Chapter Seventeen

“And you’d think, wouldn’t you, that if you died you’d spend the last few seconds thinking about what you died for, because a life is a terrible thing to lose.” - Johnny Got His Gun

* * * *

Yuri stood outside Ren’s room and knocked on his door. “Ren, are you in there? Open up!” she called through the door, but there wasn’t a single sound that could be heard.

Tohya frowned from beside her. “Do you think that he could be still asleep?” he asked. “I mean, he was back late from a mission last night after all. Maybe we should let him sleep in. We can do the interrogation with just the two of us.”

Early that morning, both Yuri and Tohya were in the recreation room of the dormitory building. It was there that they received word from the Elder that one of the Phantoms had captured a guy who is believed to be working for an agent of Raven’s Gate. And the Elder wished for Tohya, Yuri and Ren to interrogate the guy, as by far, they were the ones with the best results for interrogation.

“He’ll kill us if he finds out that we’ve done this without him,” said Yuri simply, and Tohya paled.

“On second thought, let’s just wake him up even if he’s still asleep,” said Tohya hastily. “I swear that this guy sleeps like the dead.” He muttered beneath his breath before knocking on Ren’s door once more. “Ren! Open up! How could you still be asleep with this racket?”

Just as Yuri was planning to pick the lock of Ren’s room, the door swung opened slightly, and Yuri raised a brow as Ren appeared at the doorway with his left hand resting against the doorframe, dressed in a white T-shirt and blue pants. His hair was untidy and fell into his eyes, almost hiding them from view.

Tohya sighed. “About damn time, Ren,” he said. “A bomb could have gone off, and you wouldn’t have known it with the way you sleep.”

Ren didn’t move or say anything.

Yuri raised a brow. “Ren?”

Ren fell forward just then, and Yuri barely managed to catch him in her arms before he hit the ground, his forehead resting against her shoulder. “Ren! What’s wrong?” Yuri asked with concern as she placed a hand against Ren’s forehead only to feel that his temperature was higher than normal. “Oh my god! You’re burning up! Are you alright?”

“I-I’m alright,” said Ren weakly, forcing himself to his feet only to get into a coughing fit which almost doubled him over.

“No, you’re not alright,” said Tohya. He then sighed and turned towards Yuri. “Yuri, do you think that you can take care of him? I’ll do the interrogation myself. I should be able to handle the interrogation on my own.”

Yuri nodded. “Of course. I’ll get the doctor to take a look at Ren, but…” Yuri trailed off, while Tohya nodded in sympathy.

He understood what Yuri had meant.

The Phantoms never liked to visit the doctor of Hati as he was an eccentric guy, even by Hati’s standards. Even when they have to see him because of some injury that they’ve sustained on a mission, they never liked to stay long. This was one of the reasons why Yuri, Ren and Tohya went to Akira to have him take a look at their injuries instead. But they knew that they couldn’t always go to Akira, as awkward questions will arise which they will find difficult to answer.

“I’ll try to bring his fever down,” said Yuri, half-supporting Ren who seemed woozy and half-asleep on his feet. “I’ll leave the interrogation to you. He’s probably caught a cold because he had been out in the rain all night yesterday.”

Tohya nodded. “I’ll see you later,” he said before giving a wave and turning to walk down the hallway.

“I’m coming too—” But before Ren could even complete his sentence, he started coughing again, and even Yuri was alarmed at how serious his cough sounded.

“You’re not going anywhere but back into bed!” Yuri said firmly before leading him towards his bed. Ren was too weak and tired even to protest. She then deposited Ren back into his bed and half-covered him with his blanket. She then dragged a chair over to his bedside and sat beside him.

Yuri studied Ren’s face for several moments as he coughed harshly every now and then, trying to get to sleep. His face was paler than normal, yet there was also a slight flush on his cheeks.

“How are you really feeling, Ren?” asked Yuri softly. “And don’t tell me ‘I’m fine’. You’re far from it. Tell me the truth.”

