B. I. A.

[Chrynos]

*thud*

And thus went down the last of the gangster. In the center of the carnage of flesh, blood and wood stood a black-haired man with crimson eyes. Soft groans and moans could be heard, but otherwise, there was a complete silence, not even from the horrified audience, which was considerably a small amount of people, by the way. The man let out a soft sigh, his right fist unclenching. Lifting it up to his face, he looked at the back of his hand, at the piece of sheet metal attached to the back of his Flash Gloves. A design of black four arrows pointing at different directions, akin to that of a compass. It represented the saying he went through at the period. "I'll keep on moving, no matter what direction that may be."

Then, with the same hand, he reached for the golden pendant that hung around his neck. It was in a shape of a tear drop, or at least, an outline of it. There was a hole in the center, thus making it more of an outline than the shape of a tear itself. Anyone who had been to 552, or New York at that, would recognise the pendant immediately. It was none other than the Thunder Wrath pendant once worn by two of 552's most strongest fighters, Hiroko and Valo. Now, it had come upon the hands of the man who would then pass it down to someone else once he had 'retired' from fighting.

A soft sigh escaping his lips, he put his hand down, his head raising as his crimson orbs then locked with the bartender. Reaching into his front right pocket, he pulled out a wad of notes and tossed it over. Although it was more than what was needed, he was far from bothered by it. After all, he did own a whole lot of other wads of money. He was the owner of the fifteen-million-dollar Ma-Ta Development.

"That should be enough to pay for the damages. Sorry for the trouble."

With that, he walked past the floor littered with the bodies of gangsters. The stench of blood and sweat filled his nose, the man wrinkling it a bit as he took in the long-lost smell. It had been a long ride from New York, but he was here finally. Leaving the pub, he proceeded to the driver that had been waiting for him outside, in a black small limousine. Not those fancy long ones. Just the short simple ones that allowed the passengers to sit facing each other. The driver rolled down the windows, giving his employer a smile. The 19-year-old only smiled back, before speaking.

"You drive on ahead. I can walk from here."

The driver nodded, before proceeding off towards the city. The pub, after all, was only but at the edge of the city. He turned back for a moment, looking at the pub. He had just dropped by asking for a bottle of root beer, but found himself instead getting messed up by a large gang. As a result, he retaliated. Of course, the gangsters regretted now trying to assault a man in a suit, on matter how messy it is. Adjust his collar and the black blazer jacket that he wore, the man then proceeded onwards towards Long Beach California, pacing across the streets as he took in the familiar sights.

It had really been a long time since he was last here.

[Hyunie]

"Hello? This is Hyunie? Oh, no! I was just calling to see how Brian was holding up. Hope he's not too much trouble for you?"

Slender fingers held the phone up against her ear, a medium sized bag being held with her other, gently swinging back and forth as she walked. Heels clicked on the cement floor, eyes searching for her car, which she parked somewhere in the area. She was eager to get home and see Brian again, a bit worried about how things were going with the new babysitter, considering the old one had to pack up for college halfway across the globe. She hated leaving her child, but she couldn't take her to school - or work - with her. Being a single mother was a harsh life, but she wasn't working for herself - she was working for her son. She wanted him to have the best life, and although she already had a ton of money from her father, she didn't want to spend that money right away. She had carefully tucked that money into a savings account for Brian's future. College, home, car - whichever.

"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I'm--"

She had been cut off from the babysitter, and she smiled at her reply, giving a thoughtful, 'hm'. She looked up, finding a man in a black suit not too far from her - straight ahead. Minutes later, she frowned, stopping in her spot. Dark? Mixed feelings - relieved that he was alive, pissed that he had disappeared... That is, until the line went dead. She frowned, her mind whipping up the worst possible scenarios. What is someone broke into her house? What if Brian was in the most serious trouble right now? A gun pointed to his head...

