Previous trivia: Who's favorite color is purple?

Answer: Jiro

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Jiro watched silent as Ryuu's back retreated further into the shadows, a thick trail of blood following his every step.

The blond nervously followed behind the younger male, careful to walk as far away from the river of blood as possible. He only had about half a magazine inside the gun in his hands, and no other source of ammunition. Not to mention, his limbs pulsated every other second as a desperate reminder that he was running on nothing but willpower.

He was done for. Definitely, utterly doomed.

Yet the quiet pitter-patter of Emi's footsteps served as a lullaby for his nerves, soothing them back into their resting place.

A few steps in front, Ryuu attempted to get a clear view of his surroundings. His chest still suffered the consequences of inhaling the toxic smoke that floated in the air, making the walls slowly close in on his figure as his head whirled. His gaze was a bloodshot, tearfilled ocean that spun around an unsteady axis, just like his footing which seemed to get worse by the minute.

Half his leg had gone numb, and him walking ahead of everyone else was only an attempt at hiding the fact that the wound on his calf was still raining blood. It was getting harder to hide the limp in his step, and the only thing he focused on was trying to steady himself against the wall in a way that wouldn't look suspicious to his comerades.

Perhaps that was the reason why everything subsequently unfolded as it did. Maybe if he had just stopped, allowed himself to be helped, he would've been able to avoid getting not only himself, but the rest of the elites in the sort of predicament where one decision endangered all their lives.

"Guys, look."

Right at the end of the abnormally long hallway stood two doors, each with a small glass pocket to see through. The lilac haired boy turned back to the other elites momentarily, before approaching one of the two doors and looking through the small gap covered in glass.

"Stairs." He mumbled.

"Stairs?" Emi tried to peek through the space, ultimately failing as her height did not reach the glass. Ryuu snorted, offering his good knee to the girl, who immediately used it as leverage to hoist herself up.

"They lead downward." She said, and Ryuu, pushed by a brainless desire to get out of their dangerous situation in the quickest way possible, hummed his response.

"An emergency exit?"

"We're already in the ground floor." Jiro shook his head. "That would only lead underground."

"Well, it's either this or going back where we came from. Which, if you haven't noticed, is currently infested with people who won't hesitate to kill us." Ryuu shot back, slowly leaning his weight against the knob in an attempt to steady himself.

However, his weight caused the knob to twist, and the door creaked to an open right before the group. The lilac haired boy cleared his throat, playing it off as something he had meant to do.

"I'm going to check if there's an exit." He announced.

"Don't." Emi intervened, pinching his sweat-drenched sleeve. "We shouldn't split the group."

"I'll be right back, princess." He winked, slipping his fingers underneath the girl's tight grip and forcing it open just enough for him to slide out.

His injured leg had almost completely shut down by the time he made it halfway down the stairs, and suddenly Ryuu no longer knew what exactly he was trying to achieve.

Maybe it was his ever-shining curiosity mixed with utter resignation that led him to continue his pace, instead of turning around and rejoining the others.

In his state, he was more of a hindrance to the elites than he was an asset. Perhaps this was his way of trying to free the others of the burden that was himself.

What would Shin think of me now?

He chuckled to himself, his hand sliding inside his pocket to play with the scarce needles.

Ryuu was baggage. He had always been baggage.

A burden to his mother, who had only wanted one child and was cursed with two more. An albatross to his brothers, who had to perish one by one while he remained.

A hindrance to Shin, who always had to go out of his way to control what Ryuu couldn't control of himself. And now to Jiro and Emi, who were stuck carrying around his baggage, because Ryuu was balancing on the edge of the precipice that was his own body, which had shamelessly abandoned him when he needed it the most.

A lone tear burned its way across his soot-covered cheeks, clearing a trail down his face. It crashed against his blood covered palm, and he wiped it away into oblivion, only for another to come, and another, and another until the waterfalls whisked away whatever dust particles clung to the young boy's cheeks.

He could barely think straight, and for a split second he thought the door at the bottom of the stairs was product of his imagination.

His heart lurched at the realization that he had found what he was looking for.

His fingers were shaking as they soaked up the coldness of the knob, and with an unsteady grip he pulled the door open, only for him to be greeted with a bitter surprise.

His heart stopped and his stomach dropped to the deepest pits of hell, the inferno blazing inside him as a dozen pairs of blood-red irises surrounded by pitch black locked on his figure.

It took him no more than a split second to slam the door shut, and with his heart crawling up his throat he raced his way toward the stairs, only to recieve the grim reminder of his malfunctioning leg and the torrents of blood that flowed from it.

He clenched his jaw to the breaking point, forcing his body upwards in an inhuman way as he felt the world around him swirl and sway.

He heard the harsh slamming of the door behind him, and the haunting screams of those bloodthirsty beasts. His ears rang as he tried to block them out, each and every word, each order to cease the human boy in order to use him as bait.

And then his leg gave in, making him crash against the upcoming stairs, his head slamming against the step. He heaved a desperate plea and dug his hand into his pocket, managing to blind the closest enemy and empty his stash at the same time, until only one needle remained.

If only his vision hadn't been a blurry mess.

If only his leg hadn't failed him as he tried to run his way up the stairs.

If only he'd listened to Jiro.

Eyes flooded and head woozy, he heaved himself up the rest of the steps with the harsh realization coming down on him like an angel of darkness.

His family was up there, unknowing of the hell Ryuu was bringing toward them. They were waiting for him.

They were going to die because of him.

Gathering every last bit of anything Ryuu had left, he sped his way towards the door, yanking it open only to reveal two worried gazes that immediately fell on him.

On his blood-drenched body. On his tear-stained cheeks. On his bloodshot eyes. On the pathetic, desperate look that clung to his wild features.

Without a single word he slammed his knee into Jiro's stomach, creating a momentary slip in his guard in order to knock the handgun out of his grip and disorient him long enough to slam the door between them once again.

Using his only remaining needle, he wrenched it across the lock, making sure to jam the knob. Only then did an exhausted sigh escape his lips, and the smile that graced his features as his eyes slid shut was the purest image of relief and accomplishment the world had ever known.

The sound of madness running up the stairs was deafening, and once his eyes opened he was met with a horrified golden gaze staring at him through the small glass opening.

Jiro's mouth moved, although Ryuu couldn't quite hear it over the ringing of his ears. He thought he felt fists slamming desperately against the door, or maybe it was his heart against his ribcage.

Jiro was screaming his name, Ryuu could read it on the horrified expression of his face. The lilac haired boy's lips eased into a smile once again, mouthing words he was sure his friend would understand.

Take care, Barbie. Get her out.

And he turned around, only for the waterfall to rain all over his cheeks once again, curling his fingers in a peace sign before heading toward the stairs. His hands circled around the handgun, the foreign object feeling uncomfortable in his grip. Only Jiro had the power to look like an angel while delivering the bullet of death, Ryuu could only hope to buy enough time.

Let's see how many heads I can blow up, before they rip off mine.

His heart lurched at the realization that he had finally found what he was looking for.

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:)
Please don't hate me :)
This had to happen :")

I hope you have a wonderful new years! Stay safe!

Trivia: Who should the author kill next? HAHAHA joke joke!

In an alternate universe, who would most likely play soccer?

A. Shin
B. Ryuu
C. Jiro