Translated by Mecorx and Pixel
The last year of my teens. My first tackle ever was dodged with ease. The sheer force of it caused me to topple forward. I fell to the ground. I couldn’t get my bearings. I finally stop. I search for Rude. He was looking down at me. He scratched his cheek with his black gloved hand. He approached slowly. Kyrie was scoping out the scene from the door behind me. I urged her to escape with my eyes. As she shook her head, she rushed out of the office, a three-legged chair in hand. She ran up to Rude with the chair above her head. The chair smashed across the back of Rude’s head. There was a dull thud. She did it. But nothing happened. The skinhead was completely unfazed.
“Evan! Use that!”
Huh? Oh yeah. As I shoved my hand into the pocket of my jacket, there was the materia. I clasped the materia, and the power sprang forth. That’s how it felt.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not givin’ you Kyrie.”
“I don’t want her.”
Rude approached me. Just then, Kyrie moved. Jumping on his back, she put her right arm around Rude’s neck. She wrapped both legs around his abdomen. Rude furrowed his brow. Way to go! It’s working. Wow, Kyrie. Leave the rest to me. I quickly got up, grasped the materia, and thrust it at the enemy.
“Watch this, Turks!”
“Huh.”
Rude reacted to my voice. Did I surprise him?.
“Ugh.”
Rude groaned. Kyrie’s arm tightened around his throat. This was my chance. Still holding the materia, I pulled my arm back, and aimed a punch straight at my opponent’s nose. Rude stepped back. He dodged it. My fist had missed its mark. The force unbalanced me. I did a half spin. What a blunder. I was showing my back to the enemy.
“Ouch!”
Kyrie cried out. As I quickly turned around, Kyrie had fallen to the ground. She was writhing around, holding her ass. Kyrie was stabbed!?
“Kyrie!”
I slipped past Rude, and rushed to Kyrie, but he grabbed my wrist with his right hand. Intense pain. The materia fell to the ground.
“Let go!”
My wrist creaked as I thrashed around, trying to get loose.
“I’ll break it if you move.”
As Rude immobilized me with his left hand, he picked up the materia with his right, and shoved it in his pants pocket. Then, he went over to Kyrie. Prepared to lose my wrist, I shifted my weight backwards.
“Kyrie, go for it! Run!”
“Argh—”
Kyrie put pressure where she was stabbed, and stood up.
“What a drama queen.”
Kyrie scowled at Rude.
“Kyrie, it’s okay! Just go!”
But Kyrie didn’t move. She put her right hand behind her. Does she have some secret plan? I pulled back even more, trying to help her.
“Hi-yah!”
As Kyrie let out a strange sound, she thrust her right hand forward. The yellow materia hidden in her hand glowed.
“Don’t make me laugh.”
Rude muttered as he grabbed Kyrie’s wrist and easily lifted her high off the ground. The materia fell to the ground, making a undramatic, dull sound as it landed. Kyrie’s face twisted, and I felt my hand get jerked, hard.
“Pick it up.”
“No—”
He twisted my wrist even more.
“I’ll do the same to the girl, too.”
I felt frustrated giving in to overwhelming violence. But, I can’t deny the fact that I felt a little relieved from being threatened. It’s pathetic, but I don’t deny it. I’ll remember this. Pitifully, I bent down and picked up the materia.
“Hold on to it.”
Does this mean I’m harmless, even if I’m holding it. Materia don’t defeat enemies on their own. I’ll remember this too.
“Let’s go.”
Rude started walking, while holding on to us. I noticed figures standing in a few windows. Seems like we had a big audience. My pitiful self was going to remain in the memories of the inhabitants of this area.
“Fucking stop.”
Rude said. When I looked, Kyrie was digging her nails into Rude’s hand. That’s some fighting spirit. Then I recalled what needed to be done first.
“Rude, we need to treat Kyrie’s wounds.”
“You’re injured?”
“It hurts everywhere.”
Kyrie protested.
“What about your ass? Weren’t you stabbed?”
“Who stabbed you?”
Rude said in a dumbfounded voice.
“It was you!”
“No, I—”
“This guy touched my ass. A grabber. That’s low!”
I was relieved. So she wasn’t stabbed.
“I was protecting myself.”
Rude was completely unfazed.
“You grabbed my ass! It wasn’t by accident. You aimed, and grabbed. Disgusting! HEY, EEEVERYONE!”
“Be quiet.”
“Let go, unless you want the whole world to know.”
Kyrie spoke as if she was taking the opportunity to pressure him, but it didn’t seem all that effective an attack, judging from Rude’s reaction.
“I don’t care who knows what…” Rude said with disgust. “The price is your wrist bone. His? Or maybe yours.”
“Go ahead, if you can.”
Kyrie. Wouldn’t this guy really do it? I gave Kyrie a warning glance, as she still seemed to want to say something.
“Rude, Kyrie won’t cause you anymore trouble, I’ll behaving myself too. So please, let go.”
Surprisingly, Rude loosened his grip.
“I have a gun. I have no intention of killing you, but I will shoot you in the leg if I have to.”
Got it… I answered, and then looked at Kyrie. She seemed unsatisfied. Hey, seriously, let’s drop it. We know the terror of the Turks. Kyrie even said she wasn’t able to decline, out of fear. So why…
“Did you take Aerith like this too?”
Aerith? I’ve never heard that name.
“Someone you know?”
“I guess—”
For a moment, silence followed. Finally, the sound of a horn punctured it, as it echoed through the slums.
“Come on.”
Rude began to walk in the direction of Edge, and Kyrie followed. I followed after the two of them, a little ways behind. If she was to run away, now would be the chance. But that fighting spirit was gone from Kyrie. The sense of euphoria that controlled us just a few minutes ago in the office had gone away as well. That hug and kiss were just a momentary dream. It’s gone now.