Ren cracked one glazed eye open, and started coughing again. He winced slightly before clearing his throat. “My head hurts,” he admitted, his voice sounding a little strange as well. “It feels like jackhammers are beating at my brains.” He coughed. “And it also feels like someone had stuffed my throat full of cotton.”

Yuri sighed, putting it down as a fever, cough and a sore throat that Ren might be suffering from. She then leaned over slightly before placing one hand against Ren’s forehead. She then sighed before she got up.

“I’ll be back in a few moments,” she said. “I’m just going to get a basin of water and some towels to bring your fever down. Lie back and don’t move.”

Ren cracked his eyes opened before smiling weakly at Yuri. “It isn’t like…I could even if I wanted to.” He coughed.

Yuri sighed. It’s rare to see Ren so weak for once instead of the tough guy that he always keeps up around everyone, with the exception of herself and Tohya, and every once in awhile, Sunny and Selina. He didn’t like to appear weak before others.

“Wait here,” said Yuri before glancing around and snatching up the keys resting on his bedside table and leaving the room.

It didn’t take Yuri too long to return with a basin of water with a couple of wash towels in hand.

Ren was asleep when she returned, letting herself in with the keys that she had taken from Ren’s bedside table. Though it seemed to Yuri that Ren wasn’t sleeping well because of his illness. She soaked one of the towels in the basin of water, wringing the water out and folding the towel into a manageable size, she placed it against Ren’s forehead, hoping to bring his fever down.

Yuri changed the towels several times before she decided to search for the thermometer in the first aid box in Ren’s room. Yuri immediately removed the thermometer from within the box before taking Ren’s temperature.

“38.8 degrees.” Yuri muttered to herself. She then glanced at the clock and was surprised to find that it’s nearly mid-afternoon. Had time really gone by that quickly? And she really needs to get something for Ren to eat. But on second thought… Yuri glanced at the sleeping Ren. Maybe it’ll be better for him to wake up first, though Yuri doesn’t think that he’ll have much of an appetite for lunch.

There was a light knock on the door just then, like the knocker didn’t wish to wake Ren up by mistake, and Yuri immediately opened the door only to reveal a tired-looking Tohya standing at the doorway.

“I hate people who don’t talk,” grumbled Tohya, entering the room as Yuri stepped aside to allow him entry. “It took me the entire morning just to get the name of the guy’s employer. Damn bastard.” He grumbled something beneath his breath.

“So you got some names?” asked Yuri, careful to keep her voice low so that she does not wake Ren.

Tohya nodded, following Yuri’s example in keeping his voice low as he leaned against the edge of the desk in Ren’s room. “Some guy named Takowaoki,” he said. “It took me a few hours, but I managed to get him to spill the beans about his employer’s whereabouts.” He grimaced. “It’s in Shinjuku itself. In one of the skyscraper buildings of Nishi-Shinjuku[1].”

“And what did the Elder say?” Yuri asked.

“He wants at least two Phantoms to go after this guy.” Tohya said. “But all the other Phantoms are currently out on missions. And that leaves only us three who are available to go after this guy.” He glanced over at Ren. “Well, looks like Ren can’t come with us this time.”

A harsh coughing caught Yuri’s attention, and she immediately turned towards Ren who was trying to sit up in bed. “I’m coming too—” Whatever that Ren wished to say was cut off as he coughed violently.

“You don’t look well enough to be on your feet.” Tohya pointed out.

“And you aren’t going anywhere right at this moment,” said Yuri firmly. “You are staying here in bed where you belong, Ren Kamizuki!”

Despite his illness, Ren still seemed well enough to argue with Yuri.

“No, I’m not!”

“The hell you are!”

And so, the argument continued for the next hour.

Ren tried everything that he could think of to convince Yuri, despite the fact that he felt ready to pass out, but she was just far too stubborn. It was like trying to move a stubborn horse out of a cool stream on a hot day.

