Chapter 107
[139]
“NOOO! NO! YOU CAN’T TAKE HIM FROM ME! GIVE HIM BACK!”
Ren stirred awake to the sound of a screaming voice crying out. Groaning as he sat up from the cold concrete, his eyes opened to the sight of a brunette boy on his knees, clawing at the legs of a dark figure. The figure resembled Venom in size and color, but it lacked eyes or a mouth, resembling a large silhouette that stood unmoving.
‘Akechi?’ Ren sat up, holding his head. ‘But if he’s there, then…’ He looked back up at the monster. ‘Who’s that?’
“RYUJI!” Ann’s voice called out as she and the others ran up to the black mass.
“R-Ryuji?” Ren said in surprise.
“Are you okay!? Can you hear me!? Ryuji!”
Ryuji was in there? Inside Venom? What did that mean? Was this a good thing or-
His thoughts were cut off as a dozen tendrils shot out from the stationary figure, colliding with everyone around him, Akechi included, and pinning them to the nearby walls. Ren himself was unharmed as the symbiote seemed to have not realized that he was awake yet. Thinking what to do, he knew that he couldn’t fight anymore. Not only did he lack the strength, but he couldn’t risk harming Ryuji. What should he do? What could he do?
“...R-Ryu...ji.” Ann managed to speak, despite the inky blackness crawling over her body. “I...I don’t know if you can...hear me, but please! Stop this!”
If the figure could hear her, it showed no signs of it, remaining still with only its tendrils acting. However, that didn’t stop the teens, instead only strengthening their resolve to rescue their friend.
“Ryuji!” Yusuke’s voice called out. “You saved me mere minutes ago! I wouldn’t be a real friend if I didn’t show you the same courtesy!” The skinny boy struggled against his restraints, but made no progress in escaping. “You are one of the strongest people I know! You can fight this!”
Ren pushed himself up off of the ground, slowly standing up and taking several, shaky steps toward the figure. Based on the fact that the symbiote hadn’t reacted to him yet, he either wasn’t relying on eyesight to track his targets...or the others’ voices actually were having an effect on him and Ryuji was fighting whatever this was.
“I know I haven’t known you as long as the others, but I could tell right off the bat, you are a loyal and kind friend Ryuji!” Haru exclaimed. “When I told you about my father’s death, you went out of your way to comfort me and share your own experiences with me! You’re a good person Ryuji! You’re our friend!”
“...No…” A distorted voice came from the shadowy figure. “...Not your friend...You all...Hate me...” The voice of Ryuji spoke out from the figure, though the way he spoke was almost like a bad phone connection, only allowing bits and pieces to come through.
“That isn’t true Ryuji!” Ann argued. “You’re our friend! We love you!”
“...I’m not Ren...Not...Real...Hero…”
As much as Ren wanted to argue that his friend was one, he couldn’t risk giving his position away so he had to hold his tongue for now. That being said, he continued to quietly limp toward the black figure.
“That isn’t true Ryuji! You risked your life coming here! Saving the others! All with no superpowers to speak of!” Haru yelled. “If that doesn’t make you a hero, then I don’t know what would!”
Ren took another step forward, only for pain to suddenly shoot through his side, a result of his injury from the fight with Venom earlier. He couldn’t help but let out a groan of pain, causing the inky figure to begin turning toward his position. Just as it looked like he was about to be caught, a new voice spoke out.
“Ryuji!” Morgana cried out, causing the figure to turn toward him. “I know I always insult you and make fun of you but…” He seemed to struggle to get out the next part. “I’m jealous of you! You’re best friends with Lady Ann and you're so damn positive all the time! It’s annoying as hell! I...I want to be more like you.” He admitted.
“...M-Morgana?” That seemed to get Ryuji’s attention, pulling his focus toward the younger boy. His voice seemed clearer this time.
Ren’s hand was inches away from Ryuji now, reaching out to touch his friend. However, getting so close, the symbiote seemed to detect him. A tendril shot out and grabbed his wrist holding it in place, the figure to turn toward him aggressively.
“...Distraction...Tricked...Me…” His voice became distorted again, sounding angry.
“No Ryuji! We didn’t trick you!” Ann shouted. “We meant everything we said! You’re our friend! You’re irreplaceable to us!”
“...Lies...Just an...Idiot…” The goop from the tendrils began to spread across the others more rapidly, quickly beginning to cover their faces.
“You are an idiot Ryuji.” Ren finally spoke. “You’re an idiot for ever believing that we weren’t your friends.” He used his remaining strength to force his hand onto Ryuji’s shoulder.
“...What?”
“You are my best friend. The best friend I’ve ever had. You were the first person to accept me in a new and scary place. I was afraid, Ryuji. I may not have shown it, but I was scared and alone. But then you came along and helped me and changed everything. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for you.” To accentuate his point, he pulled up his mask with his free hand.
“R-Ren?” The symbiote slowly peeled away from the blond’s head, revealing Ryuji’s tear-stricken face beneath. “For real? Y-You really mean all that?”
“For real.” Ren nodded, tears beginning to form in his own eyes. “You’re my brother, Ryuji. I couldn’t do any of this without you. So please, come back to us.”
