Sometimes we don't know what's best for us, for what we avoid might be the key to our success. This exact thing happened to Shuichi who didn't want to go on a bodyguarding mission that he thought had no gain for his infiltration, but his success ended up making him a name in the organization. He was the man who saved their cherished high-ranked member with the use of his shrewdness, excellent driving skills, and sharpshooting abilities. It's only been a month since that incident but his name was already recognized among other members.
Shuichi stopped his car in front of a warehouse. The place looked gloomy and abandoned but it didn't prevent him from going inside where Reiji was anticipating him.
"Here he is, the man of the hour." Reiji rejoiced from his seat.
Shuichi walked in carefully. He looked around in search of the other four members Reiji leads. Usually, they meet in this place to have their missions explained to them, but no one else was there. The agent kept walking steadily towards his leader.
"Where's everyone?" He asked.
"Today, there's only the two of us."
Now that's unusual! The thought that they had uncovered his identity was the first to cross the agent's mind, but that would be impossible! He didn't leave any traces behind and he was very careful all the time. Then again, why would Reiji call a meeting for them alone except for the purpose of killing him? Shuichi was eager to find out.
When he reached him, he took a seat on the empty chair readied for him.
"And what's that about?"
"You know, Dai, I've been part of this for seven years, but I got promoted to my current position only two years ago."
Shuichi stared at him. If it took Reiji five years just to become a leader with no alcoholic codename, how long will it take him to reach deep? Will he be infiltrating this organization until he retires? Will he lose all his youth in the dark with a fake name and an identity that is not his?
"It doesn't feel like much time had passed," Reiji added with a nostalgic expression. "I was ordered to silence a man, didn't even know his name and honestly, didn't care at the time. It was the mission to guarantee me ascending the ranks and all I cared about was accomplishing it."
Shuichi lit a cigarette and attentively listened to Reiji go on.
"I followed him for days, and when the time was right and I caught him in the right place, I stepped in. It was dark and people barely passed from that street. So when I held my gun to the back of his head and threatened to shoot him, he showed no resistance and followed me to the alleyway. Once there, I wasted no time and sent a bullet to his head."
Reiji's eyes pierced through Shuichi's greens. He didn't show a hint of remorse for his doing. It made Shuichi sick.
"Reiji, if you called me here to tell me your youth stories then I have more important things to do." Shuichi said. He threw his cigarette on the floor as the man across from him smiled faintly.
"I like you, Dai! I knew you were good since the first mission assigned to you, that's why I wasn't surprised that your chance came much earlier than mine. You've been with us for what now? nine months? But the higher-ups already assigned you your breakthrough mission, you do it right and you get to lead your own people like me."
Shuichi's eyes lit up. His face filled with interest as a small grin played on his lips. That's what he's been waiting for! Finally!... He placed his elbows on his knees, approaching Reiji. "Tell me more."
(~)
Shuichi swallowed hard. Three hours had passed since he went to meet Reiji, during which the latter never left his side. From the warehouse, he drove him to an abandoned building where they went up the stairs to the rooftop. Shuichi found a pack of sniping equipment readied for him there, which he did not like one bit.
That was the organization's method to ensure loyalty; in order to promote members into higher positions, they had to kill first. That way, they make sure no one would tell on them, seeing that they'd be already deeply involved after committing murder.
The target they were anticipating was the traitor, Haru Asahi, who disappeared a month ago after the incident in the bar. But recently, the info that he was going to visit the lab of the other pharmaceutical company surfaced.
Shuichi walked back and forth restlessly. From the look on his face, one could tell he wasn't feeling alright. His face was chalk white and his lips were pale. Shuichi felt nauseous as his heart hammered inside his chest. He wanted to turn around and leave but he couldn't risk being uncovered, Reiji will kill him if he does. He needed this to get a higher rank, he needed this to make them stop.
To take a life of a man, that's not what he signed for when he joined the FBI. He wanted to save lives not to take them. But now he was cornered. Reiji didn't spare him any time alone, he couldn't contact the FBI and ask them to set up something to prevent this. His only way out was to make the shot. Even if he didn't, it won't make a difference because they must have another sniper on some other rooftop to do it, he just knew they always have a backup plan. He wouldn't be surprised if they had a sniper targetting him too for in case he fails to make the shot. He wouldn't be of use to them if he isn't tough enough.