It just wasn’t happening.

And Tohya wasn’t helping matters any either, standing in a corner and grinning that stupid grin of his which made Ren want to get out of bed and wipe that smirk off his face.

Finally, Ren snarled and threw his hands up. “Fine! Whatever! I don’t care anymore!” he growled as he tried to stifle a harsh cough as well as glare at the satisfied smirks on the faces of his two best friends. “Now, both of you out! I’m going to bed!”

“It’s four in the afternoon.”

“Fuck you!”

SLAM!

* * * *

Ren Kamizuki watched on with emotionless eyes as a member of the Hati organisation led him to the room where he was to meet the captain of the Phantoms – the second-in-command of the Hati organisation.

“You’re Ren Kamizuki?” said a voice, and Ren raised a brow when the captain of the Phantoms entered the room, with that Yuri girl with him.

“I’m the captain of the Phantoms, Riou Takeshi.” He then glanced at Yuri before turning back towards Ren. “Well, I do believe that you’ve already met Yagami here, so I guess introductions aren’t necessary. She’ll be your trainer for six months, and she will also teach you our ways. I have no idea how you were trained in your old organisation, but here in Hati, we do things differently.”

Riou nodded to Yuri who nodded back, and he then left the room, leaving the two teens alone.

Silence fell between them as Yuri studied Ren intently, and he resisted the urge to fidget beneath that analyzing gaze that made him feel as if he was being X-rayed. Finally, Yuri looked at Ren in the eye.

“You already know my name, so I guess introductions aren’t necessary,” she said curtly. “I’ll get straight to the point. Why did you agree to join Hati? I know that I had asked you to, but you didn’t necessarily have to agree. I want your reason why.”

“Nothing really,” said Ren fearlessly as he looked back at Yuri. “If I have to state a reason, then I guess…it is to right the injustice done to people.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Then I’m sorry but you’re in the wrong place,” she said curtly, and Ren can only stare. “Hati is no embodiment of Justice. We are the hidden warriors of the shadows who execute those who have no right to continue existing in this world.” She frowned as she studied Ren. “To that end, we are no better than killers ourselves.” She narrowed her eyes. “Listen, Ren Kamizuki, and listen carefully. Unfairness is everywhere in this world. It is time you should know that. And it is also high time that you learn that nothing is fair in this world.”

* * * *

The mini city of Shinjuku with its skyscrapers, department stores, and the red light district were almost buzzing with the ‘night owls’ out in full force, searching for their nightly excitement. Vagrants without proper lodgings were shivering in the cold, huddled by the roadside or in dark alleys, forgotten by passer-bys.

And in front of one of the many skyscraper buildings in Nishi-Shinjuku, two dark figures clad in coats because of the cold weather were hiding behind the wall that enclosed the skyscraper building, speaking in low tones.

“Our orders from the Elder aren’t just to assassinate the employer of that guy we’ve caught,” said Tohya in a low voice as he briefed Yuri on the mission specs. “We are to attain any information on Raven’s Gate that we can get as well.”

Yuri nodded. She then removed her gun from her holster. “Let’s go, Tohya.”

Tohya nodded before taking out his knives as well.

“Commence mission!”

* * * *

Two dark figures moved at lightning speed past the unsuspecting security guards of one of the many skyscraper buildings of Nishi-Shinjuku into a sewage hole that led to the interior of the building.

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Once they were in the building, Yuri and Tohya pressed their backs against the wall before Tohya gestured over his shoulder as a signal that he would go that way to search for his target. Then he tapped his communicator to indicate that they will keep each other updated.

Yuri nodded before Tohya sped down the hallway, ducking from wall to wall whilst on the lookout for any guards as well as security cameras. Yuri waited some seconds to give Tohya space before making a move as well.

Peeking around the corner, Yuri scanned the area for security cameras and guards, and found none. She then moved swiftly down the hallway before she paused outside a room which had the door slightly ajar; her sharp ears having caught the sound of faint snickering.

