The crackling of the whip hit his back, as tears ran down his cheeks. Blood and sweat filled his senses. Anger and pain kept him sane. Months he suffered. Months he bled. Months he shed tears. Months he would remember the rest of his life. Between being whipped, he'd look over and see a child, three-years-old cry silently in pain, he could barely stand, and every time he'd regret looking. For the child was his son. The only child he may ever get. Another crackle of the whip touched his raw back. One more time, he held his scream of pain. How much longer was he going to do this? How much more will he take? How much more visions of his son's pain could he take? How much? He cried out loud as another sharp pain ran through his body to his brain. The shackles cuffing his hands jangled. Again he cried in pain. Again, he looked at the image of himself being beaten by fists and whips. His heart tore as he watched his son fall onto the ground like a toy doll falls onto the floor after a toddler threw it. He prayed to God, like he did every minute of everyday, to have someone show up and save them. A punch rounded in him the face.
Ken looked at the person who punched him. Four men held him in position as the fifth guy punched... did whatever he could to Ken. Growling that he couldn't defend himself, Ken only took the punches.
"So… it seems kitten got himself in a dogs pin..." Ken growled again as his abusers attacked him again. He knew it was Schuldich. Schuldich was the only guy he knew that was telepathic. He was also and ex-enemy, from long ago.
"Whatever! Get me out of this! I promised Aya I'd be at the shop right now." Ken yelled in his head. Aya was a very cold man who lost both his parents in one night and his sister fell into a coma that same night. Before that happened Aya was very gentle and cheerful. To Ken that was only rumors.
A laugh rang in his ears. "All right kitten, they're gone." Ken looked up after he was thrown to the ground. He watched Schuldich beat one of Ken's abusers and watched the others leave in a dead run. Ken pushed himself to his feet. Looking at Schuldich, he saw a big mischievous smile. Ken rolled his brown eyes. Ken knew what that meant.
"Thanks Schuldich... I'll pay you back later," he said out loud. Ken then ran as fast as he could to the flower shop. The flower shop was famous, as least as a hangout for the school girls. Most of the time, Ken didn't mind the noise and the chatting and the... well girls stuff. Neither did Omi, but Yoji loved most of the attention. As for Aya, he hated it. The flower shop was called Koneko, or as Ken called it Base. During the day, Aya, Yoji, Omi and Ken worked in the Koneko, but during the night, they we're assassins, though it wasn't every night… just some.
Ken ran up to Aya who stood outside of the Koneko. Omi just put down a plant just outside the shop door. His face and eyes gave no expression, but Ken knew... Aya was mad. Slightly out of breath, Ken tried to give the puppy-eyed look. Aya didn't give in.
"You're late..." Ken shivered. He hated that voice. Cold but very irritated. Ken gave a half smile. "So...?" Aya's eyes narrowed. Ken was going to get yelled at; he knew. He just knew. "...you picked a fight instead of being here...?" Ken nodded, knowing if he made excuses, he'd get in more trouble. A group of girls rounded the corner. Trouble. If Aya yelled right here, right now, he'd hear it for weeks. "Ken..." Ken turned his attention back to Aya. "I ought to fire you right now!" His voice rose. "You're damn well lucky, I can't! If you'd be on time more often, you'd have a better job! But you choose to go fight with your alley buddies instead of working at your under paid job! Get in there and help Omi!" Ken ran in. The girls by then had gathered around all smiling, most giggling. Ken knew it. He's going to be teased yet again.
Omi eyed him with sparkling eyes as Ken walked up to Omi. Omi was the youngest member of the four and the most cheerful. To Ken, Omi had the most horrible past. He'd seen Omi. The eighteen-year-old lad would have flashbacks of his past almost everyday. Out of what Ken knew, Omi had been kidnapped by someone and his own father didn't pay the ransom. He also found out that Omi's father is the guy all four of them are trying to kill ... that is if he's alive.
"Ken ... the really got you this time, didn't they?" Like usual, Omi cared more about the present then past and future. Ken nodded.
"There were five of them this time." Ken said grinning. A tan and crawled over his shoulder, making him roll his eyes.
"You know Ken, if you keep this up, you'll be dead in an alleyway." Ken heard some of the school girls gasp. Ken threw Yoji's hand off his shoulder. Like usual, Yoji was flirting. He mainly flirted with the girls. Not just hot and cute girls, he flirted with all the girls. Even some guys. Ken was one of them. Ken didn't know much about Yoji's past, just that he was a PI (Private Investigator) and truly loved one girl who was murdered.
"I'm damn hard to kill." Ken said proudly. Aya rolled his eyes as he stood next to the cash register.
