Chapter 05 - Hizuri
Sliding the two heavy wooden doors together quietly, Tsuruga Ren turned away from the bedroom of his apartment and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Digging out a small cell phone from his pocket, he flipped it open and pushed the green button, awakening the screen. Tapping in a four-digit password, he unlocked the screen, bringing up a background picture of his parents. Smiling sadly at their lost joy, he brought up the dialling screen and in-putted a sequence of numbers. Placing the phone against his ear, he turned his back to the window and sat down on the plush carpeted floor. After two rings, a male voice answered.
"Is it done?"
Tsuruga sighed, "Yes, father. He is dead."
The silence on the other end stretched on for what felt to be an eternity before Kuu spoke again. "Are you absolutely certain?"
"I swear on Mother." The young man emphasised. "Fuwa Takeo no longer lives."
Another wave of silence greeted Tsuruga. As he awaited his father to gather his emotions and the grim satisfaction of knowing that his biggest rival was dead, the boy pondered his mother. She was a beautiful woman, coveted by many men in her life. With long, flowing golden hair and eyes as green as the leaves in Spring. Her beauty was esteemed around the globe. But her true beauty lay in her heart and her compassion, qualities that had left a wake of emptiness in both Hizuri men amid her death… murder.
"When can I expect you to return, my son?" Kuu inquired, relief and emotion heavy in his tone.
Glancing to the wooden doors, Tsuruga breathed deeply. "I have a personal matter that I must attend to before I can return. I'm sorry, father, but I don't know how long it will hold me."
"I understand," came the reply, sadness evident. "Please, take care of yourself. I cannot bear to lose you as well."
"I promise, father. I will come back to you." The man felt a longing for his family deep within his heart. Yet he knew that if he did not resolve the issues that plagued him, he would never find peace. "I won't leave you alone in this miserable world."
"I love you, Kuon. Check in when you can."
After saying their farewells, Kuon flipped the phone shut and placed it beside him. Leaning his head back against the cold glass, he closed his eyes and replayed the image of Fuwa Takeo's head bursting likened to an overripe fruit. The comfort it brought was hard as steel and as empty as his heart. The vengeance felt extraordinary in that moment, especially knowing of the comfort it would bring his aching father. Yet, it didn't change anything. His mother was still dead, and forever would be.
Exhaling with melancholy, Kuon reached into his pockets for a small folded up letter. Unfolding it, he read each word carefully, just as he had many, many times before. Every single re-read brought him frustration and anger. Takeo was a ruthless, vindictive asshole who had been obsessed with Juliena, an obsession further amplified by her rejection. But the mere thought of those consequences, only worked to embolden Kuon's feelings of hatred, feelings that he no longer had an outlet for, at least not one actively before him.
Tightening his fingers around the letter, he unintentionally scrunched it up. Shaking his head with mild frustration, he unravelled his fingers, straightened out the page and placed it beneath the phone. Forgive me, mother, he thought. I'm just not capable of being that compassionate…
"Um…"
Her meek voice drove away his dark thoughts, attracting his attention. Kuon lifted his head and gazed upon the girl named Kyoko. Her kimono was askew, covered with soot, and had small tears in various places. Placing his palms on the ground, Kuon pushed into a stance and slowly stepped towards her. When she instinctively backed away, he stopped. Licking his lips, he shoved aside all his internal demons momentarily.
"I'm sorry," he said gently. "I didn't hear the doors open."
Kyoko stood, shivering, with her hands held in front of her. She was frightened and disoriented by the evening's events. Trying to stay brave, she eyed this strange, foreign man carefully in an attempt to size him up. Cautiously, she moved a couple of steps closer.
"Are you injured?" Kuon asked awkwardly.
"I… I don't think s-so," Kyoko stammered.
Slipping his hands into his pockets, he stood up a bit straighter. "May I approach you, Kyoko-san?"
Kyoko inhaled nervously.
"I promise, I won't hurt you," he added. "I just want to make sure that you're all right."
Judiciously, she nodded.
With three long strides, Kuon closed the gap between them. As they stood facing one another, he realised that she was much shorter and more petite than he originally believed. If they were next to each other, Kyoko would have been the same height as his shoulder, maybe an inch or so shorter.
"Is something the matter?" she asked quietly.
Recognising that he was starting at her, he cleared his throat and offered a brief apology. Then Kuon reached out and took Kyoko's hand in his and led her down the two steps to a cushioned chair behind him. "Please, sit."
Nodding, she obliged him.
Kneeling before her, Kuon began by looking at her hands and fingers and then slowly moved the sleeves of the kimono further up her arm.
A heavy silence fell between them as he gingerly searched for injuries. The only exchange were questions and answers about any pain. When she could bear it no longer, Kyoko decided to ask what had been hanging over her.
"Why?" she whispered to him.
Startled by the abrupt interruption of quietness, Kuon met her eyes. "Pardon me?"
Surprised by continued politeness, Kyoko could not fathom who this person was, or how he could do the violent things he had done.
"Why? Why did you… why did you hurt them? And why did you bring me here?"
