Shiho held her Dictaphone in hand and walked inside the clinical research room. She brought the device closer to her lips and pressed the button, starting with the usual introductions and the report date and time. Then she went on describing the health status of each mouse until...
"Hello, Sherry." Gin's voice came from behind her.
The scientist joined her lips together. She looked down to the floor for a while before turning to face him with a death glare. He's probably here for what she had said to him last week and he's certainly gonna give her a hard time for it. But then how did he get in here? This area was in maximum security, it could only be accessed by a special lab card that only a few of the lab workers had.
"You don't have access to this area."
"I have access to all areas, Sherry."
"Not to this one, so leave."
"So now you're the one making the orders?" Gin grinned. It annoyed her as she crossed her arms.
"What do you want?"
"I certainly don't want a mouse... Let's see..." He walked closer to her and whispered. "I want you."
Gin was certainly angry at her for speaking to him the way she did last time. He came here with the intention of scolding her for it, but seeing her made him forget. Now he had something more important on his list. One month, two weeks, and three days had passed without his Sherry, and seeing her beautiful face was a lot for Gin to handle. He missed her taste so so much and needed to be reminded of it again. It didn't work for him last time but this time he was determined.
"I thought I made myself clear last time." She said.
God! Why does she become so hot when she ignores him? Gin couldn't stop himself from extending a hand and placing it on her hip. He really wanted her! Shiho took a step out of his reach.
"What are you doing?" She frowned.
"I missed you...No one could see us in here..." Gin whispered with his breathing slightly fastened. And without a warning, he placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer to him.
Shiho's anger grew. She tried to resist him but he was stronger. Gin was centimeters away from getting what he wanted, but just before their lips could touch, Shiho pushed him away by his shoulders.
"You're sick!" She said, looking at him with contempt. Just when she thought he couldn't get any worse!
Shiho left back to her office. She grabbed her purse, put on her coat, and left. She rode the elevator down while calling her driver to come to pick her up. Once she reached the ground floor, she deviated to the bathroom then headed to the parking lot.
To her surprise, Gin was there waiting for her. The place was creepy silent and no other person was around. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted him walking towards her with slow steps.
"What's gotten into you, Sherry? Did you actually believe you could do whatever you want because I've forgiven you before? That's exactly why I hate mercy, it makes people delusional, you spare them once and they think they could do anything they want."
"You held a gun to my head. The normal thing to do next would be to apologize. Instead, you come here to make moves on me."
Gin laughed for a moment. "Well, that's new… Remind me, how many times had I held a gun to your head? Is this the second time?"
"Third." She glared at him.
"And you never asked for an apology." He laughed again when he said 'apology'. "If anything, you should thank me. Not so many people recover from being in that position."
"You think that if you say that I'll come back to you? You know what, Gin, you're being repulsive."
Gin gently passed a hand on her cheek, but it abruptly migrated to hold her hair violently. All hints of amusement were wiped from his face and he suddenly looked solemn.
"You want an apology? Are you trying to disrespect me? You do know what I do with those who disrespect, Sherry. So don't make that mistake and learn some manners when you speak, because I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive you another time."
Just when he finished his sentence, Gin felt a hard thing press against his skin.
Gin looked down only to find a gun tip pressed against him with Shiho's finger on the trigger. He slowly looked back at her. She really never seizes to surprise him! He was bewildered, yet no sign of fear appeared on him. He looked quite neutral.
Shiho was a scientist. She knew the human anatomy like the back of her hand so there's no way she'd miss. One shot to Gin's heart and he'll drop dead. One shot will end her misery. If she kills him here, the organization will cover everything for her because they need her to finish developing the drug.
Shiho stood there with her hands shaking and her breathing heavied. Could she press the trigger? She's never killed before, but if she kills Gin she'll be doing humanity a favor. If only she could gather enough strength to fire the gun because her fingers seemed to freeze.
