[KiyoharuxTora] "The Good Samaritan", 04b/0?
"THE GOOD SAMARITAN", 04b/0?
BANDS/ARTISTS: Kiyoharu, Alice Nine, SCREW, Kagrra,, Danger Gang
CHARACTERS: Kiyoharu, Tora, Shou, Byou, Nao (ex-Kagrra,), Rei (ex-Danger Gang)
PAIRINGS: KiyoharuxTora (not the focus, though; see genres)
RATING: PG13-15 for the entire series, may get higher in the later chapters
GENRE: AU, adventure, action, crime
WARNINGS: violence, language (the whole series)
DISCLAIMER: The author has no connections to the mentioned artists; this is a work of fiction.
A/N: The second part of the fourth chapter is finally finished. Enjoy :)
SUMMARY: The Good Samaritan saves Shou's life one night but little does Shou know about the not-so-biblical business that has employed his rescuer.
PREVIOUS: | 01|| 02|| 03| | 04a|
I had spent almost twenty minutes by lying on my back, idly observing the room, and the results my sluggish brain had put together weren't that impressive: the walls were white. Not as clinically white as the ones in Tora's apartment, these here had a slight blue-ish tint to them, I mused as the bright morning light washed over the room. The easily identifiable smell of paint suggested that the room had gotten a new color not so long ago.
I rolled onto my side. There was the door. It was slightly ajar, and because Kuu was nowhere to be seen, I could only guess the dog had snuck out of the room sometime during the night.
I moved once more, returning to my original position staring at the ceiling. The futon was surprisingly comfortable; I had partially expected Kiyoharu to send me to the house's bleakest, coldest room with ancient-old futon and lumpy pillows. However, I had to give it to him; the room was really nice, and the sheets' scent implied they had come almost straight from the washing machine. It was one of those ordinary things that I had missed whilst staying at Tora's without really knowing I had missed them -the smell of fabric softener.
Another twenty minutes passed before I finally heaved a sigh and pushed myself up. Okay, day one at the haunted house, go!
After dressing up I walked to downstairs, every step oozing reluctance. Now, Kiyoharu had been a gentleman enough to provide me a warm bed; he had also been a gentleman enough not to insert any lethal insects or scorpions in between the sheets. However, considering our previous encounters, of which none had been a text book example of 'pleasant', I had a pretty good feeling that he wouldn't appreciate my company that much. All I could do was to pray that Tora would finish with his business quickly and return for me soon.
I was having breakfast when Kiyoharu entered the kitchen. His t-shirt revealed a varying collection of tattoos inked under his skin on both of his arms. A long scarf hung from his neck, lightly brushing against his body as he moved around the room, preparing a cup of tea for himself. When he was finished, he turned to me with a steaming mug in his hand and raised an awaiting brow. I hurried with my food, and five minutes later, we exited the room and began the tour Kiyoharu had promised me in the preceding night.
I followed him from a safe distance and nodded obediently as his low voice listed the names of the rooms. In the new part of the first floor there was the kitchen I had already seen but as well a proper bathroom with shower and bathtub. There were a few closets, and of course the strictly forbidden room which we passed without any words of introduction. We walked past the piano and climbed to the second floor which had two guest rooms (I inhabited one of them), bathroom and a some sort of living-room type of space with a couch and a few armchairs.
The older part of the house was much larger but then, it was only natural, as it had been 'the house' in all entity before the new wing had been built. The tatami rooms were mainly empty, except for one that had a low, traditional tea table and cushions around it. One section of a larger space had been separated with paper-made sliding doors; as Kiyoharu saw it was unnecessary to mention anything about that room either, I concluded it had to be his own private space. A tiny part of me was curious about it but another part, much larger and far more sensible, informed me that if I wished to leave this house in good health, I would avoid that space with all my might -just to be on the safe side.
We ended our tour at the veranda. I leaned at the wooden rail in amazement. The garden was bright green despite it being mid-fall; the crispy air flirted with the leaves and sunlight, a bit harsh that morning, pierced through the foliage with ease, illuminating effectively every little detail of the parcel of land. Beyond the trees fields stretched as far as eye could see; in the horizon there were some low hills, and excluding them and one narrow road corkscrewing its way through the fields, there prevailed absolute desolation.
