A/N: Okay… I need to finish this fic as soon as possible, because once April hits… I'll have homework and exams up the ass and won't be able to update for months at a time. Also I am aware that there is a town in Hokkaido called Chitose, well…this Chito isn't Chitose alright? Lol Just a coincidence! ^_^
Hmm… I just though of a soundtrack for this fic, so all you music fiends have something to listen to.
Trust Company – Hover, and The Fear
Linkin Park – PTS.OF.ATHRTY, and PLC.4 MIE HEAD [remix songs]
Trapt – These Walls
Angel of Mine
By Ang3l MoMO
Chapter 6
Previously on A.O.M.:
Twirling the flower with the stem between her fingers, Misao chuckled, "I remember almost burning down your kitchen that day with my strange 'love-potion'…" Getting back in the driver's seat, Misao placed the flower next to the picture. "I always ruined everything……yet you put up with me."
Wiping her tears, Misao switched her gears and drove down the street.
'Yet you put up with me….'
********************
A large figure stood in the shadows of a grimly lit office, arms behind the back… gazing vindictively through the wall-to-wall windows. Glazed grey eyes scanned the many roof-tops and streets of Tokyo; from the neon lights, to the large billboards.
A soft rushed shuffle could be heard as a scrawny petite man made it to the grim office's large oak doors. The small man's greasily slicked-back hair dripped with gel and mousse as he pushed up his thick glasses from the messily taped center. Slightly trembling from obvious nervousness, he knocked on the door. Then, cautiously, opened the door a minute amount; poking his head in through the gap.
"Satasuke-sama…Sir?" He squeaked; his eyes were filled with paranoia as they darted around the room.
Unflinchingly so, the large figure spoke with a deep, raspy voice that made the tiny stick-of-a-man jump.
"Was it successful Shigeru?"
Glancing around a few more times, Shigeru sauntered in. "Y…Yessir. It was." He slurred nervously.
Satasuke grinned maliciously, revealing large yellow teeth… like that of old slimy piano keys. "Good. You may leave now Shigeru. Follow through with the second part of the plan and then report back. You are dismissed."
Immediately at his dismissal, Shigeru's tense posture was replaced with relief as he sighed inwardly. Although Satasuke's back was to him, Shigeru's paranoid fears found this was not an exception for informalities as he bowed his way of the room; the door lightly clicking shut.
Once the twig-like man was out of the room, Satasuke's grin widened… eventually exploding into a loud horrendous cackle.
'Oniwanbanshu… you're end has come. After all these years, we, the Ishitomi, will finally be victorious!'
********************
Hmm… well hello brain. It's been awhile since I had the time to talk to you, which is quite out of the ordinary since I know you're the only one that can stand my sarcasm and actually get me.
Remember the good ol' days when we'd go to the coffee house and watch Sano make an ass out of himself while trying to hit on women? Those were certainly good times weren't they? Well… actually I wouldn't call them good… but with Sano as your best friend, you kind of have to redefine 'good'. Then there is… of course… we can't forget the recent event of him trying to hook me up with that chick Jennika… that was certainly irritating. As you have noticed; in less than a week I've been yelled at over the phone, encountered an apparent ghost (or as I'd like to think so) at the airport, given a weird ass diary which has done nothing but wasted my time, been kidnapped by some taxi driver that really wasn't, met a friend that I haven't seen in a decade that seems to know more about my life then I do, been punched unconscious and kicked in the stomach, led to a creepy dark room in an illegal elite mafia's hide-out, almost blown to shreds when a brick wall exploded, sent on a high-speed chase…which I'm still dealing with the nausea.
Ugh…it's very hard to believe that I was once normal for once… well, depends on your definition of NORMAL.
"Himura."
Saitou's gruff bark interrupted my thoughts.
"We're at Niigata… you can get your ass out to stretch if you'd like."
Saitou turned onto the side of the road, in front of a motel, opening the door, I got out of the car; inhaling the sweet air-freshener-free air as I did so.
Anyways, it's been two days since we left the head-quarters, and so far…everything is going pretty well. We stayed at a cheap hotel at the worst part of Sendai the night before… and now we were at the worst part of Niigata; no guessing where we're going to stay tonight.
"Hey Himura!" I turned around to see Saitou, waving his arms from the driver's seat…ushering me to get back in the car. Not really having any idea what was with the sudden change in demeanor, I obliged.
"What's going on Saitou?" I asked, getting back in the car.
He was on his cell phone, his eyes wide and face pale with disbelief.
"Alright… Alright I will Misao…Bye."
Snapping his phone shut, his face was stone still as he shifted the car out of parking and drove out of the spot, zooming back out onto the road.
With the fierce expression of contemplation plastered on his face, I forced down my curiosity and kept quite. It wasn't until we got back onto the highway did he finally speak.
