Blood-dried Heroes[]
Amon sat at the hotel cafeteria alongside the Oracion Seis and Erza, his hands shaking, sweating nervously after Black spent the last two hours explaining the situation. This included, of course, Amon's backstory. Not the full story of course, considering there are things even Black wasn't told. But the situation was simple; the triumvirate of crime lords, Francesca Costello, Wight and Songbird were very tense for the last decade, which have only grown moreso in recent years, and with the new deal Wight has taken with the King of Bosco, the likelihood of a crime war became likely, except it would span the entire country, and could result in unparalled chaos if things go too far. And this was Black's intention, making sure it wouldn't happen.
"You...wish to perform an assassination in order to stop a war?" Erza asked Black, sitting next to a mountain of plates. Apparantly the dishes were delicious, but more importantly, free.
"Well, yes! What, you think murder is only evil? Please! Killing got us this far!" Black said, adjusting her glasses, drinking her beer through a straw "Goddamn, this beer's good. Hey! Waiter! Get me another round!".
"I'm not a waiter, goddammit!".
"It's not that the "act" of murder is evil, but it is the goal and intentions behind that make it so." Erza explained "And assassination is..." She glanced over at Amon, who purposefully avoided eye contact, not even noticing his glasses were slipping and at the tip of his nose from the sheer anxiety he felt in this situation "...the lowest form of it.".
"Oh, gee, you're so right, I never thought of that." Black sarcastically said, her expression dimming down, essentially saying she's heard this before a million times "Do you think we're idiots? Me and Amon always knew what we were into. But we didn't care. To be someone of our proffesion, we had to become people who don't care about lives." Coldly explained, placing her hand on Amon's shoulder "We basically saw the targets as nothing but pocket change, right?".
Amon shook his head slowly, his expression being that of absolute grief and terror, as if begging Black to stop.
"And what, you're going to kill this Wight guy and stop this whole war?" Cobra asked.
"No, even if he dies, Francesca will use his death as fuel to go after the King and overthrow this corrupt goverment." Black explained.
"Then what do you do to stop it? Kill all three?" Midnight inquired.
"No." Black responded instantly "Killing all three will throw the entire order of the underworld into chaos, and the streets will be even worse off than they are now. It will take a new crime lord or more to bring stability once more. Just the death of one of these crime lords can have a bigger downside then up, so I've been trying to find the least...misfortune inducing action, and with Amon, I may've found it, a way to end the corruption, a way to make this country what it was a 100 years ago.".
Amon's eyes suddenly lit up, looking at Black in disbelief "End it all...? Can that be done?".
"It can. I have a friend, I'm sure you remember him too." Black explained "But you people can help out too! The legendary Oracion Seis and the Titania! With you on our side, we can take down this corruption down to zero.".
"Liar." Cobra said, bluntly stating "You're lying.".
"Lying?" Black stared at Cobra, grinning "Why would I be lying?".
"Cobra can hear the hearts of people." Racer explained "So lying is something he can easily detect.".
"Ohhh, is that so? How fascinating!".
"Now you're telling the truth." Cobra said to Black "What do you really want? And don't think I can't read what your heart says either. You can't hide anything from me.".
"My, what a dangerous ability. How scary~!".
"Now you're lying...?" Amon said, sounding disappointed "Goddammit, Black...What is this really about?".
"Okay, you got me~" Black took a deep breath, before explaining "I want to kill the king and give full control to the crime lords.".
The group's faces ranged from surprise to mild disbelief at Black's confession, even Cobra, who through his ability managed to tell she wasn't lying.
"Wh-...The crime lords...? Control over this country? Is that...That does not sound better!" Erza said "They're crime lords!".
"Calm down, this is a public place." Black said to Erza "The crime lords are, believe it or not, not corrupt. They only do what is best for themselves and their allies. Even if it means getting their hands dirty. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". I'm sure you're familiar with the saying.".
"That doesn't change my mind! These people...they are still criminals who washed their hands in blood.".
"Are you really this naive?" Black shook her head, sighing "Heroes can't keep a clean record always. They have to break the mold sometimes. Do what no one else will dare. Burn, kill, destroy, if it's for a good cause, is there really something wrong with it?".
"Of course there is!" Erza snapped, standing up from her chair "There has to be a better way! Why not tell the other kingdoms?! The Magic Council?! Someone has to have the power to do someth-...!".
"You think we didn't think of that?!" Amon snapped as well, shouting at Erza "We tried!" Suddenly, the entire group was teleported outside the hotel, where no one will disturb or notice them, taking the chairs with him "Do you think I loved walking the streets and everyday having to keep my eyes down so that I won't see?! Do you really think I am that much of a monster?!".
