169 Resolve

{futuristic world}

-JULIETTE!" Shouted the teenage girl as she jumped in Benito's back and low kicked, making the man fall over and accidentally fire a shot in the air before landing face first against the concrete floor.

As Sansoul watched the scene unfold he could only think of two things:

First, how cool Juliette looked. The way her semi long shining blond hair floated in the wind like stars in the sky was only enhanced by the sharp focus that could be read on her face as she stood back up just after saving his life which in itself was far more than enough reasons to love her. But also how happy it made him that she had rushed to save his life.

Second, how she had just saved his life, which definitely wasn't part of the plan since he wanted to sacrifice himself to save her. Fulfilling the promises, he made himself during his mission in the Alps all while looking very cool in front of his crush.

Leaving him in a very confused state as he stood frozen in place.

-Are you all right?!" Asked Juliette as she ran to him with a stressed and fearful expression.

Taken aback by the girl's sudden question, her worry for him and a weird feeling of joy and comfort at knowing that they had succeeded, the boy only managed to muter a weak: "Y-yeah. I… I think?"

-Did you hurt yourself again?" she asked while forcefully grabbing and checking his arm under every angle.

Taken out of his daze by the pain he felt as his arm was being twisted around in all sorts of unconventional angles the boy took a much more confident and self-assured tone and said: "I'm fine. I have nothing, it's all fine."

Juliette looked him in the eyes as if judging if he was saying the truth and after a second or so, sighed and let go of him.

-You shouldn't have put yourself in such a dangerous situation." She scolded in a firm commending tone

-You agreed to the plan." Pointed out the boy in a slightly taunting tone

-Yeah, because I didn't know that, that guy had a firearm in him! And you didn't have to stall for time for that long anyway, you're not even halfway to the rendezvous point! You're just reckless! What would have appended if he shot you?!" She said, almost shouted right to his face

-Well… I would be dead." Simply answered the boy in a disinterested tone

-And your sister what would she have become then? And your friends?

-I don't have friends." Self-deprecating joked the boy avoiding the original question entirely

-Isn't Romeo your friend, am I not your friend?" Asked Juliette in an aggressive tone as she disaprovingly frowned at his joke.

-Well, uhm… it's that…

-That?" Pressed the girl while taking a loud step toward him, forcing Sansoul to back up.

-If I say "yes" I'm basically friend-zoning myself. So, like… I can't really answer." He answered half joking

The girl got angry and continued to argue that he should think more about the people around him and him dodging the questions by turning them into jokes, in the meantime the Italian leader, who had been knocked out, snapped back to reality and gritted his teeth upon seeing the 2 kids who had tricked and humiliated him so much.

The man grabbed his weapon which had fallen right next to him, rotated the barrel to its second slot before giving another spiteful glare at the two children before aiming up at them.

Noticing the sudden movement and the weapon aimed at them, Sansoul jumped in front of Juliette while pushing her to the side, to protect her from the incoming bullet, as the Italian leader pressed the trigger.

During those few seconds, time seemed to have slowed for the boy. He saw Juliette's shocked and slightly scared expression as she realized what just happened. Psalmanazar's resentful and furious face which hid a bit of satisfaction, the bullets coming closer and closer to him and a lone bird flying in the sky who, from the boy's point of view, looked almost stationary.

"Is this the end?" thought the boy "Is this really how this all ends? … Is this not what I wanted? … I don't know… I won't know."

"No, this can't be the end, I can't let this be the end. I have to continue for Victoire, for Juliette, for all the people I've met, I-I can't die, I-I don't want to die!"

As the bullet arrived closer time seemed to decelerate even more, as the bird's individual feather movement could be seen, the resistance leader's expression turning into one of malice and satisfaction and Juliette face becoming one of pure fear as she was powerless to save him.

Then in a few milliseconds, with incredible reflexes and super human thinking speed that could match a computer level the boy started to create a very long but small metallic tube around the projectile's trajectory, just wide enough for the bullet to go through without hitting the border.

He then intentionally skipped over making the middle part of the tube and online fully completed the both ends wich, then, the exact instant the bullet entered the unfinished tube, he ever so slightly moved the end to him to the side, moving the rest of the tube and the bullets inside, modifying the projectile course just enough for the bullet to graze his cheek before crashing in a nearby boat.

Psalmanazar looked up at the boy absolutely dumbfounded by what just happened as the blond girl regained her cool and garbed on to Sansoul to stabilize herself, before jumping to the Italian leader and crushing his weapon with a strong kick, followed by a spin attack of her other leg to his head which made him unconscious and sent the man flying away.

