Chapter 7 – Bad blood
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April 14th 2017 – Tokyo, Japan
"H-hello...my name...Izuru."
"You forgot the is again." I sighed tiredly and scratched my messy hair again. The kid was difficult to work with.
I sucked in a deep breath and tried to remain patient. "Just say it exactly how I say it: Hello my name is Izuru." I tried speaking the English as clearly as possible.
The kid tried it again before kicking a nearby bucket and cursing at the ground. I watched him throw his little temper tantrum as I shook my head in disdain. I just couldn't understand how the kid couldn't grasp the simplest English words. At his age I was already speaking fluent Japanese. The little shit turned to me and vented the rest of his anger.
"This is too damn hard! And you suck as a teacher!" The little asshole pointed at me as if it were my fault he couldn't speak English correctly.
I stood up and towered over the messy haired brat. I wasn't gonna take any of his shit. "And you suck at English ya squinty eyed little fucker!" I sneered down at him as we both continued to glare and curse at each other.
"Jason!"
I whipped around to find Hinata giving me a hard, scolding look. I glared right back as Izuru ran behind her while discreetly giving me the finger. I restrained myself from flipping the bird right back at him as Hinata marched up to me like a pissed off mother hen.
"I asked you to help Izuru with his English not call him discriminatory names Jason-san." Hinata stood tall and rigid as she stared me down. She was definitely pissed.
"I was trying to help but the kid's too stupid!" I pointed at the retard in question.
"Look who's talking!"
"You better shut yer little mouth before I come over there!"
"Or what? You're gonna scrub off some more of our food ya damn freeloader!"
"You little ass wipe!"
"Enough."
Izuru and I both jumped at Hinata's tone and instantly shut up. With one dark look at Izuru she sent him running back towards the building in a frantic scurry. She is not in a good mood today I see.
She closed her tired eyes and let out a long breath. "I know Izuru can be difficult to work with Jason, but you have to be patient with him. He's just a little kid." Hinata looked back up at me with reproachful eyes. I looked away and mumbled some English curses under my breath. I knew I had to be patient when it came to teaching that kid English but it was hard! Patience was never my strong suit. I suppose it doesn't help that I can't stand children. Period.
"I'm sorry I called him that Hinata. But just so you know he started it." I childishly folded my arms and gave her a condescending look. Hinata directed me over to the building to apologize to Izuru and finish up the rest of my chores for the day. I was about to retort with a 'fuck no' but Hinata's death glare silenced that instantly. Walking back into the building I looked around until I found the little shit folding clothes in the laundry room. As soon as the brat spotted me he glared and turned away. The kid and I never did seem to tolerate each other.
"Hinata wanted me to come here and apologize to you." I stared out at the window as I leant on the doorframe.
The kid scoffed. "Yeah, and?"
"And nothing. I'm not apologizing to a brat like you. You don't deserve it." I glared down at him without remorse as he glared right back.
I watched him struggle with the laundry as I pushed myself off the doorframe and walked over to the large windows. Some dark clouds were forming in the distance.
"Why does Hinata want me to teach you English anyway? Barley anyone in this country speaks it nowadays." I was still facing the window as Izuru came up beside me to throw some things in the sink to rinse off. I sneered at his half-assed work, but didn't say anything. The kid should be thankful Hinata gave him one of the easiest jobs to do around here.
Izuru continued his laundry duties as he spoke. "Hinata-chan said that to be multilingual would be a helpful trait in finding a job when I'm older. Even though it hasn't seemed to help you any." The kid tried to keep that last comment veiled under his breath but I still caught it. I clenched my teeth at his smart-assed remark and kicked one of the laundry baskets over as I walked out.
"Hey!"
"We'll continue these little English lessons after our chores our done. If I could learn Japanese as a kid then you sure as hell can learn to speak some goddamn English." I turned to give him a heated glare and smirked at the surprised look on his face. The kid agreed to keep trying as I nodded my head in approval. The brat shouldn't be giving up so easily. That shit will get you nowhere fast.
Back outside I found Hinata waiting for me by the gardens with her arms crossed and her face serious. She was wearing her worn-out gardening gloves with the rest her supplies strapped to her side. She held up a pair of gloves for me as we walked side by side into the garden to tend to the vegetables. I worked silently as Hinata hummed a little tune under her breath. It was an upbeat tune that I had heard on the radio before but I couldn't recall the name of it. I was grateful for the cool weather as we worked outside. The temperatures have been too hot for my taste lately. Clumps of large, gray clouds formed overhead, rolling across the sky as we worked in the cold soil. The cool weather reminded me of home.
