XI
A week passed since Matsuda's visit. During those seven days Raito got a lot better, at least he'd started to return to his normal self – talkative, active and very much alive. The doctor had visited him a couple of times and with his permission Yagami had been freed from his bed confinement. On the eight's day pale but resolute looking Matsuda came back to the headquarters. He and Yagami talked for a while behind a closed door of his office, and later that night Raito told me that in three days we would be visiting Namikawa and his wife's funeral. Thanks to Matsuda we didn't only get Reiji's but also his wife's body. Two days prior to the burial Raito spent calling and sending envelops to people who knew his dead friend, and organizing everything necessary for the funeral process.
The morning of the burial's day was gray and cold. Upon awakening I looked out of a window to be greeted by the sight of snow slowly falling down on the ground in a mesmerizing dance. For unknown to me reason, I stayed glued to the window, watching the snowfall that was slowly but surely covering everything around with a white, fluffy layer. It was early in December, and it was also the first time I saw so much snow. During the six years that I'd spent in Tokyo, it'd never been snowing so heavily and there had been even less snow in Osaka where I'd spent my childhood.
I don't know how much time I'd wasted staring out of the window before a whistle of a boiled kettle pulled me out of my dreamlike state.
"Morning, Lawliet," Raito greeted me in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a cup of steaming tea already next to him.
"Morning."
I poured some tea for myself and took a seat at the table, watching Raito as he was flicking through something on his tablet.
"Have you prepared your clothes for today?" he asked me, not tearing his eyes off the screen.
"Yes. Unfortunately, I have only one dress suit, so it seems I will have to wear the same clothes to Reiji-san's funeral that I did for his wedding day."
"That doesn't matter," he looked up at me. "I want you to look decent. There's going to be one very important guest at the funeral, and we're going to have a conversation with him later."
"Oh? Who are you talking about exactly?"
"The head of the syndicate. I think I've told you about him before."
Indeed, I vaguely remembered how Raito had been explaining to me the hierarchy of clans. Back then he'd told me that even though he was the head of his clan, and Namikawa and Midou had their own clans, three of them still had the ultimate leader to whom they obeyed.
This supreme oyabun was known to be a rather old man who rarely showed his face and almost never spoke to yakuza who weren't holding the leader's positions. I'd never seen him but as far as I was aware, Raito was used to visiting him every month with a report on current condition of clan's affairs.
"Yes, I recall now," I said slowly, adding few sugar cubes to my tea. "Are you going to introduce me to him?"
"Yes. Actually, it was him who asked me of this. He suddenly got interested in you after he learned how you'd discovered about Midou's plan," Raito frowned.
I paused for a second. Judging by Raito's reaction, he wasn't exactly glad about the prospect of me meeting the oyabun.
"Are you upset about this?"
"No. But I'm a little worried. You see..." Yagami sighed, searching for the right words. "It's not what I should be telling you, but you better not trust him. I want you to be prepared for everything he might throw your way. The oyabun is very tricky. He likes to play with people, to test their boundaries and their judiciousness. I want you to be on your guard and to never trust him fully."
"Got it, boss."
The ceremony was held in a temple. We were first to arrive there, and as soon as we came, we were led into a big room in the center of which stood two altars with coffins on them. Cold chill ran down my spine upon looking at the photos in black frames. Immediately I recognized Reiji on one of the photos and my heart clenched painfully. I nervously glanced at Raito, biting into my trembling lip, suddenly frightened. I hadn't had a chance to visit a funeral before, and I only knew basics of the ceremony.
I followed Raito and stepped closer to the altars, bowing down to them. He then offered incense three times to the urns that stood before the coffins. I did the same. Both of us were holding flowers in our hands and I wondered if I could already place my bouquet. Still, I didn't dare to do anything before Yagami, and simply waited for his next actions to mimic them. But the only thing he did was to look at Reiji's face. I too casted my eyes down at the dead body. Namikawa looked... unrecognizable. Perfectly still and pale, his face features expressed nothing, and his face seemed too hollow. I half-expected Raito to say or do something to him, but boss remained just as still. He came back to his senses only when first guests stepped into the room.
