Gangster's Paradise
Witch-Mistress Animaru
A/N: Here I go again, making the most of my time as I download the natsci1 files I need. Oh, well. I enjoyed writing this yet again. I'm so near in uploading Sweet Deception. Ha-ha. Some of you really forgot the stories and plots, huh? Sorry for not updating sooner.
It's time for us to go to Gangster's Paradise.
2: There must be a Reason
(Pleasant Surprises)
Never trust anyone but yourself.
Never get emotionally involved with your missions.
Never aim to kill unless necessary.
Her rules were simple enough to follow. Avalon, the agent who claims to be a heartless assassin, never killed mercilessly. She tried her best to keep targets alive. Yet she will never admit that this makes her the most special agent of them all…
…A compassionate one.
She sighed as she put on her robes, robes that separated Avalon from Kinomoto Sakura.
It's time to tail the Apocalypse.
"Are you sure about this, you two?" Syaoran paced back and forth the dark room, his dark green cloak billowing. His hood is thrown back to revealed his irate face. "Damn it!"
"Yes, Wulf," Yuuki Hatahashi was wearing black robes. His hood was drawn up his head, hiding the handsome features. Only coal black eyes were visible in the shadows.
His sister huffed, and Syaoran turned to the woman in blood red robes who was staring at them with a sarcastic smile on her face.
"Sooner than expected, Lord of Despair?"
"Yes. I didn't expect the Yukai to be actively participating in the wars."
"They heard about us apparently and decided to come to the battlegrounds."
"Damn." Syaoran stopped pacing and turned to them. "The war will break out sooner than I anticipated. We must be careful from now on."
"Hai."
"When will they be arriving at Tomoeda?"
"I hazard a guess at next week."
"And the Kitoshi are refusing to show themselves. Avalon in particular is hard to uncover. But I'm certain she's already inside."
"I heard they're sending us reinforcements."
"Shit."
"Yeah, that's what we will be when they're done with us."
"I don't think so. We are strong in our own right."
"Ah! What's the use of discussing this? We better get going. There's nothing we can do but wait." Syaoran beckoned the other two. "Listen, we may only be three in number, but I tell you, the Yukai only has two top-rate members. We can defeat them in no time."
The two only nodded.
"Will we wreak havoc in Tokyo?"
"Heavens, not yet! But we can act as soon as we learn they are really here."
The two bowed at him and left their hideout. He heard a rumbling of motor and he knew they were gone.
He stood there for a while, thinking of the day he became one with the Apocalypse.
"Mother, why did father die?" He could remember his younger self asking.
"It's because he protected us, Xiao Lang. He died in protecting us."
"But…Why do we need protecting?"
"It's because we have money. That is why we need to protect ourselves. That's what these organizations are for, because bad people will always try and take what you have."
"I see…Then, I must continue what father did?"
Yelan's eyes looked sadly at her son. She didn't want to endanger him, but she knew that he must, indeed, take his father's place in the organization.
If only the Lis were not an influential family…
The gang wars started too many years ago. It served as the underground fight between huge business empires. The Apocalypse for the Li Group of Companies, though, started only after Li Fai Long was assassinated by their rival company. Mafia has detached themselves from the local war, but they remained a threat nevertheless. The Yakuza has also refused to intervene. Their fiercest rival, the Yukai from Hayaku Industrial Group, were the ones responsible for Li Fai Lang's ambush.
Li Fai Lang never believed in violence. But he was a proof that the innocent are never spared.
Syaoran knew he'll never rest until his father's death was served justice.
And he knew that the next target of their rival is his younger twin sister.
Li Meiling, the jewel of the clan.
He vowed to protect her, no matter what.
Whoever got in the way was the enemy, like the government-controlled Kitoshi, aiming to stop these gang wars.
He'll make sure they suffer as well if they intervene.
He dismissed the angry thoughts from his head. He can't do anything about it now.
He raised his hood and hid his face. He closed his eyes and prepared to take flight.
That was when he noticed her.
He nearly fell from his jump and only managed to land properly.
"I know you're there, so show yourself, Avalon!"
Avalon chuckled. So she was found out, after spying at them for hours, listening to their conversation.
"You need to be watchful, dear Lord," she said insultingly, "You've been passing information on to us for hours. And you dare call yourself lord? Why, you won't even be a low-profile agent for the Kitoshi."
"I would never work for that kind of organization! Why can't you just all mind your own business?"
"You don't understand. Gangs are our business, Wulf." She stressed on the word "gangs" before laughing again.
"Damn you, stop getting in our way!" Syaoran never felt so mad. "Show yourself, don't be a coward!"
Sakura stopped laughing at once and threw three spikes straight at his heart. She knew absolutely well that he'll be able to dodge the attack.
"Sugoi, Wulf. But you might not be as lucky next time. Stop trying to destroy Japan."
"We all have our reasons, Avalon, though I can't see the reason behind you joining a government organization. Won't you join us instead?"
"Ha, that's one thing that will never happen. As you said, we all have reasons. Can you tell me yours?"
"I'm afraid I can't, the reasons are highly irrelevant to you."
