As the End Approaches

[Kuroshita Ikezu]

He's not human...he's not...

The thought continuously ran through the man's mind as he stumbled down the street, perspiration dripping off his chin and his heart pounding painfully against his chest. He did not dare look back. If he did that, he would be looking straight into hell.

He rounded a corner into an alley, and stopped there to catch his breath. He tried to stay quiet, but he was wheezing like mad. It took him a few minutes to calm down, and when he did, he glanced around. It seemed like that he had outrun the thing that was chasing him. He let out a sigh of relief, wiping the side of his face with the back of his palm.

"Worked out some sweat, didn't we?"

The voice brought chills down his spine. Before he could turn, he felt a burn in his back and pierced through his heart. Followed by another, and another. He lost all senses right after he felt the third one entering him, and was on the ground within seconds. Dead, with bullet holes in him.

The gunman appeared more solid than before, blowing the tip of his gun. A broad, evil grin crossed his face as he pocketed it. "It's always good to work out some blood as well, petty citizen." And he faded into the night, his snickers lingering in the alley.

---
It was the day when Kuroshita Ikezu felt quite tired of sitting in his own dark, dingy office. When this day came, it meant that he was running out of patience. He may be one of the most superior being in the syndicate, or even the world in his opinion, he was still working UNDER the syndicate.

Certain people had, of course, knew of his intention to be staying in the syndicate. He wanted to be at the top of it. He wanted to be at the top of everything, where he could look down at petty beings and rule over them. The only one stopping him was the head of this prestige syndicate.

But he would go down. Very soon.

Ikezu was leaving his room, closing it shut and locking it for the first time. He never locked it, knowing that no one would dare to enter. It would be an odd act to anyone who knew him. He turned, and met a little man carrying a stack of files. The man threw a glance at him, and Ikezu saw it. "What are you looking at?" he snarled. The man jumped, almost dropping the files as he shook his head quickly and rushed past Ikezu. He knew from the way Ikezu was acting.

The worst was coming. Very soon.

Ikezu let out a breath of dissatisfaction as he turned to head for his destination. Even so, he was trying to hold a smile back. After all, he knew that he would not fail. He never failed.

He reached the door leading into the leader's office. He took out a headband from his pocket---the one with the kanji character 'Kill' on it---and just held it instead of wearing it. He never liked wearing it. He lifted his other hand up and knocked.

[OoC: I would make a new topic title later. x_X I don't know the timeline for this yet, and I'll let Kyoshi make the decision---either he's still with the syndicate, or out of it. (Personally, I would probably prefer in.) That is all.]

[Kyoshi Shizuka]

((OOC: I'm gonna go with being part of the Syndicate still. x3 Couldn't resist the fun.))

Kyoshi kicked a rock out of his path in boredom as he approached the old, abandoned building. His hands were slipped into his pockets and his face wore an expression of slight annoyance. He didn’t see why he even bothered going to school. It was just another place that bugged him.

He walked into the department store, shooting glances around him as he made his way to his room. Greeting no one, he reached his domain and entered, closing the door behind him.

He walked deeper inside and threw his books onto his bed. Testing started tomorrow; he wouldn’t study. He had better things to do. Kyoshi donned his black overcoat and pocketed two pistols and his dagger before leaving the room again.

He would see if there was anything for him to do tonight. He needed a job, anything to keep him busy. School left him feeling even more restless than usual. The russet-haired boy walked confidently towards the boss’s office, knowing for sure that the man would have something for him to do.

As he came closer to the room, however, he caught sight of another person standing there, about to knock. This caused Kyoshi to stop; interrupting Ikezu was suicide. Even a member of Kyoshi’s rank knew not to mess with Ikezu.

He stepped back a few feet and leaned against the wall nonchalantly, as if waiting for someone else. He watched the older man out of the corner of his eye, wondering silently what the adult wanted to speak to the boss about.

[Kuroshita Ikezu]

His knuckles met the door just once, and lightly, before he stopped himself. He could feel another presence near him, including the eyes that were watching him. Ikezu was well aware of who it was there without needing to turn around---some people said that his eyes weren't always on the front, which rumor he found very amusing at times. But it was just a feeling.

