It was summer and the weather was just perfect for going to the beach. Luckily, everyone was invited to the beach by Ryouhei who was helping out a senpai with lifeguarding duties.
Yuuki's team had already gone off ahead of her since they were carpooling with Tsuna, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Haru, and Kyoko. As she has mentioned before in previous chapters, Yuuki has a strong aversion to cars and so, she decided to take the public bus instead.
How is a bus different from a car?
Simple – the amount of movable space. Yuuki hated to be restrained or caged in. It was not a fear – she was not claustrophobic – it was just a deep, irrational hatred for it.
Yuuki supposed she was similar to Hibari in that aspect – like a cloud, they cannot be constrained – Yuuki just had an absurd loathing for it.
Well, it was not necessarily unreasonable, just highly stained with paranoia. You see, Yuuki likes to be prepared for any sort of attack, and being in a car with little moving room limits many of her options if something were to happen. So, it was not completely unreasonable.
Therefore, vehicles that have a lot of inner space like a bus, or even ones with no borders like motorcycles were better options for Yuuki.
Seeing how no one could possibly recognize her, Yuuki decided to forsake her disguise and dress normally. She had on a black bikini under a white T-shirt and jean shorts – nice and simple. Moreover, she got a large beach bag to carry some of her essentials. Yuuki had just exited her front gate when the sounds of a motorcycle stopped her in her tracks.
A familiar motorcycle pulled up in front of Yuuki. "Hibari? What are you doing here?" Yuuki tilted her head.
"The baby told me to take you to the beach," Hibari said, straightening up in his seat. The smooth motion drew Yuuki's gaze to his outfit.
"Oh," Yuuki adverted her eyes when she saw that Hibari was shirtless, "OK then." The boy was wearing some swimming trunks and a light, black jacket. Involuntarily, Yuuki's gaze went back to scan Hibari's form causing Hibari to smirk when he noticed her stare.
Feeling a bit of tension in the air, Yukuki looked up and saw Hibari smirking at her. It took her a minute to realize what she did. Once she did, Yuuki sputtered for a moment before coughing, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment.
"Are you coming with us to the beach, Hibari?" Yuuki asked, trying to divert his attention to something else.
"Hn," Hibari agreed, but looked a bit reluctant to go.
"Let's go then," Yuuki avoided Hibari's stare and got onto the motorcycle. Knowing how fast Hibari tends to drive, Yuuki secured her bag onto her lap and forced herself to wrap her arms around Hibari's semi-bare torso. His muscle clenched upon Yuuki's touch, sending a shiver down Yuuki's spine.
Yuuki was not sure why she was acting this way. She had seen naked male bodies before, but for some reason, Hibari's was affecting her the most. Yuuki scooted forward to get a better grip, unaware of how her chest pressed snuggly against Hibari's back.
Oblivious to Yuuki, Hibari's grip on the motorcycle's handlebars tightens upon feeling the soft female behind him. With Yuuki secured, Hibari revved the motorcycle and the pair drove off to the beach. They drove in complete silence, simply enjoying the weather, the fresh breeze, and each other's presence.
Eventually, the pair arrived at the beach which was filled with people and families. Once Hibari parked the bike, Yuuki hopped off with her things and stretched, unaware of the stares she was gaining.
Well, not completely.
A part of her knew that people were going to look, but she ignored them. She didn't really care that people were looking so she didn't even try to take notice. It got to the point where she grew immune to the stares and they got filtered out of her radar.
After releasing the tension from her muscles, she glanced around. It was a sunny day, perfect for a day at the beach. The air was a bit stuffy because of the heat and you could smell the salty sea from a mile away. Knowing that she was going to get hot soon, Yuuki took off her T-shirt, revealing her black bikini top and ample chest.
Placing the shirt into her bag, she looked around to see if she could find Tsuna and the others. Not seeing them meant that she needed to walk around the beach and search for them. Before she could walk away though, Hibari suddenly seized her arm. Giving a small tug, Hibari brought Yuuki to his chest. Frozen in confusion, Yuuki stayed still with her cheek glued to Hibari's bare chest. Feeling more than hearing, she became aware of the skylark's strong, pounding heartbeat next to her ear.
With his arms snugly wrapped around the girl's waist, Hibari protectively encased the bewildered Yuuki within his hold, preventing her from leaving or moving. His eyes flickered up to glare at all of the male herbivores who were eyeing what was his. They immediately diverted their gaze, too timid to confront Hibari which brought great satisfaction to the carnivore.
This was actually the reason why Hibari agreed to go to the beach, despite the crowding. At first, when Yuuki invited Hibari to the beach, he rejected her request. Then the baby came to ask Hibari to be Yuuki's ride. Hibari was about to reject him as well, but then the baby hinted at the possibility of Yuuki being approached by other males.
It didn't take much convincing after that for Hibari to accept the baby's request to be Yuuki's ride and if Hibari decided to stay with the girl afterward, well, he was technically not going back on his words. He just didn't want anyone to even attempt to touch what was his.
Unaware of Hibari's thoughts and actions, Yuuki started to squirm in Hibari's embrace. Yuuki's whole body was warm and tingling from Hibari's prolonged touch. "Ummm, Hibari, I have to go find Tsuna and the others," Yuuki said, her voice slightly muffled from being pressed against Hibari's chest.
"Hn," Hibari hummed, his lips arching down into a frown. Hibari reluctantly pulled his arms away before abruptly tugging the girl to a quieter part of the beach. "Let go."
Puzzled, Yuuki followed him – not like she could do anything else with him tugging her along. The pair walked along the sandy ground until they came upon a grassy cliff with a small forest. Heading up that cliff, Hibari guided Yuuki to the shades of the trees which was perfect since they had no umbrella to hide them from the sun's rays – most of the beach supplies were currently with Tsuna and the others.
It was peaceful. They were away from the noisy crowds and the only sounds Yuuki could hear were the healing melody of nature; the cry of seabirds, the breeze rustling the leaves above them, and the sounds of waves splashing against the stone walls beneath them.
Coming to a stop near the edge of the cliff, but still hidden underneath the shading, Hibari let go of Yuuki and crossed his arms, seemingly waiting for something. Understanding what Hibari had wanted, Yuuki reached into her bag and took out a large blanket. She unraveled the blanket onto the grass, officially designating that spot as theirs. Once it was set, Hibari sat down and took out a book. He immediately started reading as he leaned against the tree behind them.
Yuuki smiled in amusement at Hibari's ease to fit into any sort of setting or situation. Suddenly, Yuuki started yawning. The warm air and the silence were making her drowsy – it was the perfect weather for a nap. Lying down on the blanket, Yuuki slightly curled on her side, her back grazing Hibari's leg. Yuuki stayed like that, watching the sea from her position until its hypnotic waves soothed her to oblivion.
Noticing the sudden stillness and silence beside him, Hibari looked down to find Yuuki asleep. Hibari scoffed, but something about the tone was much more different from his usual ones. It was softer and lacked the usual harshness to it. It was almost filled with…endearment.
Hibari shifted his eyes back to his book, leaving the omnivore alone as the two spent their peaceful time together at the beach.
-`ღ´-
"Hey guys, do you know where Yuuki is?" Kazuo asked, looking around for their leader. When the group arrived at the beach, the team immediately wandered away from Tsuna's group, wanting to explore the new area.
