Un-Chain

Uteu found himself shudder from the intensity of the man's pleas. Despite the wires, the man's body jerked with every choked sob, causing them to dig into his skin.

"Save her, please!"

His begging increased in volume and the wires even began to cut his skin, causing him to bleed until Uteu finally conceded.

"Alright. I promise. I'll do everything I can to save her too."

The man gasped for air and desperately tried to stop his sobs. The man's face relaxed, he looked relieved and a bit grim at the same time.

"She's being held by THAT man, that wicked man that became the Madame's most beloved. I don't know what he could have done to my daughter by now. He should be lingering around her office like a damn creep. Find her and take her away from here, please. Please."

Uteu nodded and put a hand on the man's shoulder. Jude turned and stared into his eyes, a few more tears leaked down from his face.

"You're just like her. Thank you." Uteu wasn't sure who Jude was talking about but he wouldn't have the time to dwell on it. He listened as Jude gave a brief description as to what his daughter looked like. When he finished, he thanked Uteu again and then quieted down when he looked somewhere over Uteu's shoulder.

Uteu turned around and glanced at Harvet. Despite the man's tears, Harvet's face was unchanged. It was still emotionless and her eyes were still frigid and dead. Uteu gulped and could imagine what she would do to this man. The man that had nearly gotten her brother and herself killed.

Uteu closed his eyes slowly and reopened them, resolute. He stepped away from the man and towards Harvet.

She pointed her right index finger in the direction they had abducted Jude from.

"Go straight and then make a left once you hit a statue of the Madame. Continue down and make your way into the building with a blue roof. Hopefully I can catch up to you before you enter, be careful." She said with a dull tone of voice.

Then, she turned back around and walked past Uteu with an almost lazy stride.

Uteu didn't look back as he ran straight ahead. While he did feel sympathy for Jude, he didn't know the full situation to truly think anything of him. He would have to leave him in Harvet's hands. Hopefully she could get whatever it was that she wanted from that man.

As he left the cover of the trees in the park, he naturally was completely exposed and would be easily visible to just about anyone passing by.

The time was nearing the afternoon by now, there were quite a few people bustling about trying to get things done despite the battle that they were having with the Association.

Out on the open road, several people quickly noticed him and tensed up.

Uteu frowned, not wanting to waste anymore time, he finally knew where to find Uti, he wasn't about to let anyone stop him from reaching her.

He eyed the two men in dark blue and yellow a fair distance away from him. They were the quickest to notice him and were rapidly approaching him. Uteu shifted his weight on the balls of his heels, he was just about to make a run for it when a man wearing black and white practically fell out of the sky in front of them. He left a small crater upon landing.

The man g.r.o.a.n.e.d and the two from the Guild already shifted into battle stances, not giving the man a chance to recover, they ran forward with their fists out.

Taking the opportunity, Uteu ran right past them all, not bothering to pay close attention to any of them. However, before he made it far, a large and heavy hand clamped down onto his shoulder despite the speeds he had been running at.

He nearly fell forward, the hand that gripped his shoulder was the only thing that kept him from actually falling.

"Hey." Came a gruff and disgruntled sounding voice from behind him.

Trying to pull himself away, Uteu found that even with his enhanced strength he was unable to get away from the strong grip. Uteu turned his head to glare at whoever it was that was preventing him from moving.

A man with wavy brown hair up to his chin and a few whiskers for a beard met his gaze evenly. He had a few red streaks in his hair that matched his eyes.

Uteu was fairly surprised to see that it was the man from the Association. The one that had fallen out of the sky was the one who had his hand on his shoulder. In the distance he could see the two from the Guild on the floor. Bright red pooled from under their heads.

He turned his attention back at the man in front of him. The man sheepishly scratched at the hair on his chin and smiled lazily.

"You're not from the Guild. Mind letting me in on what you're up to?"

When Uteu glowered darkly, the man let him go and held both hands up in a sign of surrender. The crooked smile on the man's face let Uteu know that he wasn't taking him seriously.

"Hey, I helped you out and let you get away from those other guys. Can't you help me out?"

The man shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and slouched over.

"I'm looking for the Madame's office, happen to know where I can find it?"

Uteu nearly jumped at the coincidence. He hoped at least, that it was just a coincidence.

"..." He didn't say anything and heard the other person let out a sigh in frustration.

The gruff man scratched his scalp, making his wavy hair look messy. He looked a bit annoyed as he muttered something under his breath. He fiddled with a few items in his jacket and took out a lighter and a cigarette. While he was lighting it, Uteu turned back around, trying to take advantage of the distraction to make a break for it.

A heavy stomp met his back the second he turned around. He smacked into the ground and grunted with his palms flat on the ground. Uteu could barely manage to prevent his head from hitting the stone floor as the man pressed down with increasing strength. Uteu grunted as he tried to lift himself. He pooled the physical energy from Harvet to his arms and legs.

"Ah-ah-ah, none of that now." The man said as he took a drag from his cigarette.

Uteu's arms began to shake from the strain of keeping himself up. The man bent down, exhaling all of the smoke at Uteu's face. Uteu couldn't help but cough when he inhaled the smoke involuntarily.

The man straightened up and tapped his cigarette, causing the ash to fall. A look of realization flashed on his face for a brief moment and he stopped his hand, the cigarette just short from touching his lips again.

Bringing his hand back down, the man smacked his lips together and stated, "You're going to tell me how the hell Grello's Chained One got into the Liquidation Guild."

Uteu froze at his words.

"And, you're going to tell me what you're planning-"

The weight from the foot pinning him down eased and then the boot was lifted off his back as the man looked down at him. The corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards as he pulled Uteu back up.

"-Cause I'll be helping you out and you'll be helping ME out."

Uteu sharply turned his head to look up at the man in confusion. The man looked jubilant as he dusted the dirt off of Uteu's clothes.

"Oh~ I hope we have a common goal, that'd be pretty fun. I'd even get to spend more time with you."

The man's smile twisted into something slightly darker as he said, "I really want to get to know the person that managed to get Grello to hit rock bottom, pissing off nearly everyone in the Syndicate."