Aftg react

Part 70

Foxes react: epilogue

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The Foxes were quiet when they were finally allowed to shower and change. The long hours since the last bell had temporarily worn away their well-deserved excitement. They were sore all over and drained to the point that moving was a terrible chore. Neil leaned against the shower wall because he knew better than to sit down. He fell asleep without meaning to but woke up again when the water ran cold. He yawned as he dressed and went in search of his teammates.
A security guard was waiting outside the changing room door to intercept him. "Neil Josten, they have a few last questions for you."
Neil turned soundlessly after him and followed him back to the inner ring. The stadium was completely empty and the police were long gone. Neil was too tired to ask what was going on so plodded along behind the guard in silence. A third of the way down was a gate the security guards used for moving between the inner ring and the stands. The guard unlocked it and motioned Neil through.

"So he just follows? No questions asked?" said a weirded out Aaron as everyone sighed clearly aggravated about it like come on dude be a little suspicious.
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EAST was written above an elevator in bold red letters, and Neil forgot about the banners. The guard had to swipe his badge and key in a six-digit code to get access. There were only two buttons inside, "Floor" and "Tower". Neil closed his eyes for the ride to the top.
The guard stayed behind when Neil stepped out, so Neil went on alone. A short hall opened up into a spacious room Neil recognized. Nine years ago he'd been here with Riko and Kevin while his father carved a man into a hundred pieces.

Everyone tensed as Neil walked in the room and Kevin flinched but they wanted to wait and see what happens next.
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Stuart Hatford and a man Neil didn't recognize stood in the far corners. Tetsuji and Riko sat on one of the couches, Tetsuji straight- backed and stone-faced, Riko shuttered and hollow. Neil saw the white plaster of a cast poking out of the sling the doctors put Riko's arm in. Neil could have stared at it forever, but Ichirou was standing by the windows overlooking the court and Neil knew better than to ignore him. Neil stood halfway between the brothers and fixed his eyes on Ichirou's collar.
It was so quiet Neil heard someone's watch ticking. Neil counted a minute, then two, and still no one said a word.

They took satisfaction in watching Riko crumbled up like that he deserved it more than anyone but they really didn't want to miss what would come next so they let it slide for now as they waited to see why Neil was brought up there hoping that Ichirou is not like his brother and actually keeps his promises.
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At last Ichirou drew a gloved hand from his pocket and gestured. The stranger brought him a handgun. Neil waited, silent and breathless, for Ichirou to turn that gun on him. He could ask for a second chance, but there was no point in trying. His words wouldn't change what happened tonight, and not even Neil could lie well enough to convince Ichirou he was sorry.

"No no no, we didn't make it all this way for this to happen" said Nicky panicked a hand running through his hair tugging it in frustration as everyone was shocked and horrified, there was no way that this was how it was ending, Andrew had the strongest reaction out of them all, if it was anything else Andrew would have maybe tried to not show as much emotion but as he was watching what was happening in screen he didn't try to hide the anger he was feeling and he clearly didn't stop from voicing it too as he let a chain of colourful swear words but not loud enough for anyone to clearly hear them.
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Ichirou started forward, but he didn't go to Neil. He stood before his uncle and spoke in quiet Japanese. Tetsuji listened to it all in silence, expression unchanging. When Ichirou went quiet, Tetsuji bowed low over his knees. He didn't sit up again, even when Ichirou turned his heavy stare on Riko. Riko finally stirred enough to look up, and the brothers faced each other for the first time. Ichirou crouched in front of him, wordless and slow.
"Ichirou," Riko said, so choked with emotion Neil almost couldn't understand him. He could have been cursing Ichirou's name for waiting so long to come into his life. He could have been begging for justice or revenge. Riko opened his mouth to say something else but closed it again when Ichirou cradled Riko's cheek in his free hand.
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It wasn't comfort, but Neil didn't figure that out until it was too late. Ichirou put the gun to Riko's temple and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The gunshot was so unexpected, so loud, that Neil jumped. Riko's body jerked under the force of impact. Blood splattered across Tetsuji's back and the leather couch they shared. Ichirou withdrew his hands and let Riko fall.