When the team came back from their exploration, they noticed that Tsuna and the others were in the middle of a swimming race. Apparently, Ryouhei's lifeguard senpais – who happened to be previous boxing club members – were being jerks around the girls and making them uncomfortable. So, the boys wanted to teach them a lesson. Unfortunately, it wasn't a fist fight which was within their expertise. Instead, it turned into a swimming competition, courtesy of Reborn who was in disguise with an elephant cap and boxing gloves.
His alias at that time was Paopao-sensei.
It was really amusing and remarkable to see how easily fooled others were by all of Reborn's silly disguises. It just illustrates how remarkable Reborn truly is, Kazuo thought.
Anyway, if Yuuki was here, she would have immediately socked those men for messing with Haru and Kyoko. Better yet, those jerks would probably be all over Yuuki. If that was the case, then she would either string them along for a bit before dealing out their punishments or go straight to beating them up.
It all depended on her mood and how much the guys annoyed her. Overall, though, she never did tolerate guys like them; those who arrogantly thought they were strong when in reality, they were actually weak – basically, cheap bullies and cheaters.
Kazuo and the others didn't interfere with the match since this was Tsuna's fight and Reborn would have prevented them if they had tried. While Tsuna and the others did their little competition, the team decided to spend their time enjoying the beach. Kazuo and Shoshi chose to spend their time sitting on their towels under the group's beach umbrellas.
Kazuo lay stretched out on the towel, narcissistically showing off his muscular body. The only article on his body was a swimming trunk with white Hawaiian flower patterns. Shoshi sat beside Kazuo, wearing a simple blue swimming trunk with white strips on the sides and a sleeveless gray hoodie.
The spectacle-wearing boy was currently nose-deep into his CompC, ignoring the many eyes laid upon him and his companion by the nearby flock of girls. There were even a few glances made by male onlookers towards Shoshi.
Shoshi may not be as muscular as Kazuo, but he was more toned than him. Paired with an overall slim body and feminine features, Shoshi had his own unique charm which couldn't help, but attract unnecessary attention from others.
Meanwhile, Ken and Arata were playing beach volleyball a bit away from the two but soon headed back to Kazuo and Shoshi with their own clusters of girls trailing behind them. Ken wore a green swimming trunk with blue, black, and yellow flowers on the side while Arata wore a white trunk with different shades of blue flowers.
"No, I haven't seen her. You would think she would be here by now," Arata replied wiping sweat from his face with the white towel hanging around his neck.
"Do you think she's in trouble?"
Arata just shrugged, "I highly doubt it."
"But what if she was?! We got to go find her!" Kazuo growing a bit frantic.
"You are not going anywhere," Shoshi said sternly, typing away on his CompC. "Reborn had informed me that Yuuki is fine. She's actually already at the beach, but is currently spending time with Hibari." Shoshi paused and stared grimly at Kazuo who froze, midway from getting up. "And no, you cannot go bother them. You've seen how the two interacted with each other, especially how possessive Hibari becomes when he's around her. Your interferences will only cause unnecessary trouble."
"He does have a point," Arata interjected before Kazuo could reply. "No matter how much we dislike the skylark, something is forming between them."
Ken scowled, "He's taking her away from us."
"We knew this would happen someday," Shoshi said, snapping his miniature laptop shut.
"We know," Arata sighed. "We're just not as prepared for it as we thought."
The boys grew silent as they all frowned. It was clear to them that something was forming between the two. They would have to be dense to not notice it. Even though they did not like what was happening between the two, would they stop it?
No.
The answer was a simple and clear one. They did not want to interfere with Yuuki's happiness, but if by chance that Hibari harmed Yuuki in any way, the boys would surely do whatever it takes to punish the skylark. Even if they were bitten to death, they would still get revenge for harming their savior.
Overall, the group only wanted Yuuki to be happy. Whenever she was happy, they were happy. Her happiness and health were their life. They would follow Yuuki to the end of the world if they had to.
Their bond with Yuuki was more genuine than superficial emotions and jealousy. There will always be a special bond between them, and nothing could get in the way of it, not even Hibari. The skylark may become another important part of Yuuki's heart, but he would never replace the boys.
This bond went beyond just life and death. She had saved them from death and gave them a new chance at life. Their lives were solely hers to keep and use, both physically and spiritually.
Each of them had their own past and each of their first encounters with Yuuki were all uniquely impactful. To this day, Kazuo can still remember the first time he had met Yuuki. His life was never the same ever since he laid eyes on the red jewels that were her eyes.
-`ღ´-
Hisakawa Kiyoshi was a clever young woman who recently started her education at a local college. She was not overtly pretty, but her beauty came from her strong sense of will and the burning fire in her eyes.
Her family wasn't well off, but they did what they could to survive. In fact, her family was part of the lowest branch family of the Yakuza monopolizing the area, but because of their low status and their personal feelings, her parents did not get too involved with the family business.
Based on her parents' wishes, Kiyoshi was supposed to live a normal life with a normal education, but after a while, money started to get a bit tight for them. It eventually got to the point where she was forced to quit school and go to work.
Other branches of the family tried to help them, but as mentioned before, they did not want to get involved in the family business. Inevitably, the whole family was professionally trained and knew about the business, but they stopped getting involved when Kiyoshi's father got seriously injured during a raid. Since then, they had wanted a more fresh and clean start for their daughter. It was difficult for her parents though since all they knew was the underground businesses. Hence why the family was constantly short of money.
Nevertheless, her parents were hardworking enough and knew how to manage their finances so that they continued to unsteadily live their lives. Her parents placed all their hope on their daughter, wishing for her to live a very prosperous life. Unfortunately, the experience of the wealthy versus the poor was too diverse to comprehend for Kiyoshi.
Despite being young and inexperienced with life, Kiyoshi had the intelligence and skills to become successful in her new work life. Sadly, it was because of her young age and inexperience that got her into trouble.
In the process of her rising success at the company she was working at, Kiyoshi met a man. That man was Lemaire Hugo, a wealthy French-Italian man who was a few years her senior. Despite the age gap, the two fell in love, but because of Kiyoshi's obligation towards her family, she did not pursue a relationship.
Not one to be denied, Hugo offered Kiyoshi a deal. In exchange for moving to Italy and working for him, he would pay off any debts her family had and even give her a year's worth of her paycheck in advance. Blinded by love, Kiyoshi thought the deal was brilliant. With the money, her family would be able to live comfortably, and she wouldn't need to feel obliged to support them.
Her parents tried to stop her, but she was too young and naïve to listen. If only she heeded her parents – maybe even used the resources of the main family branch to do a background check on Hugo – would she still end up the same way?
After accepting the deal, Kiyoshi was whisked off to Italy, ignorant of all the secrets Hugo kept hidden from her. She should have checked out his background, but she was a fool, blinded with love. She foolishly thought having Hugo investigated would breach the trust between them, but did she even have his trust from the very start?
It wasn't until she found out his secrets that she realized he had never really trusted her. The secret that he kept from her was that Hugo was no ordinary, wealthy, French-Italian man. He was a married one with a beautiful, loving wife, and two young daughters.
Despite having a loving family, he was selfish. He wanted more and so he was enticed by Kiyoshi during his business trip to Japan. She was nothing like his dainty wife and daughters. She was strong-willed, sly, smart, and cunning. There would always be this constant fire in her eyes.
He was memorized by its flames and wanted it for his own. He lusted for her, wanting her to become solely his. Thus, his deal was created to chain the woman to him. She was now within his grasp and in his debt.