Hinata sat up on her haunches to stretch her back and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm. I looked up and snorted when I realized she had ended up wiping a line of dirt on across her pale cheek. She glanced at me, confused by my chuckling, before I tapped the side of my cheek where the dirt on her face was.
"Oh! Thank you. I don't know how I always manage to get dirt on my face." Hinata took off her glove and wiped away the black dirt, a slight redness to her cheeks.
I chuckled and went back to my work. "You blush too easily Hinata-chan. You could easily give a guy the wrong impression." I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, mischief dancing in my dark irises.
Hinata glared at my grinning face and dug back into her work as well. She glowered at the soil as she voiced her annoyance towards me.
"It's not me! It's this pale skin of mine. The tiniest bit of redness and I look like a blushing virgin." She said the last part mostly to herself. Even though it was true, it did make her look cute. Not that I'd ever tell her that however. I was actually surprised to hear that someone like her was still single. To me Hinata was like the ideal woman. She was hard-working, independent, beautiful, smart, and at times she could be funny. I'd often wondered what her life was like before the earth-quake. Before this place went to shit.
"Hey Hinata, if you don't mind me asking…what did you do before the earth-quake?" I felt weird for asking, but I was curious nonetheless. She seemed like the type of girl who would be doing her own thing. Not running an orphanage for all these little brats.
Hinata paused in her work as she smiled playfully at me. "What makes you so curious Jason-kun? Are you falling for me?" I was caught off guard by her sporadic teasing while Hinata broke out in a fit of laughter at my gaping face. I think I might be rubbing off on her. I grinned at the thought as I smiled at her laughter.
"I'll tell you if...
I quirked my eyebrow at her playful look.
...you tell me about yourself."
I knew it!
I wavered in my resolve as I considered her request. I did not want to talk about myself. Everything I knew or once was, I kept in the past where it belonged. I didn't see the point in bringing up old memories. Though it only seems fair since I'm asking about her past as well. I'll just keep my story blunt and brief.
"Fine I'll go first." I sat back on my butt and crossed my legs as Hinata sat on her knees and listened intently.
"I'm originally from the states. I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon by my mom and dad. As for how I ended up here; I'm not going to tell you that. It's not that I have anything personal against you or anything …I just have trouble talking about that time with other people."
I licked my chapped lips for the tenth time and pushed back my greasy hair before continuing.
"I will tell you that I lived at a Buddhist monk temple not too far from here. I lived there for three years until the great Tokyo earthquake completely destroyed it. I lost my only friend at the temple and decided to leave after that. I basically just wandered around the city for a while, not knowing exactly what to do. It wasn't until after I met Senji that I got my shit back together. And that's pretty much it." While I was speaking I hadn't realized that my left leg was jittering the whole time. I also had a bad craving for a cigarette.
"Mmm…" Hinata looked down at the garden thoughtfully. I couldn't really tell what she was thinking as I watched her from my spot on the ground. But she didn't look sympathetic. I was very grateful for that. I felt myself relax more when she looked at me straightforwardly, with absolutely no hint of sympathy.
She sat up straight and tucked some loose hair behind her ear. "Now I'll answer your question." I brought my right leg up to my face and rested my chin on the dirt covered jean.
"Before the earth-quake I was a college student here in Tokyo. I was a third year student majoring in social sciences, particularly focusing my studies on history. My goal was to be a history teacher someday. I've always lived by the saying: He who controls the past controls the future. I know it's silly but that phrase always stuck with me. I believe that the way we view the past, shapes our view of the future and that the past dictates how we answer our everyday problems of today. I wanted to use this knowledge as a tool to teach children the significance and truth of history." Her dark grey-blue eyes were looking off into somewhere I couldn't see. Perhaps the world that could have been. That should have been.
I shifted my leg and watched as a group of kids ran by with twigs in their hands. "So how'd you end up here of all places? Playing mama bear to a bunch of brats?" Her eyes came back to the present as she caught my gaze. She smiled at the frolicking children, like a mother watching her child play.
"My parents offered to move with them to Fukushima. They no longer wanted to live here. I didn't blame them. But I turned their offer down. There were so many that needed help here. So much that needed to be done that I couldn't turn a blind eye to it all. I made my decision to stay here and do everything I could to help. When I saw all the orphaned children roaming the streets I knew what I had to do and where I belonged."