Kiyoharu settled himself comfortably next to me. "You like it?" he asked, gazing at the view as well.
"It's lovely."
He nodded at my answer and propped his chin on an open palm. "It's twenty kilometers to the closest town." He waved towards the horizon with his free hand. "I'm going there later today, so if you need something, let me know. Although, it's quite a small place, it probably won't offer the same luxuries as big, bright Tokyo." As he quieted down, apparently getting lost in his own thoughts as he admired his kingdom, I had a brief flash of insight. Perhaps I had judged this man a bit too hastily.
He blinked, as if he had noticed himself he had let his guard down. He didn't remove his gaze from the view though; this time much sharper, his eyes glided about in the garden. "Have you seen Kuu? The dog you saw yesterday?"
I shrugged and he smacked his lips disapprovingly. "Well, she's probably here somewhere." It seemed he was going to leave it at that and return into the house; however, he looked at me thoughtfully, perhaps even a bit hesitantly. I would later see that that was the case with Kiyoharu -it was always a challenge to read the expressions on that cryptic face. "I should be back by nightfall but if something comes up, would you make sure Kuu's inside when it starts darkening? She's foolhardy, and if she ran into a tanuki or a fox she'd flat out attack it."
I nodded eagerly. Even if it was a small task, it'd be nice to be useful. "Sure, it's no biggie."
He didn't smile in return -it would've been too much, and in all honesty, I hadn't expected him to warm up to me that quickly anyway- but gave a small nod instead. After that he went back inside, leaving me to figure out how to fill my day.
As it turned out, aside the tour around the house in the morning, that was pretty much all I did during the entire day. Quite soon after I had returned to my room I heard a car being started, and as I took a peek out the window, I saw a red mini with black roof rolling into sight from behind the house. Kiyoharu left to run errands and didn't return until dinner time. We had a light meal after which he retreated to the old part of the house. I was in bed by ten o'clock.
The routines for my stay formed the next day. I went down, had breakfast alone and after it, took a few water bottles from the fridge and went back upstairs. I slept a few hours more, as there was nothing better to do, and then, Kuu often trailing behind me, I walked around in the garden and enjoyed the last warm days of the year.
The difference between Kiyoharu's house and Tora's town apartment was that this one here had life in it; wherever I looked, I could see coffee cups with brown circles inside them, half-emptied water bottles and rumpled newspapers left forgotten on tables and countertops. It wasn't messy -it was cozy.
Whenever I came across with a newspaper like that I picked it up. The freshness of the papers varied from a few days to a few weeks but I accepted eagerly everything I got. Even if the news were old, there was always the comics page to amuse me.
And then there was Kuu. I myself was a cat person, so I didn't know much of dogs but Kuu looked like a some sort of fluffy Chihuahua: it was tiny, pale gold creature with black button eyes and a long-ish nose. It was endlessly curious; it kept appearing out of the blue whenever I walked inside the house, obviously to see if I was doing something fun. It had a bit of a stomach, and I quickly learned it loved food.
There was a TV upstairs. I didn't dare to switch it on, though -the light layer of dust on it implied it wasn't used that often. I sensed it was expected of me to behave as impeccably as possible, and somehow I felt watching TV all day long, an activity familiar from Tora's apartment, was not seen as something a courteous and endlessly grateful guest would do here. So, newspapers and Kuu became my two main sources for entertainment.
After the first day, Kiyoharu stayed home too. Not that it really would've mattered -I hardly saw him. We dined together but even then our conversations weren't that rich. I complimented his cooking and he shrugged it off by saying most of it was instant food. When we had finished eating, I offered to help with the dishes but he always shook his head.
His presence was most apparent at evenings. Usually around the time I was climbing up the stairs to go to bed, or sometimes after that, I could hear a slow-paced, warm yet somehow rueful piano melody rising and spreading around the house. I hadn't expected the piano to be there as a decoration but the sheer talent he had was surprising. The song was always the same; it wasn't a complicated one but nonetheless I enjoyed listening to it in the darkness of my room. It provided a beautiful soundtrack for the shadows of the tree branches racing on the ceiling.
