Chapter Fourteen

You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them. Though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. - Amos 5:11

* * * *

Riou Takeshi listened to what Ren and Tohya had to report. Both teens looked as if they had just been through Hell and back, and if he looked really closely, he could see a shocked look within their eyes.

Not that Riou could blame them.

Those two may be trained assassins and killers, but they only kill when ordered to. This was still the first time that they had seen someone die in such a fashion, and not to mention that it was a mere child, and he knew how they actually felt about children.

“Where’s Yagami?” asked Riou tiredly.

Tohya and Ren exchanged looks. “Still in the showers,” said Tohya with a grunt. “We think she’s trying to drown herself.”

Riou sighed and nodded. He knew how Yuri had felt about that girl. “You won’t be having any missions for a week,” he said. “Talk to Yagami. Help her get through it.”

Tohya and Ren nodded. “Yes sir.”

* * * *

It was late at night, and the moon was pretty high up in the sky, hanging like a bright little lamp surrounded by all the stars that were shining like little diamonds in the black velvety sky.

Yuri Yagami was sitting at the edge of the rooftop of the dormitory building of Hati, with quite a number of vodka glass bottles surrounding her, trying to get herself hammered, but to no avail.

There was a sigh from behind Yuri just then, and the teen turned her head to see Tohya and Ren standing at the stairway that led to the rooftop. Ren had one hand clasped on the side of his head, whilst Tohya was leaning with his arms resting against the railings of the stairway. Both were studying the number of vodka bottles around Yuri with an incredulous look on their faces.

“Yuri. Are you trying to kill yourself?” Ren asked with a sigh as he walked towards Yuri and sat down on her right side whilst Tohya sat down on her other side. “It isn’t healthy to drink that much. It is alright once in a while, but vodka is poison when you consume that many in one go. Especially the hard stuff.”

Tohya nodded silently as he mentally counted the number of empty vodka bottles lying around. One. Two. Five. Eight?

Good Heavens!

Yuri is really trying to kill herself, isn’t she?

Tohya sighed. “If you’re trying to get yourself drunk, it won’t work, Yuri,” he said with a sigh. “You know that. All Phantoms are trained to not get ourselves hammered. It’ll take a lot to get us drunk. And I have never seen you drunk anyway.”

Ren glared at Tohya over Yuri’s shoulder, and Yuri was fixing Tohya with a dangerous glare. The last thing that they both wanted was to get Tohya started on one of his lame jokes on how teenagers and liquor do not mix.

Thankfully for Tohya, Yuri wasn’t in the mood to punch him or use him as target practice. Instead, she reached for the half-empty vodka bottle sitting beside her, only to have Ren swipe it out of her hand quickly.

Ren eyed her with a critical eye. “You’ve already had enough,” he said sternly. “You’ll kill yourself if you drink anymore. And furthermore, this is the hard stuff.” And he took a drink out of the half-drunk vodka bottle himself, with Tohya popping open the last vodka bottle on Yuri’s other side.

“Are you still concerned?” asked Tohya with concern. “About Yuuki.”

“Somewhat,” muttered Yuri, her fingers interlocking together. “Right from the start, I knew that Ren’s words had some truth in them. I know. I just didn’t want to believe it. Because when I looked at her, I saw…my past. Maybe if I hadn’t allowed my emotions to rule my head, she wouldn’t have died.”

“It’s not your fault,” said Ren firmly. “Furthermore, there’s no telling whether she would have lived even if you didn’t follow your heart. You’ve heard her. And you know how Raven’s Gate actually functions. Those that failed their missions only have death waiting for them.”

There was silence for several moments before Yuri spoke again.

“I was wondering for some time now…”

Tohya blinked. “Yuri?”

“Is there truly a God in our world?” Yuri muttered seemingly more to herself than to either Ren or Tohya, tilting her head backwards to look at the sky above her. “Why do things like this keep happening?” She chuckled bitterly. “Our world…is one filled with secrets, lies, deceit and betrayal. I guess you had been right all along, Ren. I was a fool. I allow my emotions to get in the way of my job.”

Ren was silent for a long time.

“The hearts of people are weak,” he said at last.

Tohya sighed. “You’ve said it.”

* * * *

It was an early Tuesday morning, and dawn was just breaking over the horizon, with the first rays of the sun just shining down on the world, announcing the start of a brand new day. Ren Kamizuki could be seen making his way into the Aoyama cemetery at this hour of the day when most people would still be in their beds, sleeping in.

The cemetery was extremely silent, and the only sounds that could be heard are the occasional bird sounds. An aged old man wearing a gray yukata[1], the caretaker of the cemetery seemed to be the only one present, and he was currently cleaning the cemetery of dried leaves. The old man looked up as Ren entered the cemetery before the teen bowed politely to him, a gesture that the old caretaker returned, and Ren went on his way.

The teen then went along a path quite familiar to him by then, arriving at the furthest point of the cemetery, the quietest and also the most peaceful area in the cemetery. Ren said nothing and showed nothing on his face as he walked up to one of the gravestones that had the following words inscribed on it in the Japanese kanji letters:

Here lies Tatsuya Fujiyama

15 May 1990 – 14 July 2006

Ren sighed as he carefully dusted some petals of the sakura blossom flowers off the gravestone before taking a slightly squashed orange out of his pocket and setting it before the gravestone. He stood before the gravestone for a long time without speaking a word, before sitting cross-legged on the ground.

“It’s been awhile, Tatsuya,” said Ren sombrely. “It’s been three years. How are you?”

* * * *

Tohya Tanigawa practically stalked through the dormitory building of Hati in search of his male teammate and best friend. He wasn’t in his room. He wasn’t on the rooftop which he, Yuri and Ren usually went whenever they wished to be alone. He wasn’t even with Sunny, as the older Phantom was alone in his room reading a book.

Where is he?

It had been a pretty slow week so far, and there were no missions coming in for them which Tohya is thankful for. Don’t get me wrong. Tohya is very proud of his job as a Phantom, but there are times when the killings get to him.

It had been two months since the ‘Yuuki fiasco’ as Hati liked to call it, and Yuri had been slowly getting over it. Yet for the people who knew her – Ren, Tohya and perhaps Sunny and Selina, they knew that she had changed a little. Yuri had always been quiet, only speaking when necessary, yet she had almost withdrawn into herself after that.

That is probably only part of the reason why Selina and Sunny had been appearing frequently to drag Yuri away with them to do who-knows-what. The two siblings may be Phantoms, but unlike most of the Phantoms, they tend to be quite sunny-natured and cheerful, and did wonders for Yuri’s sombre mood.

Tohya approached the recreation room and opened the door. There wasn’t anyone around save for Yuri who was huddled in a corner of the recreation room reading a book, and Tohya wondered to himself what she’s doing reading in the recreation room when she could have done it in her own room.

Yuri looked up as Tohya entered the recreation room, and closed her book with a light clap. “What’s wrong, Tohya?”

“Did you see Ren anywhere?” asked Tohya with a frown. “I couldn’t find him anywhere!”

Yuri frowned as she stood up, tucking her book away in her pouch. “Isn’t he in his room?” she asked with genuine curiosity. “I saw him heading towards his room early this morning when I happened to get up early.”

“No,” said Tohya with a quick shake of his head. “He’s not there.”

Yuri gave a small frown as a sudden thought entered her head. She then turned towards Tohya. “Tohya. What date is it today?”

“Huh?” Tohya blinked at this strange question before taking a peek at his watch and turning back towards Yuri. “Oh. July 14.”

Yuri sighed to herself. “Is it that day again?” she muttered.

Tohya blinked in confusion. “‘That day’?” he echoed.

Yuri studied Tohya. “Oh. That’s right. Tohya, you only joined us as a Phantom about a year back, didn’t you?” she stated more than asked. “So you wouldn’t know about Ren’s past prior to being a Hati assassin, and then a Phantom.”

“His past?”

Yuri studied Tohya without speaking for several moments before she sighed and walked past him and out of the recreation room, pausing at the doorway for a few moments as she did so. “Let’s go to the Aoyama cemetery,” she said. “That’s where he’ll be. And I really doubt that he will mind if I bring you there.”

* * * *

Both Yuri and Tohya choose to ride their bikes to the cemetery. The traffic was slow, especially this early in the morning, and Tohya waited patiently as he watched Yuri take her own sweet time to park her motorbike in the parking lot.

He knew that Yuri could usually park her motorcycle and get everything done within a minute, but he also knew that Yuri probably wanted to tell him something before they actually went to meet Ren himself.

“Ren wasn’t like this in the past,” said Yuri as she unbuckled the straps of her safety helmet and lifted it off her head. “The Ren that you know wasn’t like this in the past.” She paused for several moments before getting off her bike. “When I first met him three years ago, he was…just like a puppet.” She said hesitantly, slipping the straps of the helmet in between the right handle of her bike, and fastening it tightly so that it wouldn’t slip off. “He only knew how to follow and carry out orders. He didn’t question anything. And he didn’t even seem to have a will of his own. He was almost like…” Yuri bit on her lower lip. “…a living puppet.”

“How did he join Hati?” asked Tohya with genuine curiosity as Yuri led the way towards the Aoyama cemetery, both of them walking at a slow pace.

Yuri was silent for several moments before she spoke again, and it might have been Tohya’s imagination, but he could have sworn that he’d detected a trace of bitterness in Yuri’s voice. “Blame it on Fate,” she said curtly. “A long time ago, we were enemies.” Yuri smiled at Tohya’s surprised expression. “That’s right. Me and Ren. We fought to the death several times. It’s kind of ironic that we became teammates and best friends in the end, isn’t it?”

Yuri sighed. “I don’t think that it’s my place to tell you Ren’s story. It’s his right to do so. And not even I knew everything that has happened to him. But the events that led to Ren joining us…” Yuri trailed off. “The price that he paid for freedom is too high. A life was lost.”

Tohya was taken aback. A life? What life? Definitely not Ren’s surely, as he looks and feels too solid to be a ghost of some sort.

“What do you mean?”

“Tohya, you were practically raised in Hati. You were trained from birth as an assassin,” said Yuri curtly. “Thus, you should know by now that everyone in Hati has a story to tell. That holds especially true for the Phantoms. Ren’s story just happens to be one of the most bittersweet tales in Hati.”

