Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Cowboy Bebop or anything whatsoever, so don't sue!
A/N: Finally Chapter 4 is up. Thoughts are in italics. Thank you kind reviewers! ^_^
Death Angel
Chapter 4: Bloody Eyes
Jun Tao silently sipped his green tea as he sat face to face with the leader of the Black Python clan, Chang Ashitomi. They were negotiating a peace treaty in an office that belonged to Jun Tao in the White Tiger Headquarters. The adviser was seated in a black leather armchair with a polished walnut table in between him and the sulky figure of Ashitomi. Their bodyguards, all dressed in dark overcoats and fedoras occupying their heads surrounded both. Blood red drapes were drawn back divulging the spectacular panorama of Tharsis Bay, as well as the dynamic municipality itself. Resplendent gleams of light illuminated the workplace as they shimmered through the lucid windows. The morning sky was dyed a light sky blue instead of a light pink tone, with various spacecrafts flying about. Jun Tao took another sip at this moderately warm drink, before proceeding the compromise.
"It would be nice to have an ally who has the same destiny as the distinguished White Tiger clan," Jun Tao proudly remarked, showing Ashitomi the peace treaty and a ballpoint pen with "Jun Tao" in gold calligraphy engraved on it. "I can assure you there are no strings attached or any fine print," he reassured. The paper that pronounced comradeship had Jun Tao's petite signature and bloody fingerprint imprinted on it, proving that he was being frank about the accord. Chang read the pact thoroughly, not skipping a word. He did not want to get the Black Python syndicate into a star-crossed deal. Seeing no hidden messages, he took Jun Tao's personal pen and signed his name above "CHANG ASHITOMI, BLACK PYTHON INC." He had a solemn appearance on his face as he took a stiletto from his pocket and incised it into his finger, pressing the blood on the document right next to his signature. Seeing his mark on the manuscript, Jun Tao smiled in contentment, relieved that they were now partners, and would watch each other's back from enemies.
"Thank you, Mr. Ashitomi for your time and reverence. On behalf of the White Tiger syndicate I can give surety that our companionship will make the White Tiger clan and the Black Python clan rise in the years to come. Please, do stay for lunch," the White Tiger adviser enunciated.
"I appreciate your invitation, but I have another business meeting to attend. Perhaps we can meet later, say, this evening?" Chang asked.
"I would be more than happy to host a dinner with my new comrade as a guest. I will make sure our chef will present his magnum opus of Chinese cuisine."
"I feel the same as well." Tao motioned for his guards to show his new partner to the exit while he put on his wool coat. When Ashitomi and his security left the White Tiger Headquarters, Jun Tao walked up to the immense windows that captured the gorgeous Tharsis City view. He looked down on the city. Endless rows of skyscrapers towered everywhere and traffic was in the narrow busy streets that were in between them. His eyes narrowed as they located the sight of the tallest black building a few blocks away. He thought about the twisted plans to demolish the soaring skyscraper and every living soul who harbored under it.
That tall black building was the head office of the infamous Red Dragon consortium.
***
Julia sighed in tedium as she sat with her slim arms and legs crossed in a decaying subway car, looking out the tagged up windowpane. Monotony was written all over her face. She was traveling with her new partner in crime Vicious, who sat right across her, wearing a black business suit with a gray vest under with a white scarf laying on his sturdy shoulders. Her alluring sapphire eyes could see his reflection in the window through her shades, and noticed he was continuously glancing at her from across. The subway was literally a filth; gum stuck to the dull walls and seats, graffiti from youth gangs were written all over, concealing the advertisements that hung over the windows, and abandoned beer bottles and cigarettes inhabited the sticky floor. Surprisingly, the silent car was nearly empty. Julia and Vicious were the only passengers along with four other civilians, one woman who was feeding her baby and two men. One man was reading the Daily Newspaper and another was talking inaudibly on a cell phone. The two Dragons were assigned to gun down some more White Tigers, who were still implicated in the red eye distribution, and possibly some Black Pythons, since word got out that the two clans have teamed up. Spies of the Red Dragon concluded that the partnership was established for the sake of the production of the highly addictive narcotics. The Dragons were not going to make peace with the Tigers until they dug their claws into the drugs that would make at least fifteen million woolongs with just distributing one vial full of it.