Four days went by like this; sleeping, reading, walking, eating, listening to Kiyoharu's playing, repeat. When the time came for me to leave, I was relieved but it wasn't because I would've hated my stay. Truth to be said, I had missed having company, talking to people, and I realized I had had to be desperately lonely during my visit at Kiyoharu's because the prospect of conversing with Tora, Mister It's-None-Of-Your-Business, made me genuinely happy.
So, it was Wednesday night when Kiyoharu's cell phone began ringing. He flipped the lid of the phone open. "Yes?" I watched his brows furrow as he listened to the caller. "He's here, actually. I'll give it to him." His lips somewhat tightened, he handed the phone to me. "It's Tora. He wants to talk to you."
Perplexed, I accepted the item and awkwardly aware of Kiyoharu standing a few steps away, I answered the call. "Hello?"
The voice was cracking a little -apparently the network wasn't very good- but it was unmistakably Tora. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes," he greeted, cutting straight to business in his usual manner. "I'm bit in a hurry, so I'm not popping in today. Pack your stuff and meet me in the front." Then the phone call ended, as abruptly as it had begun.
Slowly, I reached out my hand and gave the phone back to its owner. "He said he wants me to wait for him outside, so... I better go collect my... things." A rush of relief surged through my body, and I knew it rang in my voice too.
"I figured." Kiyoharu nodded. There were shadows under his eyes I hadn't noticed before as he looked enigmatically at me. He didn't say anything, though, and as time ticked on, I gestured lamely towards the stairs and turned around to leave the room.
"Shou."
It was the first time he had called me by my name -no kiddo-ing, boy-ing or runt-ing. Startled, I stopped. His slender fingers entwined around my wrist and softly, he pulled me closer. "Do you know who he is?" His eyes locked with mine; the dark irises shifted hardly at all as he scanned my face for an answer to the question he was yet to ask. I wasn't afraid -actually, he seemed very pleasant up close with his deep, hazy eyes and almost glimmering skin. Inscrutably, a smile formed onto his lips.
"Thought so." Still gazing into my eyes he continued, tightening his grip only barely. "I know who he is and what he does, and I can tell you, he's not the guardian angel you seem to think he is. I've seen him scam single parents out of their lifetime savings; I've helped him wash after a job turned into a massacre. Now, I'm only saying this because you seem to like him. It's a fair warning, boy -you're at the crossroads now, and you have to choose."
"Choose what?" I sounded crustier than I had meant. His smile deepened an inch, and without further comments, he pulled away and walked to the piano. Mere seconds later the familiar mellow melody appeared to fulfill the silence.
"Choose what, exactly?" I muttered at his back but he pretended not to hear.
"I have a favor to ask of you," Tora said as soon as I had sat inside the Toyota and closed the door. He switched the gear and steered to the narrow sand road that would eventually take us back to Tokyo. "My judgment might have... I should've never brought you here. If you could forget you ever were here, I'd be grateful."
The way he spoke... Something about him and his oddly absent-minded expression pushed me forwards -I wasn't sure but I had the feeling that I wouldn't be punished for asking. "Who is he?"
Tora hummed. "Kiyoharu? You spent four days together, you should remember his name."
"No." I stared at him intensely. "Who is he?"
The silence was long -actually, as it stretched and stretched, I began thinking he wasn't going to answer at all. It wasn't until hours later when we reached the outskirts of the metropolis and got stuck in the first traffic lights that he finally spoke.
"That place is something I want to protect." He tapped the wheel softly with his fingertips, lazily looking at the red light.
A grim smirk crept over my lips. Choose, right. Oh, well, the dice had been cast. "Protect from what?"
The light turned into green but the car remained unmoved. Tora stared out of the windshield, ignoring the honks the other drivers were giving us.
"How much did he tell you?" he asked. The nonchalant mask he was putting up was obviously fake because he had stopped casually tapping the wheel.
"He..." Well, this was more difficult than I had thought. "He kind of mentioned... scamming money, and... Well, uh, bathing in blood."