What? WHAT? Did they really just witness that? No way no no no how what was happening? They did not just watch Ichouro shout his brother, it was shocking that it shut everyone up and it left everyone with clear shock on their faces so much that even Andrew couldn't keep it away from his expression. Kevin gaged and it somehow worked as a wake up call to everyone else as they snapped out of it and some looked ready to throw up and they groaned when they heard a breath that was considered as laugh coming from Andrew, Kevin became even more miserable as he hunched forward putting his head on his hands murmuring something that no one could hear, and some of the other that weren't used to things like that didn't keep much of a eye contact with the screen till it continued.
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As Ichirou straightened the stranger stepped forward. Ichirou passed the gun back, and the stranger knelt to press it into Riko's lifeless hand. Neil watched him curl Riko's fingers around the grip. In a distant corner
of his mind Neil knew what was going on, but right now Neil was too shocked to make full sense of it.

They understood it too "ha funny, exy king commits suicide after he gets defeated by bottom laser exy team" said Andrew with a quick smirk and Alison nodded, she was angry and it was a nice revenge seeing Seth's killer dead or more like the one behind it but it was the same.
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Ichirou stopped in front of Neil. "You have cost the Ravens their coach and their captain. Are you satisfied?"
It made no sense at first, because Tetsuji was still alive. When Neil caught on he stopped breathing. Tetsuji Moriyama was stepping down— not necessarily because Neil had asked for it, but because Ichirou had been here firsthand to see what the Ravens had become under Tetsuji's guidance.

"Damm talk about two birds with one stone" said Matt letting a breath he didn't know was holding escape.
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A year ago Neil had been a scared nobody, hating himself for
signing the Foxes' contract and counting down days until he moved in with Wymack. Tonight he was the starting striker for the first-ranked team in the NCAA. In two years he'd be captain, and in four he'd graduate from Palmetto State. Neil would find a professional team first and then fight tooth and nail to make the cut for Court. Neil could already imagine the weight of an Olympics medal around his neck. He didn't even care what color it was so long as it was his.
Better than that bright future was what he already had: a court that would always be home, a family who'd never give up on him, and Andrew, who for once hadn't wasted their time denying that this thing between them might actually mean something to both of them. Neil hadn't even noticed the silence at first, too distracted by his dizzying thoughts. Now he couldn't help but smile and pull Andrew in.
This was everything he wanted, everything he needed, and Neil was never letting go.

"Ugh I can't he is so cute" said Nicky with a motion of wiping away tears, it was not like he didn't have any it moved almost everyone to tears that were not close to falling as they just made their eyes glassy, it was moving watching and hearing how Neil's life has changed in to a better one and they were a part of it, it was nice knowing that them themselves had played a part to changing someone's life for the better but they could see how much Neil has changed them too, with Neil the team had united and it was somehow rewarding to see. "Fuck Riko we won guys, come on we have to party" screamed Nicky snapping everyone out of their thoughts with a scare witch earned him a punch from Aaron "geez don't do that out of nowhere" he said "got it" said a wheezing Nicky holding a thumps up but even if he said that he understood everyone knew that he was going to continue like that and they laughed as Aaron denied that Nicky had actually understood. They might have just witnessed someone's death but they would say that it was no one important (damm Neil's nonexistent sympathy for things like these might have rubbed of on them) as they past it and talked about the other things they saw.

(For anyone that has not seen it yet because it was something I answered in some comments: this story is finished but not at the same time. I finished the three books: tfc, trk, tkm but I will continue with the new book the tsc! It will take a while because I have yet to read or buy it but I will do it. For everyone's knowledge I will only be adding whatever is related and has to do with Neil from tsc, so please be patient with me because it will take some while <I have to work on my grades> but I will do it.)

Thanks for all the love in the comments
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