Kapitel 63: Brothers
[Word Count: 3833]
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Leo's head felt like it was spinning, his thoughts a chaotic jumble that made him question his own purpose. Why was he walking forward? What was the point of all this?
SMACK!
He smacked himself, trying to shake off the weariness and the confusing thoughts. Those were just tired thoughts talking, he needed a reminder, something to hold onto to keep him going.
"I want to go home, I want to see my brats... I want to see Ai," Leo nagged in his head. He felt an overwhelming longing for his family, for the comfort of home. But he was in America now, and he didn't even remember arriving; he only felt the crisp American air hitting his face.
"Ugh," Leo groaned as he waited outside the airport, feeling out of place and smelling like burnt wood. The bags under his eyes added to his disheveled appearance, making him seem even less approachable to the passerby who gave him strange looks.
It had been three days since Leo last slept. The nagging feeling of fatigue was ever-present, but he refused to give in to rest. He hadn't slept since burning down Germany, and the turmoil of emotions and events had kept him awake. Santa Claus had stopped communicating with him in person, resorting to sending puppets to relay messages and take responses.
Coward.
Santa Claus had proposed an alliance, but Leo could see through the veiled intentions. As useful as it might have been, he knew he couldn't trust her, and she couldn't trust him either. An alliance would only lead to a future betrayal. They both knew the benefits of temporary cooperation, but ultimately, it would all fall apart.
After leaving Germany, Santa Claus seemed to have abandoned the idea of an alliance. Leo found himself plagued by insomnia, fearing that if he fell asleep now, he might not wake up for a long time, and he had too much to do.
"No rest for the wicked, I guess..." Leo thought to himself with a hint of irony.
The aftermath of the fires in Germany had left the world in shock. The news of the devastation spread rapidly, and discussions about the mysterious figure responsible for the destruction buzzed through every corner of society. Leo's actions had left a lasting impact, scorching Germany's lands and leaving a mark of vengeance that demanded attention.
With the weight of his actions heavy on his mind, Leo knew he had to keep moving forward, even if it meant sacrificing sleep and rest. His heart yearned for his family back in Japan, and he clung to their memory as he navigated through the chaos he had created. The road ahead was uncertain, but Leo was determined to face it head-on, for better or worse.
Taking a bated breath, Leo saw a familiar white van approaching, and the passenger window rolled down to reveal Richard Hammond's grinning face.
"Hey, brat! Where's your luggage?!" Richard yelled out joyfully, drawing amused glances from people at the airport.
Leo's luggage had burned with Germany, but he didn't dwell on that as he made his way towards the van, ignoring the honking cars behind it.
"Where's your stuff? Last we saw you, you had luggage and everything," Richard commented, unfazed by the honking and returning a friendly middle finger to the irritated drivers.
"Didn't account for it when I started a small fire," Leo replied wearily, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.
"That's unfortunate," Jeremy quipped from behind the wheel, showing little sympathy. "Anyways, get in. I'd rather not turn the airport into a shootout, especially with how trigger-happy people seem to be these days."
Leo chuckled at the remark and walked to the back of the van, where James welcomed him with a wave. He couldn't help but notice fresh bloodstains on the van's floor.
"Don't mind the puddle, we've been slightly busy as of yesterday," James casually remarked.
"Never a dull day with you lot, is there?" Leo muttered, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the van.
The van left behind a tire mark on the road as it sped away from the airport, and Leo settled into the backseat.
"How was Germany?" Jeremy asked with a smirk, glancing at Leo through the rearview mirror.
Leo let out a weary sigh, his mind still reeling from the events in Germany. "Germany was... eventful, to say the least," he replied cryptically, not ready to divulge the details just yet.
"Eventful, you say?" Richard raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Well, we've had our share of excitement here too. Bloody mess, if you ask me."
James nodded in agreement. "Yes, things have been rather chaotic while you were in Germany."
"I can tell," Leo said, gesturing towards the bloodstains on the van floor. "I assume that's not just jam you've spilled?"
Jeremy chuckled. "No, definitely not jam. Just a little... misunderstanding with some brats with a head too big for their shoulders. You'll see them back at the warehouse."
"Oh? Have they caught your attention?" Leo inquired, letting out a yawn.
"They have an interesting devil contract," James informed.
"That's one way of putting it," Richard commented. "Get this, just yesterday when we were going out for a bite and three boy roll up on us demanding all of our money while pointing knives at us. Knives!"
Richard started laughing as he smacked his knee, trying to calm down.
"W-We proceeded to beat the bloody piss out of them," Richard wheezed, continuing to smack his knee.
His laughter was contagious, and soon Jeremy and James joined in, filling the van with their amusement. Leo couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.
"Ahhh," Richard breathed out, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Go on," James encouraged. "You're just getting to the good part."