She then turned to Sansoul with a furious expression and shouted: "Why did you jump in like that?! You almost just died!"

-I was trying to save you!" He shouted back, shocked by how ungrateful she was

-Save me?! I can save myself, start by taking care of yourself!

-I didn't have time to think, I just jumped in to save you the instant I saw the bullet!

-Oh, because you didn't have time to think of that absurd pipe shenanigan now did you?!" she yelled back with even more anger

-It's different" He exclaimed while doing a large hand movement to the side, as if dismissing her idea" I had a flash and pulled it off!

Sansoul's last sentence seemed to particularly piss off Juliette as she took a step toward him and prepared to yell once mo-

-Are you guys having your first argument as a couple?" Asked a loud, somewhat taunting, and definitely evil voice that both of them recognized as Nicol's.

The red-haired woman who was standing atop a nearby ship, jumped down to Sansoul's level, putting her right arm on his left shoulder around his neck and energetically patting his hand with the other.

-Yeah, Tha' my son, asserting dominance over your lover, I'm proud of ya.

-What." Exclaimed Juliette, while blushing wildly "I never accepted to go out with him."

The boy's mother looked at Juliette in the eye and before she could complain any more made a large, very dishonest smile and said: "It wasn't a question."

-But I-

-You nothing. All you do is what I tell you to, get it?" she said in an even more threatening tone that froze the blond girl in place.

-Much better." Commented Nicole as she held on to her son even tighter, but before she could start congratulating once again the boy broke out of her grasp and stepped away before giving her a challenging glare and saying "No" in a strong, determined, unwavering tone.

His mother laughed a bit at him as a large, exaggerated smile formed on her face which suddenly turned into a dead serious expression as she said: "what?"

Taking a stance against his mother, Sansoul repeated himself "no, you can't just discard other people's will and do whatever you want!"

Nicole's face formed into a small smile as she giggled slightly, not taking her son seriously a single bit. "Already at th' rebellious age, how quirky of you." Her taunting and deprecating smile got larger as she took a step toward her son and in a very mocking tone continued her explanation: "I'm trying to help you out, you know?" she said, extending her arm to grab his shoulder; however, the boy grabbed his mother's wrist before she could reach him, stopping her motion dead in its tracks.

-To help?" he asked as a small, painful smile wrote itself on his face, he giggled a bit himself before pressing against her wrist with all his strength and lashing out: "TO HELP ME!!? Since when did you ever care about me?! You're just a hypocritical monster who manipulates and uses the people around her as a tool! You're just doing this because you think it's funny, now aren't you?!

She puffed at his monologue and furious expression like one would in front of a baby throwing a tantrum.

-What are you saying, I'm your mom, I always look out for you." She said mocking him even more

-Yeah, like when you bit the shit out of me this f*cking morning?!" He shouted back

-That was to encourage you.

-Encourage me?!! You broke my ribs, legs, arms and kidnapped my sister!

-It's not like I was going to do anything to her." She commented while rising her shoulder

-Yeah, not like you tried to murder your biological son 10 f*cking second prior!

-It was some advanced encouragement technique, and I can do anything I want with you anyway, I'm your mom.

-No! You're NOT my mom, your not my sister' mother, you're not part of my family, you're not my friend, you're not even a f*cking person! You're just a heartless son of a b*tch who just thinks of herself and uses everyone as toys and pets! You don't care about me as a person, you just see me as f*cking dole!" He pressed even harder against her arm as his eyes started burning with pure hate. "You know what's my first memory, MY very first memory?! It's you kicking me to the ground and laughing your ass off! Oh, and can you guess what my second earliest memory is? It's you, you yelling at father for no f*cking reason before wrecking the appartement and throwing knives at us! Even back then you were the same, you didn't change a single bit, you're the same trash bag you have ALWAYS been! I HATE YOU! I hate you so much! I gave you another chance, just like dad, I gave you the benefit of the doubt and guess what?! Still nothing! You haven't learned a single thing, and now he is dead, because of YOU, YOU! It's all your fault! You have so much power, you know so much and yet you still let us struggle on our own! WHERE were you when I needed your help?! Where were YOU?!" He frantically shouted while raising his missing finger in her face as tears flowed from his eye as if it was a waterfall. "All you do is arrive when everything is over and take all the credit for yourself! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!