Never Again...(Dean) -MATURE-

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: Directly continued from 'A Guest In The Night'. This is for Dean, and Dean alone. I'm taking a nice leaf outta Kvists book here ^_^

ic:

His foot pressed hard on the gas of the car as he drove away, his eyes burning as the phone flipped open in his hand once again, another number being dialled before the set was raised to his ear. The voice on the other end took a few rings to pick up, and was groggy when it responded to him.

"Get your ass out of bed and I'll pay you a thousand dollars, I need a few things from you..."

"Cash or transfer?"

"You know better than to ask, I always pay transfer. I don't need that kind of cash to hand."

"I can be ready in ten minutes...."

"Fine, put the kettle on. I'll need some coffee when I get there..."

~Twelve minutes later~

Clutching the simple white cup in his palms, he roughly recounted what had happened to the older male sitting opposite the counter on a stool, then proceeded to explain what he wanted...All the time, his eyes set solidly against the swirling pool of black in front of him in his palms, occasionally sipping the scalding hot liquid to pause between his points.

"You know that you could just pay someone else that grand to do it for you, and it'd look like an accident..."

"I know."

"What is it then, revenge?"

"No. Satisfaction."

The older man nodded, his bushy head of hair ruffling at the motion when he rose, walking out of the room a moment and rummaging in a closet somewhere in the back of the apartment, returning with a swath of material in his hand before setting it down in front of Taiku with a shrug, unfolding it and revealing the gun underneath.

"Completely filed down?"

"The smartasses on CSI couldn't track this thing down, Taiku..."

"Good. I only need one clip, I don't intend to waste my shots."

"Yeah, they'd cost extra anyways..."

Oddly enough, a small chuckle left Taikus lips at that moment, and for the briefest spell of time they simply laughed at the casuality of the entire situation. The person Taiku had set about waking from his sleep was one of his part-time doorman, a former security guard who'd been laid off and was screwed for pretty much anything else. He'd been a frequenter of the club in the earlier hours of the day over the last few months, and on one or two occasions he'd requested the chance to pull a shift or two.

Though the younger man wasn't about to put him in full-time work, he'd given him a few nights here and there to try his chances, he'd proven hard-working and whatnot, so he got to stick around. The revelation that he was the sort of person who could get his hands on unmarked firearms, well, that had come along one evening after a few too many drinks. His employer had kept note of it, however. Such a thing could prove useful on occasion...

An occasion, of course, like this.

His cellphone vibrated again in his pocket, and with a flick it was against his ear...

"Yes?"

"We found one of them, Taiku."

"Which one..."

"Dean Johnston."

"Where....?"

The words were quickly memorised by the young man as he gave a quiet grunt into the phone, closing it over and reaching into his coat pocket, fishing out a pair of soft leather gloves, slipping them onto his hands before picking up the pistol, tucking it into his pocket calmly as he rose from the bar-stool that sat against the kitchen counter. His eyes steeled again as he accepted the reality of what he intended to do, his returning glance at the doorman returned with a shrug and a single nod of his head before he walked out the door, taking the stairs to the ground floor before hopping back into the car and making his way to his next location, the backseat of the vehicle gracing a few extra items necessary for his plans.

~Shortly~

Pulling up in the nearest side-alley, he reached into the backseat of the car, pulling out the holdall that sat there before approaching the car that sat opposite him, their attention focused on Dean Johnston and the few Hand members with him. Stepping into it, he sat in the back of the car, the three who already sat there greeting him silently. They knew immediately what they were being paid for, that they would see some action by the end of the night, and as he propped the holdall against the back window, he made his way out of the car again as they followed suit, the three walking in line with him as he approached. His fingers loosely coiled around the pistol before letting go, a balaclava being tossed to him as he pulled it on, his face obscured as the others were.

Though it was entirely likely that the group might be edgy for anything like this, they would stand almost no chance as the more prepared, more capable men set about gunning them down, their targets set on everyone but Dean. Taiku himself, in the midst of things and virtually undetectable, both in part to the similar clothing they wore, the balaclavas and the like, would have taken a shot at Deans right knee...The entire process would have begun and ended in less than ten seconds, the shots being fired with no warning and without mercy. Dean, unless he had precognitive sense, would find himself surrounded by four masked gunmen, their weapons trained on him with no place to run, unable to run even if he could, with a shattered kneecap.

