Friendship

(PORTUGAL PART 3)

HINDI ALAM ni Shun kung bakit hindi niya magawang kalabitin ang gatilyo habang nakatutok ang baril na hawak sa misyon niya. He was sent to Spain to give an individual, a nobility, a lesson not to mess with the law.

Knight Alastair Minrod Velasquez was a son of Count Kelleon Velasquez. And Knight broke the law as he see fit and his employer just want him to give the spoiled brat a lesson.

That was his mission and he already expected going face to face with the brat but what Shun didn't expect was to be drag along with his lunacy and actually fighting along side with him.

He was told that the Count's son was dangerous but this Knight he met was not dangerous, he's like a kid in a man's body. He's happy-go-lucky and he has this 'I don't care' vibe around him.

And when he fought alongside with him, Shun felt like he can trust his back on him. At alam niyang hindi siya dapat nakaramdam ng ganun. But Knight protected his back when they were fighting even knowing who he was and what his intentions were.

Is this why I can't pull the fucking trigger? Because he protected my back?

Fuck!

Magaan kasama, masayahin at happy-go-lucky ang una niyang impresyon kay Knight ng una itong makilala at makausap, pero habang nakatayo ito ngayon sa harapan niya at nakatutok ang baril niya rito, walang emosyon sa mukha nito.

It's like he's looking at a dead man's eyes.

"Guys, come on," boses iyon ni Valerian na sapo ang sugat, "stop this nonsense, let's go. I'm tired."

Mula sa gilid ng mga mata niya ay nakita niyang sumusuray na si Valerian at bigla nalang itong nabuwal sa pagkakatayo. Siguro dahil sa sugat na natamo nito.

Shun doesn't know what to call Valerian. a hero or an idiot for taking a hit for a spoiled brat nobility.

Ayaw niyang mangdamay ng inosente— halatang mabait si Valerian— pero ang misyon ay misyon.

Humigpit ang hawak niya sa baril ng makitang gumalaw ang kamay ni Knight. Handa na siyang barilin ito ng magulat siya ng mabilis nitong nahawakan ang kamay niya saka hinila sila palayo sa kinatatayuan.

Shun was stunned when he saw a bullet hit near the pavement he was standing earlier.

Mabilis na itinutok ni Shun ang baril sa pinanggalingan ng bala at sunod-sunod na kinalabit 'yon ng makita ang lalaking may hawak na baril.

At nang mapatumba niya ang lalaki, gulat siyang napatitig kay Knight. Kung hindi siya nito hinila, siguradong tinamaan na siya.

Knight looked at him, "it's for the cake in the Train. Thanks." Pagkasabi nito niyon ay nilapitan nito si Valerian at inalalayan patayo saka bumaling sa kaniya, "can you try to kill me later? I'm kind of busy." He was asking as if they're not talking about life and death and then he pointed Valerian, "innocent person here, hello?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong niya rito. "I just pointed a gun at you!"

He can't fathom this guy! What the hell is he thinking?!

"I know, i was shaking." Puno ng sarkasmo nitong sabi saka napailing, "come on! We need to get to safety!"

Sa sinabi nito, mabilis niya itong tinulungan para alalayan si Valerian saka nagnakaw na naman ng sasakyan si Knight para may gamitin sila.

Oh, hindi pala 'yon pagnanakaw. Nanghihiram lang pala sila.

"Why save me?" Tanong ni Shun habang nasa passenger seat siya at nakahiga naman sa backseat si Valerian at si Knight ang nagmamaneho. "And don't tell me because of the cake."

Knight sighed, "if you die, Valerian will look for you and he will get worried, or worst, your death will make him jaded. I don't want that. He's a nice guy. I want to preserve that."

Hindi alam ni Shun kung matatawa siya o ano.  "So you're protecting his positive view to the world?"

Knight chuckled. "You could say that..." mas binilisan pa nito ang pagmamaneho, "both of us, we're already tainted by the ugly side of the humanity, but him? He's pure."

"He'll be tainted soon." Komento niya habang nakatingin kay Valerian na walang malay na nakahiga sa backseat ng sasakyan mula sa rearview mirror, "the world is merciless to nice people."

"I know." Ani Knight saka napabuntong-hininga at sumulyap sa kaniya, "who sent you?"

Shun scoffed. "As if i'll tell you."

"I was just asking," he tsked, "I already know though."

He does? "How did you know?"

"Connections."

Shun tsked. "Fuck you."

Knight chuckled. "I'd say harder but you're not my type."

Napailing siya. He was sent to give this lunatic a lesson? Fuck! What was his superior thinking?

"By the way, what did I do to be punished?" Knight asked him.

Humigpit ang hawak niya sa baril na nakalapag sa hita niya. "You broke the law."

"That's the reason?" Knight laughed sardonically, "my father broke the law countless times, why don't you go after him first before you go after me. After all, my orders came from him."

He froze. "You're selling your own father?"

Knight chuckled coldly, "if you can kill him, why not?"

A cold feeling run down his spine as he looked at Knight Velasquez.

This man... is he this cruel?

"Why not kill him yourself?" Balik niyang tanong. He's testing him and his answer.

Humigpit ang hawak nito sa manibela, "if only I can, I already did. But he's my father... and If I kill him myself then i'm really a monster that my father raised me to be. I don't wanna be that kind of person. There's still a part of me that believes that's i'm not a monster."

Knight said it as a whisper but Shun heard him loud and clear and he doesn't know what to think anymore.

This spoiled brat— this monster— was just an obedient dog to his father?

A person who was labeled a monster and did a lot of monstrous things even at a young age but doesn't wanna be one?

Is this a fucking joke?!

"...so if you wanna kill me, fall in line, there's a long list." Wika ni Knight.