Tohya can only stare. “W-What do you mean?” he asked.

Yuri sighed, stopping in her path and shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at the sky. A single petal of the sakura blossom flower fluttered down and landed onto the back of her hand before Yuri let it fall to the ground. The girl then turned back towards Tohya, a serious expression on her face.

“I don’t really know all the details,” she said. “Ren didn’t tell me much about it, not even during his first days in Hati when I was assigned as one of his trainers. But what little I do know isn’t very clear. Prior to joining Hati, Ren was originally a Nidhogg assassin.”

Tohya can only stare. Nidhogg? That name rings a bell…

Tohya snapped his fingers, his memory clicking together once more. “Nidhogg? That criminal organisation that Hati tore apart three years ago?” he asked.

Tohya wasn’t a Phantom then, but he was training to be one, as the former Phantom V was about to ‘retire’ from Hati, and had been training Tohya to take over for him. But several months later, news started circulating around Hati that all the Phantoms have launched a full-scale attack on the terrorist organisation Nidhogg that had been giving Hati problems for years. A few of the Phantoms perished in that attack, and unfortunately, the former Phantom V was one of them.

Yuri nodded. “Nidhogg is the name of the serpent which gnaws at the roots of the Yggdrassil tree in Norse mythology,” she explained. “As such, the Nidhogg serpent is usually represented as the darkness in people’s hearts. Back then, I was actually the one to recruit Ren into Hati. And even before he actually became a member of the Phantoms, he was more than enough of a match for any of us. I was only assigned as his trainer because he only has that one skill with wires. And also because the Elder and the captain both wanted me to gauge his mentality and psychological state.” She paused. “That’s why straight after joining Hati, in less than a year, he became a Phantom, recommended by both myself and the captain. As Phantom VIII.”

Tohya frowned. Something still didn’t add up. “But what made him join Hati in the first place?” He wanted to know. “It’s like he switched allegiances from one organisation to another. And as far as I remember, Nidhogg and Hati have been bitter enemies. Surely they wouldn’t trust one of the enemy’s so easily if Ren was indeed a Nidhogg assassin?”

Yuri sighed. “Like I told you, I’m not very clear about the details,” she said. “But apparently, about three years ago when he was still a Nidhogg assassin, there was a guy named Tatsuya involved who later became his first friend. And he was also the one to greatly influence Ren’s decision to turn against Nidhogg.”

“Tatsuya?”

“Tatsuya Fujiyama.” Yuri stated. “He was only a high school student back then, but he was actually one of the informants for the underworld circle. He was actually one of my informants. And that’s only part of the reason why I even met Ren in the first place.”

Tohya blinked, noting the past tense that Yuri used to speak of this Tatsuya guy. “‘Was’?” he echoed.

Yuri tensed for a brief moment before her shoulders almost seemed to sag, and she sighed. “He’s no longer in this world,” she said, and Tohya could detect sadness in her tone. “He’s dead. Has been for three years.”

Tohya blinked. Three years? He is by no means stupid. If he was, he wouldn’t even be a Hati assassin, let alone a Phantom, and he soon managed to put the story together piece by piece. “Three years?” he said slowly. “Does this mean that…?” He trailed off.

Yuri nodded. “Yeah,” she said with a sigh, running the fingers of her right hand through her hair. “It’s not really my place to tell you. And like I told you earlier, I’m not very clear about all the details. Not everyone in Hati is very forthcoming with their past, and even you knew that. Particularly the Phantoms. Apart from a few like the captain, the vice-captain, you, and my late uncle…most of the Phantoms took this path because circumstances forced our hand. You weren’t there when we faced Nidhogg. I was there. And I could try, but I still won’t be able to explain to you the real horrors that all of us faced when the leader of Nidhogg decided to grace us with his presence.” Yuri sighed before looking at Tohya. “If Ren wants to tell you his past, he will.”

* * * *

Ren Kamizuki didn’t turn around from his position before the gravestone of Tatsuya Fujiyama even when the sound of light crunch of gravel beneath shoes reached his ears. He merely stood there, eyeing the words engraved in the gravestone, with his hands stuffed in his pockets even when he knew Yuri and Tohya were both standing behind him.

It was when Yuri sighed when he finally turned around. “I hope that we aren’t intruding,” she said apologetically.

Ren shook his head wordlessly before turning back towards the gravestone once more. “You’re his friend too,” he said emotionlessly. He then sighed. “And whenever I come here, I can’t help but blame myself for my uselessness.”

A slight breeze blew through just then, shaking the sakura tree that gave the trio as well as the gravestone some shelter from the sun, causing several petals of the sakura flowers to flutter prettily to the ground.

It was a beautiful morning, but not one of the three took any notice of it.

“You want to talk about it?” asked Tohya, eyeing Ren silently. He then quickly rephrased his words at Yuri’s warning frown. “I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I usually find that talking about it helps a lot. I mean—”

Ren sighed before holding up one hand to stop Tohya’s babble. He knew that the teen wasn’t that good with words and expressing himself, and that he had a tendency to speak without thinking. Ren turned towards Tohya, studying him for several moments before turning towards Yuri.

“How much have you told him?” he asked.

Yuri shrugged. “Not a lot,” she said. “I only briefly mentioned about Tatsuya.” She then sighed. “You have to understand that even I don’t know everything that happened back then. It’s been three years, Ren. I may not be one to speak, but maybe it is about time to let the past go.”

Ren turned back towards the gravestone, reading and re-reading the words engraved on Tatsuya’s gravestone.

Tatsuya…

He has taught him so much, and had helped him so much back then. And in the end, he had caused Tatsuya’s death. Ren may not be the one who killed Tatsuya, but he had as good as killed him.

Ren sighed. “I…suppose…” he said hesitantly. “You deserve to know the truth.” He glanced at Yuri. “And I guess…Tohya should know as well. My past.” Ren eyed Tatsuya’s gravestone for several moments before speaking, not turning to meet the eyes of either one of his friends. “It all really happened three years ago. Yuri, you told Tohya about Nidhogg, and how I was connected to them, right?”

Yuri nodded.

Ren sighed, blowing a lock of hair out of his eyes. “It all really happened three years ago,” he said. “I was sixteen then. But I had been killing for Nidhogg even before I was nine. Yuri, the captain and the Elder are the only ones who know this. I was a killer for Nidhogg even when I was but a mere child because the leader of Nidhogg…was my grandfather.”

Tohya’s eyes widened.

“My parents died when I was pretty young. And my grandfather became my guardian not long after that. I can’t really remember how old I was back then, but my grandfather began training me as a killer right after that. I wasn’t allowed to have any friends or the little pleasures that most kids my age had. On the surface, my grandfather was a businessman who owned several companies, and was one of Japan’s most successful and influential. But in the shadows – the underworld itself – he was the leader of Japan’s most notorious assassin group.”

“Day after day, he taught me nothing but how to hurt and kill people. I…was nothing but a tool. Nidhogg’s tool. I wasn’t allowed out of the headquarters except for missions. I…was their best. But not in a good way, obviously.” Ren chuckled bitterly. “But three years ago, the life that I knew back then totally fell apart…”

* * * *

February 2006

Nidhogg Headquarters

Ren Kamizuki stared on emotionlessly as several Nidhogg members ran frantically past him in the hallways of the headquarters of Nidhogg. That place had been his home for as long as he could remember. And taking the lives of humans is nothing but second nature to him by now.

Ren raised one eyebrow as two Nidhogg members ran past him, holding a stretcher between them on which lay a severely injured man who was screaming and trying to break free, but his arms and legs were currently strapped down.

Ren followed them to the medical bay of Nidhogg headquarters where there was utter chaos. The few doctors and nurses that Nidhogg had were all trying to calm down the frantic man, and several of Nidhogg’s members were strapping their comrade down to the bed.

The pure white sheets of the bed that he was lying on were stained red with blood, and Ren’s eyes widened as one of the doctors cut open his shirt only to reveal more blood than is even remotely possible.

And Ren might just be taking a wild guess here, but it seemed to him that the guy might possibly have his lungs crushed, and possibly his windpipe as well, judging by the way that he was trying to claw at his throat.

“Just…kill me now…!” The man managed to gasp out, arching his back at an almost impossible angle had one of the nurses not pushed him back down onto the bed.

“You’re not going to die!”

Ren grabbed one of the Nidhogg members that he had seen rushing into the medical bay earlier. The man was startled at being grabbed by Ren.

“What happened to him?” asked Ren curtly, not taking his eyes off of the several doctors and nurses who were all trying to save the guy. “He was supposed to have been sent on a simple bodyguard mission, wasn’t he?”

Ren made it a point to know the nature of the missions that his ‘fellow comrades’ were sent on. In his grandfather’s words: ‘Know your comrades and know your enemy before knowing yourself’. Ren had taken those words to heart.

The man blinked rapidly before Ren’s words sunk into his head, and he replied, “It was, Ren-sama. But he had the misfortune to run into one of Hati’s Phantoms – their elites.” His eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of that accursed name. “And the Phantom that he faced was their best by far. Phantom XIII. Hekate.”

That was the first time that I’ve heard about the infamous Phantom XIII of Hati, Hekate. And it was also the first time that I even seen the after-effects of her work.

* * * *

March 2006

Kyoto Prefecture

Ren Kamizuki groaned to himself as he heard the sound of music coming from the room that he was standing in front of, even with both the doors closed. Faint sounds of laughter and giggling could be heard.

‘For a guy whose life may end at any time, he sure is awfully relaxed.’ Ren thought, scowling inwardly.

It was night-time, and Ren was in some mansion in the Kyoto prefecture of Japan – the home of a Yakuza[2] leader on good terms with his grandfather, the leader of Nidhogg.

Apparently, this particular Yakuza leader had done something to piss Hati off. Ren heard that the man was seeking protection from any assassin that Hati may send. Thus, Ren’s grandfather had sent him along with a number of Nidhogg’s best to protect his ‘friend’.

For the umpteenth time that night, Ren reached into his pockets to ensure that his roll of wire is safely nestled within it. He can’t really pinpoint the exact reason why, but he had been awfully jumpy all night, and he can’t help feeling that something bad is about to happen.

