Yuki
Present
X and Hidari make sure the door to the underground is shut properly before making their way out. Just outside, the festival rages on as Azaka and Ame's fight is about to begin. It feels like a countdown, a pressure. After what Sora and Mu overheard, shutting down the festival isn't possible. We'll just get dragged away and called hysterical. Too many people are involved in this too far up the ladder.
Hidari crouches by the entrance of the tunnel. X hands him one of their swords before grabbing me gently by the arm. They sigh, pushing me a bit further against the wall.
"It's time, Yuki. Hide around that corner."
"What? Why?"
Hidari flips X's sword back and forth, almost like they're trying to make the sunlight barely reaching into the tunnel visible to someone on the field. It takes less than a few seconds while Ame and Azaka step onto those platforms out there, for Otoko-san to see the signal and start making his way towards us.
I make a disbelieving sound. "What? You're working for the masked men now?"
"Something like that," X says, preoccupied with me.
"X–
"Scythe was never loyal to heroes or the masked men," They say. "We're doing whatever keeps the Slums safe."
"No," I shake my head. "You're lying to me again."
"I promise you, no matter what, you and your family will be safe. Okay?" Looking into their softening eyes, I realize that maybe the reason X liked me this whole time wasn't just because I beat them. Maybe it was because we both share a sense of duty to the people we love. And above all else, we know what it takes to make sure our home is safe. "Trust me," they whisper, pushing me until I'm hidden around the corner of the tunnel.
"This section is secured," Hidari says.
"Good." That voice belongs to Ame's homeroom teacher. I've seen him at events before. He seemed like such a natural part of the background, an average teacher with no real special abilities. Now he enters the tunnels with four staff members I've never seen before. If you took them out of the UA gear, they'd look like hired muscle, not anyone that should be on school grounds for anything but security.
"So," Otoko says, and though I can't see him, from his tone, I know his arms are crossed and his eyebrows are raised. "Scythe finally came to his senses?"
"Don't think that just because he agreed to come to your side that we answer to you," X bites. "We answer to Scythe and Scythe alone."
"Well, we took severe damages at Tartarus because of Scythe's little collaboration with the heroes." So they set up shop somewhere else. We must've rescued over half of their army of kids, but we can't be sure. We can't be sure just how far those scientists at Tartarus were willing to go to get their hands on me and my brother. To create their chosen one.
"I think you'll agree," Hidari says, calm, seductive even when talking business, "that what Scythe offered in return is worth it."
"I don't even know who Scythe is. Bastard never takes off his hood." Otoko tosses something to Hidari. It jingles, like keys."So what is it that he wants to give us anyways? In exchange for leaving the Slums be."
"Let's just say Scythe plays whatever side is going to benefit us. And your side has a rat." X says and their sword unsheaths slowly. I can practically hear them smirking as they point the tip at Otoko. " A rat we were asked to smoke out."
I peek just around the corner to get a look at the commotion. Hidari grabs Otoko from behind by the shoulder, forcing him down to his knees. He puts his gloved hand to his neck, a silent threat as X spins their sword around to threaten the guards.
