Chapter 29

Mamoru had added two more hours to his late shift at the emergency room. Weary, he dragged himself home, but even before reaching the door, he sensed that something was different. The smell of cigarette smoke wafted out from his apartment. Upon opening the door, another note blended into the smoke—aftershave and a sweet feminine scent.

In his living room sat a man, while in front of him stood an enraged Angel, gesticulating wildly. Angel was finally dressed in clothes she felt comfortable in: a tight black corset, a skirt that reminded Mamoru more of a wide belt, fishnet stockings, 4-inch high heels. Her hair was pulled tightly back, and her favorite makeup was applied, making her look far more dangerous than just a few hours before.

"Damn it! Diamond, this can't be true! Find him, dead or alive!" the man before her shouted. He sat calmly on the sofa, taking another drag of his cigarette. "I know. I'm already on it," he replied.

Neither of them seemed to notice that Mamoru stood in the doorway, observing them.

"That's not enough! Make sure it's settled, or you'll be next on my list!" Angel hissed. Gone was the sweet exchange student; she was again the tough businesswoman that Mamoru remembered from before. The one who accepted no backtalk. Mamoru cleared his throat, and both heads snapped toward him.

"May I know what you're doing here?" he asked, puzzled.

Angel approached him. "Oh, Chiba. You surely remember Diamond. We had some matters to settle, but I think he now knows what to do if he doesn't want to end up as fish food."

Diamond glanced over at her with a dark expression and nodded.

"Why are you in my apartment, and how did you get in?" Mamoru pressed on. Angel let out a brief laugh. "Do you think a locked door can stop me? Please, I thought you knew me better. Since I have to work for both you and Celeste at the same time, I've decided to stay here for the time being." Annoyed, Mamoru ran his fingers over his temples. This could be interesting.

Angel turned to Diamond and nodded her head toward the door. He immediately understood and hastily bid his farewell.

Angel continued to dance around Mamoru. "Look on the bright side, Chiba. This way, I'll keep a closer eye on your bunny. You should have seen how the other one kept losing it. It was delightfully amusing, and their guilt, just delicious."

Mamoru suddenly grasped her wrist firmly and pushed her against the wall. His forearm pressed against her throat, and his eyes darkened. Angel hadn't anticipated such a move and was visibly surprised.

"I'm telling you once, Angel. No solo missions, Bunny is off-limits, and if you're really staying, you'll be sleeping on the sofa. My apartment isn't your new office. If you want to meet someone, do it outside, understood?"

Angel shot back at him. "I might almost be scared," she hissed as Mamoru increased the pressure on her throat.

"And most importantly, don't provoke me! I'm capable of making you feel pain you didn't even know existed, pain where death would be your only relief."

Slowly, Angel realized she was running out of air; her lungs were already burning as she apathetically nodded. Celeste had warned her thoroughly not to provoke Mamoru, but the itch in her fingertips was overwhelming. At least now she knew he hadn't grown soft over the past years.

He finally released his grip. Angel clutched her throat and stared back at him. A malicious smile played on her lips.

"Don't you want to know how my day was? Or better yet, what I found out?" she asked.

"I'm all ears," Mamoru said, taking a seat on the sofa.

Angel retrieved her laptop and placed it on the small table.

"I hope you can control yourself. I attached a little bug to her in the café earlier. To be honest, things don't look good for you, Chiba. But hear it for yourself." She hurriedly typed something into her laptop. "Diamond has put together the most important parts; that's one of the reasons he was here. Alright, here are the recordings."

"What do you want to talk about?" That was Seiya. "Let's talk like we did in the park," unmistakably Bunny's voice. Then followed aroused moans and gasps for a few seconds; there was a cut here. "It was indescribable," Bunny again. "You know what?" Bunny. A deep rumble, presumably Seiya. "It might be that my mind forgot you and our past, but my heart knew who you were from the first moment. It could never forget you. Tomorrow, I'll talk to Mamoru. I don't want to hide anymore," Bunny's voice was filled with emotion.

Angel stopped the recording and looked eagerly at Mamoru. He had just overheard the love of his life cheating on him. His face was expressionless, but his jaw muscles tensed, his hands clenched into firm fists, and anger flickered in his eyes. How dare that guy sleep with his girlfriend! He needed to be taken care of urgently! Bunny would surely come to her senses once he was out of the picture. After all, she loved him too. She had told him that just a few days ago, after they had slept together.

"Eliminate him," he hissed coolly after some time and walked into the kitchen. Angel followed him and leaned against the door. "Completely gone?"

"No, damn it, I already told Celeste. Get him out of Tokyo, I don't care where, just make sure he doesn't come back."

"Are you sure you want to invest energy into this? What do you see in her anyway? She's still so childish."

Mamoru's eyes narrowed. "I never lose! Remember that! Once this troublemaker is gone, she'll find her way back to me. So get rid of him, I'll handle the rest."

Angel hopped onto the countertop and typed something into her phone.

Mamoru's body was maximally tense. "Diamond will take care of him, but why her? I don't understand. You could have ruled all of Tokyo with Celeste. Instead, you go to university to study and cut off all contacts. Do you know what happened with Celeste after you left? She had quite a bit of trouble initially holding onto her position."

Mamoru opened two beers from the fridge and handed one to Angel.

"What happened back then, I'm sorry, and Celeste knows that. I knew she wouldn't let herself be pushed off her throne... As for Bunny..." a dreamy smile spread across his lips. "Bunny is unique. She has a big, kind heart. Her laughter lights up any room, her imagination knows no bounds, and her love is the most precious thing I've ever experienced. You've never truly loved, have you? I would do anything for her, anything." Angel shook her head in disbelief; she couldn't fathom why he had given up everything, relinquished all that power, and was now chasing after a little girl.

"I guess I'll never understand you, Chiba. I just hope for your sake that she's truly worth it."

"She is, believe me, she is."

"By the way, does she even know about your past? About what you've done? About Celeste?" Angel probed further.

"No, and it'll stay that way, understood!"

"Yeah, alright. You're so wound up, how about a sparring match? I can imagine it's been a while for you." Mamoru thought for just a second about her offer, set his beer on the table as he turned around, wound up, and struck. Angel slipped down from the countertop just before his fist reached her, simultaneously sweeping his legs from under him. Mamoru rubbed his head briefly but was quickly on his feet again. It felt damn good to release all his anger, and he knew with Angel, he didn't have to hold back. They faced each other, bodies tense, ready to fight.

"You've gotten slower. You would have never ended up on your back so quickly before."

"My last fight was almost 5 years ago, but I still think I can take you."

Angel let out a wicked laugh and launched another attack. It was a training match, the rules clearly defined. No weapons, only fists and kicks allowed. Strikes and kicks only to areas covered by clothing, to avoid uncomfortable questions from outsiders. The winner was the one who could last longer.

They engaged in a fierce exchange, neither managing to gain the upper hand for long enough to definitively defeat the other. They wound their way through the entire apartment, breaking a few things in the process, but Mamoru didn't care. He was finally able to vent his frustration, and maybe it wasn't such a bad idea that Angel stayed temporarily.

After an intense hour of training, both of them fell onto his bed, breathing heavily.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd still be in such good shape," Angel said approvingly.

Mamoru chuckled briefly. "Did you really think I'd become careless? I still remember whose toes I stepped on."

Their moment was interrupted by Angel's ringing phone. "Yes? ... Damn it! ... I'm on my way! ... Yeah, I'll bring a doctor, hang in there."

"Well, Chiba, you offered Celeste your medical skills. Let's go, we're needed."