When the two arrived back at Hugo's home, Kiyoshi found out about his big secret and became devastated. Luckily, they hadn't started anything before coming to Italy so it only left Kiyoshi with a broken heart. Unfortunately, Kiyoshi couldn't leave because of her debt.
Needing to pay back Hugo for his money, Kiyoshi resigned to become a servant to the family. She couldn't do anything else. She did not have any connections in the country and the young adult was frightened by her new environment. Even though she did not want to be anywhere near Hugo because of his deceptions, he was the only familiar thing that Kiyoshi had.
During her servitude to the family, Hugo started to actively lust for Kiyoshi, taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't leave his side. With her heart still weak from heartbreak, the constant advancements from Hugo quickly weakened her. With sweet words, sly glances, heated touches, and whispered promises, Kiyoshi soon fell prey to Hugo.
The two began the heated dance of an affair with flirty glances, lingering touches, and many nights of passion. The two kept their affair a secret, enjoying the many nights of pleasure in various spaces: within closets, around tables, outdoors, lakes, tubs, vehicles, secretly in places within the vicinity of others, and sometimes in broad daylight! The passion they had for each other reached the point where there were little places that did not get tainted by their lovemaking.
Sadly, it soon came to an end when Kiyoshi became pregnant with a child. At first, she tried to hide it and managed to do so for a few weeks, but she was unable to hide it forever. Hugo soon found out about the child and almost instantly his love for her vanished.
Fearing for his reputation, Hugo immediately banished Kiyoshi from his home, throwing her out into the streets to cover up their affair. Kiyoshi was heartbroken, but it soon became rage. She was mad at Hugo for kicking her out, especially when he was the main cause of all her misfortune, but most of all, she was mad at herself. She prided herself on being intelligent and skillful, especially her pride in being a member of the family business. Thus, her sheer neglect for her pride in exchange for being dependent on this awful man wounded her. She couldn't believe what she had done and the sheer stupidity of it angered her.
Despite the misfortune and anger, she did not regret it, not when it ended with her in possession of her very first child. Even when her child was not yet born, she was very much in love with it. Kiyoshi vowed to protect this child. She promised herself that she would teach this child everything she knew to help the child survive. Not even the child's father – she refused to call the man by his name at this point – would get the chance of getting near the child, she wouldn't let him. He did not deserve it, not when he kicked both of them out of his life.
With anger fueling her motivation, Kiyoshi started her quest to rebuild her life from scratch in Italy. Since she had little to no money in her name, Kiyoshi was forced to live in the slums of the city. There, she used the knowledge she obtained through the family business to survive in that dangerous place. One of the few things she did was create strong connections with people, especially those with power.
Fortunate for her, she managed to grasp the attention of Chevalier Albert, one of the slum's top crime lords. The old man admired the strength of Kiyoshi and could see the potentiality in her. Through the help of Albert, Kiyoshi managed to make a relevantly small, yet safe living for herself and her unborn child.
Kiyoshi may not be physically strong, but she was smart and cunning. With her wits, she managed to survive through starvation, rapists, abusers, thieves, and many others who looked to harm her. She survived the harsh environment by using manipulation and establishing multiple strong connections. After Kazuo was born, Kiyoshi kept her promise and passed on her knowledge and skills to him so that he too could survive the harsh world. She passed on knowledge, education, and skills she accumulated over her whole lifetime.
The first five years of Kazuo's life were difficult, but overall, he was happy since he knew that his mother had always loved him and was there for him. Unfortunately, all good things will eventually come to an end.
Not a lot of people can survive the harsh, disease-ridden environment of the slums. This included Kiyoshi who soon died after Kazuo's fifth birthday from sickness. The stress of trying to survive the slums put a lot of strain on his mother's body, especially since she was not made for it despite her family background. Thus, she fell into sickness. Sickness was a dangerous yet common way to die in the slums. Most of the time people from the slums couldn't afford any medication or treatment which led to many deaths.
When Albert heard of Kiyoshi's sickness, he tried to help the woman, but medication was costly, and it would upset his group to spend some fortune on a woman outside of their group. Young Kazuo didn't blame the old man for not helping. He understood the complicated situation the old man was in with his position – he at least cared for the small family. Instead, Kazuo blamed everyone else for it, especially his father. If only his father hadn't abandoned his mother, perhaps she would have survived.
Kazuo was a bitter child growing up, but he was at least living happily because of his mother. Now that she was gone, there was nothing to hold his bitterness back. Now, left as an orphan, Kazuo grieved and was forced to bury his own mother at the age of five. His mother may have made many connections – with many of those connections growing to care for the woman – but the slums were a dog-eat-dog world where not a lot of people could afford to help others.
Thus, Kazuo had to drag her corpse – passing many onlookers who did nothing to help – to a small grass hill the two would sometimes visit. There he buried her, using his nails and pieces of wood to dig the hole and a large, oval rock as a tombstone. By her grave, Kazuo stayed there, numb to the world around him with silent tears streaming down his face. He can't remember how long he sat there, but eventually, Albert found him and took him in. The old man raised the boy in place of his mother, teaching him the finer works of the underworld and how to handle it.
Through living with them, Kazuo grew up to be a strong, cunning, and clever young boy. By the age of 10, when Albert died from old age, Kazuo was named the next boss. For a few months, Kazuo ruthlessly ruled over the slums with his caretaker's right-handed man, Malcolm, by his side, but grudgingly this brought on unwanted attention from other people, especially from someone Kazuo deeply detested.
In a few weeks, Hugo took notice of the successful rise of a new crime lord. When the man found that lord to be a young boy, he immediately investigated the boy's background out of curiosity. Eventually, Hugo found out about a woman named Kiyoshi and made the connection that Kazuo was his son.
Knowing about the boy's achievements and his intelligence, Hugo decided to find the boy to take him back to become his son. For Hugo, it was better to have a bastard son be the heir to his family fortune than his lousy, spoiled, female daughters.
When the two first met, it wasn't under favorable terms. Hugo was naïve to think that Kazuo would ever be grateful to be taken out of the slums and be a part of his father's family. Kazuo didn't reveal his true feelings or intentions though.
He loathed the man for abandoning him and his mother. It was all that man's fault that his mother died at such a young age. He wanted that man to pay for his sins, but he kept the rage and murderous thoughts concealed and accepted Hugo's offer.
Murder would have been too quick for him. Kazuo wanted his Hugo to suffer. He wanted Hugo to know how much agony his mother had to face because of him! No, murder would be too much of a relief for his 'father'. Kazuo would get his revenge, just not yet.
While Kazuo left with his 'father', he didn't abandon the group Albert entrusted him with. Instead, he gave Malcolm temporary control over the group – Kazuo had all the intention to keep on running the group.
When Hugo brought Kazuo back to his family, it caused great upset in the family. Hugo's wife and daughters were furious and ashamed! Unfortunately, they had no say in the matter. Instead, they tried to place their anger onto Kazuo who was the main cause of the mess, but they didn't anticipate the amount of hatred Kazuo felt towards the family.
During Kazuo's stay, he was 'disciplined' by his stepmother and stepsisters as they tried to force dominance upon the boy. Sadly for them, they soon realized their mistakes when Kazuo tactfully fought back. He didn't fight back immediately though.
He took the beating while also maintaining an image of an innocent yet smart and sophisticated boy. This image drew in servants, tutors, family friends, his father, and the public who pitied him while also hiding away Kazuo's true nature. After sustaining enough credibility with his image, he started to fight back against his stepmother and stepsisters, slowly revealing to them his true sinister nature.
