Tokyo, Japan
Thylonius-19
"Whoever they are. They're dead for trying to kill my sister!"
She was always stronger than even I gave her credit for. She cut them down. One by one she made three shoot each other. She stabbed 4 of them to death and pummeled 4 more but if your math is like mine, you noticed she missed one. Bang! He shot her point blank in the stomach. She was able to wing him in the shoulder to scare him off. Like I said though… She's stronger than I thought, I found her keeping pressure on her own wound. I had left the hotel as soon as Nala told me what was going on. I was able to stitch her up a little but she was badly wounded. It had been a rough fight. I could see that. What I couldn't see was how she was targeted.
"What happened?"
"Sniper attempt then ambush." Her speech was slow, labored. She needed to rest, I needed more information.
"What kind of hitters?" She paused. "Ni!"
"Professional. Blended in perfectly. I didn't see them until it was too late. I felt them. I knew something was wrong. But I chalked it up to meeting and hanging with Nala." I looked at her she looked right back at me.
"We can talk about that later. Where is she?
"The hotel."
"I can't take you there…"
"You have to."
"Ni I'm good but you are beyond my skills right now. You have broken ribs, multiple wounds, and a bullet hole in your stomach lucky for us it was a through and through but the blood loss is too much. You need to go to the hospital!"
"Think little brother. Think. They knew who I am and I left one alive.
"You what?!"
"It was 12 on one. I'm lucky to be alive. However, I won't be if you take me to a hospital. I know how to heal myself quicker than most. I lost a lot of blood but I don't think a blood transfusion will be necessary. We have matching types I can take a little if anything. I'll be ok and you won't be too weak. The only thing you have to worry about is Nala."
I looked at her more closely, it was faint but her eyes had a hint of her trademark light violet color. I felt her body pulse every few seconds. The bleeding was slowing down. Her power was healing herself very slowly. I didn't know if she was making new blood to replace what she lost or just absorbing the blood currently on her. Now wasn't the time for details.
"I got that covered."
"You do?"
"Yes, I do. I'll do what I have to. We need to get you inside. We're not safe out here."
I carried her inside. It turned out that wasn't as safe as I thought.
"What the bloody 'ell is going on?!"
"Nala…"
"Don't Nala me babe. Tell me what the fuck jus' 'appened to your sister and I Ty! Don't lie to me either. I was just shot at! So, tell me or I swear to bloody Christ you won't see me again. I KNOW YOU KNOW SOMETHING!"
"Look I don't know. Japanese police are saying it was a random attack. We've been through things like this before in Africa. That was why she sent you away. Ni was helping people and was hit by a car. That's why she's hurt" Nala starts shaking her head.
"Look Nala. I can't go to a hospital." Nala looks at CniDaria who is barely awake speaking. "I don't trust them. Not after all the horrors I've seen in hospitals. I have training in the area and Ty has my blood type. I will be fine."
I looked at her in that moment. I looked at them both. I had to choose. The women I love and her peace of mind. Or revenge for my sister. I chose what I will always chose: revenge.
"Nala" She looked at me. I held her. "I've been through this before. So has she. Random acts of violence. Terrorists attacks. I told you about our foster father." Ni gave me a look that luckily Nala didn't see. "Especially now with the world in disarray. They will become more frequent and if this area just had one it's possible there's another coming, So I'm going to send you home."
"Bullocks. I'm not leaving you in this shite…"
"I'm not asking." She stopped and looked at me like she had never seen me before. "I'm not risking your safety. If Ni was healthy, we'd be coming with you. But I won't watch you suffer from chaos." Nala looked down. She stepped on my toes and kissed me. Something she loved to do, she looked at me.
"Ok. I'll go. I love you Ty" I nodded and she went into our room and packed
"You not going to say it back" Ni looked horrible, but she still wanted to hear my response.
"It's not time for that. It's not time for her to hear me tell her the truth. I don't know who tried to kill you but whoever they are. They're dead. They're dead for trying to kill my sister!" She looked at me with a familia understanding and then fell asleep, we've been through so much. This isn't the first time we've been in a life-or-death situation. I felt something change in me as I said it. I didn't know what it was. Like something in me was cut off but I had to use it.
"It has to be Lucius' old organization. Our parent's organization." I was pacing it had been a few days; we had switched hotels and were staying under fake names. CniDaria was better but still bedridden, she sat up.
"Do you think this is what Lucius meant? To remember our agreement? This must mean they tracked us,"
"I don't think they ever lost us. We've been using our names. I think they've been waiting for the support."
"Support?" I looked at her. She closed her eyes and nodded. "From the governments that's in their pockets around the world."
"My thoughts exactly. Those well-placed contacts Lucius used to have, they have must have recovered from the financial relapses of the American and English attacks. The attack on the French National Assembly must have gone too far." I gave my sister a side glance, which she ignored. She knew full well that I was against such an aggressive showing in Versailles but she wasn't going to feel regret for that. Especially now. "Now they want the people who are costing them money. They want us. We need to eliminate this threat."
"How? How are you going to do that?"
"I picked up a phone while we were down there, it seems like one of theirs. I should be able to track him."
"Track who?"
"The man who shot you. The man who got away. I can know where he'll be and I'll know who he'll be with. I can eliminate this threat in one swoop."
"Are you sure?" I nodded. She paused, she seemed to be deciding how to say something. I looked at her again. She then plunged forward into speech, "What's next after that?" I kept looking at her quizzically. She looked down and looked back at me. "Ty is this what you want to be doing for the rest of your life? All we do is lie. We lied to Nick. You lied to Nala." I looked away when she said her name. "I see how you look at her Ty. I see how much you care for her. I see how she looks at you. She loves you. But she doesn't know who you are. Before we were attacked she even asked if you were lying to her. Now you're about to do something else you're going to have to lie to her about. Because that's who we are. We kill people. We lie to everyone we meet. So, we can disappear whenever we want or need to. We fall deeper into who we truly are or at least who we've truly been. After nearly dying, I have to wonder if this is the path for us. I have to wonder if there is something more for us. I have to wonder if we can be something else or build something else."
I looked at her in her vulnerable state. I should've chosen my words carefully but that was never really my style. I felt that CniDaria needed to hear what I was going to say. "Ni… I'm not you. I have no doubt of what we're doing. No doubt about the path that we're on. That includes lying. Deceiving people, I care for. I don't do it just to do it. I do it to protect them. I know it sounds cliché but I thought you understood that the people we let in our lives are in danger. In danger just for knowing us. If I told Nick everything. I guarantee you we would not have run into him a couple months ago. He would be dead. I lie to Nala…" I paused. I wanted to express it clearly without emotion but I couldn't quite do that. Whenever Nala came up it was always emotional "I lie to her because I care for her. I can't tell her what I am because it would break her heart. At any rate, Ni this isn't about the people we lie to. Or what we could possibly be in the future. This is about you and the fact that you feel alone in this world. I don't know why you have me roped in with you. Trying to make me question things. I know my goal. However, it seems like that isn't enough for you. I can't fix that for you. All I can tell you is that I believe in what we do and I'm able to balance that with an outside life. I think you need to learn how to do the same." I looked at her. She was floored by what I said. I gathered my things. She wouldn't look at me as I got ready to go. There was just one more thing I had to say. "Ni. I'll be back. I love you" She looked at me again and as I closed the door I swore, I saw something I never saw before: My sister crying.