Yuri stopped outside the door and gently tugged the door outwards a little so that she can look into the room, praying that the hinges of the door were well oiled and wouldn’t creak. Fortunately for Yuri, the hinges of the door didn’t creak, and she peeped into the room only to see a dark office where a slightly plump man wearing a smart business suit was sitting with his back to her, snickering away. Yuri’s sharp eyes even caught sight of a small pile of yen[2] on the side of the desk that he was sitting at.

Yuri frowned to herself. She knew that there should be no one in this building right now, save for the few guards around, and the target himself. And if she isn’t mistaken, this man has to be their target for tonight.

Removing Odium from within her holster, Yuri released the safety catch on it silently, and entered the dark office without making a single sound. The man didn’t even notice that anything was wrong even when Yuri was standing right behind him with Odium in one hand.

“You’ve been counting your money all this time. Have you ever calculated the number of bad deeds that you’ve done before your death? I’m sure that it’s countless,” said Yuri coldly.

“Who’s that?” The man gasped, and turned around only to meet the barrel of Odium pressed against his ribcage – where his heart was.

Yuri’s eyes were cold as she replied, one finger against the trigger of her gun. “Phantom XIII,” she said coldly. “Hell is waiting for you.”

The silencer that Yuri had placed on her gun before setting out on this mission muffled the sound of the gunshot, and the man slowly crumpled to the floor, dead.

Yuri two fingers to tap on her communicator. “Tohya? I’ve located the target. I’ve already taken him out. For now, just focus on attaining the information that we were sent here to collect.”

Tohya’s voice cackled through the communicator in her ear just then. “Roger that.”

Yuri looked down at the dead body lying on the ground before her. She then nudged his body slightly with her foot, pushing the body over so that he was lying face down onto the ground before leaving the dark office, closing the door behind her.

Yuri then looked left and right before continuing her way down the hallway in search of any rooms in the building that may contain the information that she was searching for. As she turned around a corner, she immediately back-tracked a few steps before ducking behind a fairly large potted plant that easily hid her from view.

Two security guards walked past, chatting between themselves animatedly.

Yuri sighed in relief as the footsteps of the two security guards grew fainter. The moment that the two guards were out of sight, Yuri moved out quickly, her eyes flickering from door to door. An oak door with a silver plate on it which read ‘Information Room’ caught her attention.

She stopped in her tracks and tried the doorknob. It was locked. Yuri rummaged about in her pack, withdrawing a silver tool used for lock picking. It did not take Yuri long before she had the door unlocked, and she immediately slipped into the room.

The room was dark, but Yuri’s eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. The room was fairly large, but its space was cramped and littered with shelves of documents, along with several metal cabinets. There was also a computer in a corner of the room on a desk. In an instant, Yuri was at the computer.

It didn’t take too long for the computer system to start up, and within moments, Yuri was soon searching through the database of the computer. When she came across a file that read ‘Confidential’, she immediately clicked on it only to have a window pop up, asking for the password.

Yuri frowned as she paused for a moment, putting herself in the shoes of a Raven’s Gate agent. Assuming that this file contains valuable information on Raven’s Gate, what type of password would she use to password protect it?

A single word went through her head instantly, and Yuri frowned before deciding to take a gamble. Her fingers moved over the keys of the keyboard and typed in, ‘K-A-M-I.’

There was a light beep before jade green words appeared across the screen, stating ‘Access Granted.’

Yuri began hunting through the database.

Her hunch was spot-on; the database does indeed contain information on Raven’s Gate itself. Most of the information that she found was already known, and Yuri frowned. Well, no one ever said that attaining information on Raven’s Gate was going to be easy.

A sudden thought struck her just then, and she immediately went to the search box and keyed in ‘Hitomi Yagami.’

Instantly, long paragraphs appeared on the screen with the occasional photo here and there which seemed to be candid shots of her mother who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. And the files seemed to be kept in a journal-like format.