She broke out into a run, hand reaching inside her bag for her keys which she pulled out, pressing the car alarm button to find out where the car was to begin with. Her mind being filled with nothing but Brian, she blindly ran past Chrynos, totally forgetting that he was there to begin with.

[Chrynos]

*Beep, beep*

Chrynos turned his head to the side, glancing at the side at the silver Nissan beside him. Someone had switched the alarm system off? Stopping in his tracks, out of curiousity, he glanced around to find the owner of the car, only to get almost run over by a woman as she ran past in front of him, towards the car. Caught off-guard, the man took a step backward, a soft yelp emerging from his mouth. His eyebrows then furrowed in frustration. Turning to her, he then proceeded to scold her.

"Hey! Watch where you're go-..."

A sense of familiarity hit him as his crimson eyes laid upon the woman, the face and the eyes hitting him so hard Chrynos felt as if he was falling backwards onto the asphalt ground already. His feet stayed rooted tot he ground, his right finger still outstretched towards her. His face, however, expressed naught but disbelief. It was none other than Hyunie, or Destiny, or whatever name she went by now. His ex-fiance and the mother of his long-lost child.

Without another word, he stepped forward. As soon as she would open the door, Chrynos would hop in between her and the driver's seat, his crimson eyes locked into hers. His mouth remained a straight line, unsure whether to stretch into a smile or curve into a frown. Either way, Chrynos' emotions were as mixed as Hyunie's, though this time, he knew well enough to just ignore it. He was going to do something about it. And this time, he was going to do it right.

"Hyunie..."

[Hyunie]

She did not see Chrynos - she saw a man in a suit and thought of the worst. Her hand flashed up for an uppercut to his chin, thinking he was in on the whole made up ordeal she thought up of in her mind. And let me tell you, when a mother thinks her child is in danger, she gets this unknown burst of strength that can cause some serious damage. Her goal, at this moment, was to get this man out from between her and the drivers seat, because she had something really urgent to attend to. If anyone even dares to lay a finger on her son, that mother f()^ker is dead. She hissed quietly, a look that would even be foreign to Hyunie herself resting on her face.

"Move."

You could say that she was, at this exact moment, not a very happy camper.

[Chrynos]

An uppercut? Chrynos' eyes widened as he felt the full force of the punch, his toes leaving the ground as he was thrown off his feet. If it was not for the car, Chrynos would find his back meeting the ground. His shoulders landed on the edge of the car's roof, his right arm stretched to the side to stop himself from falling into the driver's seat, his left hand coming up to his chin. Jerking his head back in front to look at Hyunie, he let out a soft growl.

"What was that for?!"

"Move."

Chrynos raised an eyebrow. What was up with her? He stretched his left hand outwards, grabbing her wrist before she could throw another punch at him. Keeping his grip gentle yet tight enough so that he could hold her hand without hurting her.

"What?"

[Hyunie]

He grabbed her, and she openly growled.

"If any of your men touched my son, you're fucking-- Dark?"

Her eyes had lifted up and seen his face. She stumbled a bit, all these questions running through her mind. But she couldn't help but think about her son now - because, if anything, her son would always, always come first. She would yank her hand out of his grip, or attempt to, and if he still didn't move, she would shove the car keys in his hand and get into the back seat, then crawl into the passenger's side. If he did move, then he had very little time to get in.

Because you know, Brian was his son too.

[Chrynos]

"If any of your men touched my son, you're fucking-- Dark?"

As she yanked her hand away from his grip, Chrynos would let go, too confused at that moment to do anything. His men touched their son? Why would Chrynos' men touch his own so-... Chrynos' eyes widened. He felt a hand reach inside and squeeze his heart as fears for the worst started rushing into his head. Chrynos looked at Hyunie for a short moment, before realising what he was doing and stepping aside. As he did, he reached back and opened the passenger door. If it was locked, then too bad for it. It would simply get pulled open by Chrynos' inhuman strength.