He snorted. "Being discreet really isn't his forte." Then, all of a sudden, as if he had decided what the heck, he gave a laugh. "Well, you answered your own question."
"Blood..?" My brows knitted together. An assassin, was that it? No... "Scam is the keyword, right?" Pieces began to fall into their places. "You're a swindler, aren't you?"
"Swindler, hustler, conman, con artist if you wish to be fancy, yes. I have many names but the basic work description is the same."
"...Wow." I couldn't fathom that finally I knew the truth. It all seemed so logical now, so obvious that I really couldn't claim I would've been surprised. A conman. Swindler. Yes, it fit perfectly. Numbly, I watched the light go from green back to red.
Tora smiled wryly. "I'm sure you understand my line of work is rather unpredictable. Not very safe. People don't generally like being robbed of their money." He kept a pause, apparently contemplating what to say next. I expected all sorts of laidback comments in his usual brief, matter-of-factly style but instead, what he said next took me aback: "That's why I would appreciate you forgetting about the house and... him. It's safer that way." I saw him glancing at me via the front rear-view mirror. For a fleeting moment an odd shadow flickered in his eyes before he turned his face away. The casual tapping returned.
It hit me. That expression, it wasn't strange because I couldn't make sense of it, it was strange because I had not seen anything like that on him before -he was worried, worried about him. Tora actually was capable of feeling compassion, loyalty, affection -maybe even love.
As the traffic light went green once again, we finally left the crossroads and continued our drive. I sank deeper into the seat, contemplating the last ten minutes in surreal haze. Little did I know then that that conversation was to be the last I had with Tora for a long, long time. Next day I would be in this car again, not on the passenger seat but behind the wheel, frantically trying to remember the route back to Kiyoharu's house. Tora would be missing, and it would take months for me to comprehend that I was partly at fault as to why he got caught that day.
A/N: I'm sorry this one took so awfully long. I had a summer flu and my brain simply refused understanding English. Anyway, I'm feeling better now. Thanks for being patient with me♥ From next chapter onwards, it's plain action! We have four to five chapters left, perhaps a little more if I come up with extra twists to the plot~ Anyway, let me know what you think :)
BANDS/ARTISTS: Kiyoharu, Alice Nine, SCREW, Kagrra,, Danger Gang
CHARACTERS: Kiyoharu, Tora, Shou, Byou, Nao (ex-Kagrra,), Rei (ex-Danger Gang)
PAIRINGS: KiyoharuxTora (not the focus, though; see genres)
RATING: PG13-15 for the entire series, may get higher in the later chapters
GENRE: AU, adventure, action, crime
WARNINGS: violence, language (the whole series)
DISCLAIMER: The author has no connections to the mentioned artists; this is a work of fiction.
A/N: The second part of the fourth chapter is finally finished. Enjoy :)
SUMMARY: The Good Samaritan saves Shou's life one night but little does Shou know about the not-so-biblical business that has employed his rescuer.
PREVIOUS: | 01|| 02|| 03| | 04a|
I had spent almost twenty minutes by lying on my back, idly observing the room, and the results my sluggish brain had put together weren't that impressive: the walls were white. Not as clinically white as the ones in Tora's apartment, these here had a slight blue-ish tint to them, I mused as the bright morning light washed over the room. The easily identifiable smell of paint suggested that the room had gotten a new color not so long ago.
I rolled onto my side. There was the door. It was slightly ajar, and because Kuu was nowhere to be seen, I could only guess the dog had snuck out of the room sometime during the night.
I moved once more, returning to my original position staring at the ceiling. The futon was surprisingly comfortable; I had partially expected Kiyoharu to send me to the house's bleakest, coldest room with ancient-old futon and lumpy pillows. However, I had to give it to him; the room was really nice, and the sheets' scent implied they had come almost straight from the washing machine. It was one of those ordinary things that I had missed whilst staying at Tora's without really knowing I had missed them -the smell of fabric softener.
Another twenty minutes passed before I finally heaved a sigh and pushed myself up. Okay, day one at the haunted house, go!
