Chapter Nine

Cheiko's POV

I wasn't sure on why my heart wasn't calming down when I realized that Mr. Oh was inside my house. I knew that he wasn't here to see me, he had some business with Yoichi about the mafia war and I knew he wasn't interested in me. But still, my heart keeps thudding inside my chest as if it's going to burst in any minute. The way he smiled at me made me feel so anxious because he knew I denied the day that we met at the veranda. Yoichi wouldn't like me lying to him, but I needed to hide that moment because it felt surreal that I become so selfishly attuned to hiding it for myself because it was the very first time I felt so confused and safe, and somehow happy.

All because it was there that I met this man. This man who stared at me, his eyes, challenging to create another lie. I was so embarrassed that I had to look away. I felt the disappointment and curiosity in him.

"Hello, Black Mamba's princess. I'm Soryu Oh, and these are my men Inui Ryosuke and Samejima Koichi. We are here to create an alliance with your clan so that we could both stop this ridiculous mafia war. Are you aware of it?" Soryu asked me, his eyes filled with mirth that I knew he was laughing at me in his thoughts because I'm completely at loss for words. I blushed because I was embarrassed, not because of the way he rode with the lie I said, but with how he gently smiled at me. I notice, from the corner of my eye that even Tsuyoshi's noticing something.

I made a bow and smiled at the two young men behind Soryu as they gape at me as if I was some kind of treasure that they want to take care of. Did I do something?

Soryu glanced behind him and glared at the men because he noticed they were looking at me the way some of the men in our house did. I suppressed a giggle because they were all too cute that I wanted to befriend them immediately.

"You have adorable men, Mr. Oh. I bet they are fun gems to be around?" I smiled. He looked at me and didn't answer for a little while and he said, "Of course."

I don't know how long we were staring at each other, but I jumped at the sound of Yoichi clearing his throat and his hand rested on my back. "I'm afraid, Soryu and I need to talk about more pressing matter. You will behave yourself while I'm not here, right?" He teased. I rolled my eyes and walked away, but before I went up to my room, I looked back at Soryu and his men and smiled.

"Please, make yourselves at home." Inui and Samejima bowed and smiled at me as they nodded their agreement, whereas Soryu just smiled and looked at me. His stare was making me feel warm and I didn't know what to do so I immediately asked Yoichi whether they'd be having lunch with us and Yoichi nodded.

"Okay, then. I'll see you later at lunch." I smiled and ran off to my room.

When I finally closed my door, I leaned on it and I can slowly feel my heart's erratic beating as I touched my chest and I slid on the floor and I just sat there, staring at nothing and I waited for my heart to calm down, and for my mind to settle with an idea. I stared outside my window and I can see everything so calm and beautiful. The exact feeling of what I am right now. I sighed as I glanced at the picture of my mother on my bookshelf.

"Mother, what should I do?"

Soryu's POV

I somehow managed to make her feel a bit uncomfortable. I was feeling a bit annoyed with how she denied the mere fact that we already met. But I guess her Yoichi wouldn't understand or like the idea she was alone with me, or even the thought of me wanting to kiss her that night, either so I guess I somehow understood.

She was a charmer, alright. However, she wasn't aware of it.

The way Samejima and Inui fell for her spell proved that. It only took them a simple smile and they were already smitten. I would've laughed at their naiveté, but I knew I was also on the brink of falling for her spell, so I sighed at that.

"Soryu, are you listening to me?" Yoichi asked as I stared out his window while we discussed what we were supposed to do. I took a look at Yoichi, he seemed unconcerned about the way my men looked at his woman, I guess he was used to people loving her instantly. He looked so serious that I remembered how free spirited he was when we were kids. Time changes things, and people most of the time.

"So you're saying, that the main promoter of this war is Ryuichi's clan?" I asked. Ryuichi, the most notorious mafia lord in our world, has been declaring all out wars for clans with different philosophies from theirs. Given this, he wants to destroy my clan and Yoichi's. He plans on slowly devouring the remaining clans who stand for humane ways and rational thinking. I have heard of this man's reputation. He used people only because they are convenient to his benefit and once he's done with you, you die. He also loves pestering women and he uses them in the most carnal way that women usually hide and would rather kill themselves once they realize that Ryuichi has set their eyes on them.

"Yes, and I need your help to fight with me. He has influenced a lot of groups and it scares me because our kind's number is very minute compared to his allies. We need all the strength and ideas we can get. I won't let him destroy my clan the way he did to the Kazumi's." he said.

"Kazumi's?" I asked. He was referring to Natsume Kazumi, whose clan got annihilated from our world because Ryuichi wanted something from him that he didn't give. He killed every one of Testu's clan members in cold blood. The Kazumi mafia is now considered extinct for nobody stepped up to take charge and sustain the life blood of the group. It's either Ryuichi succeeded in erasing every Kazumi in this world or the survivors were too afraid to make the group live.

"Yes. Natsume Kazumi's clan. So please, help me out." Yoichi said.

I nodded. "I actually planned on talking to you last night, however, I got in trouble and I couldn't come near you." I explained. Yoichi smiled at that. "What a coincidence, I wanted to speak with you last night. Ryuichi was there and he caused chaos. But thanks to his idiocy, I saw who were his allies and which ones were with us." He said.

