DISCLAIMER.
Shin, Julia, Vicious and Spike all belongto Sunrise bla bla bla... They don't belong to me, but I'm not making a dime for this so don't sue me... And just exactly what would you get from me if you decided to sue me anyways? HA!!!! I'm poor!!!!!! I have nothing.. .=P
*******LOYALTY
"A person has to live and die by his or her principles and convictions to truly accomplish him or herself." his brother had once told him.
And that sentence kept on ringing in Shin's mind and torturing his very essence. Len had died for his convictions, for the order. Could he do any less than his brother ?
His appartment was lit onlyby the street and star lights that came in from the two small windows in his appartment and he was currently fixating his handgun that he had left on the coffee table in front of him. The leather couch he was sitting on was not as comfortable as it usually was.
Or perhaps the discomfort he felt was more than just physical, perhaps it was due to all these questions that haunted him incessantly.
What were the questons then? This was all so confusing. What happened to the old days, when the Elders' will was enough? When Mao Yenrai was still alive? When he and his brother looked up to Vicious and Spike ? While the Syndicates were constantly at war back then, everything was so black and white. He knew who the bad guys and who his allies were.
There were heroes and villains back then.
Not so anymore.
Shin sighed.
He put all of his concentration on the silence that emminated from his appartment, hoping that it would bring an answer to his main question : With whom did his loyalty lie now, in these harsh new times ?
Was it for the Elders who, with their new reforms, would most likely destroy the Red Dragon clan from within?
Or did it lie with Vicious, who is obviously looking for nothing more than to quelch his thirst for power and glory?
He looked at his handgun for a bit more, and the answer was clear to him suddenly.
He was loyal to the Red Dragon Clan. Not the Elders, not Vicious, but the clan as a whole. The Clan would always be more important than an individual's quest for power. The Clan would always be more important than 3 old men's quest for comfort.
Chaos was everyhwhere. Everyone had lost their sense of place in the world , as Ani had told him a few weeks back.
Shin didn't know what to answer her back then, but he understood what she meant now. And even agreed with her. Everyone had lost their sense of place in the world. And the only living people that had stayed true to themselves, their convctions, their hearts and their places in the world were Spike and Julia. Relics of times that were long gone.
The sound of his phone ringing snapped him out of his thoughts. he thought about picking up the phone, but decided not to. Whoever it was, if it was important, would leave a message on his answering machine.
" I'm not available right now. Leave a short message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." echoed his recorded message through his whole appartment, followed by a loud beeping sound.
"Shin... it's time." whispered Vicious' voice through the answering machine, followed by a loud click, and another beeping sound.
It was time to make a move.
Shin picked up his handgun and looked at it intently.
The Elders were expecting Vicious to make his move. And knowing them, he also knew that they would start sending squads of enforcers to eliminate anyone who has ever had ties with Vicious and his Guard. Meanign that they wouldtry to get Spike and Julia.
He then picked up his phone and dialed Julia's number. He got her answering machine.
"The Elders are making their move." he said "You're in danger. Go quickly but quietly."
He hung up.
He holstered his gun, went for his closet where he took out and put on his jacket and made his way out of his humble appartment.
For the first time in months, Shin felt at peace with himself. he was going to do what he felt was right.
He was living by his convictions and principles once more.
He had found his sense of place in the world again.
And most of all, he knew who he was loyal to.
He was loyal to the Red Dragon Clan. And he would gladly lay down his life for the good of the Clan.
TO BE CONTINUED ( if there's anyone interested in seeingthis fic end.. otherwise, I think that it stands pretty nicely on its own.. .-_^)