Darker Than Love

SOMETHING IN THE WAY YOU TALK

"They're really doing us nasty this time."

It is a little over lunchtime when Sakamoto has received an unexpected visit in his own place today. He has not really thought of meeting his old friend and also one of the bosses of another very powerful family of the Dojima clan, Kazuki Kishimoto. He has been a really long-time friend of Sakamoto for years now ever since the time he has entered the Yakuza life. Kazuki has been one of his most trusted allies whom Sakamoto very much relied on several times in the past. He knows very well that this man is a genuine person.

And now he has taken the initiative to visit Sakamoto... Especially after what had just happened.

The busy days of the executives working over the ongoing debacle in the economy and the stability of the organization shriveled up their chances to meet once again and catch up with each other. And fortunately this time, with the funeral taking place later this afternoon, Sakamoto and Kishimoto finally got the chance to see each other again. Untimely as it seems to be, it still feels like a meaningful reunion for two old friends who have not really seen each other for such a long time.

"Our new generation really becomes too much of a burden to handle... Do you think it's one of the powerful clans?"

Kishimoto rarely even speaks about their Yakuza lives and family matters whenever they talk and have conversations. But today, something crucial has changed everything. And the more Sakamoto thought of the things that could happen in the future for them, the more he can not help but feel a little more worried and anxious. It is not really like him to be bothered by those things before but after having to experience such a near-death struggle with his own life, Sakamoto suddenly becomes much more deeply concerned and focused on the possibilities... especially it could greatly affect the friendships and family he has already formed and built inside the clan.

"Don't tell me you've already started investigating this as well?" Sakamoto briefly states as soon as Kishimoto blurts out his assumptive question. Kishimoto could be right about his thought too. Someone from a rival clan could really do this, and there is a reasonable motive if that is the case. However, Sakamoto has already known something else that he can not really tell his friend now. And what he has discovered is far much worse than having a rival clan chase after the bosses in their clan.

"I can't help but to do my part, you know that," Kishimoto speaks back, looking a little grim as he goes on, "After hearing about what happened to you, I did not want to just sit back anymore. I knew I had to do something. It's clearly getting personal for most of us, and it's gone way out of the line."

That is also true. The things that are now happening within their clan are not really just there to create disturbance and little fights. The thing is, it is getting much bigger than anyone ever really thinks it is all just about now.

Something is trying to demolish the unity of the bosses from the bottom to the peak and probably, it is also trying to pursue its way now to get to the Oyabun himself (the head of the clan).

"I just want you to be careful, Kishimoto," Sakamoto immediately tells his friend with a warning tone, "I can't tell you everything I know now because it'll be troublesome to let you meddle into the whole thing. But I can tell you this, surely."

Sakamoto pauses. His face showing no signs of emotion but Kishimoto immediately feels the concern of his old friend from the way he deeply stares into his eyes.

"Yanagi will save the clan," he then continues with a firmer voice, "He's the only one I trust who could stop this all. You just have to trust him too. Because I know for certain, he'll do his part. The enemy is just nearby, and we can't let our guard down all the time. So, please... just believe in my word."

Kishimoto does not really understand it completely but he wants to believe.

If Sakamoto knows and feels sure about it, then Kishimoto will just have to keep his faith in his words. Maybe, it is really about time to let the younger generation handle things their way. The time of the old ones had already passed on.

________________________

A young man in a standard black suit walks out of the elevators that very second and immediately meets Jin's presence as soon as the doors of the platform open before him.

The place where Yanagi and Cherry are living together turns out to be surprisingly extensive and luxurious as the young man gapes towards the scenery he sees inside. He has been a little stupefied with the whole view that it takes him a few seconds to finally turn and look in Jin's direction who is now standing beside him.

"Please attend to Miss Cherry's needs and escort her down the building once she's done prepping up," Jin smoothly instructs the newbie as he walks past him and presses another button on the wall beside the elevators.

