Chapter 103: The End Of A Life

"Thanks." I nodded to one of the train attendants as they passed by. Glancing down at the papers in my hand with Tobio Ikuse's information, I sighed and took a bite of my food. 'The kid seems to be living a pretty normal life.'

Flipping through the pages, my brow rose when I reached the last sheet. 'Two hundred and thirty three of his schoolmates disappeared in that luxury liner accident? Must be what Nurarihyon mentioned about the Utsusemi Agency.' I sighed, closing my eyes. 'I'll need to be quick and quiet about this, kill Tobio and leave without anyone, except Nurarihyon knowing. This way I avoid any drawn out fights.'

As I drifted off to sleep, the train came to a sudden halt. Sighing, I opened my eyes and saw that I'd arrived at my destination, Chiba. 'Thought I'd have more time to rest.' Standing up and stretching a bit, I disembarked and headed toward Tobio's house. 'In and out, that's all you need to do.'

I masked my presence and sped away from the train station toward his neighborhood. Along the way, I noticed a few oddities in the atmosphere. 'I can smell faint traces of magic. Barriers set to ward off the mundane?' Clicking my tongue in irritation, I arrived on a rooftop near Tobio's home. 'Nothing, his scent is faint and covered.'

Frowning, I moved toward some remnants that looked like they were left by a recent fight, given how the magic was stirred.

'This is going to be a long day.'

~Scene Change~

Let it be known that while I was good at my work, my attention to detail could be… lacking. Sure, I could pick up scents and see farther than most supernatural creatures who weren't blessed with magical eyeballs, but piecing things together while watching a construction crew repair the road? Yeah, not my strong suit.

'I don't sense anything beyond this point.' Judging by the faint scent at Tobio's house, it seemed someone was helping him stay hidden.

The aftermath of a scuffle lingered around the area though. Blood, sweat, perfume, a lot of magic, and one particular type of scent I couldn't stand. 'Sacred Gears.' Two things I hated dealing with were here, right where Tobio had been. 'Sacred Gears and magicians.'

I sighed, about to turn away, when another whiff of a Sacred Gear caught my attention. I frowned, looking toward a shadow near the construction site. 'There's more than one Sacred Gear here, and one's connected to shadows. What's going on here Nurarihyon?'

I let out a frustrated sigh and headed toward a hotel. I wouldn't find anything more tonight. 'I'll wait a day or two. I'm sure the Utsusemi Agency will make their move soon enough.'

-Tobio Ikuse POV-

It was still surreal. Even after meeting Sasaki and seeing what happened to Sae, I could hardly process everything that was happening.

"Everything okay, Tobi?" Reni Lavinia asked, walking beside me as we made our way toward where the leader of the Utsusemi Agency was supposedly held. I was about to respond with a nod of resolve when I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my neck and glimpsed a red dagger sticking out from it. 'W-what?'

"Tobi!" I heard someone yell as the attacker yanked the dagger free. My Sacred Gear Canis Lykaon or Jin, burst from my shadow, lunging at the unknown assailant with a piercing strike. Clutching my neck, I staggered back next to Lavinia, who tried to heal the wound.

"I-it's not healing!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with worry. I gave her a shaky smile as Natsume, Lavinia, and Kouki circled around me, their gazes fixed on the black and white-haired man now clashing with Jin.

"I-I'll be f-fine! Go ahead and s-stop the leader before he d-decides to escape!" I urged, trying to sound confident. Kouki looked at me uncertainly, then gave a reluctant nod while grabbing the two girls.

"W-we can't leave him!" Natsume protested, but Kouki held firm. "We're not leaving him! We'll deal with the leader fast and come right back!"

He pulled the two away, reassuring them with a glance as he led them out of sight. "For now, we have to trust Tobio."

Turning back to Jin's fight with the intruder, I studied the man's appearance, broad-shouldered, tall, with a scar across his right eye and black tattoos covering his arms and part of his face. A small dark mark sat on the side of his neck. Looking down, I noticed that my bleeding had finally stopped. My eyes narrowed, and I called out a warning to Jin. "Jin! That dagger stops wounds from healing for a few minutes!"

The wolf gave a sharp bark in acknowledgment as the man clicked his tongue, switching his dagger to a reverse grip. "That Sacred Gear of yours is a real annoyance, kid." he muttered in a deep, flat tone, evading Jin's biting and slashing attacks.

"Who sent you?!" I yelled, trying to find an opening as Jin engaged him again, but he only snorted in response.

-Ryou POV-

Canis Lykaon, The Sacred Gear was powerful, and it was making my danger senses react. 'That old man knew.' I thought, gritting my teeth as I dodged a shadow sword shot from the wolf's body. I hadn't yet enhanced myself with cursed energy, as the dog seemed to have trouble tracking me without it. 'Seems the kid hasn't had it for long though, it's just a pain in the ass.'

Moving nimbly out of the way as another shadow sword materialized, I glanced at the kid, Tobio Ikuse. He had an honest face, the kind of aura that came from innocent people who'd throw themselves into danger for others, like some hero out of a story. 'Sorry, kid.'

Resolved to end it quickly, I pulled out a second dagger, a standard blade for dealing with non-supernatural targets, and used Shundō. The Sacred Gear couldn't track my speed, and I slipped past it, appearing right in front of Tobio. Before he could react, I drove Gáe Dearg into his chest. His eyes widened in shock, and I felt the shadows around us start to shift and react. 'Can't have that.'

In one smooth motion, I slashed Gáe Dearg from his chest to his side, then stabbed his left leg repeatedly, which froze the shadows just long enough to kick his legs out from under him. Shifting the regular dagger into my grip, I drove it down, piercing Tobio's skull and pinning his head to the ground.

Behind me, Canis Lykaon let out a mournful howl before vanishing in a burst of black smoke. Looking down at Tobio's wide, glassy eyes, I sighed, flicking the blood off my dagger.

"Sorry, kid. Nothing personal."

With that I walked off leaving the kid's body laying on the ground.

{Author Note/pics}