Soon enough everyone were gathered and the ceremony began. I was sitting on my knees, beside Raito, listening to the priest chanting. All of this time I was wondering who of the guests was the syndicate's oyabun. Earlier I'd noticed a tall, gaunt man in a black suit who looked to be in his fifties. He came with few other men who didn't stay for the ceremony, and now was sitting to Raito's left. The thing that had caught my attention about him was that everyone seemed to know and respect him, seeing that they bowed to him countless times in form of greeting. Even my boss bowed his back lower than he usually did. So, could it be that the oyabun was now sitting almost next to me?
While I was busy thinking, the ceremony was over. I followed Raito to once again step to the coffins. This time he placed the flowers beside Reiji's head and did the same with his wife. I hurried to follow his actions. Once this was over, we headed back to the car. I still couldn't get rid of unpleasant feeling that had tied up my guts and made my feet and hands cold. I wanted to ask Raito if we were going to head home or somewhere else, and if the man that sat beside him was the oyabun, but couldn't muster up the courage to actually open my mouth and ask these questions. Thankfully, Yagami answered my unspoken questions. Sometimes I got the feeling that he could really read my mind.
"We'll now head to the crematorium. After the cremation we'll go back to the headquarters where you will be presented to the oyabun."
I nodded my head. He looked at me and suddenly a warm smile graced his face.
"You look pale. Was it the first time you visited funeral?"
"Yes. I didn't expect to see Reiji-san again, like that..."
"You were doing good," he smiled again, this time sadly. "None of us expected to ever see Reiji like that."
"I thought there would be more people on the ceremony," I said, fidgeting on my seat. "And as far as I understood, there weren't any relatives of the deceased...?"
"I only invited other clans' leaders. Reiji's parents died a long time ago. He didn't have any relatives, the only family he had was us... I didn't know much about his wife, but I managed to find her mother. She refused to visit the funeral - it so happened that her family disowned her after they'd learned she was dating a yakuza. She offended her family's dignity by doing that, you see," he smiled crookedly.
As soon as he finished the sentence, the car door opened and Takada got inside. Her eyelids were pink and puffed, and she was softly blowing her nose into a handkerchief.
"I still can't believe this," she muttered, looking at Raito through the rear-view mirror. "I saw it with my own eyes but... It just can't be. Not Reiji. Anyone but him."
"Don't cry, Kiyomi. Tears won't help it."
"I can't stop, damn you!" she suddenly squealed, clutching at the back of Raito's seat. "Don't pretend to be stoic now! Aren't you just as enraged as I am? Fucking Shingo with your fucking fiancée, they ruined everything! And why?! For the sake of that motherfucking dick-sucking bastard Higuchi?!"
Raito stayed silent, keeping his head down, while Kiyomi went on:
"It was a massacre, Raito. Reiji was the leader of a clan, that's for sure. But his wife? They fucking gunned down his wife on her wedding day! Why didn't they show some fucking respect, huh?!"
"Hush, Kiyomi."
"No, I won't! I'm pissed at all of them! To attack just like that, killing innocent people! And Shingo called you a friend, a brother even! This goes beyond the code of honor, and you know that!"
"What did you expect?!" Raito finally snapped, turning to glare at her. "Were you seriously hoping for them to send you a warning?! Would it make anything better? Higuchi is one giant piece of shit, he never obeys the code! Don't you know that?"
"I know! And I'm so fucking angry at you right now! Didn't I tell you to stop him? If you'd listened to me, Reiji would still be with us!"
"And do you think he'd be respected for what he did to save his life, huh?! He died an honorable death, and I'd do the same if I were him. That's why I never thought of dissuading Reiji."
"Ugh!" Kiyomi punched Raito's seat with hatred. "I fucking hate you."
Raito let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a second.
"Stop thinking of what ifs, Kiyomi. Reiji is dead, we can't do anything more than to join into the war that Higuchi started."
"But you do nothing to actually prove that you're at least going to avenge him," Takada sneered.
"You perfectly well know that I can't leap into action without the oyabun's permission," Raito hissed, getting unexpectedly angry. "If I could, trust me, both Midou and Higuchi would be choking on their own guts."
Kiyomi sighed, massaging her temples in a distressed manner.
"I hope that you will no longer put off the talk with the oyabun. It kills me to just sit back and wait."
"Fret not. I'm going to have this conversation today."
"Thanks god," she sighed again and crinkled her nose. "I got a headache now."
"Say thanks to your little tantrum."
Kiyomi didn't respond to that and a few minutes later, after I saw that very man who had been treated like a king get in another car, we finally were off to the crematorium. While we were driving, Kiyomi placed her hand on Raito's shoulder and said in a quiet voice:
"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I've been constantly losing it since that day..."
