I'm finally back! My sincerest apologies to everyone who had to suffer the long, painful wait.
Destiny and Fate Ch 24
Cloaked beneath the dense coating of black cloud and soulless sky, perplexity and incomprehension left the abandoned Takeru wandering aimlessly throughout the colossal university campus. With his each step, a silent hollow tremor resonated through the dull cement ground and coated it with chilling loneliness. Confusion was foreign; resulted from witnessing his beloved display a peculiar behavior upon caressing her with lovely, truthful compliments. He wandered and wondered. Regardless, he still yielded no answer that could clarify his troubled mind. He processed his analysis, utilizing all the information given and accounting for every circumstances that may have conjured this incident. No doubt it regarded Taichi's involvement, but Takeru knew not of the critical details.
'What did he do to her? A hug? A kiss? Or perhaps even an activity of sensual nature?'
Though he fiercely wished that they had not engaged in his last assumption, he had no choice but to dismiss his hypothesis and deem it inconclusive due to lack of credible information. Realizing further analysis would grant him no answer, he abandoned his attempts and merely sought for a distraction that may bring him tranquility. After seemingly an eternity was spent on purposeless drifting, he dragged his heavy legs towards the parking structure where he decided to wait for Hikari. Once arrived, he leaned against the luxury vehicle he chauffeured the currently absent princess, waiting and sinking himself into an abyss of thoughts. It was unproductive, unfruitful venture into an inescapable mental whirlpool. After struggling much in his maelstrom of thoughts, he finally managed to reconnect with reality and checked the time via his cell phone.
'4:30 P.M. Still got 30 minutes before she's done.'
Simple calculation ran his mind. Then, he placed the phone back in his pocket and repositioned his body optimal for comfortably passing the remaining half hour. With no thoughts on his mind, he blankly stared at the gray concrete ground. Observing the random pattern on the ground helped himself prevent engaging in the difficult analysis he failed to conclude moments ago. His seemingly peaceful time ended abruptly when he heard a voice nearby.
"Excuse me, Takeru-san?"
It was not the soft, light voice of Hikari's that he had been expecting. Slightly startled, Takeru faced upward to see the owner of the voice. What he saw was not the beautiful hazel haired girl he had been waiting for, but a young man. He was unfamiliar, seemingly around his age, with jet black hair and piercing shadowy eyes. Takeru stood straight to greet the unfamiliar man.
"Hi, do I know you?"
"Oh, I knew it was you. It's been a while."
"Have we met before?"
"Oh, right. You probably forgot. I'm the guy who delivered a package to you some time ago. Remember?"
Upon hearing his description, Takeru commenced a quick thought analysis and recalled the person's identity.
"Oh, I remember. You commented about my name."
"Good to see you again."
He smiled kindly and Takeru answered back with his own.
"Likewise. May I ask what you're doing here?"
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Could you help me move something really quick?"
"A heavy cargo?"
"Yeah, it's really heavy and I don't have a cart either."
"Sure, I'll help. But I have to go in about 30 minute. Is that okay?"
"That's more than enough. Thank you very much."
"Just wait one moment."
Worrying the task might consume a lengthy time, he concealed the key within the vehicle, so that Hikari does not have to wait for him should she come. He shut the door of the luxurious automobile and spoke.
"Okay, let's get going."
"Alright. Right this way."
With that, he led the way to the destination of the cargo. The walk wasted no longer than 3 minutes and Takeru spotted a large wooden crate sitting just outside a delivery truck.
"Is that it?"
"Yes it is."
"Quite large."
"It's probably a copy machine or some kind of big office item."
"I see. Where do we move it to?"
"That storage building right there."
"Okay."
After few exchange of words, the two positioned their body and lifted the wooden crate. Strangely, the large package did not weigh as much as Takeru imagined it to be. However, he paid no closer attention to the curious content of the container and delivered it speedily to return waiting for Hikari. With the crate still held in his hands, Takeru inquired.
"Where should we put this thing?"
"I think around here is good enough."
"Okay."
Once they lowered the cargo and finished the task, the assisted delivery man gifted him words of gratitude.
"Thank you very much for helping me. It means a lot."
"No problem. Glad I could help."
Takeru followed his sentence with a smile and shifted his feet towards the parking lot to depart.
"Oh, you're going?"
The delivery man queried.
"Yeah. I need to be somewhere. Anyways, it was good seeing you."
With that, he turned away his back and began walking to the parking structure. However, before he could take no more than three steps, his departure was forcibly halted. What stopped him were sound of small air hiss, a bullet mark on the wall, and a sentence that demanded his presence.
"Where you need to be is right here."