"Right, right," Richard said, getting himself under control. "So we beat them to a pulp, right? And we're all like, 'Bloody waste of time.' But as we turn to leave, their fucken faces begin to melt off, like butter!" he exclaimed.
Leo's eyes widened slightly. "One hell of an encounter."
"Right?!" Richard laughed. "Anyways, after that, we decided to just order delivery and drag the three idiots back to the warehouse for interrogation and maybe recruitment."
"They caught your interest?" Leo asked.
"Gut feeling," Jeremy chuckled.
"Hah! Just like with you lot," James quipped, recalling their first meeting with Leo and Shouzou.
"One hell of a gut feeling then," Leo said with a smirk, crossing his arms as he leaned back.
"Got us this far," Richard said, matching Leo's smirk.
Leo's exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, and he leaned further back in the seat, closing his eyes briefly. The van's movement and the sound of the engine provided a sense of comfort amidst the chaos. As he drifted into a light doze, thoughts of Ai and the kids echoed softly in his mind, offering him a glimmer of peace amidst the turbulent journey that lay ahead.
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"Should we wake him?" James asked in a hushed whisper.
The three of them stood outside of the van, watching Leo sleep soundly in the back while teetering to the side.
"He'll ruin his sleep schedule if he sleeps during the day," Richard commented.
"Will he?" Jeremy asked, getting a nod from Richard.
"I mean, he's going back to Japan after this, right?" James asked curiously, receiving another nod from Jeremy. "It's probably night already over there, so he wouldn't be affecting his sleep schedule by sleeping now."
Jeremy and Richard pondered the logic. It made sense, but there was still one problem—they needed him awake.
Being the mature adult he was, Jeremy walked into the warehouse and returned with a flashbang, snickering.
"Jeremy..." James gasped, anticipating what was to come.
Richard caught on to Jeremy's plan and started snickering as well.
"He's going to hate us," James muttered, though a grin betrayed his amusement.
Without further ado, Jeremy pulled the pin and threw it at the back of the van. A loud, ear-splitting sound erupted along with a blinding white light, shattering the tranquility around them.
The van burst with glass, cutting through the metal and plastic, leaving not a single piece intact. The glass retracted as quickly as it appeared, leaving Leo groaning as he rolled amidst the debris, now smelling like gasoline.
Jeremy, Richard, and James had fallen back from the sudden eruption of glass, caught off-guard by the chaos. They looked at the van with their mouths open in shock, and for a moment, the only sound in the warehouse was Leo's groaning. Then, laughter erupted from all three of them.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Jeremy managed to say between fits of laughter.
"Ugh," Leo groaned as he pushed what remained of the van's roof off of him. Sitting up, he yawned as he inspected the wreckage, The trio's laughter slowly filtered into his ears. His vision was blurry but that was most likely a result of his drowsiness.
Rubbing his eyes, Leo felt somewhat better. He was still tired, but it seemed his power nap had brushed away some of his drowsiness.
"I might start suffering from burnout quicker than I thought if I keep this up," Leo thought to himself.
Ignoring the Blokes' cackling, Leo got off the remnants of the van and stretched his weary muscles. Everything felt stiff, but that was a familiar sensation. With a satisfying pop here and there, Leo slapped himself awake, catching the attention of the Blokes as they came down from their laughter.
"Looks like you owe us a new van, matchbox," Jeremy sarcastically commented, getting another laugh from Richard and James.
"Uh huh," Leo rolled his eyes but inspected the shredded remains of the van. If this was his reaction to getting startled, he might need to start meditating or something to avoid this becoming an issue later down the line.
"Let's not waste any more time, shall we?" Jeremy asked, taking out a gold pocket watch. "We've kept our guest waiting long enough, I say."
"Let's get moving then," James agreed, leading the group into the warehouse.
Walking into a lower level of the building, they reached a makeshift soundproof room with three individuals tied up in chairs. They were blindfolded, with muffling headphones over their heads.
"So we've got two of their names, but the oldest has refused to tell us his," Richard explained. "The one with the visible scar on his eye is Also, while the tall one with long disheveled hair is Joey."
The three brothers were badly bruised, presumably from the beating the Blokes gave them when they tried robbing them.
"Anything else?" Leo asked as he watched the three brothers squirm in their seats.
"They claim to be immortal, but as you can tell," Richard said, pointing at their bruises. "They've yet to heal from their injuries."
"Maybe it's the trashy immortality, where your soul is immortal, but your body is not," Leo theorized.
Jeremy laughed at this. "Ha, the soul is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised."
Richard chuckled before clearing his throat. "We figured a good scare is what they need to snap out of it and see the world for what it is, and we were wondering if you'd do the honors, second boss."
"You want me to scare 'em?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You are the scariest person we know," Jeremy remarked.
