Summary:Â Itâs more than he had hoped for when he first came to Shanghai, and much more than all his research could ever prepare him for. With a plucky white-haired adventurer as his companion and a mysterious map as their guide, Lavi embarks on a journey to a place of legends. Thereâs no telling what awaits them at the end of this path - and to make matters worse, theyâre not the only ones following it.
A/N: Late as heck, but hereâs the first part of my fic for @dgraymanbigbang :D My lovely artist @abookmansheart and I are still doing our best to finish the work, but I hope youâll enjoy this little bit for now.
âI really donât like to do this,â the Portuguese said. âIt gets so messy, and youâre not half bad, boy. Iâd love to play with you again someday. So, will you give it to me yourself⊠or should I just take it?â
âI see.â The man smirked. âPlaying hard, are we? But donât strain yourself, you wonât bluff me. I know for a fact that your heart is quite soft, boy. Now then, how shall we touch it?â
The push of the revolver eased. The kid wheezed with relief, but the next moment, the man levelled the gun at Lavi and the world stopped.
Laviâs blood turned to ice, his body bursting with a freezing, paralyzing pain. His eye teared up again, and when he blinked it away, he saw tears and panic in the kidâs eyes as well. The barrel of the revolver stared back at him, too, black and empty. Familiar.
âHow about now?â The manâs voice was almost cheerful. âWant to risk the life of an innocent bystander for this? Is your mulishness really worth this much?â
The kid sent Lavi one last desperate glance before casting his eyes down to the ground, defeated.
âNo,â he said quietly. âNo, it isnât. You win.â
âSmart.â The Portuguese turned the gun away, twirling it playfully in his hand. âNow, then, why donât youââ
Lavi didnât waste time. As soon as he was off the target, he knew there wouldnât be another chance like this. The man holding him was big, yes â but that meant slow, and distracted with the show his companion was putting on, his reaction time was down even more. It was now or never.
A well-aimed stomp on Skinnâs foot threw him off balance, and once he chased it with an elbow to the gut, it was easy to shake him off. Lavi quickly slipped out of the giantâs reach and clenched his fingers on the kidâs arm, ripping him out of the slackened grip of the Portuguese.
âRun!â he yelled, and saved the rest of his breath for just that.