TW: intrusive thoughts, emotional manipulation, grief, murder, gun violence, coercion, attempted murder, arson, torture themes
A/n: Not all characters will be dated/developing relationships in the first book/season. You may have to wait until the second book/season if you are waiting for a specific character.
A gunshot rings through the air. A blood curdling scream slices through the ringing and bleeds into my ears. My heartbeat is as steady as my shaking hands. I expect to see Klen Ryuso’s brains on the contract, instead I see Ran clutching his thigh in an attempt to stop the blood from oozing. He looks up, his furious gaze meeting his prey. I flinch from his gaze alone, reflexively pulling the trigger and hitting his abdomen.
I gag and drop the gun. Ran lets out a dry giggle, as if he found the idea of me not finishing the job amusing. Disgusted, afraid, and ashamed, I run towards Ryuso’s doors, bursting through and dashing down the hall.
Ran’s screams for me to come back, but the constant pounding of my feet against the floor drown it all out. I cover my face in a feeble attempt to hide my identity and take the stairs down to the first floor. More gunshots ring above me, yet it doesn’t stop the adrenaline telling me to
If he catches you he will kill you.
Left. Right. Breathe. Left. Right. Breathe.
It felt like an endless cycle of hope and despair. Gaining distance, losing lives, stamina, and sanity. Frightened civilians run past as they search for hope; a way out of the nightmare I made worse. I locate a back door and burst into an alleyway. My legs and lungs burn, but I don’t care. I sprint and shout hoping someone will hear.
“Help! Help me, someone! Please, he’s gonna kill me!” I run to the main street, never stopping. Many people ignore my shouts, for there was something greater happening behind me. I whip my head around to catch a glimpse of Ryu”so Snatched” burning down. Undoubtedly, that was the least of my worries once I spot a certain purple haired Haitani speeding towards me in a black Buick Enclave Avenir sporting an enraged expression. I turn around to run, and I hear Haitani accelerate behind me.
My steps feel heavy and my breathing becomes ragged as I spot another alleyway. Just as I turn, 4,685 Ibs of steel ramming into my back knocks me to the ground. I can’t fucking breathe, I can’t think, my body is warm, and my vision is red. It feels as though the SUV is sitting on my cranium. I don’t know when the bastard steps out the car, or why he manhandled me to my feet. My vision was going in and out. Ran found his way into the front seat, now covered in bandages with amateur precision. I see him look at me with distaste before I black out again.
My brain is about to burst out my head. I brush my fingers against thick bandages. Mustering my strength, I place a few pillows behind me and sit up. I’m back in my room with a plate of mashed potatoes, macaroni, and steak, it would honestly be a shame to waste it.
After my meal, I realized I finally have the chance to look at the papers I grabbed. I carefully remove the IV from my battered and bruised body and slowly maneuver to my closet. I dig in the shoes I wore that unfortunate day and pull out what I managed to smuggle. Though a bit worn, the words were clear enough for the to get the gist of it. As I feared, Bonten and Gynja Investments have been in touch for about 9 years now. Looking at this place, it makes sense considering Gynja invests in shipping fleets and security firms. My eyes swarm across lists of safe houses, cargo ships, armed escort vessels, and VIP event security deals.
Bonten owns a lot of businesses from hotels to casinos. Reading further down, I discover Bonten and Gynja Investments have a meeting scheduled in 5 months regarding the expansion of Phoenix Trades to other docks. However, there’s no telling if this meeting will still happen since Kosung was killed during the warehouse shootout.
I fold the papers and throw them away, placing my plate on top in order to hide them.
My door abruptly swings open, startling me. I turn around to see a scowling Sanzu.
“You’ve done it, idiot. You’ve officially dug your own grave!” He slips a chuckle as he stalks towards me. I get to my feet.
“What? What do you mean? I didn’t mean to shoot him!” I explained myself frantically, but I could tell Sanzu wouldn’t bother listening.
He grabs me by my arm. “Yea? Well, ya sure as hell ain’t shoot Ryuso did ya?” I feel his grip tighten, making me wince. Sanzu leans into my ear, his stern voice sending shivers down my spine.
“Somethin’s tellin’ me ya still don’t know your place. If Mikey doesn’t punish ya, I will.” He doesn’t let go. Instead, he leads us out the room. Sitting at the table, I see Kakucho with his head in his hands, he looks stressed. A tug from Sanzu reminds me to keep my eyes forward as we drift down the hallway and back to those cursed doors.
Sanzu states our names and business, sure enough the doors open.
Mikey stands at the window, looking at the city below. Sanzu turns to leave, but Mikey speaks first. “I need you here, Haruchiyo.” Sanzu finds his spot next to me, this time his smile is wider than ever.
My heart nearly stops as Mikey speaks again. “My newcomers tend to have little problems on their first assessment.” He turns around to meet my worried stare. “Why is it that you shoot my executive on your first?”
Mikey did not look upset. Hell, it looked like he didn’t even call me here. It was a simple question that required a simple answer. If that’s true, why is my heart pounding out my chest?
“M-Mikey, er- sir?” I take a breath. “It was never my intention to hurt Ran, or all those innocents for that matter!“ I hear Sanzu scoff next to me.
Mikey rolls his neck. “Screw the innocent. Isn’t that evident by now? You’ve placed one of my executives in a disappointing position.” Mikey walks up to me, bringing his hand up to place a hair behind my ear. “It’s been so long since I’ve had hope.” his eyes bore into mine, and I can’t bring myself to look away. His fingers linger there for a moment before he draws back.