"Want something from the guy-in-charge, short one?" he asked, hiding a smirk as he continued facing the door, not caring whether his earlier action aroused anyone in the room before him. Every time he knew that Kyoshi was around, he could not resist to tease him a bit. It was like a hobby, knowing that he could enrage others without hurting himself. After all, everyone feared him.

He lowered his head a little so a bit shadow was cast over his eyes, an evil smile broadening on his face. Yes, everyone. Even the head of this petty syndicate.

[Kyoshi Shizuka]

Kyoshi saw Ikezu's movements, but made no notice of them. He kept up his casual charade. Until the adult insulted him. Kyoshi clenched his fists tightly at his sides and turned sharply to meet the man's gaze. He swallowed down his harsh reply, though, remembering just in time who he was talking to.

"I-I'm just here to see if there are any new assignments," he stated, his voice dripping with his irritation. He fought down the his rise of adrenaline and crossed his arms.

"What about you? Why are you here?" he asked, a bit too rudely. Kyoshi didn't care, though. He was just content with defeating the urge to punch the man.

[Kuroshita Ikezu]

He snickered a bit at Kyoshi's reaction. He always enjoyed that. He would not mind if the boy had thrown him a fist though, it would have made things more interesting.

"Ah, new assignments?" Ikezu could not help but let out a little chuckle. To think that soon he would be the one giving out assignments. "If there is any, I'll let you know. In fact, I'll make sure that you're the first one to know---and it will be a very satisfying one."

He thought for a moment at the questions. Then he lowered his head with a smile. "I've been summoned..."

Then he leaned close to Kyoshi, his eyes narrowed with evil and his voice lowered to a harsh whisper. "...to take over the old man's place."

[Kyoshi Shizuka]

Kyoshi was a bit taken aback at Ikezu's comment about informing him first of a good assignment. It was one of the nicest things the man had ever done, in Kyoshi's opinion. He liked feeling useful, so knowing about good missions before others satisfied him.

He listened to the man's reply, thinking at first the summons was normal. Until Ikezu leaned down, his face a bit uncomfortably close to Kyoshi. The rest of the answer caused Kyoshi's eyes to widen a bit.

'He's planning on taking down the boss?!' he thought in surprise. The look on Ikezu's face told him that the adult wasn't lying. A chill went down his spine, but he shook it off. He thought about it a bit more. If anyone was able to take down the boss, it was the man that stood before him. He debated for a moment, not sure what to do or say.

"Y-you're serious? Right now?" he stammered; he was starting to wonder if it was a joke. It wouldn't be the first time Ikezu's picked on him.

[Kuroshita Ikezu]

Ikezu tilted his head a little, musing over the boy's expression. He was generally quite amused, otherwise pleased, knowing how frightened the boy sounded. It was a good reaction.

"Why...don't you believe me? If you don't, I can let you have a bit of that feeling in your guts---if you will have any after I give it." He made it sound convincing enough, nearing Kyoshi's face just another half inch more, narrowing his eyes to menacing slits. And he would have meant it.

He had let those words hang for a moment, before throwing his head back with a laugh. Quite a laugh it was, as if he had just heard a very funny joke. Or made one. "Now, now, you should've seen the look on your face!" He clapped a hand on Kyoshi's head. "You need to take a nap. Don't you worry your little head, shorty---everything will be just fine when you wake up later. Everything will be just fine."

He took his hand away and touched his lip with a thumb. "All that talk got me thirsty. No good to work on a thirsty throat. Why don't you have a little chat with the old man while I serve myself some drink?" He turned around, licking his dry lips before looking back at Kyoshi over his shoulder. "After all, it could be the last talk you'd ever have with him."

The evil expression was back on his face before he turned back to the front and walked off, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Ten minutes..." His voice faded along with his own self. He would be back in ten minutes, that was for sure.

[Kyoshi Shizuka]

Kyoshi's head moved back a few inches when Ikezu's face got closer. He could hear the menace in the man's voice, but he stopped himself from fearing it. He wasn't that much of a coward. The silence after Ikezu's words seemed to last forever, but Kyoshi kept his gaze firmly on the older man. He had an even bigger feeling that Ikezu was serious now.

The laugh took him by surprise though, and he gave Ikezu a look of utter confusion. He raised an eyebrow at the adults continuing statement. A nap? His face darkened at the insult, however, and his confusion evaporated quickly.