"Guess fucking who, you little cunt...."

The words were sharp and sudden as the butt of the pistol found itself swinging harshly against the younger mans jaw...The voice, if anything, would be the thing to give Dean the hint that would reveal who it was. Even as a Hand member, he would know now that there were far scarier things out there than Kvist...

[Dean]

{Before Taiku arrived}

“You did what? Nice one dude, but you do know he is gonna kill us for that… Fine I’ll keep an eye out.” Dean flipped his cell phone closed and placed it on the table next to his bed, noticing his Ipod he picked it up. Dean switched it on and got up out of bed, attaching it to the jeans he was wearing. Dean walked across the room to a wardrobe, swinging the door open Dean started to nod his head to the music that was playing ~Slipknot… What a sound to listen to when you wake up.~ Pulling out a long sleeved black shirt Dean quickly placed it on before walking away from the wardrobe kicking it shut as he turned and entered the bathroom. Dean flicked the light switch on and with a quick flick of his wrist, he turned the cold tap on. A few seconds past of just letting it pour out he cupped his hands, gathered some water, and plashed it on his face to help wake him up, being very careful not to get any on his earphones he had in.

After getting himself ready Dean picked up his cell phone once more and send a text to 4 other people it read “I need some alcohol, get something and bring it to the usual spot.” Dean then flipped his phone closed and put it in his pocket, on his way out the door he noticed his roommates car keys ~Like he will care.~ Dean took them and walked out the room and then the building. After a few minutes, he found the car, opened the door and started the engine ~they had better be there.~ Dean thought as he sped off from the car park.

{Roughly 5 minutes before Taikus arrival – Taikus arrival}

Dean grabbed the whisky bottle out of the younger kids hand before pushing him away jokingly “Come on guys, you really think I will believe that?” Dean said before taking a large swig out of the bottle finishing it off and dropping it on the floor, the sound of footsteps made Deans eyes glance around slightly as he told his friends to be quiet, after not noticing anything he continued laughing a joking around.

That was until he heard the first of many bangs, one of the other members pulled out a gun and was about to take a shot until he was hit straight in between the eyes sending bits of brain and blood all over Dean. At this point, Dean decided to run but as soon as he turned, he felt a sharp pain in his right kneecap and then collapsed to the floor in agony, as the pain got worse. The bullet went straight through and Dean leaned his head on the back of the car before flopping to the floor as he tried to stop the blood from flowing out of the new hole in his leg. Things went black for a moment until he heard someone’s voice, he knew exactly who it was before he had even finished speaking and managed to open his eyes just long enough to see the end of a gun come flying down to hit his jaw making Deans head bounce off the floor. By now the pain in his leg had dimmed a little, just enough for him to prop himself back up against the car. Swallowing hard Dean began to speak, it would be short and stammered but understandable. “What the fuck do you want Taiku?!” Shortly after he had spoken Dean groaned in pain once more as he grabbed his knee keeping his eye on Taiku while quickly glancing at the people around him.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: Warning, this is MATURE stuff ahead, not recommended for people who aren't too keen on the idea of gore and torture.

ic:

As Dean spoke, he would feel arms grabbing him and pulling him to his feet, pushing him back against the vehicle with a punch to the gut before he received any reply from the older male as Taiku lunged his foot forward towards Deans face harshly, striking him squarely in the nose as it broke under the direct impact. With his arms being held, Dean would be forced to simply endure what was thrown at him.

Watching with a grim expression on his face under the balaclava, he turned to the two who held him in place before speaking. "Bag him, you know where to go."

With the command, Dean would find himself blindfolded with a drawstring bag of sorts, however he would endure only a moment of it before the butt of a pistol struck the side of his temple, knocking him completely unconscious as he was dragged back to the car with the other three, slung into the back seat as they made their way towards the intended destination. Taiku, on the other hand, walked from them to his own car, the balaclava being removed as Dean was bagged, nearing his car and stepping in without a word, revving the engine to life and heading off in the same direction as the car.

It was too open there, he needed time to deal with Dean, he wanted to make sure it was nice and slow when he broke him...

