Chapter 13: Cascade

There were only a couple more hours before sunset; before nighttime envelops the skies over the country. Time was ticking fast as people scurried around the metropolis, going to different places for different itineraries. The number of commuters in bus and train increased gradually per minute. The afternoon rush hour was approaching fast. Every train going in and out of the grand station was always full—unless an early bird, available vacant seats were ruled out. Buses were also practically full of people going to various locations as directed by the bus routes. As a lot of people relaxed in coffee shops drinking a cup of their favorite brew and something to read, a chosen few hurried to the bus and train stations to grab a ride home before they would be forced to wait for several more minutes for the next one. The queues to the stations were ridiculously lengthy, making it a drag for somebody who desired to be home as quick as possible. Station personnel pushed the long queue forward into the train carriages packed with passengers bound for prefectures near the metropolis. The luminous sun that shone brightly at the break of dawn was now concealed behind layers of clouds dyed white. Pedestrian crossings in different districts around the capital were full of crossing masses. Traffic was heavy in most parts of the city and diversion of vehicles to alternative routes seemed technically impossible. This was Tokyo submerged in the pool of the afternoon rush hour—a chaotic time for the population; not to mention the police.

During this rush hour, Hajime Takashi searched different districts randomly for a single person who was taken away by his jealous twin brother Sano. But without a certain lead to where he had taken that person, Takashi was getting nowhere. All hope seemed to have gone down the drain; his last streak of hope was at the hands of the hammers of justice—the police. By the time he reported the incident to the proper authorities, the police would have reported the incident to the victim's family to be notified of such a crime. He has to take the punishment for failure of upholding his promise to his cousin Miyuki Takara. In addition to that, he will be disgracing himself as a sincere man—someone who upholds honor and the truth in every aspect of his life. Today may be his last day of seeing the girl he loves. On top of that, they may be forbidden to cross paths for eternity. Fate may put up an invisible bulwark between the lovebirds. This might be the inevitable that was described from the start.

However, it wasn't only the lovebirds who where directly affected. A third party or faction, through the ominous sign of a shattered plate, joined. Throughout the afternoon, Tsukasa kept herself locked up in her room crying in fear after having accidentally dropped a plate that broke into sharp fragments upon forceful contact with the floor. She lied down on her bed as tears trickled down her rosy cheeks. In an indirect manner, she somehow foresaw the danger her sister was facing. Unfortunately without any lead to her whereabouts and the means to get there, all she could do was expect the safe return of her sister back in the safety of the house and the family regardless of the form of dangerous ordeal she faced. After three days of serious preparations, why did it have to end like this? Was there a fault in the plans in today's itineraries? Did neither of them show enthusiasm between one another? Was this horrendous event unexpected, thus, letting their guard down? Did it have something to do with the sudden entrance of Kuroi-sensei into the Izumi family? Did Kagami make a mistake in applying all the lessons she had learned during her days of preparation? Did Takashi fail to meet her demands?

Or is this the last part of the long test?

Having being spared from the inevitable, Kagami loitered around the hut under Sano's watchful eye. She opened a cabinet in the far end of the hut, only to find a dusty chessboard inside. She can't do anything much from that point on. Although she was free of being strangled by ropes, she was still a damsel in distress. She grabbed the dusty old chessboard, set it on the table, and blew the thin layer of dust away. Upon opening the board, there were the necessary pieces to play the mind-testing game. Two color sets were in it: black and white. After a head count, she realized that a white rook was missing from the chess set.

"Are you good at chess?" Sano asked her.

"Not really…" Kagami answered. "I don't play the game much."

"Me either. Takashi always wins."

The flashback dated back several years ago in the brothers' childhood days. Their last game with each other was neck-to-neck. Only a few pieces were left on either side of the chessboard. Sweat rolled like an avalanche down their faces. Tensions were obviously at sky-level. Neither showed signs of weariness of both mind and body. Then, with one slam of Takashi's chess piece…

"Checkmate."

The game and the flashback ended horrifically.

"That was the last game I played with Takashi. After that, I never played chess again." He said.

"You're so hopeless." Kagami replied. "There's no need to emote on that. It's only a game."

"The game of chess determines our mind power. It's no mere game."

"You're overreacting. But I can't do much about it."

"How about you and me play a round of chess?"

"I told you already: I don't play the game much."

"Not even in exchange for your freedom?"

"You can't trick me with that kind of reasoning. You kidnapped me for the sole purpose of luring your brother here. There's no way you'll release me just like that. Besides, you criminals don't even uphold your promises."

"Miyuki is right: you are a smart girl."

"Hmm…maybe you can keep me entertained with a game. I mean, I have nothing to lose anyway and I'm pretty bored."

"Then its settled, a single round of chess; no conditions whatsoever."

As a replacement for the missing rook piece, Kagami brought out a five hundred yen coin from her purse and placed it on the blank space where the rook was supposed to be positioned. The other 31 pieces were set to their respective places. Kagami made her move first with one of the pawns—two steps forward. She may not play the game frequently but she knows the rules of the mind-testing game. She believed that her life was safe and sound. It was a game to pass the time while waiting, hopefully, for her knight in shining armor.