He was about to explode and maybe even throw a punch when Ikezu mentioned something about a drink. Kyoshi shook his head and ignored the adult's further statements. He would just go see the boss and shake off his anger during a job.

He only stayed long enough to see Ikezu start to fade before walking over to the door and knocking loudly four times. He waited impatiently for a response.

[Shera Mizuki]

He was staring out of the window like he usually did when he was thinking. He couldn't help feeling that he was putting perhaps a bit too much trust in some of the higher members of the syndicate. Give one too much power, and they'll eventually try to take over, were what his thoughts were. He had been kepeing a watch on a certain someone for a while now, having a suspicion that he would try to take over soon. The thing was, with the man's powers, he probably would be able to. He wasn't going to give up his position without a fight though, even if he was destined to lose.

He thought what the syndicate would be like if someone like Ikezu took over. It wasn't pretty, that was for sure. There would be mass chaos, and he would most likely try to take over the city in an irrational way.

The knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Come in." His voice was sharp and commanding. He wondered if Ikezu did take over, if there would be anyone who would be able to put a stop to him. Most likely not, not even his most prized assassin, even though she despised the syndicate.

-----

She had to do something, otherwise she was going to be driven insane. For once, she wanted something new, something challenging to come along. She was getting bored with the usual targets mainly because they never put up a decent fight. The only good fights she had was whenever she fought Takashi, Kyoshi, or Takato. She was starting to get ticked off at herself for being so restless.

At the same time there seemed to be something that told her that danger was on its way, though she doubted this feeling. She paced about her room, glancing around every once in a while at the various weapons hanging around. There were some she was proud of, while there were others that were good for merely slicing up dummies with.

She would have to experiment with more runes soon. She wanted to come up with something that was different than what she usually made. There were still several things she had to learn about the use of her magic, and if she didn't learn soon it might put her in a dangerous situation.

Her thoughts made an involuntary action, and trailed back to the syndicate from which she had escaped from. She pursed her lips coldly, staring out her window as she stopped just a few inches from the sill. Her sapphire blue eyes were bone chilling. They glittered like ice, making her complexion look slightly pale. She hated the syndicate, especially when they expected her to work for them whenever they had experimented on her without her permission. What really crawled under her skin though, was that their experiment had succeeded.

She still didn't know all that Rhea was capable of either. There was something mysterious about her other personality. She feared it mainly because it was unknown to her. She didn't like thinking about the possibility that Rhea might actually be able to take control permanately from her.

[Kyoshi Shizuka]

After hearing his cue, the short, russet-eyed teenager turned the knob and pushed open the door. He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him, though a bit roughly. Kyoshi bowed half-heartedly to the man by the window. He looked at the bald adult, a frown still present on his face, and crossed his arms. "Shizuka reporting. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do today," he stated flatly.

He uncrossed his arms and slipped a hand in his pocket, his fingers meeting the soft, worn fabric of the headband that symbolized the Syndicate. His thoughts went back to Ikezu, and he wondered once again if the man was just picking on him.

This caused Kyoshi to mentally growl in anger. He hated being picked on. His gaze darted around the room as he tried to keep his cool and not punch a wall. That man had probably made him look like a complete fool.

Kyoshi's face darkened and he looked back at his boss, waiting for an answer and an excuse to leave and beat something.

[Kuroshita Ikezu]

He turned very slowly to face Kyoshi while the teenager spoke. With his hands linked behind his back, he made his way to his desk and leaned against it. He gazed at Kyoshi intently, but there was nothing in his face that showed what he was thinking.

Finally, he seemed to smirk, "So Shorty wants another assignment, hm? Always asking for more, aren't you?" He seemed calm enough, but his voice was laced with daggers. "Isn't there an assignment you should already be doing?"

He raised his eyebrows in curiosity, though his eyes showed anything but that. He awaited patiently, or at least it seemed like that, for Kyoshi’s answer.

[Kyoshi Shizuka]

Kyoshi frowned at the mention of his second assignment and the accompanying insult. He knew what it was, but it wasn't getting anywhere, thanks to the interference of other people. "Yes, sir. I was just requesting another assignment to do on the side, since there isn't much I can do at the moment," he stated, as politely as he could muster. He was biting back the frustration of his current assignment.