Vicious wanted to break the unsettling stillness between him and his female colleague since the day they first went on a mission together. Ever since the two were assigned to work together, they have avoided the subject of socializing, mainly Julia. Vicious felt that she did not trust him, that she took him as a liar and a foolish gangster who worships showing off. But that was not that truth. In fact, Julia did not know what the truth was, what she felt for him. At the reception she believed she had felt some kind of wanting for him, but now she often doubted that. Because of her perplexed emotions, she skipped the introductions and headed straight to business.
"Why are you angry? Are you unsatisfied about your privileged position?" His voice was clear and blunt.
This time I'm not letting you get away...
Julia felt somnolent. She didn't get a good sleep for three days in a row due to her new promotion. From 11 PM to 2 AM she would be slaughtering members from rival syndicates and would only get a five hour sleep since she had another assignment at 7 AM. Her anomalous schedule left her in a crabby mood along with a dose of migraines. Vicious wanting a nice normal chat made her head ache some more. She did not feel like talking to him. She felt like sleeping.
"I am not angry, nor am I unsatisfied," she replied, still facing the window. Please, just let things be peaceful...
But peace never came her way. Vicious was still trying to socialize.
"Then why are you so silent? Does it hurt to talk once in a while?" he asked gallingly.
"Vicious." She faced him, her azure eyes in compliance to his.
"Julia." She sighed in exasperation.
"Vicious, what's your deal?"
"I just wanted to get to know you. After all, we're going to be working side by side from now on."
"Look I don't feel like answering personal questions and giving you a biography about myself right now. Try again sometime, but not now." He could tell by the fatigued look that borne upon her white face that she was serious. She turned her face back to the dirty window.
"As you wish," Vicious replied monotonously. The underground train suddenly stopped.
"Here's where we stop." Vicious got up, waiting for Julia, but she ignored him, eyes still facing away.
"I thought we were stopping in Crater City." She didn't bother to get up.
"We are. I'm just taking a reliable shortcut. Hurry up, the doors are now closing." Julia immediately got up, hoping to get pass the sliding doors, but she was a second too late. The doors closed in on her, leaving her glaring through the windows at Vicious' impish smile.
"I told you to hurry up," she heard him tease as the train resumed its destination.
"You bastard, you lousy bastard," she said softly, amazed that she was smiling, as if she was enjoying his little game. She at once wiped away that smile on her face and sat down. From the corner of her eye she saw the mouth of a .90 caliber was aimed at her. It belonged to the passenger on board who was reading a newspaper. He was now ready to pull the trigger, grinning maliciously. A woman screamed. It was the woman that was feeding her baby. She too was also facing a firearm, held by the man who was talking quietly on his cell phone. She was cradling her baby, squinting her teary eyes wishing none of this was happening.
"Please don't kill me or my baby! Please!" the panicky mother choked out through sobs. Her baby was now screaming, as if it was feeling its mother's horror.
"Shut the fuck up before I blast your damn baby's brains out!" the man pointing a gun at her thundered. The woman obediently silenced, hushing her child to follow. The baby still screamed.
Julia couldn't help but turn her startled face to the woman. She felt a great pang on sympathy, sorry for the woman that she was put in this situation that had nothing to do with her.
How heartless these Tigers are...they'll even kill an innocent baby that barely started its life...
For the first time in her life she was afraid, not for her own life, but for the baby's life and its mother's life as well. This was the first time an innocent civilian's life was weighed on her. She had to think fast. A man's deep voice caught her ears.
"Now, surrender all your weapons, you despicable dragon, or the mother and child gets a bullet to the head. Do you hear me bitch?!" the thug before her spat out. Julia turned to him. She heard the mother gasp in apprehension, hearing about her and her baby's death.
"I hear you loud and clear, son of a bitch."
