Down the Rabbit Hole (80)

It was nightfall.

Akasan was perched on top of a building, looking over Zetsubo. "It's been so long since I've walked those streets... we meet again."

He jumped down into the darkness, moving stealthy and silent like a shadow. He overheard some people talking in an alleyway not too far from his location. He crept over, crouching quietly on top of the building that marked one side of the alley.

It was a hooded man and what looked like a homeless woman.

The hooded man approached her. "Hey lady. Why are you out here all alone?"

She looked at him with hopeless eyes. "Why else? I have nowhere else to be. What do you want from me? I don't work at night."

The hooded man waved his hand over her face. "Ever wonder what it feels like to be free from all of this? Free from the world's constrictions? Come. Join me. Be a part of Freedom."

The woman's eyes turned bright pink, then back to normal. "Freedom. I like the sound of that. I want to be free too. Take me with you. Please!"

She grew desperate, "I'll do anything! Anything you want!"

The hooded man grabbed her by the hand. "As you wish, come, follow me."

Akasan scowled. "Mind control? What just happened?"

He crept along the rooftops without making a sound, following the man and woman.

Akasan accidentally stepped on a leaf on one of the rooftops. It made a crunching sound.

The man quickly whipped around. "Who's there?!" he yelled, looking into the darkness. He pulled out a flashlight and shone it on the rooftops.

Akasan was hiding behind an air duct.

The woman started tugging at the man. "It's nothing, probably a rat or something, come on! I want to be free already!"

The man hesitantly turned off his flashlight and put it away. "Alright. Let's go." He picked her up and started moving way faster than before.

Akasan struggled to keep up. He dashed along a rooftop, chasing after the man.

Then *woosh!!*

An ax swung at Akasan's head.

He reacted in time, bending backwards to avoid getting his head chopped off.

A large muscular man walked into the moonlight. "Aren't you a little far from home boy?"

Akasan stepped back. "This *is* my home. Move."

The man had a deep laugh as he let out some grunts. He picked up his ax. "This is as far as you go. That woman wishes to learn true freedom. And she shall. Just like I did."

Akasan brought out his Kuroba. His Eye of Creation glowed in the midst of the darkness. "You don't see anything wrong with all this? She's obviously being controlled!"

The man laughed again and swung his ax, blocked by Akasan's sword. "Nope! I'm happier than I've ever been in my life!" He jumped into the air and crashed down on the rooftop, crushing the roof entirely and breaking into the building.

It was a meat shop.

The man swung his ax back and forth, chopping columns down and scraping the walls. "Where are you boy?!"

Akasan was hiding behind one of the skinned animals hanging on hooks from the ceiling.

The man walked into the room. "Mmm. Meat. Maybe I'll have some when I'm done with you. I don't have to ask for it, because I'm free to do that!" He swung his ax.

A chopping sound was heard, as a head rolled to the floor. Blood spattered everywhere.

The man grabbed the head. He started laughing. He looked at it.

It was an animal carcass' head.

"Eh?" he said.

Red light gleamed from the back of the room. "Kuroba: Crimson... Flare!!"

*fwoom!!*

Crimson flames incinerated everything in its path.

The wave hit the large man sending him through the back wall of the building.

Akasan jumped through the hole. He picked the man up and pushed him against the wall. "Tell me about Freedom."

The man grinned, blood leaking from his mouth. "I'll never talk."

Akasan's Eye of Creation glowed brighter. "You will. Or else."

The man was still grinning. "Or else what? You'll kill me? You don't have the balls kid."

The man bit down on his tongue and tore it off. Blood gushed from his mouth. He spit out his tongue at Akasan, who dodged the bloody projectile with a single shift to the left.

The man started laughing crazily as blood waterfalled out of his mouth.

Akasan sighed with disgust and let him fall to the ground. "I guess asking won't work on these guys." He went down the same street he saw the hooded man on. He ran down several alleyways and side streets, trying to find a clue.

Then as he was running down another side street he felt something that didn't agree with him. It was faint, but this energy was wicked. Purely evil. He looked around him.

There was a tea shop to his left. The lights inside were still on, signifying that they were still open. He walked inside.

A stout old man was behind the counter polishing teacups. "What can I get for you?" he said cheerily.

Akasan looked around. Something was up. He could feel it. He looked at the man.

Everything was just too... normal.

Akasan walked up to the counter.

"Want some tea? I have a variety of flavors. Why don't you sit down? You're free to."

Akasan squinted. "Why are you open so late?"

The man laughed an old man laugh. "Because why not? I'm free to stay open aren't I? That's my right."

Akasan put both hands on the counter. "What do you know about Freedom?"

The man stopped polishing. "Freedom? Freedom means the right to do what one wants to, correct?"

Akasan gritted his teeth. "No not that!! The group, Freedom! Men walking around in hoods, they talk like they're holier than thou, that sort of Freedom!"