He shifted his feet and held back a sigh as he waited for an answer. He had heard the coldness in his leader's voice, but he hoped it had been his imagination. He didn't want to deal with the man being angry with him.

[Kuroshita Ikezu]

"Another assignment..." he mocked with a snicker. "If you're so bored, why don't you do something for yourself for a change, Shorty? I'm sure one of your other superiors can entertain you somehow. I'm not your babysitter." He stared at Kyoshi coldly, pointing out subtly that there was really no reason for Kyoshi to be there.

"Is there anything else you need, or are you finished?"

[Kyoshi Shizuka]

Kyoshi bit back an irritated retaliating remark when the leader rejected his request. He took a breath and clenched his fists. "No, that was it." Kyoshi whirled around and walked out the door, accidentally slamming the door on his way out.

"Stupid..." He muttered in irritation as he walked down the hallway, glaring at people to stifle is anger.

[Kuroshita Ikezu]

It was surely ten minutes later when Ikezu returned, appearing right in front of the door. His lips were curled to a triumphant smirk, as if he had already won. Clasping the headband in his hand, he opened the door and entered without bothering to knock. "Hello..." he greeted softly, as if it would be the last hello he would say to the head of the syndicate.

He wasn't smiling when Ikezu came in. "Kuroshita, if it isn't a pleasure to see you." Sarcasm was evident in the leader's voice as he greeted the other. He stood there waiting to see what the man wanted with him.

"Well, of course, I must be the best you have around here," Ikezu said with a little bow, closing the door behind him. He lifted himself just as quickly. "I wonder...if you have heard of the rumors that they have been spreading."

"You're quite arrogant, but it is close to the truth," he replied to Ikezu's first comment. He had heard the rumors; he wasn't oblivious to what happened within the syndicate. "Yes, those rumors that people whisper that say you're planning to over throw me, am I correct?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Tell me, is it true?"

"Oh my, overthrow you? That's the worst of the rumors I've ever heard," Ikezu gasped naturally, walking over to the table. "No, no. They have got it all wrong." He tossed the headband towards the man across the table. "I am merely resigning from you, that is all."

He didn't even look down at the headband when it was tossed towards him and caught it with swift ease. "Oh? Tell me, is it because you feel you don't have enough power?" he asked cocking a brow in fake curiosity. "Or perhaps it's the fact that you think you can leave here unharmed."

"Aha. You think that's all just my plan?" Ikezu snickered. "I have enough power, I can be sure. After all, once I resign, I'm not a part of this syndicate anymore---I'll become a part of my own, as I should be."

"And then you shall scare everyone into joining you otherwise they face your wrath, and you'll kill them." He was only stating what sounded plausible to him, and seemed like something Ikezu would do.

Ikezu shook his head. "I don't need to scare anyone---they'll just come to me. Killing them, no. Guiding them, that's what I do. Especially when their boss is dead and they lose direction." He smiled, tilting his head to an angle that darkened half of his face in evil.

"But you scare them anyways," he cut in calmly. "I feel for the wretched souls that you lead." His frown deepened into a dark scowl. "You are confident in your abilities to carry out your plans. Well then, come kill me Kuroshita."

"You are an insistent one," Ikezu snickered, flashing a gun from his pocket. He fired, the shot ringing out in the room and probably the whole building.

The leader pulled out a gun at the same second and fired. The two bullets collided within the air. "I'm just daring."

"Ooh, getting interesting now, isn't it?" Ikezu asked with a snicker, taking a few steps back. "Show me what you can do, old man."

"You're the one who challenged me, you show me what you can do." A snicker appeared, "Tsk, you're just as old Kuroshita."

Ikezu disessembled, slowly disappearing, before he assembled himself right in front of him, bending on the table with the knife tip at the throat of the man in front of him. "As old as you? I doubt it...I haven't been growing old since years ago."

He frowned when Ikezu vanished. That dreaded evasive move was a pain. A glance was sent down at the knife even though he didn't sweat about it in the least. "Oh? Everyone grows older, even if they don't do so physically." He took a couple steps back. "So that still makes you an old man."

His face darkened. "Speak for yourself," he whispered, before launching the knife at his throat. Less than a second after he did that, he lifted his gun and fired.