He knew what was at risk now, and he was not going to let up. Brian may not know him, but Chrynos knew full well that the boy was his son. And he was not going to let him get hurt. He could only hope that they would reach there in time. And that it was not his fault this time round. As Hyunie would start to drive, Chrynos would speak.

"How far of are we?"

[Hyunie]

With the car roaring to life, Hyunie barely gave Chrynos enough time to get in the car before shifting the gear to drive and slamming the gas pedal. She was going well over the speed limit, shifting gears and slowing down just a bit for the turns. Not too far ahead, you could see smoke coming from an apartment complex which is where she was currently residing in.

"Shit."

She didn't even answer his question, because they were already there - ambulances and firetrucks, police cars and people gathered around to witness what was going on. Without the car even fully stopping, Hyunie got out, and, frantically looked for her son, or the babysitter she left him with. An officer, however, stopped her, telling her that she wasn't allowed to cross through.

But she did anyway.

Firemen were hosing down the flames that erupted on the fifth floor, and she lived on the seventh. A sense of relief came over her until she overheard one say that the fire was spreading up. Joanne and Brian were still no where in sight...does that mean they were still inside?

["Excuse me, but I told you, you can't cross-"]

"My son. Have you seen a little boy? About... About this high, dark blue hair... He had a babysitter. Brown hair, my height, she--"

["Everyone is from the fifth floor and down has been evacuated. We're currently working on getting the others out, but the fire is under control and-"]

Like a stupid, stupid person.

She ran in.

[Chrynos]

Smoke. That did not look so good. Chrynos' eyebrows furrowed, his left hand coming up on the back of Hyunie's seat as he leaned forward, looking through the windshield at the crowd of people and vehicles that had crowded around what he thought would be her apartment. A fire. Hell, no. As soon as they reached there, Hyunie suddenly left out of the car, leaving Chrynos to let out a curse and grab the wheel as the car continued to move forward. Turning it to the side and letting it skid to a stop, he let out a soft frustrated sigh, before getting out of the car and running after Hyunie. A police officer tried to stop her, but she simply passed him. The man followed after, with Chrynos coming up, only to be stopped by another officer.

Chrynos, however, had no time to waste. He simply rammed through the policeman, throwing him backwards and at a squad car, hitting the side door and denting it. Without even a single word, he continued on his run, looking for Hyunie. The sound of the crackling of flames filled his ears, accompanied with yells and the sound of gushing water. Chrynos soon caught sight of his ex-fiancee, running after her as she was talking to a fireman. However, before he could even reach her, she ran into the building.

Chrynos' eyes widened in shock. What the hell was she thinking?! Redirecting his run, he proceeded towards the building, only to be intercepted by a squad car. Goddamn it, leave me alone already! As the squad car came to a stop in front of him, Chrynos raised his right fist, clenching it tight. Then, bringing it down, he punched hard on the hood of the car, leaving a huge dent as the studs of his gloves dug into the engine, damaging it. Soft wisps of smoke started to emerge from the hood as Chrynos pulled his hand away, pulling the hood off along with it.

Over the years, he had developed inhuman strength, and this was a great display of it.

"Get out of my way! I'm not going to lose her again!"

Running across the car, he followed after Hyunie into the building. Not even letting up in his dash. Knowing that the girl was smart enough not to take the elevator, he leapt into the tall room that held the staircase. Hearing footsteps up above, Chrynos leapt after, taking three steps at a time. And soon enough, he caught sight of Hyunie's hair. Quickening his pace, he soon caught up with her, at the third floor. Grabbing her shoulders from behind with both hands, he held her in place.

"Hold it, Hyunie!"

He yelled, the heat of the flames and the lack of water vapour in the air causing him to sweat so much that his white dress shirt was sticking onto his body.

[Hyunie]

She had been sprinting up the stairs, the adrenaline flowing through her blood that she had hardly noticed herself already being drenched in sweat. She was stopped, and because she had been moving as quickly as she could up those stairs, jerked back and nearly fell back against Chrynos. She couldn't, at this moment, understand why he stopped her. Wasn't he worried about Brian too? Didn't he understand that his son's life was on the line, and that every second was precious? She turned around, cupping his face with her hands. It was amazingly hot in the stairway, and the smoke may have been getting to her, but she'd do anything for Brian.