The next moment, Ren found himself blinking in darkness when all the lights of the mansion went out simultaneously.

‘Huh?’ Ren blinked, wondering if there is a power failure or something.

“Oi, what’s going on? Did the power trip or something? Get the back-up power up and running quickly!”

Something in Ren told him to look out of the window which he did. The teen then narrowed his eyes when he saw a small lone figure moving through the grounds of the mansion with alarming speed, knocking out an insane number of guards that the Yakuza leader had stationed in the grounds of his mansion.

‘What the—?’ Ren thought as the intruder disappeared into the mansion, and he could almost feel a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. Not even he can do something like that! Just who was that?

“Intruder!”

Ren winced at the sudden loud shriek that rang through his communicator, and there was also the sound of rapid gunfire that stopped soon enough. Ren narrowed his eyes as he placed two fingers onto the communicator in his ear.

“Oi! What is going on?” he demanded.

“Intruder! We have an intruder in here! Aaarrrggghhh!”

The second voice was cut off as well, and there was the sound of a loud thud. Ren guessed it must have been made when the body of the guy collapsed to the ground. And the same thing was repeated when most of Nidhogg’s best were taken easily by ONE PERSON!

“What is going on?” One of the attendants of the Yakuza leader poked his head out of the room that Ren was standing in front of, and the teen scowled.

“Nothing much. We just have a minor disturbance to deal with,” he said curtly. “Get back into the room please.”

The attendant looked unsure of himself, but one glare from Ren sent him scuttling, and the teen snorted. And this guy is the attendant of a Yakuza leader? If all his attendants are like that, then Ren can safely say that the Yakuza leader seriously needs to find some new attendants.

The sound of pitter-patter of feet on the ground of the mansion reached Ren’s ears then, and he turned just in time to see several of the Yakuza leader’s men lining the hallway, all armed with guns.

“Protect the master!”

Ren narrowed his eyes as his sixth sense told him that someone is coming, and he reached his right hand into his pocket to grab his wire. At the same exact moment when he did that, there were sounds of loud screams. And the fallen bodies of the Yakuza members greeted Ren’s eyes when he turned around, with only a single figure standing over the fallen bodies, armed with a gun.

Ren’s eyes widened in disbelief when he saw that the ‘intruder’ and ‘assailant’ was none other than a girl who didn’t seem to be much older than himself. He noticed the black chain looped around the left wrist of the new arrival, and saw the tattoo of the Hati Phantoms on the left side of her neck.

All of Nidhogg were briefed about Hati, especially the Phantoms, and the ways to identify them. And naturally, Ren was no exception. He had been in enough fights and missions throughout the years to know that the girl before him was no pushover. If he under-estimates her, he would be in a world of pain.

“You…” Ren spoke, looping the ends of his wire around the fingers of his right hand as he did so. “Are you a Hati Phantom?”

“That I am,” said the girl. “Phantom XIII Hekate.” Ren froze when he heard that accursed name. The girl then glanced around at the fallen bodies lying around her before looking straight at Ren.

“Get out of my way. My only target here is HiroYuuki Yamada. Unlike some, I don’t like to kill unnecessarily. Furthermore, Yamada is really taking things a little too far.” She shook her head. “Honestly. Hiring over eighty men to protect oneself. It is really a hassle to take them all out without killing them.”

‘What?’ Ren thought that his brain had almost stopped working when he had heard that, and took a quick look around at all the fallen bodies only to notice the lack of wounds on them. And now that he actually stopped and thought about it, he had never heard the sound of a gunshot. Not even once. He froze when he realised what had happened. ‘Over eighty men…knocked out in a matter of moments by one person?’ He looked at Phantom XIII. ‘Is this…the power of a Hati Phantom?’

Hekate studied Ren for several moments before saying, “I don’t think that you’re going to just step by and let me pass even if I asked you to,” she muttered. “That’s why I hate Nidhogg.” She raised her gun, pointing it at Ren. “You’re going to stop me, aren’t you?” She stated more than questioned. “My advice here: don’t even try.”

Ren growled as he dodged the bullets as one narrowly missed his left foot, and the other bullet just whizzed past his head. “You under-estimate me!” he growled before he let his wires fly forward.

Ren took some pleasure in seeing the eyes of Hekate widen a slight fraction before the front part of her gun got caught by his wires. Ren smirked at having successfully bound her weapon with a surprise attack. But his smirk soon faded away when a tilt of a smirk appeared at the edges of Hekate’s lips, and she flipped a silver dagger from nowhere to cut the wires binding her gun. Both teens then jumped back.

“I must admit that you’re better than I expected,” muttered Hekate. “What is your name?”

“Ren Kamizuki.”

“I see,” said Hekate. “My name is Yuri Yagami. It is only common courtesy to let your opponent know your name before a fight. I only have five minutes at most to mess about with you. Let’s not waste any time here.”

Ren snorted. “Exactly what I was thinking,” he said.

And the next moment, they moved.

Ren successfully dodged two out of the three bullets that were sent his way, but the third one got him in his left arm. Ren ignored the pain as he let loose his wires again, and he got some sense of satisfaction when he noticed a shallow cut on Yuri’s right cheek. But that soon faded away quickly enough when Yuri manoeuvred in-between his wires quickly before reaching out with her left hand and grasping every single wire that he had sent her way, the wires cutting into the flesh of her hand. But the girl didn’t seem to even feel it as she pointed her gun at his chest, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Their fight had come to a stand-still.

If Ren tugged at his wires with some force, Yuri might lose her left hand. And if the Phantom fired a shot from her gun at this distance, it meant instant death for Ren.

“Why are you fighting?” Ren wanted to know. For what reason would she risk her life?

“To protect the children of the future! As well as the innocents of this world! So that no one will have to face the nightmare of this world as I did!” Yuri spat out, and Ren’s eyes widened in horror when he saw the dagger in Yuri’s left hand which she used to cut the wires.

Yuri then bashed the back of her gun against Ren’s chest which knocked the wind out of him. And judging by the pain that he was feeling, he wouldn’t be surprised if he had broken at least a few ribs.

“A…pathetic reason.” Ren managed to speak through the pain coursing through his body, but he still managed to remain standing upright on his feet.

And it might have been his imagination, but Ren could have sworn that he saw Yuri’s eyes flash dangerously before she narrowed her eyes, tightening her hold on her gun at the same time. “You’re just like the rest of them,” she snarled. “You’re nothing but a sham! Just like Nidhogg!”

For the first time in several years, Ren felt a white-hot flame of anger rise up within him, overpowering the pain that he was feeling. A sham? A fake? Everything that he had done and been through up to this point, was it all a sham? She dared to say something like this about him when she knew nothing about him and what he had gone through all his life?

“Take…that back!” Ren growled, sounding like an angry dog. “I…am not a sham! What gives you the right to say something like that?”

And he threw his wires forward again.

At this distance, Ren knew that it was impossible for Yuri to dodge his wires. But to his utmost surprise and shock, the girl didn’t do that. Instead, she pivoted around on her right heel, ducking her head beneath his wires which sliced off a few strands of hair, switching her gun from her right hand to her left. She then curled her right hand up into a fist and struck Ren in the back with it which caused him to crumple to the ground almost immediately.

Ren bit on his lower lip to prevent himself from crying out in pain as he raised his head and glared at the girl who had beaten him. “What are you waiting for?” He managed to choke out. “Kill me. Dying is much better than living this Hell that is my life.”

Yuri stared at him for several moments before re-loading her gun with bullets. “You have a choice,” she said. “Just like everyone else. Live your life the way that you want to instead of being dictated to all the time.” She turned towards the room where the Yakuza leader was in before turning her head to look at Ren over her shoulder. “There are many others out there who are worse off than you are. Find your way out of your cage. And if you can’t find an exit, make one.”

Ren remained sprawled on the ground as he heard the sounds of the door creaking shut behind Yuri. A few short moments later, there was the sound of several gunshots and screams, and all was then quiet.

Find your way out of your cage. And if you can’t find an exit, make one.

‘Easy for you to say.’ Ren thought to himself.

* * * *

July 2009

Aoyama Cemetery

Tohya frowned as he leaned against the bark of the sakura tree with his arms folded, the flower petals of the sakura tree fluttering down to the ground around him. He couldn’t believe that that was what Ren used to be like, and that he and Yuri had actually fought almost to the death. And if Ren could actually match up to Yuri three years ago, exactly how strong is he now?

“So what happened after that?” Tohya wanted to know. “It was ‘mission failed’ for you, right, Ren?”

Ren nodded. “I managed to get out of the mansion in time before Yuri set it on fire after she had killed Yamada,” he said, and Tohya nodded. Elimination missions of this scale in Hati usually require them to destroy all evidences of Hati’s involvement. “Yuri sure did a number on me back then, though I admit that I seriously under-estimated her.”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Ren glanced at Yuri. “I was also the only Nidhogg member in hisory to ever exchange blows with Phantom XIII and actually live to tell the tale. And I knew back then that my grandfather must have known that I’m still alive as well. Don’t ask me how, but he somehow always knew things like that.” He paused. “After that, I managed to escape the mansion and the fire, and managed to make it from Kyoto to Shinjuku in my injured state, even wandering the streets of underground Shinjuku. And then…” He trailed off, his eyes going towards the gravestone of Tatsuya Fujiyama once more. “That’s when I met Tatsuya Fujiyama.”

* * * *

March 2006

Shinjuku, Tokyo

It was raining.

The raindrops were falling from the gray skies and creating several puddles on the pavements of the Shinjuku district of Japan. The streets were practically empty because of the bad weather, and the few people that are around were all rushing home with umbrellas over their heads, or donning raincoats.

As such, hardly anyone paid Ren Kamizuki a second glance as the obviously injured teen stumbled through the streets of underground Shinjuku. Dizziness was overtaking him, and he felt his throat running dry. His forehead was also burning hot. Ren bit back a cry of pain as he grabbed his left arm, and pain immediately shot through his body.

The world was spinning around him, and Ren barely managed to grab a nearby wall before he slid down it, crumpling onto the wet pavement, practically sitting in a puddle with the rainwater soaking through his pants.