In the mirror I saw Raito knitting his eyebrows, as if he was in pain. He then nodded his head, not bothering to waste any more words.
The cremation procedure took a long time but I patiently waited until the very end of it. When the incinerating process was over, Raito and the oyabun started to pick the bones out of the ashes to place them into the urns. Watching them doing that made me a little sick. It was actually very hard to believe that small white bones were the only things left of Namikawa and his wife. It was almost impossible to take it in.
Thankfully, this torture didn't last too long and soon enough the remains in the urns were sent to a cemetery, and Raito beckoned me to get inside the car. Before I followed him, I noticed the oyabun looking at me. He had a rather creepy, unblinking stare and a smirk on his face. I forced myself not to wince at the sight and hurriedly got in the car with Raito.
When already in the headquarters, Raito gave me a sign to wait near the door to his office, while he offered the oyabun to walk inside first. They spent there a couple of minutes, and during this time Kiyomi brought two cups of coffee to them. I smirked. Well, the oyabun certainly was a big person, for I'd never seen Kiyomi getting a single cup for Yagami. Finally, Raito opened the door and dragged me inside. He put me right in front of the elderly man, placed a hand on my shoulder, opened his mouth, but before he could say anything the man exclaimed:
"Ah! Young man, you must be Lawliet! I've been anxious to finally meet you in flesh. Raito speaks very highly of you."
I wanted to glance at Raito, but his grip on my shoulder tightened just a bit. So I bowed down and said:
"Yagami-dono is my mentor. The credits for my services go to him."
A smirk once again stretched the oyabun's lips. And I couldn't help but notice that the whites of his eyes had a yellowish tint, as if he was stricken with some disease.
"What a loyal attitude," the man said, winking at Raito.
"I still haven't gotten a chance to introduce you to Lawliet, boss," Raito's voice sounded a little strained. He looked at me and then gestured to the oyabun. "Since the oyabun already knows your name, Lawliet, allow me to introduce you Ryuk, my immediate chief and the head of our family."
I thought I misheard him. Ryuk? Was it an alias? While I was blinking, confused, Ryuk hold up his hand with an outstretched finger, moving it in a "no-no" gesture.
"Oh, Raito, you forgot to add two most important titles of mine – your mentor... and your father."
…
What? This time I couldn't help but look up at Raito, astonished. This information totally didn't add up with his story. Hadn't he been telling me that he was an orphan? Hadn't he made it clear that he didn't have any warm feelings towards his mentor? Though, wait, this one still seemed to be correct. I could tell that Raito was honestly displeased to see his... father. Father.
I once again stared at Ryuk who'd grabbed an apple from Raito's desk and was now munching at it quite happily. Nothing in this man reminded me of Raito. Nor his dark hair, nor his strange posture, nor his behavior, nor his facial features. There was a slight chance that Raito inherited his mother's looks and manners, but still, shouldn't there have been at least something that could indicate that Yagami and Ryuk were tied by blood?
"I see you didn't bother to tell your little friend here about us, eh?" Ryuk winked at Raito once again. I almost flinched, remembering all the times Raito had winked at me. Well, at least eye twitching was the thing they seemed to share.
"And is there something to tell about you and me?" Raito asked in a caustic tone.
"Why of course! A heart-wrenching story about a small orphan boy who miraculously learned that his father was a yakuza. The boy had a courage to escape from his orphanage, full of precision to find his dad. He searched and searched until one beautiful day the little boy met a man, who later became his master. Ah... sweet little boy, he had a kind, open heart and oh how he wished to finally meet his daddy!" Ryuk wiped off a non-existent tear. "Surprisingly enough, his master remembered of an affair he'd had with a beautiful young lady who unfortunately was earning her money by selling her body to random men. And how lovely that lady was... Her image had been forever imprinted in the master's mind, and just upon looking at the little orphan boy, the guru could tell that yes... The boy was his son, who was lucky enough to inherit his mother's lovely appearance. Of course, the master wasn't a fool and he did the paternity test which only proved his suspicions. And now the little boy turned into a grown man of whom his master can be sometimes proud."
Ryuk held a dramatic pause. I glanced at Raito, inwardly preparing for a volcano eruption. But he was simply glaring at his father, not daring to actually say something. Ryuk send a loving gaze his way, before continuing:
"And who on earth would say that there's nothing to tell about us, son?"