Like lightning, she pulled out her pistol and fired at the man who insulted her, right between his eyes. The woman screamed his brains were blown out. The thug's comrade was paralyzed in outrage, astonished at the mafiosa's sudden action. He felt his heart beating madly in fear and his legs trembling as the dangerous blonde pulled the trigger. It met his throat, splattering a haze of red blood all over the car as he choked it out, making the place even more inhuman. The two gangsters were dead. Julia's heart was beating its normal rate. The terrified mother stared in disbelief at the corpse that lay right next to her, his lifeless eyes still open to the world. Her widened scarlet eyes finally met Julia's cerulean eyes hidden behind tinted lenses. She tucked away her pistol in her trench coat and removed her sunglasses, exposing her cobalt eyes filled with wonder. Julia walked toward her and her bawling infant.
"Are you okay? Is your baby fine?" she asked, her voice full of alarm. The lady seemed even more upset as Julia spoke.
"Get away from me, you...you death angel!" she shrieked, gripping her child as if they were falling from the sky. Julia stopped dead in her tracks. Her face was filled with astonishment at the mother's petrified outburst.
How could she say such a thing...I saved her life!
Now Julia felt extremely uneasy. Her insides felt unpleasant. She experienced emotions she never dealt with before in her whole life. She felt like an outcast, a freak, not wanted by the world, not a single soul. She felt ashamed to be a Red Dragon, taking away lives for her own advantage. She felt like a monster, rejected and despised. She literally felt like a million broken pieces nobody bothered to assemble back to its original form. The feeling of being forsaken, like a rose in a puddle, just left there to fade away...
The subway stopped. She was now in Crater City. The doors slid open. As she made her way out, she captured one more glance at the woman.
"I'm sorry for putting you and your child's welfare in danger. Forgive me," she sincerely apologized, placing her shades over her cobalt eyes. Her voice was full of dejection. She was full of dejection. The doors closed behind her as the mother looked in shock, speechless.
"So I guess you really are top assassin material."
She saw Vicious emerge from behind a pillar, his dark silhouette reflecting on the gray cement by the luminescent lights that hung at the ceiling. He was smiling, of course. Julia felt her face get hot in fury.
"You knew there Tigers there?!" she yelled, enraged.
How dare he smiles as if it was all entertainment...
"And what if I did? It's not like you were in a life-threatening situation. I just wanted to see if you can handle things all by yourself," he answered unworriedly. Her agitated eyes leered at him. She fists were clenched tightly, her blood boiling with fury through her veins.
"Sure, I wasn't in a lethal situation, but innocent civilians were! How could you be so thoughtless?!" Julia hissed madly. She continued.
"And one more thing."
Vicious' shady eyes looked fixedly at her.
"I've lived on my own for as long as you can imagine. Don't give me that shit of me not knowing how to manage things on my own," she coldly stated. She walked passed him, not caring what he was going to say next. Anger and depression still lingered in inside her. What was she miserable over? This she knew at the top of her head. It has haunted her mind and spirit for as long as she could remember. She was all alone, the figure in the rain standing in solitude. She had no one to love, and no one to love her back...
"Julia."
She froze. Vicious spoke behind her.
"I'm sorry."
He meant it. His voice was sincere as if he felt the same emptiness that she had felt all her life. And he did.
Julia could not believe her ears.
Vicious apologizing? That's the last thing he'd ever do...
"Let's go, we might be late," she spoke, still facing away, trying to sound as if she didn't hear him. But she was not a connoisseur in articulating false feelings. There was a feeling of acceptance in it, that she had forgiven him. In fact, she did. Deep down in her heart she forgave him.
***
It was twilight in Tharsis. Tsungming Long stared in admiration at the glorious city from the large polished windows of his hotel room number 143. The metropolis was so full of life, of never ending chances to live the good life. That was only if you were rich. Though the megalopolis was grand and had a phenomenal view, there was of course a bad side to it. Hoodlums roamed the streets and great Mafia chiefs ruled illicit acts right under the ISSP's nose. Tharsis was the city to live in if you were wealthy and you knew how to protect yourself and your fortunes. Otherwise you might be another victim who happened to be plundered by a decent crime wave.
