His memories (3)

The Agency had one rule.

Do not talk about the Agency.

In the eyes of the public, they did not exist.

They were only known to those they worked with.

High ranking officials, important neutral agencies that controlled trade and defence, their own members and agents -- these were the select few aware of the presence of this ghost organisation.

But now, Lina knew.

When Lina begged Tachi, he felt he would give her anything she wanted.

The only outsiders who knew or were allowed to be part of the agency was family.

"Lina, they won't let you in. The only way is if you are immediate family of a member or agent of the Agency."

With a complicated expression on his face, Tachi proposed a plan to Lina.

If she wanted to go with him, he would not stop her.

He selfishly convinced himself that she wanted this more than he did. His desires played no role.

She was a lonely, misguided child. And he took advantage of it.

"Then what should we do, Tachi?" she had asked, innocently staring at him with sparkling eyes.

"We'll make you my immediate family."

She looked at him confused.

With a red face, he explained to her what he meant.

"You'll have to marry me. And then they can't refuse you entry as my wife."

Lina's big eyes grew even wider.

Tachi had wondered exactly how far this girl would go to get away from her aunt and cousin. She never said what they did to her, but it was obvious they were happier without her.

Lina had been hiding out with him for days and he had heard gossip from the villagers that the aunt and the cousin were spreading stories that she stole from them and ran away.

Her life must have been hard after her parents died.

After her parents were murdered.

A pang of hurt and guilt filled Tachi's heart. He convinced himself he was taking her away for her own good.

He would treat her well and give her all the privileges he could afford to make up for the mistreatment she had gone through all these years.

"I was so selfish...so very selfish...to want her all to myself. I had no right..." he whispered to himself, still lying on the floor, drifting in and out of flashbacks.

He should have just let her live a normal life. But today, her body bore bullet holes and scars.

And her mind remained haunted and tortured, too ready to forget everything.

Drifting back into his flashback, he remembered how he'd used the opportunity for his own gain and benefit.

"Marry you?" she had asked, her eyes still wide in shock.

He'd looked awkwardly at the beautiful teenager to explain himself.

"Yes, well that's the only way you could appear to be my immediate family. The Agency will still be suspicious if our relationship is genuine, which is why we must remain married for at least 10 years so as to maintain the facade as to how you got in."

"Well...Tachi...they won't expect us to do...what married couples do...would they?" she asked him carefully.

A part of his heart dropped, but his head reminded him that she was still a child and it was wrong of him to think that way about her.

He smiled kindly at her.

"I promise never to touch you, Lina. It's just a marriage for show. To help you enter the Agency. After 10 years, we will get an official divorce and you will be free to do as your please as an independent member of the Agency."

Even though he said those words to her, he convinced himself he had 10 years to make her love him. To keep her by his side.

He convinced himself that this marriage would turn into a real relationship.

But she had never looked his way with love in her eyes. Just friendship.

"Okay then, Tachi" the 16 year old girl sitting in front of him had said, adventure in her eyes. "Let's get married."

And that's how he, 26-year old Victor Tachibana, married 16-year old Lina Dai.

Lina Dai, the girl whose parents he had killed when she was just 6 years old.

Lina Dai, the woman who must never find out what he did.

"What have I done...what have I done..." Tachi whispered to himself, finally sitting up on the floor of his prison cell.

Another 10 years later, Lina was notified of her mission to infiltrate Moshi Corporation as Lina Mito, the woman who would marry Shen Moshi.

Right before the mission, she had said something to Tachi that had remained etched in his mind.

He grit his teeth as he thought about 10 months earlier.

Lina was preparing to 'bump into' Shen at the café early in the morning. Day 1 of the mission.

"Hey Tachi?" she said, with a sparkle in her eye.

"Yeah?"

"Once this mission is over, we have a party to throw!" she laughed, as she spoke.

Tachi looked at her, confused.

"Why? What party?"

"A divorce party! It's been 10 years! Isn't it time to put an end to our fake marriage?"

The casual tone of her voice, the laughing...it was as if she didn't care at all!

The marriage hadn't been fake to him.

He'd grit his teeth hard as he smiled at her and nodded.

But that wasn't what pushed him over the edge.

It was a month later, when she married Shen Moshi, that he realised the change in her.

She wasn't faking it with Shen Moshi.

She was withholding information, hiding things, avoiding their rendezvous times and breaking all the rules the Agency had set.

He knew her heart belonged to that privileged brat after just one month of meeting him. While he had been waiting for her for 10 years.

He'd felt cheated and angry and betrayed.

When he finally reported her to the big boss, he received her termination order.

He was to personally assassinate her before she became a liability by revealing herself to Shen.