The voice was chillingly different, heavier than what he knew of the grateful delivery man he just assisted. He slowly turned around and saw a friendly item held firmly in the hand of the supposed delivery man. With one glance, Takeru deemed the situation dangerous upon analysis of the gunman and his appearance. His sudden change of attitude, fake identity, and the rubber silencer that covered the black gun barrel of his pistol allowed Takeru to understand that this incident was carefully calculated and that the assailant was experienced. With this information in mind, he cautiously questioned the gunman.
"What do you from me?"
"A moment of your time to talk a little bit."
"Couldn't you just ask?"
"Knowing you, you probably wouldn't stay if I asked nicely."
"I would have. You can't just assume…"
"No, I know you wouldn't have."
The gunner cut him off with confident tone.
"You can't fool me."
"I wasn't trying to fool…"
He could not finish his sentence yet again. Only this time, he was interrupted by a bullet grazing his hair. He felt the lead piece slice through the air just inches beside his left ear.
"I'm looking for truthful words. Hope you can do that."
"…Alright."
He bothered not to argue on further and decided to speak honestly.
"Good. Now, tell me. What do you know about Apocalypse?"
Takeru flinched mildly as soon as the last word entered and echoed in his ears. Tension in his body increased upon learning that the armed man was somehow affiliated with the mysterious and dangerous syndicate. Assessing the situation as a critical and even more perilous, he answered carefully.
"I encountered a little about it through my phone."
"And?"
"It's looking for someone and somehow connected with the Yagami Corporation. That's all I know."
"Really? That's all?"
"What can I possibly gain from lying about it?"
"Correct. Then, do you know who I am?"
He questioned after a light chuckle. Though he resolved to act warily, his clever, sarcastic nature surfaced slightly in his reply.
"Aside from a very grateful man with a gun aimed at my head, I have no clue."
"Ha ha ha ha."
Despite the provoking talk, the black haired gunman lightly laughed, followed by a comment.
"You're still the same as before though."
It was a comment that hinted acquaintance. However, Takeru could not recall the man's identity nor was he familiar with the man's face. Though after a brief moment, Takeru managed to assemble an assumption of the man's identity by amassing thoughts from various voids of his mind. His theory solidified once the armed man spoke as he surprisingly lowered his gun away from Takeru.
"Well, if you really don't remember me, then, let me introduce myself."
He concealed the pistol within his clothes and walked up to Takeru, offering him a handshake.
"I'm Ken Ichijouji, your old friend."
Quite a peculiar turn of event baffled the blonde male and left him rather reluctant to accept his friendly hand gesture. After a short contemplation, Takeru stretched out his arm and grasped his hand and shook it. Upon completion, Takeru questioned his motive and objectives in his sarcastic and clever tone.
"Heck of a dear friend you are. Mind telling me why you greeted your old friend in such a welcoming manner?"
Ken let out another chuckle along with a light smile, once again amused by Takeru's nostalgic speech style.
"You really haven't changed. Anyway, sorry about the gun. It was a necessity, but know that I never intended to hurt you from the start."
"Can't say the same for my hair, but I'll manage. Care to explain yourself?"
Still with vague trace of his smile left, Ken began speaking.
"Firstly, I need to know one thing for sure. Do you remember anything from the past? Any details?"
"Nothing. Except for small trivial things maybe."
"Such as?"
"How to drive a car. I remember driving a lot. And…I think I had a sibling, but I'm not entirely sure."
"You sure? Nothing else?"
He urged re-inspection of his memory to confirm Takeru's memory loss and its severity. With one brief moment of silence and pondering, he replied.
"That's it. Nothing else."
Upon receiving his reply, Ken also indulged in silence and thinking. He exhaled a short sigh of relief.
"Well, if that's really true, then, you're quite in luck."
"Why would my mental ailment make me lucky?"
"If you still had your memories, you would've been murdered."
"By you?"
"That doesn't matter. No matter what, you would've gotten killed."
With a new concern in his mind, Takeru queried the reasoning behind such scenario.
"Why though? What did I do?"
A heavy sigh exited Ken's mouth and slammed against the ground. A different type of silence permeated the atmosphere. It shrouded the mood under a thick blanket of negativity and eerie chill one might experience upon visiting the brink of one's own end. With much seconds spent on abyssal contemplation, Ken finally unveiled the mystery of his past that eluded Takeru.
"You were a member of the Apocalypse who betrayed it and disappeared."
"…"
Takeru fell speechless once his fear of his possible connection to the dangerous syndicate had proven to be true. He battled through the psychological shock and requested explanation of his involvement in the organization.
"What did I do in the Apocalypse?"
"You were an assassin."
"…Assassin?"
"Yeah. But one day, you disobeyed an order and rebelled against our organization. Naturally, you were marked as a traitor and the organization sought to erase you. And we thought you were dead until you came on TV during one of the Yagami Corporation's party."