He left bruises and broken bones on their bodies and gave them small doses of poisons which would leave them to suffer from the symptoms. He threatened them, ruin their lives, and all while maintaining his innocent facade to the public. He made it so that he left no evidence of his schemes, and his image prevented anyone from believing the trio's words. The female family members were trapped in Kazuo's cycle of suffering.
Meanwhile, as Kazuo was educated and taught the manners of high society, he secretly maintained a business with his group back in the slums. With the power and the connections he had gained through his time in the higher class, he helped fuel his group and slowly they grew. All of this was in preparation for his master plan.
Since Kazuo was named the heir of the family, his 'father' worked closely with Kazuo, teaching him the skills of being the next head. Within a few weeks of the lessons, Hugo became impressed by Kazuo's intelligence while remaining ignorant of his upcoming demise. It wasn't until a few months after Kazuo's 12th birthday that Hugo finally realized Kazuo's intentions, but by then it was too late.
During a business trip, Kazuo had his 'father' assassinated which led to Kazuo becoming the next head of the family. His first course of action after being named the head was to kick his stepmother and stepsisters out of the family and into the slums, penniless, just like how his 'father' did to his mother. Kazuo wasn't too sure what happened to them afterward, but words on the streets informed him of their dehumanization. Let's just say that without any money, protection, education, or knowledge, the three lived a tougher life than what his mother went through.
With the whole family gone, Kazuo took over the family's wealth and merged it with his group from the slums. Not only does he have power over the slums, but now people from the higher class fear him. Seeing how his revenge had been completed, he was satisfied with life and was practically unstoppable.
Unfortunately, despite all of his intellect and leadership abilities, he was still just a young, lonely boy.
-`ღ´-
Things changed for Kazuo when he was 13 years old. He started to feel less motivated with everything. After years of living in the slums, constantly trying to survive, and his revenge, he never had much time living as a child, making any friends, or discovering more about himself.
Despite the broad nature of his education, he felt ignorant in a way. He wanted to explore the world more. He felt empty and wanted to make some relationship with others. His only close relationships were with his mother and caretaker, but they were gone and so he was left alone. He may have his group left to him by Albert, but they were never truly his. They felt more like acquaintances or followers than anything else. He enjoyed the power his position gave him, but he felt like he was lacking in some way.
That was why he started to drift away from the business and the group. He found everything to be tedious to do and slowly started to focus more on himself, leaving most of the work to Malcolm. Kazuo started to search for more meaning in his life, trying to replace the hole in his heart with artificial objects and acquaintances.
It was never enough though. Nothing he could buy with money seemed to be able to fill the void. His life became dull, empty, and filled with nothing, but work, stress, and loneliness.
That was until a special guest made an appearance in Kazuo's life.
-`ღ´-
It was like any other dull day in Kazuo's life; he was in his office with a pile of paperwork while his subordinates were all laundering around the base, doing whatever tasks they were given. However, something different suddenly happened around mid-afternoon; an alarm rang.
There was an intruder!
At first, Kazuo didn't pay too much attention to it since it was a normal occurrence for intruders to try and break into the household – since there was intense competition between mafia groups within the slums. However, all of those attempts usually ended in utter failure. But a few seconds later, it was proven that this was not your typical intrusion.
Kazuo was lazily reading over some documents in his office as he left the intruder to be dealt with by his subordinates. Suddenly, his instinct drew his attention towards a strange disturbance; another person was standing in front of him, wearing a black, hooded cape. The appearance of the small figure alarmed him. His heartbeat quickened not only from the quick spurt of adrenaline and the sudden yet obvious danger he was placed in but also from the gradual growth of his excitement.
Finally, something interesting was going to happen!
From what Kazuo could perceive of the stranger standing a meter away from him, the small figure was about a head shorter than Kazuo and that was basically it. The large, bulky cape obscured any other features Kazuo could get from the figure. However, that didn't matter too much for Kazuo. What Kazuo anticipated was whatever happened afterward.
Was this person a spy? Or maybe a distraction? Would this stranger try to fight him? Was this an assassination attempt and this person was here to kill him? Was this stranger a thief who was here to steal some important information, but got shocked by the unforeseen presence of Kazuo?
Whatever it was, Kazuo was excited to find out. As Kazuo waited for the figure to make a move, minutes ticked by, and Kazuo slowly began to realize that the figure was doing nothing. It was just standing there staring at him.
Feeling unnerved yet frustrated by the lack of action, Kazuo maneuvered around his desk and moved a little closer to the figure, daring it to make a move. "Well?" Kazuo scowled, "Aren't you going to something? Kill me perhaps?"
Still, the figure remained still and silent. The two lingered in silence with only the sounds of muffled voices from Kazuo's men beyond the closed door of his office. Kazuo's eye twitched and his teeth grinded in annoyance. "Why aren't you doing anything?! What's the point of evading all of my guards if you're just standing there doing nothing?!"
After a few seconds, the flaps of the capes trembled, causing Kazuo to tense in preparation. As two delicate-looking hands appeared from the shadows of the cape, a small smirk appeared on Kazuo's face. His muscles flexed as he prepared for an attack, but instead of attacking like what he was expecting, the figure reached up and tugged down the hood, revealing to Kazuo his guest's head and face.
What he saw caused Kazuo to lose his smirk and made his eyes widen in shock. Standing before him looked to be a young girl. This astonished him since he was not expecting such a young person, especially a girl, to have managed to get passed his guards. Does this mean that she was stronger than him? What sort of girl was she?
Then he noticed something very unnerving about the girl – her cold, blank, dark red eyes. He never met anyone with this particular coloration of eyes before. He would have found them memorizing if it weren't for the intensity of her stare. Her stare froze him to the spot. It was like she was staring right into his soul. A shiver of fear shot down Kazuo's back, startling him. Rarely did he ever feel such fear because of another person.
For a moment, it felt like they were the only ones existing in the world. The two stood still, eyes locked onto one another. Everyone around them – the noises, the background – seemed to tune themselves out, going out of focus. Everything else did not matter aside from the figure in front of them and the sound of their soft breath.
Kazuo felt an intense fire starting to ignite inside of him, deep within his soul. The burning blaze was flowing throughout his veins, but despite the heat, it felt safe and…familiar, like a reunion with a long-lost friend. Unfortunately, the spell or whatever was happening between them shattered upon the appearance of Kazuo's men as they came storming into the office.
Chaos pursued as the men wrestled the girl into a hold, but despite the chaos the two kept their eyes fastened onto each other. Kazuo couldn't stop looking into the girl's eyes and the fire within him continued to grow the more their eyes stayed in contact. Something about her two orbs enthralled him, drawing him into their deep red, depths. Her hair swayed gently despite the rough treatment from his men.
It wasn't until Kazuo's right-hand man came into the room that their contact broke. When he turned his gaze onto the man, the others took this chance to drag the intruder away and toward their private holding cells. Malcolm cast concerned looks and words towards Kazuo, but he couldn't hear them. Despite being out of sight, his mind was still filled with thoughts of the young intruder, the strange girl with those dangerous, bleeding eyes.
-`ღ´-
A few days passed since the incident, but Kazuo couldn't get the girl out of his head. Just like how moths were entranced by light, he was mesmerized by the girl. It was almost as though he was spellbound by her ruby eyes.