Mikey’s head is down, contemplating. Sanzu clears his throat, breaking the silence and grabs our attention. “Could I interject here, boss?” A nod from Mikey tells him to continue. “I know we’ve been looking for newcomers, but this is the second time they’ve pulled some getaway stunt.” Sanzu snarls down at me.
He’s not wrong. I’ve been looking at this the wrong way. Trust gives me freedom. Sanzu reaches behind himself, gripping what I can only assume is his gun, in his waistband. “Not to mention the fact that this is Shuji’s bitch. Neither of their loyalt-“ Mikey brings a hand up, silencing Sanzu.
“Do not question my plans, Haruchiyo. I’m aware you doubt Hanma’s loyalty.” He said, motioning to me.
Mikey sits for a while, thinking, observing, planning. His tone is calm yet stern when he speaks. Telling us that the following must be carried out efficiently. “Mochizuki is to bring in any liabilities. Her training will start immediately. You will carry out her punishment, see to it that Kakucho is informed and overseeing her conditioning.” Mikey nods at us both. “Dismissed”
Sanzu has been awfully quiet, which seems like something that doesn’t happen quite often with this man. When we left Mikey’s presence, it was like he was another person. He was in his phone, sending messages to the others, I’m sure. All he told me was that we’re going to one of Ryuso’s docks where I’ll be “put to the test”.
We reach a small, disclosed building smelling of fish and blood. When Sanzu pushes the doors open, my eyes nearly pop out their sockets. A man is tied to a chair, badly bruised. A tall man with blonde hair and a goatee beard tightens his restraints. I can only presume this man is Mochizuki as Kakucho observes from a distance.
Mochi glances at me and nods at Sanzu before joining Kakucho’s side. Now, it is just Sanzu, the liability, me, and a tray of tools. I see Sanzu take a pill as he observes the tools. He visibly shivers before picking up a mallet, his smile cheerful. Looking over his shoulder, Sanzu beckons me over with his finger.
Reluctantly, I join him in front of the captive. Sanzu wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in close. “Ya see this here?” He motions to the mallet and I nod shakily. He points the mallet at the trembling man, making him flinch. “Get it?” He asks. My answer wasn’t of importance because Sanzu swings the mallet at the man’s right shin, bending it in a grotesque manner. I damn near retch right on that poor man.
The man howls in pain. You can tell it’s music to Sanzu’s ears. He takes a deep breath and smiles nostalgically. He sharply turns my way, placing the mallet to my chest and whipping out his gun. “let me make something clear. You are here to kill this man under Mikey’s orders. Failing to do so will force me to shoot you twenty times, alright?” His tone and demeanor seemed sweet, but I knew better. This man isn’t joking.
I swallow and take the mallet. Facing the man, I swallow harshly as Sanzu pats my back. Sanzu glides behind the man and begins massaging his shoulders. Tears leave the man’s eyes while pleads escape his lips. The man’s voice trembles as he speaks. “ H-Hey! I h-haven’t seen ya yet… y-you don’t hafta do th-this, alright?!” The man struggles against his bindings. I feel a pang of guilt and close my eyes, turning away.
The man becomes erratic, “I KNOW YA HEAR ME!! YOU’RE ALL GONNA BURN IN HELL, HEAR THAT?” the man leads forward, Sanzu pulls him back.
His screaming and cursing is soon drowned by the sound of the mallet hitting the side of his face, causing the man to tip over and break his head open on the concrete. The blood pouring from his split skull doesn’t stop my movements. The sooner this is done, the better.
I bring the mallet up and back down to the man’s head. His blood coats my body as I bash his head in, Sanzu’s cheers motivate me. It was him or me. I was surely going to die. I throw the mallet at the wall, denting it. Sanzu’s laughter dies down and I finally meet the gazes of my captors. The three men look impressed. Tch. As if I’d fail a second time.
Panting, I finally speak, “Well?” I shrug. Sanzu turns to the others and back at me, a smile adorning his face.
“Mikey will be ecstatic.”
This time, I ride back with Kakucho. The air is thick on his part. The atmosphere feels heavy from him and it’s weighing me down. I try to focus on the scenery outside, but something about the way he shifted speaks volumes to me.
Just as I’m about to address the issue, I see Kakucho’s face go pale, almost as if he’s seen a ghost. He quickly gathers himself, and slows the car. Curious, I look ahead, only for my heart rate to pick up. There are police swarming the soup shop Bonten was hiding under. My fingers inch towards the door, almost instantly, I feel cold metal pressing against my thigh.
Glancing down, I see Kakucho shakily grasping a pistol. I gulp. “Make one wrong move, and you’ll die right here in this car.”
I become rigid as we drive by. The tint of the car is so dark, the officers couldn’t see me if they wanted to. Once on a new street, Kakucho draws his gun back and lays it in his lap. His eyes are straight ahead and his brows are furrowed with confusion and anger.
Kakucho’s phone vibrates on the console next to us, he picks up almost immediately. Whoever is on the other line said nothing positive, because Kakucho’s face darkens further. “I’ll handle it. We’re heading there now.” He takes a sharp turn, and I brace myself against my seat.
The call ends and Kakucho speeds up. I decide against asking questions, instead, I plan for my escape.