Shun tsked under his breath. As if he can kill him after what happened. Niligtas nito ang buhay niya. Maybe that bullet was meant for Knight and he was just on the way but the fact still remains that Knight pulled him away from that bullet.

"You shouldn't have saved me." He murmured. "I hate owing someone. As the saying goes, there's no free lunch in this world. Everything has a price."

Knight took a deep breath, "true... everything has a price— even love to family — there's always a price to pay. Though in the end, what matters the most is if the price you paid was worth it."

Pasimple siyang napasulyap sa nagmamaneho.

At a young age, he has deep thoughts. This is different from the Lunatic Knight he knew from earlier.

Habang nagtatagal siyang kasama ito, napapatanong siya sa sarili kung ito ba ang Knight na kailangan niyang bigyan ng leksiyon dahil sa masama nitong ugali at paglabag sa batas ng wala man lang pag-aalinlangan.

Knight glanced at him. "Do you know why your superior sent you rather than do it himself to get the credit of killing a monster like me?"

Naitanong na rin niya iyon sa sarili, pero hindi niya masyadong pinagtuonan ng pansin. "It's my job."

"Is it? Really?" Mahina itong tumawa na puno ng sarkasmo, "if you succeeded with your mission to kill me, someone will kill you for me. Trust me, Shun Kim, you won't get out of this country alive and all the credits for killing me will go to your boss who knows that he can't touch me that's why he sent you." He glanced at him again, "why did you accept it anyway— oh, silly me for asking." He chuckled, "you accepted this mission because your superior promised you to approve your request to change department. You're a tech guy, right? You hate being in a field."

Shun couldn't say anything. He was shock how this man knew so much about him. How wide was the coverage of his connection for him to know every detail of his life?

Is this the connection he was talking about earlier? This connection... is that a data base— a data base that a person like me would want to play with?

Fuck! Just thinking about it made his blood pump in excitement. To be able to tapped into that kind of information... fuck!

"... say, why don't you work for me?" Knight asked like he can be trusted, "i'll be a boss soon, I need a tech guy."

Shun chuckled coldly, "you asking the guy who pointed a gun at you is just fucked up," napailing siya, "You're sick."

Knight smiled. "A heartless man kills easily, Shun Kim, trust me, I know, because i'm that man. But you... nah..." he laughed like he was happy, "fuck... is this my lucky week?" Anito na parang tinatanong ang sarili, "I keep meeting rare people. First is a guy who can't say no and now a guy who can't kill an innocent."

"You're not innocent." May diin niyang sabi habang masamang nakatingin dito. "Be thankful I owe you my life."

Ngumiti lang si Knight saka nagpatuloy sa pagmamaneho hanggang tumigil ito sa gate ng isang malaking mansiyon.

One look at the house— no, it's a palace looking mansion— and he knew the owner was filthy rich.

Napabaling siya kay Knight ng may tinawagan ito sa cellphone.

"Argyris, open up." Sabi nito sa nasa kabilang linya. "I'm outside your mansion. I got a wounded friend. I need Doctors."

After that, the mansion automatically opened like it was opened remotely because no one was there.

Minaneho papasok sa loob ng gate ni Knight ang sasakyan at tumigil ito sa harapan ng pinto ng mansiyon na ilang kilometro yata ang layo sa gate.

Kaagad namang bumukas ang pinto ng mansiyon at may nalabasang kalalakihan doon at pinagtulungan na ilagaya sa stretcher si Valerian at dinala sa loob.

Samantalang ang atensiyon niya ay nasa lalaking pababa ng hagdanan mula sa pintuan at nakatingin sa kaniya na parang sinusuri siya mula ulo hanggang paa.

And Shun was shock when in a blink of an eye, the guy was in front of him and holding a gun pointed at him!

That was fast!

"You pointed a gun at my boss." His english accent was thick.

Boss? But they're the same age.

"Dimitri, gun down, and no, i'm not your boss. Yet." Wika ni Knight sa lalaking nakatutok ang baril sa kaniya, "Shun here couldn't pull the trigger."

Kaagad namang ibinaba ng lalaki ang baril na hawak saka nagpakilala. "Dimitri Argyris," sa halip na ilahad ang kamay, ang kamay na may hawak na baril ang inilahad nito sa kaniya, "nice to meet you."

Shun bumped his hand that was holding his own gun with Dimitri Argyris' hand before introducing himself, "Shun Kim."

Tumango ito saka pinapasok sila.

Tumingin siya kay Knight habang naglalakad sila papasok. "Have you forgotten that you're my mission?"

Tumigil sa paglalakad si Knight saka mabilis na kinuha ang kamay niyang may hawak na baril at ito na mismo ang naggiya sa kamay niyang itutok ang baril sa nuo nito.

"Shoot me." Wika nito habang nakatingin sa mga mata niya. "Come on, Shun Kim, it's why you're here for, right?"

Humigpit ang hawak niya sa gatilyo ng baril pero hindi niya iyon magawang tuluyang kalabitin.

Knight protected his back when they were fighting and he saved him when he didn't really has to— but he did.

Shun tsked and pulled his hand from Knight's hold. "This is the reason why I hate owing someone."

Knight grinned. "You're nice guy number 2 and Valerian is nice guy number 1."

"Fuck you."

"Yeah, yeah," ani Knight na tumatawa saka nauna nang naglakad sa kaniya.

Siya naman ay napailing.

What the fuck am I doing?

It would have been easier to pull the trigger if he didn't get to know and talk and fought with Knight Velasquez. Now he got a glimpsed of the other side of Knight— i'm in trouble for trying to get to know my mission.

Well... he still has days left before he got back.

Maybe I can kill him in those remaining days...