"Himura." His voice was an octave lower than it had been a few moments ago. "We will not be staying at Niigata tonight."
What?
"Unfortunately the Ishitomi Mafia was successful in taking over our head-quarters, and blood has been shed."
"I thought you were kidding about that!"
"So did I, but unfortunately I wasn't… the element of surprise seemed to have caught us VERY off guard. We have lost many men" Raking his hand through his hair, his brow furrowed.
Pausing, a thought crossed my mind, "Wait… This didn't happen because of that door I opened was it?"
"No, I doubt it." I immediately relaxed, "But this is very strange… the Oniwanbanshu isn't the top Mafia in all of Japan just because. There's a long and complicated past to our rising to the top, and if we haven't been taken over before. Why now?"
The car was soon overcome by a 'somewhat' comfortable silence. Collecting my thoughts, I finally spoke.
"Hey Saitou? Since when did you join the Oniwanbanshu?… I remember you used to hate us, including Misao."
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly into a smile, "Yea, I remember that too. But… ten years is a long time Himura. Things change… people become corrupt. And some of us find their 'niche' in life." He paused, as if trying to summarize a long complicated life's story. Closing his eyes for a moment, Saitou continued. "Long story short, I felt this was the path for me to take… and so six years ago, I joined the Oniwanbanshu."
"I see."
"But that's not important Himura, what's important right now is that we need to get you to Aomori and Misao as soon as possible."
"What's… What's going to happen?"
"I…I can't say Himura for I'm not sure myself. What is to be done now is for Misao to decide."
"But it's going to take hours to get to Aomori and…"
"Then we'll stay in the car and I'll drive for however long is needed."
I opened my mouth to protest but Saitou intervened, "Look Himura, this is very serious and it goes beyond your own safety. Something strange is going on and every second counts. We're going to drive for hours if we have to. You can deal with your own shit once we figure out what plan Misao has for us."
Leaning back in my seat, my breathing did not become panicked or nervous, no, I was calm.
And waiting.
******************
"…The recently increased crime rate in Hokkaido has seemed to spread to the heart of Tokyo as authorities have reported a large number of dead-bodies were found in alley-ways between what is believed to be abandoned warehouses. There isn't a lot of information at this time but cops feel that it is in the citizens' best interest to reframe in going out at night…"
Bringing the bottle to her lips, Misao gulped down the rest of her drink. Setting the glass bottle back onto the counter-top, she strained her ears to hear the blaring TV set that hung high above her head on the right. Feeling extremely stressed and in need of killing some time before her employee showed up the following day, Misao had seeked refuge in this pool hall…notorious for people of her sort.
"Crazy shit isn't it?"
Turning her head towards the source of the voice, Misao's eyes met that of a muscular man's. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt, his bald head completely tattooed from the nape of the neck to the forehead. Piercings were on his bottom lip, right brow, nose, and almost completely covering both of his ears. Wiping a glass with a rag, he filled the glass with beer from one of the many taps.
Misao forced a slight smile, "Hey Yoshio."
Yoshio placed the glass of beer in front of Misao, foam flowing over the edge.
"Oh uh, that's alright Yoshio… I'm quite fine with what I have."
"Oh c'mon Misao, your bottle's empty," Yoshio insisted, smiling and green eyes glimmering, "I know you too well to know when something's wrong and besides," He wiped the pool of liquid that was created by the overflowing foam. "It's on the house."
Smiling at her friend's kind jester, Misao complied and grabbed the glass.
"Now," Yoshio leaned forward so that he could whisper, "What's happened?"
Turning her head back to the many people playing pool and those that were yelling profanities at a large plasma TV, which was apparently on the sports channel, Misao made sure that no one was in earshot of their conversation.
"Have any Furigana members showed up lately?" Misao whispered.
"No. Why?"
Misao leaned in closer while checking their surroundings once again, "The thing is, you and everyone else I've gotten in contact with hasn't heard of or seen any of the Furigana in the past few days. And rumors are already going around that the Ishitomi have cut their connection with the Furigana."
"Through assassinations?"
"I'm not sure, but that is what's been said."
Yoshio leaned back and took Misao's empty bottle, setting it in the trash can that stood under the counter. "It's been a rumor around these parts, but no one is sure of it." He spoke softly, even though it was loud enough in the pool hall to miss their conversation, "But now with the new News reports and the increase in the Ishitomi along with the lack of Furigana, it only makes sense the Ishitomi would dispose of them."
Grabbing a glass, Yoshio began to pour another mix of alcohol into the glass…sliding the glass to the other end of the counter where a gorgeous brunette grabbed the drink, and joined the many men in front of the plasma TV. Misao, deep in thought, popped some pretzel's in her mouth, gulped down the glass of liquor, and reached into her back pocket. Pulling out a black laminated card, Misao placed the card on the counter and slid it in front of Yoshio.
