Love without borders: Extraction

Three months had passed since everything that had happened. During that time, all my classmates came to visit me, worried about what I had just experienced. Sergio appeared almost daily, taking the opportunity to tell me his anecdotes with the new chef of the canteen and suggesting that, for once, I propose to Soukaku once and for all. As if he was in love with her... On the other hand, Soukaku also visited me frequently, bringing me some soup that Yanagi prepared especially for my recovery. She was like a mother to me. That day, after the interrogation, I spoke with Miyabi to clarify everything that was needed. She confessed to me that she wasn't completely disappointed, but she expected much more from someone with as much potential as me. However, he finally understood the difficult situation I was in and managed to understand me. A few days had passed since that conversation with Miyabi. The atmosphere in Division 6 was still tense, as if a cloud of uncertainty was hovering over us all. Despite that, my body was beginning to recover, and also, little by little, my spirits. Sergio continued to bring his daily stories, increasingly exaggerated, as if competing with his own repertoire. Although I pretended to be annoyed, the truth is that I managed to get more than one smile out of me. For her part, Yanagi kept sending me comfort foods, and Soukaku was in charge of bringing them. She always arrived with a small smile, as if the chaos around us couldn't touch her. Alex has since disappeared, leaving a great deal of uncertainty among all of us. Was he dead? Did he escape from fear and get lost in the cavities? That afternoon, we were sitting on the rooftop of the Division 6 offices. The sun was beginning to go down, dyeing the sky orange and gold. Soukaku and I were drinking a few soft drinks, in silence at first, sharing the calm that we needed so much. In the distance, the voices of the coaches could be heard ending their day, but up there, everything seemed to be on pause. She turned her head slightly towards me, still looking at the sky. "Does your shoulder still hurt?" Soukaku asked, getting closer to me to such an extent that our arms stuck together. I'm ready to get back into action." I said animatedly. Soukaku looked towards the sunset, resting his head on my shoulder taking advantage of the fact that it no longer hurt too much. A criminal gang wants to kill us and we have a drink while watching the sunset. In the end the only hard thing about serving Division 6 is fighting in their missions, the rest is all calm... I laughed. Soukaku was right, the only hard thing was to fight for the division, the second hardest, the paperwork after them.— I undoubtedly experienced the worst in my first mission...— I muttered while resting my two hands on the ground.— And to think that you could have died in that same mission... It gives me chills just thinking about it." She said. I turned my head, looking into the piercing orange eyes. "Has anyone from Division 6 died?" Not counting the reserve.— I asked curiously. Being a division both loved for some things and hated for others, surely more people have had to die at the hands of ethereal beings as well as at the hands of human beings.— Yes, there were people who died in this division. There was a very young girl, about your age.— I look up at the sky, as if trying to find the star in which she could be found.— She had a huge ambition to be part of the team, just like you. He carried out several missions with us until in one of them... she was killed by a horde of ethereal beings...— Her voice seemed to begin to break with each word she let out of her mouth.— She was a very good friend, she helped me get out of one of my biggest problems... Soukaku knelt before me and looked at me with concern. His eyes shone brightly. The evening sun was in front of me, causing Soukaku to turn into a bright god-like leftover coming down from the sky. I'm scared, Lucas, I'm afraid you're going to die out there and I'm not with you to protect you. I saw a tear begin to run down her cheek. My heart raced at the sight of that drop, full of rage and innocence. Involuntarily, I put my finger close and wiped away his tears. "I'm sorry you had to live through that... but don't worry about me, I'll be fine." "You're lying," he snapped, fixing his eyes on mine. My breath was cut off for an instant. I had razón.Mentía.No she or I didn't know if he would die on the next mission or if he would come out unscathed. I made an empty promise that wouldn't get me anywhere, a promise that hurt more than soothing. Is it just because of the pride of not wanting to lose anyone else on your team or...? Soukaku raised an eyebrow, keeping his face worried and broken inside. Here pride doesn't even go with a tail, Lucas. - He was trembling, his body looked like it was going to break into a thousand pieces at any moment of this. He put his hand on my cheek. She was nervous, probably with her heart at the speed of light. I care about you because.... Well... The words couldn't get out of his mouth. I knew it. I knew what he wanted to tell me. "We may not have spent much time together, but this time has been enough for me to realize it. Slowly his face and mine began to run out of space for each other. I knew what I was looking for but... Was I looking for the same thing?— S-Soukaku...— Hey, couple!— A voice shouted. Harumasa called us. Soukaku quickly stepped aside and sat down as if nothing had happened, as if Harumasa hadn't seen anything. I had been saved from a good... I wasn't prepared for any of this... not right now.— Sorry for the break-in... Lucas, you have received a letter.— The letter was in his hand. He offered it to me. I got up and went to Harumasa and took the letter. "Do you know what or who it could be?" No one had ever sent me a letter before.