"I'd love to kill you," Aya said surprisingly loud. All the girls inside and outside the shop heard. Most of them started to whine and tried to make Aya take back those words. But Ken knew, what Aya meant. It was Aya's thing. Aya hid messages in sentences so the school girls in the shop wouldn't know what they were really talking about.
Sighing, Ken turned on the water and grabbed the hose and started watering the plants in the shop. He saw Omi turn to help a school girl and saw Yoji start to flirt with the girls around him. Ken turned away and stared at the window opposite from him. He stared out the window to look at the soccer poster.
"Ken!" Ken turned taking the hose with him. The girls' squealed after he accidentally sprayed them. His eyes turned to Omi, who stood in front of him. The boy was smaller then him but Omi's attitude scared him. Swallowing hard, Ken kinked that hose to stop the water from doing more damage. Ken had done it again. He had spaced out and over watered the plants. Omi put his fists onto his hips. Just when Omi opened his mouth to yell at Ken, Ken saw a girl with red hair that fell to her shoulders in a curly fashion. Ken's eyes grew wide. He instantly turned and turned off the water. He turned back to Omi who, seemingly, didn't know what was happening.
"All right, boy, lunch break!" Ken heard Yoji call. More whines from the girls echoed as Ken rushed down the spiral stairs to the living room. Ken jumped over the couch and landed on the bean bag Yoji just bought. Omi sat on the sofa across the room from Ken while Aya stood behind Yoji who sat next to Omi. Their eyes turned to Barman as she moved to the center of the room.
"Boys, it's been a long time," she started. The four nodded in agreement. She continued, "We haven't been getting a lot of crime cop can't handle until now." She turned to the TV and knelt down. She pulled out a video tape and put it in. She moved to the side of the room as the video started to play.
The TV flashed and showed a man standing behind a large desk. The man wasn't in full view for he was in shadow.
The four assassins watched as the man started to speak. "For the past seven weeks, I have been searching for the information on the people who went missing over three years ago and the most recent missing." The screen changed into a picture of a man. The man was wearing a tux with his tie loosely tied around his neck. His hair was gelled back into a tight pony tail at the bottom in the back. His eyes glittered with happiness but his face showed anger and tension.
"This man, Shito Ana, was found dead in the alleyways of Shinjuku. He had been missing for five years and had been whipped until his back was raw and the rest of his body bruised from beatings." The picture disappeared and changed back to the shadowed man. "I want you to find out who had done this and to find out what these people are doing." The TV turned off.
Omi, Yoji, Ken and Aya turned to Barman. She pulled out some folders and handed them separately to the four.
"Bombay, I have found some information on this subject. All of it is in that folder. Siberian, Abyssinian, and Balinese study the suspects." The assassins nodded. Barman nodded and went out the door.
"What do you think happened to Shito Ana?" Omi asked, curiously.
"By the looks of it, gagsters kidnapped him and then beat him," Ken answered. Aya gave Ken a nasty look.
"But, Ken! Shito-san was missing for over five years!" Yoji nodded agreeing with Omi.
"Then I don't know..." Ken answered again.
"Well if you all are that desperate then let's get to work." Aya said turning to the stairs. "Ken, Yoji, we'll work as Omi researches." He said as he walked up the stairs.
Omi sat at the computer, staring at the electronic screen. He hadn't found the information they needed to find on the missing people. Sighing, he stood up and left his room, heading to Ken's room. He found Ken lying on his stomach, studying the folder.
"Konbonwa, Ken-kun," Omi said as he sat down on Ken's bed. As Ken rolled onto his back, he stretched and yawned.
"Any luck with the research?" Omi shook his head.
"Nope, none."
"Damn..." Omi grabbed a picture and looked at it. It was a man with long light brown hair holding a small child about the age of 2, in his arms. "That guy and his kid have been missing for two years." Sadness entered Omi's eyes.
"That poor child. What if it's with these people?" Omi asked sadly.
"Then we must find them before the child dies." Ken and Omi turned to the door where Aya stood. Aya's face showed disturbance and anger. Yoji stood next to Aya with the same look. "Any luck finding them, Omi?" Omi shook his head
"But I'll keep looking." Omi headed to the door.
"We'll help." With that all four moved to Omi's room.
He sat in the cold, wet cells. It was packed with other slavers, crying and whining for food and freedom. He had given up on asking for freedom. The only way they can have freedom is if someone from the outside has realized that there was a pattern in the missing people.
Yeah, he knew about the pattern because that's what he was working on before he actually got here. After he had started stopping the kidnappers from taking who they needed and ruining their pattern, they kidnapped him to make him and his son suffer. He had no regret finding their pattern in kidnapping, but he regretted not sending the files to someone else.
Sighing, he started to play with his sleeping son's hair. It was going to be a long night.
Plz R&R
Koru Kashu
