Chapter Two
Akihito was out the door, jogging at a brisk pace when he realized women were snickering and pointing at him while he ran. He stopped to see what they were all laughing at, and realized he had forgotten his pants. That would explain why he thought the morning was a bit chilly. Turning as red as a tomato he dashed back to his apartment, only to have to spend five minutes looking for a pair of pants that didn't smell like the alley he woke up in several months ago. 'Hmm maybe I should do a batch of laundry soon,' Akihito thought. Finally, finding a pair of pants that weren't too grungy, he hopped into the legs of the pants and pulled them up as he headed out of the loft holding the envelope between his teeth. He put his belt on while running down the stairs, grabbed his camera bag that was sitting on the floor next to the front door, checked his watch to see how much time he had wasted and saw it was 7:55 am. So, only 5 minutes before deadline and he was 20 minutes out. No problem! He'd have to call in a favor from Ronin, his friend in Layout, to hold the transfer to printing until he could slip his shots into the evening edition. After all, he owed him for the photos he took of his sister's wedding two weeks ago.
Eighteen minutes later, out of breath and looking like he had just walked out of the shower thanks to the drops of sweat falling off his brow, Akihito ran to Layout and gave Ronin the shots to go along with the breaking story that would appear above the crease in tonight's edition. The story itself had already been turned in by Suri, the political reporter who had just been hired last month. This should make her a household name in no time.
With a smile, Akihito pictured a refrigerator stocked with fresh food and a closet full of freshly laundered clothes. If these types of dirty assignments kept up, he'd have to talk to Mr. Yamaguichi for a clothing stipend. Actually, since he didn't have any other assignments he was working on, he headed to Mr. Yamaguichi's office to get some more work and to ask about a raise. Heading to the third floor, he stopped in the break room to grab a bagel and some coffee. When he went to pour the coffee, the sludge that landed in the mug wasn't the least bit appetizing. He threw that out and made himself a cup of tea instead. Green tea was healthier anyhow. Chewing while he walked, he grabbed the elevator and stepped off to see Mr. Yamaguichi's assistant, Riya, on the phone. As he walked by her, he waved and pointed to the editor's door signaling that he would just go on in. Riya shouldered the phone and said "He's not in yet."
Akihito stopped in his tracks and looked at Riya. She went back to her phone conversation with the printing office and seemed to be fielding complaints about a late delivery from the layout department. She told them that she would report the tardiness to Mr. Yamaguichi as soon as he was available. She hung up and looked up at Akihito.
"Would you have anything to do with the late delivery from layout this morning?" she asked.
Akihito looked at her and shrugged his shoulders "I can't imagine why you would think it was my fault that the layout department was late."
Riya chuckled and said "only because it was your fault the last two times printing called in a complaint."
Akihito sheepishly smiled and asked "So, where's Mr. Yamaguichi? I need to talk to him about certain financial matters and also need to find out what my next assignment will be."
Riya puffed out a breath and said "If you're going to ask him for a raise, forget it. He's too greedy to actually pay us what we're worth."
"Never hurts to try, is my motto" chirped Akihito. "But really, when can I get in to see him?" asked Akihito.
Riya's expression became worried "I don't know. He should have been here by now and he hasn't called in. I called his house, and there was no answer. His cell is going straight to voice mail. He didn't have any appointments this morning, that I'm aware of. So, I can't imagine where he might be. Maybe I should call the police and report him missing?"
Akihito became more serious and said "The police can't do anything until he's been missing for 48 hours. Have you sent anyone to his house to see if he's home. Maybe he had a heart attack or something?" Riya now seemed to shift into panic mode and wondered if she should call the police anyhow to have them check and see if Mr. Yamaguichi was alive. Akihito calmed her down and offered to go check out Mr. Yamaguichi's house for her. Riya gave him the address, the keys to a press pool scooter, and told him to call her as soon as he got there and she would give him the alarm codes to get in. Akihito headed out and hoped he didn't find Mr. Yamaguichi dead or worse yet, passed out in the bathroom.
Takeo Yamaguichi's screams were music to Asami's ears. They had been at this for less than three minutes and he was already screeching and sobbing like a child. They had barely even done any real damage yet. After all, they only broken one finger so far. What a pathetic piece of work.