"Wha-...? I didn't think of anything like that!".
"Black!" Amon turned to Black "What do you want me to do? How do I help?".
"Ah~ That's the spirit~" Black cheerfully said "First, you need to find Songbird. Don't worry, he hasn't changed locations. Terry will take you there as usual.".
"Good." Amon said, taking off his glasses, placing him in his pockets.
"Ah, not yet! Not yet!" Black said to Amon "He isn't there yet. He's doing some buisness at the moment." Black explained "And since we basically stole and disturbed the hotel, we'll have to go someplace else...".
"Ah. I know a place." Amon said "It's actually good we have this chance. I haven't seen Lynda in forever. I miss her...I just hope she won't get angry...".
"Oh right, you faked your death to avoid your enemies chasing you down..." Black said, rubbing her chin "And only me and Song knew...".
"I wonder if Petra is still there..." Amon said to himself, thinking out loud, blushing lightly.
"What is he talking about...?" Racer asked.
"Oh, there's this woman called Petra who he has feelings for." Cobra bluntly said.
"How and why do you know that?!" Amon turned angrily at Cobra for spilling the beans he should have never even known.
"Listen to the hearts of people. Why did you forget that so fast?".
"Shi-...I hate you for the moment right now, holy shit, this is a tonal shift." Amon said, blushing profousely.
"Ha! Hahahaha!" Gram bawled laughing, hysterical at Amon's "crush".
Amon tried ignoring Gram, while Lucadra's illusion was before his eyes chuckling madly "Anyway...Are they still in the same place?" Amon asked Black.
"Oh yeah! Definetly! Though, they renamed the place...".
"Renamed?" Amon inquired.
"Oh yeah, they named it Honey Bee! In your memory!".
"..." Amon took a moment, sniffing and holding back tears "Goddammit, this is gonna be awkward...".
Following Black through the streets, the group was lead to a bar called the "Honey Bee", a fairly generous bar in size, albeit the large neon sign to attract the attention of potential customers. On the outside, it was a simple building, nothing spectacular. However, on the outside, stood a few scantily clad women, more than likely inviting over people whom are interested.
"Man, it's unfortunate I'm gonna be banned from another hotel now." Black said, sighing and shaking her head "Ah, Amon, you always do get me in trouble~.".
"I should really get me a hypocrite jar for you." Amon replied "Anyway, that's the place huh? Been about a year or so and the place is still the same...except...".
"Ah, don't be a drama queen!".
"If I may ask, what kind of place is this Honey Bee?" Midnight asked.
"Oh, uh...it's a bar." Amon said, summing up the place as best as he could.
"It's a bar alright. A real sexy bar!" Black then began speaking herself "It has female entertainers to attract customers, primarily males. Essentially, it's a strip bar, but tame!".
"Oh my god..." Amon covered his face, flushed red and embarrassed.
"Oh." Midnight said in response.
"Wait, that means ladies are there are basically naked?!" Cobra intervened.
"Yes." Black bluntly said.
"...Nice.".
"Cobra, have some restraint." Racer said, berating Cobra "I know the only woman you've ever known closely was Angel, but that's no excuse for being such a lech.".
"A-...Amon, what is the meaning of apparantly being in cahoots with such a lewd form of entertainment?!" Erza asked, blushing herself, caught off guard by this revelation.
"I can explain, okay!" Amon said, trying to explain himself "I-...I don't go there for entertainment! I go there to relax!...Okay, that doesn't sound any better!".
"Amon!".
"Don't shout, I'm explaining myself, albeit horribly!" Amon said, panicking.
"Amon, Amon, calm down, darling. Everything is alright." Black said, patting Amon on the back. "It's best you meet Lynda and the gals before you make assumptions on Amon being some lustful beast," Black said "albeit I sorta wish he was..." She muttered under her breath.
"Oh, my heart...my heart can't handle this, I'm going home, let me go home, Black.".
"Don't quit on me now, dammit! We're literally at the door!" Black firmly grabbed Amon's wrist, waving to the gals at the entrance of the bar, greeting them from afar. However, soon as they got a view of her and Amon, the two women ran back into the bar in a hurry. "Oh. That was weird.".
"Oh they're closed. Let's go." Amon said, trying to avoid this confrontation.
"Man up already! If we have to go into a strip bar and see a bunch of titties then so be it!" Kamma declared, slapping Amon on the back, right at his weak point, causing him to cry out in pain, angrily looking back at Kamma, with Black rubbing his back "...Haha sorry!".