"Get Takeo for me and give him that card." Misao got up to leave.
Yoshio picked up the card, "Wait… but I can't--"
"You owe me this favor Yoshio."
Sighing as Misao walked out, Yoshio pulled out a rag and began wiping the countertop.
"Damn it Misao, you always know how to use those 'I-owe-yous'."
*****************
Ugh… It's been hours; maybe even a whole day or two, and I ache all over. Originally we were going to stop at Akita, but due to our lack of time, Saitou and I have been driving for god knows how long... stopping only occasionally for food, gas, or a bathroom break. It's amazing how much of a change to your appearance, and demeanor, lack of good sleep can do. I could feel the bags just drooping under my eyelids. Both Saitou and I haven't said a word to each other; probably aware of the fact that I too knew speaking to one another could break our serene silence by another man-to-man lash out.
Nevertheless, I've found ways to keep myself busy. I found out very early on that trying to have a conversation with Mr. Stick-Up-Your-Ass isn't exactly the most 'fun' thing to do. At first I tried estimating how long it'd take before my ass got numb… but I fell a sleep. Then, after I woke up, I began to count the number of bugs that hit the car's bumper and windshield. I have to admit that I was extremely relieved when I was told that in a matter of 15 minutes, we'd be arriving to Aomori.
And yes, if you've been wandering, I have been flipping through the diary; trying to find if there were any more clues that I've missed. Sadly, no.
As I got to 3,579 bugs, we drove into the city limits of Aomori and were immediately greeted by the typical Japanese skyscrapers. Driving further and further into the heart of the city, I started to realize that there was a huge lack of people for such a large city. Saitou must've seen this too.
His brow furrowing in confusion, Saitou reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone; flipping it open to see if there were any calls he's missed.
"What the hell? No service? We're in the middle of the city… how could there be no---"
Suddenly, the concrete road in front of us exploded, making our car dive into a large trench. As glass flew everywhere, I felt my neck snap forward as my seatbelt caught. Pain surged through my lower back up to the back of my head; I screamed against the pandemonium that surrounded us.
"HIMURA!!!"
Suddenly I felt my seatbelt slack and I was jerked towards my left in lightning speed…Feeling as though my left shoulder was pulled out of its socket, I fell against the hard cement, face down… dirt encompassing my whole body. Through this whole ordeal I realized my eyes were squeezed shut; hesitating to open them…I felt a shadow fall on my field of view.
"Hey, you alright there?"
Glancing up, I met the eyes of Saitou.
"You alright?" He repeated, looking completely unaffected by the incident.
Blinking, to make sure it wasn't a dream, I carefully hoisted myself up into a sitting position. "Uhh… Yea, I think so?"
"Well let's hope so, that was pretty damn close Himura."
When the cloud of dust settled, I looked over to where the car was buried in tons of rubble and dirt. Any evidence of a car within the piled layers of metal was lost as it lay there in the large trench, like that of a paper fan.
Spitting out the dirt that had accumulated in my mouth, I got up and stretched my limbs. It was then I realized that the broken bones I first thought I had were only pulled muscles. Talk about stress.
"Okay Yoga-boy, quit the stretching and get going. Something strange is going on and we need to get to Misao as soon as possible."
"Shut the hell up! In case you hadn't noticed I had almost died in an accident."
Looking up from my position I saw that Saitou had already begun running down the road; following him, we made our way through the eerily quiet streets of Aomori. The thuds of our shoes echoing in the 'ghost-town' made the hairs on my neck stand on end. This was way too much like the silence the storm.
In about five minutes of sprinting, we entered the downtown area.
It consisted of billboards and advertisements that hung above and around buildings, the occasional small buildings that had the traditional blue Japanese roofs, and the remnants of snow that scattered the town. Steam escaped the vents that lined some of the streets as Saitou and I took another turn, revealing the Aomori train station.
Panting, Saitou stopped. "Here we are Himura. Let's just hope Misao is where we had planned on meeting."
Bending down to lift up one of his pant legs, he revealed guns strapped to his calf. Unbuckling it, he clicked the gun to make sure it was in good condition.
"Ever used a gun before?"
"Why?"
He tossed it at me.
"A GUN? What for?!"
Ignoring my question, he pulled up his other pant leg and pulled out another gun; clicking it.
Walking up to him in disbelief, I waited till he made eye-contact. "WHAT is this for?"
Sighing, Saitou straightened up and looked at the train station before us. "You have no idea how much dangerous ground we're on right now do you?"
Not waiting for me to even attempt to answer, he began to trot towards the station's entrance. As always, not having much choice, I followed.
Reaching the entrance, we pushed through the gate and climbed up a flight of stairs. As we got to the second floor, we were greeted by, much to our relief, a familiar voice.