Ren had no idea how long he had sat there, but he barely realised it when someone approached him, only realising it when a pair of sneakers appeared in his vision. He looked up with slightly glazed over eyes only to see a teen not much older than him wearing a dark blue raincoat with an umbrella over his head, looking down at him.

“Are you alright?”

* * * *

July 2009

Aoyama Cemetery

Tohya frowned. “So that was your first meeting with Tatsuya Fujiyama?” he asked, and Ren nodded.

“He…was a strange one.” Ren chuckled. “He was one of the rare few who would willingly live in the underground Shinjuku area where gang fights and crimes actually happen almost every day. Most people who live in that area tend to ignore vagrants and people who are in need of aid as no business of their own, and I can’t say that I don’t understand why.”

“But Tatsuya was different. He knew the harsh reality of the world like all of us do, yet he didn’t give up hope. He believed in the goodness of people. I thought that he was an idiot at first. But it didn’t change the fact that he did save my life.”

* * * *

March 2006

Shinjuku, Tokyo

When Ren opened his eyes again, he woke up to find himself lying in a bed in a house that was unfamiliar to him, with the sunlight streaming down onto his face. The teen blinked several times before sitting up, only to wince as pain shot through his body once more. He blinked in confusion as he realised that there were bandages bound around his left arm. The buttons of his white shirt were also undone, exposing his torso that had bandages wound around it as well.

Ren studied his surroundings quickly, determining the best route of escape if necessary. He seemed to be in a pretty modern-looking one-room apartment. The place was also quite bare. It had nothing much except for a bed he was on, a table with two chairs, as well as a small refrigerator in the corner. Pale blue curtains with a white rope tassel tied around it decorated the window.

“Where am I?” Ren wondered.

The door to the apartment swung open just then, and by habit, Ren immediately took a battle-ready stance only to regret it instantly as the pain that he felt was almost enough to knock him out. The guy that Ren had seen in his feverish state from who knows how long ago stepped through the door, a grocery bag in one hand as he closed the door with his other hand.

The guy himself didn’t seem to be much older than Ren, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans, with a dark blue jacket over his shirt. His hair sticks up in every direction, and his fringe fell into his eyes, covering his forehead. The guy looked at Ren with a curious expression.

“So you’re finally awake?” he said, relieved. “You’ve been asleep for three days.”

Ren blanched. “T-Three days?”

The guy nodded. “Yeah. You’ve got quite the serious fever. The doctor said that it is probably due to the infection in your wounds, though the fact that you’ve been in the rain all day probably had something to do with it.” He set his grocery bag down on the table as he spoke before reaching one hand into it and withdrawing an orange. “I’m Tatsuya, by the way.” He added, glancing at Ren as he pulled out a roll of bandages from his grocery bag. “Tatsuya Fujiyama. What is your name?”

Ren didn’t answer as he looked at Tatsuya suspiciously.

It isn’t in his nature to give people his name so easily. Who knows what they might be thinking, and what they might do to him? He still has no idea why he had given that Yuri girl his name so easily back then, but Ren guessed that it must be because she is also a trained assassin like himself, and the fact that she is so close to his age probably had something to do with it.

Tatsuya eyed him with a slightly exasperated look as he peeled the skin off his orange. “Oh, come on! I won’t bite!” he said. “If I really wanted to harm you, don’t you think that I would have done it whilst you were still asleep?”

“Ren Kamizuki.” Ren muttered in a low voice, yet Tatsuya somehow managed to catch it.

“Nice to meet you.” Tatsuya said with a nod. When he saw Ren fidgeting about on the bed, he shot him a look. “Hey, don’t move about! I’ve had a hell of a time tending to your injuries, as the blood just wouldn’t stop flowing! You’ll open your wounds again if you start moving about!”

Ren stopped moving about as he studied the bandages on his body, and saw a few blood stains on the bandages, particularly the one around his left arm. Ren then studied Tatsuya as he finished eating his orange, and was soon reaching into his grocery bag for another one.

Why did he help him? People like him don’t deserve to be helped. On second thought, Ren thinks that Tatsuya probably had no idea what he actually does.

There was silence for a few moments as Ren watched Tatsuya go through his second orange like he hadn’t eaten anything for days, and he can’t help the slight tilting of his lips as Tatsuya reached for a third orange within his grocery bag. Just how many oranges did he buy anyway?

“You really like oranges, don’t you?” Ren commented. “That’s your third one.”

Tatsuya smiled a little as he peeled the skin off his orange slowly. “You’re observant,” he commented.

“It’s my job to be,” said Ren before he realised what he had just said, and nearly bit his tongue. He then looked at Tatsuya to gauge his expression, and was a little surprised to see the guy merely raising an eyebrow.

“I see,” said Tatsuya with a sigh, finishing his orange with such speed that was enough to make Ren’s head spin. Just how fast can this guy eat? “I was right then. Those injuries of yours…then that reaction.” Tatsuya smiled as he looked at Ren, either not noticing or ignoring the fact that Ren had tensed up, ready to make a bolt for it. “Kamizuki-kun, you’re…a killer for some organisation, aren’t you?”

Ren froze. It wasn’t what Tatsuya had said that had startled him. It was how he had phrased his words. Tatsuya had said it so simply and calmly that one would almost think that Tatsuya is describing the weather – something that is common. Almost like Tatsuya isn’t talking about someone who has been trained to take human lives.

“H-How did you—?”

Tatsuya smiled and shook his head, taking the roll of bandages from his table, along with a first aid kit that he had taken from out of nowhere, before making his way towards Ren, setting the first aid kit onto the bedside table. Tatsuya ignored Ren’s slight flinch as he set to work removing the blood stained bandages around his left arm.

“With one look at you, the way you carry yourself, the way you speak, as well as those injuries that you’ve sustained, those who know would know.” Tatsuya replied, removing the bandages around Ren’s left arm carefully. “I’m what you would call an informant. I gather information and give that information to people in the right circles for money. It’s a dangerous job, but it pays well.”

Tatsuya smiled at Ren as he placed the blood stained bandages onto the bedside table. Ren winced slightly as Tatsuya cleaned up the dried blood around his wound with some lotion that made his wound sting before binding his wound with clean bandages.

“And naturally, I know who you are as well,” said Tatsuya as he set to work to remove the bandages around Ren’s torso. “It’s kind of difficult not to know who you are, when just a few days ago, most of the informants in the Shinjuku district were told to keep an eye out for an injured teen with a gunshot wound.”

Ren froze. “Are you going to turn me in?” he asked at last.

He could make a wild guess, and guessed that it might be that Yuri girl who had sent in that request. And then again, from what Ren knew of her from the stories going around Nidhogg, Phantom XIII Hekate prefers to search for her targets herself without any help whatsoever.

“No,” said Tatsuya curtly as he proceeded to clean up Ren’s injuries. “I won’t ask what had happened to you to have the single most powerful organisation in the underworld circle hunting for you. But everyone had his own secrets and problems. I do. And I’m sure that you do as well. Running away isn’t the solution, Kamizuki-kun.”

Ren felt a white-hot flame of anger surge up in him immediately. “You don’t know anything about me!” he retorted. “Stop talking like you know what it’s like!”

“Perhaps.” Tatsuya replied calmly, not seeming fazed by the fact that he’s in a room with a potentially dangerous person who kills for a living. “But I do know what I’m talking about. I’m an informant. And not to blow my own horn, but I am one of the best out there. I do know what it’s like for those in the underworld circle. But in the end, no matter how strong and how good you are, we are all still just people after all, with feelings all too human.”

Ren was quiet. Somehow, this Tatsuya…he could make Ren calm down with words alone. He doesn’t even seem to care that Ren is a killer. A murderer. How could he be so calm about things like this?

“Have…you ever thought about dying?” Ren asked carefully.

Tatsuya paused in his work cleaning Ren’s wounds for a brief moment before he sighed and continued his work. “Yeah,” he said. “A few years ago. I hit a rough patch a while back. My parents died when I was about ten, and I’ve been living on my own ever since. Things…got really bad for me a few years ago, I even thought about dying. But then, a friend came by and helped me out. And I’ve been working on making a life for myself since then.”

Tatsuya smiled as he finished tending to Ren’s wounds and closed the lid of the first aid kit with a light clap. “People are able to hold onto hope, Kamizuki-kun, since death is that which cannot be seen.” Tatsuya winked at Ren. “It’s something that I learned a while back. If you’re dead, it is all over. But if you’re still alive, you can make things work out.”

Ren followed Tatsuya with his eyes as the other teen threw the soiled bandages into the nearby trashcan before washing his hands at the sink that Ren hadn’t noticed before.

“I chose to be an informant as I thought that I might be able to help people like me,” said Tatsuya, dragging a chair over to Ren’s bedside and sitting on it. “‘Informants are the bridge to hope’.” Tatsuya chuckled. “The person who trained me to be an informant told me that. Besides, I kind of like my present life.” He winked at Ren. “This wandering life full of freedom that allows you to do as you please.”

Ren gave a slight start at Tatsuya’s last words, his words striking a chord in his heart.

Find your way out of your cage. And if you can’t find an exit, make one.

And Ren remembered what Tatsuya had said: Informants are the bridge to hope. This wandering life full of freedom that allows you to do as you please.

“Freedom…” he muttered.

* * * *

July 2009

Aoyama Cemetery

Tohya stared at Ren, wondering if his best friend had just cracked a joke. He simply can’t imagine someone like Ren befriending a guy like that. But on the other hand, if this Tatsuya Fujiyama is truly like how Ren had said, then it might be the reason why Ren had even befriended him.

“He…seemed different,” was all Tohya managed to say, and Ren laughed.

“You hadn’t seen anything yet,” he said. “Tatsuya was…different. I spent a week with him recuperating from my injuries. And when I had finally recovered enough of my strength, I knew that I would have to return to Nidhogg, or my grandfather would send people to hunt me down. And I wouldn’t put it past him to send people to harm Tatsuya as well.”

“But you still spent time with him later, didn’t you?” Tohya asked curiously.

Ren sighed, and Yuri smiled sadly. Ren tore his eyes away from where he had been eyeing Tatsuya Fujiyama’s gravestone, and turned towards Tohya. “Yeah, I did,” he said. “And that…is probably what caused his death. It’s my fault that he had died.”

