The Price For Immortality

Epilogue

Lui steps into the WBBA. He walks through the lobby and down the corridor. People dive into rooms and slam their backs against the wall to get out of his way. He never noticed it before: the way everyone stares at him with wide, terrified eyes as if he's going to hurt them. The way they run, the second he's within ten feet of them. He looks around at everyone. They shudder when he meets their eyes.

It bothers him. He doesn't say anything, though. He keeps his mouth shut and his eyes narrow. He has a reputation to keep, after all.

He steps into an elevator. The kid who had gotten in before him steps out. "Sorry, Lui," he mutters. He walks across the hall to the other elevator. Lui stares as the door slides shut in front of him. He wishes he would've had time to speak.

It's freezing in the building. He sticks his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He taps his foot as he waits for the elevator to stop. It finally does, and the doors slide open.

The person who'd been waiting on the other side jumps a foot in the air and jumps out of Lui's path. "Sorry, Lui," they say.

Lui stares at them. They look petrified. Their hands and legs are trembling, and their eyes are wide. "It's fine," Lui says. He turns and walks down the hallway, leaving the other person stunned and confused.

The hallway is completely empty, now. Lui stops walking to look out a window. Light, fluffy snow is falling through the air. It sparkles in the golden streetlights below. Lui finds himself staring at the flakes as they fall. He's in awe at how beautiful it is. He's never noticed the beauty of winter before. He just saw it as a nuisance, just like he saw everything else.

He stops staring at the snow and keeps walking. He passes through a set of doors, and sees more people on the other side. Great, just great. He continues walking, and people continue to dive out of his way.

He feels a small form bump into him. He hears a small 'oof!' and the sound of papers falling. Lui looks down, and sees a little boy on all fours, frantically grabbing at the papers he'd dropped. Lui crouches down and starts helping him.

"Hey, kid," he says.

The boy suddenly looks terrified. He looks up, and meets Lui's eyes. He shivers. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Shirosagi," he stammers.

"It's fine." Lui hands him the papers he'd picked up. "Here."

The little boy's hands are trembling as he takes the papers from Lui. They both stand up, and the kid stands there, quaking in his boots.

"I'm... I'm really really really sorry..." he stutters.

Lui smiles. "It's okay."

The boy gasps. He turns and sprints down the hallway as fast as he can. Lui can hear him whimpering the whole way down. Lui's smile vanishes. He lets out a sigh and continues walking down the hallway. Everyone is still scared of him. That's to be expected.

At last he gets to the room where his team is. He opens the door and looks inside. They're all training like crazy for the upcoming tournament. Lui takes off his jacket, and throws it on a nearby bench.

Everyone hears the zipper hit the metal. They all look over and see Lui standing in the doorway.

"What's up?" Katana says, from his spot by the treadmill.

Lui crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe. "Not much."

Gabe looks over. "You here to train with us?"

"I don't have anything to train for. I got disqualified, remember?" Lui sits on the bench and stares at him. 

"Oh, right." Gabe looks away. "You can still work out with us."