After dressing up I walked to downstairs, every step oozing reluctance. Now, Kiyoharu had been a gentleman enough to provide me a warm bed; he had also been a gentleman enough not to insert any lethal insects or scorpions in between the sheets. However, considering our previous encounters, of which none had been a text book example of 'pleasant', I had a pretty good feeling that he wouldn't appreciate my company that much. All I could do was to pray that Tora would finish with his business quickly and return for me soon.
I was having breakfast when Kiyoharu entered the kitchen. His t-shirt revealed a varying collection of tattoos inked under his skin on both of his arms. A long scarf hung from his neck, lightly brushing against his body as he moved around the room, preparing a cup of tea for himself. When he was finished, he turned to me with a steaming mug in his hand and raised an awaiting brow. I hurried with my food, and five minutes later, we exited the room and began the tour Kiyoharu had promised me in the preceding night.
I followed him from a safe distance and nodded obediently as his low voice listed the names of the rooms. In the new part of the first floor there was the kitchen I had already seen but as well a proper bathroom with shower and bathtub. There were a few closets, and of course the strictly forbidden room which we passed without any words of introduction. We walked past the piano and climbed to the second floor which had two guest rooms (I inhabited one of them), bathroom and a some sort of living-room type of space with a couch and a few armchairs.
The older part of the house was much larger but then, it was only natural, as it had been 'the house' in all entity before the new wing had been built. The tatami rooms were mainly empty, except for one that had a low, traditional tea table and cushions around it. One section of a larger space had been separated with paper-made sliding doors; as Kiyoharu saw it was unnecessary to mention anything about that room either, I concluded it had to be his own private space. A tiny part of me was curious about it but another part, much larger and far more sensible, informed me that if I wished to leave this house in good health, I would avoid that space with all my might -just to be on the safe side.
We ended our tour at the veranda. I leaned at the wooden rail in amazement. The garden was bright green despite it being mid-fall; the crispy air flirted with the leaves and sunlight, a bit harsh that morning, pierced through the foliage with ease, illuminating effectively every little detail of the parcel of land. Beyond the trees fields stretched as far as eye could see; in the horizon there were some low hills, and excluding them and one narrow road corkscrewing its way through the fields, there prevailed absolute desolation.
Kiyoharu settled himself comfortably next to me. "You like it?" he asked, gazing at the view as well.
"It's lovely."
He nodded at my answer and propped his chin on an open palm. "It's twenty kilometers to the closest town." He waved towards the horizon with his free hand. "I'm going there later today, so if you need something, let me know. Although, it's quite a small place, it probably won't offer the same luxuries as big, bright Tokyo." As he quieted down, apparently getting lost in his own thoughts as he admired his kingdom, I had a brief flash of insight. Perhaps I had judged this man a bit too hastily.
He blinked, as if he had noticed himself he had let his guard down. He didn't remove his gaze from the view though; this time much sharper, his eyes glided about in the garden. "Have you seen Kuu? The dog you saw yesterday?"
I shrugged and he smacked his lips disapprovingly. "Well, she's probably here somewhere." It seemed he was going to leave it at that and return into the house; however, he looked at me thoughtfully, perhaps even a bit hesitantly. I would later see that that was the case with Kiyoharu -it was always a challenge to read the expressions on that cryptic face. "I should be back by nightfall but if something comes up, would you make sure Kuu's inside when it starts darkening? She's foolhardy, and if she ran into a tanuki or a fox she'd flat out attack it."
I nodded eagerly. Even if it was a small task, it'd be nice to be useful. "Sure, it's no biggie."
He didn't smile in return -it would've been too much, and in all honesty, I hadn't expected him to warm up to me that quickly anyway- but gave a small nod instead. After that he went back inside, leaving me to figure out how to fill my day.
As it turned out, aside the tour around the house in the morning, that was pretty much all I did during the entire day. Quite soon after I had returned to my room I heard a car being started, and as I took a peek out the window, I saw a red mini with black roof rolling into sight from behind the house. Kiyoharu left to run errands and didn't return until dinner time. We had a light meal after which he retreated to the old part of the house. I was in bed by ten o'clock.
