Breaking Away (Ending)

I stood in the middle of a cage, getting ready to fight my sister to the death. I looked around in the crowd to try and see Tenma. I couldn’t find him. I wanted to run away, to not fight my sister who I thought was dead all these years. Most of all, I was scared, yeah an assassin being scared, pathetic, but I can’t help it, she’s my sister, and I have to kill her to survive.

She got into her fighting stance and eyed me carefully, watching my every move. I copied slowly, we circled around each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. She finally got agitated and threw the first punch. I swiftly dodged and flung my fist into her abdomen. She grunted and stumbled back, clutching her stomach in pain. I didn’t stop there. I punched her in the nose, hearing a slight crack, I continued with an uppercut to the jaw. I didn’t realize at the time, but I was crying-crying for my sister, for my parents, for Tenma, for all the kids ripped out of their homes and thrown into this life, I was crying for the freedom that was stolen from me.

When I threw a final punch to her chest, she fell with thump on the ground. I could see her breathing slightly. Her breathing kept getting slower and slower. I walked up to her and kneeled down next to her.

“Hanna, I’m sorry,” I said to her as she looked at me, her beautiful blue eyes that used to shine, now dulling.

“Yuki, I… want you to escape and…” she coughed and then continued “get out of this life.”

“I promise I will Hanna. I promise.” Those were the final words I said to my sister before every last bit of light left her eyes. I got up and wiped my eyes of the burning tears brimming in them. I sighed and walked over to the entrance of the cage, Not looking back I went to the door that Tenma said he would be at after the fight.

Tenma was waiting for me patiently at the door.

“Hey, how are you?” he asked me when I met him by the door.

“Well, as you can see, I’m alive, but my opponent… not as lucky, I guess,” I replied.

“Yeah, I saw the fight…”

“How, I didn’t see you in there.”

“Yuki, you know I trust you, but I never give my hiding spots away.”

“Yeah, Yeah, I know.” I sighed. “So, what are we going to do now, escape right now, or go get supplies and leave while Raikou is sleeping?” I inquired.

“We leave while Raikou is in bed and sound asleep, right now we need to report to him,” He replied.

“Right, let’s hurry and report and gather the things we’ll need,” I stated as we started walking back to the safe house. The start of the walk was silent until we heard a scream for help.

“Tenma, do you think I’d get in more trouble if I went to help the person who screamed?” I asked in a monotone voice.

“Yeah, I don’t think Raikou will go easy on us for being late,” he replied and continued to walk. Thats just the way it is here, the weak die and the strong survive, thats all there is to it. I thought as I caught up to Tenma.

“Tenma, can I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” He replied chuckling.

“No, seriously I want to ask you something,” I said.

“Ok, shoot.”

“What’s your real name?”

“Why do you want to know that?” He inquired.

“Well you know my name, so it’s only fair,” I replied.

“Okay, well it’s been awhile since I’ve been called it.”

“Tenma, what’s your real name?” I ushered him.

“My real name is… “ Suddenly he stopped talking and continued to walk past a building that I recognized as the main headquarters of the assassin group that kidnapped Tenma and I.

“You can tell me later, but when you say your real name, you have to tell me how you found out my real name,” I said and the conversation ended.

It took about five more minutes to get back to the safe house. Tenma went to Raikou’s office to report my success. I went to my room to shower and to get the blood off of me. When I finished cleaning up. I put on my regular clothing which consisted of black skinny jeans, a grey crop top with the moon phases on it, and a pair of black converse shoes. I only am able to afford these kind of clothes because I take extra jobs, not to mention the high paying contracts I get.

I walked out and sat on the couch in the living room. Tenma walked out a little after and sat next to me.

“I have a contract tonight, this contract… could possibly end my life,” he stated keeping his calm facade, but I could see that he was scared.

“Who’s the target,” I asked trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

“A businessman man named Yoshio Ootori, he owns his own military force and has great security… I might die,” he replied, failing to keep the fear out of his voice.

“I could help you if you want,” I stated.

“No, I won’t have you risk your life for me,” he replied too quickly for my liking.

“If I don’t go, you could die and then we can’t escape like we planned,” I whispered quietly. “Please, let me come with you.”

“If you do come with, you have to stay in the shadows and run if anything happens.”

“If your life is in danger I’ll fight for you!” I exclaimed.

“No, you’ll run and I’ll meet you back here, at the safehouse.”

“Fine, when do we leave?” I asked.

“In a few hours, go get ready, and change your outfit,” he said as he got up and went to go get ready. I huffed and walked back to my room while muttering incoherently to myself. I redressed in my black leather that I usually use in my contracts.

I finished getting my clothes on, so I went to the place I stored my weapons and strapped daggers on myself, and put guns on my hips in their holsters. I still had time to hang around the place, so I climbed up onto the roof. It was slightly chilly, but I could handle it. I sat on the roof until I heard Tenma calling my name.

“Yuki, are you ready to go?” he asked when he saw me jump down.

“Yeah, lets hurry up with this job.” He nodded and started sprinting to our destination. I followed swiftly. When we reached our destination, I saw a huge mansion.

“Check around the perimeter; I’ll go on ahead,” Tenma finally told me.

“Right, be careful,” I said as I left quietly. As I was checking around the perimeter, I could see Tenma sneaking his way in. I knew he would get caught like this. I quietly sighed to myself and used our signal that meant I can see you get better cover. That particular signal was an owl call. He heard it and soon disappeared from my sight. I finished checking the perimeter and was heading back to the meeting place, when I heard a gunshot. My eyes widened at the sight before me. Tenma has been caught.

I wanted to run over there to save him, but I knew that was reckless when I can’t see the person who shot him. I might be able to get to him if I’m quite enough. I thought to myself. I decided to sneak around and find out if I can see the attacker. I kept my eyes open for the attacker, but found no one. I took a chance and decided it was safe enough for me to get Tenma and then slip back into the shadows.

I snuck out into the open and over to Tenma.

“Y-yuki… y-you n-need t-to g-go,” he stuttered out when I got close enough to hear him. I ignored him and dragged him into the shadows. I let out a sigh of relief when we were safe. I looked at him and saw the bullet wound in his stomach. I ripped a piece of his shirt off and put it on the wound. I pressed down to try and stop the bleeding. I felt his hand wipe away the stream of tears on my cheek.

“Tenma, please, I can’t lose you too,” I said letting out a quiet sob.

“Takashi.”

“W-what,”

“My name, it’s Takashi,” he said weakly. I let out another sob, then another and another; pretty soon I was full out crying.

“Takashi, that’s a nice name, it fits you,” I said between sobs. he only smiled, it was a small smile, but i could still see it.

“Yuki, you have to leave me here, you have to escape this life.”

“Takashi, d-don’t say stuff like that, I can’t leave you, you’re all I have left.”

“You have to, I’m not giving you an option, the guards, their tracking me right now, and if you don’t leave they’ll get you too!” he said, pleading me to leave.

“Takashi…”

“Go, now,” he said slightly pushing me away and giving me his big toothy smile.

“Over here, the blood leads this way!” I heard someone yell.

“Yuki, leave, now!” he pleaded pushing me more.

“Takashi, I’m sorry this happened… I- I love you,” his eyes widened and then he smiled.

“Then live, live for me, I love you too,” he said as I started to disappear in the shadows. I looked back one last time to see a man putting a gun to his head. He was looking at me and smiling. Then my world crumbled down when the man pulled the trigger. Takashi died that night, and I was alone in the world. I had made the same promise to two people that I cared for dearly. To escape the life that I was living, to escape from being an assassin, to live my life for the one I love, and that’s exactly what I did.