"I would. Enough of the idle talk. I need to discuss with you things that actually matter," Raito frowned.
"Of course. That was only expected from you. But before we get to business," the supreme oyabun looked at me. "I heard that you were the one who saved Raito by spying on one of his so called friends. Are the rumors correct?"
"I didn't do anything except for warning him about the attack. And even my warning was a little belated," I said cautiously.
"And still, it was you who learned about Midou's betrayal. And if it wasn't for your warning, who knows... Perhaps there wouldn't be Raito sitting here with us today," he let out a short, bark-like laugh.
I gave a strained smile. Yagami's face grew darker and he attempted to change the subject of the conversation again:
"Speaking of Midou, I was wondering..."
"Hush, Raito. Where are your manners?" Ryuk clicked his tongue, and gave me a sweet smile. "So, young man. What do you use as your weapon?"
"Uh... I'm quite skilled in shooting. I prefer to use Glock 18, but I am able to operate any type of small arms."
"So, guns, eh?" Ryuk shook his head, as if disappointed. "Type of a weapon that even an amateur can handle. A weapon that's not used in a man-to-man duel. A weapon that grants instant murder by a simple manipulation of your fingers. Not in the very least noble or brave."
I couldn't find a response to that. I used to be proud of my skills in gunfire, but now, when he'd phrased it that way, I was slowly starting to doubt myself. I looked at Raito, subconsciously seeking for some advice. He was sitting on a sofa, his legs crossed and eyes casted down. He then lifted his gaze and looked directly into my eyes. And the look he was giving me was far more eloquent than any of the words he could say. "Don't trust him. He likes to play with people... to test their judiciousness."
With numb fingers, I pulled out a gun from the pocket of my trousers, clicked the safety catch and aimed it at Ryuk:
"That doesn't make this baby here any less fatal," I said firmly, suddenly remembering Raito's own words that he'd said once.
Completely unexpectedly, Ryuk doubled over in a fit of laughter. He was laughing so hard that tears formed in his eyes and his unusually pale, even grayish skin obtained some color.
"Good job! You're really something, kid!" he forced out and added in a bit more serious tone: "But you will never get the true feeling of killing your enemy if you continue using your little pistol. It's cold, it's but a mechanism that doesn't have personalization, while a sword is the extension of your hand, of your flesh. Only through it will you convey all the depth of the hatred you feel for your enemy. There is no greater pleasure than to thrust a blade into the body of your foe and watch light fade from their eyes."
Ryuk's own eyes lit up while he spoke, and on the back of my mind I started wondering if it was him who had muddled Yagami's brain so throughly that Raito now preferred katanas to guns. Meanwhile the latter gave a polite cough and asked in a stiff voice:
"Have you had enough with your games? Can we finally talk about business?"
"You're just like a spoilt child demanding for attention," Ryuk sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "I'm all ears."
I saw Raito's jaw tightening but overall he managed to retain his calm composure.
"As you already know from my reports, Midou betrayed the syndicate by entering into alliance with Higuchi. This newly formed union brought highly unpleasant consequences – we lost one of the clans' leaders, and subsequently practically every family member of the said leader is now confirmed dead. Furthermore, the attack that was conducted on us went beyond all the rules written in the code of honor. By betraying the family, striking it and divesting it of an honorable member, Midou declared a war. Taking into accord his current ties with Higuchi, we are forced to fight against the latter as well. My duty, as the leader of the clan, is to fight our enemy and avenge the death of my fallen brother."
Ryuk had already started yawning while Raito had been in the middle of his speech. If he weren't the syndicate's leader, Yagami would probably kill him for that outrageous behavior. But seeing that he couldn't go against his commander, Raito gritted his teeth and waited for a reply.
"Oh, the pompous words," Ryuk said, looking at boss, obviously bored out of his mind. "Are you asking for my permission?"
"Yes."
"And what exactly are you planning to do, I wonder? Kill Midou? Higuchi? Everyone from our adverse syndicate?"
"Your last guess is the correct one."
"I see... You have my permission to start actions, and I do believe that you will cope with your task. Even though I can't say that you're the best of the clan leaders."
"Thank you," Raito said in an unwavering voice.
"You're welcome," Ryuk waved his hand in a casual manner, grinning widely. "Actually, you know I wanted to talk to you about another matter."