There was no hesitation or waver in her voice. Her words rang true and strong as she spoke. She was much stronger than I gave her credit for.
"Well I think that's enough gardening for today." Hinata stood up and brushed the black dirt off her faded clothes.
"I'm gonna head out for a bit. I forgot to visit my friend's grave last week on the anniversary of the great earth-quake so I'm gonna visit it today before I forget again." It had been such a hectic week that I completely forgot to visit Genkaku's grave on the 4th of April like I always did.
"That's fine. Just be back before supper, okay? I think there's a bad storm rolling in." Hinata looked worriedly up at the cloudy sky. The wind had picked up and ruffled our clothes as the gust whirled around us. I could tell from the form of the clouds that I had time to get to the temple and back before the storm hit.
I handed Hinata my working gloves and smiled assuredly at her troubled face. "Don't worry about it. I'll be back by then." I waved at Hinata as I turned towards the road to make my way up to the temple. It was a 20 minute walk but I could get there in 5 minutes if I caught a ride while hitchhiking. I stopped at a drug store and picked up some matches and incense to stick on the grave when I got there.
Halfway up the dirt road a delivery truck picked me up and drove me the rest of the way to the temple. I thanked the driver and walked the rest of the way up the demolished monk temple. The place was nothing more than rubble and clumps of dirt. The earthquake had really done a number on it. From what master told me at least 10 monks were killed during the disaster, including Genkaku. I was told he had been crushed by a falling rooftop and was killed instantly. I was slightly more grateful for that. I would have really hated myself if I'd known he had to suffer a horrible fate for the last moments of his life.
Walking through what was left of the temple gates I slowly made my way across the grounds. Everything was still eerily familiar. Like I had been living here just yesterday. There wasn't much left of anything here. Most of the trees had been uprooted by the quake and the gardens had long since been destroyed. The first year I came back to see Genkaku's grave, I noticed that nearly all of the Buddhist items had been taken by pilfers. It left a cold feeling in my stomach to know that the monk's belongings had been stolen by a bunch of gutless thieves. Walking through the temple nowadays was very much like walking through a graveyard. Cold and empty.
I walked until I came upon the grave that master had built for Genkaku. The small mound was build right where the koi pond garden used to be. Where Genkaku's second favorite spot to meditate used to be. I knelt down and placed the small sticks of incense in front of the dirt mound.
Taking the matches out of my back jeans pocket, I lit the sticks and shook out the match flame. "Hey Kaku. Sorry I didn't come earlier...it's been a busy week in Tokyo." I watched as the tiny lines of smoke rose from the incense and blew away with the breeze.
I was greeted with silence, like always.
"There's this new gang that's been trying to start shit with me and Senji. They call themselves the Goreless Peace; pretty fucking stupid right?" I chuckled dryly at my own humor as the wind continued to play with my hair.
"I wouldn't worry about them though. They all fight like a bunch of pussies." I felt that deep sense of depression rise up as the silence engulfed me. Usually I had more to say during these visits but today I didn't feel like myself. I hadn't been feeling like myself ever since the blood incident a few weeks ago. Ever since then I've felt like some sort of freak. Like I belonged in a circus tent next to the bearded lady. It made me long for my old life, back before all this started. It made me want to see my scarlet haired friend once more. I knew for a fact that Genkaku wouldn't think of me as a monster at all.
I bet he'd think my wings were fucking cool.
He probably wouldn't use that exact word choice but I digress.
I thought back to my red-haired friend. Those cloudy eyes. That deathly pale skin of his. His kindhearted smile. His quiet voice; so calm and assuring. His knowledge of everything Buddha. His gentle heart. His forgiving nature. That simple laugh.
I stared longingly at the dirt mound. "Kaku...what would you have said if I had told you how I really felt about you?" My eyelids felt heavy as I stared at my friend's grave.
My time with Genkaku was the first time I began to realize my feelings toward men. Up until then I always shrugged off my feelings towards other guys and told myself it was nothing. Being with Genkaku forced me to come to terms with my own sexuality. I know at first I tried desperately to deny it. I told myself over and over that I didn't see Genkaku in that light. I wanted so desperately to believe that I was straight. I didn't want to be branded a fag, like my pastors back home so rudely referred to them as. So for years I denied my feelings for Genkaku. I made sure never to let on to my sempai in the slightest that I liked him in that manner.
Now I kind of wish I had told him.