Leo didn't comment on Jeremy's remark. Instead, he popped his fingers.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked.
The Blokes looked at each other and smirked, ready to unleash Leo's terrifying presence on the three brothers.
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Sensory deprivation was one hell of an experience. It made one feel weightless, created a sense of isolation and detachment from the world, and stripped away any distractions. However, unfortunately for the three brothers, this wasn't the peaceful and worry-free experience it could be. Instead, their bodies were wracked with constant pain from the beating the old guys had given them, and what was worse, they had no idea where they were.
Blindfolded and with headphones muffling their hearing, the brothers were left in a state of disorientation and discomfort. Every movement sent stabs of pain through their bruised bodies, reminding them of the recent confrontation they had with the Blokes. The soundproof room only amplified the silence, making the solitude feel more suffocating than liberating.
With nothing but darkness and silence to accompany their pain, the brothers were left to their own thoughts and fears. The unknown was always the most terrifying, and in their current situation, they had no control over what might happen next. The uncertainty of their fate weighed heavily on their minds, leaving them anxious and afraid.
They tried to recall the events leading up to their current predicament, but it was a blur of chaos and adrenaline-fueled fear. The faces of the men who had beaten them were etched into their minds, their laughter and mocking words haunting their thoughts.
In the midst of their disorientation, the brothers couldn't help but wonder what their captors had in store for them. They had initially thought it would be an easy score, rob some wealthy-looking old guys, but the unexpected happened. Those old guys were carrying guns. They tried backing away, but the old guys weren't having it and proceeded to beat them to the ground.
Initially, they weren't scared, they had survived the Gun Devil, they're immortal, right?
But with time, that false bravado began to die down.
In the claustrophobic confines of the soundproof room, the three brothers were left to confront their pain, fear, and vulnerability. Time seemed to crawl, and each minute felt like an eternity.
The sensory deprivation, combined with their physical injuries, made them feel like they were teetering on the edge of sanity. The room offered no escape, and the brothers could only endure, hoping that this ordeal would come to an end soon.
Suddenly, without warning, their blindfolds and headphones were ripped off, and they blinked in the sudden light. The three of them exchanged glances, finding solace in the fact that they were still alive. Looking forward, they saw a new face – a calloused but young face looking at them with a blank expression.
The person's piercing black eyes bore into them, challenging them to do something, anything. A sinister light hung over them, casting an eerie glow on the table next to them. The atmosphere was charged with tension, and the brothers knew that whatever was about to happen wouldn't be pleasant.
"So..." Leo spoke, his voice calm and measured. "You guys are immortal?"
"That's right!" the unnamed oldest brother, barked out defiantly. As much as the situation was against them, he needed to prioritize being the target – he had to protect his brothers at whatever cost.
"Hmm," Leo hummed, leaning forward on his chair, his gaze fixed on Ian. "What's your name?" he asked, wanting to establish a personal connection.
"Ian!" he shouted, trying to assert himself.
"I see," Leo muttered, getting up from the chair. He turned to face the table and brushed his hand over whatever items were placed on it, while his other hand reached into his pocket.
With a calm demeanor, Leo retrieved a package from his pocket and opened it, causing three shotgun shells to fall out onto the table. The brothers couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines at the sight of the ammunition.
"Is that really true, Ian? You're immortal? I'm just having a hard time believing it," Leo said, picking up a double-barrel shotgun from the table, his fingers grazing the smooth metal.
Ian swallowed nervously but tried to maintain his bravado. "T-That's right! We can't die."
"Really?" Leo raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident in his voice. "Does the same rule apply to your brothers?" he asked, loading two shells into the chamber of the shotgun.
The room fell into tense silence as Leo's question hung in the air. The three brothers exchanged nervous glances, unsure of how to respond. The reality of their situation began to sink in – they were at the mercy of someone who seemed unfazed by their supposed immortality.
Finally, Ian steeled himself and spoke up, "Y-Yes, it does. We share the same immortality."
Leo's expression remained unreadable as he closed the shotgun, locking the shells into place. He seemed to be contemplating something as he looked at the brothers, his gaze unwavering.
"I see," Leo said, his voice calm but with an underlying intensity. "Well, I guess there's only one way to test that theory, isn't there?"
The brothers felt a surge of panic as they realized what Leo was implying. They were trapped, unable to defend themselves, and now faced with the possibility of their immortality being put to the test.
Leo's footsteps filled the room as he walked up to Aldo, the brother with two vertical scars over his right eye.
When Leo placed the loaded shotgun on his chest, Aldo's breaths became rapid and labored. Leo didn't say a word, allowing the silence to speak volumes. His intense stare seemed to pierce through Aldo's very soul, making him feel exposed and vulnerable.
As the seconds ticked by, the room seemed to grow smaller, suffocating Aldo with its weight. He could feel the eyes of his brothers on him, their collective anxiety adding to his own.