Anything.

"Go back down. East of the building, I'm going to throw Brian down at you. If you don't catch him, I'll be so fucking pissed you won't know what even hit you."

Because she lived in the seventh floor, and the fire was on the fifth. Because she knew that the fire would climb up, and the stairway would be too hot for Brian to handle. Because she knew that Chrynos would catch him - Brian is his son too.

"I'm begging you. We'll all go and...have a cup of tea, or something. Just please. Let me go."

Was she being stupid? Eh.

Maybe.

[Chrynos]

"Go back down. East of the building, I'm going to throw Brian down at you. If you don't catch him, I'll be so fucking pissed you won't know what even hit you. I'm begging you. We'll all go and...have a cup of tea, or something. Just please. Let me go."

Chrynos' eyes widened. Was she insane, throwing his son down? However, from where they were, Chrynos could tell that the fire was insanely hot and that Brian may not be able to survive it. Then again, neither would Hyunie. Chrynos felt a lump in his throat, stuck in between trusting Hyunie by putting her life at risk and his son's too, or trusting his abilities to protect his family. He lowered his head for a moment, the pressure wrecking at his mind. Suddenly, his arm would jerk outwards at the wall beside them, his fist punching into the wall. It burst through the hard concrete barrier, a hole where Chrynos' fist had connected.

"... But what about you?"

Chrynos would whisper, his head still lowered as he continued to dig his mind for other alternatives, any other possible approaches towards this situation. And their time was running out too. Chrynos needed to act. And he needed to act fast. He raised his head again, this time looking at her with his soft crimson eyes, a tear evident on the corner of his right eye.

"I don't want to lose you again..."

[Hyunie]

Her face brightened up when he let her go, though his punch to the wall had startled her. His whisper, which she had amazingly heard, his crimson eyes that had made eye contact with her. She shook her head as she started up the stairs once more, with only Brian on her mind.

"You kidding me? I can survive through anything."

Was her faint reply as she turned around and headed to where her son was. She couldn't die now - not after just seeing Dark. She had yet to do the things she really wanted to do as a family. Water parks, theme parks, carnivals and movies. Picnics, flying kites... Brian's first girl friend, his prom, his wedding and children. She couldn't die now - she had to grow old with Dark and watch over Brian as he grows. Too many things to do - so much to look forward to. And the worst thing is, it could all end any minute, any second of the day or night.

Going through the fifth floor was the worst. She pulled her shirt up and over her nose and stayed close to the ground, but that was useless considering she kept going up. The ground burned her hands when she nearly tripped, but once clear from the fifth floor going on to the sixth, it was much, much nicer - but you could tell that the flames were beginning to eat everything alive.

She burst through the door that led to the seventh hall floor, realizing that she did not have the keys to her apartment. But who the hell cares? Forgetting that the babysitter was still inside, she kicked the door, the hinges just beginning to turn loose. Another kick, and--

["Hyunie!"]

Joanne.

Hyunie sighed as she rushed past her, picking Brian up, who was on the couch, playing with his toys.

"Joanne, everyone's being evacuated. Pull your shirt over your nose and head down - I'll follow after you. Go!"

Joanne left, and Hyunie picked Brian up with ease, a sigh escaping her. She opened the window with one hand, holding Brian with the other, and pulled the wire frame off. She poked her head down looking for Chrynos, noticing it was a long drop, wondering if she should even risk it or not.

But she trusted her ex-fiance enough to catch him. No pressure, you know? Catch him wrong and his neck might break. If Brian turns over during the fall, then Dark would have to think fast.