Back in the metropolis, Takashi finally gave up the solo rescue mission and asked the police for help. He felt fully responsible for letting his brother take off with Kagami in her grasp. He was ready to take any punishment for his carelessness. Soon afterwards, the police contacted thru radio, several available cruisers within the vicinity to conduct a search operation. The police even contacted the Hiiragi household in Saitama. Inori was the first family member to be notified of the event; and the word spread like wildfire among the family members (except Tsukasa because she was in her room the whole day). The police also notified the Takara residence; and Miyuki couldn't help crying. However, the ones aforementioned weren't the only ones notified of the crime. Miyuki contacted Konata and told everything, which she relayed the information to her cousin Yui who happened to be a police officer as well. Takashi felt like he had to do the hara-kiri—something that the shameful have done to uphold their honor and to rid of the disgrace they set upon their clan by shedding blood.

It only took half-an-hour to locate people who actually had a lead to his brother's whereabouts: the two boys who were with him.

"Yes! Those are the boys!" Takashi exclaimed.

"Damn it!" One of them complained.

"Where is Kagami? Tell me!"

"Do you think extracting information from us is going to be THAT easy?"

"It's not only me who's affected. Hundreds of people are now informed of this…even your families."

"Why don't you just give the girl to him? Maybe you can end your dispute peacefully."

"A person's life is not a plaything! You remember that!"

"Okay, okay dude, chill. We brought her to a sea cottage about an hour from here. But it might be too late to stop him; he might have already brought her to a different location."

"No, I know my brother. He's so angry with me; he won't bog down without seeing me for a duel. Take me there!"

"Suit yourself."

The two fugitives were loaded into a police cruiser while Takashi went inside a different cruiser. With a group of four police cruisers, they set out to wherever the fugitives will lead them. Despite their agreement to take him to Kagami and his brother, Takashi still felt something was not right—as if they were the prey rather than the predator. Nevertheless, the time was not for worrying about traps. It all started with him and everything's going to end with him.

Back in the hut, both players already have an equal number of chess pieces outside the borders of the chessboard. A few pieces still remained in a bloodless yet intense war on the surface of solid wood. They're both amateurs at the game so the result is as expected—a close duel. Most of the time, they would make serious eye contact with one another; both thinking of their opponent's next move. Sano's turn involved moving the king behind the safety of the last of his troops. Despite his situation, he was determined to finish the game before sundown with him as the emerging victor; with still some time to spare for a brother-to-brother showdown wielding wooden swords.

Suddenly he was pushed into a shadow of epiphany: the position of the chess pieces were the same as the position of the chess pieces when he battled his brother several years ago.

"(This setting…no, it must be a coincidence.)"

Then another realization hit him. His move with the king was the same mistake that he made several years ago with his brother as the opponent.

"(Shoot!)"

He looked at Kagami who slowly moved her surviving queen a few squares away from her opponent's king. The opponent's king, boxed in by his own troops and two enemy figures, had nowhere to go anymore.

"Checkmate."

Inside, he felt staggered and angry for losing. The fact that the entirety of the battle was a reincarnation of his last game of chess with his brother was absolutely inevitable. It was as if he was destroyed again by a different person who coincidentally played like Takashi.

"You play well for a beginner. Congratulations." He commended his opponent.

Still, praises won't let him off the hook; not even by a long shot. Sounds of sirens were heard from miles away. It was very soft at first but it gradually grew over the next few minutes after 4:30. Worse, as they grew loud enough to be normally audible, he caught the sight of a group of police cruisers speeding along the road and stopping in front of the hut. With a dense jungle behind the hut and a blockade of cruisers preventing his escape to the beach, it was fairly obvious that his only option was to surrender and be judged by the hammers of justice. Among the police force sent on a rescue situation, he caught the sight of his brother running towards the hut entrance and shouting his demands.

"Sano, it's over! Release Kagami-san and we can end all of this peacefully!"

"Do you think I'll give her up that easy? I'm not going down without a fight!" The surrounded fugitive responded. "I challenge you to a sudden death kendo match!"

"This is no time to go samurai! Haven't you thought about what Miyuki is feeling right now?"

"I'm no longer your brother. I'm no longer a part of the family. Therefore, anything that concerns you or your relatives means nothing to me."

"If I win, you'll release Kagami from your custody and you'll turn over to the authorities."

"Agreed; but if I win, you'll revoke your crown of succession to the family company and move it to me."

"You got a deal. Just uphold your word."

"Don't take me for somebody stupid."

The police swarmed the open field in front of the hut and secured every possible escape route for the fugitive at large. Kagami stayed on the porch, helpless to stop the fight of brother against brother. Even with a wooden sword (especially if broken), a splint or two is enough to cut through their skin. The fight will determine the deserving one for a heart tormented between two outside forces.

Police surround a deserted hut just by the coastal road just recently where a peculiar hostage situation is currently taking place. The fugitive is known as Hajime Sano, one of the twin sons of the president of the Hajime Computer Company. He now faces his twin brother Hajime Takashi in a negotiating effort to release his brother's captive by the name of Hiiragi Kagami. According to the police currently in the scene of the crime, the brothers will have a kendo match to determine who is deserving of the hostage. Hajime Takashi strongly pleaded to the police to not interfere in the match; since this is a fight of brother against brother. The news crew tried to get the side of one of the hostage's friends and a relative of the twin brothers: Miyuki Takara, but she refused to give any opinion at this moment. More updates on the peculiar hostage crisis will continue.

TO BE CONTINUED