"Let...Let's just go, may's well get this over with..." Amon said, taking a deep breath.
Black kicked the door openned, and at the top of her lungs, greeted everyone "Helloooo~!" Once she let out her hello, the workers and customers stared at her, and the group with her, all music cutting out, and all eyes on them.
"...Okay, no one wants us, let's g-...".
"Amon?".
"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit." Amon panicked, sweating nervously "Hi...?".
Suddenly a woman jumped infront of the group. The woman had dark shaded skin, and wore the typical bunny girl suit, her hair was white and short, somewhat messy and ukempt, while her eyes were simply black with no visible pupils. "Is that really you...?".
"H-...Hi, Lynda..." Amon greeted the woman.
"...Why are you wearing glasses and a pink shirt? What the hell happened?".
"Ah, well you see, I sorta need glasses now, but not really. And I was missing a shirt for a while so..." Amon was interrupted by a gut punch, followed by a full nelson from behind, the woman wrapping her arms around him from behind, bridging her back and slamming Amon's skull into the floor in a suplex. "Oh...I deserved that..." Amon said.
Lynda stood back up, dusting herself off, looking at everyone else, primarily focusing on the ladies "Okay, which one of you is riding him?".
"Why does everyone think Amon is dating someone?" Cobra asked, preplexed by this common misconception.
"Jeez, Amon, you fake your death, then you come back and no girlfriend? Well, that's atleast good news for Takeko." Lynda said.
"Yeah, well..." Amon stood up, his head bleeding, although he simply wiped the blood off with his shirt "I'm married, granted I just found out what polygamy is, BUT! But, let's not get into that, I already had enough of that as it is.".
"See, I told you Amon faked his death! No way my lil' bro would get killed in a wimpy way!".
"Brother?!" The others said in shock at Lynda's comment.
"Look, it's a long story, let's sit down and talk about it." Amon said to everyone.
"Whaddya want today, dear? The usual?" Lynda asked Amon, leading him and his friends, as the rest of the bar went back to their own buisness.
"I'll take honey tea this time. My throat is killing me." Amon said.
"Right up, Amy!" Lynda said, accompanying everyone to a table "Would you kids like something else?".
"Hey, we're not kids, missy!" Cobra retorted.
"I'm 47." Lynda replied, causing Cobra to silently sit down.
"Bring us water, please." Midnight asked "Cold. We're parched as well.".
"Right-o, buds!" She said, leaving to get everyone's orders.
"So, this is the uh...".
"Strip bar, yes." Amon replied to Midnight before he could finish.
"It really is tamer than I expected." Racer said, looking around "Granted, the amount of cloth governing the bodies of these women is as prominent as Angel's chest area, but regardless, it is tame.".
"Yeah..." Amon said, sighing, adjusting his glasses "I always came here to relax after a job.".
"How did you end up making friends with...this place?" Midnight asked, trying not to sound insulting.
"It's...it's a bit confusing, but uh, basically, one day I sorta messed up a job was exhausted at the end. I was like...I dunno, 17? It was raining and it was late as hell." Amon explained, trying to recollect his memories as best he could "I didn't bother really looking where I was going, so I just crawled my way in here, and collapsed on a table, asking for a drink. Lynda was kind enough to do that and give me a room to rest. Next thing I knew, I started coming here everytime I could. I'm basically friends with everyone here.".
"Wait, Lynda isn't your sister?" Racer said, realizing no form of sibling relation was present between the two.
"No, since I was kind've of a shorty, she declared me her little brother, and she as my elder sister. It uh...it was nice, having a sibling. Granted, it wasn't the ideal kind of relationship, but it was nice." Amon said, resting his head on his hand "Atleast there was someone here I knew would never betray me...".
"Alright, I got you drinks, kiddies!" Lynda returned, placing a drink for everyone, with a mug with hot honey tea for Amon "Drink up, and if you need anything just call me up, alright?" Lynda cheerfully said, about to take her leave.
"Ah, actually, Lynda." Amon said to Lynda, stopping her from leaving "We sorta need a room to stay for the night. Mind supplying us one?".
"Ah, sure thing, dear! Though, I'll have to give you two. Not enough room for all of you.".
"It's alright, we appreciate it anyway." Amon said, turning to the others "And we now have a place to stay. Don't worry. The places closes at 2 A.M., so we'll get plenty of sleep.".
"That's not healthy sleeping hours." Racer pointed out.
"Yeah, well, health is kinda fucking hard to come by when you're living in a cespool." Amon replied, rather snarkily.