Tsungming was among the great mentors who held a prominent rank in the Red Dragon crime syndicate. He was the first to know of the Tigers' plot to overrule the Dragons by stealing any opportunity that the spies have heard of. A man of forty-nine raised by Red Dragons, he smoked cigars a lot and held a positive outlook on things though he could be headstrong at times. His co-workers worried about his blackened lungs and urged him to stop, but their concerned attitudes met his stubborn remarks. He was tough as a bull; once he made a decision there was no use trying to change his mind. It would just change his usual aloof mood into a raging nightmare.
The mentor puffed on a cigar when he heard a knock on the door behind him. He didn't bother to answer it, aware that it could be a gangster from a rival syndicate hired to kill him. His bodyguards were sent away despite their complaints so he could have some privacy. The knocking resumed.
"Room service," a sonorous voice said.
Long now assumed it was the unreliable room service who came up to deliver his bottle of whiskey he had ordered an hour ago.
"Cheap service," he mumbled.
As he opened the door three Black Pythons swarmed into the room. Before he could call for help, he was gunned down and pushed out of the windows that he was viewing through. Glass was smashed to smithereens as gunfire stormed through the room, hitting Tsungming at least ten times in the abdomen. His body plummeted down into the grave waters of Tharsis Bay, where it was to be found the morning after by the fishermen roaming the docks early in the day.
The Red Dragons and the White Tigers along with their new allies, the Black Pythons, were in stalemate with each other.
***
"I'm glad you were able to make it, despite your busy schedule."
Approximately an hour after Tsungming Long was thrown off a window to his watery grave, Jun Tao and his new friend Chang Ashitomi were having dinner at a private dining room in the Chinese cuisine restaurant that belonged to the White Tigers. The restaurant was fairly busy that night, with a couple of customers coming in each minute. It was a very popular cuisine, and no civilian had a clue that it was ran by drug dealing, homicide, and gambling by a mafia.
Ashitomi smiled.
"This food is great. What's your secret?" he joked as he ate a bowl of dim sum. The men laughed heartily. Then Jun Tao became serious. He folded his hands on the table, eying Ashitomi.
"Let's get straight to business," he said solemnly.
"Very well then. What is the percentage of money the Black Python syndicate gets out of these drug shipments?" Ashitomi asked.
"Fifty percent. Does ninety million woolongs sound good per shipment?" Jun Tao asked with a smile.
"Of course. We could really use that money."
"I'm glad to hear that. Too bad the Red Dragons weren't fast enough to get this once in a lifetime deal. With red eye out of their hands, we're bound to claim superiority over their foolish brains. That is, if they have any."
The two men laughed vigorously. The lights unexpectedly went out. The sound of bullets and yells of dying men inhabited the room. The lights went on. Tao's and Ashitomi's bodyguards were all dead. Red Dragons were emotionlessly standing in their places pointing guns aimed at the two clansmen, including Julia.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" Jun Tao demanded. His eyes expanded in size as he saw a katana about to slash the neck of Ashitomi. It was Vicious.
"Don't make a sound, and nobody gets hurt."
He smiled viciously as he sliced the neck of Chang Ashitomi. Blood seeped copiously from the wound as he screeched in agony. The white tablecloth was stained with oozing blood as well as the priceless china. He was dead all in a matter of seconds. The surrounding Dragons couldn't help but grimace at Vicious' cruelty. But they could not go against the will of the syndicate. Jun Tao could do nothing but quiver in fear. He was desperately holding on to the burgundy arms of his chair, trying to stop his figure from wobbling. He gasped in horror as Vicious looked at him, his bloody katana wavering over his face. Everybody watched nervously, for they knew what was about to happen.
"You have bloody eyes, Jun Tao."
Vicious gashed the blade of his katana right across Jun Tao's eyes and pierced his sword right through his heart.
Thus, the war of the Great Mafias was born.