After the news of his death, it literally felt like a piece of my heart had died with him. I wanted to kick myself for acting like such a chick but I couldn't ignore the waves of sorrow that racked my body. Knowing I would never get the chance to tell him how I really felt. That just seeing his face caused my heart to do backflips in my chest. How his voice soothed me when I felt like I was going to fall apart. That just knowing he was there gave me such a feeling of comfort and ease.
I couldn't say if I truly loved Genkaku or not. I was too young to really know what love was at the time. Hell I still don't think I really know. But I knew I felt strongly for him. I just didn't want to admit it.
I let out a mocking snort and ran a tired hand down my face. "Like it would have mattered anyway." I internally punched myself for dwelling on pointless thoughts again.
Even if I had told Genkaku how I felt about him and by some miracle he felt the same way, it wouldn't have mattered. Genkaku was the most devote monk on the planet and monks are and always will be celibate. A romantic relationship of any kind was strictly forbidden in their practices. A relationship between Genkaku and I would have never worked out based on that simple fact.
I smirked at the ground. "Well that and the fact that he's sort of dead." I laughed at my dark joke. It felt good. Laughter really was the best type of medicine.
That and Vicodin.
I heard my knees crack as I stood up and said my goodbyes to Genkaku. I knew I had to get going before the storm arrived or I'd end up walking home in the rain. My dark eyes looked anxiously up at the shadowy clouds that were forming overhead. I dreadfully hoped it was just a rainstorm.
Turning around I nearly let out a high pitched yelp at seeing someone standing not too far away from me. For a moment I thought I was seeing things as I stared at the strange looking man with his large arms crossed over his chest. The man had golden irises and where the whites of his eyes should have been there was only a demented black color. We both stared at each other.
Me: bewildered and greatly confused. Him: bored and quickly losing patience.
The guy was built like a body builder and apparently liked to show that off by not wearing a shirt. His only articles of clothing were a pair of black leathers pants tied up with a piece of rope and a pair of worn out work boots. Around his muscled neck was a tribal looking necklace. Probably the strangest thing about him was the weird, dark mask on his face. It covered the lower half of his face and pointed out at the chin. His dark brown hair was shaved at the sides and pulled back into a ponytail.
This guy looks like he just came out of the Road Warriors or something. Once my confusion wore off, I quickly got into defensive mode. I had a feeling he didn't follow me out here just to get fashion tips.
"The fuck do you want?" Might as well get straight to the point.
His eerie eyes perked up at my blunt question. The man now seemed intrigued as he let his arms fall to his sides and strolled closer. I let my body become slack and loose as I prepared myself for an oncoming attack. My eyes stayed sharp as I watched the odd individual stop in front of me and look me up and down with wandering eyes.
"Your name's Jason, am I right?" The guy slowly began to circle me as I stepped away and kept my eyes on him, not allowing my back to be turned to him.
"I asked what the fuck do you want. I'm not here to play games." I kept my gaze locked on his as we both circled each other. My hair stood on end as I felt that familiar rush of adrenaline run through my body. You could practically taste the vehemence in the air. It signaled the dawn of a fight.
I could see the smirk playing in his eyes. He was having fun. It pissed me the fuck off.
My blood boiled under my skin as I felt those unsettling spikes start to poke through my body. I had gotten a better grip on them over the past few weeks so I decided to use my blood as a trump card. A just-in-case-shit-goes-down card if you will.
When it became clear that neither of us were going to answer the other's question we stopped our movement and eyed each other up. I was confident and nervous at the same time. I knew I was a good fighter but there was something about this guy that sent my nerves on edge. There was a bad air around him I didn't like. I felt like snapping my jaw at him like a wild dog.
A strong gust of wind obscured my vision for a brief second as the man used that moment to aim a roundhouse kick straight at my head. I ducked, moving away as I did and did my best to keep my body slack. Like water.
The guy was fast. He knew what he was doing. I used my arms to deflect an oncoming punch. I was light on my feet as I deflected his attacks and waited for an opening. He faltered for a moment and I took my chance. I crouched and used my palm to crack him upside the jaw. Direct hit. I grinned at the damage done but my cockiness soon faltered. He was right back at me like the hit had no effect on him. I back flipped away to put some distance between us and catch my breath.
The guy stood calm and ready as he cracked his neck and kept his eyes on me. He looked like a cat toying with its prey.
I flexed my hand a few times, opening and closing the fingers repeatedly. That attack hit him square on and he acted like nothing happened. What the fuck?
