Underneath the Red Trees

CHAPTER 85: FINAL FAREWELL

Touma whipped his head around. Akira was pointing a revolver at him. A small smile played on Akira's lips. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Well, this is quite a turn of events."

"Soma! What are you doing?" 

Akira raised his eyes to Hachiro. "Stay out of this, Sagawa."

Hachiro's expression was struck with disgust, a different kind, the type of disgust that was mixed with fear. "This wasn't the deal."

"Oh, yes!" Akira said, "Our deal." He sneered, "You wished me to remove the Wielders' weapons, yes?" Hachiro nodded slowly. "Well, your idea of equality will never be realised. Removing their weapons will kill them. One way or another, this was inevitable."

Hachiro squeezed his eyes shut. All the sickness he had felt toward the Wielders was now directed at himself. He should have known that Akira Soma could not be trusted. "I won't let you do this."

"Is that so?" Akira asked.

"Yes," he said, "I'll stop you." Akira scowled. "One way or another, I wi—" Bang!

Thud...

Blood leaked from Hachiro's forehead, where Akira had shot him. "Fucking hell, he's annoying. Good riddance," Akira said. He pointed the barrel of the gun back at Touma. "Now, where were we?"

Touma shuddered. He kept his eyes trained on Akira's face.

"Oh, yes! The gun? Well, Father has quite a collection. I took the liberty of helping myself to a weapon for my own protection. I underestimated Wielders once before." Tenko snarled at Akira. He sneered at her. "Shut up!" he snapped, "Or I'll shoot him." She growled at Akira one last time before she went silent. "Make it go away," he ordered Touma.

Touma shut his eyes. Tenko vanished in a cloud of wispy white mist.

Akira sighed heavily. He rubbed his eyes. "Damnit. I told him. I told him. Only threats work on you." He stared at Katsu's lifeless face. "Now look at you." Akira raised his head at the Wielders. "I don't want to see one of those fucking monsters. Or any weapons."

The Wielders did not move, at first. Akira sneered. He pressed the gun barrel against Touma's forehead. Touma closed his eyes. He did not move. His breath shook.

"Now."

Hayate ran a hand through his hair. "Ryuu, to me." The wood of the building groaned as Ryuu lifted himself off it. He vanished in a cloud of glowing amber tendrils. Hayate glanced at the others. "Do as he says." The remaining weapons and Spirit Beasts vanished, too.

"Good job," Akira said. He pulled the gun away from Touma's forehead. He opened his eyes. Akira met Touma's eyes. "Such a cruel stare you've been giving me."

Touma's eyes never left Akira's face.

The two brothers glared at each other, both unmoving in their resolve.

As their standoff marched fourth—and to no one's notice—Harin slipped out.

"You know, Brother, I have been thinking ever since you ran away from my place in the countryside."

"About?"

Akira clicked his tongue. "Don't you have any patience?" Akira leaned forward and seized Touma's jaw. Fingernails dug into Touma's skin. "Personally speaking, I don't like repeated myself. Why do you keep disobeying me? It really gets on my nerves. And I think you know that." Akira snickered, the sound bit into Touma's ears, twisting his gut with unease. "I am not like Father. I sure as hell have no intention to lay down and die while you go and fuck up your life for that cunt." Akira released Touma's jaw. Touma recoiled back, in turn. "You see, Touma—Yuuki—whatever you want to be called, I don't give a shit—the simple fact is I know what's best for you. You don't. And until you accept that, you will never live peacefully."

"I would rather die!" Touma spat.

Akira sneered. He pressed the barrel of the gun to Touma's forehead. "Then die." Touma shut his eyes. His body tensed.

"Stop right there!" Akira's eyes widened. A police officer stood a few paces in front of the group of Wielders, pointing his own gun at Akira. "Sir, put the gun down!" Akira's pupils dilated from the torch light shining in his face. he stared at the police officer with wide eyes. "Sir, I won't warn you again! Put the gun down!"

Akira snickered. He looked past the police officer, at Harin who stood behind him with her phone in her hand. "Well, shit, I never thought you would be the one to best me."

"I won't warn you again!"

"All right, all right," Akira said. He placed the revolver on the ground. His smile never faltered. As he straightened with his hands in the air, he looked at Touma. "She's a good one, don't you think."

Touma angled his eyes downward. He could not watch as the police officer hauled Akira away.

Hayate stared out at the black ocean waves. He was standing at the end of the dock. The red lights of the emergency vehicles flashed behind him.

So much had happened already. He still wasn't sure if it was really over.

In his hands he held the Naguchi swords. He had stolen them away from the crime scene before the authorities took them. These swords had been through far too much already. The number of secrets they hid beneath their rusted exterior had heaped up into the hundreds. They needed their final resting place. Like Katsu. Like Jinshiro.

Hayate raised his head. He put both swords in one hand, and he hurled them out into the distance. He only saw the splash. The Naguchi Swords sunk into the depths of the ocean. Where they would be forevermore. Enveloped in the watery embrace of their eternal grave.

"Hey," Touma leaned his forehead against Hayate's shoulder blade. He was wrapped in a blanket. The emergency personnel had been questioning him all night. Hayate did not doubt he was exhausted. Telling the truth and hiding the world of Wielders at the same time was an arduous task. "Are you all right?"

Hayate nodded. He reached back, interlacing their fingers. "I will be once I get some sleep."

Touma laughed meekly. He sounded tired. "I think we all need some sleep right about now."