I kept my face hidden as I attended Mimiko's funeral. Standing in the very far back away from the rest of the mourners, not daring to make a sound. I wore a black hooded cloak and a black vale, ensuring no one would notice me.
Once Mimiko's death made the news, my face was plastered across every news station in Japan. I wan't suppose to be seen, Mrs. Kitazawa was not supposed to return home for another hour. And yet she did, and now as a result, not only was I spotted, but now I was an official fugitive. Damn my luck.
Several of Mimiko's students, from past and present took turns speaking at his funeral, every single one of them talking about how much he was a mentor and father figure to them, almost every one choking on tears as they got up and spoke.
As the funeral rolled on I got a glimpse of Mimiko's young daughter, curled up in her mother's arms, cradling the teddy bear her father gave her as she tried to put on a brave face. But I could tell that she was hurting on the inside.
Watching as each student gave a testimony, as well as several of his employees and then finally his wife, hearing nothing but the most kindest things about this man, it only made the guilt I was feeling inside that much worse. I took away a loving husband and father, a well respected teacher beloved by everyone, and for what? A feud over property? There had to be more to this story, there just had to be. What was Gaku wanting to do with Mimiko's property that he wanted him dead so badly. Despite my reputation as a no questions asked Mercenary, I did just become a wanted fugitive by killing this man, I deserved to know why.
I sat in my car after the funeral, and watched, waiting for everyone to leave, then once the cost was clear I walked over to Mimiko's grave, laid a single black rose on his tombstone and stared at his grave in silence for several minutes, the wind blowing my cloak.
"I'm. I'm sorry Mimiko." I said ashamed, my head hung low, a single tear falling from my eye. "You didn't deserve this."
"Trust me, he did."
My eyes went wide when I heard that voice. Turning around I gasped at the sight of the man I wanted to see the least right now.
"Gaku?"
"Congratulations Shego, I knew you wouldn't let me down, Again."
"You got what you wanted Gaku, now give me what I want, answers!"
"Come again?"
"This was an innocent man you just had me kill! He had a wife, a young daughter. He was loved by everyone! Why did you have me kill him? What is it you want with his property?"
"Shego, need me to remind you that when I hired you, you told me that as long as I had the money to pay you that you would ask no questions?"
"Yeah? Well there is something about getting spotted by the grieving widow and becoming wanted by every cop in the damn country that kind of changes ones mind. Why did you want him dead? ANSWER ME!"
"Shego, I am going to ask you nicely just once to drop your pursuit for answers and walk away." Gaku pulled out a pistol and pointed it at my gut. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Really? Cause right now I am really wanting to hurt you."
"Shego, I do suggest you really think over your next couple of moves cause things could really get ugly for you. You are a wanted criminal, wanted for murder, I am a respected businessman. All I have to say to the police is that you attacked me, and I fired back and no one would ask any questions."
"Your assuming that you can fire before I melt your fucking face off."
"You wouldn't do that Shego, because if you do, you will never get the answers you are looking for."
I growled and clinched my fist. He had me trapped like a goddamn rat. Fuck him.
"I suggest you turn around Shego, and forget we ever had this conversation while you still can. You will have the payment for your job in your bank account tomorrow. I suggest you use it to get a first class ticket out of Japan and never return."
"This isn't over Gaku, not even close, you have no idea the enemy you just made."
"Good day Shego." Gaku then turned and walked away. It took everything in my power to not throw one of my green hues into his back. But I needed answers, and I couldn't get them if he was dead. So clinching my teeth and my fist, I walked away.
As I drove home I drove past Hanna's house. I saw Hanna sitting on her porch swing, sipping on some tea and sending a wave my way. I have no idea why she would still be acting so friendly to me. My face was all over the news, shouldn't she be calling the cops on me? Pulling up to her driveway I got out and walked over to her porch.
"Nicole, so nice to see you," Hanna smiled "Care for some tea?"
"Have you not seen the news?"
"I don't watch the news deary, to depressing. I prefer to focus on the positive. Why you ask?"
"I have done something," I cried, lowering my head, I couldn't even bare looking at this woman who has been so kind to me since I moved here. If she knew what I was, she would ashamed. "Something bad. I am not what you think I am. If you knew the type of person I really was..."
"Oh I know exactly the type of person you are Nicole. You are a beautiful, kindhearted young lady, with a extremely bright future ahead of you."
"No I'm not," I argued through tears. "I am a bad person. I..."
