Chapter 19
With a diabolical grin, Yaten entered the dim cellar. The heavy creaking of the metal door echoed in the silence as he pushed it aside. A wave of euphoria surged through him as he stepped into the room where Zoisite was now captive, ready for the impending interrogation.
The cold neon lighting cast an eerie glow over the room as Yaten slowly approached the table where Zoisite, bound with sturdy leather straps, struggled desperately for freedom. "Welcome, Zoisite," Yaten whispered with a menacing calm that made the air heavy.
Zoisite continued to pull at the restraints, defiantly ignoring Yaten. An ominous glint reflected in Yaten's eyes as he coldly surveyed his victim. "You can squirm as much as you want. This room will only mean a path to death for you. The question is not if but only how long you will suffer. If you give me the answers I seek, I promise you a quick, painless end. But if you refuse..." Yaten paused and smiled darkly. "Well, then we will find out how much your body can endure. So, the first question: What did you do in America?"
Zoisite, however, remained silent, refusing to provide any answers. Instead, he spat directly into Yaten's face. A moment of silence followed before Yaten's face turned a deep shade of crimson. In an outburst of uncontrollable anger, Yaten struck Zoisite with a resounding slap.
"Wrong answer!" he hissed threateningly. "But if you want it the hard way, you're welcome to it. Your fate is in your own hands."
With determined steps, Yaten approached his shelf, containing a grim selection of tools. His finger traced gently over the carefully chosen instruments. The temptation to indulge in a bloody frenzy was in the air, but Yaten knew that the true power lay in breaking his opponent psychologically. That's why his preferences for tools had also changed; once rough implements were replaced by subtler methods that left fewer traces and minimized the likelihood of premature death. Death should only come when Yaten knew everything. Under the sharp gaze of his captive, Yaten opened a drawer and took out just a long needle.
"Okay, let me phrase my question differently. What did Chiba do during his last stay in America?" Yaten's voice was calm, almost terrifyingly composed.
Zoisite laughed derisively. "You don't seriously think I'll tell you! He'll hold you accountable when he finds out you're holding me captive here." He hadn't given up his desperate attempts to break free. Unimpressed by his captive's desperate struggles, Yaten stood calmly behind him, studying his arsenal of deadly substances. A cool smile played on his lips as he eventually reached for a vial of poison and turned back to Zoisite.
"He won't. Officially, your plane crashed a long time ago, so no one will notice you're still alive. Okay, then... let's start slowly," Yaten began, dipping the long needle into a dark vial. "I'll explain exactly what I have in mind for you. Then you can decide each time if you want to loosen your tongue or if we continue the game for a while." A sinister promise lay in his words.
Zoisite glared at Yaten with burning anger, but he continued his explanations as if he were a cool teacher imparting the grim basics of fate.
"Here, I have the venom secretion of the lionfish. That probably doesn't mean much to you, so I'll elucidate. This poison will cause intense pain. A prick on the hand, and you'll beg me to cut off your arm – which, of course, I won't do, at least not initially. While you're driven almost insane by the pain, your body will slowly begin to react to the poison: anxiety, nausea, vomiting, sweating – the usual. Probably a blister will form around the injection site, progressing to necrosis, the death of skin tissue. Often, respiratory failure can occur, but don't worry, I know how to dose it. So, I won't make it that easy for you." Yaten described the effects of the poison.
Zoisite glared angrily at Yaten, his eyes devoid of fear, only sheer determination to remain silent. With a swift, precise motion, Yaten slid the needle onto the back of Zoisite's hand. A painful cry would have been expected, but Zoisite clenched his teeth tightly together, his eyes squeezed shut in agony. No sound escaped his lips, only the grinding of his teeth and his suppressed groans filled the room.
"I have another appointment. You'll be occupied for a while now. Maybe this break will do you good," a cynical smile played on Yaten's lips as he left the room, the door slamming shut with a dull thud, leaving Zoisite alone.
The living room was filled with a tense atmosphere as Setsuna and Seiya waited for Yaten. Setsuna had her fingers interlocked, her red eyes fixed on the door. On the other side, Seiya nervously drummed his fingers on the table, his gaze shifting between the door and the large wall clock.
"Apologies for my delay," Yaten said casually, as if he had just returned from an ordinary appointment. "Some matters in the basement needed my attention. Glad you could make it, Setsuna," he greeted his old acquaintance.
Setsuna didn't reply but maintained an impenetrable gaze. "Don't beat around the bush, Yaten. Time is money. What's your plan?" Setsuna's voice cut through the silence. Yaten pulled his chair closer and began to explain his plan to the two of them in detail. They listened attentively to his explanations. Seiya, skeptical, crossed his arms over his chest. When Yaten finished, Seiya spoke up: "Honestly, your plan is either brilliant or absolutely crazy. Do you realize how many uncertain factors you have in your equation? If you came to me with such a concept for a job request, I'd promptly send you away."
Yaten sighed; he had hoped for more support from his brother. "Seiya, it's our only chance. You can't compare information gathering to your packages that you casually move around. Besides, your part in all this tomorrow evening is just the tip of the iceberg; Setsuna has to take care of the main part."
Yaten glanced at the green-haired woman; her facade was ice-cold, revealing nothing. "This will be costly for you, very costly. Even with another doubling, you're still quite far from what I'm asking for. What you expect here could take weeks... if not months." Setsuna fixed Yaten with a penetrating look as he contemplated her demand. The silver-blond ran his hand irritably through his hair. "I'm offering you a 55% increase weekly compared to your last salary. That's all I can afford... what you're asking for would be a quadrupling. That's extortion!"