The latest entry was recorded nine years ago.

August 21: We’ve finally located the whereabouts of Hitomi Yagami, the most brilliant researcher that we’ve ever had in our organisation. She is in the country of Singapore, trying to bring up her young daughter. I headed over to Singapore myself to try to convince her to return on Kami’s orders, but she refused.

Yuri’s eyes widened. Her mother knew about Raven’s Gate long before they had even made their existence known? Just what is going on here? How did her mother even know them?

…I tried to convince her, but she refused to listen to me. Kami had given me my orders regarding her. If she refused to return, then she is to be eliminated. But I am not about to get my hands dirty. Then I remembered a woman who seemed to be extremely dissatisfied with Hitomi Yagami for a very long time, and I approached her. I told her that I would be willing to give her anything that her heart desires, as long as she kills Hitomi Yagami according to the murder plan that I’m going to provide her with.

That woman is weak-willed, and she agreed readily.

Yuri clenched her hands into fists, not taking her eyes away from the screen.

August 28: I’ve finally met with Kami for the first time today. Good Heavens, his identity is a great shocker! He is someone whom I would never have imagined to be Kami, the leader of Raven’s Gate. Kami is—

A gunshot echoed throughout the room just then, and sharp searing pain tore through her left arm. Yuri bit back a cry of pain before looking down at her arm only to see blood running like rivulets down it, and she turned around to see a dark figure standing at the opened doorway with a gun in his hand.

Her eyes widened as she saw who it was.

It was the target of tonight’s mission.

Yuri’s eyes widened in shock as she immediately recognised the man. Not many people could get past her senses like that. But she was so engrossed reading the file, anyone could have sneaked past her like that.

The man smirked. “Heh. What are you doing here, kid?” The man tittered.

He fired another gunshot, but Yuri was quick to hit the ground and roll over. He missed her and struck the screen of the computer, shattering the monitor, and the power of the computer went dead.

Yuri winced slightly as she tried to move her left arm, but every single time she tried, sharp searing pain tore through her body. The first shot that the man had fired had apparently struck a nerve in her arm.

Yuri removed Odium from her holster with her right hand and pointed it at the man, still kneeling with one knee on the ground, the right hand holding her gun, shaking slightly because of the pain that she was feeling. Even for someone like Yuri, the pain that came with having a bullet lodged in the artery wasn’t something one can handle well. It was already quite a marvel that she hadn’t yet passed out from the pain.

“How the fuck are you still alive?” Yuri snarled, trying to ignore the pain.

The man smirked before pulling part of his shirt down to reveal what he was wearing underneath, and Yuri’s eyes widened in shock as she recognised the garment beneath his shirt immediately.

‘A bullet proof vest!’

Yuri now realised her mistake in never checking to make sure that her target was truly dead before moving onto her next objective. It was standard protocol for a member of Hati to ensure that their target was dead. When they have to do a job, they make damn sure that they’ve done it right.

And that was her mistake.

She was just too eager to find out anything that she could about Raven’s Gate and the true identity of Kami, their leader.

Make no mistake.

She is in hot soup.

Yuri growled before she fired two shots which the man was quick to dodge.

Boy, for a man of his size, he sure can move fast!

“Too bad for you. You are probably unaware that I used to excel in military fighting techniques before I went into this business.” The man sneered, pointing his gun at Yuri.

Yuri gritted her teeth together. She knew that if she wanted to deal with her target and make sure that he really died this time, she had to be fast and deadly. But now with a busted arm, she couldn’t move as fast as she would like. A cackling sounded in her communicator, and Tohya’s voice came through, sounding both alarmed and concerned.

“Oi Yuri! What’s wrong?”

“Tohya, get your ass over here this instant!” Yuri snapped before she rolled out of the way as her target started firing bullets at her once more, and she immediately ducked behind the desk which she knew can’t be her shield from the bullets for long. “I’m in big trouble!”