"Took you two long enough." She stood in the long hallway of the station. The hall had windows all along the walls along with ads and train information below them.
"Misao!"
She grinned, "Ah, I see you're doing pretty well Kenshin. I was getting afraid that the two of you killed each other along the way."
"Misao, What has been happening?" Saitou intervened seriously.
Her grin gone, Misao sighed.
"Apparently the Ishitomi have been planning their attacks for years… maybe even more than a decade. They had originally joined allies with the Furigana and planned on attacking our headquarters in Tokyo, in hopes of destroying the Oniwabanshu so that they could then rise to the top. Sadly, they succeeded in taking over our hideout the day they knew I would not be present by using the element of surprise. The amount of man power and strategic planning completely destroyed the few of us that were still stationed there. From there on, the Ishitomi felt that the Furigana were a threat now that they had accomplished what they had been working so hard for… thus they disposed of them."
"I see. But… what has become of this city?"
"I wish I could tell you but I can't… I'm not sure of what happened to this city besides the fact that the train that goes through the Seikan tunnel is still coming in about ten-minutes."
Out of no where, a deep raspy voice spoke. "Oh but I can."
We turned back to where Saitou and I had come from, and there stood a grim group of men… with a large, sad excuse of a man, standing in the front. Grinning from ear-to-ear, his large yellow slimy piano-key teeth looked as if they were clumsily crammed together into his mouth.
"Who the hell are you?" I spat.
The older man let out a cackle.
"I should ask you the same question you flame-haired boy."
"Excuse me?!!" Who the hell is he to say---
Saitou's lip curled in anger and frustration, "Listen here you old man…" He hissed, "I don't know what you're doing here but we've got a train to catch, and we do not have time for your shit."
"My, my, why such vulgar language?… If I didn't know better I'd think you were actually part of the Oniwabanshu. In fact, it'd only make sense that a man of your putrid personality and attitude would be part of that horrendous excuse of a mafia. Am I not right?"
Saitou growled angrily. I turned to catch Misao's reaction during this ordeal… but her expression was stone cold; glaring at the man.
She finally spoke through tight lips, "Satasuke-san, I see that it is you that has been setting everything up."
"If it isn't Miss Makimachi. I see that you are as observant as ever…"
"Stop with the bullshit Satasuke, I am willing to settle whatever issue you and the Ishitomi have with me or the Oniwabanshu; but quite frankly I think that a man of your intellect would not want to sink this low by having a brawl in a rickety train station, would you not?" Misao ended, her voice overflowing with sarcasm.
Satasuke's grin turned into a scowl, as did the men around him.
"You sure are one fucking ray of sunshine Misao." He retaliated sardonically.
"In case you haven't noticed, you are outnumbered," In the distance I could hear a train approaching, "…and out of time!"
In an instant, the mob charged at us at all directions; whipping out their weapons ranging from nightsticks to daggers. Screams and grunts tore through the short-lived silence. Catching a large burly man out of the corner of my eye, I barely dodged his attack as he swung at my head with a baseball bat.
I wished I could've used my gun at a moment like this, but the fear of accidentally shooting Saitou or Misao held me back. Instead, I hit the large man in the temple with the shaft of my gun, sending him careening over another fallen Ishitomi.
"Kenshin! DON'T MISS THE TRAIN……HURRY KENSHIN!!!" Misao shouted as she wrestled with an ogre-like woman, elbowing her in the stomach and sending a roundhouse kick to her head. "GO!!!"
"But I can't leave you guys---"
"WE'LL BE FINE," Saitou struck a tall burly man in the face, "JUST FUCKING GO!!"
Reluctantly, I began to run toward the sound of the approaching train … jumping over moaning bodies; and crouching down at the last moment, so that another Ishitomi that charged at me could trip and fall over instead.
"DO NOT LET THAT MAN GET AWAY! NO WITNESSES MAY LIVE!!" Satasuke's voice boomed behind me as gun shots went off, bullets zooming past my head by inches; breaking the windows.
Then, on cue, a fallen man rolled over and grabbed my ankle… breaking my sprint and sending me landing painfully on the station's concrete flour. Ignoring my now bleeding lip, I kicked the man in the face with my other foot and jumped up as the train roared louder.
Although I felt my ankle scream with pain, I began sprinting as fast as I could down the hall.
"GET HIM YOU IMBECILES!!
Turning right at the end of the long hall, the sounds of shouts and grunts droned out…but the sound of footsteps did not.
Someone is following me.
It didn't take long for the huge brawl behind my pursuer and I to become nothing but loud crashes. Trying not to injure my foot anymore than it already is, I quickly made my way down a flight of stairs and into the opening. Hearing the loud roaring of the train… I looked up.
There's the train!