The man frowned. "I know no such thing."

Akasan groaned. "I don't have time for these games! Eye of Destruction!" His right eye spun into the red circles.

The old man looked into his eye. He straightened up. His eyes opened and turned into the same eyes.

Akasan had him under control. "Now. Tell me about the Freedom *group.*"

The man paused for a second, then spoke. "The Freedom group is a small organization of about 150 people, led by a man that we call our master, whose name I know nothing of. Our motives are to free the world of social constraints such as rules, laws, and regulations. Members are brought into the group by force, or by choice. New members experience great joy and a feeling of nirvana."

Akasan asked another question. "Where is the main base of the Freedom group?"

The man paused for a moment, longer this time, then spoke. "Under this tea shop."

Akasan frowned. "How do I get down there?"

The man paused, then spoke. "The refrigerator in the kitchen is fake. It is an elevator. The password is salvation."

Akasan closed his right eye, deactivating his Eye of Destruction.

The old man regained his consciousness. "Wait, what just happened?"

Akasan leapt over the counter.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

The old man pulled out a double barrel shotgun from under the counter.

Akasan heard the click.

*pow!!*

 The first shot hit the ceiling, panels of the roof came down.

Another click.

*pow!!*

 He barely missed him.

Akasan found the refrigerator. It was large enough so that only a few people could enter at once.

The man ran around to the kitchen and aimed his gun.

*ku-chak! pow!!*

 Akasan whipped around to the side of the refrigerator to avoid getting hit. He quickly got into the elevator and shut the door. It locked from the inside, so he locked it. He could hear the man on the outside yelling obscenities at him, but Akasan drowned him out. He quickly typed in salvation on the elevator keypad and hit the down arrow. Sure enough, he started his descent.

The old man on the outside threw his gun to the floor. He ran to the phone and dialed a number. "Yeah it's me! Someone broke into the elevator!! He's on his way down! I tried to stop him but I failed!"

--

In a dark room somewhere, a man in a top hat was sitting in front of a large screen on the wall. The screen showed various security cameras.

He put down the phone.

"Akasan. I knew you'd come to me sooner or later. Let's start this party then, shall we?"

--

The elevator finished going down.

When Akasan opened the door he was in a dark room by himself.

The walls were gray-blue, which matched the tiles on the floor.

In front of him there was a door. There was also an open doorway to his left.

A hooded man came out of the open doorway.

It was the same man from earlier. He took off his hood. It was a light-brown skinned man. He was bald, and his head was covered in tattoos. "So I *was* being followed. I knew it. That's your right I guess. But It's *my* right to kill you."

Akasan backpedaled to the wall furthest from him. "Who are you? Why did you brainwash that woman?! Where is she?!"

The man chuckled. "You ask a lot of questions. I don't have a name, but my colleagues call me Sin. So there. The woman is none of your concern. She is experiencing what she has longed for."

Akasan let out his blue aura.

Sin had a pink aura. Two chains came out from under his shawl. Each one had a oblong triangular blade at the end.

They shot out at Akasan.

Akasan ran up the side of the wall and ran to the door. He kicked it open and fell inside.

It wasn't a room.

There was a staircase that spiraled all the way down. He couldn't even see the floor.

Sin was quickly coming after him.

Akasan jumped off the rail and started wall jumping down.

Sin came after him, using his chains to maneuver around and attack at the same time.

Akasan slid down the wall until he hit the stairs. Sin came crashing down and broke through.

Akasan was freefalling for a few seconds. Then he took out his regular slim Kuroba and stuck it into the wall to slow him down. He placed his feet for grip.

Sin stuck one of his chains into each side of the wall. He clapped his hands together. "Magic Art: Roar of the Lightning Dragon!!" He held both of his hands out.

A pink magic circle appeared, and a large green lightning dragon came out of it, taking up the space from wall to wall.

Akasan quickly realized the disadvantage he was at. *"He can use magic?!"*

Akasan took out his sword and let himself fall to get away, but the dragon was breaking through the stair case at a fast rate.

It was coming for him.

Akasan turned upwards while he was mid-air and held out his right hand. A burning blue ball of energy formed. "Sirius Star!!"

It shot out at the dragon and exploded.

"The whole staircase is gonna collapse!!" Akasan turned around and nosedived into the darkness. His aura lit the way as he fell.

He spotted a door in the middle of the stairway. He quickly went over to it and kicked it open, rolling on the floor as he fell inside.

The explosion of energy and lightning magic rushed on its way to the bottom of the staircase, along with Sin.

Akasan took a breather. "I got away."

He turned around. An intense bloodlust was radiating from the other side of the room. He noticed a man in a suit that had his arms in restraints.

His aura started glowing red. "Mother... I found someone for you! He looks strong..."

He looked at Akasan with a bloodlusted and crazed expression. His eyes were the color of blood. "I CAN KILL HIM RIGHT?!!"