Chapter 20 - Too Far

Ex flutters his eyes open to barely see anything but a light above him. He tries to move but he’s restrained heavily to a chair. He can’t activate his power. Ex feels blood trickle from the top of his forehead where Kasumi hit him with the gun. His weapons aren’t anywhere near him. Once his vision comes back, he’s able to make out Kasumi’s figure standing a little ways in front of him. Ex hears movement behind him.

“Ex! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” Lucile greets.

Lucile steps in front of Ex, blocking him from being able to see Kasumi. Ex clicks his tongue.

“Lucile? Fuck.” Ex sighs. “Yeah, yeah don’t flatter yourself. I’m not here for you.”

“Oh I know. You’re here for her.” Lucile gestures towards Kasumi who falls to her knees, staring at the ground.

“I’m...I’m so sorry.” Kasumi cries. “I don’t know what...I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Hey! It’s not your fault. But we need to get the fuck out of here.” Ex states.

Lucile steps back in front of Ex, blocking his view of Kasumi once more.

“What have you done to her?” Ex asks, pissed off.

“Oh you know. Four years of nothing but kittens and rainbows. What do you think we’ve been doing to her?”

“Goddammit. Let her go.”

“Or what? It’s not like you’re in the position to actually do anything.”

“I’ll find a way.”

“I can’t wait. Until then, I want you to pay close attention to the show that’s going to play out in front of you.”

Lucile moves to where she’s standing behind Ex.

“What?” Ex asks.

“Focus on her.” Lucile demands.

Lucile points directly at Kasumi. Dr. Smith now walks to Kasumi, standing next to her looking down.

“Kasumi, dear, I need you to stand up.” Dr. Smith orders.

Kasumi reluctantly stands up. Ex scrunches his nose in anger.

“Don’t touch her.” Ex threatens.

Lucile leans over Ex’s back, wrapping her arms around him but he doesn’t seem to care much about Lucile at all.

“Or what?” Lucile teases.

Ex narrows his eyes.

“Please...don’t.” Kasumi begs. “I did what you asked of me.”

Dr. Smith hugs Kasumi’s body closer to his and sniffs the top of her head.

“Delightful.” Dr. Smith says sincerely.

“Get away from her.” Ex threatens.

Kasumi tries shoving Dr. Smith away, but he just pulls her right back in. Dr. Smith tries kissing Kasumi, but she looks away from him, making him angry.

“Don’t do that, dear. It’s just me.” Dr. Smith says, upset.

“Stop. I don’t want this.”

“Leave her alone.”

“Hey, Kasumi.” Kanai states. “Ex is watching. You don’t want him to see you like this, right?”

“Right.”

Kasumi shoves herself away from Dr. Smith with more strength this time.

“You little bitch-”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Ex shouts.

Dr. Smith raises his fist to hit Kasumi and Kasumi flinches, but Lucile stops him.

“Dr. Smith. You’re done here. Tell Mr. Hirata that we’re ready for him now.”

Kasumi’s eyes widen at the mention of her father’s name.

“Wh-What?” Kasumi asks, terrified.

“Why the hell would you bring her father into this?” Ex asks, angrily.

“Why do you think we’re doing any of this?” Lucile begins playing with his hair. “It’s simple, really.” Lucile pauses as Hirata steps into the room. Kasumi cowers at the sight of her father. “What do you really think we’ve been doing to her for four years? We’ve been breaking her down piece by piece until we were able to control her using fear. We’re going to do the same to you. Although, your weakness seems to be-” Lucile nods at Hirata. Hirata unloops his belt and looks directly at Kasumi. Kasumi stands still out of shock and fear. “Her.”

“No...Why? What have I done…?” Kasumi asks out of fear.

“Stop. Stop this, Lucile.” Ex orders.

“Or what, Ex?” Lucile teases.

“I’ll murder every last one of you.”

“Then do it.”

Hirata approaches Kasumi as Kasumi continues to back away.

“I don’t want to do this, Ex. I have to.” Lucile states.

“Fuck you.” Ex says angrily. “And YOU! OLD MAN! I TOLD YOU THAT IF YOU EVER TOUCHED HER AGAIN THAT I WOULD CRUSH YOUR HEART WITH MY BARE FUCKING HANDS!”

Hirata ignores Ex and continues approaching Kasumi. Kasumi stares at her father with pleading eyes. Hirata strikes.

“FUCK! STOP IT!”

Ex tries to get out of the chair, but feels too weak to do so. Hirata continues swinging and striking her multiple times. Kasumi shrinks down to the ground. Hirata puts the belt aside and climbs on top of his already weak daughter.