He rushed me again. I acted quickly and sidestepped his movements to look for another opening. I had to get in a lethal hit. Right to the collar. No more fucking around. I dodged and deflected his throws and kicks. Despite my growing apprehension, I remained collected. Kept my body fluid. Suddenly the perfect moment arrived. Another falter and his neck was right open. My arm coiled back like the cock of a pistol.
I was about to land the strike dead on when the muscles in his neck bulged out and collided with my attack. The punch did nothing against his grossly protruding neck muscles. As I was left dumbstruck and wide open for an attack, his other hand latched onto my throat, lifting me off the ground. I clawed at his arms as the fucker dangled me in the air like a fish out of water. My eyes suddenly caught something protruding from behind him as I squirmed in his grasp. His blood had taken on the shape of a scorpion's tail and was now stabbing himself in the back. The muscles around his collar bone grew to an inhuman point until they seemed to rip at the tissue.
My throat was then squeezed to an agonizing degree, cutting off all air supply. My windpipe was being crushed. My mind became utterly blank as I held onto his forearm and shot my spikes out from my hand. He released his grip on my throat and my blood went back to its liquefied state. I fell to the ground as I grasped for air, trying to move myself away from him. My throat was on fire as my vision went in and out of darkness. I looked back up to find him staring at his wounds in fascination.
He chuckled mockingly. "I was wondering when you were gonna use those." I fell back on my rear and held onto my throat as I tried to take in air normally. Breathing was hard and strenuous. My voice was nothing more than a rasp. This is bad.
The man tilted his shaved head. "Mmm? Guess I used too much force." As soon as he moved towards me I shot out my left spike, nearly puncturing his skull. He quickly moved out of my spikes range and laughed at my struggle.
His scorpion tail swished back and forth, almost like a cat's. "You got a nice black fire in your eyes. I like that." I flicked him off. That made him laugh even more. Though it still hurt to breathe, I shakily got to my feet and extended my right spear.
"Still got some fight left in ya huh? I like you more and more kid." The muscle man started walking towards me, his tailing flicking with excitement.
As soon as he got close enough I liquefied my spears back into my palms and forced the spikes out of my shoulder blades. I clenched my teeth as I felt the flesh rip open and my wings sprout from my back. In the man's moment of awe, I used his hesitation to curl my wings around my body and sharpen the spike-like feathers that adorned my wings. The shards were sent out in a torrent of wind as the muscle man threw his hands up to protect to his head. The man acted quickly as he stabbed himself once again. His entire body became enlarged and overly vascular as my spike feathers hit him.
With his enlarged muscles, the spikes barely penetrated him. I watched in anger as he pulled the barbs off and tossed them aside. It was like he was just pulling out a few slivers.
"That's what I've been waiting to see. Ever since I first saw you fly out of that apartment building I knew you were something different." His tone reminded me of that freak Keigo. I wanted to fucking kill him but I knew right now I was in the red zone. My windpipe was severely damaged and my vision was still slightly blurred. I was in no condition to fight, but that didn't mean I was going to lay down and die.
"Since you won't be doin much talking for a while, I guess I'll do the speaking." His blood tail morphed back into his body but his muscles remained large and pulsating. I stood my ground as he walked near me. He kept a certain distance though. The man wasn't stupid.
"You seem like a straightforward kind of guy so I'll just cut right to the chase. I think you and I should work together."
I snorted and bared my teeth at him in a sneer.
"I had a feeling that was gonna be your initial response. But just listen. You need money; I can provide you with the right kind of work that will make you quick, easy money. All I ask for is that you work for me and only me."
My demeanor didn't change as I kept my eyes on him.
"Still not convinced? How do you expect to get back to the states when you can't even afford to stay in a shitty apartment? You barely get by each and every day. You have to steal food in order to keep from starving. At this rate you'll never make it back to the U.S. Or do you want to live out the rest of your life in this shit hole?" My eyes widened slightly at his question.
I looked down at the ground for moment. His words got me confused. I wanted so badly to go back home but I needed money in order to do that. If he could help me get the money so I could go home then...
No!
I shook my head and brought my glaring eyes up to his once again. This guy was just trying to use me. That was it. People like him will say anything to get you to do what they wanted. I had to keep my resolve firm and not fall for his mind tricks. I was not going to become his little puppet.
His shoulders sagged in annoyance before he continued. "I'm not asking you to become my slave or something like that. I'm not even asking for your friendship. I already know that you don't even trust your so-called friends."
I winced at that statement.
There was a smile in his golden irises. "Which I think is a good thing. You can't trust anybody. That's just a fact of life. And you, my young friend, are smart enough to know not to put your trust in anyone. I could use a keen boy like you with me. Someone that's sharp both in body and mind." He eyed my wings like a valuable jewel.
