"Downfall"

"Downfall"

 "We need to leave, the noise will wake him up." The tension in his brother's voice wasn't cause for alarm. That wasn't the point even if Cloud and Patches didn't notice it.

Not what we want, right? Because of his accent, Cloud nearly never came off as genuine.

Ash saw his brother give Cloud a knowing glance. "In the morning, we don't mention any of this."

Asserting, "Consider my lips sealed," Cloud said. 

"I hope they stay that way," Patches mumbled. 

Those are my exact words: "I heard that."

She sighed, "Already breaking your promise..." 

As soon as the door banged shut, Ash sat up, listening to their hasty retreat, and stared at the doorway as if it were responsible for his disappointment. Ash felt stupid being dissatisfied even though the occurrence had occurred at least three times in the previous week. However, his eyes shifted from the door to the palms of his gloved hands. 

The parts of his thin physique that had the best quality cloth were also the parts he cared the least about. His sweaty hands made him want to take off the gloves. He wanted to set fire to the gloves since his fingers were suffocating inside them. When he first began to venture out into the world, he had never experienced the sensation of a fresh breeze, a calming stream, leaves, skin, or dirt. Nothing. 

Safety regulations were what they were, but he considered them an annoyance. 

He sat on the worn couch while the wind howled and the golden fog settled, concealing the broken pavement and hugging the surviving buildings. Somewhere in the room, a watch was ticking, and every other tick was noticeably louder than the previous one. Two other electrical appliances were also buzzing, one softly and the other loudly enough to cause him to cover his ears. He thought he heard the oscillation of a fan, but it must have been in another room because he wasn't feeling any cooler or more refreshed. 

Everything seemed calm and easy, including his breathing. What made him uneasy was realizing that the three people he cared about most were out there in the wild, protected only by the moon. 

He was young, but he held great promise for the future. He just needed to lose some clothing to show his brother Leo that he could be trusted. His sibling did confide in him and told him everything. While snacking on a dinner roll on a bright day, he would brag about his sleek and fierce nighttime battles. Ash's mouth was perpetually gaping as he gorged himself on his brother's stories rather than actual food.

The standard response to his requests to join the fighting was always "It's too dangerous." Then Ash would persistently inquire as to the specific location of these brawls, to which he was always given a reassuring response. Leo would then close the chat by offering to fight with them someday so he could show off his skills. 

Sweat ran down Ash's hand and the wind picked up its roaring. The lights started to flicker, and his ears started to ring. 

He sucked in a deep breath and clenched his fists, the gloves' material releasing a small sigh. His breath left him slowly as conditions normalized. He got to his feet, the wood groaning under him, and stood up before it could happen again. 

The only way to know if Leo's reassuring replies were a lie was to actually visit the area in question. 

As Ash quietly departed the room he had begun to loathe, the door shut behind him due to the wind. He never warmed up to the structure as a whole, but it was irrelevant at the time. Despite having a home to go back to at the end of the day, Ash rarely spent time there.

It was automatic to breathe via the nose even with the mask on, and maintaining a light gait was the most important guideline to remember. Leo's constant scolding for a week resulted in Ash learning to be stealthy and approximately a dozen additional bruises.

Ash's doe eyes raced from alley to alley, never settling in one place for very long as he plotted his next move. 

There were sidewalk-like barriers along any paved areas. No one could go more than a quarter mile without having to jump over one on the sidewalk. The reflective plates of the barriers reflected the glow of the neon signs that were still operational. As he looked about, Ash fought to keep from mistaking them for fake motions.

His destination was a few blocks down the road, but he had only explored one side of the street. 

Ash ducked into another alley, turned his back to the wall, and began to observe his surroundings. The silence was making him more nervous. As he peered over the corner, he saw a flash of silver and dove just in time to avoid being hit by whatever it was before hearing it lodge into the brick behind his head. He scurried up against the alley wall as he took off his glove.

His head had been pierced by a Ninja Star, and another one almost made it back into his body. In preparation, he held up his free hand. He considered pausing the falling stars in midair and then set about directing their descent with his hand. When the stars hit the ground, he felt grey tendrils of energy erupt from his hand.

He pounced dove for cover behind the barricades and yanked off his other glove. He stowed them away and turned his body to face the right. Smoke rose in spirals from both of his humming hands.

After taking a deep breath, he jumped to his feet and began running down the street.

Metal slammed into the brick wall to his right; occasionally he could hear glass shattering. Despite his best efforts, the total number of stars never decreased. His hands ached from working the blades, no matter how gently he did it.

Because he was afraid that entering a building would trap him, he waited for a few more blocks before doing so. When he reached a shadowy area between two streetlights, he paused and dived for cover behind the barricades to regain his breath in relative silence.

Like a child seeing a monster under the bed, Ash's first reaction was to close his eyes tightly and wait it out. Instead, he made a cautious turn and swept the pavement with his eyes, ducking and tilting his head until he spotted a shimmer.

He started to lift his palm quickly, hovering it just over the ground, and the ninja star sparkled into the air. When he raised his palm to the ceiling, the blade swiveled with it, and when he flipped to the left, it clattered to the floor. 

Ash used the opportunity presented by the onslaught of stars raining down on the noise's origin to escape and make his way across the street.

Ash kept walking, pressing the palms of his hands together in an effort to stay awake. He just kept walking till he came across a towering structure. It had been so meticulously remodeled that it shone like a star. It was completely open on the front, so Ash could see shadows moving around the interior walls.

The front of the warehouse was surrounded by stacks of steel and wooden boxes, but there were narrow openings through which he could see the back wall. Every time he crossed, he saw no one, which just made him more angry and disappointed.