"Please Asami sama I don't know what you're talking about!" Takeo pleaded.
"Begging already Yamaguichi? How pathetic, Souh break his ring finger next." Asami snarled.
Souh just nodded and walked up to the chair that Takeo was tied to, and grabbed his hand.
CRACK
Takeo screamed and started begging incoherently, when Suoh stepped back his ring finger on his right hand was bent at a strange angle.
Asami glared "You never should of stuck your nose where it doesn't belong Yamaguichi. We've already dealt with your source in our organization. Tell me, were you able to turn more than one of my people into a rat? Will killing you put an end to my problems?"
"Asami sama I swear I meant no disresp... AHH!" Yamaguichi was cut off my Souh breaking his middle finger.
"You knew Exactly what you were doing." Asami snarled "Suoh, finish with this hand and move on to the other. After that, you can start removing the fingers."
"Yes sir!" With that Souh stood in front of the chair and held Yamaguichi's hand down by the forearm then brought his other gloved hand up and with a swift movement Suoh slammed his fist down breaking the remaining two fingers on his right hand. He grabbed Yamaguichi's left hand, intertwined his fingers and swiflty bent them backwards. All four fingers of the left hand broke at once. They were all left standing straight up. Lastly, he broke the thumb.
"Ahhhhh!" Takeo Yamaguichi screamed before passing out.
Asami growled "Suoh wake him up, take him outside, kill him and bury him in his own backyard." Report to me when you're done. Asami walked out of Yamaguichi's house with Kirishima at his side. He climbed into the back of his limo, while Kirishima took the driver's seat. Kirishima asked "Do you want to return to the office or would you like to go home, Asami sama?" "Take me to the office, I have a contact in the North Korean army who can help me sabotage the Chinese and put us back in the running for this deal."
Akihito gasped, he could hardly believe what he had seen and heard. He had made good time getting to Yamaguichi's house and thought maybe his editor was entertaining important guests after seeing a limo in the circular driveway.
Akihito was about to ring the doorbell, when he heard Takeo Yamaguichi's scream. He then heard him begging and pleading for his life before a final, blood-curdling scream. 'Oh my God, is Yamaguichi dead?' Then he heard a voice ordering Yamaguichi's death and burial. 'Who is that? He sounds familiar. Where have I heard that voice?' He saw shadows through the curtains in the front of the house. Someone was coming. Akihito jumped off the porch and hid behind the hedges lining the front of the house. Since the hedges were trimmed to window height, Akihito laid down in the dirt on his belly and prayed no one would see him. He lifted his head and watched as two people walked to the limo. The one who entered the back wore an expensive suit, had black hair which reached his collar and broad shoulders. The other one hopped into the driver's seat but Akihito could see that he had short, black hair and wore glasses. The limo headed down the driveway, made a right turn and drove away slowly. Once the limo was out of sight, Akihito crawled out from behind the bushes and put his ear to the front door. He didn't hear anything but knew what he had heard so he called the police and reported a homicide in progress. He ran back to the scooter and grabbed his camera out of the bag and headed back to the front door. He slowly opened the door, hoping it wouldn't make a sound and tiptoed into the foyer. He was hoping he could stop Yamaguichi's death. All he heard was silence so he peeked around the corner into the living room. There was a chair with rope hanging off the arms. But no Yamaguichi. He heard a door slam at the back of the house so he slowly crept towards the back. He peeked around the next corner and saw the kitchen. There were dirty dishes in the sink and everything appeared normal until he walked toward the breakfast bar. A chair was laying on its side. He spotted the back door and tiptoed to look out the window. He saw a man with blond hair, carrying what appeared to be a sack but turned out to be Takeo Yamaguichi. The man dropped Yamaguichi to the ground, took out a .40 caliber Glock, screwed a silencer on the end, and aimed at Yamaguichi. Akihito lifted his camera and began taking frame after frame of pictures. He watched as the blond man shot Yamaguichi in the head. Shocked by what he saw, Akihitio kept his finger on the shutter and the camera captured the end of Takeo Yamaguichi's life.