Yuri then turned from behind the desk as the bullet onslaught from her target stopped for just that one instant, and she immediately started firing bullets from her own gun. But much to her frustration, her target managed to avoid every single one of them.

Her gun gave a loud click when she pressed the trigger, Yuri froze.

‘Shit.’

Can you spell major trouble?

Her gun is out of bullets.

* * * *

Ren opened his eyes only to see his room shrouded in darkness. He glanced out of his window to see the night sky. He then sat up in bed, feeling slightly better than he had been earlier that day, and took a glance at his alarm clock. It was nearly midnight. No wonder he felt hungry, as he hasn’t eaten anything for the entire day.

Muffled voices reached Ren’s ears, and he turned towards the direction of his door as the voices could be heard from behind it. Ren frowned before tossing his blankets aside and getting out of bed, walking towards his door and opening it.

The arguing figures of Selina and Sunny greeted his eyes immediately. The siblings were arguing outside his door, and had not realised that Ren had just opened his door, so engrossed they were in their argument. The two siblings seemed to have just returned from a mission as their clothes were slightly ruffled, and there were also light bloodstains on both their clothes.

“Why didn’t the Elder wait for us to return from our mission before sending those two out after him?” Selina was saying rather heatedly and angrily. “He of all people should know how dangerous it is, especially since we suspect the target of being a Raven’s Gate agent! And he should know better than to underestimate the skill of a member of Raven’s Gate!”

“Calm down, Selina,” said Sunny tiredly, trying to calm his hot-headed sister down. “It is no use arguing about this. The Elder gave us our mission. It is no good speculating about things like that. Let’s just go and assist them.”

Ren then decided that now was a good time as any to announce his presence. “Is there something wrong?” he asked with a quirked brow, and Selina and Sunny both turned towards Ren.

“Kamizuki?” Sunny quirked a brow. “Sorry. Did we wake you? The Elder did mention that you’re not feeling well today, and that Yagami and Tanigawa have both set off on a mission without you.”

“I’m feeling better after my nap. But more importantly, what have you been arguing about?” asked Ren, looking from one to the other. “Did something happen?”

Selina and Sunny exchanged glances before Sunny turned back towards Ren. “Well…it’s just that both Yagami and Tanigawa were supposed to report back two hours ago, but we have yet to hear from them,” he said hesitantly. “And they aren’t answering any calls either. It isn’t like them.”

“It could be that they’re just having a little trouble with their target this time,” said Selina, chewing her lower lip nervously whilst exchanging glances with her brother. “Or it could be that they are in some trouble.”

Ren frowned. He simply couldn’t imagine either Tohya or Yuri having some trouble with a target. They’re both too skilled in combat for that. Or it could be that they’ve simply underestimated their target.

“The target this time is suspected to be an active member of Raven’s Gate.” Sunny supplied helpfully. “So it isn’t entirely impossible.” He glanced at Ren. “The Elder is sending us as backup just in case Yagami and Tanigawa are in some trouble.”

Ren groaned. He knew that he should have gone with Tohya and Yuri!

“I’m coming with you,” he stated firmly.

Sunny blinked, and Selina stared. “Eh?” Selina cried out. “But you’re not well, aren’t you? How can you go on a mission in your state?”

Sunny agreed with his sister. “You should stay here and rest,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll bring them back safe and sound.”

But Ren wasn’t listening to any protests on Sunny or Selina’s part.

“I’m coming with you.”

* * * *

Yuri breathed heavily, the hand holding her gun clutching her injured limb, blood flowing freely down her left arm. She had been playing a game of hide-and-seek with her target ever since the bullets in her gun had ran out.

True, she had another magazine’s worth of bullets in her pack, but she needs both hands to reload the bullets in her gun which she definitely can’t do right now, with a busted left arm that hung uselessly by her side.

‘Damn it…!’ Yuri thought to herself, gritting her teeth in frustration, her back backed against the wall. ‘I got careless! How could I have made such a stupid mistake like that?’