“Get up, Kasumi! Get the fuck up! Now!” Ex shouts.

Ex drops his head to avoid watching her being beaten to near death. Hirata punches her over and over again until she’s choking on her own blood.

“Kasumi. Get up.” Ex’s voice breaks.

“I...c-can’t.” Kasumi says, choking on blood.

Hirata stands up and kicks her multiple times in the ribs. Ex flinches with each crunching sound that followed each kick.

“Thank you, Hirata. Step back for now.” Lucile orders.

Hirata does as Lucile asks. Lucile walks over to Kasumi who’s lying on the ground almost dead in a pool of her own blood.

“Look at how weak she’s gotten. And how weak you’ve gotten.” Lucile grabs Kasumi by her hair and shoves her face into her own pool of blood, making her whine. “She’s been a slave here. And nothing but a slave.” Kasumi cries and tries to move but Lucile keeps her on the ground. “Come on, Ex you have GOT to feel SOMETHING!”

Ex is looking down at Kasumi. He doesn’t know what to think or feel. All he knows is that he doesn’t want Kasumi to get hurt anymore.

“Right. Hirata! Come back here please!” Lucile orders.

“But...but she’s almost dead. Don’t you think she’s been through enough?” Hirata hesitates.

“Do you want you and your wife to get out of this?” Lucile threatens.

Hirata sighs and approaches Kasumi’s shaking body. Kasumi coughs up more blood as Hirata climbs back on top of her. Something snaps in Ex.

“No. Stop! Kasumi, get up!” Hirata raises his fist to continue punching Kasumi. Ex grits his teeth and narrows his eyes. “Get away from her!”

Ex’s veins glow a bright green and his sword is drawn from his back but not by his hands, by his mind. The sword slices right through Hirata, cutting his body in half. Ex melts the restraints holding him in the chair. He rushes to Kasumi’s side, forgetting about his sword. He heals enough of her to where she’s stopped coughing up blood. Lucile laughs a little bit, catching Ex’s attention.

“All we need is your blood anyway. I tried to think of a way we could keep you alive, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to work.” Lucile goes to leave the room. “She’s going to finish you off for me.”

Everyone leaves the room to where it’s only Kasumi and Ex.

“You need...to...run.” Kasumi says, barely audible.

“No. No. I’m never going to fucking leave you again.” Ex says.

“Please...just go.” Kasumi begs.

Kasumi recoils in pain from her left hand where the ring is on. Her veins start pulsating a bright purple as she tries desperately to fight off the pain. Ex takes a step back, gripping his sword.

“Agh! No! Not this time!” Kasumi says strained.

Saliva begins seeping out of her mouth as her feet and hand crack the foundation she’s on from using too much strength. Kasumi’s eyes and hair turn purple (hair turning white and purple). Her eyes are trained on Ex with very little humanity left to hold her back. Ex narrows his eyes.

“I don’t want to have to fight you, Kasumi…” Ex reactivates his power to its full potential. “But I will if I have to.”

Kasumi charges at Ex with inhuman speed. Ex catches her with his sword. Kasumi has her hands both on the blade with blood dripping from her hands. She ignores the blood on her hands and continues pushing on the blade, pushing Ex back as well. Dammit. She’s gotten a lot quicker and stronger. Ex shoves her off the blade and she takes a step back, laughing maniacally. Ex looks down at the ring on her finger. I have to get that ring off of her! But how in the fuck-

Kasumi sprints faster than Ex’s eyes can follow. She ends up behind Ex. She grabs his shoulders with inhuman strength and saliva seeping from her mouth.

“I wonder what you taste like!” Kasumi says maniacally.

Kasumi bites a chunk out of Ex’s left shoulder, causing him to shout in pain. He flings her off of him, holding his sword in one hand and trying to stop the blood with the other.

“What the fuck? She actually bit me!”

Kasumi charges at him again, but this time, Ex dodges. While dodging, Ex focuses on Kasumi’s left hand and cuts it off with his sword. Kasumi screams in pain and falls to the ground, her power immediately leaving her body. Ex approaches Kasumi slowly, paying close attention to her.

What the fuck should I do?

He shows reluctants before kneeling down besides Kasumi with his sword still gripped in his hands. He focuses enough to heal her hand almost all the way back. He then feels something on the back of his head and hears a click. Lucile shoots Ex in the head and kicks him aside. The gunshot wound starts healing. Before he could fully heal, she takes the sword that he dropped and plunges it straight through Ex’s stomach. Kasumi barely manages to stand and tries to push Lucile away but fails miserably. Lucile pulls out a gun and points it back at Ex.

