Chapter Twenty Two
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. - Roman 6:4
* * * *
Yuri sat up in bed on an early Saturday morning, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, having been woken by the sunlight streaming onto her face that morning. Something compelled her to look at her bedside table and her gaze fell onto the calendar that sat next to the photo frame on her table, next to her alarm clock.
Yuri spotted the red circle around October twenty-fourth. Her face fell slightly when she remembered what that day was.
‘That’s right,’ thought Yuri to herself, glancing at the photo frame, focusing on the image of her mother as she did so. ‘Today is kaa-san’s birthday.’
* * * *
The streets of Kabukicho in Shinjuku were rather silent that day as Yuri took a path that she had taken only a few times a year to her current destination. Yet, the silence of the streets wasn’t an uneasy silence.
It was more like a peaceful silence.
It was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies and puffy white clouds without any sign of rain, yet the temperature had fallen rather cold drastically, especially since it was late October. Winter was nearly upon them.
Yuri had worn her coat that day, with an extra jacket inside just in case, as she trudged through the streets of Shinjuku. Finally, she stopped outside the gates of a medium-sized church in Kabukicho.
And even from where she stood, Yuri could hear the faint voices of the choir of the church singing some Christmas hymns inside, and her lips twitched a little, resisting a smile.
‘It’s nearly Christmas, huh?’ Yuri thought as she stepped through the gateways of the church, and into the grounds itself, the dried autumn leaves crackling beneath her feet.
And as Yuri opened the doors of the church, she was faintly surprised to find no one present. Usually, whenever she visited the church on those rare days, there were always a few worshippers present.
Yuri didn’t like going into a church ever since her mother died, especially since she had already long stopped believing in the existence of gods after that fateful day. To her, prayers and hope are useless now.
However, on those rare days when Yuri had actually gone to the church, it was usually on her mother’s birthday or death anniversary. It is about the only way that Yuri could pay her respects to her mother, as Hitomi Yagami was buried in Singapore.
Yuri walked slowly down the red carpeted aisle with rows of seats on either side. She sat in one of the front benches on the left side of the church, and leaned back into the bench with her hands stuffed into her pockets, staring at the statue of Jesus Christ.
Once upon a time, her mother told her stories about how Jesus lived and died for the sins of the people. Once upon a time, those stories had been her bedtime stories. And like every child, Yuri had believed every single word.
But now…
Yuri’s sharp ears then caught the sound of shoes walking on the aisle, the sound muffled because of the carpet. When she turned, she saw the pastor of the church with a bible in his hand, dressed in the typical pastor garb of black and white, with a silver cross hanging from his neck.
The pastor had a kind face, and his hair had all but turned white. He has such a look of kindness and wisdom that one couldn’t help liking him immediately.
Yuri said nothing as she stared at the pastor for several moments before she turned her gaze back to the statue of Jesus Christ. She had seen this pastor every time she came to the church. In the past, she remained leaning against the doorway of the church. Not once did she speak to the pastor, though she sensed that the pastor tried to speak to her, but he never did get the chance to do so as she would leave without staying too long.
“May I interrupt?” asked the pastor, breaking through her thoughts. Yuri looked up at him, staring at the pastor for several moments without speaking before moving over to give the pastor room to sit next to her. “Thank you.”
The pastor sat down next to Yuri, also looking at the statue of Jesus Christ. Yet unlike Yuri, there was a look of both longing and utmost respect on the face of the pastor for the man who had died on the cross for the sins of the people several millennia ago.
“I see you come here every year on the same day,” said the pastor with a gentle smile, turning towards Yuri. “You only come here on two days every single year without fail. And yet, I do believe that this is the first time that I’ve had the chance to talk to you.”
Yuri said nothing, ignoring the very small and sarcastic voice at the back of her head that told her that she was being extremely rude and disrespectful by ignoring the pastor.
Maybe if she ignored the pastor this way, he’ll get the message and leave. Yuri hated interruptions when she’s in church to pay her respects to her mother.
“Would you like for me to pray for you?” The pastor tried again.
Or not.