She dropped him - once she saw that Brian was caught safely, she would disappear back into her apartment and begin to rapidly spiral down the stairs...until she remembered the sprinklers. Back in her apartment, she turned on the stove and lit up a wooden chopstick, making sure to turn the stove back off before going around and making the sprinklers go off in the halls.

That way, the fire wouldn't even go past the 7th floor, let alone reach it, you know?

So why is it that she didn't think of this before? She could have gone to the roof with Brian at her side...but the thought of Brian being safe on the ground than in a burning building seems more relaxing, no?

She made her way to the roof. Hopefully the fire will die down, yeah?

[Chrynos]

"You kidding me? I can survive through anything."
"But-"

And she was gone, Chrynos unable to stop her as he simply followed her with his eyes. He waited for a moment, taking in what had just happened, before replacing his confused facial expression with a determined one. Grabbing the handle of the staircase, he bent his knees, before leaping. Using the staircase as a pivot, he brought himself over the railings and down through the center of the staircase. Constantly gripping the railing as he descended, he made it down to the ground with a loud thud, his shoes causing cracks on the concrete ground. He bent his knees to absorb the impact and without wasting any time, he used the reverse momentum to throw himself forward and through the door that led into the ground hall. Leaving the building out from the entrance, he found himself under the aim of a nearby policeman's pistol, who ordered him to stand down.

Chrynos had no time to waste. As he stood at the entrance, he looked upwards, frowning as the flame blocked his vision of any floors above. What floor where they at anyway? Chrynos cursed, forgetting to having asked Hyunie earlier. Ah, he just had to get to the east side. Chrynos looked at the policeman for a moment, before breaking into a sprint, his right hand coming up as he grabbed a nearby section of a drainage pipe, tossing it at the police man with his fifth step. The man fired, the bullet grazing just his shoulder, before getting knocked off his feet by the pipe.

Chrynos came upon the east side, taking a few steps back and watching as Hyunie stuck out from one of the windows. Then, she threw Brian over. At that moment, Chrynos' felt his heart stop beating as he watched his son fall from the seventh floor, his tears and cries drowned out by the gasps and screams from the crowd behind Chrynos. Then, Chrynos bent his knees, his hands coming up to his side as he took a deep breathe, focusing all his strength on his feet.

As Brian passed the fourth floor, Chrynos then leapt upwards, his strength throwing him at least a floor up. His hands stretched upwards, catching Brian by his body as the young boy fell backwards. Moving quickly, Chrynos hugged him tight against his body as he fell back on the ground. Landing on both feet, knees bent once more to absorb the impact, he finally made it down safely, with Brian in his arms, wailing. His feet then gave way, the pillar falling backwards onto his bottom, with Brian still in his hands.

Hugging the baby tight, he buried his face on his hair, a smile on his face as tears continued to well in his eyes. Back in New York, he had wished for a great return or at least a welcoming party back in California. He had received both, in a rather twisted way. The welcoming party of a local gang, and a great return to his family in a fire incident. Well, at least Brian was safe now... Half of his family...

Chrynos' eyes shot up at the seventh floor. Hyunie! Standing up with Brian still in his hands, he continued to glance at the seventh floor, trying to find any trace of the woman.

[Hyunie]

You have no idea how relieving it is to get some fresh air. She had been wearing heels the entire time, so she threw them off, not to mention unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt. She shouldn't have been so relaxed at the moment, because the firemen had yet to take control of the building, but she couldn't help but wonder - what started the fire in the first place? Was it on purpose, or was it an honest mistake? She sighed, moving over to the edge of the building, eyes looking down as she spotted Brian and Chrynos, waving. She wondered...what would happen if the firemen never took control of the building? What would happen to her, and everyone else that lived above the fifth floor? Would they be burned alive? How would Chrynos and Brian live their lives? Would Chrynos get married to another woman? He was still young, had plenty of time.

Why was she thinking this?

The people below began to cheer. She figured it meant that the fire was dying down, and so she let herself smile in relief before sitting herself down, once again becoming invisible to everyone down below.

But there was a problem.