“Step back, Kasumi. Or I’ll fucking shoot him. I’ll fucking finish him off I swear.” Lucile threatens.

Kasumi does as Lucile asks and steps back. Ex tries to pull the sword out of his stomach, but Lucile pushes it in even deeper causing some grunts of pain from Ex.

“We were so close. But in the end, you couldn’t do what we asked.” Lucile says.

Lucile steps away from Ex, still pointing the gun at Kasumi. Ex spits up blood and looks over at Lucile and Kasumi. “No…”

“Lucile! You’re going too far!” One of the men standing back shouts.

“Just shut up. I’m doing what needs to be done. And what’s needed to be done since she got this power.”

Lucile cocks the gun, scaring Kasumi.

“No.” Ex tries to pull the sword out of him, but it doesn’t work.

“Just know that we tried to make it work, Kasumi.” Lucile says.

Lucile shoots Kasumi three times in the stomach, making her fall back onto the cement ground.

“NO!” Ex shouts.

The sword is pulled out of his stomach and then stabs Lucile in the heart, all done with Ex’s mind. He weakly crawls over to Kasumi.

“Hey...hey...Kasumi don’t go now ok? Hang in there.” Kasumi is whimpering, holding her stomach. “I know it hurts, but I need to see.”

Ex carefully removes her hands from her stomach to reveal three bullet wounds. Ex tries picking up Kasumi, but she cries out in pain, making him stop. Ex tries to heal her but it doesn’t work. Fuck! I can’t heal her when my body is healing itself.

“I know it hurts. I know it hurts, Kasumi, but I need to get us out of here. Suck it up and stay awake.” Ex says stoically.

Kasumi begins drifting in and out of reality. Ex covers her with his trench coat and manages to pick her up bridal style as his own wound heals itself.

“Kasumi don’t die. Don’t you fucking die on me.” Ex says in a threatening yet sincere tone.

“I know...how to get...to get out of here.” Kasumi says weakly.

“Where?”

Kasumi closes her eyes.

“Straight. Go straight.”

Kasumi coughs a few times as Ex runs straight like she told him to. He then runs into a two way with two ways going left and two going right. Ex stops.

“Now what, Kasumi? Where?”

“F...Far left.”

Ex follows her directions.

“How much farther, Kasumi?”

Kasumi coughs up blood and struggles to breathe. Ex stops for a second and sets her down as she hunches over and spits extra blood in her mouth.

“Hey, hey. I need you to tell me where I’m going, ok? You good?” Ex asks.

Kasumi nods.

“Yeah...let’s go.”

Ex carefully picks her back up.

“THIS WAY! DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!” A man shouts.

“FUCK!”

Ex runs with Kasumi in his arms.

“Turn right. Now.”

Ex shoves open a door with his back and continues running, following Kasumi’s directions.

“How much farther?” Ex asks.

The men trailing Ex begins shooting, but good thing they’re terrible shots.

“Turn left...then there should be...stairs…”

Kasumi coughs some more and Ex follows her directions. She was right. He runs up the stairs, pushing himself way past his limit to make sure he gets her out of there. He sees the door at the top and hears the men trailing close behind. Shit!

Kasumi opens her eyes and uses the very little strength she has left to open the door. Ex pushes forward out of the pharmacy and back to the car that he drove here in. He goes to the passenger side and puts Kasumi in the seat. He makes sure she’s buckled before running back over to his side.

“HURRY GET THE CARS! WE CAN’T LET THEM FUCKING ESCAPE!” A man from behind shouts.

Ex runs and opens his door. Someone shoots a bullet that clips his arm before he gets inside the car. He ignores the new wound and shuts his door. He buckles up too and glances over at Kasumi to make sure she’s doing ok.

“Don’t fucking die. We’re almost out of here.”

Ex starts the car and begins driving off with cars closely behind him. They lean out of their windows and begin shooting at Ex’s car.

“Dammit! We’re not gonna make it out of this!” Ex grips the steering wheel tighter and closes his eyes. “Please! Get us out of this!”

Ex veins light up with green including his eyes and his hair. Bright green electricity spreads from Ex’s hands, to the steering wheel to the rest of the car until the electricity is wrapped in the whole car. Ex shouts because of all the power that he’s using (literally pushing him BEYOND his normal physical strength). The car transports to somewhere entirely different. It’s too dark for Ex to comprehend what’s going on and before he can react, the car slams directly into a tree, hitting Ex’s head against the steering wheel, knocking him out.