No, maybe it was her soul that he was captivated by because didn't they say that the eyes were windows to the soul?
Was the thing he was mesmerized by her soul?
Kazuo tried to recall what features he found in her eyes that got him so captivated, but he couldn't do it. His mind was drawing a blank. It was like there was a change within Kazuo since their first meeting – a birth of something new – a strange connection that only his soul knew and that his mortal brain was oblivious to.
Kazuo's absentmindedness grew with each passing day. It came to the point that his group members started to take notice of his bizarre behavior. Did Kazuo care, though? No, not really. He could care less about what his subordinates thought of him. The only thing he cared about at the moment was that girl. His whole mind was centered around her like the Earth orbiting around the sun. He just knew that he had to go see her.
He didn't go meet with her right away – he did not want others to start doubting his leadership. Once things had settled down though, he immediately took the chance to slip away and go meet her.
Since he went to secretly visit the girl in her holding cell, he came without any protection or guards. It was a late evening when Kazuo commenced his task and snuck passed the guards to enter the level where the prison cells were kept. After entering the dark, musky, and damp floor, Kazuo tip-toed passed a few empty cells until coming upon an occupied one.
Standing before the cell, Kazuo examined the cell's inhabitant, the female intruder. She was sitting on the ground with her back leaned against the far wall. One of her legs was propped up, slightly parting her cape, and revealing black, fitted pants and black combat boots. Surprisingly, there was an obscure, metal chain with medium-sized rings wrapped around her other, unpropped leg. How that chain stayed perfectly silent throughout the whole ordeal, Kazuo did not know. It really shocked him to see it there.
On the propped leg, there perched one of the girl's arms hanging carelessly from it. From what Kazuo could see, her hands looked remarkably unscarred and smooth like unmarked pearls – a bit strange given the girl's presumed profession. The girl's head was drooped forward, her face hidden by a curtain of ebony strands. The only indication that the girl even took notice of her visitor was a slight twitch of her finger that lay on her knee.
Things were still and silent as Kazuo continued to scrutinize the girl. Was it an awkward silence? Not necessarily, but it wasn't a comfortable one either.
Instead, there was a slight tension in the air, but the cause of it was unknown to Kazuo. He felt that the girl was a familiar being to him like a long-lost home and yet, she was also a complete stranger to Kazuo, someone he never met before. This contradicting feeling only produced conflict and confusion within Kazuo.
After a few moments, the girl finally moved, lifting her head to officially acknowledge the boy's presence. This simple movement caused her hair to glide away from her face, allowing those unique eyes of hers to reappear. Involuntarily, Kazuo froze in surprise and slowly grew muddleheaded, his eyes glazing over in a daze. His soul seemed to be screaming for something – for something to be done.
Kazuo was filled with a yearning to do something, but what? What was it that he wanted to do? Whatever it was, it must have something to do with the girl. Realizing this, Kazuo grew a bit suspicious.
Had the girl somehow bewitched him? Was he poisoned? Why was he acting this way? These questions and his growing suspicion only caused Kazuo to become even more confused. With such a prepubescent body, how could this little girl bewitch him?
No, Kazuo thought, instantly rejecting his previous claim. Her childish body may not have such capacity to do such a thing, but her eyes – those clear windows to her soul – can.
Shaking out his haze, Kazuo guardedly narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the girl sitting before him. He needed more information. He needed to find out her motive and her reasons for being here. What caused her to invade his headquarters?
To tell you the truth, that wasn't his real intention. He was not fooling anyone with his unconvincing reasoning. Why should HE be the one to do the information gathering? What were his subordinates doing aside from trying to get information from the girl? He was only fooling himself with those thoughts of his.
What he actually wanted was information about HER, about the girl in general. Who was she? Where did she come from? Why was she here? Did she have a family? What kind of family was it to let such a young girl come here? Was she afraid? What was she like? She was not like other children her age.
Opening his mouth, Kazuo was the first to speak, "Who are you?"
"…." The girl stayed silent, giving no indication that she had heard the boy. Her eyes were still, undisturbed by any ripples or emotions.
Kazuo frowned, growing upset by the lack of response. He was still but a child, not a cold-blooded interrogator. He doesn't usually get overcome with emotions that easily – the cruel, underground life wouldn't let him – but this girl seemed to bring out the childish nature he kept hidden within him.
In hindsight, he currently looked like a child about to throw a tantrum. It was no wonder he was currently unqualified to deal with such uncooperative captives when he was having trouble controlling his own emotions. "Why are you not talking?!"
"…."
"Are you mute?" Kazuo pressed on, irritation leaking into his voice.
"…."
"If you're not, then talk already!"
"…."
"Talk, damn it!" Kazuo cursed.
Why was she not talking?! Was she really mute?
Seeing how he was getting nothing out of her, Kazuo huffed before walking away to retire for the day. In the next few days, Kazuo came back and tried to interrogate the girl, but it all ended in failure.
It wasn't like he never tried his best. He even employed different tactics to engage the girl in a conversation – wait, he meant, to extract information from the intruder.
He tried being nice.
"Are you tired? Hungry? Maybe, thirsty?" Kazuo asked in a sweet voice filled with fake concern. However, despite his efforts, Kazuo was oblivious to some of his true feelings being leaked through that fake mask of his – the raw emotions being clearly displayed in his eyes.
"….." The girl continued to ignore the boy, looking none too different than how she was before despite the slight mistreatment and lack of nutrients. She was never physically harmed though. Kazuo wouldn't allow for such a thing to happen. If HE was so reluctant to harm her then why should he allow others? She was HIS to deal with.
"Well, if you cooperate with us, I will make sure you get as much food and water as you like. I will even add in some pastries and sweets," Kazuo urged, inadvertently flashing a sleazy smile at the girl.
"…..…." The girl stared blankly back. If anyone else were to see this scene, they would find it a bit odd. Why?
Well, Kazuo was ignorant to the image he was emanating with his bribe and that current smile of his; of a stranger trying to lure younger children with candies.
Obviously, this attempt led to a complete failure for Kazuo.
Next, Kazuo tried a more aggressive method.
"IF YOU DON'T ANSWER ME, I'M GOING TO-!" Kazuo continued to curse and yell, unaware of the fact that he looked more like an irritated kitten than a fierce lion. It was more humorous than intimidating.
"….." The girl continued to maintain her calm blankness, not even flinching whenever Kazuo went into a violent outburst; for example, banging his fists or kicking the metal bars of the cell. There was not even a single ripple in her ruby eyes.
Eventually, Kazuo got tired from forcing himself to be angry for a long period – because the damn girl just won't give him a break! – and this was counted as another failure.
After a few more attempts, Kazuo went to his last resort – begging.
"Pleeeeeeeessssseeeee! Please talk to me! You're killing me here!" The prideful boy was on his knees, begging in front of the cell while being unmindful of his disgraceful image.
Kazuo was prideful just like any other prominent leader of notorious groups. It was especially distinctive for Kazuo because he had done it at such a young age. In any normal circumstances, a person of his caliber would in no way be acting in such an appalling manner like lowering himself onto his knees and begging his enemy. He would have felt indignant if such thoughts were to ever cross his mind. Arrogantly, he would think it was below him to act humbly like that.
However, this was no ordinary situation. Based on his personal feelings, Kazuo felt that it was obvious that he would lower himself before this girl. Maybe it was because of this mysterious hold the girl had over Kazuo, but it didn't feel wrong for the girl's perceived status to be higher than his. It was almost instinctual for this to happen, and the odd thing was, it didn't feel a single bit strange for Kazuo to do so.