“I don’t mean to be rude, Father[1], but I don’t think so,” said Yuri, speaking for the first time, as she turned to make eye contact with the pastor. “Unlike you, I have no faith in Him.” She turned to look at the statue of Jesus Christ, ignoring the surprised look on the pastor’s face. “I don’t believe that there is a God in this world. If there is, then why are there so much injustice and unfairness?”
The pastor looked at Yuri with a look of understanding on his face before he leaned back into the bench as well, looking at the statue of Jesus Christ. “Those are His trials for us humans,” he said calmly with a voice that made Yuri want to listen to him. “I believe that as long as you believe in the Lord, you cannot go wrong.” The pastor smiled as he looked at Yuri before turning back to the statue of Jesus Christ. “As long as the Lord does not live in you, there will always be darkness in the hearts of Man.”
Yuri resisted the urge to snort. Where had she heard that same phrase before?
Yuri then recalled what Miki and her mother had said to her in the past.
Vengeance begets nothing but more pain and suffering.
Do you really think that you are doing the right thing?
Yuri sighed to herself as she kept her eyes on the statue of Jesus Christ. ‘I don’t know anymore,’ she thought. ‘I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose this life. In the beginning, it is all for the sake of revenge. But now…’ She sighed. ‘I don’t know if I’m even doing the right thing any longer.’
“Injustice and unfairness occurs in this world because the hearts of Man are weak,” said the pastor. She definitely agreed with the pastor there. “But for every bad thing that happens, there is always a single glimmer of hope out there waiting for you.” The pastor smiled as he turned towards Yuri. “So don’t give up hope.”
Yuri said nothing. The pastor knew nothing of what she actually did for a living. She will be damned to Hell once she dies. There is no hope for her. She does not believe in that any longer.
“Can you answer one question of mine?” Yuri asked, and the pastor smiled and nodded.
“As long as I can answer it,” he replied.
“What is…life after death?” asked Yuri, still not taking her eyes off of the statue of Jesus Christ. “Where do people go after death?”
The pastor smiled, though he seemed a little surprised at this question, and he turned towards the statue of Jesus Christ himself. “They go to Him,” he answered simply. “We return to His side. We return to God Himself.”
* * * *
The sight of Tohya pacing the entrance of the dormitory of Hati greeted Yuri when she stepped through the doors. The moment that Tohya caught sight of her, he immediately rushed over to her. Yuri blinked as there was a worried expression on his face.
“It isn’t Ren, is it?” asked Yuri blandly. The only time when Tohya ever got worried and worked up like this is when it concerns either herself or Ren.
Tohya sighed. “I wish,” he said with a dejected sigh. “It isn’t him this time.” He glanced at Yuri. “It’s Selina.”
Yuri frowned. “What about her?” she asked warily.
Tohya sighed. “Her best friend just died a few hours ago,” he said. Seeing Yuri’s look, he proceeded to elaborate. “To be more precise, her best friend was murdered by that Apostle of Raven’s Gate a few hours ago.”
Yuri froze, remembering that Selina knew that guy called Sam, when Jessica had chased her with a gun in the streets of Shinjuku. And there seemed to be some bad blood and history between them both as well.
“Where is she now?” asked Yuri curtly.
“Up on the rooftop.” Tohya replied. “She can’t hear a word any of us said to her! Think you can try talking to her?”
Yuri nodded. She headed towards the emergency staircase, and up to the rooftop. Finally, she came to the door that led to the rooftop and opened it. It swung opened with a light creak, inviting the sunlight to stream in.
The light breeze blew through Yuri’s hair as she stepped out onto the rooftop, and glanced up to see Selina sitting at the edge of the rooftop with her legs dangling down below her. Yuri walked towards Selina, and from what she could see of Selina’s back, the older girl tilted her head a little to show that she is aware of Yuri’s presence, before Yuri sat down beside Selina.
Both said nothing for several moments before Yuri broke the silence.
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“Tohya told me what had happened,” she said. “Are you alright?”
