CHAPTER 10 - ALIGNING PIECES

"Alright, Junpei, I have to go now." I spoke whilst my eyes inspected my watch. He kindly waved me off and I briskly walked down his stairs, emerging at the front door where an unexpected character stood in anticipation.

I wondered why Siena was standing there, but I decided to pay no mind to her and promptly put on my shoes. Her gaze couldn't meet mine and her face harboured a light shade of pink. The door slowly opened and I had already placed one foot outside when she tugged on my hand. My head turns to face her retrieving something from her back pocket that she frantically rummaged through.

"Will you please give me your phone number?" She finally asked after fumbling the phone out of her pocket and presenting it open on her contacts page.

I saw no reason to decline and entertained her plea, grabbing her phone and inserting my digits. "So why do you want my phone number?" My inquiry seemed to have caught her off guard as she almost dropped her phone as I placed it back in her hand. Defensively, she covers her face with her hands that were buried underneath the sleeves of her red hoodie and impulsively pushed me out of the door shouting, "I'll call you later!!"

Sigh~!

I planted my hands in the comfort of my pockets, strolling back to my house. "I need to get back to school and then from that point get home," I whispered to myself. Once more, my eyes naturally fell upon my watch as I took note of the time. "6:30 pm huh, I should make it there even if I make an abrupt stop on the way."

As the school came into my sight after several minutes of walking, I gradually built up to a light jog before halting completely at the front gates which were now closed.

"Right on time." A scarce mechanical roar rumbled from behind me. A lengthy black limousine stopped next to the sidewalk I currently stood on. The door to the luxurious car is then regardfully pulled open by the chauffeur who exited the driver's seat. He warmly greeted me with an elegant bow, and gesturally guided me with his open palm directed at the opened car door.

My pleasant look melted into a stone-faced expression, no hint of emotion lingering around me. Mindful of my head, I enter into the back seat and slightly slide over. On the opposite side, where a long row of seats followed, a man sat. His face aged with the harshest rain of acidic blood that has sculpted his face into what it is. A scar goes across both eyes horizontally, gold earrings in each ear and long seafoam-coloured hair groomed into a bun at the back. A black scratchy beard that was littered with grey hairs and lips that looked like they'd been rubbed on sandpaper. He wore an entirely black suit and a black shirt underneath.

He calmly turned his attention towards me as he exhaled the smoke from the cigar planted in his mouth in the direction of the nearest open window. Our silence extended for a few brief moments before I broke it.

"I'm glad you took the time out of your day to meet with me, Sir Ryu Ishida."

"It's fine. Quite convenient actually. I always wanted to talk to the son of the Kage family anyway, especially after the rumours of what you've been doing these past few years." His voice was hoarse and raspy, breathing a sense of intimidation through that air like poisonous gas.

I lightly chuckle, however, the deadpan look in my eyes remained. "Rumours are just rumours. They should all be taken with a grain of salt." I disposed of some wisdom as a way to derail him from his current thoughts.

"That is very true indeed, yet I beg to differ in your case. You are most certainly worthy of wielding the surname Kage, even more so now that I see you in the flesh and blood. You know, over the years I have picked up a certain skill that separates two groups of people. A detection skill, you could almost say. I can distinctly tell when someone possesses a killer instinct, but you don't have that, Kage. You possess something greater than that, an obsession of sorts that stains your entire presence and existence in the feeling of death and chaos." His view narrowed down on me and it seems that damage to his eyes hadn't caused blindness.

"I'm certain you're just imagining things, Sir. Not to discredit your intuition which has been honed for years, I'm sure." I parried his statement. I don't know if he meant it as a good thing or a bad thing, but certainly, I wished he'd drop the topic. "So, getting to it, can my request be fulfilled?"

Ryu smiled appreciating my desire to get down to the thick of it and then asked. "What do you exactly need from my networks team for?"

I cross my legs and pull out a cigar from a compartment in the limousine and light it with my Feuerzeug that I had retrieved from my blazer pocket. I slowly inhale the smoke and release it soothingly.

"That's a beautiful antique lighter. You can tell it's the authentic one as well." He commented whilst also waiting for me to state my reason.

"I'm sorry if this answer doesn't satisfy you, but all I can say is it's a private matter. I am unwilling to disclose anything at the current time. As long as the both of us are satisfied with what we've got out of this deal, it should be left at that and a possible partnership down the line." I stood firm in my response, and Ryu nodded in acceptance of my decision. "The head of the severed snake will produce you the required supply of the drugs you need completely for free along with a generous anonymous donation."

"I'm glad you understand." He confirmed that we had the right ideas of what each of us wanted.

The car after a certain distance stopped, arriving at the driveway of my house. "I look forward to meeting you next time, maybe you could even introduce me to your sole heir, your son." I suggested as he chuckled in delight grabbing his thick cigar, before they drove off.

I took another puff before turning around and entering my house. I take my shoes off in the entrance hall and slip on my bleached slippers. I started taking my clothes off immediately after I stepped through the door, chucking everything to one side whilst biting down on the lit cigar in my mouth.

Knock, knock, knock!!

A rhythmic pattern sounded on the other side of my door and followed by being crept open. Sato poked her head through, her stare scanning my half-naked body from top to bottom. "You're back, Kioshi." She spoke placing her finger on her lip in a cutesy manner.

I slowly removed the cigar from my mouth and blew away the smoke, opening the window in my room. I smile at her. "I'm back."

The two of us embrace each over in a deep hug as Sato carefully ran her finger down from my chest to my abs and then reached my pants. I roughly grab her hand and tilt her head up. "Not today." She replies by pushing me onto the bed and sitting next to me, slowly rolling her eyes.

"Is everything going as you wanted it to?" She asked with a pleased grin.

I continue blowing clouds as I nod my head. "Everything is going well for the first day and all the information we gathered previously had all been confirmed. Turns out, we actually know more than most."

Sato begins giggling. "Did you get revenge on your old friend Hayashi?"

A menacing smile contorts on my face. "No...but I prefer to save the best for last."