"…Aomori to Hakodate and Sapporo…." The robotic voice boomed from the station's speakers.
As the doors to the train slid open, I started running along side of the train; the Ishitomi man following me not so far behind.
"…Last call for Aomori to Hakodate and Sapporo…"
Glancing at the front of the train, the train engineer poked his head out of the window.
"Ay man! You boarding or not?!"
"I'M KIND OF BUSY AT THE MOMENT!"
Gun shots went off behind me; and, eyes widening in fear, the engineer brought his head back in the train. The doors began to close.
Lunging towards the closing doors of the first compartment, I flew through the gap and tumbled into a crouching position. A few more gun shots went off and the man tried to climb through the now broken windows.
Grabbing the gun, I did the only think I could think of.
I pulled the trigger.
A bullet tore through the air and shot the man through the lower left shoulder, sending him flying back onto the concrete as the train took off.
Staring at the bleeding body that lay on the ground, the gun fell out of my hand.
……I can't believe I shot somebody. I can't believe I shot somebody.
Completely in shock, I collapsed into a seat and just sat… my eyes hooded behind my sweaty bangs.
"Ay… Y-You alright there?" Questioned a quivering voice from the intercom.
Looking up, I saw that there was a surveillance camera.
Hoisting myself up, I limped toward the front of the compartment and grabbed the knob of the door that led to the control room. Opening the door, I was met with the same startled middle-aged engineer as before. Looking up above all the train's controls, I saw that there were at least twenty TV screens lining the top.
"S-s-sir? May I help you?"
"Gimme the videos from all the cameras."
"But sir…"
"I said 'Gimme the videos from all the cameras'."
Setting the train to autopilot, he quickly stood up and reached toward the bottom right of all the TV screens, pressing some buttons so that multiple videotapes fell out of the many small videocassette drives. He frantically grabbed them all, and thrust them towards me; tapes shaking as did his hands. Snatching all of the tapes out of his hands, I turned around and limped back to the compartment. Placing the tapes on the seats, I picked up my gun. Using the rest of the bullets, I blew the tapes into smithereens and tossed them out the broken windows.
Sinking into a seat, I sat with my head against the glass…trying to ignore the throbbing pain in the back of my skull. As the train approached the Seikan tunnel, I saw my own reflection in the windows opposite of me. My face was pale and showed no sign of remorse or pain… my eyes completely glazed over. Slowly, and carefully, I turned around to get a closer look at myself through the reflection.
My eyes… my face… everything changed. I felt like a shell… Like there was something missing within.
I had killed somebody.
My eyes showed a glint of amber.
I had killed somebody.
Before long, the searing pain from the back of my head got the best of me… and I was engulfed in total darkness.
**********************
"Sano?.........Sano?"
Sanosuke sat in a disoriented office, boxes and papers everywhere. Drool accumulated into a puddle under Sanosuke's cheek as Jennika found him asleep on his desk; his mug of coffee leaving a brown ring on a small stack of papers.
Gently nudging him in the shoulder, Jennika jumped a little as Sano suddenly jolted up…snorting and mumbling as he spoke.
"…Huh? What? Did I miss something?"
Jennika chuckled, "Nothing's the matter. Calm down."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Sano discretely (or tried to) wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and leaned back in his chair in an attempt to do is work. Walking around the desk, Jennika moved some boxes aside and pulled up a chair to the desk; sitting down.
"Don't you think you've worked hard enough?"
"No."
"Well you did fall asleep on your desk y'know."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"How about coming with the rest of us for some tea?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Well…do you have any tasks I could help you with?"
"No."
Setting her cup of tea that she brought with her on the desk, Jennika sighed.
"Listen, this obviously isn't getting anywhere… So I'll get to the point. I really think you should go home for the rest of the day and get some rest. You've been here for days."
Signing some papers, Sanosuke swerved his chair over to his computer and began pulling up files and documents onto the screen. Ignoring Jennika's comments, he took a swig of his coffee and raked his hand through his wild hair.
"Sano…," she tried again, "I'm only saying this because you're my friend. I know we're co-workers too, and you have a right to do whatever you want… but don't you think you're over working yourself? I mean…"
"You're right. I agree with you…"
Jennika grinned.
"…I have a right to do whatever I want."
Suddenly her face dropped. Glancing over, Sanosuke pointed toward the far edge of his desk.
"Can you hand me that blue disk over there?"
Obliging, Jennika pulled it out from a pile of papers and handed it to him.
"Sano… I'm serious about--"
"Look, I don't need to be told what to do or what not to do. And I definitely don't need a babysitter." He responded bluntly, typing whatever was on the disk onto the computer screen.
Feeling hurt and defeated, Jennika quietly stood from her seat and grabbed her cup of tea.
"Alright then… I'll just be leaving."