Selina shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll manage,” she said. She then chuckled darkly to herself. “I got a pretty good understanding what you must have felt and gone through when your best friend was murdered all those months ago.” Yuri managed a small smile. “How you can stand this…pain, I have no idea.”
“It isn’t easy, that’s for sure.” Yuri agreed. “But even I know that Miki wouldn’t want me to drown myself in despair.” She looked down at the streets below her – nearly eight storeys down, with her fingers curled together on her knees. “If it is the Miki that I knew, she wouldn’t want that. The least that I could do for her is to fulfill her last wish.” Yuri glanced at Selina. “Destroy Raven’s Gate.”
Selina managed a small smile.
“What happened?” asked Yuri warily. “I understand if you do not wish to talk about it. But talking about painful stuff can sometimes help you to lessen it, like getting a heavy burden off your shoulders as well. You can’t handle everything by yourself. Let us help you.”
Selina was silent for several moments, staring at her curled fingers resting in between her knees. “I guess that you should know as well,” she said at last, “as part of Jackie’s message is for you.” Yuri raised an eyebrow, and Selina glanced at Yuri. “Jackie has been my best friend ever since we were children. We grew up together. But after I’ve joined Hati two years ago, I cut off all contact with him and my other best friend, Jaslin.”
Yuri nodded, understanding Selina’s reasons in doing so. It is the same reason why she had ceased all contact with Miki nine years ago when she’d came to Japan.
Hati is a top secret organisation. Anyone who learns about them accidentally runs the risk of getting killed. Hence, assassins belonging to Hati cut off all ties with their friends to save them from being eliminated.
Selina chuckled. “I have no idea how Jackie even knew how to contact me, but he did,” she said with a sigh. “The last that I’d heard of them was that both Jackie and Jaslin came to Japan to attend college. But I knew that they are both attending college here because they were looking for me. I received a call from Jackie early this morning. He asked to meet me at Miyashita Park.” Selina sighed. “I have no idea what possessed me to go and meet him in the first place in the early morning when there wasn’t a single soul around in the park. But I did. And then, he told me everything.”
* * * *
07:10AM
Miyashita Park
“It’s been a long time,” said Jackie quietly, his arms resting against the railings that overlook the lake in front of them where a family of geese were flocking in the water. He was a handsome teen of about twenty or so, with the length of his hair falling below his earlobes, dyed a golden-brown colour. A silver hoop-like earring was on his left ear.
“It’s been two years,” said Selina quietly, also resting her arms against the railings. “It’s really been a long time. But I doubt that you’ve gone to all that trouble to contact me and ask me out in the early morning just to reminisce about old times.” She glanced at Jackie. “What happened?”
Jackie chuckled, though there wasn’t any humour in it. His laughter almost sounded…flat.
“You’re as blunt as before when we were kids,” he muttered. “You hadn’t changed one bit.” Jackie glanced at Selina. “You’re right. Something did happen. That’s why I asked you out.” He glanced at Selina out of the corner of his eye, and Selina raised an eyebrow with suspicion. “Does Raven’s Gate and Hati mean anything to you?”
Selina nearly suffered from cardiac arrest at this. She was fairly certain that her shock is reflected on her face as well, not that she cared right at that moment.
How the hell did Jackie know about this? Just what had he gotten himself into this time?
“Judging by your reaction, you do know something about them,” said Jackie with a sigh. “She was right.”
Selina frowned. “Jackie, how do you know about them?” she asked curtly. “Do you know what you had just gotten yourself into? And who is this ‘she’ that you’re talking about?”
“Awhile back, when Jaslin and I were in college, we met a girl a few years younger than us who lived next door in the same apartment complex,” said Jackie. “I mentioned to her that we were looking for you, and she offered us her help, stating that she knew what it was like to search for someone. She was the one who managed to get your contact number, and she gave it to me.” Jackie’s face turned serious at this point. “And it wasn’t that long after that when she died. Her name was Miki. Miki Ishigawa.”
