Being the forgetful sort that I am, I've apparently forgotten that I promised my sister a dedication for the last chapter…according to her angry phone call home a while back, I'd been thankful enough for her support to merit a mention for the last chapter…but I don't remember any of that. ^^; Oh well…better safe than sorry, so here's to my older sister, whom I lovingly know as a slave driver.
~~~~~~~~~~
Karuta shook his head softly to work the lingering cobwebs from his mind. The room was dimmed from its usual fluorescent glare, a fact he accepted gratefully while adjusting his glasses. Looking through the lenses, the room blurred fuzzily and made it nearly impossible for him to see anything properly. With a frown he pocketed his glasses, the sudden clarity with which he could see never ceasing to amaze him. He knew it wouldn't last for long, but he'd enjoy it while he could. Even in the poor light he could see so sharply he might have as well been borrowing a Pidgeot's eyes. He felt strong, ready for anything. His body felt light and tight as a spring, eagerly responding as his mere gestures felt a great ease of movement.
Everything felt right again…
"From that smile, I'd say the recoil's worn off, eh?" Sakiyama asked casually. Karuta realized he'd been grinning with the pleasure of feeling so well again and promptly resumed his usual stoic expression.
"Well, I'm feeling good enough to put your face into the wall if that's what you're asking." Karuta scoffed.
"Ah…so it hasn't worn off completely. Webber should really make some kind of warning label." Sakiyama shrugged. "Ditrean: repeated use may result in sniffling, sneezing, migraines, and bi-polar antisocial tendencies. Watch your temper, Karuta. It's never been your best trait anyway."
Karuta bit back a snarl, though still with a thought of surprise that he actually was about to snarl. Ditrean was a wonderful item in his opinion, though it did have its side effects. He knew it harmed his personality while it worked through his system…moments of high stress or bursts of adrenaline would make him take a turn for the worse in his social skills. He briefly thought back over the time spent with Nozomi…he remembered feeling righteous anger at her after waking up in the hospital, but how much of it, if any, had been a result of the Ditrean working overtime to heal his body at that moment? He shook away those thoughts and worked on suppressing his disgust of Sakiyama enough to speak civilly.
"You're hardly a good enough person to lecture about other people's personalities." Karuta muttered.
"Same to you, pal. In any case, I just wanted to update you on your profile. You did an okay job with the Kounji case, but you could have been cleaner about it all. Your tracks were still in the area, but your pet snake made things look enough like a wild pokemon accident to pass under the general eye." Sakiyama explained as he sat up in the doctor's chair.
"Maybe the public eye, but not the police. I keep hearing news reports on that girl's death…I still don't think it was a good idea. Her father's keeping the investigation going even now." Karuta shook his head.
"I didn't pay you to hear your opinions on the matter, I paid you to do the job. That Kounji girl was a good bargaining chip, y'know."
"Then why not just kidnap her instead, like I asked before? Her father would've folded under that sort of threat…"
"Those CEO types can be with their money…you threatened him yourself, right? He owed a lot of loan payments and was trying to weasel out of them. You tried reasoning with him, but more drastic measures had to be taken." Sakiyama sighed innocently.
"Drastic measures…first his life was threatened, then his family's…"
"And even after that, he was still rebellious. You had to let him know you were serious, after all."
"Serious!? Damnit, the girl is dead! Dokuga ate her for heaven's sake!" Karuta suddenly exploded, lancing an arm out to grab Sakiyama roughly by the front of his pressed shirt. He easily hoisted the man from the chair and pushed him to the wall, his expression contorted in anger. "I want out of this whole thing! The money's not good enough to have this sort of thing hanging over my head for the rest of my life!"
"Not good enough? I'm paying you enough to live as comfortably as you used to, not to mention paying the good doctor for this and the last dosage of Ditrean you had before you took the contract." Sakiyama grimaced, though seemed otherwise unconcerned with his predicament. "After all, you knew what you were going to do when you agreed to take the hit I had put on Kounji's daughter."
"I was practically comatose from Ditrean withdrawal when I agreed to that, you bastard! What choice did I have!?" Karuta shook his captive hard.
