Guardian (Makani POV)

A shot rang out from over head. A young man cried out in agony as he stumbled backwards. "Mission successful, Sir." He heard a heavy voice carry on the wind.

The young man backed against the brick wall of the alley. His head pounded in unison with his heart. His breathing was unsteady. He sank to the ground. Clutching his abdomen, he cried for help. 'I can't go like this.' His thoughts ripped through his skull, 'Not now. Please, God, not yet.'

"Makani, is that you?" A feminine voice brought the young man back to reality.

"Acacia, help me." He cried.

"Oh my god, what happened?" The woman rushed to Makani's side. She did not wait for an answer. "Here, lay down."

Makani groaned as Acacia helped him lay flat, "Rais. I need Rais." His tears stung his pale face.

Acacia pulled out her phone and quickly dialed a number. "Rais, it's… no everything's not okay…. He'll have to tell you that one…. Just hurry." She hung up the phone and looked down into Makani's eyes. "Hang on, kid. He'll be here soon. We'll get you to Faunus and get you all fixed up. Okay?" Acacia unbuttoned Makani's tight, black shirt. "Oh my god." She whispered when her eyes caught sight of the gaping wound in the young man's stomach.

Acacia slid Makani out of his shirt and wadded it into a ball. With her left hand, she pressed it to his wound. "Hang on, Makani."

Makani let a soft cry escape from the back of his throat as Acacia applied pressure to his wound. His eyelids were growing heavier and heavier as the seconds slipped by. He was unable to move. His entire body was screaming in pain. The blood loss was taking its toll on him. "Rais," he mumbled as he saw a dark figure approaching. Makani tried to reach out to him. "Rais, I—I c—can't…" A weak gasp broke Makani's sentence.

Rais knelt down beside Makani. His dark eyes reflected the dying young man. Pulling Makani into his arms, he spoke in and almost demanding tone, "Who did this to you?"

"The Agency." Makani said in a short breath. He felt his thin frame leave the ground. Rais' arms held him tightly. "Rais."

"It's okay, Makani." Rais spoke softly as he climbed into the back seat of the car still holding Makani tightly. He shifted his dark gaze to Acacia in the rear view mirror. "We need to get him to Faunus as quickly as possible."

Acacia nodded and put the car in drive.

"Rais, I—I'm so…tired." Makani could not speak any louder than a whisper.

Rais pushed a long, stray hair out of the young man's face. "I need you to stay awake, Love." He took Makani's hand. Rais bit his lip as he stared down at the young man. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Love. I should've been there to protect you." He softly kissed Makani's forehead.

"My guard…" Makani gasped for air. His body trembled. Tears continued to roll down his angelic visage. He could not finish his sentence. "I—I…"

"Sh," Rais gently hushed the young man. "Don't say anything. Just focus on staying awake. Okay?"

Makani gave a weak, obedient nod. He knew he would not last much longer. He felt his life slipping away as each minute slowly passed. His vision grew blurry.

"Makani? No!" Rais yelled, "Acacia, hurry!"

Makani could no longer hold his eyes open. His breathing grew weaker, and he let his body go limp. 'Please, don't let me die.' His thoughts again began to race, 'I'm not ready.'

"Wake up, Love." Makani heard Rais cry. He felt Rais lips lightly touch his. "Wake up." Rais' voice sounded so distant even though he was so close.

Makani struggled to open his eyes, but it was no use. His breathing gradually slowed. He felt himself slipping farther into the darkness that surrounded him. Before drawing his final breaths, he felt a tear hit his face. Could Vampire's cry? His question was left unanswered.