"Shiho, don't." An approaching voice came from the side and a silhouette of a long-haired man appeared. As an FBI agent, Shuichi wanted fewer people to die. Even if it meant a criminal like Gin, he was better off capturing him and keeping him for interrogation.
"Listen to the man, Sherry." Gin said. His experienced hand crawled on her shaking fingers and he slowly took the gun away from her.
Shiho was stunned that something like this could come from her. It would've been way more satisfying if Gin allowed her time to enjoy it instead of glaring at her with his criminal eyes.
For Gin who loved control, he detested the fact that Sherry was slipping away from him. She changed and became more daring than before, but to take it so far to actually try to kill him was a big warning. When he ensured the gun in his hand, Gin formed a fist and punched Shiho hard enough to send her to the floor.
Shiho felt pain all over her right cheek. Her shaky finger turned red with blood when it touched the side of her lip. For her, the pain didn't matter, what mattered was that she was humiliated in front of Dai. Now that he had seen it she could no longer deny it.
"Hey! HEY!" Shuichi yelled while fastening his steps towards them. He was enraged to see Gin hurt her. It must've been like this since they started dating. When he got there he held Gin by the collar. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Is this how you treat your girlfriend?"
"Didn't I tell you to stay out of this?" Gin retorted, brushing Dai's hand away only to fail. Dai still held him stubbornly.
"You think you're a man for hitting a woman like that? You sick bastard."
The words made Gin really pissed. His doubts about them having an affair resurfaced. Otherwise, why would Rye keep on reappearing? With that, it all would make sense; the way his Sherry had changed, she's not scared of him anymore because she found shelter, and that shelter has got to be Dai Morobochi, he was the only man around her.
Shuichi kept his grip strong on Gin's collar. He was barely able to control himself to not hit him, but his infiltration was the priority. He can't hit Gin. Even if he's Rye now, Gin still had a higher rank than him and is closer to the boss.
"Alright, that's it. I've given you fuckers so much freedom, now it's time for everyone to know their place." Gin said before punching Shuichi in the stomach, just like the time they first met.
To his surprise, Dai had blocked it. Shiho still sat on the floor between two cars, staring at them with terror.
"I see you improved… This is gonna be fun." Gin grinned.
Just when he finished talking, Shuichi sent him an unexpected punch to the cheek. It was a replica of the one that Gin punched Shiho with, on the exact same spot. He just couldn't hold himself any longer, he was looking for any reason to justify hitting him and the fact that Gin was the one to attack him first was a good enough reason.
Within a second, the silver-haired man stepped forward and sent a fist to Shuichi's jaw, but he got blocked again. Before Shuichi could celebrate his success, he felt a strong hit to the side of his neck. Gin sent him a Brazilian kick and those kicks were utterly unexpected and impossible to block.
Losing his balance, Shuichi staggered to the side. Gin tried to approach him but Shuichi extended his arm very fast, it stopped centimeters away from Gin's eyes and it caused the man to pull his head backward in surprise. It was a Jeet Kun Do move. Shuichi would've taken Gin's eyes out if he wanted to, but he used it as a threat rather than a weapon.
From that position, Shuichi's hand formed a fist and he sent it straight to Gin's jaw. His other hand punched him in the stomach, the two punches were almost simultaneous and they held all of the hate that he had for Gin in them. Gin was still surprised by the strength that Shuichi showed, he did not expect that much, not only that he was strong but he was so fast, faster than any of the people Gin had fought before.
The two men continued fighting. Gin attacked back by punching Shuichi on the stomach, this time, he succeeded. Shuichi didn't take time to recover, he pinned Gin to a wall and started sending him repeated punches.
Gin took a defensive position using his forearms but most of Dai's punches penetrated his shield causing pain all over his upper body. He too gave some punches here and there but Dai didn't seem to be affected. It was adrenalin, Shuichi will certainly feel every single punch after the rush, but for now, he just kept on hitting as if some demon took over him.
Gin looked down. In a fast move, he lifted his knee and hit Shuichi in the groin. Shuichi stopped his train of punches and groaned. It felt unbearable.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gin turned Dai around and pinned him to the wall where he was standing. He wrapped both of his hands around the agent's neck and tightened his grip, squeezing Dai's neck against the wall.