Quietly getting up, she sauntered over to open the door. Sanosuke suddenly stopped his frantic typing.
"Wait…"
Stopping mid-action, Jennika turned and looked at Sano.
"I… Look the thing is…Well I…" Sanosuke sighed as he tried to collect his thoughts, "The thing is… I've had a lot on my mind lately and… work helps keep me busy. That's all."
There was a pause. Sanosuke shifted in his seat as if feeling uncomfortable. Realizing that was the closest thing to an apology she was going to get, Jennika smiled.
"Alright Sano. I'll leave you to your work then."
Waiting till he heard the satisfying click of the door closing, Sanosuke grunted and slouched back into his chair.
'Without you here is driving me nuts Kenshin. You better make it back in one piece buddy.'
********************
"…Next stop… Sapporo…"
Waking up to the train's engineer's voice over the intercom, I immediately grunted and rubbed my eyes as the afternoon sun blinded me. Getting the feeling that I'm not alone, I squinted against the bright light and glanced around. There were about eight people in the same compartment as I. They must've got on the train at Hakodate.
Damn it… I must seem like one of those drunks you see in the subway in New York.
As we entered Sapporo train station, the intercom went off. "…We have arrived at Sapporo..."
Stretching my limbs and getting the kinks out of my neck, I followed the crowd out of the train.
After spending a day in a deserted Aomori, it felt good to be among people again. Although my ankle's still killing me; I limped over to the Sapporo train station's kiosk. Seeing that the bathroom was only down a flight of stairs; I limped down and entered the bathroom.
Standing in front of the sink and mirror, I pulled the elastic band out of my hair so that it cascaded down my shoulders. Turning on the facet and plugging up the drain, the sink filled with water. Turning off the facet, I dipped my hands into the cold water; splashing it all over my face multiple times and running hands through my hair. Stopping, I placed both hands on either side of the sink and stood hunched over… my head drooping over so that the water on my face and hair dripped over the pool of water in the sink and the counter.
What's happened to me? I've had my fair share of cruel moments, but killing someone? What has become of me? Was this trip to Chito over some stupid diary worth--"
My head snapped up, and I stared at my wet reflection wide-eyed.
THE DIARY! Where is the diary?
Frantically drying my face off with the paper towels that lay in the corner, I began digging through all my pockets. Except for my wallet and passport, I found nothing.
"All this work………all this pain……and now…… FOR NOTHING?!"
Roaring in frustration, I punched the mirror; causing it to shatter. Panting, I looked around the bathroom to confirm the fact that I was alone. Grabbing my elastic band, I swung my head back… grabbing handfuls of hair and pulled it into a ponytail higher than my usual. Picking out small pieces of glass from my knuckles, I wrapped my hand with toilet paper, and walked out of the bathroom… ignoring the searing pain in my foot.
All this shit…for nothing…
Getting back into the hussle-and-bussle of the Sapporo train station, I looked around the many businessmen and families as they went about their daily errands. Walking towards the middle of the large area to get a better look, I suddenly got this strange pang in my stomach as if someone was watching me. Turning around, my eyes caught sight of a mysterious figure standing in the dark corner. He was watching me.
Furrowing my brows and feeling bold… I approached the figure. After all, what do I have to lose?
As I got within earshot, he spoke deep, seemingly distant voice.
"You must be Kenshin Himura."
"And you are?"
He stepped out of the shadows and grinned. As the light hit him, what I thought was a large ogre-like thug became a small lean man. He had platinum blonde, chin-length hair… much like that of my old friend Aoshi's; his eyes were a piercing green.
"You may refer to me as Takeo. Miss Makmachi had called for my assistance, I am here to guide you to Asahikawa if anything should go wrong."
My eyes narrowed, "What should go wrong?"
"Everything. As you know, the Ishitomi have been a growing threat to the Oniwanbanshu…and if they should interfere with whatever it is Misao was trying to do with you... I would be in charge of taking care of you."
Throwing my harms in the air in defeat, I groaned. "Why does everyone think that I need to be 'taken care of'? Doesn't everyone get that I'm fast approaching thirty and is completely capable of taking care of myself."
Glancing down at my wrapped hand, Takeo replied. "You're right Himura-san, you are capable of taking care of yourself. I can see that," he tilted his had toward my hand in reference, "But that does not mean you know the rules of the game."
I snorted, "Everything's a game to you guys isn't it?"
"It isn't just a philosophy Himura-san; it is a fact of life. Do we not have goals? Do we not feel as though we've 'won' when we've achieved something we've wanted? Is it not the strongest that survive?"
"Yea." I mumbled as rudely as I could.
Folding his arms over his chest, Takeo continued. "Well then… Himura-san… I know you are eager to go to this…" he paused thoughtfully, "Chito. Are you not?"
"Yea." I repeated. Only this time my voice held a hint of irritation.
