〖JJBA - EN〗- Last Judgement

Chapter 95: The Time Users.

Rome, Italy. April 10th, 2001.

"It's okay, I told you...

- We have a road to cross. You ain't seeing shit and you're in a bad state. Stick to me, don't be silly."

Bucciarati groaned between gasping breaths, scanning the road ahead of him with difficulty. He sighed and ended up clinging a little more to the young woman with a weak and trembling hand.

"You're right, I need help.

- What a pleasure to hear you say that I am right."

The young man had a very weak smile which disappeared very quickly when faced with the gravity of the situation. He could barely see the lights of the car headlights. To tell the truth, it was not the headlights that he saw, but the drivers' energy. It didn't matter, he had to cross-

"Watch out for the slide", (Y/N) warned him.

"I can't hear you, you're going to have to talk lou-"

She stopped him dead with one arm in front of his chest, before he could get his legs caught in a slide that ran along the road. He turned to face her, without looking at her, since he didn't know where she was precisely. Seeing his empty eyes she gulped, frowning.

"Get on my back.

- Eh?

- Get on my back, we'll go faster.

- But y-"

He didn't have time to finish when she pulled his arm and forced him to get on her back. She was going to have a hard time carrying him this way, but she preferred not to take any risk. Reluctantly, he put his arms around her neck. Much less reluctantly, he nuzzled her (H/C) hair, but he was unable to smell any scent, or feel the sweetness of the simple gesture. On his face appeared an expression of pure sadness, which (Y/N) did not notice. She was too focused on her mission: to cross the road to reach the Colosseum. Clinging to her back, Bucciarati let himself be carried, trying to make himself as light as possible, and they arrived at the meeting point. The others had either not arrived or were already inside. She lowered him to the floor to catch her breath for a moment, and he patted her shoulder. She turned around, he wasn't even looking at her.

"Mmh?

- Nothing, I was just checking if you were still there.

- ... how are we going to do... for the others? It could be very complicated to hide the truth from them.

- Don't tell them. Officially I see well, I hear well, and I'm hardly hurt.

- Maybe we better s-

- Please (Y/N). Let's get it over with... I'm tired."

These few words were enough to remind (Y/N) of the seriousness of the situation. With a knot in her throat, she took his arm again to guide him through the Colosseum. It wasn't like she knew where she was going. It was dark, everything was silent. Only their footsteps could be heard. They echoed through the walls of the monument. It was almost scary. And then suddenly there was a voice. A voice that (Y/N) recognized immediately.

"Stay where you are. Identify yourself.

- I'm Bruno Bucciara-

- All good Jean-Pierre, it's us."

There was a moment of silence when (Y/N) looked around for her French friend, in vain. He must have been well hidden behind a pillar. Everything resonated, she couldn't understand where his voice was coming from.

"... take the stairs on your left and join me.

- I'm not sure I have the strength to climb the stairs", Bucciarati admitted in a low voice.