fell to the asphalt.

"Hit with a tranquilizer. He'll be awake within a few hours," Kiibo explained.

"Saihara, are you hurt? That's quite a lot of blood," Tojo pointed out. Shuichi glanced down at his clothes to see them stained with a thick layer of blood, spots littering his hands. Wiping his face, extra blood smeared on the back of his hand. Looking over at Rantaro, he noticed the other's clothing adorning faint splotches of blood. Oops... I'll make sure to clean it for him later.

"He's got quite the story for everyone. I'm leaving." Harukawa waved behind her as she left the bar. Everyone turned to Shuichi, frowning as they awaited the explanation from the male rubbing the back of his neck.