Takeru kept his composure and questioned Ken after a momentary thinking.
"Then, why is it that I'm still alive?"
"Initially, the organization wanted to dispose of you immediately, but I convinced the higher personnel to reconsider. I was to approach you and see if you were still disloyal and a threat to the organization."
"But with my memory is gone, I don't have to be killed because I'm no longer a threat."
With his sharp insight and intellect, Takeru comprehended the Apocalypse's logic and spoke out his well-thought theory to Ken. The black haired member of the Apocalypse stood with impressed expression and complimented his remarkable insight.
"I expected no less from you. That's exactly it."
"But last time I checked, freedom isn't free."
"Right again. The organization is willing to let you live if you carry out one task for them."
"And that would be?"
Though he questioned him about the task, he expected that the Apocalypse would demand for his return as a hired assassin. However, he was struck with a different proposal that petrified his entire system. With serious tone, Ken delivered the deathly will of his syndicate.
"Kill the son and heir of the Yagami Corp, Taichi Yagami."
The greatest shock yet assaulted his consciousness. However, Takeru firmly refused to abide such preposterous proposal.
"I'm not doing it. No matter who, I'll never kill anybody."
With powerful determination embedded in himself, he leered at Ken with his serious, glacial aura. However, Ken was unbothered by his frightful gaze and instead battled him with his own deathly glare and resolve.
"Don't you understand? If you refuse, the consequence will be grave."
"If I have to die, then, so be it. But know that I will not die so easily."
"Taichi was to be killed by us in the near future anyway. Be smart and use this opportunity to claim your life and freedom, Takeru!"
Ken shouted angrily out of frustration and, but Takeru returned him words of refusal with tranquility in his voice.
"My answer will not change. We're done and I'll take my leave, Ken."
With farewell given, Takeru turned back to walk towards the parking lot. When he landed his first step, his phone began ringing with computerized melody. He pulled out the device and saw that it was a call from Hikari. Before he could press the button to accept her call, Ken halted him from answering with words that were worse than death sentence to Takeru.
"If you don't kill Taichi, I'll kill Hikari."
"What?"
With the phone still ringing in his hand, he faced Ken back with a stunned expression.
"The choice is yours. Either kill Taichi and live with Hikari or lose both of them."
"You!"
He stared at him with menacing contempt and unfathomable wrath, pressuring the atmosphere with devastating dread that seemed capable of extinguishing the air itself. The very thought of losing Hikari drove him furious and transformed the normally tranquil, unbreakable Takeru into hyperventilating essence of rage. Despite such overwhelming presence and murderous intent, Ken dismissed Takeru's appearance and spoke on.
"We are planning to kill Taichi on midnight of December 31st. If he's not dead before then, I'll find Hikari and kill her."
"…"
Takeru merely stared at the murderous man while tightly clenching his fists, nearly breaking the cell phone that now stopped ringing. At a loss and frustrated, Takeru could do nothing but simply stand and lament his unfortunate fate.
"I don't want to lose my friend again. You're an intelligent man. I hope you'll make the right choice."
With his words delivered and objective accomplished, Ken walked out of the storage building and disappeared from Takeru's sight and soon, from his vicinity. The ridiculous negotiation left Takeru completely confounded and bewildered beyond belief. Unlike in any other crucial situations, he could not discover a peaceful, ideal way out of this particular pandemonium. Despite numerous analysis involving every possible theories, hypothesis, and scenarios, he could not conjure up the slightest adequate idea and nearly succumbed to despair.
'What should I do? How should I face Hikari?'
Thoughts of such examples dominated his mind. It was unthinkable to discuss the matter with Hikari, for it would only cause further instability in her already turbulent life and burden her with insurmountable stress. Takeru finally broke his mental paralysis only when his brain exhausted its last bit of energy to think. With lifeless pupils, he changed his footing and pulled his heavy legs towards the parking lot. The thuds of his feet echoed hollowly throughout the concrete parking structure and when his feet slam finally ceased, Takeru's eyes viewed an empty spot where Hikari's car was stationed. He looked at the clock on his phone screen which read:
"5:23 P.M."
I'm tremendously sorry for making everyone wait for so long! Recovering and following up on the academic curriculum really took a toll on me in terms of time. I am so very very sorry! Good news is that now I'm almost fully recovered and have more time to write now that school year is almost over. Thank you all so much for waiting and reading my story!
The Crash Twins: Glad you liked it! Thank you for patiently waiting!
StarrRyder: I'm happy that you enjoyed it. Hopefully I can keep it up.
Hannah: So sorry about the mistake. :( Will be careful next time.
Takari02: Sorry for the short and rushed chapter. Wanted to write at least one chapter before I was completely forgotten. I'll do better!