“That’s not true.” Yuri interjected before Tohya can protest. “Tatsuya would never blame you for his death, and you know that. It wasn’t your fault.”

Ren sighed. “The months that followed after that were a little…different for me,” he said, trying his best to describe it. “Those missions that Nidhogg sent me on didn’t seem so difficult to bear anymore. I spent every bit of my free time with Tatsuya after that. Nidhogg’s headquarters isn’t that far away from Shinjuku after all.”

Tohya placed the forefinger of his right hand against his chin as he frowned a little. “I can’t see Nidhogg being too happy about that,” he commented.

Ren sighed. “Yeah, they weren’t too happy about the…change in me,” he said slowly. “Particularly my grandfather. I didn’t even realise that I had started to change. But the more time that I spent with Tatsuya, the more I started to change. I was no longer the emotionless tool of Nidhogg’s that only obeys orders and nothing else. And naturally, they were not too happy about it. My grandfather bore it for as long as he could. But despite the countless warnings that he gave me, and the insane missions that almost seemed like suicide missions to me, he finally snapped. Four whole months after I’ve met Tatsuya, my grandfather made his move.”

* * * *

July 2006

Shibuya, Tokyo

“You look tired.” Tatsuya commented as the two sat on a bench in the Miyashita Park, watching several children playing with kites. “Have you been getting enough sleep?”

“My grandfather seriously seems to want to work me to death.” Ren grumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I was sent on a total of three missions yesterday.” He sighed. “It’s getting a little easier to bear now. The killings…don’t unsettle me so much anymore. But still…” He trailed off.

Tatsuya sat upright on the bench instead of slouching as he had been doing a few moments earlier. He fixed Ren a serious look. “Ren, it might be none of my business, but maybe you should consider leaving that organisation of yours,” he said seriously. “I may not like the idea of people taking lives, but I understand that there are times when it is necessary.”

At this point, Ren knew that Tatsuya was talking about Hati.

“But this organisation of yours… I may not be certain, but I am fairly sure that they aren’t the type of organisation that one would like to be in.” Tatsuya stretched a little. “You should live your life the way that you want to. Be a free bird instead of a caged one with clipped wings.”

Ren chuckled. “You speak as if it is that simple,” he said. He then sighed, leaning forward slightly, his elbows resting upon his knees as his fingers curled together before his mouth, watching the children playing with kites. “It’s not that simple. Once you are in the organisation, you’re in it for life. A term of service rendered in Nidhogg is a lifetime thing. You can’t leave without being dismissed by them, usually through death.”

“Then leave them,” said Tatsuya simply. “What is stopping you from doing so? You’re their best, aren’t you? There isn’t anyone in that organisation save for the head of the organisation who can best you in combat.”

Ren sighed. “Sometimes, Tatsuya, I envy your simplicity,” he muttered.

Tatsuya chuckled before he took a peek at his watch and glanced at Ren. “Sorry, but I have to go,” he said. “I have to meet someone for a job.”

Ren nodded. Tatsuya got up from the bench and left. Ren watched the children playing with the kites for several moments before he leaned back into the bench, tilting his head skywards to look at the birds soaring in the sky. “A free bird…” he muttered to himself.

A face wearing dark shades along with a black hat like those you see in detective movies appeared upside-down in Ren’s vision just then. The teen blinked before sitting upright and turning around only to see a man wearing a black suit standing behind him. Ren instantly recognised him as one of his grandfather’s assistants.

“What is it?” Ren asked crossly. “I am perfectly capable of wandering around outside by myself, thank you very much.”

The man ignored the way that Ren had phrased his words, and addressed him directly. “Ren-sama, Rei-sama would like to see you.”

* * * *

Ren rarely saw his grandfather more than once a year since he became an assassin.

And if truth be told, he was rather relieved that he didn’t get to see his grandfather more often. The man was strict and cold, and there are times when Ren thinks that the man didn’t even know how to love and feel. He obviously doesn’t love his own grandson!

Ren was trying hard to stand his ground, and not appear scared or intimidated by his grandfather- Rei Kamizuki, and the room in which he stood was intimidating. The room had several black ebony statues of serpents and snakes donning the sides of the room, and the lights were dimmed. But nothing beats the intimidating appearance of the leader of Nidhogg himself, Rei Kamizuki.

The man’s white hair fell down to the nape of his neck, and it was obvious that he had shaved regularly, as there wasn’t a single sign of facial hair growing on his face. Rei Kamizuki was dressed in a smart black and white suit with black leather shoes. All in all, he had the appearance of a strict, no-nonsense businessman, but Ren knew better.

“I’m surprised that you want to meet me.” Ren snorted.

Four months ago, he wouldn’t even dream of opening his mouth in his grandfather’s presence unless he was spoken to. He was Nidhogg’s tool. Their emotionless puppet. But that is all in the past now. He has a right to live his life the way that he wants to without being dictated to by anyone.

The eyes of Rei Kamizuki flashed dangerously for a brief moment before reverting to the usual cold and strict eyes, but Ren caught it.

“You’ve grown quite a mouth on you, Ren,” said Rei coldly. “I’ve heard from some of our men that you’ve been leaving headquarters whenever you returned from a mission, and you return after dark.” He fixed Ren with a penetrating gaze. “You know that you’re not allowed to venture out of headquarters outside of missions.”

Ren snorted, not liking the way that his grandfather had phrased his words. As always, it was a demand, not a request. An order. However that you like to put it.

“Am I your slave?” he asked sarcastically.

Rei’s eyes flashed dangerously. Ren never used to question him or any of the orders given to him in the past. He was a true assassin. A killer of the shadows. What had happened to change him so drastically in the past four months?

“You have the Kamizuki blood flowing through your veins.” Rei told Ren sternly. “And that makes you Nidhogg’s.”

Ren snorted. “The serpent’s cage, you mean,” he said sarcastically. “An assassin or not, even a clever bird would find their way out of their cage through any means necessary. Breaking their beak if necessary.”

Rei narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t stupid, and he could hear the underlying message behind Ren’s words. “Are you going to betray us?” he asked dangerously.

“It is a little difficult to ‘betray’ when I’ve never given Nidhogg my loyalty in the first place,” said Ren curtly.

“You have nowhere else to go save for Nidhogg.”

“Yes sir. Thank you, sir,” said Ren irritably. “You made me come here just to tell me all that?”

Rei narrowed his eyes. “I’ll say this one last time. Obey Nidhogg,” he hissed. The defiant look in Ren’s eyes spoke for him, and Rei growled low in his throat. “I see. I have no other choice then.” And he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, two of Rei’s attendants appeared by Ren, and the sound of a loud click could be heard as a pair of handcuffs were snapped around his wrists. Ren glared at Rei, and his grandfather glared right back.

“You will spend some time in the Isolation Room until you realise where your true loyalties truly lies.” Rei hissed.

* * * *

July 2009

Aoyama Cemetery

Tohya was quiet.

He had a bad feeling that from this point on, he wasn’t going to like to hear what had happened to Ren three years ago. Yuri was listening intently as well. Not even she knew everything that had happened back then. She only knew how Tatsuya had died. Not why he had died.

“Isolation Room?” Tohya voiced out, staring at Ren.

Ren sighed. “Think of it like the lock-down of Hati’s,” he said, and Tohya nodded. “My grandfather used to throw people in there who questioned him, or those whom he believed to be rebelling against his beliefs. Once you’re in there, they don’t let you out for about a week. Sometimes even longer. You see nothing but pitch black darkness in there. The main purpose is to get you to reflect on your actions.”

Yuri nodded.

Hati had a similar system to that, only in their case, they only locked up those who had broken their rules, or had done something truly wrong in the eyes of both the Elder and Riou. Once you’re in there, you literally can’t see anything at all. You won’t even know how much time has passed, or even if it’s morning or night. Food and drinks will still be given, but that is all that one would get once they are in lock-down. Faced with such a situation will usually force one to reflect on their actions.

That is the whole purpose for the lock-down.

“So what happened after that?” asked Yuri. “You were in…’isolation’, right?”

Ren nodded. “I was kind of used to isolation by that point in time, to tell you the truth,” he said, chuckling a little with no humour in his tone. “Back when my grandfather was training me, he literally threw me in there for a week. Only with minimal food and water.”

Tohya and Yuri’s eyes both widened in horror. How old was Ren back then? What kind of monster would treat a child like that?

“Now, where was I?” Ren pondered, ignoring the horror struck looks on the faces of his best friends. “Oh. That’s right. I was in isolation, wasn’t I? I wasn’t sure how long I was in there as time literally came to a stand-still for me. I was probably in there for about a week. Maybe even longer. I’m not too sure myself. But whilst I was in there, all that I could think about is Tatsuya, and what he had said to me, and the changes that he had wrought in me.”

Ren chuckled. “I admit that I had begun thinking about my own life after I had met Yuri for the first time.” Yuri smiled. “But I didn’t actually start thinking seriously until after I’d met Tatsuya.” Ren shook his head. “I didn’t even realise that I’ve started to change until some of the guys in Nidhogg pointed it out to me.”

Yuri chuckled. “Tatsuya had that effect on people,” she said. “He could change people’s hearts. He had that strange power.”

“Tell me about it,” said Ren with a nod. He then turned serious. “But then…during that brief period in isolation…that’s when everything started spiralling down to Hell.”

* * * *

July 2006

Nidhogg Headquarters

Ren has no idea how long that he’d spent in isolation.

One week?

Maybe even longer.

He just sat on that hard bench provided in that small room that was only large enough for a normal adult human to move five steps in any given direction. He was doing nothing but staring at the wall opposite him. And it isn’t like he can see it anyway. He can see nothing but pitch black darkness.

Ren knew that no matter how many times his grandfather threw him into isolation, he wouldn’t change his mind about his initial decision. If he had to speak the truth, Ren knew that he had already wanted out of Nidhogg from the time when he had first met that Yuri girl. But he didn’t truly make his decision until after he had met Tatsuya.

The free and easy lifestyle of Tatsuya’s, in which the teen always spent time doing what he wanted to do, rather than what others wanted him to do…Ren had envied it. He envied Tatsuya’s freedom. Ren may be strong and powerful and all that, but he is nothing more than a caged bird.

Nidhogg is his cage.