Shuichi felt his neck hurt like hell. He tried pushing Gin back by the shoulder but Gin's grip only tightened with these attempts. He tried to remove Gin's crawled fingers but he only scratched his own neck with no result. He punched Gin's elbow crease hoping to bend his arm and cause him to let go but it was useless to do for a man with a strong physique as Gin. Gin had an iron fist.
Shuichi felt weaker with every passing second. He struggled for oxygen but none could enter his lungs. At some point, his attacks had stopped and he felt like he was going to pass out.
Shiho appeared from the side and held Gin's wrists.
"Gin STOP!" She yelled with terror. "PLEASE STOP!"
Shiho looked hysterical. She was barely able to hold herself up. Blood covered the side of her lip and her cheek was already darkened from the punch. Gin didn't seem to respond. Feeling helpless, Shiho dug her nails into his skin. Gin removed his hands from Shuichi and turned to punch her again, this time, it landed on her eye and it was strong enough to force her to step backward. Shiho placed both of her hands on her eye as she stood there in pain.
Once freed from Gin's grip, Shuichi fell to the floor gasping for oxygen. A coughing fit suddenly took over him grabbing Gin's attention back to him. Gin approached him and finished him off with a kick. He then looked down at him for a moment, adjusted his collar, and left
Shuichi stayed down on the floor, still coughing. Gin wasn't strangling him anymore but his neck still hurt as much. When Shiho approached him, she kneeled down and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was almost shaking.
"I'm fine." Dai winced, eyes closed and voice already hoarse.
"I'm so sorry…" She whispered. "Should we go back to the lab? We have a medical supply in there."
"No, I'm good… I just need a moment." He pant. Dai felt like energy was sucked out of him, he felt too weary to even stand up with the pain in his groin.
Shiho nodded. She stood and rested her back to the wall then stared at Dai. She placed a hand on her eye, it was hurting so much. She must be looking like a mess after getting punched in the face twice. She felt embarrassed now that Dai knew Gin was truly abusing her. The image of the strong woman she's been showing had all crumbled and she felt humiliated by it.
At that moment, Dai rolled on the floor. He slowly sat up and got to his feet, he was still in pain but being the stoic man he is, he hid it.
"Hope you're feeling better." Shiho said with a hint of concern to which Dai had simply nodded.
"… My car is parked this way, let's go." When he muttered that, Shiho followed him.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through this Dai san…"
"Shh!" He hushed her. "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault."
Within a minute, the two were sitting inside the Chevy. Shuichi put on his seat belt and rested his back on the seat for a moment. He turned to Shiho. His gaze moved from her puffed eye to her bluish cheek and down to her lip that had a cut on the side. He couldn't imagine what Gin had made her go through before, and she kept silent all along bearing the pain by herself.
"Do you love him?" He asked, out of the blue.
Shiho stared at him in silence not knowing what to answer. Should she open up to him or keep her image? She doesn't want him to think she's weak but then he already saw everything.
Shuichi detected her confusion. He continued. "I just… there's no sense for you to go through this, Shiho." He shook his head.
"He's not usually like that. He, he doesn't hit me." She finally managed to say.
"Stop justifying his actions, I know you're smarter than that."
She sighed and turned ahead of her, escaping his gaze. Shuichi started the car.
"This is the last time he does that to you. You're not coming back to him after what he did, right?"
Shiho just thought in silence. She didn't know what to answer. She doesn't want to go back to Gin but what if he threatens her? She can't make a promise she's not sure she could keep.
"...If it takes you this much time to think of an answer then you share part of the blame." Shuichi added
"It's not like that." She replied in an attempt to keep her pride. "He really is not like that usually, this is the first time that he..." She trailed off. That he punches her? She didn't even want to say it.
"The first time that he hits you? Even if it's true, the fact that he raised his hand on you means that he'd dare to do it again. He's been abusing you for a long time now even without hitting you. Just the fact that you're scared of him is enough."
