Chapter 29

Thank god that Asuka still had her key to the apartment, as she and Mizuchi were the first to arrive. The receptionist greeted Asuka with a friendly face, but the only reply she got was Asuka asking her to please send security to Misawa’s apartment. The woman behind the desk looked startled but the two women rushing by could see her pick up the phone as the elevator doors closed behind them.

She tapped her foot impatiently against the floor, her girlfriend taking her hand and giving it a firm squeeze. She would have teleported them, but they had no way of knowing what was happening in the apartment, as she hadn’t had any predictions about it. There was a terrible feeling in her stomach though, and she steeled herself for whatever was to come.

The elevator stopped, and got outside, making sure to stay quiet just in case. The door to the apartment was closed, but as Mizuchi copied herself to go first, they found it unlocked. Pushing the door open, they were met by the sound of something falling to the floor with a heavy thud. Then someone started yelling and a gunshot ran off, deafening in the apartment.

Rushing into the living room, throwing caution to the wind, the two women came face to face with a scene that would have fit out of a horror movie.

The first thing they saw was Juudai, hand covered in blood as it withdrew from where it had clearly been plunged into the oldest of Jun’s brother’s side. The oldest Manjoume was the source of the thud, as he had fallen to the floor in front of the couch. In front of Chousaku was Jun, unconscious Juudai turned to undo the belt fastened around his neck. Blood soaked claws caught against the light, too sharp for anything human. Juudai’s hair stood on end, his eyes practically glowing with how intense the colour was. Misawa was unconscious as well, but his neck was free.

“What- what the fuck--” Their attention snapped to the last Manjoume, who was standing with his gun raised, hand shaking uncontrollably. Another man was staring wide eyed at the scene by the couch, eyes not daring to leave Juudai’s form. “What kind of f-freak are you…!?” Shoji yelled, steadying his hand with the help of the other, making himself ready to fire another shot.

Instantly, Mizuchi teleported both her and her copy, one in front of the man and the other behind. The copy grabbed his arm and twisted it until it pointed straight up, not needing to worry about a shot in that direction as they were on the top floor. The original made him drop the gun by a hard strike to his brachial plexus. At the intense pain, it looked like Shoji was going to vomit, and taking the opportunity of him bending forward gave, she chopped at his neck with the side of her hand, his unconscious body falling to the floor.

Meeting the eyes of the final man, who she had no idea who he was, he held up his hands in a disarming gesture. “I don’t mess with twins,” he stated, but Asuka caught the tensing of the muscles in his hand, and she yelled her girlfriend’s name.

But she was already on it, creating more copies of herself, making the stranger’s eyes widen. He aimed the gun at the one he thought was the real one. “What kind of magic trick is this?!”

He was so distracted by Mizuchi that he failed to notice the arrival of Fubuki and Ryo, and the older Tenjouin jumped at the man without thinking of the consequences. Just as another shot rang out, Mizuchi threw out a barrier between it and Fubuki, the bullet bouncing against it and back into the man’s thigh. The man screamed, grabbing his leg at the unexpected explosion of pain.

“Fuck, you whore!” With a cold look in his eye, Fubuki slapped the man across the face, making him fall back. “Don’t talk to her like that,” he spoke with a dark tone reminiscent of when he’d first been rediscovered after his disappearance. Ryo put his hand on his husband’s shoulder, snapping him out of it while Asuka grabbed the gun out of the stranger’s hand. Quietly, Mizuchi struck him with a similar blow to the neck that made him pass out.

Finally, the room fell quiet, and eyes turned toward the couch. Juudai was cradling Jun’s face, his head on his lap. He was still unconscious, but seemed to be breathing, the sound raspy against the otherwise silent room.

When Juudai turned to look at them, they spotted the third eye on his forehead, and with the voice of a woman mingling with his own, She spoke. “Though I didn’t like him, Juudai does, and I won’t forgive anyone who tries to take Juudai’s happiness away.” She looked down at the bleeding man at their feet, caressing Jun’s cheek as she continued. “He won’t die, Juudai wouldn’t let me. But he’ll be in pain for a very long time.”

Mizuchi let her clones fade, and she kneeled in front of the card spirit possessing their friend’s body. “You’re Yubel.” The spirit met her eyes, nodding after a moment of consideration. “Can you let Juudai back in control? Security is coming at any moment.”

With an annoyed frown on her face, the card spirit finally agreed. Claws turned into nails, eyes went back to their normal state. The third eye closed and faded into smooth skin, his hair falling back with the weight of gravitation.

That’s when they saw the big red stain on Juudai’s shirt, covering the entire front of the worn cotton. The shirt having been black it had been easy to miss amongst the chaos, but now, Asuka fell to her knees next to her girlfriend. “You’ve been shot,” she exclaimed, distressed at the sight. “Fubuki, call an ambulance-”

That’s when the sound of people barging into the apartment burst their bubble, feet thundering through without a care. Police in protective gear and weapons drawn flooded the room, and all of them froze.

Taking in the scene, the person who seemed to be their leader looked over all of them, seeming to recognise most of them from the amount of media coverage the case had already gotten. She made a hand gesture, guns quickly lowering, and someone spoke in a walkie talkie to send in the paramedics.

The steady beeping was what ultimately drove him to open his eyes after the half aware state he’d been in for a while. It felt like it got louder and louder, and it just made him more and more annoyed. Jun opened his mouth, but felt something in the way, making his pulse rise and he struggled to move, his brother’s figure looming over him, making him want to scream, but nothing coming out.

“Jun- Jun it’s okay, you’re at the hospital, you’re safe, no one’s gonna hurt you!” he heard a familiar voice, though in his distress he couldn’t connect it to a face, only Chousaku in front of him filling up his field of vision, Shoji looming behind him and urging him on. Tears streamed down his face, until gentle hands cupped his cheeks. They were warm...  Nothing like the cold leather he’d felt restricting his air. “The nurse is gonna give you some more meds, okay? After what happened they expected you to not be okay if you woke up while the tube’s still in you, but your throat’s still too swollen for you to breathe on your own.”

He could pick up some of the words, the sentences registered slowly, until he had gathered enough to know that there was something in his throat rather than something wrapped around it. Still shaking like a leaf, he closed his eyes to the image of his brothers. After a while he felt his body grow heavier, and his mind fuzzier. It was only then that he dared to open his again, blinking through the tears clinging stubbornly to his eyelashes. He couldn’t turn his head, but at his obvious attempt, his company stood up.

For a minute, Jun’s body grew tense, expecting either of his brothers to make another attempt at his life, but calm flooded his senses as he met Fubuki’s warm eyes. The brunet brushed sweaty bangs off Jun’s forehead, palm eventually coming to a rest on his cheek. “It’s over. They’re arrested, everyone’s okay. It’s finally going to be fine.”

This time, the tears rolling down his face were ones of relief.

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