The routines for my stay formed the next day. I went down, had breakfast alone and after it, took a few water bottles from the fridge and went back upstairs. I slept a few hours more, as there was nothing better to do, and then, Kuu often trailing behind me, I walked around in the garden and enjoyed the last warm days of the year.
The difference between Kiyoharu's house and Tora's town apartment was that this one here had life in it; wherever I looked, I could see coffee cups with brown circles inside them, half-emptied water bottles and rumpled newspapers left forgotten on tables and countertops. It wasn't messy -it was cozy.
Whenever I came across with a newspaper like that I picked it up. The freshness of the papers varied from a few days to a few weeks but I accepted eagerly everything I got. Even if the news were old, there was always the comics page to amuse me.
And then there was Kuu. I myself was a cat person, so I didn't know much of dogs but Kuu looked like a some sort of fluffy Chihuahua: it was tiny, pale gold creature with black button eyes and a long-ish nose. It was endlessly curious; it kept appearing out of the blue whenever I walked inside the house, obviously to see if I was doing something fun. It had a bit of a stomach, and I quickly learned it loved food.
There was a TV upstairs. I didn't dare to switch it on, though -the light layer of dust on it implied it wasn't used that often. I sensed it was expected of me to behave as impeccably as possible, and somehow I felt watching TV all day long, an activity familiar from Tora's apartment, was not seen as something a courteous and endlessly grateful guest would do here. So, newspapers and Kuu became my two main sources for entertainment.
After the first day, Kiyoharu stayed home too. Not that it really would've mattered -I hardly saw him. We dined together but even then our conversations weren't that rich. I complimented his cooking and he shrugged it off by saying most of it was instant food. When we had finished eating, I offered to help with the dishes but he always shook his head.
His presence was most apparent at evenings. Usually around the time I was climbing up the stairs to go to bed, or sometimes after that, I could hear a slow-paced, warm yet somehow rueful piano melody rising and spreading around the house. I hadn't expected the piano to be there as a decoration but the sheer talent he had was surprising. The song was always the same; it wasn't a complicated one but nonetheless I enjoyed listening to it in the darkness of my room. It provided a beautiful soundtrack for the shadows of the tree branches racing on the ceiling.
Four days went by like this; sleeping, reading, walking, eating, listening to Kiyoharu's playing, repeat. When the time came for me to leave, I was relieved but it wasn't because I would've hated my stay. Truth to be said, I had missed having company, talking to people, and I realized I had had to be desperately lonely during my visit at Kiyoharu's because the prospect of conversing with Tora, Mister It's-None-Of-Your-Business, made me genuinely happy.
So, it was Wednesday night when Kiyoharu's cell phone began ringing. He flipped the lid of the phone open. "Yes?" I watched his brows furrow as he listened to the caller. "He's here, actually. I'll give it to him." His lips somewhat tightened, he handed the phone to me. "It's Tora. He wants to talk to you."
Perplexed, I accepted the item and awkwardly aware of Kiyoharu standing a few steps away, I answered the call. "Hello?"
The voice was cracking a little -apparently the network wasn't very good- but it was unmistakably Tora. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes," he greeted, cutting straight to business in his usual manner. "I'm bit in a hurry, so I'm not popping in today. Pack your stuff and meet me in the front." Then the phone call ended, as abruptly as it had begun.
Slowly, I reached out my hand and gave the phone back to its owner. "He said he wants me to wait for him outside, so... I better go collect my... things." A rush of relief surged through my body, and I knew it rang in my voice too.
"I figured." Kiyoharu nodded. There were shadows under his eyes I hadn't noticed before as he looked enigmatically at me. He didn't say anything, though, and as time ticked on, I gestured lamely towards the stairs and turned around to leave the room.
"Shou."
It was the first time he had called me by my name -no kiddo-ing, boy-ing or runt-ing. Startled, I stopped. His slender fingers entwined around my wrist and softly, he pulled me closer. "Do you know who he is?" His eyes locked with mine; the dark irises shifted hardly at all as he scanned my face for an answer to the question he was yet to ask. I wasn't afraid -actually, he seemed very pleasant up close with his deep, hazy eyes and almost glimmering skin. Inscrutably, a smile formed onto his lips.
