Snippet #1382442

A wry smile spread on Kojiroh's lips as he watched the kid crawl on his feet, even in the face of dark blood pumping through the wound. It was true, such a wound was mortal if the kid didn't get to a hospital. But for a man such as Kojiroh, who had lived through the Hell that was the Killing Fields of Cambodia, even a killing blow wasn't enough to cause death. Even if you were dying, there was only one hope for you to survive; to keep fighting. No matter what. Few people had the strength to do such a thing. As much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to like the boy, if not for his stubbornness, then for his smart mouth. And for a man like Kojiroh, who had no interest in any humans of the male sex, that said a lot.

"About time you got up, you little runt." He said as his smile quickly disappeared before the kid had noticed it. "I didn't come here to save your ass. You better damn well introduce me to some hot babes after this is over." He looked at the thugs, and added: "And since we're already playing a cheating game, allow me to crown myself the king of cheating..." With a swift move of his hand, he unholstered the Glock 20 from his shoulder holster, and pointed it one-handedly at the men.

"I'm tiring of this game. Now f*** off, or I'll blow you away like Mary Poppins."

After all, no matter how stubborn, even if he had gotten up and back into the fight, the kid would need medical attention soon and fast, or he would die. There was no more time to trade fists. Kojiroh had to end the fight right away.



As Lau walked towards the burnt scene, a whirring sound from the ceiling made him look up, only to see the palm of a hand coming down towards him quickly. A wicked grin appeared on his lips, and he growled: "That's right! Dance with me, baby! I'll send you straight to Hell!" He threw the gun up, aiming it towards the head of the man rapelling down at him, and emptied the magazine of his gun at his enemy. The loud gunshots echoed like thunder across the exhibit hall and the museum. And the fire was spreading along the walls, rapidly. The museum was becoming engulfed in flames.

Then, he saw the shining of steel, and retracted the gun in an attempt to block the incoming knife. He only partly succeeded, as he felt a sharp burning pain along his right arm as warm blood began to seep out from the shallow cut. The psychopathic Lau, however, barely took notice of it.

He stepped back quickly, keeping the gun pointed towards his opponent as he laughed, a silent and bloodthirsty laugh.
"Not bad, Mr Phantom." He snickered as he looked at the wound on his arm. "But didn't you ever learn not to bring a knife to a gunfight? This isn't some Bruce Lee movie. If you're going to kill me, you better bring something larger than that shank." As he spoke, he crouched on the ground, and picked up a white object with his left hand - it was the mask. Holding it up, he added: "And you dropped this, by the way. Thank you very much, Mr Phantom." His grin grew broad as he met Ein's eyes, an idea growing in his mind. "Heh." He snickered, moving the mask closer to his face.

"Aren't you curious?" He looked up, still grinning. "Why everyone seems to want their hands on this mask so badly? What do you think, should I try it on, see what happens?" He pointed the gun back at Ein, and added: "I think I will. You just shut the hell up and watch." With a broadening smile, he moved the mask closer to his face.