The thing that had been behind it was already looking somewhere else.
Kenji's own chest did something involuntary and unwelcome. His heart hammered once, very hard, as if confirming to him that it was still there and would very much like to stay that way.
He suddenly saw Ishiki's body disappear and a shudder ran though his body.
Kenji jumped out of desperation.
He didn't make it.
Something closed around his ankle mid-air and yanked him back... slamming him into the ground face-first.
The impact drove the breath out of him completely. His cheek met asphalt, the rough surface opening a line from his jaw toward his temple. He tasted blood in his mouth.
Without wasting any time... he rolled aside and a punch shattered the earth where his chest was.
Ishiki twisted his neck and stared into his eyes. The half-mask was six inches from Kenji's face.