He didn't feel as though his actions were wrong or embarrassing. If the receiver of his begs was the girl in front of him, then felt as though he wouldn't regret it. In fact, some part inside of him felt even happy to do so. It felt like he had finally found the place where he belonged.
Kazuo had always felt that he was out of place in his position as leader of his group. It was like a puzzle piece trying to insert itself into a place it did not belong to – a copy or substitute for its real place.
Unfortunately, despite his begging, the girl STILL WOULND'T TALK!
The girl continued her long proclamation of silence. It made Kazuo wonder if the girl was actually mute, but his gut said otherwise. Nevertheless, Kazuo came back from his investigation like those other times, irritated as ever.
Although Kazuo was beyond mad – vexed with the girl and the whole progress, he was still also bizarrely happy. The constant contradicting sets of emotions exhausted Kazuo, but at the same time, he did nothing to relieve them. He did not see this as a burden. Instead, he thought of this situation as a bright stain bringing color into his gray life.
The girl's attitude and everything about her was different than what he had to normally handle. It was rare for him to encounter another child around the same age as him who hadn't been corrupted and ruined by the underground environment – someone who seemed to strive in it.
This was the other reason for Kazuo's interest in the girl – aside from the strange, enchanted hold her presence had on him. The only setback was the girl's muteness and her emotionless face.
Speaking of lack of emotions, Kazuo suddenly realized that the girl's blankness and noninteraction also meant that he had never once seen the girl smile in his presence. For some reason, this sorely depressed and aggravated him. It was like he wanted some acknowledgment or approval from the girl which seemed utterly ridiculous. Why would he want approval from a little girl?
Even if it was ridiculous, he still couldn't help what he was feeling. It wasn't romantic. He should know because despite his young age, he had already seen quite a bit of the world. No, there was a deeper bond than superficial feelings.
Thinking back, the girl's face would always be emotionless, and he could see that her eyes were flooding with melancholy as though there was a constant dark shadow haunting her. It pained Kazuo to see it. He didn't know what to do.
He had seen other examples of children falling into depths of despair and numbness, but nothing like this. Usually, whenever a child encounters a traumatic event, most of them are not mature enough to come out of it. This lingering melancholy, though, had similar levels of maturity and quality to it as that of a soldier. It made Kazuo wonder just how and what she went through to become like this.
This didn't deter him from his continuous visits though. Instead, Kazuo eventually started to visit the girl without the intention of questioning her. Most of his visits would consist of him sitting against the cell gate and simply feeling content with just the silence between them.
The overall situation was a bit strange. How could two complete strangers instantly connect like this? You expect things to be awkward or not turn out okay; especially if one person was a captor and the other a prisoner, but this doesn't seem to be the case with the two of them. Despite her not responding to him, Kazuo felt himself at peace in the younger girl's presence. To him, her existence was like a soothing balm to his soul. It was very pleasant and refreshing to be near her.
After some prolonged silences, the roles of the two characters seemed to have switched one day. Instead of trying to get more information about the girl, Kazuo started to ramble to the girl about himself; what he did that day, how he was feeling, and a bunch of other useless facts. Everything that came to his mind was immediately blurted out into the open air between them. He never expected the girl to ever respond to him – given her previous history of muteness – and her stubborn silence predictably did not change. The one-sidedness of the conversation was still the same, but the content was different. It was not about the girl anymore, but all about Kazuo.
A bit narcissistic, really, but it was better than the stalemate from before. This allowed things to move forward, even if Kazuo's initial objective was not achieved. Nevertheless, you would think that Kazuo would one day feel discouraged by the girl's lack of response – especially with the amount of energy he put into his rambling – but despite the girl's explicit apathy, Kazuo had a feeling that he wasn't really being ignored by her. She seemed to be paying close attention to Kazuo and the thought of this thrilled him, causing an immediate and visible change to his body; his voice grew a pitch higher; words being spewed out of his mouth at a faster pace, and his eyes were wide open, brightening with joy.
Time slowly passed with their newly established relationship. Instead of a tense one between a captor and a prisoner, it was a comfortable one between a rambling young boy and an emotionless-looking yet attentively listening young girl.
If any outsiders were to ever observe this scene, they would find it a bit odd, but Kazuo would not care for their thoughts. All he knew was that he was happy. The abnormal tug from his soul may suggest a different potential bond, but at the moment Kazuo was content. In fact, he was a bit hesitant to admit this, but he saw the girl as a…
…as a friend…
…And you know what?
It felt exhilarating to call someone your friend. Plus, it seemed like he wasn't the only one to feel this way.
"You know, after all the personal information I gave you, I deserve at least a name from you," Kazuo casually said one day. Kazuo had expected no answer as always, but by some miracle, the girl surprised him with a response.
"…Yuuki…" It was so soft that Kazuo thought he was hearing things, but the empty halls of the floor they were in amplified the sound, making it echo around them like a loud alarm. "…My name is Yuuki…" To say Kazuo was shocked was an understatement. He was completely speechless.
He had always wanted the girl to talk, but he had never expected or even thought of what sort of voice the girl had. If you were to ignore the coarseness from the lack of moistness and prolonged muteness, Kazuo could tell that the girl's voice should be originally smooth and elegant. It indicated that the girl's background may be more prestigious than Kazuo had originally thought.
Kazuo's mind grew blank from shock as he stared at the girl from his spot outside of her cell, stunned by the girl's unexpected move. The girl calmly looked back, unperturbed by Kazuo's astonishment and blunt staring.
Since then, the conversation between the two flowed more smoothly and with equal footing. The girl still did not talk much, but she was at least making small responses amongst Kazuo's endless chattering. It wasn't a whole lot really, but it was enough for Kazuo to feel as though he had gotten closer to the girl – that their relationship was slowly improving.
"Why are you living like this?" The girl, Yuuki, suddenly asked amidst one of their conversations. Kazuo was a bit startled by her question because it seemed to come right out of the blue, but he quickly recomposed himself and replied with a bitter smile on his face.
"I thought it would be obvious by now," Kazuo chuckled bitterly with a sneer. "There's nothing left for me. I can only continue living like this because this is the only way I know how to live."
Kazuo gritted his teeth, a sense of self-loathing igniting inside him. "What else am I supposed to do?" He almost shouted. "I did everything to survive and now that I don't need it anymore, I don't know what to do. Since I became so focused on survival and revenge, I lost sight of the outside world. I know nothing else, but the world I lived in. I got no experience with people my age nor did I have fun or experience anything kids my age should have experienced."
An ugly frown marred his face as a mixture of emotions swelled up inside him. It was a flood gate had finally opened as he spewed out all the grievances and pent-up emotions he accumulated over the years. Now, he just felt tired of everything.
"I am grateful since this was what my mother has taught me. She had sacrificed so much for me and yet," Kazuo felt tears swelling up in his eyes as an enormous amount of self-loath and guilt grew inside him. "I am selfish enough to wish for something more to my life. I should be content with the fact that I am alive; that I had more money and power than other people, but I still want more!
Kazuo felt choked, "I don't like my life! Why did things have to turn out this way?! Life was happy with just my mom despite our poor livelihood, but it's all gone now. What is missing?! What is it that I want?! I want it to change, but I don't know how. I feel like I'm tied down with metal chains, unable to break free. I just don't know anymore…"
A still silence engulfed the two as one of them felt drained from the onslaught of emotions. At first, Kazuo's body and breath shook, but after a few moments, Kazuo regained his composure. If it was not because of the small blush on Kazuo's cheeks, it was like the whole emotional episode from before had never happened.