"If you was as bad as you claim you are then you wouldn't be admitting you was bad. A truly bad person feels no guilt, no remorse over their past mistakes. You however show humility. You know you messed up and feel guilty about it. I don't need or want to know what it is you might of done, it doesn't change how I see you. Whatever it is you have done, whatever sin it might be, it is not unforgivable."
"I wish I saw things the same way as you."
"Nicole, everybody makes mistakes in their lives, some the wisest people in the world get that way by hitting rock bottom. You did something wrong, you are feeling guilt, remorse, that's good. Go to a confession, go see a priest, repent everything you have done, then make it right."
"If I make right what I did, I will have to go to prison."
"Then when you come out, be a wiser person for it. Nobody is irredeemable Nicole, remember that. "
God this woman was to pure for this world. "Will you turn me into the police if they come knocking?"
"I don't know what you did, nor do I want to know. I will not be lying to them when I say I know nothing."
I couldn't help but give a tearful smile when I heard that. "I don't deserve a friend like you in my life."
"Well to bad your stuck with me." Nicole laughed "Now run along now, I can't protect you if they see you. Remember what I said though. Nobody, no matter what they have done is irredeemable."
I nodded and waved before getting back in my car. I don't know if I exactly believe her when she says no one is irredeemable but what I do know is this, Hanna is definitely the friend I need in my life right now.
When I got home I wasted no time getting my disguise ready for when I left home. Now that I am a wanted criminal, now that I have been exposed to the public. I couldn't be Shego anymore. Taking some red hair dye I coated my hair from top to bottom, completely taking the look of a ginger. Next I knew I couldn't run around in my classic green and black jump suit. Instead I switched it out with a black mid drift shirt and a pair of over sized pants. Once I looked in the mirror I nearly gagged at how I looked. I looked like a spoiled rebellious teenage crime fighter that really needed to spend more time in school. All I needed now was a idiotic side kick with a dumb hairless rodent as comedy relief and we would look like the stars of some dumb kids action comedy adventure show. But as long as it prevented me from being spotted by the police it would work. But damn how I look ridiculous.
My next order of business was working on finding answers. I knew it was pointless to try to get them out of Gaku, so my next idea was to see if I could get them from Mimiko's wife. Surely she would know why Gaku wanted her and her husbands property so bad. While I didn't know Mimiko personally he didn't seem like the type to hide something as big as this from his wife. Thankfully due to my time spying on Mimiko earlier I knew both his and his wife's schedule, including the school that his daughter went to. Which meant all I had to do was just wait until she picked her daughter up from school then try to get answers.
This was my best shot at answers. If anybody knew what Gaku wanted with that property so bad it was her so the next day around the time parents pick up their kids I waited in my car and kept an eye out for Mrs. Kitazawa to pick her daughter up. When her car pulled up in the parking lot I was hoping that she would get out so I could ask questions, only to see that her daughter ran to the car herself, Mrs. Kitazawa never getting out.
"Okay, plan B." I said to myself "Follow her home, but at a distance to not spook her."
As soon as Mrs. Kitazawa pulled out I followed her, making sure to keep a far enough distance, if I spooked her I risked losing her, then I risked not getting the answers I needed.
Mrs. Kitazawa drove onto a bridge, then suddenly a green hue came flying and blasted the side of her car. I instantly slammed on my breaks and froze as I witnessed Mrs. Kitazawa's car go flying into the air and off the bridge. I exited my car and watched helplessly as the car crashed into the wooded area below, a good fifty feet below the bridge.
"No!" I screamed "NO!" Turning around to see where the blast came from I froze when I saw a shadowy figure off in the distance. Standing on top of a rocky cliff, green hues glowing from their hands.
"No?" I gasped "Impossible." Those hues, the impact of the blast, it matched my powers exactly. But how?
That didn't matter right now, what mattered was hoping that Mrs. Kitazawa was okay. Jumping from the bridge I used my gymnastics skills from a kid to land on the trees without killing myself and swing down to the sight of the crash.
"Mrs. Kitazawa!" I screamed as I ran to the car and ripped the drivers side door open. That is when I gasped and broke into tears. She was gone. Turning to the back seat, I felt the wait of my legs give out when I saw her daughter, also laying lifeless. I ripped her side door open and checked frantically for a pulse, then I just buried my head into my hands and sobbed. She was gone, just like her mother. My only lead to finding out Gaku's plans was dead, and worst yet they were killed by someone who shared my powers.
Mimiko's Kitazawa's widow and daughter murdered, and I was without question going to be blamed.
Fuck me.