~A short while later~

When he finally awoke, Dean would find himself tied to a chair in a non-descript white room...Cliche, perhaps, but the white-tiled walls were easy to clean, and the chair, well, it was the closest thing to hand. He'd shown particular restraint for the last forty minutes as they waited to see if Dean would rouse on his own, but eventually, a bucket of water would be thrown over him in the intent of startling him back to consciousness. There was no fun in it if he was drowsy...

"You asked what I want...Why don't I show you...?"

The glint in his eyes was suspect enough as he took a few steps away from the wall, toward the chair that sat in the middle of the room, before he walked around to the back of it, standing over the seated Hand member with a calm nod to the others who stood at the side. With his nod, they quickly left, leaving the two alone in the room as Taiku finally spoke.

"You torched my club, attacked my girlfriend, hurt the loved ones of those closest to me...The Hand of Fate is a filthy thing, Dean, but hands are only as good as the fingers attached to it..."

As he'd spoken, he'd clasped Deans right hand, splaying out the fingers with a quick wrench of his hand before grasping the little finger, snapping it backward sharply with a twist of his wrist. Releasing it almost immediately, he would systematically snap the following three digits with similar actions, forcing Deans hand open every time he instinctively tried to close it. When it came to the thumb, he had begun to take some mild amusement in it, instead of snapping it quickly, he forced it back as slowly as he could manage, increasing the pain of the joint snapping as he drove the tendons to breaking point, the bone following suit a moment later as the force gave way, the thumb folding back quickly.

Stepping around again, standing around six feet from the chair, he squatted down on his heels as he looked at the young man with solemn eyes, no hint of anger or remorse in them for his actions. "That was just the beginning...I've barely begun to enjoy myself yet..."

Almost as if on a cue, the three others re-entered the room again, bringing in a small briefcase that was set down on a nearby table. Opening it up with a flick of the locks, he reached into it and produced a small claw hammer, idly inspecting it before tapping it against the table, the two metal objects colliding with a scratchy thud as he simply looked over at Dean, then back to the others with him.

"Get his shoes."

In a matter of moments the footwear was removed from the struggling Hand member, his legs unable to do much besides move a little to the side each way with the rope that held him in place. A glint of steel in Taikus hand was present only a moment before it careened through the air, the heavy end striking the top of Deans toes with a series of harsh swings, a few of them breaking the nails and crushing the smaller digits under the pressure. Again, as quickly as it had started, it was over again and the young man was left to feel the full pain of his inflictions thus far.

However, unlike before, there was far less of a wait before Taiku returned with a pair of thin-nosed pliers in his hands, a far darker look in his eyes as he strolled casually around to the back of the chair again. Saying nothing before he gripped one of Deans fingernails, from his left hand this time, between the prongs and ripping it out, he waited for the initial cries of pain to subside before leaning forward, the amusement very evident in his voice.

"Four more to go...Then I think we'll do some home dentistry...How does that sound?"

~Four fingernails and a few teeth later~

The spatterings of blood on his person from Deans wounds were wiped away with a towel as he took a long sip of water from a bottle that had been brought in...Sitting at the side, he and the other three leaned against the wall as he kept his eyes on Dean. So far, he'd asked nothing of him, but the prospect of killing him had quickly grown more and more appealing. However, dead people couldn't talk, and the main reason he had done all of this was to ensure that when he extracted the information he wanted, it would be truthful without fault.

"I'm not finished with him yet...I want to make sure he never forgets what happened to him..."

"What're you thinking?"

"I'm going to take his fucking eye."

Without waiting for a response from any of them, he plucked a scalpel from the table and stormed his way towards Dean, grabbing him by the hair and wrenching his head back, the point of the scalpel hovering just above the Hand members left eye, the tip already precariously close to the young man as he spoke. "I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't kill you until I got what I wanted, but I swear, I'm going to make you discover just how much a man can live through. Kvist is the only person I intend to kill, and you're going to help me..."

As soon as his words finished, the point of the scalpel drove down and into the socket, gouging around in a swift twist of his wrist through Deans screams, the sight disappearing before the remnants of the organ trickled from his eye socket, a dead mess. Growling through it as he finished the task, Taiku simply tossed the scalpel aside and stood to the side of the young man, his own eyes wild and thirsty to cause more pain to this piece of filth, to this person whose sole purpose under Kvist had been the exact same thing he was being forced to experience now.