***
A/N: Please Review! ^_^
A/N: Finally Chapter 4 is up. Thoughts are in italics. Thank you kind reviewers! ^_^
Chapter 4: Bloody Eyes
Jun Tao silently sipped his green tea as he sat face to face with the leader of the Black Python clan, Chang Ashitomi. They were negotiating a peace treaty in an office that belonged to Jun Tao in the White Tiger Headquarters. The adviser was seated in a black leather armchair with a polished walnut table in between him and the sulky figure of Ashitomi. Their bodyguards, all dressed in dark overcoats and fedoras occupying their heads surrounded both. Blood red drapes were drawn back divulging the spectacular panorama of Tharsis Bay, as well as the dynamic municipality itself. Resplendent gleams of light illuminated the workplace as they shimmered through the lucid windows. The morning sky was dyed a light sky blue instead of a light pink tone, with various spacecrafts flying about. Jun Tao took another sip at this moderately warm drink, before proceeding the compromise.
"It would be nice to have an ally who has the same destiny as the distinguished White Tiger clan," Jun Tao proudly remarked, showing Ashitomi the peace treaty and a ballpoint pen with "Jun Tao" in gold calligraphy engraved on it. "I can assure you there are no strings attached or any fine print," he reassured. The paper that pronounced comradeship had Jun Tao's petite signature and bloody fingerprint imprinted on it, proving that he was being frank about the accord. Chang read the pact thoroughly, not skipping a word. He did not want to get the Black Python syndicate into a star-crossed deal. Seeing no hidden messages, he took Jun Tao's personal pen and signed his name above "CHANG ASHITOMI, BLACK PYTHON INC." He had a solemn appearance on his face as he took a stiletto from his pocket and incised it into his finger, pressing the blood on the document right next to his signature. Seeing his mark on the manuscript, Jun Tao smiled in contentment, relieved that they were now partners, and would watch each other's back from enemies.
"Thank you, Mr. Ashitomi for your time and reverence. On behalf of the White Tiger syndicate I can give surety that our companionship will make the White Tiger clan and the Black Python clan rise in the years to come. Please, do stay for lunch," the White Tiger adviser enunciated.
"I appreciate your invitation, but I have another business meeting to attend. Perhaps we can meet later, say, this evening?" Chang asked.
"I would be more than happy to host a dinner with my new comrade as a guest. I will make sure our chef will present his magnum opus of Chinese cuisine."
"I feel the same as well." Tao motioned for his guards to show his new partner to the exit while he put on his wool coat. When Ashitomi and his security left the White Tiger Headquarters, Jun Tao walked up to the immense windows that captured the gorgeous Tharsis City view. He looked down on the city. Endless rows of skyscrapers towered everywhere and traffic was in the narrow busy streets that were in between them. His eyes narrowed as they located the sight of the tallest black building a few blocks away. He thought about the twisted plans to demolish the soaring skyscraper and every living soul who harbored under it.
That tall black building was the head office of the infamous Red Dragon consortium.
Julia sighed in tedium as she sat with her slim arms and legs crossed in a decaying subway car, looking out the tagged up windowpane. Monotony was written all over her face. She was traveling with her new partner in crime Vicious, who sat right across her, wearing a black business suit with a gray vest under with a white scarf laying on his sturdy shoulders. Her alluring sapphire eyes could see his reflection in the window through her shades, and noticed he was continuously glancing at her from across. The subway was literally a filth; gum stuck to the dull walls and seats, graffiti from youth gangs were written all over, concealing the advertisements that hung over the windows, and abandoned beer bottles and cigarettes inhabited the sticky floor. Surprisingly, the silent car was nearly empty. Julia and Vicious were the only passengers along with four other civilians, one woman who was feeding her baby and two men. One man was reading the Daily Newspaper and another was talking inaudibly on a cell phone. The two Dragons were assigned to gun down some more White Tigers, who were still implicated in the red eye distribution, and possibly some Black Pythons, since word got out that the two clans have teamed up. Spies of the Red Dragon concluded that the partnership was established for the sake of the production of the highly addictive narcotics. The Dragons were not going to make peace with the Tigers until they dug their claws into the drugs that would make at least fifteen million woolongs with just distributing one vial full of it.