Selina frowned. Miki? She knew that she’d heard that name somewhere before…
“When she died, we received something from her in the mail. A CD,” said Jackie. “Miki mentioned to us once that she was searching for her best friend. That’s probably why she didn’t have many friends, as all her time was spent on searching for her friend.” Jackie sighed. “And when we tried to read the CD in my computer, we saw that it was a database comprising of several data. And most of the data was about some mysterious group called ‘Raven’s Gate’. Miki mentioned that name to us before. She said that it was that organisation that had killed both her older brothers. That’s when Jaslin and I decided to delve deeper into it. We…thought that this organisation might have something to do with her death.”
Selina sighed. “You should have kept out of it,” she muttered.
Jackie shrugged. “Maybe,” he agreed. “But at that time, I didn’t really think that far ahead. Anyway, there is also a message in that database from Miki. And in it, she told us that if anything were to happen to her, we have to give that information that we knew to her best friend, or to someone whom we could trust to hold their tongues. She also told us once that her best friend is someone named ‘Yuri’.” Jackie looked at Selina. “Do you know who that is?”
Selina froze. “Yuri?” she muttered. “It can’t be…!”
Jackie looked at Selina oddly, but he continued with his story.
“Jaslin began asking around about this girl, but as we knew only her first name and nothing more, nothing really turned up. We’ve never asked Miki about her friend, and she never told us much about her either,” said Jackie. “And then one day, Jaslin told me that some guy had approached her, saying that he knew who this ‘Yuri’ is, and that he’ll bring Jaslin to meet her. Jaslin was so excited at the prospect of probably knowing more about Miki’s death that she went to meet this guy without a second thought.”
Selina snorted. “It seems a little reckless to me,” she said. “And it sounds like some trap.”
Jackie nodded, “Yeah,” he agreed. “But like what I’d said, at that time, we weren’t really thinking that far ahead. So Jaslin went to meet this guy. But she never returned. One week passed, and I couldn’t find her anywhere. And it wasn’t that long after that when the police came to my school to find me, informing me that some fisherman had found Jaslin’s body floating in the sea several miles away from school. They believed that she had committed suicide by jumping into the sea, but I didn’t believe that for one moment.”
Selina felt quite faint at that point in time. “Jaslin…is dead?” she whispered.
Jackie glanced at her and nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I knew that whoever had killed Jaslin must want to silence everyone who knew what Miki had found out in that database of hers. It isn’t that difficult for me to put things together, as both Miki and Jaslin died because they knew about the information in there. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before they’ll come after me next.”
“Why didn’t you tell the police?”
“Tell them what?” Jackie asked. “I didn’t have any proof that someone did indeed kill Jaslin! They wouldn’t believe me! That’s when I decided to call you.” He looked at Selina. “You know something about this, don’t you? You didn’t seem very surprised when I told you about this.”
Selina sighed. “Jackie, listen—”
But whatever Selina wanted to say, no one ever found out, as a gunshot rang out just then, with the sound echoing throughout the entire park, and several birds took off in flight from the trees.
Selina’s eyes went wide as Jackie’s blood was splattered onto her clothes before the teen himself fell forwards and into Selina’s arms.
“Jackie!”
Selina shook Jackie’s motionless body, with the blood pooling around them. “Good Lord… This can’t be happening…!” Selina muttered in panic. “Jackie!”
“It’s been a long time. And I did tell you that we’ll meet again, Selina,” said a voice, and Selina looked up only to see Sam looking down at her with a sneer on his face, a gun in his right hand.
“Sam…!” Selina growled low in her throat. “You bastard…! Isn’t ruining my life two years ago enough for you? Jackie has nothing to do with this! And Jaslin… You killed her too, didn’t you? She is your best friend before this entire mess occurred! How could you do this? Do you even still have a heart?”
“Friend, huh?” Sam muttered. “Don’t make me laugh. Friend has no meaning whatsoever in our world. Even one such as you should have known this by now.” He sneered at Selina’s enraged look. “If you want to hate, hate yourself for being so weak and powerless…just like before…just like two years ago.”
Sam smirked before turning around to leave.
Selina saw red then.
“Sam!” Selina growled, her right hand reaching towards her pouch to pull out Vigrid, but a hand stopped her.