Poison-green eyes met piercing red. An arrogant grin appeared on Setsuna's lips. "Didn't you say I'm the only one capable of this job? Then it would be a shame if I declined, wouldn't it? ... Especially since you can't even guarantee me a success."
"60%, but I can't go any higher. I also have to keep an eye on my budget, or Taiki will cut off the money supply."
Seiya watched the negotiations between the two intensely but didn't dare to intervene. His part was indeed the simplest, and if Yaten was so fixated on it, he should give it a try.
Setsuna considered for a moment before agreeing. "60% and a bonus for useful information."
Yaten nodded and shook hands, relieved that this power and money game had come to a quick end.
After settling the financial details, Yaten once again explained the key points of his plan. Setsuna listened attentively, her expression revealing no emotion. Her focused gaze, however, indicated that she was aware of her role. Then she rose, wrapping her coat tighter around herself. "If everything is settled, I'll see you tomorrow evening. Stay seated; I'll find my way out."
Seiya rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. "Do you really think we should go through with this plan?" Yaten handed Seiya a beer, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Trust me. This plan will work." Although Seiya strongly doubted it, he knew he had to help his brother. Yaten needed to know what happened to Minako to find closure. This ignorance was driving Yaten insane. He briefly considered deepening his doubts but then decided it was better to change the subject.
"On a different note, have you been able to find out anything about the siblings?" Seiya asked, trying to sound casual.
Yaten lifted his head in irritation; this change of topic caught him off guard. "Yes... there's an envelope from my informant upstairs. He found something about them, but my mind was elsewhere, so I haven't read it in detail yet... Why are you so interested in these kids?"
Seiya forced himself to stay calm. He knew he couldn't make any mistakes now. "Just... I thought it would be a nice wedding gift for her... Then at least she would know where her siblings are."
His brother's eyes narrowed to small slits, and Seiya felt that he had picked up on the trail. An uncomfortable silence hung between them for a moment. "Seiya, I saw how you looked at her during the engagement. Your wide grin from ear to ear when you stumbled into my office earlier after dropping Serena home was hard to miss... and now you're inquiring about her siblings... to make her happy... Don't fool anyone else. What's going on between you two?"
The moment of confrontation had arrived. Seiya swallowed hard, his grip on the beer bottle tightening. He struggled with himself, debating whether he should lay his cards on the table for Yaten. On the other hand, Yaten wouldn't let him leave without answers. He might not take him to his basement, but it was challenging to hide anything from him.
"Seiya, what's going on between you and Serena?" Yaten asked with more urgency, nervously drumming his fingers on the table. "Nothing anymore," Seiya mumbled, bringing the bottle to his lips. However, his brother intended to dig his fingers deeper into the wound.
"What does 'nothing anymore' mean? So, something was going on?! Damn it, Seiya! She's our brother's fiancée, what were you thinking?" Seiya reached for Yaten's cigarette pack lying on the table. "What do you want to hear from me now?" "The truth! I hate it when something is kept from me, got it?" The silver-blond continued to press, tossing his brother the lighter. "I knew her before she knew Kenji was her father..." Seiya paused, weighing how much he could tell Yaten. "We met a few times, and there was something... suddenly she disappeared, and the next moment, she stood before me as Serena Tsukino. I know she's marrying Taiki, and we've sorted things out."
Yaten studied the black-haired man closely and came to a clear conclusion. "Do your feelings know that too?" "Yes, I'm keeping my distance. But there's no on-and-off switch for something like this..." Yaten rolled his eyes. "At least your head knows what's right..."
"Stop with that... after all, you were with Mina and wanted to entrust her to Tai..." "That was completely different. We had been separated for a while, and it was about her safety..." "And here, it's about the safety of her siblings; that's why she's doing all this," Seiya interrupted.
Yaten had already opened his mouth to continue the discussion, but then he thought for a moment about Seiya's words. "So, the old man has arranged for leverage... I see... That changes things, of course," Yaten thought aloud and got up. He returned shortly after, holding a large envelope. "Seiya, next time, you have to tell me openly how things stand... I need to know where to set my priorities. Now that we have a plan for Mina, let's make our sister-in-law happy."
Yaten placed the envelope on the table and hesitated for a moment before opening it. Several photos of children emerged, each with a number.
Are these the sought-after children? was handwritten on the edge of the paper.
Yaten frowned, shook his head, and pushed the stack toward Seiya. "Which ones are they?" Seiya took the pictures in his hands and examined them closely. "The problem is, I have no idea what they look like."
"I thought you knew them before... Why don't you know such important things?" Yaten exclaimed. Seiya slipped the pictures into his pocket. "I'll ask her when the time is right. Leave it to me. But thanks anyway."
"I'm not sure if that's really a good idea. After all, you just said you wanted to hold back with her. I can take care of it."
"No, Yaten. I'll handle it. She trusts me. I don't know how open she would be with you. I can handle it, or are you afraid I'll pounce on her?" With his last sentence, his thoughts flashed back only a few hours.
"Alright... if you say so... we're done here. I'll go back to the basement and hope my guest is more talkative now. You probably don't want to come down, right?"
"Uh... no. I'm still totally exhausted, and I was actually about to go to bed when you called." "I thought you were supposed to drive Serena home," Yaten scrutinized his brother skeptically. He couldn't shake the feeling that Seiya was hiding more than he was revealing.
"Yeah, she came down to me just before your call. Well then, Yaten... until tomorrow night." Suddenly, Seiya couldn't get away from Yaten fast enough.