Vicious wanted to break the unsettling stillness between him and his female colleague since the day they first went on a mission together. Ever since the two were assigned to work together, they have avoided the subject of socializing, mainly Julia. Vicious felt that she did not trust him, that she took him as a liar and a foolish gangster who worships showing off. But that was not that truth. In fact, Julia did not know what the truth was, what she felt for him. At the reception she believed she had felt some kind of wanting for him, but now she often doubted that. Because of her perplexed emotions, she skipped the introductions and headed straight to business.
"Why are you angry? Are you unsatisfied about your privileged position?" His voice was clear and blunt.
This time I'm not letting you get away...
Julia felt somnolent. She didn't get a good sleep for three days in a row due to her new promotion. From 11 PM to 2 AM she would be slaughtering members from rival syndicates and would only get a five hour sleep since she had another assignment at 7 AM. Her anomalous schedule left her in a crabby mood along with a dose of migraines. Vicious wanting a nice normal chat made her head ache some more. She did not feel like talking to him. She felt like sleeping.
"I am not angry, nor am I unsatisfied," she replied, still facing the window. Please, just let things be peaceful...
But peace never came her way. Vicious was still trying to socialize.
"Then why are you so silent? Does it hurt to talk once in a while?" he asked gallingly.
"Vicious." She faced him, her azure eyes in compliance to his.
"Julia." She sighed in exasperation.
"Vicious, what's your deal?"
"I just wanted to get to know you. After all, we're going to be working side by side from now on."
"Look I don't feel like answering personal questions and giving you a biography about myself right now. Try again sometime, but not now." He could tell by the fatigued look that borne upon her white face that she was serious. She turned her face back to the dirty window.
"As you wish," Vicious replied monotonously. The underground train suddenly stopped.
"Here's where we stop." Vicious got up, waiting for Julia, but she ignored him, eyes still facing away.
"I thought we were stopping in Crater City." She didn't bother to get up.
"We are. I'm just taking a reliable shortcut. Hurry up, the doors are now closing." Julia immediately got up, hoping to get pass the sliding doors, but she was a second too late. The doors closed in on her, leaving her glaring through the windows at Vicious' impish smile.
"I told you to hurry up," she heard him tease as the train resumed its destination.
"You bastard, you lousy bastard," she said softly, amazed that she was smiling, as if she was enjoying his little game. She at once wiped away that smile on her face and sat down. From the corner of her eye she saw the mouth of a .90 caliber was aimed at her. It belonged to the passenger on board who was reading a newspaper. He was now ready to pull the trigger, grinning maliciously. A woman screamed. It was the woman that was feeding her baby. She too was also facing a firearm, held by the man who was talking quietly on his cell phone. She was cradling her baby, squinting her teary eyes wishing none of this was happening.
"Please don't kill me or my baby! Please!" the panicky mother choked out through sobs. Her baby was now screaming, as if it was feeling its mother's horror.
"Shut the fuck up before I blast your damn baby's brains out!" the man pointing a gun at her thundered. The woman obediently silenced, hushing her child to follow. The baby still screamed.
Julia couldn't help but turn her startled face to the woman. She felt a great pang on sympathy, sorry for the woman that she was put in this situation that had nothing to do with her.
How heartless these Tigers are...they'll even kill an innocent baby that barely started its life...
For the first time in her life she was afraid, not for her own life, but for the baby's life and its mother's life as well. This was the first time an innocent civilian's life was weighed on her. She had to think fast. A man's deep voice caught her ears.
"Now, surrender all your weapons, you despicable dragon, or the mother and child gets a bullet to the head. Do you hear me bitch?!" the thug before her spat out. Julia turned to him. She heard the mother gasp in apprehension, hearing about her and her baby's death.
"I hear you loud and clear, son of a bitch."