Yuri dodged another bullet that came her way, just missing her head by mere inches, and her target snickered to himself, reloading another magazine’s worth of bullets into his own gun. If truth be told, it is nothing short of a miracle that Yuri hadn’t been hit again by any of his bullets.

“Enough hide-and-seek, Phantom XIII Hekate!” The man snickered to himself as he took several steps closer to Yuri, closing the gap between them. Yuri gritted her teeth in frustration. She never thought that she would see the day when she will actually get into a pinch like this.

Is this the end?

“This is the end!”

There was a loud click as the man released the safety catch on his gun and pointed it at Yuri. With this little distance between them, it was highly unlikely that he would miss. Yuri glared at him with all the hatred that she could muster.

“W-What the—?” The man gasped, and Yuri stared, as his right hand was suddenly raised into the air, along with his entire body, causing him to act like a marionette of some kind, with all four limbs spread out.

Yuri narrowed her eyes as she surveyed his body carefully before noticing the faint tell-tale signs of silver wire wrapped around his body. And there is only one person whom she knew uses wires as his main weapon.

“I’m glad that I’ve made it in time,” said a low voice which sounded a tad bit hoarse. Yuri glanced towards the doorway only to see Ren stepping through the door. He was wearing a coat with a scarf wound around his neck, his Elvigar strapped onto his right hand, clenched into a fist, with the wires stretching out from within it.

Yuri blinked. “…Ren?”

“Hey Yuri,” said Ren, managing a weak grin. “We can talk later after I’ve finished this guy off. We’re your backup. Me, Selina and Sunny. They have both gone off in search for Tohya.”

Ren then turned his attention back to the man currently suspended by his wires in the middle of the room. He walked towards him slowly, whilst tightening his wires with every step that he took. The grown man gave out whimpers of pain every now and then.

“If you truly wanted to see Hell, then you could have just told me,” said Ren coldly. He tightened his hold on his wires. “Die.”

“Wait, Ren!” Yuri called out to Ren before he killed the man entrapped by his wires in the middle of the room. “I need to know some things from him first!”

Ren frowned, but nodded. Yuri then turned towards the man suspended like some marionette in mid-air. “You killed my mother…!” she hissed. “I thought that her death was strange in the beginning, but I never thought that it was Raven’s Gate who was behind it! Did Kami order it?”

“Your mother?” The man managed to choke out.

“Does the name ‘Hitomi Yagami’ mean anything to you?” Yuri hissed. The eyes of the man widened. “Tell me! How did my mother know about Raven’s Gate? How was she even connected to Kami? Tell me!”

“I don’t know anything!” The man gritted out. “I was just ordered by Kami to have that woman killed! I only know that she was important to Kami and Raven’s Gate, and if I could not get her to return with me, I was to kill her! She was too dangerous to be left alone!”

Ren narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?” he demanded, stifling a cough.

“I don’t know!” The man said again. “They told me nothing! Only that if Hitomi Yagami wouldn’t return with me to Japan, I was to kill her!”

“One last thing,” said Yuri through tightly clenched teeth, knowing that she wouldn’t get anything else out of this man. “I’ve seen the files. You’ve seen Kami, haven’t you? You know who he is.” The man said nothing, showing nothing on his face as well. “Who is he?”

The man began chuckling darkly.

“Kami is Kami,” he said. “His ideals will save this world and curb the corruption within it. He is our saviour! The Chosen One! He will rule this world as its dominant ruler. He. Is. God!”

Ren growled, knowing as Yuri now knew that there would be nothing else to learn from the man. “Well, he is no god of mine!” he growled. “I’ll see you in Hell.”

And Ren pulled sharply on his wires, and the wire around the neck of the man tightened itself and went right through his neck, severing his head from his body, rolling to the ground with a light thud. There was silence after that as Ren released the headless body from his wires.