The young man just nods back and silently follows the big bodyguard with his eyes before he remembers to bow his head at him, only then does he thought of showing the courtesy to his superior.

"I'll be expecting the two of you to go down before five," Jin continues to speak with his back now turned on the newbie. He does not even bother to spare the young man a look as he walks into the platform of the elevators after the doors finally open again.

"Boss Yanagi will be sharing a ride with her so make sure you'll get to the ground lobby on time," he simply ends his words with a straight stare at the man's face right before the elevators close on him and the newbie is finally left there alone in the living room of Kenji's private penthouse.

Who would have expected that this would be all just easy?

As the young man slowly turns around and makes his way towards the hall that leads to the bedroom, his face begins to change. Something is strange about him yet no one has ever realized what it is. The young man abruptly stops near the end of the hallway and tries to announce his presence by knocking on the wall by the doorway to signal the woman who is probably still oblivious inside the room.

"I'm decent," he hears her informing him with a slightly louder voice and the young man just quietly walks into the room without even saying anything back. As soon as his eyes land his sight on her, a smile appears on his lips.

"Miss Cherry, please don't turn around while I speak," the young man begins.

Aoi Chiba instantly freezes from where she has been sitting on the chair in front of the dresser and tries to resist the urge to look over her shoulder upon hearing what the young man just told her. She still could not see his face from where he stands from a distance across the room near the hallway. Something with the way he has suddenly addressed her and said those words feels quite odd.

"Who... are you?" she finally asks, gulping audibly after she utters her question. There is a pause after that.

The young man does not speak for a few more seconds, as he lets the silence basks into the atmosphere until it gets even tenser. And when he finally does speak, the air suddenly shifts into something very chilling. Aoi could only hold her breath for the entire time, feeling a little bit nervous.

"I've been sent here by Boss Yamazaki," the young man eventually confirms, not even bothering to conceal his identity to her, "I'll be your partner from now on. So allow me to introduce myself, Miss Cherry."

"There are cameras all over here, they might hear or see your words," Aoi quickly warns.

"Don't worry," the young man simply replies, not even minding her words, "I'm bowing my head to you right now."

And when Aoi turns to take a look at him, she really finds him bent down with his head facing the ground.

"I'm Kira Issei," he then tells her, and this time he finally straightens his body up so she could see his face, "I'll be your substitute guard from now on when boss Sasai is not around."

He's too young. But it does not seem like it would even matter with the plan now.

"...We'll be working really closely, Miss Cherry." he continues, "I will also be escorting you for today."

He pauses.

"To boss Yanagi..." he goes on again with a slight emphasis on the last word, "We will meet him in the lobby by five."

And Aoi eventually realizes right then... That it has finally started. Things will completely twist around from here on. It is gradually becoming even more daring that for some reason, Aoi just knows something will lead this all down to an even much scarier reality than she would ever expect.

And no one will ever really know and find out about it until the tragedy happens.

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The streets of Shibuya is still as crowded as ever with the busy citizens filling in the roads and sidewalks of the intersection at the central plaza, with the gloomy afternoon drawing closer to the evening. The expansive sky paints a backdrop of hazy hues of indigo and orange that brings in an auburn glow all over the city. It is cold and chilly and there are short sudden light rains that every now and then would shower soft moist in certain areas.

The whole of Tokyo looks like it is weeping in itself with the coldest winter of the decade gradually coming in.

Aoi Chiba sits in silence at the backseat of a black limousine, at the same time, with the brooding Kenji Yanagi beside her. No one has spoken a word yet since they have left the Yanagi territory. Aoi does not really know what to say nor even think right now. It would never make sense.

So, she tries to distract herself instead with the view of the city passing by the tinted window on her left. Yet nothing could still drive her thoughts away from thinking about the young man she met just a little while ago. The young one who had introduced himself as an ally of Ito Yamazaki and told her that they have a plan on sabotaging Kenji with her help.

And now, she suddenly feels conflicted. The things Jin had told her the last time have found their way to resurface into her mind once again and somehow it makes everything even more confusing.