Ren turned in the direction of the cell door, having caught the sounds of someone tinkering with the locks and bolts on the door. With a loud creak, the door swung opened, and bright light immediately flooded his cell.

The teen had to blink several times in order for his eyes to get used to the sudden brightness. And when his eyes had finally adjusted to the light, he narrowed his eyes dangerously when he saw that his ‘visitor’ was none other than his grandfather himself.

“I’m honoured,” said Ren sarcastically, leaning back against the wall. “To have the leader of Nidhogg paying me a visit whilst I’m in isolation.” He looked at Rei Kamizuki with a nonchalant look. “What is it that you want?”

Rei Kamizuki said nothing for several moments as he studied Ren. The teen soon grew uncomfortable with the silence, though he didn’t show it, until Rei broke the silence. “Is that friend of yours the reason why you’ve started rebelling?” he stated more than asked, speaking the word ‘friend’ like it is something bad.

Ren narrowed his eyes. Friend? He had made sure to keep Tatsuya’s existence a secret from Nidhogg, particularly his grandfather. He wouldn’t put it past his grandfather to do something to Tatsuya should he find out about him. And as one of Nidhogg’s elites, Ren can keep secrets well.

“Do you seriously think that you can hide the existence of your friend from me?” Rei sneered. “You’re still a hundred years too early to try something like that. He’s the one corrupting you, isn’t it? Filling your head with all that nonsense about freedom and all that.” Ren narrowed his eyes dangerously. He doesn’t like where this is going. “And that friend of yours…Tatsuya Fujiyama, is it?”

Ren growled low in his throat. “How did you find out about him?” he demanded.

Rei smirked. “It isn’t very difficult to find out just where you had been disappearing to every single day for four months, whenever you’re not on missions,” he said. “He’s the one who has been poisoning your mind, isn’t he?”

“No!” Ren knew that there was an extremely low chance that he might actually be able to save Tatsuya, but still, he had to try! He was all the protection that Tatsuya had! And he knew that the guy wouldn’t be able to defend himself if a trained assassin actually went after him! Tatsuya might be an informant, but his combat skills are next to nonexistent.

Rei smirked. “I see,” he said before turning around, but he paused in his step at the doorway, one hand on the doorframe. “Ren. Tell me something. Do you know what to do when someone is inflicted with poison? How do you save him?”

Ren narrowed his eyes. “What has that got to do with anything?” he asked. “Leave Tatsuya alone! He has nothing to do with this!”

“There is only one answer to that.” Rei continued, acting as if Ren hasn’t spoken at all. He turned fully to face Ren, a smirk on his face. “You cut that inflicted limb off.”

Ren froze. He knew his grandfather well, and understood what that underlying message meant.

They’re going to kill Tatsuya.

“Leave Tatsuya alone!” Ren nearly shouted, racing to the door just as his grandfather slammed the door shut, and the bolts and locks were all set in place. Ren pounded on the metal door. “Please, Ojii-san[3]! Tatsuya has nothing to do with this! Leave him alone!” Ren pounded repeatedly on the metal door. “Ojii-san!”

But there was no answer.

Ren gritted his teeth in fury. He knew his grandfather, and he knew that he definitely will deliver what he had promised. Tatsuya will be dead by the end of the day if he doesn’t do something quickly. But what can he do when he is locked up in this damned place? If he wants to do something to save Tatsuya, he has to first get out of here.

Ren then racked his brains to think of a way to get out of this place. The isolation room of Nidhogg’s is a closed room. There are no windows. Nothing. The door is the only entrance to this room. His best chance is to wait until the orderly arrives with his dinner, and somehow find some way to get out of here.

Ren had never really believed in gods. He had seen too much of the harsh reality of the world to believe in one. But now, he prayed like he had never before.

‘Kami-sama… Please protect Tatsuya until I can make it over there in time!’

* * * *

And as dinner time approached that day, always on time everyday like clockwork, one of the lower ranked members of Nidhogg would come in with trays of food for Ren. It would continue on until Rei Kamizuki sees fit to release Ren.

Ren’s ears pricked up as he heard the unmistakable sound of the locks and bolts creaking as the orderly tinkered with it in order to open the door. He nearly winced visibly as the orderly struggled to open the door which swung open with a loud creaking and grating sound.

Someone should really consider oiling the hinges of that damned door.

Ren watched with mild interest as the door swung slowly open, revealing the form of the orderly. What the man didn’t expect was for a surprising and powerful punch from the prisoner inside who had appeared suddenly in front of him, knocking him out instantly.

Ren heaved heavy and ragged breaths as he stood over the unconscious man on the floor, the upset tray of food spilling rice and soup everywhere. He then stepped out into the doorway of the cell and looked around carefully, only to see that there was not a single soul around.

Ren knew that he had little time left; the others would wonder where the dinner man was. And from what Ren could see of the skies outside the window, it seemed to be late afternoon. With a low growl, Ren ran down the hallway of Nidhogg headquarters and towards his own room – taking a pathway that he knew very few in Nidhogg would take, as his grandfather often used that pathway to travel throughout Nidhogg headquarters.

And Ren prayed like he had never before that he would not meet anyone walking down this hallway. He knew that they will find it very suspicious should he suddenly be seen walking around freely after having been in isolation for over a week.

Fortunately for Ren, he met no one, and he nearly yanked the door of his room off the hinges before making his way to his desk and pulling out the top drawer. Ren was relieved that his grandfather didn’t think of removing his weapons from his room, and immediately grabbed the roll of wire lying innocently in the top drawer of his desk before stuffing it into his pocket. And as he glanced around his room, he spied his motorcycle keys lying on the surface of his desk before grabbing them as well.

Ren then headed out of the room and closed the door behind him, taking a shortcut to the nearest exit of Nidhogg headquarters that he knew: the southern gate.

Ren had explored Nidhogg headquarters enough times as a child, and he knew all the passages and hallways as well as the exits like the back of his hand. Thus, it didn’t take him long before he found himself at the southern gate, and Ren counted himself lucky enough that he didn’t meet anyone on the way. He was fairly certain that they will sound the alarm…if they haven’t already.

Ren cursed to himself as he spied two of Nidhogg’s members walking around the grounds of the mansion which housed the headquarters and ducked back behind the wall he was hiding behind.

Obviously, those two men were on guard duty that day. And then again, Ren knew better than anyone else that the guards all have a pattern to their patrol area. And he was right, as the guards soon moved out of his line of sight, and Ren bolted into action.

He made a beeline towards the few motorcycles parked in the parking lot not too far away from where he had been hiding moments before, and managed to locate his motorcycle with little difficulty. The engine of Ren’s bike soon roared to life as he turned the ignition key, and he quickly got on his bike, not even bothering to put on his safety helmet as he could already hear faint shouts in the distance.

With a loud roar, Ren put his motorcycle into action and rode out of the grounds of Nidhogg headquarters as fast as he could go, willing to put as much distance between himself and Nidhogg as much as possible.

‘Please, Tatsuya!’ Ren thought to himself in desperation as he veered in and out of the vehicles on the road, as car drivers honked their car horns at him in annoyance. ‘Please let me make it in time!’

* * * *

July 2009

Aoyama Cemetery

Tohya was silent.

He definitely didn’t expect something like this when he had asked Ren to tell him about his past. And judging by the expression on Yuri’s face, she probably knew parts of this, but not everything. Tohya shivered, and it was definitely not due to the cold morning air.

“So what happened after that?” Yuri was the first one to break the uneasy silence.

Ren didn’t answer for a long time as he eyed the gravestone of Tatsuya Fujiyama. He then sighed and turned back towards Yuri. “I headed straight for Shinjuku,” he said. “I know of the bar where the informants usually go to gather information as Tatsuya had told me about it once.”

“Starlight’s Hall.” Yuri stated, and Ren nodded.

He ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair. “Mizuki-san told me that Tatsuya had left the bar approximately two hours ago to meet some guy for a last minute assignment.” Ren’s face took on a grim expression. “I practically tore through the streets of Shinjuku in search of him. And then…”

* * * *

July 2006

Shinjuku, Tokyo

‘Damn it, Tatsuya! Where the hell are you?!’

Ren was practically tearing through the streets of Shinjuku in search of his friend. He wasn’t at home. He wasn’t at the Miyashita Park. And he most definitely wasn’t at the bar, as Ren had just come from there.

Where could he be?

Ren hit the brakes of his bike when he spied Tatsuya’s motorbike, nearly swerving into a nearby lamppost had he not hit on the brakes of his bike in time. Ren blinked rapidly several times before making his way over to Tatsuya’s motorbike, and started looking in several directions at once, wondering where he could be.

If the word of that bartender could be trusted, then Tatsuya is currently meeting some guy for a job. If so, where would he meet his ‘agent’ of sorts? Informants rarely meet their agents in a place where people will accidentally overhear what they’re saying. As such, they’re usually very careful about where they meet their agents.

Ren then frowned as he stared at the semi-tall abandoned building that he was standing in front of, next to where Tatsuya had parked his motorbike. As far as he remembered, this building had been abandoned for a number of years. And seeing as how it is in the underground Shinjuku district, he wasn’t that surprised. Just behind that abandoned building was a fairly deserted alleyway, and Ren knew that the homeless or the street punks often hang out around there.

‘Could it be…?’ Ren thought to himself.

The bad feeling that he was getting came back tenfold. He quickly got off his bike before turning off the engine, and slipping the keys into his pocket. Ren then walked towards the back of the abandoned building, his heart thumping like crazy in his chest.

And as he turned a corner, Ren froze in his step as the wind changed direction just then, and he could distinctly smell the faint stale smell of blood.

‘Tatsuya!’

Breaking into a run, Ren immediately headed towards the back of the abandoned building. And as he turned around another corner, what he saw caused him to freeze in both fear and shock.

Graffiti covered the walls of the abandoned building, and there were also several empty crates, as well as empty carton boxes and juice boxes lying around. Orange peel lay everywhere. And banana skins, brown, slippery, and soaked with rain, lay where they had been thrown. A newspaper, pulled into many pieces by the wind, blew here and there. There were also several empty cigarette packets lying around.

But it was none of those things that had caught Ren’s attention.

No.