Akihito gasped but quickly covered his mouth to muffle any sounds and to keep from vomiting. He quickly ran upstairs to a bathroom and lost his breakfast. 'I have to get out of here.' Akihito thought and headed to the front door. He quietly snuck out while the blond haired man was still in the backyard. He ran to the scooter and pushed it down the street before jumping on and kickstarting it. He raced as fast as the scooter would carry him to his house.
Suoh knocked on Asami's office door. "Enter!" ordered Asami. Suoh opened the door and walked directly to Asami's desk. He bowed and reported "Yamaguichi is dead. However, I was not able to bury him because the police began to arrive. I barely made it out through the neighbor's yard."
Asami listened to Suoh's report and asked "What happened? Did someone see you?"
"I don't think so" said Suoh "but I can't imagine how the police knew to come. I didn't make any noise as I used the silencer."
"Hmmm, well at least we don't have to worry about any more leaks" said Asami. "Have our man in the police department report how they knew to go to Yamaguichi's house. I want to make sure there are no more loose ends" ordered Asami.
'Yes sir!" answered Suoh. He then turned around and left the office.
Asami pushed the intercom button, "Kirishima, can you step in please?"
"Yes sir!" Kirishima entered and quietly closed the door behind him.
"How are we going to prevent something like this from happening again? Asami asked.
Suoh returned and entered Asami's office and reported "Your contact said that a call came in reporting a homicide in progress and the person didn't give a name other than saying he was a reporter for the Kyoto Times."
Asami frowned at this news.
"I was just thinking about that. I think you should buy the Kyoto Times. We'll be able to eliminate the reporter before the police find out who it was. It'll also keep them from ever running a story on you again. We could use the paper to expose our enemies while keeping our activities quiet. We won't have to worry about any more editors buying information pertaining to your deals. One final bonus is it's always good to have a few legitimate businesses to cover our other activities." Kirishima offered.
"Hmm, let me think on that." Asami leaned back in his chair and stared out his window for a few minutes. "I like it. See that it gets done immediately."
"Yes Asami sama, who would you like to put in as the new editor?" Kirishima asked.
"I need someone I can trust. Go over there and take charge until we figure out who is trustworthy enough to place in that position." Asami ordered.
"Yes sir, I will report there immediately." Kirishima left.
Akihito locked himself in his dark room and began to develop the pictures that he had taken. He was shocked to see the proof of the end of Yamaguichi's life. He couldn't believe that any of it had really happened and if it weren't for the evidence staring at him, he would have thought it all a dream. He went to the kitchen and sat to review the pictures.
'Who is the blond man in these pictures? More importantly, who was the man who gave the order to kill Yamaguichi? He looked vaguely familiar.' wondered Akihito. 'I have to get these pictures to the police. But if I turn them in, they'll know I was the one who took them. I'll never be safe if they know who I am because they'll need to eliminate the only witness. What should I do? Who should I tell? Okay, think for a minute. I have to make a plan.'
Akihito sat there trying to plan out his next move, when his phone began vibrating. He was so startled that the pictures when flying onto the floor. After the second buzz, he was able to pull the phone out of his pocket and look at the caller id. It was a generic Kyoto Times number. 'Who could be calling me? Should I answer? Should I turn over the pictures anonymously? That'll never work. They'll never print such graphic pictures and someone will leak that I was the photographer who took them. Maybe I'll just ignore it and let it go to voice mail.' The phone stopped ringing. He waited to see if the voice mail indicator would pop up. But in five seconds it started buzzing in his hand again and he dropped it on the floor. He picked it up and it was the same number calling. 'Okay, I'll answer and play it off as nothing happened. Yeah, I'll just play dumb until I can figure out what to do.'
"Hello?"
"Akihito! Where are you? Did you go to Mr. Yamaguichi's house? Are you there now? Did you hear about what happened? You were supposed to go to his house and call me, but you never called? What happened?!" Riya was yelling by the time she finished the questions.
"Uhhh."
"What do you mean Uhhh? That's all you have to say to me? Where are you?" Riya's hysteria was quickly turning to anger.
"Well, I... was heading that way and... uh...I ran over a nail and popped the tire. Yeah, and I was trying to get it fixed at the mechanic's shop so I could make it out there, but... um... I realized that I didn't have my wallet to pay the mechanic so... I left the scooter and had to walk home to get some money and I figured I'd eat lunch before I went back to get the scooter. So anyhow, umm, I should be on my way in the next 10 minutes to pick up the scooter and then I'll head over to Mr. Yamaguichi's house to see if he's okay." Akihito was hoping she would buy that story.
