Original Love

Episode Eighteen

The shootout had happened too fast. In a blink of an eye, Jin Sasai had been too caught up to immediately fire back from where the bullet had come from that he and the three other Yanagi men with them had almost forgotten to cover for the woman who had been walking ahead of the group. They were just on their way back to their cars from exiting an elite five-star fine-dining restaurant near the side of the main road in the busiest area of Shibuya when it happened. And it was even in the middle of the day.

No one had expected it. When the first bang of the gun firing echoes into the scene, shouts and screams were heard from all directions. People started running everywhere, Aoi Chiba quickly ducked down and Jin Sasai who had been just beside Sakamoto before the shootout, smoothly and immediately pulls out his gun inside his suit. Sakamoto had done the same, ducking down to the ground, knowing that the odds will be obviously against him at the time because of his prosthetic leg.

He became much more aware after a few seconds, and just when they thought it would be okay to rush towards the bulletproof car, another batch of bullets come shooting straight towards them that two of Yanagi's men were hit right away. Sakamoto shouted something indecipherable along with the consecutive banging sounds. And Jin Sasai just quickly pulled him as he ran the distance towards Aoi Chiba in a rush, despite the risk.

He was already a couple of steps near when he noticed a distinctive reddish color on her dress over the woman's chest. Jin Sasai quickly shouted cover from his other men and Sakamoto instinctively ran for the car door to open it just in time when Jin Sasai picked up Aoi Chiba and followed Sakamoto.

The two other men who were left shooting the unlocated enemies tried to fight back more for enough time to manage a call for some reinforcements nearby. Fortunately, two more cars arrived and in it were more Yanagi's men who eventually searched for the shooters. Jin and Sakamoto struggled at the back seat of the car with Aoi Chiba's body in Jin's arms. He groaned in pain as he tried to reach for his phone inside his front pocket. With shaking fingers, he went to speed dial.

But before he could even connect the call, a much louder bang that woke up Shibuya exploded from a close distance. And this time the car that had been parked just behind them had exploded, forcing Jin and Sakamoto to take another detour as they both exited the car in a rush. The two men, with a few other Yanagi men who went and followed them, finally found a narrow alley to hide while they try to save themselves from another deadly explosion.

"How many casualties?" Jin immediately uttered this question to one of the men who had followed them, his face wincing as he bit his lip through the pain of the gunshot he got right on his shoulder. Sakamoto, on the other hand, had been panting heavily, unable to talk as he also had been grazed by a bullet on the side of his stomach and was also bleeding mildly.

"I think we lost five," one member answered in between panting as he ducked and shifted closer to the corner from where Jin and Sakamoto were huddled together. Jin's arms turned numb and he quickly lowered Aoi Chiba, as gentle as he can, to get a better grip of his phone in his right hand.

He finally managed to connect successfully to the other line this time and fired away his instructions to another reinforcement from Yanagi's main office. His voice shook while his eyes remained steadily gazing around the surroundings to make sure they were not being tailed yet.

He felt Aoi Chiba's body tensing in his arms and he quickly glanced down at her and noticed how her eyes had been slowly losing their light. He tried to get her attention. He tried to lean his face closer to hers.

"You gotta stay with me Aoi..."

That was the only time he first called her by her real first name. He could not even think straight. He continued shouting and demanding through the receiver, while never straying off his eyes from her face.

She must never die on him. Not today. Not this time.

Not ever.

He felt the pressure and the intense fear building up from the pit of his stomach that he had never once felt in his life before. He had faced death and seen deaths numerous times. He even experienced it himself. Hell, he had also watched his own Boss, Kenji Yanagi, be on the brink of dying right in front of him yet it never fazed him this badly. Never once he had really even felt the need to be desperate in making sure he or any one of those people would have to survive.

So at this moment, with Aoi Chiba gasping in his arms, he cannot exactly explain why he was feeling this way.

Was he really scared?

Of her dying?

His grip tightened on the phone, and while mentally wishing for the help to come right away, the minutes went by. And not before long, Jin received an incoming call.

This time, it was from Kenji the boss.

It sent Jin into a deep state of nervousness just before he quickly answered and was greeted by the cold, distant voice of Yanagi.

"She cannot die, Jin."

Those were the only words that Jin had heard just before a group of more Yanagi's men finally found them and quickly took them away from the scene to be all brought back to the nearest medical facility.

Jin continued to hold Aoi Chiba in his arms. Silently praying, even when he never did before, for her to keep her consciousness. He heard it. From Kenji Yanagi as well...

The burden and the helplessness... the same things that he was feeling during the whole ride until they arrived at a hospital. She cannot die.

Not this time.

Not ever.

This had to change for the better.

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