He reached into his pockets and reluctantly slipped on his gloves when he saw his hands were beginning to hum. As he hurried by a pile of wooden pallets, he caught sight of a big fire pit and wondered what may be within the boxes.

He paused behind a stack of boxes and heard voices coming up behind him. One of the voices had the accent of a person with a short fuse. Ash peered over the bend to see if there was another object nearby that he might use as cover.

He crept closer to the fire pits, this time looking out from behind crates while keeping his eye level with the base boxes. 

When the big fire in the center dropped, he could see a bunch of silhouettes facing off, he thought. 

Ash's face beamed with excitement when he recognized Leo from behind. Cloud's undercut was to his right, and Patches' eyepatch left a tiny impression in her curly hair to the left. 

As Ash prepared to make a dash for it, the primary antagonist suddenly appeared in front of Leo. Cloud and Patches inched closer in response, but Leo waved them back.

Although Ash was too far away to hear what was being said, he would have gotten the impression that they were a long-standing mentor-and-mentee relationship, albeit one devoid of warmth and love.

By the glow of the fire, it was clear that the man towered over Leo by barely a few centimeters. Dark hair slicked back, weapons slung over hips, and polished leather gloves described this man. The fluctuating shadows across his face didn't help, but his eyebrows gave the impression that they were always arched in a mischievous way by dipping toward one other.

The man presumably had his clothing steamed once every hour to keep them looking so crisp and wrinkle-free.

From the way, Leo's shoulders were slumped and his chin was tilted, Ash knew he was faking a stoic expression. According to what he told Ash, he keeps a pair of daggers against each limb, so any threats he makes might be quickly retaliated against. Cloud spent nearly every day in sparring practice with Leo, but Ash often wondered how Patches fared.

As the man retreated from Leo, Ash caught a faint giggle from him.

The silence continued, broken only by the roar of the fire.

The man yelled urgently, "Now!"

As the sirens wailed and the engines revved, a helping hand pulled Ash to his feet. Through the flames, he caught a glimpse of three scurrying figures, and then he began desperately writhing against their strength, whipping his head to the right and left.

As soon as they cuffed his hands with iron, he turned to look at Leo's face.

Leo's eyes were glazed over with fear, yet he was running as fast as he could to get to Ash. 

The man Leo had been facing prior to being dragged away now faced the guards. A closer inspection by Ash revealed a scar that formed the 'don't do it' mark on his head: it ran diagonally from his left eye to his right ear.

He hobbled forward with a limp. Named "Ash Golding."

His voice resembled the sound of cracking stone as he spoke. Ash tried to speak but couldn't get the words out.

He nodded slowly and said, "Your brother has been hiding you well." 

Although it is respectful to look your elders in the eye, Ash couldn't help but glance over at Leo, Cloud, and Patches as he focused on his breathing. Leo stomped around like a lumberjack chopping down a forest. Patches were doing her best to fight off Cloud's attacks, but she was going to need backup soon. 

He asked, "How would you like to have a new place of your own to stay?" and then offered one. I could provide a safe haven and hot, delicious food. In particular, education, so that you may write your own novel instead of only consuming those of others. He bowed his head in Ash's direction. As in, "How does that sound?"

Just right, he decided. He had been given all he could have asked for, but he said nothing. Although the sirens continued to blare, he could now see that the entrance to the warehouse had been completely shut off by the flames. His sibling and his allies were engaged in combat with the man's henchmen.

While he deliberated, his hands started to make a humming sound. He was split between giving up and living a comfortable life and continuing to battle for an impossible goal. He was at a loss for action. He felt like he was being pulled and yanked around like a piece of rope. 

"Tell me, Ash, would you like to build a new life for yourself?" he asked. 

My thoughts could only think of one thing to ask, and that was, "What's your name?"

A smirk formed on his lips as his head snapped back. Name: "Ajax Alderidge."

It wasn't right, Ash said, that she knew his name but he didn't know hers. It was strange to hear his voice sound so calm and collected because he felt anything but.

Ajax pointed in his direction of travel. It's true that your brother and I work together.

Ash's brows were furrowed. "What's wrong with him if you're willing to take me in?"

"I'm selective," he shrugged. "When I look at the youth of today, I don't see where you are right now; I see where you have the potential to be. And in you, I see possibilities without end.

It's been said to us, "You're not looking in the right direction."

In order to knock Ajax off balance, Leo knelt down and shifted his weight to one arm before sweeping his feet out from beneath him. 

As Ash was dragged backward, the guard's grasp on his arms tightened and his shoes scuffed the floor. Leo rushed over to Ash and dropped to his feet as a voice cried out, "HELP!"

Patches' voice never rose beyond a whisper, and Ash could only watch as Leo agonized over whether to release his hold or run away. 

Ash allowed the edges of his mouth to raise as he urged Leo to leave while she continued to scream.

Leo's chest rose and fell unsteadily while Ash watched, but eventually, he managed to get to his feet. To assess the situation, he looked around, but all he saw was a spearheaded straight for Cloud's heart.

“NO!” When Ash made a sudden rush forward, a guard slung him over their shoulder and out of the way. As Cloud collapsed to his knees, Ash could do nothing except stare helplessly.

He could barely see since tears had pooled on his bottom lash line. Closing his eyes tightly, he followed the guard's jerking and bouncing movements. When he finally reopened his eyes, he saw a dwindling scene. He saw that Cloud was stooped down and breathing slowly. Then he went looking for Leo and Patches, but all he found was a single body with blades sticking out of its top and bottom extremities. 

His mouth opened in a whimper. As the sirens died down and his brother and companions vanished, he felt the strain leave his body.