"He's here." Reiji signaled, looking through his field glasses.
"Alright, let's do this." Shuichi said impassively. He walked to the sniper rifle he'd already set up to face the lab and laid on the ground. He placed his target on the scope and started following his movement. When he placed his finger on the trigger, he found it shaking slightly. Will he even be able to do it as accurately as usual like this?
Shuichi has never taken a life before. How will he feel after this? Will he be able to live with himself? He's already feeling terrible before doing it so how will it be like afterward?
"Are you gonna lay down there all day?" Reiji asked impatiently.
"I'm waiting for the right moment. Like you did."
It was a wonder that his voice didn't betray him. Shuichi looked calm as the night despite what he felt inside. He tightened his finger on the trigger and stared at Haru for a second. Haru was standing up, moving his hand, he was blinking and his chest rose and sank as he breathed. Who was he to deprive him of all this? How could they deprive people of what God has given them?
When Reiji cleared his throat, Shuichi couldn't postpone it any longer. His finger pressed the trigger and the shot landed right on Haru's head, penetrating his skull and splashing blood all over the wall behind him. Soon, Haru was laying down on the floor motionless.
Shuichi's stomach rolled violently he felt like he was going to vomit right away. He tried to pull himself together, put on his usual poker face before turning to face a clapping Reiji.
"Congratulations, Dai. That was a good shot. It's a shame you won't be on my team anymore."
Shuichi nodded silently. He turned to leave the roof with Reiji following from behind him.
"Alright listen up, from now on you no longer report to me. You'll be working under another member and you report to him."
"Which member?"
"Executive member, codename, Gin… Ever heard of him?"
Dai's eyes grew wider for a second before a stoic expression took over his face again.
"Yeah, I actually met him once."
"You're going to meet him again now."
Shuichi turned to Reiji questionably.
"We're meeting him at the lab to introduce you."
"Why the lab?" Dai asked. Most of the meetings were held in a warehouse so the question made sense.
"I don't know, he's dating some scientist that works in there so he likes calling his meetings in the lab. You know the saying, hit two birds with one stone."
The two men left the building and walked to Reiji's car. Just when Shuichi was about to get inside, Reiji placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're a loss to my team, Dai. Good luck with your new work and be careful."
Shuichi nodded his head and got inside the car. Reiji showed up from the driver's seat door and went on.
"Aren't you gonna ask me for some tips before the meeting?" He smirked.
"Yeah." Shuichi said uninterestedly.
"You don't seem to care."
The agent was looking out of the window with his arms crossed on his chest. Usually, he would care to gather any information about them and asks about every little detail. But at the time, he was not feeling well. When he heard Reiji point that out, he looked away from the window and eyed him from the corner of his eye.
"You gotta be careful. Gin is not me to keep up with your ways. With him, you have to listen to what he says and do it precisely! Don't take decisions by yourself, don't make him angry as you do to me, he's got a real bad temper." Reiji said with a glimpse of worry in his voice.
Dai was the best member he ever had but along with that, he was the most introverted, mysterious, lone wolf of them all. He was the most risk-taking disobeyer that acted on his own. Reiji never thought he'd like these qualities in a subordinate but Dai ended up being the closest of all to him. But Reiji knew for sure that Gin won't appreciate any of these qualities, so he had to warn him.
Shuichi turned to the window again. He did not want to meet Gin, just wanted to stay somewhere alone in silence. He could already see how terrible he will feel as the memory will come back and play on his mind over and over again like a broken record. It will only repeat, he could tell; the blood all over the wall, the dead body. It's already being repeated in his mind and he felt the urge to throw up again.
Is there anything that could help him ease this pain? Probably not. He can't show it to anyone from the people around him and even if he meets his colleagues from the FBI, he'll only feel shame for what he did. He's a murderer!
The car stopped in the lab's parking lot. The two men got out and walked towards a black Porsche parked a couple of meters away. Two other men dressed in black stepped out of the Porsche.
"Gin, this is Morobo-" Reiji started before getting interrupted.