A Killer's Eyes[]
At approximately 3 A.M., everyone went to their rooms, collapsing on the bed. They spent the last few hours trying to pass the time by having drinks and meals. Lynda was kind enough to make them not pay, since they were Amon's friend, and by extension, family to her as well. The group had to be seperated to two rooms however. Racer, Cobra, Angel, and Kamma slept in one room, while the remaining Black, Erza and Midnight slept in the other, each with their own bed.
However, an hour later, at around 4 A.M., Amon awoke from his slumber, walking into the bathroom, taking off his shirt and placing it on the coat hanger meant for towels in the bathroom. He placed his glasses on the sink, opening the cabinet behind the mirror and grabbing the first aid kit. Amon pulled out the bandages from it, wrapping them around the lower half of his face, as he traditionally did. Opening the window, Amon hopped outside, hanging outside, while the rain was getting intense, closing the window behind him and teleporting down to the ground, two stories from where his room was located.
Amon took a deep breath, as if sighing, and walked by a closed clothing store, teleporting inside and out, wearing a new white shirt and a black blazer, essentially returning to his classic look. "Song." Amon teleported once more, vanishing from the streets. He appeared on the rooftop of a church, looking around, as if looking for someone. "Hmm...".
"Ah, you did appear after all." A voice called to Amon, masculine, but gentle. Although the person did not reveal himself, his voice radiated clearly, undisrupted by the rain. "Do you wish to find Wight?".
"Yes." Amon replied "I will assassinate him.".
"That's good and all, but..." The individual paused for a moment "How do I know I can trust you? Black does, sure, but, I don't trust Black that much either.".
"Well..." Amon replied "I've spent about 10 or more years doing nothing but following a simple instruction; kill the marked target. That's not difficult. That's not hard. That's not even worth my time, but I did it anyway. I had no reason besides the payment. I had no concept of right or wrong even, and all I knew was I needed to survive." Amon explained himself, placing his hand on his chest "This heart of mine beats, but it stops when it is demanded that I kill someone. If I must, I will even ignore the entire slate and wipe it clean, completely grey. There are no enemies or friends, just that one target I need to kill. I'll tune out everything that doesn't matter or pose a threat.".
"What are you getting to?".
"When I put my mind to it, and given a target, I can assure you, I won't betray you. I haven't stopped when my targets were family men and women, couples, I never even stopped when my targets were those unfortunate by circumstance and were simply the wrong person at the wrong time, who didn't deserve what they had no control over. So...a crime lord, who along with two other crime lords, controls the absolute underworld of bosco is my target, do you think I'll make an exception?" Amon said to the individual, his tone remaining monotone and unhinged.
"Well...your eyes are certaintly befitting such a grim killer." The person said "Very well. I trust you. But be warned, betrayal won't be forgi-..." Suddenly Amon punched his fist through a pillar next to him, grabbing an individual on the other side.
"Then don't make me betray you, and get on with it." He said, sounding somewhat agitated, releasing the individual. "Also, meeting during the rain is a bad idea when I can notice the rain drops making a different sound in your direction, on your cloth. That silk is very nice for a suit, but for combat...? Rather questionable.".
"My my...You really do have a strong...point there." The man mockingly replied, completely unaffected by Amon's attempt at threatening him "Ah, but first, you'd like to know Songbird's location, correct?".
"Yes." Amon pulled his arm back from the pillar, looking away as to avoid seeing the man's true appearance "Like Wight and Costello, he changes his main location every few months or years to avoid detection. It's consistently allowed him to escape being found and caught multiple times. But, if anyone knows where Wight is, it's him.".
"Correct. While finding Songbird shouldn't be difficult for me to do for you, finding Wight is a different story. For someone who has even the King's blessing, he is incredibly wanted for a multitude of reasons, but has protection unlike any other, equivlant of a true king.".
"Right." Amon replied "How long will it take you to get the information?".
"Not long. A day or two." The man replied "But...I can give you something else in the meantime. The location of Francesca Costello.".
"What use will I have of that? I'm not out to kill her.".
"Yes, but she would love to see you again, especially dear Maxine.".
"...Who knows I'm here?" Amon asked.
"Everyone." The man replied.
"Great...That will definetly not come back to bite me.".
"I'd be more concerned about your friends. Surely, they will use them as leverage against you.".
"...So?" Amon said "That won't work here. Bosco doesn't give you room for that.".
"Oh? You'd let them die?" The man, sounding surprised "You really are hardened.".
"My only mission is to kill my target. And...I will.".
"But, however...?" The man chuckled "I best leave. I slipped the information into your pocket. Good day." The man said, and without any indication vanished.