He caught the knife and used his own gun to deflect the bullet. Somehow, the weapon stayed intact. "It seems that you are angered by such a small insult, kind of like Shorty." His lips curled into a demonic smile.

Ikezu caught himself there. A corner of his lips curled up. "Do I really look angry to you? I apologize..." He jumped back and gave the table a hard kick, knocking it forward.

"Actually, like a kid throwing a tantrum, but old people are worse." He sidestepped to avoid the table and its contents spilling keeping an eye on Ikezu the entire time.

"Right, right...I'm not against you on that," Ikezu said, smiling. "Wisdom comes more from a hairless head, of course. It's getting rather irritating, by the way..." He fired again, aiming at his face.

He tilted his head so the bullet whizzed by. "Really? It's the latest fashion. I visit the barber every week," he said sarcastically.

"Oh? How much did you charge them? Or did you just threaten them not to breathe a word about it?" Ikezu was swinging his gun now, as if he had lost interest in it. "After all, it'll be too eye-catching if anyone were to find out that you are trying to keep bald."

The leader chuckled, "Unfortunately I'm naturally bald, so therefore it doesn't matter." He didn't bother shooting at Ikezu knowing he'd have to use his ammunition sparingly and wisely.

"You really are a joker," Ikezu snickered. "That's good. But don't you think you have anything better to do now? Like...find me?" He was fading away again, before he was completely out of sight.

The leader's snicker twitched to a frown when the man disappeared. He stood calmly where he was located not bothering to look around for Ikezu since it would be impossible to locate him before he rematerialized.

A hand assembled itself behind him, a knife grasped in it. It began to plunge down towards his back.

He sensed something behind him and took a step forward as the knife managed to tear through his jacket. He then turned so that he was facing the hand. "A little slow assembling yourself, aren't you?" he remarked.

"No, I'm just taking my time," Ikezu's voice said behind the hand that lifted itself away, turning the knife up. A gun shot rang from the other side of the room, where a second hand was visibly holding a gun.

He brought his gun up in time to deflect the bullet since the shot had been heard across the room. "That must make you a lazy old man not to finish the job quickly." He stood where he was waiting for the next attack.

The hand with the gun diassembled. "Humble, aren't you? If I were you, I would think that I'm being cautious," he said, before the knife headed for his throat. At the same time, the other appeared next to him and fired.

"I have no reason to be cautious." He took a hold of the knife and stepped back to evade the bullet even though he felt skin tearing and a small amount of blood seeping through a wound across his stomach. He showed no sign of pain from the wound.

"You're confident. Very good. You'll need all the confidence you can get." He pressed the gun onto an arm and fired, while the other let go of the knife and reached up to grab his throat.

It was nearly impossible to completely evade the shot to his arm, but he managed to shift so that it would scrap across instead. His gaze snapped to the hand that reached up to grab his throat, and he managed to jump back in time just before the hand could take a hold of it.

The hand grabbed air, but it did not stop just there. It instantly went to grasp an arm instead. "Don't move now...it would really hurt if you do," Ikezu's voice hissed, the gun proceeding to press against his back and firing.

It was a clean shot through-and-through. He didn't grimace in pain though, but began chuckling instead. "Pain is irrelevant," he said while continuing to chuckle. "You should feel some sometime Kuroshita. It'll do you some good."

Ikezu was assembling himself with the hand that was grasping him, which he let go. "I prefer hurting someone," he hissed, before throwing a punch into his opponent's face.

The leader continued to chuckle, "Too bad you can't have what you want." He shifted so the punch grazed his cheek. "I can't feel pain. Too bad it's your loss on that account."

"It's not like I care, really," Ikezu pointed out. "I like it more if you just die." He aimed a kick into the man's chest.

The kick connected painfully and sent the other man flying across the room. His time was running thin, but it didn’t matter. He chuckled a little. “I may be the one to die now, but sooner or later you’ll be overpowered.” Black dots crossed his vision, and dizziness seeped into his muscles. He chuckled again, “Yes, your power hungry pride will be the end of you.” The sadistic smile continued to to frame his face, even when he slumped over in a deadened heap. Ikezu stood over him, glaring icily at the body. Then his lips curled to an evil smile.

"No prediction from a dead man will come true...Never."