Pulling another of the chairs from the table over with a twist of his wrist, he spun it in front of him and sat on it with his arms folded over the top, his eyes watching Dean intently. "Start talking and you get to stay alive. Lie to me, I'll kill you. Give me bad information, I'll kill you. Fucking hell, you so much as leave out one thing I want to know, I'll cut your nuts off and turn you into sashimi..."

[Dean]

Dean was pulled from the floor and slammed against the car then suddenly a foot came from Taiku hitting him right on the nose, blood spurted out as Dean grunted in pain, bringing his head back forward the blood still coming out of it Dean spat one of his front teeth on the floor. ~He is obviously enjoying this. ~ Dean thought just before Taiku spoke "Bag him, you know where to go." Dean closed his eyes ~Oh for fuck sake. ~

Opening his eyes just in time to have them covered once more then and thump to the side of Dean’s head knocked him out cold, as his body fell limp the people with Taiku dragged him to a car and threw him in the back seat, he would then arrive at some place and be tied to a chair.

As the bucket of water hit Dean he awoke instantly, he scanned the room and saw Taiku. Taiku spoke then walked round the chair, the others against the wall left ~Now look what you got yourself into.~ Dean though just before Taiku began speaking once more. Deans eyes quickly shot down and looked at his hands ~Oh sh-.~ Dean was cut off by the pain of his little finger getting snapped backwards then springing forwards just as quick. The other three fingers followed, Taiku then grabbed his thumb and pulled it back slowly until it broke, Dean letting out another grunt of pain just before the thumb was released.

The others then re-entered the room with a briefcase. Taiku placed it upon a table, pulled a small type of hammer from it, and looked at Dean, he said something and the others then tried to take Deans shoes, Dean knew what was coming next because he had done it many time, struggling to keep his shoes on they eventually took them from him. Then the hammer came down on Dean’s toes, he screamed in agony until the hitting stopped. Panting heavily Taiku quickly turned back around holding a pair of pliers. Taiku then gripped one of the nails one Deans left hand and with a quick jerk ripped it off. After Dean finished screaming, Taiku leaned in and spoke. "Four more to go...Then I think we'll do some home dentistry...How does that sound?" Dean closed his eyes for a few seconds then re-opened them “That sounds just peachy.” Dean said with a slight giggle, Taiku was obviously not amused because he immediately grabbed the second finger and ripped its nail off.

{Three nails and some teeth later}

Dean was actually hoping it was over and that Taiku would finally pop out a question, but he was wrong, he overheard a section of the conversation, but not the last line. Without even waiting for a reply, Taiku grabbed a scalpel and walked towards Dean grabbing his hair and jerking his head back. Taiku then spoke of his plans; Dean blinked and opened his eyes just in time to see the scalpel drive into his left eye socket, Dean shrieked in pain as his eye was carved out. After a few minutes of screaming in agony Dean finally quietened down, Taiku then pulled up a chair infront of him. After he finished Dean opened his left eye and looked at Taiku, Dean leaned forward as much as he could before he spoke “He is at the docks, warehouse number 3… More than likely armed, and no doubt he will have others with him.” Dean sighed and looked at the floor “Ready to untie me?” Dean said holding back the pain he was still feeling from the loss of his eye.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

"No..."

Whilst the elder of the two former Varronites had regained a sense of calm as he eyed the beaten and bloodied Hand member in the chair in front of him, he was far from finished with Dean. The more...precise aspects of his routine were finished, he wasn't about to remove anything else from Deans body. Goodness knows there was enough blood to be cleaned away and sterilised as it was, but as he paced past the younger man, he approached something that sat in a corner that Dean would not yet have been able to see.

At least, unless he had eyes in the back of his head.

"Y'see, Dean, you told me where he is right now, you tell me he's armed and ready to fight, that's not exactly what I'm looking for from you. Your boss, you see, is going to suffer a fate far worse than anything you will experience here. I would like to ensure that in doing so, he understands that even he isn't immune from that kind of fear."