"And whose fault is that? I'm not the one who didn't invest his inheritance wisely…" Sakiyama smirked. "If I remember correctly, your dad left quite a hefty sum in your name after he kicked the bucket, eh? You certainly can't blame me if you squandered away your—"
Sakiyama didn't have a chance to finish his sentence before he was suddenly twisted aside and shoved away. He landed hard on his back and slid a few feet over the sheen linoleum floor, bumping loudly against the chair before finally stopping. Karuta glared down at him in a cold rage, his eyes wide and teeth bared. A faint look of surprise passed over Sakiyama's face as he stared up at the furious young man. He had the look of an enraged animal for more than one aspect…his bared teeth showed plainly that his canines were extended to small fangs and his irises had seemed to shift to a near cat-like ovular shape. Karuta's gloved hands were tensed out like rigid claws, shaking as he tried to suppress his anger.
"Never speak of my father again or I swear to whatever deity is listening that I'll kill you the same way I did Kounji Asuka!" Karuta finished his threat with a full-fledged growl that seemed uncannily natural given his present demeanor.
"Relax…just relax, Karuta…you keep letting yourself get all worked up and the Ditrean will be through your system before you know it." Sakiyama warned as he got unsteadily to his feet. He straightened his suit and fixed his blonde hair, looking such a stark contrast to the furious man across from him. "You say you want out…fine then. But you understand that once you leave my sight, you don't know me, right? We never met. You can still use Webber's clinic, but I'm out of the picture."
"Sakiyama, that makes me overjoyed in so many ways it's hard to describe." Karuta spat. "Just give me the rest of my money so I can get the hell out of here…"
"I'm greatly disappointed at your decision, but I suppose I haven't got much of a choice. You would've made one great hit man if you'd kept with me, y'know that? You have pizzazz." Sakiyama snickered as he tossed a fat fold of bills to Karuta. Karuta had been wary of checks and refused to accept any payment other than straight cash ever since the day he'd first cut a deal with Sakiyama…some things never change.
"Good riddance for another six months…" Karuta grumbled as he grabbed his coat from the chair and turned to leave.
"Oh, just one more thing before we part ways…"
Karuta heaved a longsuffering sigh and glanced over his shoulder. "What is it now?"
"Say hi to Nozomi for me."
The glumly dressed young man just shook his head and swiftly left Webber's clinic, tugging on his coat as he left down the dilapidated hall and past the door guard. It wasn't until a few steps back down the dark street before his anger cleared enough to let his thoughts come through clearly. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide as Sakiyama's parting words dawned on him.
"Damnit! Nozomi!" Karuta cursed before he took off down the alley at a startling speed. What had that bastard done to her?!
~~~~
Back inside Webber's clinic, Sakiyama shook his head softly. Karuta had all the makings to be good underling, but his stubbornness was just too much to handle. He was strong, clever, practically fearless, and so easy to manipulate it wasn't even funny. He never had truly understood why such a bright young man had gone and gotten himself addicted to Ditrean in the first place, but it was too much of a blessing to question any further.
"You know, I half expect him to come busting back in here to kill you for that remark." Webber sighed as he climbed out from underneath his desk. Sakiyama just smiled and shook his head.
"You don't know Karuta as well as I do. Right now I'd say he's hotfooting it to the Pokemon Center he left his friends at when they first got here. I doubt he even gave me a second thought." Sakiyama replied.
"How'd you know his girlfriend's a Daylighter?"
"Webber, you insult me. Do you really think I'd send out a first-time hit man like Karuta without having people to keep tabs on him? I've been getting reports on that little punk since he left to do the job two months ago."
"I've been wondering about that…if that Kounji deal was so important, why send a newbie hit man out? She was Karuta's first kill target, right? I know you've had him rough people up before…"
"He's been involved with me, sure, but getting rid of that girl was supposed to cement him into the Underground a bit more. He's always been a bit too neutral for my tastes…he used to be a Daylighter just like everybody else, but doesn't know how to let go of the world above. He wants both worlds…I was hoping that putting him in over his head would ground him to my side, but I didn't expect him to be such a wimp about it…"
"Well, the kid wasn't really a winner before the Ditrean…couldn't have helped much…"
"I guess you're right. By the way, did you get all that before?"