"You think so? Then the same goes for me. My reasons are irrelevant, but I must inform you that I'll stop at nothing to destroy gangs." Hatred pulsed through her veins as she remembered her brother's mangled body lying on the street, bloody and cold.
Never get emotionally involved in your missions.
The rule flashed in her mind and she immediately closed her eyes.
"Today, I let you pass." She said and she took off. A moment later, she had gone.
I lost.
Sakura unfastened her cloak as she got in her room. She never felt anger like that before. Why was she becoming emotional? For years, she did well on her own. Was she becoming soft?
She had decided.
She can't live all her life chasing and fighting gangsters.
Everything must come to an end.
This will be her last mission for the Kitoshi.
Her first and last mission with Eli Hakura and Madison.
--
"NANI?! He's not staying here!" Syaoran's voice has risen to a scream as he stood up from the dining table.
"Sit down, Xiao Lang. I will not tolerate this attitude of yours toward Eriol. He has decided to visit us, as it's vacation in England."
"No way!"
"You're being childish, Xiao Lang. Why do you hate him so?"
"I don't hate him! I just don't like the way he treats me, like I'm a child or something! He's an insufferable know-it-all…"
"And I think he has reason to treat you like that if you show this attitude to him."
"Prepare yourself, though. He's staying here. He's going to school with you as well."
"No way!!!!"
"Shut up!!!"
--
Tomoyo sat primly inside the gleaming black limo. They had just flown from New York via the Daidouji private jet.
Her family had chosen to side with the Kitoshi rather than create their own gang in protecting their property.
So here she is, abandoning fashion school to go back and fight gangs. Not like the smalltime downtown crooks she handled in New York, they are big-time gangsters who have their businesses to protect.
She wanted to go visit Sakura immediately, but she knew better than that. Somebody might grow suspicious of her.
"Go straight home, please," she said to their driver.
"I'll see her in school tomorrow." She pushed a button to raise a divider between her and the driver. She dialed a number.
"Madison here. Arrived safely, no delays or suspicious people around. Will report to base immediately tomorrow. Hai. Hai. Meeting with Avalon tomorrow. Copy."
Sakura…Eriol…
--
Dawn came yet again on Tomoeda.
Sakura started to dress, even though she was already awake earlier on.
She locked her apartment and went straight to school.
The usual sight greeted her. The usual greeting from her classmates came, particularly from that boy she so wished to kill, Li Syaoran. He seemed determined to make her suffer today. He must be in a thoroughly bad mood.
"Oi, Li-kun," Yamazaki called out to him, grinning. "What's wrong? You don't look like you're in the mood."
"We're going to have another lowlife here next week," he informed them gloomily.
"Really? Who is it?"
"A cousin of mine from England. Eriol Hiiragizawa."
Sakura nearly froze.
He's Eriol's cousin? No way!!!
"Is he cute, like you, Syaoran-kun?" One of the girls in class asked, looking excited.
"You can say that, yeah, but you never saw a bigger geek. Not unless you count Kinomoto here…"
"Oh, that's too bad…"
"Know what, Kinomoto? I guess you two will get on so well, since both of you are lowlifes."
She was seething in anger. But she had to rein it in.
"That's mean, Li-kun…"
"Yeah, I know it is. You deserve it."
At that moment, their adviser, Terada-sensei, entered the room and they all settled down.
"Ohayou, minna. Before we start off this morning, I have something to tell you. We have a transferee to our class. She's Japanese, but she has not been here for a long time. She stayed at the States and went to a fashion school in New York. Minna, I want you to meet Daidouji Tomoyo."
This time, Sakura did gasp.
She entered the room, looking as pretty as ever. Her eyes scanned the room as she introduced herself.
What? She's…Tomoyo's here? Why didn't they alert me?
They all turned to her, eyes narrowing.
--
Tomoyo nearly fainted when she saw how Sakura looked like.
What is she playing at?
"You may sit beside Li-san, Daidouji-san."
"Ano," she said, thinking fast. "Can I sit beside Sakura-chan?" Everyone in the room looked shocked. "We're cousins, you see, and I…"
"Oh, yes. It's understandable. Go sit beside Kinomoto, then."
"Cousins?"
"…I don't believe it…"
"…unbelievable…"
"Really? That's outrageous…"
"Ohayou, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo even smiled.
"Ohayou, Tomoyo," she said dully, pretending to dislike her.
She quickly scribbled a note and passed it to Tomoyo.
Don't go blow our cover!
Tomoyo only smiled while shaking her head.
"Of course not," she whispered and they both turned to Terada-sensei.
I'm glad you're here.
The words remained unspoken, but Sakura knew that Tomoyo's arrival made a nice change in her monotonous existence in school.
England
"You finished the mission in a span of three days. That's wonderful. Does that mean you're going to go back earlier, too, Eriol?"
"Hai, I can't wait to see them."
"Then I'll say goodbye now, Eli."
"Goodbye, then, Sawada-san," Eriol's eyes smiled at him. "Thank you for everything."
"It was a pleasure to be with you in work."
Now my problem is the fact that the identity of the Apocalypse is in my hands. But he will surely die if I gave it away. It's hard to place my loyalty between my family and my second family.
"I'm coming back, Avalon, Madison."
A/N: Why the hell can't I bring this chapter to an end?