"Thought so." Still gazing into my eyes he continued, tightening his grip only barely. "I know who he is and what he does, and I can tell you, he's not the guardian angel you seem to think he is. I've seen him scam single parents out of their lifetime savings; I've helped him wash after a job turned into a massacre. Now, I'm only saying this because you seem to like him. It's a fair warning, boy -you're at the crossroads now, and you have to choose."
"Choose what?" I sounded crustier than I had meant. His smile deepened an inch, and without further comments, he pulled away and walked to the piano. Mere seconds later the familiar mellow melody appeared to fulfill the silence.
"Choose what, exactly?" I muttered at his back but he pretended not to hear.
"I have a favor to ask of you," Tora said as soon as I had sat inside the Toyota and closed the door. He switched the gear and steered to the narrow sand road that would eventually take us back to Tokyo. "My judgment might have... I should've never brought you here. If you could forget you ever were here, I'd be grateful."
The way he spoke... Something about him and his oddly absent-minded expression pushed me forwards -I wasn't sure but I had the feeling that I wouldn't be punished for asking. "Who is he?"
Tora hummed. "Kiyoharu? You spent four days together, you should remember his name."
"No." I stared at him intensely. "Who is he?"
The silence was long -actually, as it stretched and stretched, I began thinking he wasn't going to answer at all. It wasn't until hours later when we reached the outskirts of the metropolis and got stuck in the first traffic lights that he finally spoke.
"That place is something I want to protect." He tapped the wheel softly with his fingertips, lazily looking at the red light.
A grim smirk crept over my lips. Choose, right. Oh, well, the dice had been cast. "Protect from what?"
The light turned into green but the car remained unmoved. Tora stared out of the windshield, ignoring the honks the other drivers were giving us.
"How much did he tell you?" he asked. The nonchalant mask he was putting up was obviously fake because he had stopped casually tapping the wheel.
"He..." Well, this was more difficult than I had thought. "He kind of mentioned... scamming money, and... Well, uh, bathing in blood."
He snorted. "Being discreet really isn't his forte." Then, all of a sudden, as if he had decided what the heck, he gave a laugh. "Well, you answered your own question."
"Blood..?" My brows knitted together. An assassin, was that it? No... "Scam is the keyword, right?" Pieces began to fall into their places. "You're a swindler, aren't you?"
"Swindler, hustler, conman, con artist if you wish to be fancy, yes. I have many names but the basic work description is the same."
"...Wow." I couldn't fathom that finally I knew the truth. It all seemed so logical now, so obvious that I really couldn't claim I would've been surprised. A conman. Swindler. Yes, it fit perfectly. Numbly, I watched the light go from green back to red.
Tora smiled wryly. "I'm sure you understand my line of work is rather unpredictable. Not very safe. People don't generally like being robbed of their money." He kept a pause, apparently contemplating what to say next. I expected all sorts of laidback comments in his usual brief, matter-of-factly style but instead, what he said next took me aback: "That's why I would appreciate you forgetting about the house and... him. It's safer that way." I saw him glancing at me via the front rear-view mirror. For a fleeting moment an odd shadow flickered in his eyes before he turned his face away. The casual tapping returned.
It hit me. That expression, it wasn't strange because I couldn't make sense of it, it was strange because I had not seen anything like that on him before -he was worried, worried about him. Tora actually was capable of feeling compassion, loyalty, affection -maybe even love.
As the traffic light went green once again, we finally left the crossroads and continued our drive. I sank deeper into the seat, contemplating the last ten minutes in surreal haze. Little did I know then that that conversation was to be the last I had with Tora for a long, long time. Next day I would be in this car again, not on the passenger seat but behind the wheel, frantically trying to remember the route back to Kiyoharu's house. Tora would be missing, and it would take months for me to comprehend that I was partly at fault as to why he got caught that day.
A/N: I'm sorry this one took so awfully long. I had a summer flu and my brain simply refused understanding English. Anyway, I'm feeling better now. Thanks for being patient with me♥ From next chapter onwards, it's plain action! We have four to five chapters left, perhaps a little more if I come up with extra twists to the plot~ Anyway, let me know what you think :)