Webber nodded as he held up a tape recorder and clicked the rewind button. He played back the conversation between Sakiyama and Karuta and then handed the tape itself over to Sakiyama.
"Perfect." Sakiyama smirked.
~~~~
"Next!"
SLAM!
"Next!"
WHAM!
"Next!"
…
"Next…!"
…
"Bloody wusses! Ain't none of y'got any guts?!" Amos bellowed at the crowd around him. His last opponent was slinking away from the table nursing a bruised hand and lamenting over how light his wallet had become. Times were high for the Irishman as he glared out his challenge for another arm-wrestling match. Nozomi was by his side, all grins-and-giggles as she counted the money he'd won from his matches. Kyuuden, meanwhile, was set happily in Nozomi's lap enjoying a bowlful of pretzels.
Apparently the booze was enough to bolster one man's courage as he sat down across from Amos and slapped a bill onto the table. Amos chuckled and offered his broad hand, nearly engulfing the other man's in his strong grip. Nozomi held both men's hands together, counted to three, then let them have at it. The man threw his strength in a vain effort to bring his opponent's hand to the table, but Amos didn't even bother to humor him. With a soft grunt, Amos clenched his arm and sharply slammed the other man's hand into the table hard enough to make it jump.
"There…he made an even twenty." Amos smirked as he reached for his drink. Nozomi collected the bet as the man slunk off like all the others before him, grumbling quietly. Amos raised his bottle in a toast and Nozomi clinked hers to it in reply.
"If anythin'…y'r strong, Amos…yep…" Nozomi giggled softly before taking a long pull of her drink. While Amos was hardly even buzzed from the several bottles he emptied, Nozomi was more than feeling the toll while only on her third. A soft flush spread over her face as she went back to counting the winnings.
"Thanks luv'…but why don'cha lemme take that off y'hands. You've had enough for now, I think." Amos smiled as he reached for Nozomi's half-emptied bottle. She quickly snatched up her drink and took another sip, also taking the time to glare lopsidedly at her friend.
"Hey…I'm not a lil' kid y'know. I know my lim…lim…"
"Limits?"
"That's what I said…"
Nozomi was left to whine softly as Amos pried her bottle away and set it across the table. Oh well…she could always get another when he wasn't looking. She could feel her tipsiness and knew she'd overstepped herself with drinks, but somehow it didn't really seem to matter. All around her was a loud, fun atmosphere that she'd never fully known back above ground. The bar was pretty small but that just made things feel more comforting all in all. The air was thick with smoke of various sources, the smell of booze and vomit, and a constant chatter among the patrons. It definitely wasn't a desirable looking bar, but Nozomi was having a great time regardless. She'd never been able to act with such a careless freedom back home…it'd always just been school, martial arts, pokemon training, lather-rinse-repeat. Who knew just cutting loose could feel so good?
"Now I know why you an' Karuta are so stress-free…jus' do what'cha want when you wanna…that'za helluva life." Nozomi snickered as she folded the stack of bills. Grinning mischievously, she left Amos to stare with wide eyes as she stashed the money in her bra. It was silly, but she'd always wanted to do that…kind of…
"Maybe so, but it ain't all shits 'n' giggles y'know." Amos shrugged. "Life's hard n'matter what path y'take. Even a thug like me has his troubles."
"Yeah right…I bet you jus' wander around, training Maelstrom an' living it up. No school, no work, jus'…freedom."
Amos smirked softly at that thought. It was true that his lifestyle was a lot laxer than most, but that never stopped him from having to deal with the real world every now and then. Some things were unavoidable. He wasn't rich, so work was indeed part of his life. With his strength he was always able to easily get heavy-labor jobs like construction or moving. Sometimes bet-money from pokemon battles just didn't cover the bills. But even then, when he was covered financially, what did he really have that was any different from anyone else? More often than not he felt lacking…he knew there was something missing.
"Sure…free t'jus' up an' go whenever I feel like it. No strings, no anchors, jus' total independence. But what kinda life is that? I ain't got a home, an' even if I did, nobody t'come home to." Amos muttered as he finished off his bottle. "Pokemon can only do so much for a guy, y'know. Sometimes I get t'wishin' I'd never left home…"
"You're from Ireland, right? Wha'zat like?" Nozomi quizzed, laying her head in her arms.
