Back In Black | Kyouhaba

Back On The Job

Being dead was a total rush.

That seemed contradictory, naturally, and only a month ago Kyoutani would've disagreed with you. However, now that he had settled into his afterlife a little more, the rush of a painless existence and the unrestrained possibilities were freeing, exhilarating. The poor thug didn't stand a chance and he quickly knocked him out with an excellent punch to the face.

He dived through the window and fired four shots into the vampire before him. It howled and dropped to the ground, writhing about until a Guardian scooped it up and left all in one smooth motion. Kyoutani turned and dodged a swipe from some brainless brute, returning it with a punch of his own to the guy's stomach. The attacker doubled over and Kyoutani elbowed him in the back of his head without remorse. He went down, out cold, and Kyoutani moved on.

Yahaba had a high vantage point, having managed to get onto a balcony of one of the apartment buildings, about four floors up. His carnamancy was ineffective at such a distance but well-placed crossbow bolts soared through the air, connecting with the torsos and limbs of anyone trying to flee retribution in the form of Kyoutani Kentarou and the miniature army of Guardians.

Something was living in the way he punched someone who got too close. Something breathed when he reloaded his guns after emptying the barrel into a man's chest. Something's heart pounded when he fired those bullets and when he punched a new person. He would laugh if that wouldn't make him look incredibly psychopathic in front of all these thugs.

Although they didn't have much leg to stand on in the respect: they were kidnapping children to feed to their vampire allies after all. The fight was awkwardly both inside and outside, half taking place in an alleyway hidden in the depths of Fukushima and half taking place in the collection of shady and filthy buildings that lined it. Kyoutani had glass shards sticking out of his flesh or splinters from the doors he'd busted down threading through his clothes that he hadn't had time to take out yet. At least there were no bullet holes ruining his hoodie this time. He had never been able to recover the last one.

One after the other, opponents fell before him, and a Guardian would sweep in to collect the thug or vampire and clear the field. Kyoutani dodged one brute swinging a sword at him and kicked a vampire in the leg as it come for him. It wasn't quite night yet, but it was late evening and the skies were clouded over and raining, blocking out any threat from sunlight.

He was caught off guard by a kick to the chest and crashed through an open doorway onto the smooth wooden planks. The zombie rolled backwards with the momentum, struggling to get to his feet again since the floor was so polished. He could hear kids sobbing in the background but they'd be safe for as long as he held these criminal's attention. There was a vampire in here, much taller than Kyoutani, but scrawny. She held a large knife in her hands and didn't hesitate to leap at the abile, fangs flashing in the half-light.

Kyoutani stepped aside, catching her wrist with one hand and hurriedly defending his middle with the other from her lashing hand. She had a feral gleam in her eyes and tried to rush him again, only for him to flip her over his shoulder and kick her head while she was down until there was a resounding snap. He grabbed her by the arm and threw her out of the building, where a Guardian seemed to just materialise to catch and restrain her. One day, Kyoutani would stop to ask a Guardian how they always knew what to do and where to be: today was not that day.

Deeming the rest of the building empty of threat, he scanned the room until he spotted where the sobbing was coming from. Cages were lined up at the back of the room, iron-barred and thick enough to contain rabid wolves safely, and inside were children, crying and pressed against the far wall. Large plates full of food sat before them, half-eaten. The kids were a mix of half-starved and half-fattened, a strange array of those who gave into their fate as food and those who tried to fight it. The zombie knelt down before them.