the final mission

27

Roddy tugged on her hair.

Hard.

She was an intelligent girl who made ideas into plans and plans into goals. However, Gio was a different story. His very existence had created far too many issues in her life and she could do nothing but solve them week by week.

Roddy took off the pure silk pajamas and opted instead for casual gray sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. She put on the expensive tennis shoes that Gio had purchased for her and prepared to leave, but the man of the hour was blocking her exit.

"And good morning to you too. Leaving so soon?" Roddy nodded and attempted to get past him, but they both knew that it would be harder than that. With a flat face, Roddy gently put her fingers on Gio's bare chest and heaved him away.

"Gio, I have to go. You, out of all people, know he doesn't like waiting." Gio rolled his eyes and beckoned her to the kitchen for breakfast. Gio noticed Roddy was getting skinnier and hoped she was not skipping meals in order to save the world.

They ate together, Roddy essentially scarving down her food.

"I'll see you tonight. Give my brother my greetings."

Roddy threw a middle finger behind her head as she rushed to the mental asylum.

★★★

Raina and Brody gently swayed on the dancefloor.

Everyone was invited to Gio's house for a party. There was no mission tonight and all of them craved a miniscule break from their regularly hectic lives. All seven of them were having fun, even Kai. He trusted Roddy and knew she was doing something more important than the party at the moment.

"Kai! Kai!" Stella, the short redhead who Kai hoped he would never have to see again, appeared beside him and offered him a bear hug. This was not saying much considering how short she was.

"Stella." Kai's face flattened as he awkwardly pushed her away. She pouted at him. Her bruises were still visible and she still had an arm sling on, but at least she was capable of smiling this time around. Ziva looked over and noticed her friend in distress, so she shooed Diego away.

"Kai! Diego seemed to have left me, come dance!" Ziva dragged him to the dance floor and they slowly swayed with the music. Ziva did not get along with Kai as well as Roddy did, but they did have a few traits in common. One of which was perception.

"Why would Gio through a party without Roddy here? The man is practically obsessed with her." Kai nodded in agreement. Something was off, but neither of them knew what.

If only they had known where Roddy was.

★★★

"Cassius. Roddy Cassius." The desk lady offered a smile while she typed Roddy's name into the computer. Roddy sat in the waiting room and waited for the man that she saw fairly often. She smiled when the workers told her he was ready for her.

Roddy walked down the looming hallway and into his room, where he was waiting for her with a smile. She offered a hug and sat down, making sure to close the door behind her. She was the only visitor allowed to do this due to how often she came.

"Roddy? Bellezza! Come stai?" The grown man looked giddy and Roddy offered him a gentle smile.

"I'm great, Furseo. And you?"

"Magnifico! I'm ready to get out. My gang needs me." Roddy rolled her eyes at Furseo's determination. She adored the man with all her heart, but he was too ahead of himself.

"Furseo, your gang is ready for you, too. But you know you'll have to wait a bit when you get out. Establish a name for yourself and then tend to your gang, alright?" Furseo huffed but nodded, nevertheless. He knew that Roddy was a smart girl and would always be his most trusted advisor.

"How's everything going? Gio?"

"Gio is great; he misses you so much," Roddy stroked Furseo's cheek as she pulled him in for a close embrace, "and you get to see him as much as you like after these next two weeks, alright?" Roddy held Furseo closer and he let out a few tears onto her hoodie.

Roddy never wanted to put Furseo into a mental institution, but she knew it was necessary for him to integrate into society. Furseo used to be a threat; a menace. Years and years of being in a mental asylum made him in a loveable man and strong leader that was capable of running a gang.

Gio was mad and would probably always be angry at Roddy for hiding Furseo for so long. Furseo was more than just Gio's older brother; he was the only one who had always been by Gio's side. Furseo was there for Gio when their family left them. Gio was enraged when he found out he was not allowed to see his brother; a guideline that Roddy set in order for Furseo to grow without hindrance.

"Roddy?" Furseo sniffed as he looked up at her with glassy eyes. Roddy wiped his tears and brushed through his hair with her fingers as she waited. "I miss my family; I messed up so bad. They were all I had left and I was hellbent on revenge. I'd do anything to get them back."

Roddy's face turned grave.

"Seo, my Seo. Look at me." Roddy gently tilted his head upwards. "We all have regrets in life. You have family out there; I promise you'll be able to fix your mistakes. Some of us don't get second chances, Amore." Roddy embraced him tightly one more time.

Roddy realized it was time for bed and helped him get into bed. She tucked him in and ran her fingers through his hair until she felt his breathing even out. She kissed his chin, his nose, and his forehead.

Looking around his room, her lips upturned at the jacket he called his "freedom jacket." She reminisced on the time he described the day he would leave the mental asylum.

"It would be a sunny day;" Furseo's head rested on Roddy's lap as he stared at the ceiling,
"not a cloud in the sky. You would run into my room and wake me up, but I would already be awake, waiting for you. I'd have this jacket on and you would pull my out of my room and take me to surprise Gio."

Roddy did not tell Furseo that she would be gone.

Roddy took the small envelope out of her hoodie pocket and slipped it into an interior pocket of the "freedom jacket." She patted it down and hid it so he would not see it until the day came. She kissed Furseo's forehead once last time.

"Addio, my love." Roddy whispered these three words into the air with caution, as if she was scared that Furseo was going to wake up. She would miss coming into the room and talking about Furseo's future, a future that she would not be part of. Roddy's forehead scrunched at the thought, but she shook her head. She would not allow herself to become emotional.

That day was that last time he would ever see Roddy alive.