Is she still doing the right thing here? Will her revenge ever really make any sense?

There is no certainty. Even though she clearly knows why she is here now and acting the part of this ridiculous role in Yanagi’s life. But because of several things that she had now discovered while being near the young notorious man, she eventually realized how truly complicated it is to be a part of this whole thing.

Associating with the Yakuza world makes it all even more risky and horrifying. It seems like she might never ever get away from this place now. She is all but torn between being an ally and an enemy.

Will she risk and try to fulfill her mission?

Or will she betray Ito?

Two things, yet it makes it so hard for her to choose which side she thinks would give her the satisfaction of achieving the only thing that made her even be in this kind of scheme. Now that she kind of doubts the idea that Yanagi killed Kenichi before, she wants to dig deeper to reveal the truth.

Who killed her lover?

And Aoi knows that there is only one way to know everything about it.

Jin Sasai.

That man. He will be the only one who knows it for sure. And if it turns out that he was actually the real one who killed Kenichi…

Then Aoi would never think twice this time. She would really kill him. That is the only way for this all to finally come to an end.

___________________________

Ito Yamazaki picks up his phone resting on top of the desk in front of him to answer the call flashing on its screen.

The ID shows up unknown but he already has a certain guess who it is. He does not really have to hesitate as he quickly swipes it to answer on the second ring.

“She’s with him on the way to Shibuya, boss.”

The deep man's voice comes in raspy and crooked from the other end of the voice call, as Ito quickly takes note of it as he smirks smugly while he turns on his seat to gaze at the overlooking view of the city from the fall-to-ceiling windows behind him. The atmosphere is slightly filtered with fog and adds more to its grim appearance.

“He’s taking her to the funeral, huh?” The old boss muses as he slowly pulls a drawer below his table. A small automatic pristine revolver appears, delicately placed on a case inside the drawer. Ito Yamazaki pulls it out as he stares and gets instantly fascinated by its perfection.

“She’s still on the lookout,” the guy from the other line tells Ito after a beat, “I think Y is going to make her reveal the enemy while trying to be discreet.”

“You mean me?” Ito just snorts, resisting the urge to even laugh, “And he thinks she’ll do it for him? He’s a total sucker.”

With this rate that Yanagi is now going, it would only be a little more time before he eventually gets completely whipped by that woman. And by the time that finally happens, Ito Yamazaki would be celebrating. It would surely shock him, to find out that the woman he has been trying to keep to himself is also the real enemy here.

“Apparently,” the voice replies to the old boss in a much colder tone this time, “They are also getting quite intimate.”

“Is that so?” Ito comments while he tests the gun in his hand and tries to point it to an imaginary target across his big office.

That certainly makes this all the more interesting now. Yanagi and that woman… He never even expect she would really make it.

“Let the youngun inside the territory handle the rest for now,” Ito eventually finishes as he returns the gun inside the drawer and pushes it close once again. He stands up from his seat and finally crosses the distance towards the front door as he leaves the place.

“I’ll be going to the funeral now,” he adds, “Keep your tabs on the woman and the spy. Then report to me once you find something much more interesting.”

The call ends as soon as Ito utters the last word. He opens the door and meets his two bodyguards standing outside. He nods at them as they bow their heads at him.

“Prepare my ride,” he orders them as he walks past the two figures who immediately follow him behind. “There’s somewhere we have to be today.”

Ito Yamazaki has already planned on not going to the funeral today, but something suddenly changes after he received that call. He likes to take risks and now he wants to see how bad and how gruesome it would be…

The moment he finally meets Miss Aoi Chiba again… right in front of Kenji Yanagi.

He wonders what face she would ever make. Will she flinch? Be obvious? Or will she keep the act? He cannot really wait. Things are just getting even more thrilling and riveting with all these sudden twists playing along with his plan.

Now, all he needs to bring with him is a good mask to fake it out. He is not really a good actor, but then... It's not like he has to be one to deceive someone as gullible as Kenji Yanagi.

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