"Beautiful land, it is…I remember jus' wanderin' up along the coast, lookin' out across the ocean from those great cliffs. Everythin' was so clear that y'could see out to the edge of th'world. Life was good t'me and m'pap. Jus' the two of us since mum passed on." Amos sighed with a far-off look in his eyes.
"What was she like?" she yawned.
"Mum? An angel of a lady, she was. I remember she always used t'lecture me on playin' rough with our Growlithe…she meant well, but always worried too much. Pap an' me were her world an' she never let us forget it. It was amazin' t'see those two t'gether. Pap was so brash, but mum never missed a chance t'cut him down t'size. They'd been married on twenty-some years an' still acted like newlyweds…" he chuckled, though his face darkened a bit. "But then she got sick…it hurt so much t'see her waste away like she did. All that happiness and life she had just burnt away over the months. She got so frail she couldn't even stand anymore…
"Poor pap took it the hardest…it was like he was dyin' right alongside her. Spent every moment with her in the hospital, wakin' or not. We got t'bring her home in her last few weeks…doctors said it'd be best if she were comfortable. We both did our best t'make sure she was happy. When she finally left us…I'd never seen pap in such a fit. He went back an' fourth 'tween raging around like a lunatic to sobbing like a newborn. Losin' her damn near killed 'im…"
"How is he now?"
"…He's with mum now. He got caught up in a car accident four years ago an' didn't make it. I got word long ago, but ain't been able to go home yet. It's amazin' how hard it is t'get home…but I almost don't want t'go back. If I did…it's like I'd jus' be certifyin' how alone I am now."
Ironically, Nozomi's reply came in the form of a soft snore. Amos blinked a few times, snapping out of his reverie to find his companion fast asleep in her seat with a bit of drool slipping from her lips.
"Figures…" he sighed and looked to Kyuuden. "Well, at least you stayed awake. Y'think she'll remember any of this when she wakes up?"
Kyuuden simply shrugged and burped softly, looking rather forlornly at the now empty pretzel bowl. Amos shook his head and collected the girl, edging his way to the door while carefully keeping Nozomi cradled in his arms. Kyuuden quickly followed in suit, bounding onto the man's shoulder lest he be left behind.
"I figured y'couldn' hold your booze…" Amos chuckled quietly as he slipped out of the bar into the still crowded streets.
Amos had barely taken a few steps from the door when Kyuuden suddenly went tense. The Raichu glanced around, his long ears folding back as he hissed sharply. The hairs on the back of Amos' neck stood up as a faint cackle filled the air. He turned and found, floating eye-level behind him, a sight that riveted his feet to the spot and made his blood drain away from his face in sudden terror. Amos was greeted with the sight of an insubstantial cloud of dark gas bearing a fiendish grin. What could pass for a face floated in the gas, though such a demonic visage could hardly be compared to anything human…the bloodshot eyes of the creature seemed to bore into Amos' head as it giggled in malicious glee, its quite solid-looking teeth dripping with black ichor. Two disembodied claws of similar make wrung the air as the creature let out another shrill laugh.
"Haunter, Nightshade!"
Amos never saw the man who ordered his pokemon…all he could do was stand in utter horror as the Haunter's hideous hands lashed out at his face. As the world suddenly went dark around him, Amos could distinctly hear the monster's mirthful screech echoing in his head long after he'd hit the ground.
~~~~
Karuta bounded up the stairs of the Pokemon Center in sets of three, his coat snapping behind him like a whip as he took a sudden sharp turn down the hall. He slid to a halt before the door to their room and fumbled in his pockets for the key. After all of two seconds of looking, he grew impatient and drew his boot up. The poor door never knew what hit it as it suddenly splintered inward from the force of Karuta's kick. Stepping over the wreckage of the door, he was left to stare around the empty room.
Fighting back the urge to tear the room apart in his frustration, he instead sorted through Amos and Nozomi's bags and took out everything of value. Their bolted pokéballs, money, person affects, anything that wouldn't take up unneeded space was unceremoniously crammed into his gunnysack. After binding the sack shut and hoisting it over his shoulder, he turned and darted back out of the room. In moments he was back on the streets and dashing through the crowds into the heart of the Underground.