A/N: I know its laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate! B-but I have a good reason...writers block... Sadly, I have hit a writer's block which made writing this out hard. But I plan on working through it as fast as possible.
Chapter 7: Past long regretted
A man sat behind his massive desk inside a huge office. He looked to be in his early fifties and was dressed in an expensive looking black suit. His back is towards the desk to look at the huge windows that were behind it. His steel grey eyes flashed before the sight before him, his fingers passing through his short dark brown hair, which had several stands of grey hair scattered throughout. He could see the tall skyscrapers and the bustle of the city below him and smiled; everything was practically his, his reach expanding, and his presence was known by everyone. He had the biggest criminal organization of Italy and the influence he had was enough to sway even the president's decisions. His name known, but never spoken as there was tremendous fear that he would know. No one stood in his way...no one.
Suddenly the doors swung open and a young woman walked in, her light blonde hair flowing behind her, wearing a simple black pinstripe suit. She stopped just before reaching his desk, her blue-grey eyes unmoving, her face showing no expression.
"What is it?" The man asked, his back still towards her.
The woman said nothing, she simply pulled out a card from her pocket and threw it towards the desk. The man turned to see the object and his smile instantly turned into a frown. The card was a simple white, the only thing on it was a red rose design.
"Where was it?" he asked, his eyes now on the expressionless woman before him.
"Mr. Boveri attempted to hide it from us; when the media heard of someone who tampered with the drinks and found a possible suspect we tracked him down. He was hiding within France and was going to board a private plane to go towards Russia." She replied.
"What was taken?"
"The data and memory card from his phone."
"Damn it! There were important numbers and information in that card!" He yelled. His eyes flashed in anger upon hearing that information. He slammed his fist onto the table and clenched his teeth together in an attempt to quell his temper.
"Indeed, we have taken care of Boveri; his body now lies in lake Como. All the media will know is that it was an attempted kidnapping." She said before turning around and walking out of the office.
When the doors closed he picked up the card and crumpled it in his hand. No one stood in his way...except for one minor annoyance.
"Fayth."
Fayth sat on her bed, after that conversation and the revelations no one really said a word. They were all too lost within their own thoughts and the day simply ran by. She glanced at her clock and saw it was only 6p.m. Sighing she turned her attention to her surroundings, everything was as it had been the day she got the house. She never really attempted to personalize the room; she remembered scoffing one day when Zarudin tried to explain that it was her attempt to close herself off from the world. Back then, she didn't even want to hear the psychology crap; she reasoned that she simply had no time or need to fix her room. But now that she thought about it, she couldn't help but mentally agree. Fayth didn't want to open her world, she didn't want anyone in. If her past taught her anything, it was that inviting someone in would only cause her pain in the long run. Sighing, she laid down on her bed, her arms behind her head and her eyes looking up at the ceiling.
As long as no one knew her, her innermost secrets, her dreams, her fears, as long as she let no one in, she wouldn't be hurt again. Not like before...
I do not know why I need you,
but you bring me such joy.
You help me forget the shadows...
that forever plague my soul.
Please do not go away.
I cannot explain why...
but I feel like I need you...
Please do not turn away from my eyes...
Flashes of pictures, of memories, pass by; starting with the image of the adolescent girl kneeling besides the two gravestones, and the child from before, now a young man, who reaches out and wraps his arms around her shoulders. She reaches to hold onto his arms, tears threatening to run as they both stay in place; then suddenly a small smile appears on her face. From there more picture of her, although sadness is still clear in her expression, little by little she begins to smile again. The man always besides her in each memory, they seem to be the best of friends. Many memories of pranks, many moments of slight happiness growing within her. Slowly her sadness is pushed away, her smile growing slightly bigger each time. The memories suddenly pause on a moment of the girl as a woman, now 18, with fear in her eyes. There are shadows that surround her, a tear streaming down her cheek. Her mouth opened slightly as one name escapes her lips.
"Itsuki..."
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
Fayth groaned in frustration, hearing the alarm buzzing loudly just a few feet away. She cursed herself for placing it there, knowing that it forces her to get up to turn it off. She pulled a pillow over her heard in an attempt to block out the annoying sound, but she could still hear it. Irritated, she tossed her pillow aside and got out of bed, stretching her body and feeling her joints pop back into place. Fayth walked up to the clock and hit the button to turn it off, a little harder than necessary, and the beeping stopped. Although very annoyed by the alarm she did thank the timing. 'Stupid memories...all they do is remind me why I hate people' she thought, her mind replaying her dream over and over. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a simple white shirt and went to her closet to pull out a pair of black jeans and white sneakers. Tossing the clothing aside for later she made her way into the bathroom to begin her preparations for the start of a new day.
Zarudin and Negumi were already downstairs in the kitchen, eating their breakfast in silence. They were accustomed to waking up early in order to make the most of the day and, luckily for them, the house keepers always woke up early as well. They could take their time to get ready and it allowed for them to be greeted by a hearty breakfast when they made their way downstairs. They always ate in the kitchen, for some reason it just didn't seem right to use the actual dining room; it felt too empty and so they avoided it completely. Negumi took a bite out of her buttered toast while Zarudin reached out to grab several pieces of bacon that was on a separate plate in front of him.