"ARE YOU CRAZY? WE JUST GOT A CALL FROM THE POLICE! MR YAMAGUICHI HAS BEEN MURDERED!" Riya screamed.
"What? Murdered? Are you sure?" Akihito tried to sound shocked. "Well, I guess that means you don't want me to check on him anymore?"
"WHAT? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Riya appeared to be freaking out now.
"Calm down, I'll go pick up the scooter and drive back to the paper as soon as I can. It'll take me a good hour to get there as it's not too close to my house. Just remain calm and have a cup of tea until I get there." Akihito ordered.
"Tea? I don't need tea! I need answers. A man just walked in here saying he's our new boss. The timing is too coincidental. Do you think he was behind Mr. Yamaguichi's death?" Riya whispered.
"Who is this man? What is his name? What does he look like?" asked Akihito.
"He's tall, has black hair and is wearing a suit and glasses. He does not smile. He's scary looking. You have to come back." Riya begged.
'Oh boy that sounded a lot like one of the men at the house. Could they have seen me?' Akihito remained quiet with his thoughts.
"Akihito, Did you hear me?!" Riya yelled.
"Oh yeah, um, why do you need me there? I'm not an employee you know. I'm just a freelancer, remember?" Akihito said.
"WHAT?! You better get over here because he has called an employee meeting to make a major announcement. If you don't come over here now, I'll make sure we never use you as a freelancer again!" Riya threatened.
"Wow, okay, calm down. I'll be there, after I pick up the scooter. I'm going to need a reimbursement for the repairs because payday is still a few days away and I'm short on cash." Akihito whined.
"Fine, just get here within two hours. He wants everyone in the conference room by 3:00. Don't be late!" Riya growled before hanging up on him.
Akihito went to the scooter, took out a knife and stabbed the rear tire. "Now I gotta find a mechanic to fix this damn thing in less than an hour. Man, what was I thinking. I gotta work on my imagination and come up with better stories in the future." Akihito muttered. He left his house pushing the scooter.
One mile down the road, he found a mechanic who agreed to fix the tire for the bargain price of $15 plus a rush fee of $75. Akihito paid the bill and drove the scooter back to the Kyoto Times building. He returned the scooter to the press pool garage and headed up to see Riya.
Looking around the press pool, he could see that everyone appeared nervous. Some of the female reporters were crying about Mr. Yamaguichi. Some of the male reporters were in a group talking quietly. It almost looked like they were planning a coup. Akihito kept walking toward Mr. Yamaguichi's office to find Riya. He found her sitting at her desk, staring at her computer but not really seeing it. She looked dazed. Akihito walked up to her and said "Hey there, how are you doing? Are you okay?"
Riya turned her head slowly and looked at him like she didn't know him.
"Wow you must be in shock. Can you reimburse me for the repair? I really need the money back to buy groceries." Akihito said.
Riya's eyes squinted, her forehead wrinkled up, and her face began to turn bright red. "WHAT! Are you serious! Mr. Yamaguichi is dead, the Kyoto Times has a new Editor, and your worried about groceries? Are you kidding me?" Riya screeched.
"You haven't seen my fridge. It's hard to work on an empty stomach." Akihito flinched.
"Fine. Give me that damn receipt. Here's your money! Now get into the conference room. I don't want to piss off the new boss!" Riya snapped.
"Fine, I'm on my way now." Akihito walked slowly to the conference room. By the time he arrived, the seats were all full and there was standing room only in the back. This served his purpose considering he didn't want to be there to begin with. 'I guess if I want to keep getting assignments, I better suck up to the new guy." Akihito thought.
Just then, everyone quieted down so you could hear a pin drop. Riya walked in with new guy walking right behind her. Akihito stood on tiptoes to get a look at the new boss and suddenly his face turned white, he gasped so loud that everyone turned around. Immediately he dropped to his knees and began to crawl out of the room. "Oh my God! That's him. That's the man who drove the limo away from Mr. Yamaguichi's house. I gotta get out of here!' Akihito panicked.
"Where do you think you're going young man..."