"Oh? What that could be?"
"This guy," the oyabun pointed his sharp finger on me. "Since Namikawa's dead now and Midou chose the fate of a dead rat, I need to place new people as the leaders. And right now I can't find a candidate better than your little friend here."
"...Pardon?" Raito seemed truly shocked. And to be honest, I felt the same way.
"Why are you making round eyes at me? Are you surprised? Maybe you're glad? Or upset?" Ryuk smirked, observing Yagami's reaction. "You should be glad. If I choose Lawliet as the leader, this only means that you did your work as his mentor perfectly."
"If anything, I am taken aback with your offer."
"You shouldn't be. Before coming to this decision I made a careful study of Lawliet's personal dossier. He's young, ambitious, strong both physically and mentally, loyal to the family, and most of all he is smart. He's just like you when you took the place of the leader of your clan. And if you think that he is too young to be taking this position, may I remind you that you became the leader when you were only twenty. And as far as I know, Lawliet's going to celebrate his twentieth birthday next year."
"Still, in order to take the position of the leader at such age, sacrifices are needed to be made. I had to get engaged, if you still remember."
"Ah, yes, you got engaged with that harlot, who betrayed you and ran away with Shingo. But I have to inform you that there are no rules concerning the age of the leader. Personally you had to go through the hassle just so everyone would think that you were willing to obey the gathering's word and your influential daddy didn't help you to get the position. I voted against you on the gathering. It was Akio who strived to make you the leader and found a solution in your marriage or engagement. I'm sure you remember this."
"I do," Yagami gritted his teeth. "You've never told me about the lack of the age rule."
"Was I obliged to do that?" Ryuk raised his eyebrows. "Anyway, now that you know that Lawliet can become the leader of a clan, what would you say?"
He stared at Raito, anticipating his reply with some kind of perverted pleasure. It almost felt like he chose me just to torture Yagami some more. I felt disgusted at the scene.
"Why do you ask me?" Raito said quietly after a few moments of silence. "Lawliet is a responsible adult. He has a right to choose his fate."
"I'm asking you just because you're still nominally his boss," Ryuk shrugged.
"Oh? I don't feel like I have a right to decide this for him. Lawliet," he turned to look at me. "You have the final word here. Are you taking Ryuk's offer?"
Like hell. I wanted to say that right away, but... the memories of my childhood came flushing down on me. I remembered my six years old self, drawing pictures that had been portraying me as the oyabun. I remembered how I'd wanted to have the authority and power. And later, after I'd met Yagami, I had so much desired to be not just his student, but his partner. To be on par with him.
I looked Raito in the eyes. Ryuk was playing dirty. Basically his question meant "will you betray Raito?". And the answer to that question was simple – never.
There couldn't not be a catch in Ryuk's offer. Or perhaps, he was just testing my loyalty. But even if that wasn't the case, I couldn't turn my back on Raito. I couldn't walk away for the sake of chasing after my childhood dreams. Because I knew that bringing to life my long-forgotten fantasies would never make me as happy as I was just being close to my boss.
"I have to turn down your offer," I said to Ryuk. "My place is beside my boss."
The man smirked and let out a raucous laugh again.
"Would you look at that," he grinned madly at Raito. "You raised him like a puppy. Were you practicing dog trainings on him?"
"I taught him in accordance with the code of honor. You see the result now - loyalty and discretion are his priorities."
"I see," the oyabun smirked again. "Good job, good job..."
A long minute we spent in silence. Ryuk grabbed another apple from Yagami's desk and stood up from his chair.
"Looks like we're done here," he said and patted Raito on the shoulder. "Good luck, son."
"Goodbye," Raito uttered, not looking up at his father.
As soon as Ryuk walked out of the door, it opened again and he peeked his head inside:
"I almost forgot to tell you good news. Though the information I'm about to disclose to you is most likely to disappoint you."
"What is it?" Yagami asked him tiredly.
"Shingo is already dead. You will only have to take care of Higuchi."
"What?.." Raito froze.
"Aye, what did you think? I couldn't let the traitor live. But wait... you wanted to deal with him with your own hands, right? Oh well, too late now," a wide smile stretched his lips. "Anyway, got to go now. See ya."
He swiftly closed the door and I turned my eyes to look at Raito who had a very strange mix of emotions on his face.
"Boss?" I called out for him, uncertain.
"Lawliet. Leave me."
"Yes, boss."