Fayth made her way down the stairs, already dressed and ready to go. Today was the briefing for the newest assignment; Negumi insisted that Fayth not be a part of it but had allowed her to at least hear what she was planning. Negumi and Zarudin usually were the ones who planned everything; they were both excellent at strategizing. Fayth honestly couldn't ever see herself do that, she was more action than planning. Arriving at the foyer she quickly turned left and walked towards the back of the home; passing by the sitting room and dining room on her way to the kitchen. Negumi and Zarudin both looked up to see her pass through the doorway and make her way towards them, taking a seat at the end of the table.
"You're not one to wake up early." Zarudin commented, watching her grab different items from the many plates and placing them on the empty one in front of her.
"Bite me" Fayth dryly responded; taking a bite from the strip of bacon in her hand.
Negumi cleared her throat in an attempt to quell any possible confrontation. To her it was too early to start arguing, especially with a big briefing up ahead in the day. "Look today we are starting the preparations for the upcoming assignment."
"Who's the target?" Fayth questioned
"Not target, targets" Negumi clarified. Fayth looked at her, puzzled at her words. "Apparently we are going to hit two men in connection to the Taisho clan."
"Taisho...aren't they Japanese yakuza?" Fayth asked.
"They are; but they have big influence here in Italy and are deeply connected to the De la Rosa organization. As it were, the two combined hold a lot of power and influence on many of Italian politicians as well as over other criminal organizations."
"So who are we targeting."
"Well me and Zarudin will be targeting two people apparently, though the details have not yet been explained to us..."
"So two guys eh? Shouldn't be that hard to do."
"Well of course not, though again don't include yourself in those thoughts...remember your still on thin ice."
Fayth glared at Negumi for a bit who simply looked back. The tension between them was growing, mostly from Fayth's end.
Zarudin cleared his throat in order to cut through the tense atmosphere. Negumi glanced over to him before sighing and giving in. She stood up and walked away from the table, heading out of the kitchen towards another room; leaving Fayth and Zarudin on their own.
"Fayth..." he called out.
Fayth looked up at Zarudin, waiting for him to somehow lecture her on her manners.
"I'm not going to comment on the way you have been treating Negumi...just know what we are all here for the same reasons and, as such, being united will be a lot more beneficial than being apart." he stated in a matter of fact tone.
She scoffed in reply before exiting the kitchen to go after Negumi.
"Hey Negumi!" Fayth called out.
Said woman turned around to face her. "What is it?"
"Look...I won't jump the gun okay?"
Negumi quirked an eyebrow at the statement which had Fayth take a deep breath before continuing. "I won't get involved in the assignment...but I want to know what you're going to do."
Negumi sighed, shaking her head in defeat. "If you don't get involved...then I guess there is no harm in letting you know the plan."
Fayth simply nodded in agreement, Zarudin having caught up to the two of them just then. Negumi turned around and walked out towards the stairs, the other two right behind her in silence. They made their way up the steps, heading towards Negumi's room. Once inside, Negumi closed and locked the door behind Fayth and Zarudin, to insure that there would be no interruptions. Without saying a word, she walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out a tablet. She tossed it over to Fayth, who caught it on instinct.
Fayth's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What is this?"
"Look at it." Negumi replied.
Fayth and Zarudin both looked down at the tablet, which showed an address, date, and time.
"What's this?" Zarudin asked, pointing to the screen.
"That's the location for a charity event taking place in approximately eight days from now. Attending that event will be the Taisho brothers, along with their two highest ranking members... Mitsou Yukimura, and Kimiko Takeda. Yukimura is a close friend of the youngest brother, but he had proven himself capable to earn favor with the older brother. Takeda is currently engaged to the youngest Taisho brother and therefore was immediately accommodated to a fairly high rank. She is the first born to the Takeda clan, a fairly well known clan in Japan, though nowhere near as powerful as the Taisho's."
Fayth looked up at Negumi. "Taisho...brothers you say?" Negumi nodded. "What are their names...?" Fayth asked, a look of slight apprehension on her face.
"Well...I know that the older one goes by Seishirou...apparently he isn't one to try and hide his identity. The younger one though, I can't be too sure about the name he uses."
"What name?" Fayth asked dryly.
"Well..." Negumi started "he goes by Itaru publically but, when I tried to search up his history it came up empty...so he must be using a fake name."
Zarudin looked over at Fayth who was visibly angered at something, at least he could tell by the why she clenched her teeth together. "Fayth...you okay?"
Fayth closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself to remain calm. "Yeah...guess I was just reminded of something..."
"Your past?" he asked.
"A past long regretted..." she trailed off, unwilling to delve into those thoughts any further. As far as she was concerned that past was over and done; it never existed. "Eight days huh?" she asked, swiftly changing the subject.
Negumi looked at her for a while, unsure of what had just occurred. "Yeah...Zarudin and I will be going in undercover for the event. We hope to be able to infiltrate into their organization using either Yukimura or Takeda."
Fayth nodded once in understanding. "I see..."
Something was nagging in the back of her mind, something felt off about this particular assignment. Whatever it was Negumi was dead wrong if she thought that she wouldn't get involved. One way or another...Fayth would find a way in. If anything, she was highly persistent. Eight days to prepare, that thought alone had that nagging feeling grow in intensity. Something about that name...Taisho, it had her on end. It couldn't be, there was no way. That was in her past.
That past long regretted.
A/N: Who could this Taisho guy be? Why is Fayth suddenly on edge? Le suspenseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Please do not forget to leave some constructive criticism!~ I really hope to gain some feedback on how to improve myself as I keep moving forward~
Until next time!~