Yoichi was always clever with these kinds of things. I was impressed. However, I realized that the means of getting his plan done was somewhat wrong and dangerous.

He used Chieko in this plan as bait. I knew that Chieko was aware, she openly accepted it knowing that she was used as a bait for the notorious clan members to show themselves. After all, no notorious mafia boss who is in their right mind would refuse a beautiful woman such as she is.

"You used your woman to get your plan done, didn't you?" I asked. Yoichi sighed and nodded. "Now I have placed her in grave danger because Ryuichi knows her and he wants to possess her. A lot of those scumbags do." He explained. I just nodded at this as I thought about the way she was shaking from fright and shock when I saw her outside the veranda.

She may be a sniper, but she needs to be protected.

"Saying this, I go on to one of the deals I want to make with you." Yoichi said silently.

"What is it?" I asked. It took Yoichi a while to say what he wanted from me asides from the alliance that the room became more tense than it was before. He looked at me right in they eye, asking me silently to give my word as he said, "When things go bad, or when I know that the war Ryuichi will bring is upon my clan," he started.

"Can you please take Miki under your refuge until this war is over?" he said.

I fell silent to that. He wanted me to protect Chieko when things get too dangerous. I finally understood. He wanted to protect her because he knew that once he showed her face to every living villain in this mafia world, he knew they will use her as bait to make him bow down to their orders. He didn't want Chieko getting hurt more than she has been damaged already.

I nodded. "I will."

"Can I trust you on this?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Soryu. She isn't really difficult to be with. In fact, she'll take care of you guys as much as you need her to do so." He smiled. The way his eyes sparkled and softened when it was Chieko we're talking about brought about a little jealousy in me. I nodded.

We went about the usual business, talked about strategies and assigned each other with different tasks until one of his men called us for lunch and the serious meeting about the alliance ended. Chieko didn't come down for lunch, Tsuyoshi said that she must be full from what she ate while they were outside a while back. I didn't see her since then.

The day dragged on and we needed to go back to the office so I said my good byes to Yoichi and his men, saying that we'll meet each other often at Tres Spades, Eisuke's hotel and went out of the Black Mamba head quarters. As I walked to my car, I felt that somebody was staring at me and I absentmindedly looked up and saw Chieko by her window, looking at me as I depart her home. I smiled and made a simple waving gesture.

She softly smiled and she held her hand up as a wave. We looked at each other for a while and Inui finally called me from inside the car and I left.

I sighed as we were on our way back to the office. I wanted to think. I wasn't myself the entire day. I decided to have them drop me off to the hotel.

All day I only thought of her, I wanted to get to know her and talk to her but somehow our eyes were the only ones doing the conversations. Conversations that even we both don't know and understand what they were saying to each other.

I was quite happy that things went according to plan. I had the alliance I needed, we had plans and strategies, what's left of us to do is wait and get ready.

But most importantly, I was glad because I saw her.

Yoichi's POV

I watched Soryu leave my place from my study while Tsuyoshi looked with me. I was quite glad things were okay with the alliance and plans. Soryu has been the most reliable fellow ever since we were children. Growing up more freely than he did, I somehow managed to see him so rigid and unhappy, growing up being trained immediately to be a mafia group's successor. It comforts me seeing him quite happy with what he has become. He's also the most trustworthy mafia boss ever.

However, I felt uncomfortable with the way Chieko behaved when he's around. She never acted so shy and weird around any guy at all. Even with me. The way their eyes made hushed conversations as they looked at each other didn't sit right with me. However, the way I saw Chieko's eyes light up when she realized that Soryu was here made me realize that Soryu is the perfect person to leave Chieko with. As much as possible, if I were to die from this war, I want somebody who would take care of Chieko as much as I could.

But I'm not ready to give her up to anybody yet.

Right at that exact moment, I saw Soryu glance back to my place, but he was looking up at something by the right side of my house and as he made a simple gesture of a good-bye wave, I knew he was saying goodbye to my Chieko. I never saw Soryu smile this tenderly before.

He is also taken with Chieko, I can feel it.

"You better watch out for Chieko, Yoichi." Tsuyoshi grimaced. He was also jealous, I can tell. I smiled at him and punched his shoulder and turned away from the window and I head to my door.

"He is taken with her, I'm sure you've noticed that. Don't you think he's using you to get to her?" Tsuyoshi mentioned. I laughed as I opened my door.

"Soryu Oh is an honorable man. I've known him for years." I said.

"Yoichi he's kinda in love with her." Tsuyoshi added with panic and disbelief in his eyes. He was shocked I wasn't offended or even worried that Soryu might whisk away our princess right under our noses. I knew Soryu's too honorable to do that. I looked back at Tsuyoshi before I went out my study and shook my head.

"Aren't we all?"

I closed the door behind me, leaving a dumbfounded Tsuyoshi in my wake. If things do come into where Soryu falls in love with Chieko, I'm not afraid.

I know where Chieko's loyalty and heart lies.

And that place is here and nowhere else.