As he spoke, he brought the cricket bat up against his shoulder like a soldier holding a rifle at attention, pacing lightly past him as it slid off the side of his shoulder and into a loose, slow swing in front of his pacing feet. The willow of the instrument struck the floor solidly as he set it down against a table, however, pulling away one of the chairs and giving a cursory glance over his shoulder to one of the others who remained in the room. As one stepped forward, a knife was produced from his pocket as he dropped into a squat in front of Deans legs, cutting the binds to his undamaged leg a moment before Taiku set the chair a couple of feet in front of the restrained man.

"I made it clear that I'd let you live, Dean, but I'm not stupid. I'm almost certain that at the first chance, you'd try to find a way to get revenge on me for this, so I feel inclined to take certain measures to ensure the safety of my business and those around me. The way I look at it, The Hand likes to do a lot of running from their actions. I've fucked up one of your legs, but that wounds temporary. It'll heal nicely, you might have a little limp in it, but otherwise, you'll be just as good as new in a few months."

The flow of his speech was eerily calm as Deans foot was tied, toe pointing up with the leg locked straight out in front of him. It was quite likely that the younger man would have worked out what was happening to him at the moment, but with the compounding injuries and everything else, he would be able to do nothing to stop it as Taiku paced around, the heavy piece of timber being used as a leaning post as he lowered his head to Deans remaining eye-level.

"So, I figure I need to create a safeguard, make sure that filthy little bastards like you aren't able to do any more running. I would normally crack some kind of joke right about now, draw your mind away from the inevitable to make it far worse for you when the blow hits, but I'd rather let you linger in it a few moments...I'm going to smash your knee to pieces, Dean. You will probably find it to be the worst pain you've ever imagined, and from a guy who has just had his eye cut out, I think that alone is saying something. Consider this a respite, I initially intended to just slice your achilles tendon in two and cripple you, but I'm a forgiving person."

Sitting lightly on the edge of the table nearby, he simply smirked at the restrained, condemned man in front of him before lighting a cigarette and smoking it, painfully slowly, his attention away from Dean at the moment as he idly tapped the heavy end of the bat against the floor in a slow beat. The others stood in silence at the far side of the room, arms folded as they waited for any instruction from their employer. For what would all at once have felt like seconds and hours, the cigarette was finished and stubbed out in a small, steel ashtray on the table before he pushed himself up and sidled toward the Hand member, leaning over him with a dry grin on his face.

"Now, the answer I want, is where I can find Kvist with his guard down the most. Get the answer first time and I might not bother cutting your thumbs off...."

With a deft swing, almost to accent the last words, the bat was brought up and over his head in a huge, arcing swing before the heavy end of the willow smashed effortlessly through Deans kneecap, almost completely obliterating the joint in a single strike as Taiku closed his eyes, taking in the cries of pain from the younger Varronite with a lurid pleasure.

[Dean]

Taiku spoke almost immediately after Dean had, Dean pretty much knew what the answer would be anyhow so Taiku refusing to let him go was expected. Dean took a look around with his right eye, the area around Dean was covered in blood. It was expected, but surprisingly it helped take Deans mind off the pain he felt from his missing eye. And turned his head slightly to try and see what Taiku was doing behind him, but it was pointless. Then while he was talking, he walked infront of Dean holding a cricket bat.

Dean waited for Taiku to finish speaking then chuckled slightly “You know something… For a while, I actually thought this day would never come, but then I fought you at the tournament and I started to watch my back again… Turns out I didn’t watch it well enough.” Dean finished talking and one of the guys from the wall stepped forward and cut the binds to his right leg ~And I thought he had already had his fun.~ Dean thought just before Taiku began talking again. The calm in Taikus voice was scary but didn’t affect Dean; he had done it many times and by this point Dean doubted that Taiku could scare him anymore anyway.

Deans leg was then locked straight and tied with his toes facing upwards, Dean knew what was about to happen but hopeless to stop it he braced himself as best he could. Then Taiku spoke again, which just added to the suspense that Dean was feeling. Leaning into Dean, he said his last few words before the strike would come.