Like lightning, she pulled out her pistol and fired at the man who insulted her, right between his eyes. The woman screamed his brains were blown out. The thug's comrade was paralyzed in outrage, astonished at the mafiosa's sudden action. He felt his heart beating madly in fear and his legs trembling as the dangerous blonde pulled the trigger. It met his throat, splattering a haze of red blood all over the car as he choked it out, making the place even more inhuman. The two gangsters were dead. Julia's heart was beating its normal rate. The terrified mother stared in disbelief at the corpse that lay right next to her, his lifeless eyes still open to the world. Her widened scarlet eyes finally met Julia's cerulean eyes hidden behind tinted lenses. She tucked away her pistol in her trench coat and removed her sunglasses, exposing her cobalt eyes filled with wonder. Julia walked toward her and her bawling infant.
"Are you okay? Is your baby fine?" she asked, her voice full of alarm. The lady seemed even more upset as Julia spoke.
"Get away from me, you...you death angel!" she shrieked, gripping her child as if they were falling from the sky. Julia stopped dead in her tracks. Her face was filled with astonishment at the mother's petrified outburst.
How could she say such a thing...I saved her life!
Now Julia felt extremely uneasy. Her insides felt unpleasant. She experienced emotions she never dealt with before in her whole life. She felt like an outcast, a freak, not wanted by the world, not a single soul. She felt ashamed to be a Red Dragon, taking away lives for her own advantage. She felt like a monster, rejected and despised. She literally felt like a million broken pieces nobody bothered to assemble back to its original form. The feeling of being forsaken, like a rose in a puddle, just left there to fade away...
The subway stopped. She was now in Crater City. The doors slid open. As she made her way out, she captured one more glance at the woman.
"I'm sorry for putting you and your child's welfare in danger. Forgive me," she sincerely apologized, placing her shades over her cobalt eyes. Her voice was full of dejection. She was full of dejection. The doors closed behind her as the mother looked in shock, speechless.
"So I guess you really are top assassin material."
She saw Vicious emerge from behind a pillar, his dark silhouette reflecting on the gray cement by the luminescent lights that hung at the ceiling. He was smiling, of course. Julia felt her face get hot in fury.
"You knew there Tigers there?!" she yelled, enraged.
How dare he smiles as if it was all entertainment...
"And what if I did? It's not like you were in a life-threatening situation. I just wanted to see if you can handle things all by yourself," he answered unworriedly. Her agitated eyes leered at him. She fists were clenched tightly, her blood boiling with fury through her veins.
"Sure, I wasn't in a lethal situation, but innocent civilians were! How could you be so thoughtless?!" Julia hissed madly. She continued.
"And one more thing."
Vicious' shady eyes looked fixedly at her.
"I've lived on my own for as long as you can imagine. Don't give me that shit of me not knowing how to manage things on my own," she coldly stated. She walked passed him, not caring what he was going to say next. Anger and depression still lingered in inside her. What was she miserable over? This she knew at the top of her head. It has haunted her mind and spirit for as long as she could remember. She was all alone, the figure in the rain standing in solitude. She had no one to love, and no one to love her back...
"Julia."
She froze. Vicious spoke behind her.
"I'm sorry."
He meant it. His voice was sincere as if he felt the same emptiness that she had felt all her life. And he did.
Julia could not believe her ears.
Vicious apologizing? That's the last thing he'd ever do...
"Let's go, we might be late," she spoke, still facing away, trying to sound as if she didn't hear him. But she was not a connoisseur in articulating false feelings. There was a feeling of acceptance in it, that she had forgiven him. In fact, she did. Deep down in her heart she forgave him.
It was twilight in Tharsis. Tsungming Long stared in admiration at the glorious city from the large polished windows of his hotel room number 143. The metropolis was so full of life, of never ending chances to live the good life. That was only if you were rich. Though the megalopolis was grand and had a phenomenal view, there was of course a bad side to it. Hoodlums roamed the streets and great Mafia chiefs ruled illicit acts right under the ISSP's nose. Tharsis was the city to live in if you were wealthy and you knew how to protect yourself and your fortunes. Otherwise you might be another victim who happened to be plundered by a decent crime wave.