What had caught Ren’s attention was a crumpled figure leaning against the wall in a sitting position with his legs stretched out before him. A stack of crates was just next to him. His clothes were tattered in places here and there, and he was also covered in blood.

It was Tatsuya.

Ren froze.

He almost didn’t see the Nidhogg assassin standing not even a few paces before Tatsuya, a startled expression on his face when he saw Ren.

“Ren-sama—”

SMACK!

Ren didn’t even spare the Nidhogg assassin a second glance as he smacked the guy in the face with the back of his left hand as he walked past him to get to Tatsuya. Ren might be a teenager who is barely an adult, but he was still a trained assassin, and pretty strong in terms of physical power. As such, the assassin was sent sprawling to the ground.

Ren knelt by Tatsuya’s side, cradling his bloodied body into his arms, ignoring the blood staining his clothes. He could barely restrain himself from cringing at the number of bullet wounds that he could see on Tatsuya’s body. Ren’s eyes widened a slight fraction as a warm and sticky hand grasped his right hand weakly, and he looked down only to see Tatsuya looking up at him with half-lidded eyes that are slightly glazed over.

“R…en…” Tatsuya breathed.

“Tatsuya, don’t talk!” Ren ordered. “I’ll get you to a hospital immediately! They’ll fix you up!”

“It’s…too late…and you…know it…” Tatsuya coughed, coughing out some blood at the same time, and Ren was alarmed to see the crimson liquid. “The sunset…is beautiful…”

Ren could only smile weakly, barely holding his own tears back. The first friend that he had made. The first and only friend that he ever had, and he had unintentionally killed him.

“It truly is.” Ren agreed, watching the orange-red skies as the sun was setting by then. It almost looked like the sky itself is on fire. “It is beautiful.”

Tatsuya coughed, his right hand grasping onto Ren’s left hand weakly. “I…really could go for one of those oranges…”

“Tatsuya…”

Tatsuya smiled weakly. “I’m glad…that I got to meet you…Ren…”

His hand slipped from Ren’s grasp, and his eyes slid shut. Ren’s eyes widened in horror as Tatsuya’s breathing stilled.

“Tatsuya…?” Ren shook Tatsuya gently. “Wake up. Oi. This is not funny! Tatsuya! I beg you! Please open your eyes! Tatsuya!”

But he didn’t answer.

With one look at you, the way you carry yourself, the way you speak, as well as those injuries that you’ve sustained, those who know would know.

Everyone has their own secrets and problems. I do. And I’m sure that you do as well. Running away isn’t the solution, Kamizuki-kun.

Tatsuya had helped him so much.

Even when he had barely known him.

He had saved his life all those months ago when he was on the brink of death in the streets of underground Shinjuku. Most people who lived in those parts tend to ignore everything happening around them as no business of their own.

But Tatsuya never did that.

He had helped a complete stranger out. Even when he knew that Ren was a killer, he didn’t run. He never did. He had always been there for him. Helping him and advising him. He helped keep Ren sane.

But Ren had shut Tatsuya out.

People are able to hold onto hope, Kamizuki-kun, since death is that which cannot be seen. If you’re dead, it is all over. But if you’re still alive, you can make things work out.

Tatsuya had given him a new outlook on life. He had given him some hope that he might escape from his prison otherwise known as Nidhogg. He had changed Ren for the better.

Tatsuya had helped him so much, and yet, he had as good as killed him.

Ren laid Tatsuya’s head gently onto the ground. If it wasn’t for the blood and the number of wounds covering his body, he would have looked like he was asleep.

‘Tatsuya…’

“A fitting end to mere trash.”

That taunting voice made Ren see red.

“Trash, you say?” Ren stood up, still with his back facing the Nidhogg assassin from earlier, his right hand cTatsuyaching the wire in his pocket. “If he is trash…” Ren turned fully to face the assassin, and the man cringed visibly. “…then what are you?”

Ren pulled the wire out of his pocket and looped the ends of it around the fingers of his right hand. And all this time, he had never once taken his eyes off of the man who had killed his best friend.

‘Tatsuya… I can’t save you. But I can at least avenge your death!’

The Nidhogg assassin gulped as he eyed Ren. No one in Nidhogg would want to be the one to clash with Ren as he had been trained by his grandfather after all. It wouldn’t be that far off to say that Ren is by far, the best in Nidhogg.

“Stand down, Ren-sama,” said the Nidhogg assassin, and as if by magic, a gun appeared in his right hand. “I have no wish to kill you.”

A crate standing not too far away from the Nidhogg assassin got sliced into half, and that was Ren’s answer. The eyes of the teen were flashing dangerously, and he twitched the fingers of his right hand a little.

“You’re going to have to make me.” Ren snarled. “I told you. I won’t let you get away with this!”

The Nidhogg assassin narrowly dodged Ren’s wires which sliced another crate in half behind him, and he narrowed his eyes at the obviously upset and angry teen. “Why are you so upset?” He wanted to know. “That brat…he’s nothing but trash.”

The Nidhogg assassin nearly ended up losing his head for his poor choice of words. But as it is, he merely got several strands of his hair sliced off. And Ren had such an expression of fury on his face at the Nidhogg assassin’s poor choice of words that the man was strongly reminded of a dragon breathing fire at everything that dared come near him.

The Nidhogg assassin narrowed his eyes. “You’ll be tried for treason if you continue like this, Ren-sama,” he said. “Return to Nidhogg, and I won’t report this to Rei-sama.”

“Shut up!” Ren snarled. “I won’t return to Nidhogg!”

The Nidhogg assassin narrowed his eyes before raising his gun at Ren. “Then you leave me with no choice, Ren-sama,” he said, before one finger curled around the trigger of his gun.

A gunshot rang out.

But it wasn’t from the gun of the Nidhogg assassin.

That gunshot caused the Nidhogg assassin to drop his gun with a painful cry, cradling his right wrist. Ren blinked at that action before spotting a shadowed figure appearing from around the corner, armed with a gun.

Ren’s eyes widened as he recognised the newcomer who had just about saved his life. “You are…!”

Yuri Yagami looked from the Nidhogg assassin who was now glaring at her, and to Ren. Her eyes rested on Tatsuya’s motionless body for several moments, and Ren might have been imagining it, but he could have sworn that he saw a flash of anger mixed with sadness within her eyes before it vanished again.

“I heard that there was a fight in underground Shinjuku again, but I didn’t expect to see two of the top Nidhogg assassins in an internal quarrel,” said Yuri calmly, looking from one to the other. “If you both are really Nidhogg, then you should know that Shinjuku is our territory. You both must really wish for Hati to execute you on the spot if you start messing about in our territory.”

For some reason, Yuri’s words seemed to irk Ren even more than the Nidhogg assassin’s cruel words several moments prior. “I’m not one of them!” Ren barked at Yuri, and the girl looked startled for almost a second before her facial expressions turned passive once more.

“I see,” said Yuri apathetically. “Then I don’t have to hold back.” She pointed her gun at the Nidhogg assassin who froze in mid-action, with the guy about to retrieve his gun. Yuri then fired two warning shots that peppered around his feet, causing him to freeze in terror. “Which do you prefer – a bullet to the head or the chest?”

“B-But you said…”

Yuri sighed. “I only said that you both must really wish for Hati to execute you on the spot if you start messing about in our territory. I never once said that my presence here is on official Hati business,” she said curtly. “But you had the guts to kill my friend.” Ren froze. “And for that, you’re going to have to pay with your life. Besides, I seriously doubt that the Elder will mind if I take out one of Nidhogg, seeing as how you guys have been massive thorns in our side for some time now.”

A gunshot rang out.

Ren watched with emotionless eyes as the body of the Nidhogg assassin fell to the ground almost in slow motion. Death holds no meaning to him now. His life is always circulating around death. Death is almost like second nature to him now.

But if that is so, then what is this unbearable pain that is searing through his heart?

He gave out a low cry as he fell to his knees, clutching at his chest with both hands. Yuri’s eyes widened slightly. “Oi. Are you alright?” she asked in concern, approaching him.

The hold that Ren had on his chest increased in strength as he tried to stop the crushing agony. He had never felt pain like this before. He was no stranger to pain. He had broken many a bone, and had even came close to death several times, but this pain is nothing like what he’d felt before.

“Make it stop…”

Yuri had one hand on his shoulder as she knelt down next to him, trying to pry his hand away from his chest which is a little difficult to do so.

“MAKE IT GO AWAY!”

Tatsuya… I killed you. I killed you!

Ren gritted his teeth as he tried to bear with the overbearing pain that is searing through his body, trying his hardest not to openly weep as the tears escaped his eyes. He had been taught ever since he was a child that emotions are the one thing that will get him killed out there. He had never been allowed to cry or express his emotions the way that a normal child could.

I…killed Tatsuya. I killed my own friend!

Ren was only vaguely aware of Yuri Yagami tugging at the hand clutching at his chest as she tried to pry his hand away. He could spot the gun that the Nidhogg assassin had used lying not too far away from him, and he immediately reached out for it.

I don’t deserve to live.

Ren placed the barrel of the gun at his forehead, with his finger pressing down onto the trigger of the gun.

A gunshot rang out at the same time as he felt a hand twist the wrist holding the gun, and the bullet whizzed past his head and struck the nearby wall. Ren turned emotionless eyes towards a fairly angry looking Yuri Yagami.

“What in the name of kami-sama do you think that you are doing?” she snapped. “Are you trying to kill yourself or something?”

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Ren tried to get his hand free. “I killed Tatsuya! I don’t deserve to live!”

“Tatsuya wouldn’t want to see you in self-despair like this!” Yuri snapped, still fighting with Ren for the gun.

“What do you know?”

“I know enough, you fucking idiot, considering the fact that Tatsuya is my friend too!” Yuri shouted in Ren’s ear, causing him to go temporarily deaf for several moments. “Only a coward would choose death as the easy way out! Pity.” She sneered as she released her hold on Ren’s hand. “I’d never take you as the sort of guy who runs away from his problems, and will choose the easy path out. You’re nothing but a coward.”

Somehow, that seemed to strike a nerve in Ren.

“I’m not a coward!” he shouted at Yuri. “What do you know about me? Don’t talk like you know me!”