"…Such maturity coming from such a weak child," Yuuki suddenly droned, breaking Kazuo out of his sulking.
Kazuo gaped before registering what Yuuki had said. "Hey! You're nothing more than a child yourself!"
Openly displaying a rare show of emotion, Yuuki lightly scoffed. "At least I'm not the one whining like a kid."
"I am not a kid!" Kazuo whined, further proving Yuuki's point.
Suddenly, Kazuo's ears perked up, hearing something that caused his eardrums to tingle in delight. The discreet sound had a deep yet soft tone to it that was inaudible at first until the sound grew loud enough to resonate around the room. Retracing the sound to the source Kazuo found that it was coming from Yuuki.
She seemed to be…chuckling...?
Kazuo gaped at the display. She was laughing and there was even a small smile gracing her lips! It may be barely visible, but Kazuo counts it as a smile, nonetheless. The boy's heart filled with pride and joy. But before Kazuo could make any comment about it, the smile was instantly wiped off her face and she went back to being emotionless. He was a bit disappointed that it was gone, but nevertheless, he managed to at least see her smile.
"Why don't you quit?" She asked a few days after the incident.
"Where would I go if I did?" Kazuo retorted. "I may know how to survive outside, but I would be alone. I have little knowledge when it comes to an average lifestyle and besides, who would help me if I DO get into trouble? If I were to leave, I would need to start from scratch and that would not work. People from the business world would recognize me and regular people would question me on where my parents are or whether I was a runaway child. Furthermore, people would question where I got my money from, especially if I had no existing parents or guardians. Questions like those will be asked and I can't escape them unless I isolate myself from others, but I can't keep on doing that forever. I need someone to be there for me, to help me start anew."
There was a solemn silence after Kazuo's monologue before Yuuki inexplicably destroyed it, "…...Are you sure you're 13?"
"What type of question is that?!" Kazuo squawked, feeling strangely offended.
The girl shot him a patronizing look. "I just don't know whether you're stupid or intelligent."
"Hey!"
"But you are really mature for someone your age, I'm shocked," she deadpanned.
"You don't look that shocked," Kazuo sweatdropped. "Besides, I could say the same thing for you."
"That because I'm different," she whispered, a hint of pain could be heard in her voice.
"What?" Kazuo cast Yuuki a curious look. He didn't quite hear what she just said.
"…." Unfortunately, Yuuki kept quiet for the rest of the day.
Kazuo didn't know what he did to cause her to stop talking to him, but he assumed that he must have unintendedly touched upon a sensitive topic.
If he was his usual self, he would have demanded her to tell him what was wrong, but he had changed since their first meeting. Now, she was his friend…Or a self-proclaimed one, and he didn't want to further upset her.
He didn't want to lose her…
Besides, being her frien-acquaintance had changed him. She basically brought out the child within Kazuo. It may be a bit late, but she was giving him a relatively, normal experience with a friend. Their days together were peaceful and full of content.
Alas, it soon came to an end.
It wasn't his complete fault that this happened. No matter how intelligent he was, he was still a naïve child with unrestrained impulses and hormones. He may have seen the darker side of society much earlier than other children, but he has not developed concrete experience to counteract these difficult problems. Therefore, he was unaware that throughout the years his group had grown reckless under his rule. They even grew to slowly resent the boy.
In their eyes, their resentment was justified. It was especially the case for Kazuo's right-handed man, Malcolm. Ever since Albert died, the man thought that he would be the next boss, but instead, it was some measly boy the old boss took in.
Malcolm was loyal to the group for many years, and this was what he got for his loyalty; having to obey the orders of a young, immature child?! It wasn't just the man, most, if not all, of the group members felt the same way. At first, it was tolerable since the boy was smart and took the role seriously, but then it all went downhill. He started to become lazy, pushing most of the responsibilities onto Malcolm. The man may be given the control of the group, but he has no final say or decision. It was beyond frustrating!
Therefore, the man started to plan. It was easy to gain support since the others felt the same way as him, but it took a while to accomplish because they had to be subtle about it. Kazuo was smart, but at the same time, he was still a kid. He lacked both the physical and mental strength to control others.
Usually, especially within underground groups like the mafia, the leader would have some sort of strength to display their superiority over others; whether it was to fully charm their subordinates or fully intimidate them into submission. Kazuo displayed no real strength despite his intelligence. He did not have the qualities of a leader.
Therefore, it was not a surprise for these older men, especially Malcolm, to feel disgruntled with their current situation, especially Malcolm. They wanted to take back what was rightfully theirs! So, they waited patiently and schemed behind the boy's back. Luckily, Kazuo became distracted with the arrival of the intruder and Malcolm saw this as a chance to initiate their plan.
The day of the rebellion took place during one of Kazuo's visits. The two children were casually talking as always when Yuuki abruptly grew silent.
"Yuuki?" Kazuo shot over a curious glance. "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so quiet? Did I overstep the boundary again?"
Kazuo childishly pouted, but Yuuki paid no attention to the foolish boy. Instead, she cautiously eyed the entrance door, "It seems that we have some unwelcome visitors."
On cue, the entrance to the prison's room floor blasted open causing pieces of debris to fly everywhere. A cloud of dust rolled into the room and Kazuo was forced to close his eyes from the large amount.
Slowly, it cleared away, revealing a large gaping hole in place of the door. Stepping through the hole were tall, muscular men holding guns. They were Kazuo's men and leading the group was his aide, Malcolm.
The view shocked Kazuo. With simultaneous clicks of their guns, the group all pointed their guns at the two – in particular towards Kazuo. After his initial shock, Kazuo soon could only feel resignation building up inside him. He should have seen it coming. He was not stupid. There was always a chance for betrayal, but Kazuo thought that years of growing up with them would somehow prevent that from happening.
He was wrong though.
It was quite naïve of him to think so, but he was a sentimental child, especially after losing all the family he had. What child didn't long for some sort of family or familial love?
"Young master Kaz – no, Kazuo, there you are. We've been looking all over for you," Malcolm scorned, cocking his gun at the boy. "It was such a pleasure working for you. Wait, IT WASN'T! Now, be a good little boy and DIE already." The man raised his hand and signaled the group to start shooting.
Kazuo cursed, but he was fast enough to run for cover behind a large piece of the rubble. The hail of bullets pelted the rubble, ripping away parts of it, bit by bit. Kazuo sat in a fetal position with his arms covering his head. Kazuo may know how to fight, but he was also aware that he could not take on a large group of men with guns by himself and unarmed. The rain of bullets soon came to a stop.
"Come out, little Kazuo~. Don't be so difficult. We just want you dead~."
"W-Why?" Kazuo shook as he slowly removed his arms from his head.
"Why? WHY~?! I thought you were much smarter than this! I deserved to be the boss, not a naïve brat like you! What was Albert thinking when he made you, his heir?! Besides, why would we even want to be controlled by a little brat like you?! Do you know how humiliating it is to be ordered around by a weak brat?! You may have contributed to the group with your wealth, but you never garnered our respect or loyalty in the first place! Now it's time for us to take back what was rightfully ours!"
Kazuo knew that ever since Albert and his mother died, there was no one else there for him, no one he could trust. He knew that, but it still hurt either way. A part of it was his fault. Perhaps he should have done something different, maybe even put more effort into connecting with others. It was difficult though. The death of his mother had left his heart to become cold as ice. This prevented him from establishing any new relationships.
Silent tears slowly streamed from Kazuo's eyes and down his cheeks. His body grew numb with betrayal and loneliness. It felt cold. At this point, Kazuo knew that he was going to die. It was inevitable, but at the same time, he couldn't stop the cold fear of death from penetrating his body.
"Hehehe," Kazuo suddenly laughed, his teary eyes growing wide with a hint of insanity. "I guess this is the end. My life is over now, there's no hope for me. And yet," even though he knew this was the end, he, "I want to live! I still have many things I want to do. This can't be the end, it can't! Why? Why is this happening to me?! I just want to experience life to the fullest! I want to live!" Kazuo sobbed. He pawed at his face, trying to stop the tears with his hands, but they kept on falling. His mother had worked so hard to keep Kazuo alive. It would all be wasted if he was to die now. "I'm still a kid damn it! I don't want to die…."
"Then don't." Kazuo snapped his head up, startled by the voice. He had forgotten that Yuuki was still there with him; in her cell and staring blankly at the boy. She looked to be far too calm for the current situation. "Don't die if you want to live so much."
"But how?! How can I survive this? There are multiple grown men out there with guns! How can anyone survive that?!" Kazuo cried after getting over his shock. It was silent before Yuuki slowly raised her eyes and stared intensely into his. Obliviously Kazuo gasped from the raw emotion in her eyes. There was the same fire in her eyes in which he admired so much. It blazed and caused her eyes to shine with passion.
"Do you trust me?" She asked softly. Unaware that his tears had stopped, Kazuo stared, befuddled, back at her. "Do you trust me enough that you will give your life to me? Will you give me your life and join me? Come, give me the rest of your life, and pledge servitude to me!"
Kazuo stared, dazed by her offer. Perhaps it was because of the situation they were in and how it affected his psyche, but Kazuo felt himself being tempted by her words. She was asking him to join her. Does that mean that she wanted him?
The realization jolted his heart. Maybe all that Kazuo wanted was to feel needed by someone. Maybe he just wanted to find a place where he belonged. He didn't know what group Yuuki was a part of, but he felt hopeful for the future, especially when it included Yuuki, a person he grew to trust more so than anyone else.
"Hey! What are you two talking about?! Don't you dare do anything funny you hear?!" Malcolm shouted, but Kazuo didn't hear him. He was far too focused on her. That strange connection that seemed to link the two grew erratic within Kazuo. He could feel something inside of him burning, growing hotter with every second. Inaudible words and intent whispered delicately against his ears, brushing softly like butterfly wings.
Feeling compelled, Kazuo quickly pulled himself together and wiped away the wet streaks on his cheeks. Lowering himself onto his knees to bow to her, he announced, "I, Chevalier Kazuo, hereby declare my devotion, loyalty, and life to my master, Yuuki. My life is now in her hands to use whenever and whatever she wants."
The burning intensified as Kazuo's breath hitched. It felt as though his pledge was seared into his soul to forever be remembered. After a moment, the burning sensation settled down, leaving behind something – a subtle presence in his soul.
Kazuo relaxed as the world around the two turned tranquil with a hint of relief…
…until it got shattered by the girl.
"Such strong words coming from a child," she taunted, smoothly rising from the floor.
Kazuo's eye twitched and a vein throbbed in annoyance. "OI!" He protested.
Yuuki chuckled, stepping forward toward the gate of her cell. Kazuo watched her in curiosity, wondering what she would do. He may have pledged his loyalty to her, but that doesn't help or explain to him how they were getting out of this situation. They were both unarmed and outnumbered, not to mention that she was confined inside a cell.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Malcolm yelled, cocking his gun at Yuuki. The girl gazed blankly at the group of men, unaffected by the many guns pointed towards her. Instead, she gave them an almost pitiful look.
"Such greed, such envy. It's almost pitiful the state your poor souls are in," Yuuki droned.
"What the heck are you talking about?!"
"Therefore, let me reap your souls and set them free from the polluted containers in which they inhabit." Kazuo blinked, noticing a black, transparent haze glowing around Yuuki's feet. Lifting one of her feet, she reared back and delivered a high kick to the gate door, sending it flying along with chunks of the cell.
"What the heck!" Malcolm screamed as everyone's jaws dropped. Ignoring the gaping mouths, Yuuki casually placed her leg down and leaned forward. With her upper body almost parallel to the ground and her arms behind her, she then did something amazing. She suddenly disappeared altogether. She was there for a second and then she was not, leaving only disturbed specks of dust behind to indicate that she was even there.
Kazuo was dumbfounded and the still functioning part of his brain wondered where she was. It wasn't until a cry of pain answered his thought. Peaking cautiously around the debris he was hiding behind, Kazuo saw Yuuki attacking the rebels. She was swift with her attacks and somehow, she managed to even obtain a black katana which she used with deadly precision. Her movement was graceful, and she seemed to be flying through the air.
Blood was being spilled and splattered. Stacks of bodies were created, but Kazuo was too stunned to notice. Kazuo was memorized by her grace; it almost seemed that she was dancing in the air. She was like an angel, beautiful yet dangerous. This was his new master to which he devoted himself to, his beautiful angelic master.
"Kaz…Kazu…. Kazuo…. Kazuo?...Kazuo!"
"What?! What is it?!" Kazuo replied, startled out of his reminiscing of the past.
"Man, we lost you for a second there," Arata said. "What were you thinking inside that head of yours anyway?"
"Oh, nothing." Kazuo artfully smiled.
Arata quirked an eyebrow, showing skepticism toward Kazuo's answer. "You sure it was nothing?"
"Yup!"
"I bet he was thinking about Yuuki," Ken commented, taking a sip from a water bottle.
"Ken!" Kazuo dramatically gasped, "Don't tell me you are jealous that I was thinking about Yuuki and not you!"
"W-What?" Ken stuttered, choking on his water. His face turned red in both embarrassment and anger. "What are you talking about, you idiot?! I'm not jealous!"
"There, there, no need to be in denial. I know you loooove me," Kazuo teased, patting Ken's head.
"What! I am NOT in denial! And I absolutely DO NOT love you!"
"It doesn't sound like it," Arata playfully remarked.
"You stay out of it!"
"Guys," Shoshi slowly stressed, pushing up his glasses and causing them to eerily glint from the sunlight. A small shiver crawled down the guys' backs. They could tell Shoshi was becoming a bit irritated with them. "I do suggest we spend the rest of the day relaxing before we have to go home and back to our work."
"Fine," Arata sighed before grabbing Ken and dragging him back to the beach ball net.
"I can walk, you dumb***!"
"Yeah, yeah whatever you say."
"Hey! Don't ignore me!"
"….."
"Why you-!"
Their bickering disappeared the further they went which left Shoshi and Kazuo with some peaceful silence.
"It was about Yuuki, wasn't it?" Shoshi stated, shattering the silence.
Kazuo sighed in resignation, knowing that it was hard to keep anything hidden from his observant teammate. "Yeah, I was just recalling the first time I met her."
"Hmm," Shoshi paused, his eyes glazing over as he seemed to be doing some reminiscing himself. "She was quite wonderful, wasn't she?"
Kazuo gave a side glance before gazing out into the sea. "Yeah, she's our angel."