The hit was almost slow motion through Dean’s eye, but when it connected, it was very real. The screams that left Dean were harsher and louder than the other ones, but they stopped eventually and Dean managed to get enough energy to talk. “You wanna know when he is most vulnerable? Fine. He isn’t armed while in school, he has nobody around when he sleeps. Your best bet would be to take him in daylight on the streets, as far as I know he walks around alone.” Dean began to breath heavily as the pain from his leg got worse but he quickly managed to speak once more “Now if your gonna do anything else to me get it over with!”

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: My apologies, for the control of several characters here. However, the reason should merit the -brief- usage of you guys. ^^;

ic:

"Take my word on it, Dean. The best revenge is the revenge your enemy is powerless to undo. You and the Hand destroyed my club, but I rebuilt it, made it better than before, and take better precautions now than ever. You attacked Kira, harmed her badly, but she recovered, she got stronger from it....What do you plan to do about losing an eye and having one leg completely destoyed? Come after me like a pissed-off pirate? Yeah, you didn't watch your back well enough, but even if you were, you'd have fucked up eventually."

A flick of his wrist sent the bat to the side of the room, as he had the scalpel. He was all but done with Dean, though as it stood he was content with the damage inflicted upon the younger man right now. Giving a short glance back, he smirked as he made his way out of the room, speaking back to Dean with that same, calm tone once again...

"Thank you, that information will prove most convenient to me. Of course, I can't just let you go and scuttle off to let him know, no...I think you'll be sticking with us for a little while longer. On the plus-side for you, however, these gentlemen are also medically trained, so they will tend to the current injuries of yours before you pass out from blood loss, or shock, or something."

His hand struck down on the table with a hearty laugh as he shook his head, the grin in his voice clear as he dragged his palm across the table, scooping up the cigarette packet and lighter with a twist of his wrist as he plucked one from the pack, lighting it and looking on as the other men approached him, opening up another briefcase and genuinely tending to the more severe of his wounds.

"I promised I wouldn't kill you, and as long as your information results in Kvist ending up dead, I'll keep it. Don't forget, Dean, you'd be amazed what a man can live through...I'll be seeing you in a while."

Leaving Dean in the room alone with the men who had previously served only to kill his friends, the Hand member would find his wounds being seen to with skilful precision as the gouged eye socket was disinfected before being cauterised...Painful, perhaps, but it was a far quicker method to deal with it as opposed to the necessary surgery. Besides, it was destroyed, he wouldn't be using it again, there was no reason to take a gentle approach. His smashed leg, on the other hand, required a little more finesse....

~Leaving the room - Taikus perspective~

Slipping away through the back corridors of the club, he proceeded to remove the blood-soaked shirt and mop the spatters on his face with the unstained inside lining of the material before reaching his office. Locking the door, he removed the remaining garments, quickly pulling on some clean clothing before sitting down and grimly jotting down what Dean had said.

He vastly doubted the kid could possibly be lying right now, after everything he had just endured, but the chance remained. He needed to be certain, hence why Deans life was being used as collateral at the time being...

Picking up the phone, he placed a call to the apartment and found Roccos voice.

"Are they there?"

"Yeah, do you want to speak to Kira...?"

"No. Put Leon on for now."

"...Alright."

A moment later, the voice switched over and Taiku spoke smoothly, with little emotion or hinting toward what had exactly happened. Were it possible, he would never tell the others what he had done here to Dean, not because he was ashamed of his actions, by no means did that play in his mind, but he refused to let them judge him for his methods. Whereas Leon was far more prone to mercy where he saw it fit, Taiku would spare no instance in completely finishing someone off if it was the best course of action.

"Dean is finished, he gave up Kvist...Tomorrow, that masked bastard will reap what he's sown. Gather your own followers, tomorrow we're finishing this...."

He hung up the phone a moment later after Leons reaction, quickly dialling another number and making the same comment to Maverik. He knew that his rival, as Hircines Dean, would be forced to choose between his job or his choices if the situation found itself occurring within the school, but nonetheless, he knew that Maverik as much as he and Leon wanted Kvists head for what he had done to Kira, not to mention Tong Xian....

Again, hanging the phone up a moment later, he sat back in the chair in relative silence, sighing quietly before rising to his feet and approaching the small shower-room built onto his office at the side, intent on cleaning the blood off his person before he returned home for a short spell....

Tomorrow, they hunted.