Leo slowly applied pressure to the trigger.
But before Leo could commit, Ian yelled out, his voice filled with desperation. "Wait!!!"
The room fell into a tense silence as all eyes turned to Ian.
"Shoot me!" Ian declared, his fear and anxiety visible in his eyes, but determined to protect his brothers at any cost. "If you want to test our immortality, shoot me instead!"
Leo's expression remained stoic as he considered Ian's plea. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly took the shotgun off Aldo's chest and pointed it at Ian's chest.
Ian's nervousness grew as he stared at Leo's finger pressing down on the trigger.
Suddenly...
CLICK!
Leo pulled the trigger, and to Ian's surprise, a loud pop followed by colorful confetti burst out of the shotgun, stinging his chest and leaving him yelping in pain.
The tension in the room broke as the brothers stared at the confetti, their confusion evident.
Leo couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Consider it a warning shot," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
From behind them, the three brothers heard the Blokes burst into hysterical laughter as they fell on their asses laughing.
Leo casually cocked the shotgun and pointed it at Joey.
Pulling the trigger, Joey was met with confetti as it got stuck in his disheveled hair.
"Is your heart pounding, Ian?" Leo asked loud enough to speak through the Blokes' laughter. "Who knew that an immortal was scared of dying."
Ian's face turned red with embarrassment and frustration. "You tricked us!" he exclaimed.
"Indeed," Leo replied with a smirk. "Sometimes the mind is the most powerful weapon. Now, are you ready to talk?"
Ian glared at Leo, his anger and frustration evident, he didn't really have any other choice. "Fine, we'll talk," he grumbled.
Leo stepped back from the brothers, the shotgun now lowered, but his eyes still bore into them with unwavering intensity. "Good. Start by telling me everything you know about your devil contracts," he demanded.
"We made a contract with the skin devil," Ian explained. "If we touch the corpse of someone, we change our appearance into them."
"Hmm, and the immortality?" Leo inquired.
Ian hesitated as he glanced at his two brothers. Aldo was openly crying, whether out of joy that their immortality wouldn't be tested or out of fear from realizing he might not really be immortal.
It was a tough pill to swallow. Even if Ian didn't want to admit it, someone else was bound to test out their immortality. They got lucky that Leo chose to mess with them rather than putting the theory to the test, but soon, they might not have a choice.
"We're not immortal," Ian answered dejectedly, much to his brothers' shock. "When the Gun Devil attacked, we managed to survive despite everyone else around us dying. So... we... I convinced them we were immortal."
Leo's expression remained stoic, but there was a hint of understanding in his eyes. "You convinced yourselves you were immortal," he repeated softly. "A coping mechanism, is it?"
Ian nodded, his shoulders slumping with the weight of his confession. "Yes. We thought if we appeared invincible, it would keep us safe from those who wanted to take advantage of our abilities. But it's all a lie. We can be hurt... we can be killed."
Aldo and Joey looked at Ian with a mix of shock and betrayal. They had believed in their immortality, taking comfort in the thought that nothing could harm them. Now, their illusion was shattered, leaving them vulnerable and exposed.
"Well, there you have it," Leo said, turning to the Blokes.
Ian and his brothers looked somewhat shocked as Leo spoke to the old men that had kicked their asses not long ago.
"I don't really care for your contracts or false immortality for that matter," Leo said, pointing to the Blokes.
Jeremy led Richard and James in front of the three brothers.
"Yes, hello, a pleasure to meet again," Jeremy spoke with a grin.
"We wanted to introduce you to some friends of ours," Richard added.
"You see, you've caught our attention," James chimed in.
The three brothers exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what the Blokes had in mind.
"You three idiots remind us of well, us," Jeremy continued. "So, we have a proposition for you."
"A proposition?" Ian asked, his curiosity piqued despite his fear.
"We're putting together a team," Richard explained. "A team of individuals with unique abilities, like yourselves."
"We need people who can adapt, improvise, and handle themselves in dangerous situations," James added. "People who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty."
"What do you say?" Jeremy asked, his grin widening. "Do you want to join our little family?"
The three brothers exchanged glances, considering the offer before them. They had nowhere else to turn, and this might be an opportunity to find a new purpose and a place where they truly belonged.
"Alright," Ian said finally, a hint of determination in his eyes. "We're in."
"Excellent," declared Jeremy.
While the three Blokes celebrated, Leo made his way over to the three brothers.
"I have no interest in either of you three. If I forced myself to think about it, I could think of one use for you three. But if anything happens to those three," Leo said, his voice taking on a cold and threatening tone, "you won't see the end of it."
"Oh? What's this? Is the little matchbox worried for us old folk," Jeremy taunted, getting a laugh from Richard and James.
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"... Shut up Jeremy."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein