We don't talk about Jouno

Hold on for dear life

There was no mistaking Maya's van. It was her favorite color, bright lilac, and has all sorts of bumper stickers. It was such a memorable vehicle, no one ever thought it to be suspicious. Sort of brilliant, in Tetchou's opinion. When he opened the door to the van, he could see that two of the eight seats were occupied. Maya was sitting in the passenger seat, looking sort of grumpy, and Zelda was sitting in the driver's seat. Tetchou was sure this would be an interesting ride.

Tetchou sat in the second row, and Teruko joined him, sitting behind Maya. Another not so great sign. Maya and Teruko were both leaders, and could sometimes clash when one didn't agree with what the other one was doing. Usually, if not always, Maya was in the right. She had the decency not to say so, but her partner, Zelda, had no such reservations. Zelda was the wife of the leader of the guild, but she was a member of Maya's division first. Zelda was completely devoted to Maya, and would rather vocally challenge anyone who annoyed her. Tetchou prepared himself for a very long car ride indeed.

Chuuya and Tachihara found their seats in the back, and Gin and Higuchi sat in the way back. This was another thing that could make the ride sort of awkward. Tetchou didn't like Akutagawa. He knew it was his fault he infected Jouno, but Tetchou had seen the video. He'd seen Akutagawa's dagger like teeth embedded in his boyfriend's shoulder. He'd seen the look of pain on Jouno's face. He'd also seen Jouno trying to escape, but being unable to because of Akutagawa's ability. So, Akutagawa's younger sibling, and lifelong best friend, weren't exactly Tetchou's first picks to be part of the new hunting dogs.

"Everybody, fasten your seatbelts!" Zelda exclaimed. Tetchou wasn't sure if Chuuya had been in a car driven by Zelda before. "She drives like a maniac." Tetchou mouthed. Chuuya's big blue eyes widened slightly. No doubt when he was part of the port mafia, he'd seen some interesting drivers. Zelda cackled to herself, Maya gripped the bottom of her seat for dear life, and the car sped into action.

Tetchou twisted his ring around his finger to calm him down. He still couldn't believe it. Jouno had gotten Tetchou a wedding ring, just like Tetchou had done for Jouno. If Jouno was alive, they would have been engaged. The love he felt, and the anger at how it had all ended, was enough to keep Tetchou fighting.

After a stretch of time that felt like forever, Zelda stopped the car rather abruptly. Maya gave her the look. "What?" Zelda asked. "Please don't almost take out a tree next time." Maya said. Zelda frowned. "I don't see what the problem is. I didn't hit it." Tetchou opened his door and got out before the rest of the argument could progress.

"What are we dealing with?" He asked Teruko. "A base of some kind." She said. "There's three usual operatives. I know one of them. We've clashed before, but I didn't know he was part of the decay of angels. His name is John Milton. If it gets to a fight, leave him to me." Tetchou tightened his fingers around his sword. He was out for blood. "Why?" He asked. "Oh, because his ability, Paradise Lost, allows him to get possessed by the devil." Teruko said casually, as if this happened every day. "I'm the only one who can handle him, okay?" Tetchou agreed he'd leave that one to her.

"Okay, everybody!" Maya called out, once everyone was out of the car. "I have no idea what we're walking into here. I know a leader is supposed to have all the answers, but currently, I have no clue. There's three people inside, all of which probably have abilities. Don't fight anyone alone. Gather whatever information you can. Don't die." That sounded like as good a plan as any.

Teruko went off on her own, Maya went with Zelda, Gin went with Higuchi, and Chuuya and Tachihara followed Tetchou. The base itself looked rather small, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything valuable hiding in it. Tetchou kicked down the door so hard it flew off its hinges. Tetchou didn't miss the worried expression on Chuuya and Tachihara's faces. He just genuinely didn't care. It didn't matter. Without Jouno, nothing mattered anymore.

The base was suspiciously empty. Tetchou kept waiting for it to explode, but he knew he was just being paranoid. Then again, these were the angels of decay. One could never be too careful. "We'll take upstairs." Tetchou called, and Maya nodded. "We'll take the armory." She called back. "Good luck!" Tetchou got the feeling he was going to need it.

Tetchou walked through empty hallway after empty hallway. He passed countless unoccupied rooms. The only sign that anyone had been there recently were the lights overhead, which flickered intermittently. "Tetchou." Tachihara said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "There's a light in the room up ahead." Tetchou drew his sword. "I'll go in first." He said. Chuuya raised an eyebrow. "We're not splitting up." Tetchou sighed. "Look. Let me do this. It'll be five minutes. If I need you, I'll call, okay?" Neither one of them seemed to like this, but they didn't say anything.

Tetchou took a few cautious steps forwards. He pressed his back up against the opposite wall, and peered in. The lights were dim, so he couldn't see much. He could see one person with long braided purple and black hair sitting in a chair, talking to someone lying in a bed. There were plenty of medical monitors. The second person was completely obscured from Tetchou's view.

Tetchou spun around, and pulled out his sword. It whirled through the room, stopping in front of the first person's neck. "Are you with the decay of angels?" He asked. Their turquoise eyes widened in fear. "That looks awfully sharp." They said, before blinking out of existence, as if they were never there.

Tetchou didn't have time to wonder what was happening, though. He walked forwards to check on the person in the bed. They might need his help. Tetchou couldn't help himself. He screamed when he saw the face of the person lying in the bed. Chuuya and Tachihara came running in, but Tetchou barely registered them. "Tetchou, what is it?" Chuuya asked, scanning the room for the cause. Tetchou dropped to his knees, shaking. "It's Jouno."