"Moroboshi Dai. Yeah I know him, we met before." Gin grinned.
Shuichi gave him a glassy look. Half his brain wasn't in there, he was feeling seriously sick and needed to use the bathroom.
"Told you I'll remember your name and I kept my promise. Soon as I heard about your work, I asked to have you work for me. I believe you're a talented man, and that shouldn't go to waste, Moroboshi Dai." Gin added.
It earned him a look of astonishment from Reiji. This is the first time he ever sees Gin praising anyone, except that his voice and face did not match what he was saying. Gin's voice sounded threatening and his Grin looked intimidating. Reiji turned back to look at Dai who simply nodded with a pale face.
"Vodka." Gin signaled his subordinate who handed Dai a phone. "You contact me only through that phone, my number is saved in it."
With that said, Gin turned on his heels and got inside his car with Vodka following him.
"I'm telling you, I don't like that look on his face." Reiji started while looking at the car that was driving away. "You better be careful around him, seems like you spark more hate in him than others."
"I will, Reiji. I need to use the bathroom."
"Don't take long. It's been a long day, I wanna go home."
Shuichi walked towards the lab entrance. He asked the lady in the reception for the bathroom and followed her instruction in search of it. He opened the first door that encountered him, went inside a stall, and let it all out. There was something inside of him, he felt something heavy, a bad feeling that's gonna stick with him for long and he won't be able to get it out of his system easily by throwing up, a feeling deep inside his chest and all over his brain.
When he got out of the stall, he washed up and then stared at his reflection in the mirror. He needs to be strong and continue, he needs to make them stop! Shuichi lowered his head and splashed it violently with water in the hope of waking up from what he hoped was a nightmare but wasn't. The vibration inside his pocket brought him back to reality. It was a text from Reiji rushing him to come back. He hastily dried his face and left the bathroom.
When he stepped into the hallway, a familiar scent of jasmine came from behind him, it was the perfume Shiho wears. Within a second, the redhead was standing next to him, meeting his eyes directly.
"Did you just come out of the ladies' restroom?" She asked, a bit confused.
Shuichi glanced at the door he just came out from. The sign of a girl in a dress was big and clear! How is he supposed to explain this now?
He looked to the side and then turned to face her again. Wait, was he nervous? This is the first time Shiho sees any signs of nervousness on him.
"I didn't see it. Don't you work on the fifth floor?"
Shiho took a step closer with her chin up, ignoring his attempt to change the subject.
"Getting inside the ladies' room is quite the perverted thing to do! My poor sister, she doesn't know what she's getting involved with." She said with a mocking smile. After knowing Dai for so long, she knew it wasn't true. But she enjoyed teasing him nonetheless, and having caught him inside the ladies' room was a good opportunity she couldn't miss.
She waited for him to fire back like he usually does. Every time they met they bantered each other and she always enjoyed his quick comebacks. This time, however, he just looked down at the floor. Something was off about him.
"I should go." Shuichi said in a low voice.
For Dai to let her win without a comeback, that was weird! Sherry was a scientist, so she had the ability to notice health-related changes in people. She noted Dai's pale skin and his lips that lost all color.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine, see you around." He mumbled before turning on his heels and leaving.
Shiho examined him as he walked away. His head was tilted down and he seemed to be deep in thought. That was not the cocky walk she was used to. It was the first time she sees him like that.
Gin visited her earlier and told her that he's recruiting Dai to work under him and that he sent him on a trial mission to kill someone. Shiho could've sworn she saw pain in Dai's eyes, but why would any of those men in black feel pain for others? Why would they care? Don't they all enjoy killing? Then why was Dai looking pained? Did he actually feel remorse? Could it be he's one of the good guys? Could he be a mole that's trying to infiltrate the organization? Would he help her and her sister get out of it?
Remembering Gin receiving a call stating that Dai ended Haru's life with a shot to the head, Shiho discarded those absurd thoughts. If he were to be a good guy he'd never kill anyone. Even if Dai's shade was a bit lighter, he still belongs to the dark spectrum like the others.
Hope you enjoyed reading!
Next chapter: Shuichi disappears and Akemi gets worried. Shiho finds him in a bad condition and discovers the reason behind it.