Tsungming was among the great mentors who held a prominent rank in the Red Dragon crime syndicate. He was the first to know of the Tigers' plot to overrule the Dragons by stealing any opportunity that the spies have heard of. A man of forty-nine raised by Red Dragons, he smoked cigars a lot and held a positive outlook on things though he could be headstrong at times. His co-workers worried about his blackened lungs and urged him to stop, but their concerned attitudes met his stubborn remarks. He was tough as a bull; once he made a decision there was no use trying to change his mind. It would just change his usual aloof mood into a raging nightmare.
The mentor puffed on a cigar when he heard a knock on the door behind him. He didn't bother to answer it, aware that it could be a gangster from a rival syndicate hired to kill him. His bodyguards were sent away despite their complaints so he could have some privacy. The knocking resumed.
"Room service," a sonorous voice said.
Long now assumed it was the unreliable room service who came up to deliver his bottle of whiskey he had ordered an hour ago.
"Cheap service," he mumbled.
As he opened the door three Black Pythons swarmed into the room. Before he could call for help, he was gunned down and pushed out of the windows that he was viewing through. Glass was smashed to smithereens as gunfire stormed through the room, hitting Tsungming at least ten times in the abdomen. His body plummeted down into the grave waters of Tharsis Bay, where it was to be found the morning after by the fishermen roaming the docks early in the day.
The Red Dragons and the White Tigers along with their new allies, the Black Pythons, were in stalemate with each other.
"I'm glad you were able to make it, despite your busy schedule."
Approximately an hour after Tsungming Long was thrown off a window to his watery grave, Jun Tao and his new friend Chang Ashitomi were having dinner at a private dining room in the Chinese cuisine restaurant that belonged to the White Tigers. The restaurant was fairly busy that night, with a couple of customers coming in each minute. It was a very popular cuisine, and no civilian had a clue that it was ran by drug dealing, homicide, and gambling by a mafia.
Ashitomi smiled.
"This food is great. What's your secret?" he joked as he ate a bowl of dim sum. The men laughed heartily. Then Jun Tao became serious. He folded his hands on the table, eying Ashitomi.
"Let's get straight to business," he said solemnly.
"Very well then. What is the percentage of money the Black Python syndicate gets out of these drug shipments?" Ashitomi asked.
"Fifty percent. Does ninety million woolongs sound good per shipment?" Jun Tao asked with a smile.
"Of course. We could really use that money."
"I'm glad to hear that. Too bad the Red Dragons weren't fast enough to get this once in a lifetime deal. With red eye out of their hands, we're bound to claim superiority over their foolish brains. That is, if they have any."
The two men laughed vigorously. The lights unexpectedly went out. The sound of bullets and yells of dying men inhabited the room. The lights went on. Tao's and Ashitomi's bodyguards were all dead. Red Dragons were emotionlessly standing in their places pointing guns aimed at the two clansmen, including Julia.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" Jun Tao demanded. His eyes expanded in size as he saw a katana about to slash the neck of Ashitomi. It was Vicious.
"Don't make a sound, and nobody gets hurt."
He smiled viciously as he sliced the neck of Chang Ashitomi. Blood seeped copiously from the wound as he screeched in agony. The white tablecloth was stained with oozing blood as well as the priceless china. He was dead all in a matter of seconds. The surrounding Dragons couldn't help but grimace at Vicious' cruelty. But they could not go against the will of the syndicate. Jun Tao could do nothing but quiver in fear. He was desperately holding on to the burgundy arms of his chair, trying to stop his figure from wobbling. He gasped in horror as Vicious looked at him, his bloody katana wavering over his face. Everybody watched nervously, for they knew what was about to happen.
"You have bloody eyes, Jun Tao."
Vicious gashed the blade of his katana right across Jun Tao's eyes and pierced his sword right through his heart.
Thus, the war of the Great Mafias was born.
A/N: Please Review! ^_^
~Moontenshi