My eyes narrowed once again.
He came a little closer, teetering on the range of my spear. "Yes I do want to use you. I'm not gonna lie. But in return I'll let you use me in order to make yourself the money you need to get back home. I could even help you get your passport with the connections I have. "
My ears perked at hearing that. My face became more attentive and less hostile.
"Aah now you're interested. See, we're more alike than you think." I didn't like the smugness in his voice.
He was standing eye level with me now. "All I want is for us to work together. Nothing more nothing less. Or do you like living in shit and putting up with those brats at the orphanage? At least with my help you could have better living arrangements and not have to rely on your little cop buddy all the time." I gritted my teeth and turned my gaze away from his. I don't need to rely on anyone!
His eyes caught something in the distance. "Looks like the Gorless Peace have finally made their move." I turned around to see what he was talking about and saw a large cloud of black smoke coming from inside the city. It looked like it was coming from the orphanage.
I whipped my head back around with a snarl, demanding an answer.
He held his hands up in mock defense. "They're not with me. My group has no name. We just do what we want to get what we want." He stepped away from me, his scorpion tail forming behind him.
The point of his tail stabbed him in the legs causing the muscles and tendons to bulge out immensely. "When you get your answer, come find me. We'll talk then." The golden-eyed man made a running start toward the fallen temple walls before leaping over the compound with inhuman agility.
I morphed my wings back into my body when I was certain the freak had left. I tried swallowing some spit in my mouth and found it was like trying to swallow a jagged rock. I knew I had to get to a hospital soon before my throat swelled shut and I suffocated to death. Unstably walking across the grounds I was halfway to the fallen gates when a bolt of lightning lit up the entire sky. I sucked in a startled breath and covered my ears from the impending sound.
The crash of thunder shook my frame and caused my legs to fall out from under me. I quivered in fear as the deafening sound roared across the valley. The sting of cold rain pelted me a moment later. I looked around until I spotted a crumbled roof that was still slightly perched. I ran over to it and slid myself into the farthest corner, bringing my shaking knees up to my chest. I scrunched my eyes shut. My chattering teeth blended in with the sound of the falling rain. My body flinched at the bright luminescence of lightening. That dreadful feeling of fear rose inside of me. Just like that same time in front of the burning house so long ago.
The fear began to suffocate me as my breathing became more and more difficult. It didn't help that my rising panic wouldn't leave me alone. The cold thought of death fogged my mind. I couldn't move from this spot and my throat was swelling by the second. This could very well be the end of me.
My body shivered as a cold gust of air blew into the fallen building, obscuring my vision.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I started to count backwards from 100.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Donmon's P.O.V
'So far we have no found no survivors. Over.'
I gripped the speaker hard enough to break it. We've had some terrible things happen in this city since the earthquake…
But this…
I twisted the nob on the radio and switched it around till I found the signal I was looking for.
"Senji, do you read me? Respond if you do! Over!" I was told that Senji was the first to respond to the scene. I could only imagine what could be going through his head at this very moment. I had to get a hold of him before he did something stupid.
"Senji!" My voiced cracked with distress.
I listened to the static of the radio and anxiously waited for a response.
'Old man.'
I gripped the table in front of me and let out a breath of relief. Thank god.
"Senji…where are you right now?"
His response was immediate.
'I'm going to go massacre the Goreless Peace gang.'
He spoke as if he were just going out to get some milk.
"Stop Senji! You're not thinking straight!" I yelled into the tiny handset.
There was a pause as the crackle of the radio was the only sound in the room.
'Why? Because I'm a cop?'
This was not the Senji I knew.
'Then I'm not a cop anymore.'
That part was nothing more than a growl.
'I'm just Kiyomasa Senji.'
I stared at the radio as the signal was cut off and I was left with the crackling static. I hung up the receiver and looked out onto the pouring streets. The kid was going to get himself killed. He was going to go out like some cool desperado in the night.
I grabbed my shotgun and cocked it.
"That kid's gotta learn that adults are the ones that get to go out all cool. Not young punks."
The rest of my team was already waiting for me outside.
We're getting closer to DW! How are you all liking the story so far? Did the fight scene go over well? That was my first time writing an actual fight scene so if it sounded choppy just let me know and I'll do better next time.
Next chapter we'll be going back to the monk temple with Jason and Genkaku.
Until next time my awesome readers
mcpidy