"Hm..." Amon glance aside, seeing a figure hooded in white standing on the roof before him. "And here it starts..." Amon said, rubbing his chin, staring at the figure "And who sent you?".
"Deathdealer.".
"Oh. You actually told me...? I didn't expect tha-..." Suddenly Amon ducked, a sword passing above him, the slash extending its range, and cutting the top of a building clean off, sliding off and crashing into a nearby building. "You..." Amon quickly rose up, striking the figure in the chin with an uppercut. Yet, the figure remained unhinged "are not an assassin, are you?".
"No. I am a warrior." The man said, his eyes piercing through the darkness of his hood "You may name me Hakumusha. My true name matters not, but you may know a title at the very least to sate some of your curiousity.".
"I don't care." Suddenly Hakumusha's eyes widened in shock, as it took him a second to register the fact Amon's arm tore through his chest, grabbing his heart "Please die now." Amon said, tearing out Hakumusha's heart, allowing the swordsman to fall on the ground, bleeding out. However, a sword stabbed through Amon's shoulder from behind, tearing through his bone, rendering his arm useless "Oh.".
Hakumusha stood up, his chest sealing itself "Now now..." Swords appeared around Hakumusha in a ring, pointing at Amon "What say you, Amon?".
"...You want to cut me?" Amon coldly said, taking a step forward closer to Hakumusha "Try.".
"Fi-..." Interrupted, a bullet tore through Hakumusha's skull, taking him out of focus, causing his swords to dispel, including the one stabbing through Amon's shoulder. "W-...What on earth...?" Staring up at Amon as he fell, he saw the man clad in black raising his fist, gathering energy into it "Ah. I see. So...this is what the battle with a true assassin is..." Hakumusha grabbed the hilt of his sheathed blade at his hip, and grabbing the sheathe itself with his other hand "A battle that ends! In mere seconds!".
Before Hakumusha could unsheathe his blade, Amon struck him on the head, cracking his skull, sinking him through the building floors and to the bottom of the church. "..." Amon teleported away, appearing next to a man who lies down on his stomach under a lare umbrella. The man stood up, he whore a black suit, and a black hat with a small brim, with black hair. However, most striking, was his mask, pure white, with open black dot eyes, and a wide smile.
"Smiles?".
"At your service, Mr. Amon." The man, Smiles, replied, humbly bowing and grabbing the umbrella above his head "Would you like some cover up as well?".
"I'm fine, thanks.".
"Now then, my payment?" Smiles asked, his sniper rifle vanishing into a pocket dimension, holding out his hand for Amon.
"..." Amon pulled out an envelope from his pocket, placing it in Smiles' hand, who put it in his jacket for safe keeping "Thanks for your service. But, I'd like to hire you for one more job, a small one.".
"Hm? What would that be?".
"Just guard duty. I'm going to visit Costello.".
"The crime lord?" Smiles asked "Already? I thought a bit more reasoning would be made prior...".
"Don't worry, I just need to get in contact with someone." Amon replied, placing his hand on Smiles' shoulder, teleporting the two of them into a nearby building, where he pulled out a communication lacrima, a miniature model, rectangle shaped and fitting in his palm. He typed in a number, and placed it to his ear, waiting for a reply. "...Hello? Hi, uh...Ma-...?" Amon suddenly pulled the phone away from his ear, an intense ringing deafening him "Gah! Don't fucking shout! Y-...Yes, Max, I'm alive...! I..." Amon began whiping the sweat off his forehead, or it was the water from the rain "L-...Look, can I come over? I want to see you and Francesca...".
"...?" Smiles simply sat back and watched Amon converse witht his "Max". It looked like he was asking permission to date the daughter of an angry mother. It was amusing.
"Okay, great. I'll, uh, I'll be over there in...One moment." Amon covered the phone, turning to Smiles "Smiles, where are we now?".
"We're in Camper Street, Calgala City, South East.".
"...I'll be there in 5 minutes. Okay...Okay. Okay....Okay." Amon finished speaking, taking a deep breath, beginning to stretch "Alright. Alright, I can do this.".
"Nervous?" Smiles playfully asked Amon.
"I'm meeting a crime lord, who doubles as a friend, who has a friend as her personal assistant. Yes, I am nervous." Amon replied, scowling as well. "Gah, I need to dry, for fuck's sake!".
"You know, you sound extremely stressed." Smiles noted "How about I take you out for a small drink after this? On me. A small bonus for keeping me in a job.".
"...Are you asking me on a date?".
"Hey, I don't have a problem with it, if you don't.".
"...Yeah, sure. Getting shitfaced should cure some heavy clouds." Amon replied.