Ryuji smiled, more tears pouring from his eyes. “Dude...that was seriously corny.” Suddenly the tendrils attached to the others began to retract, revealing the faces of the others as they gasped for air. They didn’t stop there however, pulling even further back as they returned to the original body which itself began to shrink. Within a few seconds, the black mass had retreated entirely back into Ryuji’s body, leaving him his normal self.
“Whoa.” Both boys said in surprise as the blond gawked at his hands, unsure as to what had just happened.
“Is it over?” Morgana asked, getting up from the ground. “We beat it? We’re all good?”
“I think?” Ren turned back to Ryuji. “You’re good right?”
“Yeah…” He replied, still looking at his hands. “I feel good. Better than good honestly. I think-” He paused suddenly as he brought his hands to his mouth, a look of sickness coming over him. Turning away from Ren, he quickly released his hands and projectile vomited onto the ground. “Agh! What the fuck?”
“You had a 2 centimeter tumor growing in your cerebellum Ryuji. I just expelled it from our body.” The gravelly voice from earlier spoke. “To put it in terms you’ll understand, you had brain cancer. I just cured it.”
“What!?” Ryuji asked, wiping the leftover vomit from his mouth. “You’re still here?”
“Huh?” A look of confusion came over Ren’s face. “Who’s still here?”
“I am a part of you now Ryuji. Surprising as it is, you’re a better match for me than even Goro was. And I intend to stay here for the foreseeable future. Think of that as a housewarming gift, I’ve also repaired the damage in your right knee. I can’t have my new host collapsing on me after all.”
“Dude?” Ren’s voice snapped Ryuji back to reality. “You alright?”
“Um, yeah. Just...I’ll tell you later.” He wasn’t exactly sure how to explain the current situation to his friends.
Right after he said that, the group heard a groan from nearby. Turning to the source, they found it to be Goro Akechi picking himself up off the ground. Ren quickly pulled his mask back down and took up a defensive stance, prepared for whatever fight the reporter had left in him.
“S’okay.” Ryuji assured his friend, walking toward Akechi. “Without the symbiote, dude’s a total pushover.”
Kneeling on the ground in front of the blond delinquent, Goro looked up at the boy with hate in his eyes.
“You...You stole him from me! Give him back to me!”
“Y’know, while I was in there. I got some flashes of memories that I know weren’t mine. I saw you. Saw what led you here. Why you did what you did.”
“You don’t know anything about me!” Goro spat in Ryuji’s face.
“But I didn’t need to see any of that to know what you really are. An addict. I’ve seen it in someone I knew before, and I see it in you. But you weren’t addicted to the symbiote. Violence was your drug, this thing was just the needle.”
“Fuck you and your after school special bullshit.”
Leaning in closer, Ryuji looked down at the older boy with nothing but pity in his eyes. “Can’t say I understand what this thing is yet, but there’s one thing I do know. I’m not gonna let it control me like you let it control you. I promise you that.”
With that said, the blond sucker punched the older boy, knocking him out cold. Grabbing the unconscious boy by his jacket collar, Ryuji turned to the others who looked at him in surprise.
“C’mon. Let’s bring this guy in.”
[Bonus]
As Kobayakawa entered the office of his superior, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Shido never asked to meet in person, he always said it was too risky to conduct their business face-to-face. After all, if the man who would be the next Prime Minister were caught with the Kingpin of Tokyo’s organized crime, it would spell disaster for him. So why ask to meet now? Sweating profusely as he loosened his collar, Kobayakawa cleared his throat to make his presence known.
“About time you showed up.” Shido stated calmly, the back of his chair turned toward Kobayakawa. “Please, have a seat.” His hand gestured for him to sit down.
“U-Um, m-may I ask what this is about, um sir?” The shaking Kingpin asked, standing on jittery legs.
“Have. A. Seat.” Shido stated again.
Gulping audibly, the rotund man complied, cautiously taking a seat in front of Shido’s large, impressively carved, wooden desk.
“I-If this is about those assassins that I sent after Spider-Man, y-you should know that I’m already looking into replacements. I’ll find someone e-even better!”
“Oh I’m not worried about that Mr. Kobayakawa.” Shido replied dismissively. “I’ve begun assembling a group of my own. You needn’t bother yourself with matters such as that anymore.”
“S-S-Sir?” Kingpin gulped again. His hand began to reach to his side where he’d concealed a firearm. “W-What do you mean?”
“I mean I have a more important job for you. One that only you are capable of.”
“Oh.” His hand relaxed somewhat. “What job would that be?”
“With elections so close, my plans are nearly complete. But we still run the risk of everything we’ve built falling apart if certain people don’t...fall in line.”
“And you’d like me to discipline them? Threaten them?” Kingpin suggested. “I’d be happy to-”
“I need you to send a message to them.” Shido interrupted.
“A...A message? Surely anyone could do that. I think I’d be more useful elsewhere. Perhaps in a political position?”
“Oh no no no.” Shido tisked, waving his finger. “This is a very special message. One only you could send.”
Kobayakawa didn’t like where this was going, he reached for the gun at his side once again. “A-And what message is that s-sir?”
Before he could grab the gun, his hand was seized by a metal claw. Looking back at the chair Shido was in, he saw that the metal appendage was coming directly from the man’s back. A second arm matching the first suddenly shot out and grabbed his other hand. With both of his hands restrained, the large man was hoisted up to the office’s ceiling where he watched in terror as Shido turned around, using another two appendages to lift himself up.
“This is my city. Don’t fuck with me.”