Harumasa sighed strangely, as if she was hiding something she didn't want to tell me. You just read it and you'll tell us if that..." Harumasa looked at Soukaku and pointed at her threateningly. Soukaku nodded and went in search of Yanagi, but not before looking at me with something he hadn't looked at me before... appreciation. I looked at the letter between my fingers. It was a simple envelope, with no return address, just my name written in that firm, familiar handwriting. I recognized the handwriting. "It's my father's," I murmured, more to myself than to Harumasa.No had seen him for more than a year. I sat down again, this time alone, and broke the seal with trembling hands. The air suddenly seemed colder, although the sunset continued to dye the sky with warm tones. I unfolded the sheet.

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Lucas:

I am sorry to have to write to you in these circumstances. There's no easy way to say this, so I'll get straight to the point. Your mother is dead.

She was murdered three nights ago in our hometown. The police say it was a robbery, but I know the truth. It was Red Fang.

I knew that sooner or later they would find us, that we would pay for it... All this is a consequence of my past. Of what I was. And now you're paying for it too.

Be careful, son. You're not just part of Division 6 anymore.

I don't know if I'll write to you again. But if you ever confront them, show them no mercy. For your mother. For me.

"Dad.

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The words didn't hurt right away. It was as if my body rejected them, as if I read them with borrowed eyes, unable to assimilate what had just entered me. Oh my God... Dead. For them.

Red Fang.

I felt a void opening up in the center of my chest. It wasn't just sadness. It was something else. A dull fury. A burning hole. Soukaku hadn't returned yet. I was alone on the rooftop, the breeze chilling my hands, and the letter trembling between them as if it didn't want to exist any longer. I read it again. Every word was a splinter. I wanted to scream, but something inside me refused.

My mother deserved more than a scream. She deserved to have the world burn for her. I got up. The letter fell to the ground, blown by the wind. I swear..." "Don't rush," Miyabi said, appearing in front of me as if nothing had happened. I looked up, furious, mercilessly. I was ready to take the most precious thing from anyone who got in my way. "I don't need any advice from you, boss..." I said, holding back all the accumulated anger. I clenched my fist, channeling all the anger into a single area and thus avoiding conflicts.

Miyabi positioned herself calmly, peacefully, without looking for trouble. Her hands, one of them resting on her katana and the other falling, without being supported anywhere.— I'm not here to give you any advice, I'm here to prevent you from doing something crazy.— That means you read the letter or knew in advance about what happened.— I said instantly after she finished speaking.— Everything that enters the base is reported immediately so... yes.— And what do you expect me not to do then?— I asked unhingedly, spitting through my mouth unconsciously.— There's a prisoner of the red fang gang. You know where it is. Right now you are a potential danger to him. I shook my head repeatedly. "I'm not a monster, Miyabi." I replied by clenching both fists. Tears fell down my face without hiding anymore, without mercy. "I never said you were, but I'm aware that you're not very sane right now." The words were lost in the deep echo, repeating themselves several times in the air until they disappeared forever.

Miyabi didn't react, he just sighed and approached me, not all at once, but step by step."I understand what you're going through—— AND SHIT!— Again, another cry of despair, as if yelling and arguing would bring my mother back to life.— What is the expert cavity swordsman going to know about losing a loved one to... of..?. — Again.— THOSE SONS OF THE BIG BITCH!— I lost everything too. Silence. There was only silence after his words. My anger had not disappeared, it had only diminished thanks, or because of, empathy. The wind was hitting me completely. The garments, like the hair, waved like a flag towards the direction where the wind was going. An annoying cold invaded my body, with it, a cold sweat that weakened me but did not make me dizzy.— W-what?— I asked confused, in shock at what I had just heard.— I lost my mother at a very young age because of the ethereal beings, in the midst of their boom. My childhood was perfect, of course, but until I was six years old, after that, all hell, empty, painful... Our eyes met. My heart, nervous. My hands and body, trembling with rage and adrenaline from imagining the atrocities he would do for revenge and from hearing Miyabi's story. I don't fight for pleasure, I fight for duty. Straight to the point. Her statement clearly stopped me thinking but it didn't manage to wash away the rage that I still had in my veins.— Your story doesn't take away from the fact that those killed my mother— I pointed my finger at her arrogantly, as if threatening her.— One way or another I swear that this gang will be exterminated, from the base to the top, and no one is going to change my mind.— Now that you've finished shouting... Follow me." He turned around and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. 

Miyabi walked to the entrance to the stairs and vanished. I remained thoughtful, even with the incessant wind beating me subtly. This was my job, I wanted to be here. Time to do justice.