Unsure of how to respond to her blatant inquisition, Kuon remained silent, contemplating the situation. The more she asked of him, the more moisture began to fill the rims of her powerful stare. Internally, he felt horrible for taking her. The human part of him knew that what he intended was terribly wrong. But the killer within him refused to relent, to fall victim to these emotions.
"What are you going to do to me?" Kyoko voiced her most difficult question, bouncing between wanting to know the truth and thinking better of ignorance.
Sitting back on to the floor with his knees raised, Kuon draped his arms along the top of his legs and sighed. "What do you want to hear, Kyoko-san?"
Taken aback by his reply, Kyoko gaped at him unsurely.
"Do you want me to be honest with you? Or do you want to hear something that will bring you comfort?" Kuon said matter-of-factly.
"Will it make a difference?" She snapped back, finding courage she didn't realise she had. Maybe it wasn't courage, but just the simple recognition of her terror and knowing that sitting here feeling scared wasn't going to save her. No one was going to save her this time. "Aren't you just going to kill me? Like all of those people killed during the explosion?"
"No one was killed during those explosions. Yes, people were harmed, but no one was killed. I made sure of that after we got out. The only people to die were the Fuwas."
Her mind blanked at the revelation. A feeling of surreal disbelief overwhelmed her. The longer the silence stretched, the more her consciousness began to process this reality. Kyoko's mouth fell open in agonising astonishment.
Remembering her affections for the young Fuwa, Kuon furrowed his brows with mild guilt.
"No… Sho… Sho can't be dead…" Her chest began to ache as her heart palpitated painfully. Feeling the air within her lungs evaporate and her mind go numb from this bitter truth, Kyoko grabbed at the fabrics over her heart and buried her fingers into them. "Tell me, tell me it's not true!"
Looking deeply into her eyes, Kuon stated, "I shot him and then I stabbed him. I killed Sho and his father, who's head now paints his precious little oiran."
"No!" Kyoko shouted, leaping from the chair, she reached for Kuon. He fell to his back with the woman on top, holding him by the collar of his shirt, orange eyes bright with grief and anger. "How could you do this?! How could you kill an innocent man?!"
Grabbing her wrists painfully, Kuon pulled her closer and shouted into her face, "Innocent?! Are you just as blind as the rest of them?! There is nothing innocent about that family! About your dear boss or his bastard that you love!"
"NO! I won't hear of it!" Attempting a retreat, Kyoko tried sitting back and moving away, but the stranger had a firm grip on her and refused to relinquish it. Instead, he rolled her onto her back, pinning her arms down to either side of her. "I don't believe you!" She screamed.
"Don't believe me!" Kuon yelled into her face as he towered above her.
For the first time, Kyoko comprehended the position she was in. Closing her mouth, she swallowed back more grief and fear and met her kidnapper's eyes. They were so very green. Greener than anything she had seen in her life. How could such beautiful eyes be so utterly devoid of sympathy? Or compassion? She thought. When he brought his mouth closer to hers, her breathing became ragged.
"Don't believe me, if you don't wish it," Kuon continued, lowering his voice just above a whisper. "I frankly don't give a fuck where you choose to misplace your faith. But know that you belong to me right now. I did purchase you after all."
"You didn't…" she began, but then thought better of it, terror seeping into her bones.
"Oh, but I did," Kuon responded to her unspoken words. "I sent Sawara back after the explosion to make sure no one died. He also dropped off the 10 million yen that you're supposedly worth. So, yes, I did purchase you. I always pay my fucking debts; don't you ever forget that."
"Please…" Kyoko pleaded. "Please, just let me go. I don't have any experience, I'm of no value to you…"
Kuon eyed her curiously, reading her expressions and the vast depth laced within those ochre eyes. You have no idea how much you are worth, Ms. Kyoko, he thought. Your Sho, if he survived, will definitely want his little prise back. I can never allow that to happen, not yet…
"Please…" Kyoko repeated.
Kuon tenderly pressed his lips to her cheek and spoke softly against her. "If you ask me again, you'll regret it." When she nodded her understanding, he relinquished her wrists and pushed into a stance. When she sat up, he grabbed her by the arm, dragged her to her feet and led her back to the bedroom, shoving her inside.
"You are to stay in this room until we leave. You can try to break the windows all you'd like, but they won't break. They are triple paned, bullet proof glass. The bathroom is the room on the left. There's nothing in there you can hurt me with, although you're welcome to try that as well. Spare, clean clothes were dropped off earlier, you can find them in the closet on the right. If you need anything, just yell. You seem to be good at that." He began to close the doors.
"I will scream!" Kyoko shouted. "I'll scream until someone comes—"
"This entire apartment is one of the most sound-proof places in the entire city. Scream your fucking head off, I don't care."
"Who… are you?" She whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
Kuon met her eyes and said without a single ounce of emotion. "Hizuri." The doors slid shut and locked securely.
Looking out the window, Kyoko saw the grey clouds had started showering the city in heavy rain. Kyoko fell to her knees, pressed her face against the cold glass and sobbed into the never-ending evening.
Thank you for reading. If you can, please leave me a review and I will update promptly!
