Paint it Another Colour

Chapter 32

Xiao seemed to move, as though he was starting to regain consciousness. Kiku scooped up the garden fork he'd been using against Leon and drove it through his neck, holding it there until Xiao stopped moving. For a second, Kiku just stood, staring at the mess before glancing at Leon.

"I wasn't supposed to do that" he muttered. "Gomen'nasai Yao." He turned and grabbed Leon's sleeve.

"We can't just leave him there" Leon cried as Kiku dragged him back into the house. "They others'll find him and attack."

"And you think he was there through pure coincidence?" Kiku grabbed a key from a bowl and locked the door behind them. "No, the attack had already started. They'll be in here in minutes. We need to get everyone together. There's no use us all being scattered around the place."

"There's no use me being here at all" Leon huffed, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Xiao said it himself. I'm barely a nation. I don't matter."

"Hey" Kiku grabbed hold of him and shook him lightly. "Don't think like that. That's exactly what they want you to think okay. And there is use you being here. You said it yourself when you were arguing with Yao. There's no point us having to fight off another counterpart when you can do it yourself."

Leon hesitated for a second before nodding and picking up one of the knives from the block. "Okay" he muttered.

Kiku gave him a small smile and then turned. "We need to get the others. Anything could happen anytime now."

"They were in the cellar and loft right?" Leon opened the door under the stairs that led down to the spacious cavern under the house and peered down. "Or did they come back up?"

"Last I checked they didn't" Kiku shrugged. "I'll get Mei." He vanished up the stairs while Leon stayed in the small doorway.

"Kyung Soo? Yong Soo? You there?" he shouted. For a second there was nothing.

"We're good" Yong Soo appeared at the bottom of the stairs and began walking up with a baseball bat and a box of nails. "I found these! They'll be alright won't they? I mean, I wouldn't say I necessarily need a weapon, but..."

"You should have one anyway" Kyung Soo came into view behind his twin. "It'll be more use than not being useful."

"Now watch me trip over it in the middle of something and get killed or something" Yong Soo laughed. Kyung Soo rolled his eyes, gave an exasperated sigh and hit him. "That was uncalled for."

He went to punch the other, who caught his fist and raised a mocking eyebrow. "Aiya! No messing about on the stairs" he mimicked in a voice almost identical to Yao's which had them both laughing again, and Leon snickering. "But seriously though, does anyone know where he is yet?"

Leon shook his head. "No, but I know where his counterpart is. He just attacked me in the garden."

"They're attacking now?" Yong Soo stared at him, all humour suddenly gone.

Leon nodded and stepped back from the doorway to let them past. "Kiku asked me to call you. He's gone to fetch Mei. They'll be back in a second."

"And if they're not you know what's happened" Yong Soo wriggled his fingers and fixed a sinister expression on them before suddenly grabbing Kyung Soo's shoulders and screaming at the top of his voice: "the 2ps have got 'em!"

Kyung Soo screeched and hit him again. Kiku and Mei thundered down the stairs looking terrified, Mei clutching a small box.

"What happened?" Kiku asked before glaring at them. "Nothing?"

Leon glanced away, searching around the room for anything to change the subject. "What's in the box?"

"Hm?" Mei blinked for a second. "Oh! Darts. I've no idea why we have them, but we have a dart board in the loft."