Ren then eyed Yuri carefully. The girl still clutched at her injured limb, but she didn’t even seem to notice her injury as she glared at the headless body on the ground, trying to burn a hole through it with sheer willpower alone.

“Nine years,” she muttered. “Nine years, and still, I have found out nothing. The only thing that I knew is that Kami wanted my mother dead just because she is ‘dangerous’ to him. It’s stupid! This…is madness!”

Ren said nothing.

* * * *

The lightning lit up the dark gloomy skies briefly, before a low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

Tohya Tanigawa turned around from where he had been standing at the window in Ren Kamizuki’s room, facing his best female friend. It had been two days since their last mission, and the Elder had ordered the participants of the mission to take a week off to recuperate from their injuries.

Their mission wasn’t a complete failure as they managed to get to their target, and had even attained some information on Raven’s Gate. But it was a close one, as Yuri had nearly died at the hands of their target, if not for Ren’s timely intervention. Tohya hadn’t exactly gotten away unscathed either.

Tohya had been lucky as he only suffered minor scrapes on his left wrist, thanks to some idiot security guards that he ran into and who had mistaken him for a thief. Yuri, on the other hand, would be out of commission for awhile, as she wouldn’t be able to use her left arm for some time, thanks to the injury that she had suffered.

Tohya sighed as he watched Yuri hover above Ren who was lying in his bed with a wash towel on his forehead, breathing heavily. Yuri frowned as there was a light beep from the thermometer that she had just placed in his mouth a few moments earlier. She took it out of his mouth, reading his temperature.

“How is it?” asked Tohya with concern, walking towards Yuri who was frowning, removing the wash towel from Ren’s forehead and placing one hand against it, testing his temperature. She then soaked the wash towel into the basin of water sitting on the bedside table, and wringed the water out before placing it onto Ren’s forehead to bring his fever down.

Yuri turned towards Tohya, getting to her feet. “Thirty nine degrees,” she said, before turning to look at Ren’s sleeping form. She muttered something incoherently beneath her breath. “That’s why I told you to stay in bed. You shouldn’t have gone after us that night. Selina and Sunny are both capable reinforcements.” She paused. “And then again, if you hadn’t been there that night, I would most probably be dead. But thanks to that stunt, your fever had shot up.”

She glanced at Tohya. “Wait here. I’ll get the doctor. Watch over him for a moment.”

Tohya nodded silently, and Yuri left the room, closing the door behind her as she did so. Tohya sat in the chair by Ren’s bedside which Yuri had just vacated. The guy nearly collapsed with a high fever after they returned from their mission two nights ago, and Yuri had been nursing him ever since without any regard to her own physical condition.

Tohya said nothing for several moments as he watched Ren’s sleeping face which was twisted up in agony every now and then because of his fever, possibly suffering from some nightmare.

“You really care for her, don’t you?” Tohya muttered. “Get well soon.”

* * * *

“What are you fighting for?” asked Ren after one of their sparring sessions in one of the dojos in Hati headquarters. He picked up a face towel and wiped the sweat off his face and body, taking a gulp of water from the bottle, turning towards Yuri as he did so. “What are you fighting for?”

Yuri was silent for several moments before she turned to glance at Ren with that penetrating gaze of hers that always made people feel uncomfortable. She then softened her gaze. “The same reason as yours, I guess,” she mused, and Ren blinked. “Listen, Ren. Be it vengeance, hatred, or even the desire to help others, all of us have a reason to fight. This is the way of life in Hati. We each have our own reasons to be in the organisation. We each have our own reason to fight. And we each have our own story. But the reasons are our own, and it shall stay our own unless we decided otherwise. But you cannot do everything by yourself. The same way that you cannot move a mountain by yourself. I won’t ask what has happened to you in the past, but you have a second chance now.” She smiled. “Use this chance wisely.”

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[1] Nishi-Shinjuku: Nishi-Shinjuku is a skyscraper business district in Shinjuku, one of the regions in the Tokyo district of Japan

[2] Yen: The currency of the country of Japan