"Alright then… follow me." Takeo walked, almost glided, towards a flight of stairs towards the lower floor.
Following him, I suddenly heard him raise his voice so that I could hear him over the crowd.
"Oh, by the way, if we are to be together for the day… I suggest that you lose that attitude."
Ignoring his advice, I kept my scowl and kept walking…trying not to make my subtle limping too noticeable for this mysterious guy.
After a few more stairs and long-distance walking, we made our way out of the train station and walked to the side of the road where Takeo's car was. By now my determination to be an asshole drained, thus my scowl was gone. Opening the car doors, the two of us got in the black Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Turning on the ignition, Takeo turned towards me.
"I see you've taken my advice after all Himura-san."
I immediately dropped back into a scowl; Takeo chuckled.
"I think we need to stop somewhere before we head towards the hotel we're staying at."
"What? Hotel? What for?"
"Well… as far as I know, you've been in a car for quiet sometime now… is that not correct?"
"Yea…"
"Well… I can tell you must be pretty tired; and if sleeping might loosen you up. Then we're definitely goin' to stay in a hotel."
"Whatever." I sunk back in my seat; arms crossed and all.
"But," Takeo adjusted the rearview mirror and began to turn out of his spot, "we're going to stop by somewhere first."
"Where?"
"You'll see."
Although I had to admit the car was much more comfortable than the seats on the train, I couldn't help but feel that I'll have to buy the Butt-o-ciser or something to work my jelly ass after all this sitting. Thankfully the ride wasn't too long, for as the sun began to set we pulled into…
"A BAR?! Why the hell are we at a bar?"
Pulling into a parking space, Takeo shifted his car from drive to parking. Turning to me, he pointed at my face.
"THAT. Is the reason why we're here."
What the hell was he implying?
"What?!"
"You need to loosen up if we're going to do some talking." Was his only reply as he got out of the car.
Following his lead, I opened the door and got out.
"Me being an asshole right now has nothing to do with lack of alcohol!"
"Sure seems like it Himura-san."
"Will you stop calling me that?! And how the hell does it seem like I need a drink?!" Ugh… talk about being perturbed.
Takeo pushed the bar's entrance open as he sighed in defeat. "Just get come in."
I took a quick look at the name of the bar before we entered; Lucky's. Cigarette smoke and alcohol filled my nostrils as we made our way across the bar and toward two stools at the end of the counter.
"So what are we having today Takeo?" The tall burly bartender asked as we sat down.
"Just the usual. And you?"
"I don't drink."
The bartender chuckled, "Oh sure you do! C'mon, any friend of Takeo is a friend of mine. Pick anything at all and I'll make it!"
Raking my hand through my bangs, I thought for a moment. "Just… gimme whatever he's having."
The bartender whistled, "Whoa! You're one brave guy that's for sure. You sure you want whatever he's having?"
"Yea… sure."
"Alright, comin' right up!" The bartender walked to the other end as he grabbed multiple bottles of alcohol and poured them into mixers.
Takeo grinned. "Now that's more like it."
"What?"
"Y'know……the drink."
"What about it?"
"Do you know what my drinking habits are?" Takeo's grin widened.
"Not anything I can't handle right?"
"Oh… cocky are we?"
"No… just sure of myself."
He laughed. "You really have no idea what you've gotten yourself into do you?"
I swear that had to be the fastest service in the world because before I could even answer, the bartender placed two mugs in front of us. Picking up the glass, I subtly looked to see if I could guess what the contents were.
"Cheers!" Throwing his head back, Takeo chugged down all the contents in his mug.
Bringing my mug to my lips, I tilted it so the cool liquid flowed into my mouth…the alcohol sending a slight burning sensation as I drank. At first it tasted bitter… then sweet…then spicy…then it just turned weird. Gulping down more and more, I finished my own drink and placed the mug back onto the counter.
Takeo stared at me, "Well?"
I grinned, trying to resist the urge to cringe as the strange taste lingered and made me feel like my taste buds were having being having a party in my mouth.
"Not bad! You not as wimpy as I thought." He exclaimed, slapping me in the back.
As soon as he did that, a warm tingly sensation arose from my stomach and spread through my body. I found it harder to focus my eyes and my mouth seemed to be dependent from my body. Blinking a few times, my eyelids began to feel heavier than before.
"Dayam right 'yam not ash wimpy ash y'thought." I slurred.
"Whoa… you feeling alright? You're not drunk already are you?."
Everything around me suddenly got fuzzy and began to spin.
"Huh? Whattur you shaying? Are you shaying I'yam a punk and dat I can't handle ish? Because if you are…"
"Uhh… I think we should go to the hotel…" The now blurry figure in front of me grabbed my arm. Who the hell is he to grab my arm?!