She had mistaken their screaming as cheering. The fire was still not under control, and had taken over the seventh floor. There was the eighth floor, the ninth floor, and then the roof. She pulled out her cell phone, which had been conveniently placed in her pocket, and dialed Dark's cell phone number, hoping it hadn't changed. If he answered, then she would speak before he would.

"That was pretty scary, wasn't it?"

Hyunie would laugh, still having totally no idea of what was actually taking place.



Besides. She had turned on the sprinklers on the seventh floor. How could the fire possibly light up?

[Chrynos]

The fire only became wilder. Chrynos gritted his teeth in frustration, though it parted as he finally caught sight of Hyunie waving downwards from the roof. Had she not noticed the fire climbing? Chrynos let go of Brian with his right hand, holding him securely with his left as he pointed at the fire with his right hand, waving frantically as he did. But Hyunie made no reaction. Chrynos cursed outwardly, not caring whether Brian heard or not. There was a yell to Chrynos side as a policeman and a woman approached him. The woman arrived first, looking up at him with glinting eyes. Riiight.

"Who are you? And what are you doing with Brian?"
"I'm Brian's father. Could you hold him for a moment?"

Without another word, Chrynos would pass the baby to Joanna, whom Chrynos figured was a babysitter or something, or at least someone he could trust with the baby. She DID know Brian. He could also tell that the news of him being Brian's father had shocked her. Too bad for her. Without another word, he ran into the building's east entrance, ignoring the totally pissed policeman's cries. Chrynos ran through the glass entrance, not bothering to open it. His wife was in danger, and he could not just sit there and do nothing.

Then, bursting down the door of the staircase, he stood in the center and looked at the top. That was a long climb up. Chrynos let out a soft growl, before grabbing the railings with his right hand. Without any second thoughts, he made his first step up the staircase, his next one coming quickly after as he dashed up the staircase.

As he came upon the third floor, he felt a soft vibration on his right leg, the man stopping in his tracks. His phone? Who the hell would call him at this kind of time? Shoving his right hand into his pocket, he pulled out his handphone and looked at the screen. She was calling him. Pressing the 'Answer' button hastily, holding it against his right ear as he then proceeded to continue to run up the staircase.

"That was pretty scary, wasn't it?"

He reached the fourth floor and now, the heat had become unbearable. Stopping a moment, he looked down, not letting the smoke enter his eyes.

"Hyunie! You're in the roof, right? I want you to stay there! Do not, I repeat, do NOT go down! The fire's climbing!"

*Beep*

Chrynos looked at his phone. Out of batt. Fucking luck. Letting out a loud yell of frustration, Chrynos shoved his phone back into his pocket, almost falling into temptation of throwing it down from the fourth floor. He looked up, seeing the light given out by the flames as it covered the fifth floor. Chrynos gritted his teeth, before taking off his black blazer jacket. Wrapping it around his face, though leaving enough space for him to see through, he took a deep breathe. Then, he charged up the staircase. The fire whipped at him, Chrynos feeling as if he had been thrown into a hot oven with the temperature at maximum. Twice, he fell and almost burnt his hands, if it was not for his gloves. Sixth floor, and he was getting giddy, but he pushed on.

Seventh floor, the fire was not so harsh, but it was there nonetheless. Chrynos then started to feel his right arm burning and turned, only to see that his sleeve was on fire. A soft yelp escaped his dry lips as he smacked his arm against the wall, slapping it with his other hand as he attempted to put out the fire. Moving quickly, he tore the whole sleeve out from his right arm. Without turning back, he pushed forward. And soon enough, he reached the roof, his body aching and his lungs burning. Opening the door, he caught sight of Hyunie, pulling his jacket off his head, revealing a smile on his blackened face.

Then, he fell on his knees, his right arm coming to his chest. It was in pain. He looked up at Hyunie, knowing that she would approach him. And as soon as she did, Chrynos would let out a soft weak chuckle, before saying.

"Thanks for waiting."