“I don’t,” said Yuri calmly. “That’s a fact. But I do know that the guy whom I’d met at the mansion of HiroYuuki Yamada all those months ago is not a coward, and he is not one to run away from things!” She fixed Ren with a glare. “I’ve faced you in actual combat. I can tell just what kind of guy you are by the way that you fight. You came straight at me every single time without using any underhanded methods. That just proves to me that you’re no coward. And Tatsuya is never wrong about a person. He said that you’re a good person. Don’t ruin his memory by killing yourself over him. His death is not your fault.”

Ren began to calm down some as Yuri spoke. He then turned towards Tatsuya’s dead and motionless body, and the gun in his hand slipped from his grasp before falling onto the ground with a light clang.

“Tatsuya…”

Ren has no idea how long that he’d actually sat there. But he was brought back to reality when he sensed rather than heard light footsteps next to him. He turned his head to see Yuri Yagami standing beside him, her hands stuffed into her pockets, looking at nothing in particular.

“How long have you known Tatsuya?” Ren asked in a small voice.

Yuri gave out a small sigh. “About three years now,” she said, squatting down next to him. “I first met him in the streets of underground Shinjuku three years ago. He was getting set upon by a group of hooligans out to kill him for some reason that escapes me. And then again, you really don’t need a reason to kill a man in these parts.”

Yuri ran the fingers of her right hand through her hair. “He told me his story: that he was an orphan after his parents had died when he was about ten. I set him up with an informant friend of mine who trained him to be an informant. There’s just something about Tatsuya that draws people to him.”

Yuri stood up and walked towards Tatsuya’s body before shrugging out of the coat that she was wearing, and covering Tatsuya’s body and face with it. She glanced at Ren. “He had that kind of charm. I never had many friends before Tatsuya. The only one that I had…” She sighed. “I haven’t seen her since I was nine. So I guess you can say that Tatsuya is my first friend in this country.”

“How did you know that I’d be here?” asked Ren, pushing himself to his feet weakly. “How could you have known that Tatsuya would be here?”

Yuri glanced at Ren, studying him for several moments before answering. “Tatsuya sent me a message a few nights ago,” she answered. “He got worried when he didn’t have any news of you for a week, and you didn’t answer your cell when he called you. Naturally, Tatsuya knew that you are an assassin with Nidhogg.” Ren’s eyes widened. “You never said anything about it, but he knew. Those who know will know.” Yuri sighed. “He isn’t one of the best informants in the Shinjuku circle for nothing. Besides, I am in the same line that you are, and Tatsuya knew just where and how to look. It’s his job to know these things. Tatsuya knew that you were in danger, and he called in a favour with me to help get you out.” Yuri sighed. “I refused initially, but in the end, I agreed.”

“Why?” Ren wanted to know. Why did she agree to help an enemy, even if it was a request from a friend?

“I don’t know.” Yuri replied. “Probably…I find you interesting.” She glanced at Ren. “I got the location of Nidhogg headquarters from Tatsuya earlier in the day. But when I got to Nidhogg headquarters, you had already broken out. And when I couldn’t contact Tatsuya at all, I got worried and came looking for him.” Yuri glanced at Tatsuya. “And like always, it seems like I’ll always be too late.” She muttered that last part beneath her breath, but Ren caught it.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing,” said Yuri quickly before glancing at Ren. “Tatsuya left me a final message. He asked me to help you. With what you’ve done, you can no longer return to Nidhogg even if you wished to, can you?”

Ren didn’t answer, but he knew that Yuri was right. He can no longer return. Not that he even wanted to in the first place.

“Tatsuya is a pretty good judge of character. I trust his judgment; he has never been wrong yet. If Tatsuya likes you enough that he actually asked me to help you out, then you’re not all that bad.” Yuri was studying Ren intently as she spoke. “And you don’t seem like all the others in Nidhogg that I’ve ran into so far. If you really want to seek vengeance against Nidhogg for Tatsuya, then may I give you a better offer?”

Ren turned towards Yuri, startled. He wondered how Yuri knew that that was what he was thinking right now. He did wanted vengeance against Nidhogg for Tatsuya’s death now that he can see clearly.

Vengeance against his grandfather especially.

Can this girl read minds or something?

Yuri was staring at Ren, studying him like he was something fascinating. “Even as good as you are now, you stand no match against Nidhogg’s forces,” she said simply. “Not alone, you can’t. It is true that combat-wise, you are as good as me. But even as good as you are, you stand no chance in Hell against all of Nidhogg.” Yuri eyed Ren. “Would you…like to work for Hati?”

* * * *

July 2009

Aoyama Cemetery

“And that was that,” said Ren with a sigh, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he looked at the gravestone of Tatsuya Fujiyama. “I joined Hati with Yuri’s help, and threw away everything that had ever connected me to Nidhogg. Initially, the Elder and the captain were sceptical about accepting me, but Yuri managed to convince them. And I managed to prove my loyalty to Hati by providing invaluable information about Nidhogg.” He sighed. “If Ojii-san thinks that by killing Tatsuya he could make me docile and be his obedient tool like before, it backfired miserably.”

Ren chuckled bitterly.

“Eight months after joining Hati, I became a Phantom, and was assigned as Yuri’s partner. The captain said something about my battle style suiting hers, and that I was probably the only one who can match her. Combat wise.” Ren chuckled. “It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it?”

Tohya smiled.

“The first time that we met, we were enemies. We even fought to the death.” Yuri smiled at that. “And now, we ended up as partners and best friends. Not long after I made it as a Phantom, Hati launched a raid on Nidhogg’s headquarters, and all the Phantoms were sent out on that mission.”

Ren turned his gaze towards Tatsuya’s gravestone, and clenched his hands into fists in his pockets. “I killed my grandfather during that raid, but…” He took in a deep breath before turning to face Tohya and Yuri. “I thought that I would feel happy after avenging Tatsuya, but I didn’t. I felt nothing but emptiness. I didn’t understand why back then. But it doesn’t matter to me now.” He smiled.

“Hati is my purpose to keep on living now. As well as Yuri and everyone in the Phantoms. You guys are my purpose to keep on living. Because…” Ren smiled sadly as he turned back towards Tatsuya’s gravestone. “…I am the evidence that Tatsuya had actually existed.”

Ren walked towards Tatsuya’s gravestone before squatting down before it, taking an orange out from his pocket. Unseen by Ren, Yuri motioned for Tohya to give Ren some privacy which they both did.

Ren peeled the skin of the orange quickly before putting one slice into his mouth. The sweetness of the fruit hit his tongue immediately, and Ren smiled, facing the gravestone. “The orange is too sweet, Tatsuya,” he said. “I don’t see how you could eat them all the time.” He put another slice of the fruit into his mouth. “But on just this one day of the year…” Ren smiled sadly. “It is the least that I can do to keep your memory…”

When I die, I want to be buried here, Ren. So that whenever I lie down, I can see the beautiful sakura blossoms every spring.

There is a flurry of emotions within Ren’s chest as he slipped another slice of orange into his mouth. He had taken it as Tatsuya speaking nonsense back then, but then he did die. And the least that Ren could do was to fulfill his wish.

The sound of light footsteps reached Ren’s ears just then, and he turned his head only to see Yuri stepping up next to him with her hands stuffed into her pockets, looking at Tatsuya’s gravestone. “Life had never been fair to him,” she said at last. “I can only hope that wherever he is in now, he is in a much better place.” She chuckled bitterly. “Hell. It is Hell here too.”

Ren said nothing.

He couldn’t help but agree with Yuri, considering what they had both seen and experienced over the years. Something struck his memory just then as he looked at Yuri, and he got to his feet, slipping the last slice into his mouth. “Yuri, about Yuuki…” Yuri raised a brow. “Before she died, she said that she met Tatsuya.” Ren smiled. “Just like with me, he managed to change her heart. Maybe if I had met her earlier…things might have been different.”

“Maybe,” said Yuri with a sad smile. “But life doesn’t always go the way that we want it to.”

Ren said nothing for several moments.

Of the three of them, Yuri’s past was still a complete mystery to him. He only knew that she had ended up joining Hati when circumstances had forced her to flee the country that had been her home for much of her childhood. But he had never known exactly what sort of circumstances would force her to do something like that. Yuri has never spoken of it, and he didn’t exactly have the guts to ask either.

“Yuri?” Yuri glanced at him with a raised brow to show that she’s listening. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But I’ve been wondering for some time now.” Ren took in a deep breath. “Just…how did you join Hati in the first place? I only heard from the captain that you were pretty young when you first came to Japan. And you ended up joining Hati not long after that.”

There was silence for several moments after that as Yuri looked at Tatsuya’s gravestone without saying anything, her hands stuffed into her pockets.

“It’s not really something that I’m ready to talk about yet.” She said at last.

Ren understood. He nodded. “Alright. Once you’re ready to talk about it, you know where to find me,” he said.

“Many people have died,” said Yuri, looking at Tatsuya’s gravestone, and Ren has no idea whether she was speaking to him or merely voicing her thoughts out loud. “Nidhogg came to an end three years ago. But Raven’s Gate…” She took in a breath. “They might be two different organisations, but their ideals are more or less the same.” Her eyes hardened as she looked at Tatsuya’s gravestone. “I won’t let the same thing that happened to you happen to someone else.” She clenched both her hands into fists by her sides. “Never again.”

Ren looked at Tatsuya’s gravestone. It had been three years, but his memory of Tatsuya is still fresh in his heart. Tatsuya Fujiyama is still alive in his heart.

Ren, it might be none of my business, but maybe you should consider leaving that organisation of yours.

And he did. But at what price?

“Let’s go,” said Yuri at last, turning towards Ren. “The captain will hunt us down if he can’t find us.”

Ren nodded before taking one last look at Tatsuya’s gravestone.

Informants are the bridge to hope. This wandering life full of freedom that allows you to do as you please.

Ren smiled before following Yuri down the pathway.

‘And you’re right, Tatsuya. You led me to Yuri.’

----------------------------------------

[1] A Japanese garment similar to that of a casual summer kimono usually made out of cotton. This garment is frequently worn after bathing at traditional Japanese inns

[2] Yakuza: Yakuza is also known as gokudo, and they are members of traditional organised criminal syndicates in Japan

[3] Ojii-san: Grandfather in the Japanese language, though it can also mean ‘old man’