"GETTOFF ME YOU," I stopped to hiccup, "BITCH!" I ended with a burp, the stench of alcohol invading my nostrils even more.
"Alright that's it, we're going. Thanks Joji!"
"A large figure behind the counter replied, "No problem! Good luck there… should've known he couldn't handle it."
"Yea… I know I know."
The fuzzy figure that was in front of me made its way to my side and lifted my arm so that it rested on his shoulders. Or whatever that blurry thing is under that blonde stuff.
Getting off my comfy seat, I felt the world do a somersault and I lost my balance.
"Whoa there!" The blonde figure lifted my arm up even more, and tried to lead me towards a…………door? I think it's a door.
We began to move, but once again the earth spun all over the place and I lost my footing.
This time my feet seemed to have gotten confused of how the flour is supposed to feel like and I tripped.
My head made contact with something and a sharp pain surged through the back of my head…
Everything went black.
************************
Ahh… finally.
Peace.
BANG BANG BANG!
Pain stabbed at my skull as the loud thuds rang in my ears.
Rolling over, I felt a soft cloud-like texture against my cheek. Reluctantly opening my eyes, I saw that I was on a downy mattress with large fluffy comforters and pillows.
BANG BANG BANG!
"Alright alright!" I groaned in agony as I pulled the blankets off of me and sauntered out of bed.
Holy shit, this has got to be the world's worst hangover.
It took me about five minutes before I reached the hotel room door. Clumsily unlatching and clicking open the locks, I swung the door open. There he was, Takeo, arriving at my door at… I looked at the clock by my bed…six AM!! WHAT THE FUCK?!
"Sorry to wake you but… Whoa."
"What." I grunted.
"You look…" I could tell he didn't want to get on my bad side any more than he was, "…bad."
"Thanks."
"Yea uh… can I come in?"
Rubbing my face, I moaned once again as I stepped aside to let Takeo in.
"Nice place huh?"
"Mm." Was my only response I walked back to my bed and collapsed onto the soft inviting bed.
Takeo chuckled.
"Was too much for you eh?"
"Mm."
There was a pause.
"Here," Takeo placed a pill by my head, "For your hangover."
Lifting my head up from the fluffy pillows, I groggily grabbed the pill and practically stumbled over to the bathroom sink to fill up a glass of water. Popping the pill into my mouth, I tossed my head back and gulped down the water.
"Listen, I don't really want to do this… but this little card," Through the reflection in the mirror I saw him whip out a small black card and tossed it onto the bed, "obligates me to do so. As you know… Aomori was completely deserted."
I tensed up as I gently placed the glass on the countertop.
"Recently the Ishitomi have been terrorizing Aomori, causing 'natural disasters' and having the town evacuated. They had a hunch that Misao and Saitou would be heading towards Hokkaido, thus they planned this attack last minute, planting hidden bombs all over Aomori in hopes of taking at least one of you out."
"So wait..."
"Yes, unless Misao and Saitou defeat Satasuke's many men… the Oniwanbanshu are done for."
My knuckles turned white as my grip caused the glass to crack, and soon after, shatter.
"Shit…" This can't be happening! I should've stayed and helped!… God… I knew I should've stayed!
I made my way back to the bed, collapsing face down onto the bed.
Moments passed before Takeo sighed and spoke again.
"Why did you come all this way?"
I froze at the boldness of the question.
Rolling over just a bit, I lifted my head up just enough to catch Takeo smirking.
I haven't thought about the diary or Chito since the incident in Aomori. Wasn't the whole point of me getting all the way here is to find out what happened? To find out why I had this strange hollow feeling in my gut every time I flipped through the book?
Hoisting myself up, I went back to the sink and washed my face with freezing cold water.
But then again… after what's happened, does it really matter anymore? Does a dumb diary really matter when there are real problems going on, like that of Saitou and Misao?
Fixing my clothes, which I had on from the night before, I went to the room door and opened it. Takeo smirked as he walked out of the door into the hall way.
167 Yukami St., Chito.
Walking down the hall towards the elevator, the two of us got in and pressed the button.
Either way… I've gone too far and been through too much to go back. I have to figure this out… and soon.
Reaching the lobby, I held my head high as we walked through the front doors of the hotel and towards the car. Turning the ignition, the car roared to life.
Get ready Chito.
We drove onto the highway… beginning our journey to Chito.
I'm coming.
****************
A/N: Ugh… I think this chapter sucks (especially the ending -_-)… what do you guys think? X_x They sure drive around a lot huh? I'm sure that the next chapter will be the end of AOM! I know I know… it's a short fanfiction, but it's not like I was planning this for a never ending story. Sorry for you people who love sequels! After you read the last chapter, you'll understand why I would not be able to write a sequel. Till then, TA TA!
PS: I'll try to type as fast as I can and update sooner than usual alright? =)