And when she looked down, she saw that Jackie had reached out with a shaking and bloody hand to stop her by grabbing the wrist of her right hand. The guy was gasping and trying hard to breathe. Selina knew that Jackie was dying, as the bullet from earlier was lodged near his heart.
“Jackie?”
“I…don’t have much time…” Jackie gasped. “Listen, Selina… Miki…told us… She told us…everything that she had found out… She knew…who the leader of Raven’s Gate is… She told us…who he is… I…know who ‘Kami’ is… The…Phantom XIII of Hati…Hekate… She has to be careful…” Jackie’s grasp on Selina’s hand tightened.
“Huh?” Selina can only stare. “Jackie, what do you mean? What has this got to do with her?”
“Warn…her…Selina… Warn her…” Jackie seemed to be finding difficulties in breathing as this point in time. “Because…she… Because the Phantom XIII of Hati…is the one that they’re after… She is the one…that Raven’s Gate is after… Because ‘Kami’ is—”
Jackie’s grasp slipped from Selina’s hand, and his eyes closed shut. Never to open again.
“Jackie!”
* * * *
“And that’s what happened,” said Selina with a sigh, still looking down at the streets below her. “That…was Jackie’s message. He said that Raven’s Gate is after you.” She glanced at Yuri who had a thoughtful expression on her face. “Do you know why?”
Yuri shook her head.
Selina sighed. “I see,” she said. She then sighed. “Sam… He’s always been like that. He never changes. He’s always playing me for a fool. It was the same two years ago, and it was the same even now. He never changes. And he just has to involve them. Jackie. Jaslin. And Miki-san as well.”
Yuri sighed. “I’m sorry, Selina,” she said, and Selina glanced at her. “Miki shouldn’t have involved your friends in this in the first place.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” said Selina simply. “And it isn’t her fault as well.” Selina sighed, looking down below her at the streets. “Miki-san probably didn’t have a choice in this matter either. This isn’t something that you can just let anyone know. Both her brothers died because they have found out something that they shouldn’t have. She probably knew that it’s only a matter of time before Raven’s Gate come after her. She needs someone to be aware of what she had found out so that they can actually pass on that information to the right person. And when she actually assisted Jackie and Jaslin in finding my whereabouts, without a doubt, she probably knew that I was in Hati as well. And if Jackie or Jaslin could pass on that information to me, then her part in this entire mess is done.”
“Still, it doesn’t make any excuses for her,” said Yuri blandly. “She shouldn’t have involved them in the first place.”
Selina sighed before smiling a small smile. “Like it or not, both Jackie and Jaslin are probably already involved even if they have never met Miki-san,” she said simply. Yuri turned towards Selina. “Back then, two years ago…both Jackie and Jaslin were as much involved with Sam like how I was.” Selina sighed. “It’s only a matter of time before Sam actually goes after them. That guy…I don’t even understand what he’s thinking. Jackie and Jaslin both died because they found out Kami’s true identity through Miki-san.” She turned towards Yuri. “Be careful, Yuri. I seriously doubt that things are so simple.”
Yuri nodded silently, several thoughts running through her mind. “You know, I’ve been wondering for some time now,” she said, and Selina glanced at her. “You and that Sam guy…just what is your connection to him? You knew him, don’t you?”
Selina nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “He used to be my best friend.” She smiled a small and sad smile. “I used to live in Singapore too. A long time ago.”
Yuri nodded. “So I’ve heard.”
Selina took out her wallet and opened it to show Yuri the photo within the transparent holder of her wallet, showing a younger looking Selina, about fifteen or sixteen, along with five others. Yuri recognised one of the boys in the photo as a younger looking Sam.
“Among the six of us, he was probably the only one who had the guts to act on his own feelings and instincts,” said Selina, slipping her wallet back into her pocket. “We had a lot of happy memories together. My parents were always working, and my brother was overseas then. Thus, I was always alone. But I was never lonely because I had them.” Selina managed a small smile. “But then, two years ago…that was when everything went wrong.” Selina clenched both her hands into fists on her knees. “I was framed for murder.”