"I'm not scared of him."
"We already went through this talk a year ago and I told you I'm not buying this shit, so stop lying to me. I've seen him hit you with my own eyes."
The redhead tilted her head forward. Her hands fidgeted nervously on her lap. She felt her pride crushed and her masks crumble. Shuichi realized the harsh effect his words had on her. He knew exactly how she was, so seeing her like this, she was naked, everything she's been keeping was exposed to him and he knew that she felt humiliated by it. He tried to soften his tone.
"Promise me that you won't go back to him." He gently said while glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
Shiho kept silent still not knowing what to answer. Gin will probably try to hurt Dai for what he did to him earlier. What if going back to Gin is the only way to save Dai?
"If you feel scared then-" Shuichi said when he realized he wasn't getting an answer.
"I told you I'm not scared of him." She interrupted.
"If you feel scared then you could call me. Anytime, I'll be there for you. But you have to end it first… Alright?"
"...I'll think about it." Shiho said, just for the sake of ending the discussion.
The last thing Dai thought of Shiho was to be stupid. He'd always perceived her as one of the smartest people he's ever met. A tough, strong, independent woman. But now, she's considering going back with an abuser. That's pure stupidity and it did not fit in his mind that she could be like this. The only explanation he could find was love, love blinds people, she probably loves Gin way too much to let go, but even so, it still did not fit her description for him.
"Do you love him?" He asked, again.
Shiho was going to tell him that it's not his business, but she remembered what he just endured for her, so she used a softer version.
"I don't wanna talk about it."
It was enough for Shuichi to shut up and let her be. She was like him in a way, and he knew how annoying it is to have someone talking when he doesn't want to talk.
Shiho drowned in thought as Dai continued driving. She felt scared for him. Will Gin simply spare him after doing what he did? That was the reason she couldn't promise Dai a breakup, because if it's gonna take her sacrificing her life and keeping that toxic relationship to save Dai, she would do it.
But Dai couldn't understand the reason behind her decision. He doesn't realize that his helping is only making things worse for her and for him. Now he probably thinks of her as a clingy woman who's holding to her abuser. Shiho hated having him think that of her, but she had to, to protect him.
"Dai san…" She called when they stopped for a red light.
He turned to look at her with a faint smile. She hated when he does that, he always smiles when she's in a weak position to encourage her, and she hated being in a weak position. She felt stronger when he gave her his cocky look, representing that he believes she's strong and he's challenging her, not smiling, representing that she's weak and he's just letting her win.
"You should be careful. Gin might try to hurt you."
"Don't worry about that." He said, confidently.
"No, please… He's dangerous." Shiho proceeded with concern.
"I know."
Shiho stared into his greens, Dai was the definition of a knight in shining armor to her, except that Gin was a strong villain and she couldn't risk him for her own sake.
The car stopped in front of her apartment building. Just the sight of it made her feel sad. She better move out soon. This place was linked with bad memories for her, it's where she buries all her sadness, where she drinks and cries at night, she truly did not want to go there alone.
"Do you wanna come up?" Shiho asked Dai.
"Ah no, I better not."
"Please?" She mumbled. She'd already lost a big portion of her pride today so why not just do that too?
Shuichi did not want to join her. He was scared something like the last time could happen again. But he trusted his self control, and he believed that the kiss didn't mean anything for her. That combined with the fact that she's hurt and he can't deny a request for her while she's in that state, he decided to go.
They both left the car and went up to the apartment.
A black Porsche stopped in front of the building. Gin got out hoping to talk to sherry about what happened earlier. But to his surprise, he saw her walking inside the building with Rye. His black long hair was moving with the wind as he walked next to the redhead, placing a hand on her upper back.
So it was true! Everything he'd suspected was true and she's been playing him for a fool all along!
Hey there! Thank you all for your support and your brilliant ideas! Hope you liked this chapter and expect the next one soon :)
Next chapter: Gin pays Akemi a visit.