Yuri’s eyes widened a slight fraction. This seemed extremely familiar to her…
“I won’t go into many details about it, but the one who did it was Sam,” said Selina with a sad smile. “He killed my closest friend, Emily. Then my parents. Many people who were friends of mine, or were connected to me in some way were murdered by him. And I was left to take the blame for his crime.”
“So it’s true then,” said Yuri slowly. “You both really were friends.”
Selina nodded. “We once were,” she said. “The best of friends. We talked about everything under the sun. But that all ended two years ago.” She sighed. “I wasn’t exactly sure what had happened back then. After I had been on the run for nearly four months or so, the police managed to catch Sam, and they even found some evidence that proved Sam was the one responsible for all the murders, and that I was innocent.”
“He was executed after that, or so I thought.” Selina sighed. “And not long after that, my brother took me to Japan when he caught wind of what had happened. He took me to the headquarters of Hati where I trained to become an assassin. About a year later, I became one of Hati’s elites – a Phantom. And up to this day, I still have no idea why Sam actually did such a thing back then.”
Yuri frowned slightly. “I think I’ve heard of that case,” she said slowly. “I only know what I’ve read in the newspapers or on the Internet though.”
Selina nodded sombrely. “The truth can’t be found in the newspapers or the Internet,” she said simply. “Only half-truths. Only those involved in the entire affair with Sam back then knew the truth of what had actually happened. Me. My two best friends.” Selina sighed. “And those two involved.”
Yuri raised a brow at that. Those two involved?
But of course!
It is practically inconceivable that Sam would be able to pull off a string of murders all by himself! He must have an accomplice! And Yuri had a feeling that said accomplice must be one of Selina’s friends as well.
“I joined Hati because I knew what it was like to be pushed into a corner,” said Selina with a sigh. “I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did. I cut off all contact with Jackie and Jaslin when I came to Japan and joined Hati. As in the end, Hati isn’t supposed to exist.” Yuri nodded, understanding Selina’s reasons in doing such a thing. “Ever since I was young, I had always wanted to be a cop or an upholder of justice of sorts. To think that I ended up doing something like this.” Selina chuckled bitterly. “Fate sure is ironic.”
Yuri sighed. “We’re a lot alike, aren’t we?”
Selina agreed. “You’ve said it,” she said. “Jackie fought to the end without giving up. So did Jaslin. That’s why…I will too. I won’t give up. I will destroy Raven’s Gate!” She then turned towards Yuri. “What about you? Why did someone like you join Hati? You’re extremely skilled…for a Phantom. And like most of Hati, I only knew the barest details of your back story.”
Yuri said nothing.
“Is it for vengeance?” Selina asked out of the blue. “For Hitomi Yagami?”
Yuri turned sharply towards Selina, and the girl managed a small smile. “It seems like I’ve hit the nail on the head,” she said. “Don’t look so surprised. It didn’t really take that much effort to know just why you’ve joined Hati at such a young age.”
“I have a job to do,” said Yuri curtly, looking down at the streets below her. “I took on the task of taking down Raven’s Gate along with Tohya and Ren, and everyone else. I will see it through to the end.”
Yuri then glanced at Selina, recognising that look in Selina’s eyes as one of pure hatred, as she once had that same look before her uncle had spoken to her. But even as she spoke, that look in Selina’s eyes faded bit by bit.
“Are you going to leave Hati?” Yuri asked curtly, and Selina shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I still have one last job to do.” She paused. “Besides, if we let someone like Kami to do as he wishes, I don’t even want to think about what the outcome will be.”
Yuri nodded with understanding. “That friend of yours?”
“Former friend.” Selina corrected. “But yes.” She straightened her legs out and stood on the edge of the rooftop. “Sam is very much mistaken if he thinks that I will let him get away with what he’d done! I’m no longer the same girl that he once knew two years ago!” She clenched her right hand into a first. “Blood can only be washed away by blood! I will make him pay for his crimes with his life! Or I am not the Phantom XI of Hati!”
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[1] Father: A title given to priests of churches