Ch 33
โ
Chapter Thirty Four
Atone
โ
โThe old man is dead.โ
The silhouette turned, his blue eyes glistening in the limited light. โHow do you know for certain? He could be putting us through another test.โ
โSurviving that kind of explosion?โ The man scoffed. โCome off it. Thereโs no way he could have gotten out of there in time, on such short notice. And he definitely didnโt hire the masked group that attacked him.โ
โWhat, the Serows?โ The blue eyes blinked in confusion. โI thought they disbanded after the airport attack. Youโre telling me theyโre still working together?โ
โTheyโre not the Serows.โ The man backed to a window, leaning his arm against an old wooden table and looking out into the moonlit night through the dirty window. โThey never were. One of the Serows went rogue and killed the rest of them, from what Iโve heard. Rikuto called him a renegade, a traitor to the yakuza and the Serows, and ever since then heโs worn the title as a badge of honor.โ
โSo wait.โ The blue-eyed man held up a hand in protest. โHe managed to kill all the Serows, and then he, what, made his own Serows instead? How much of this did you actually see?โ
The man at the window turned towards his compatriot, revealing the jagged scar running down one side of his face and sealing his eyelid shut. โSorry, I didnโt mean it like that. Itโs justโฆ This is a lot of information at once. Why werenโt we told? Why didnโt Rikuto lay low with the ceremony, like I told him to? Doesnโt that old codger have more masks somewhere that he couldโve-โ
โDidnโt.โ
The blue eyes rolled in annoyance. โYes, Shingo, whatever. So.โ He stepped out of the shadow, the moonlight falling on his flax-colored moustache. โWhat do I tell the men?โ
โYouโre the boss, tell them whatever you want.โ Shingo replied with a casual shrug. โThereโs nobody left to run the Kumagai clan, if the old man really is dead, so itโd be wise to hold on to as large a piece of the yakuza as you can. Being a foreigner puts you at a pretty big disadvantage in terms of your legitimacy, and your name isnโt exactly easy for us to pronounce.โ
โI appreciate the honesty.โ The man replied with a sarcastic smile. โTell the men to disperse for now. Get the idea across without saying it that this death is just another one of his loyalty tests, and weโll be hearing from him soon. That way weโre likely to hold out longer than the other disconnected parts of the clan, and give a clearer impression of loyalty.โ
He had picked up a ring of keys with one finger as he spoke, and both he and Shingo stared in silence as they began rattling against each other. The latter swiftly drew a handgun and approached the old metal doors at one end of the woodshop, while the former slowly moved towards the small wooden door at the opposite end.
โIโll be honest,โ A figure behind a stack of wooden boxes murmured, prompting the blue-eyed man to almost instinctively snap to face him. โWhen I heard you were not only the head of the last Kumagai branch, but the brains behind Rikutoโs whole outfit, I was kind of expecting a better hiding place.โ
โWho are you?โ The man shot a glance at Shingo, who stared into the metal doors without the slightest change in his stance or posture. โHow did you get in here?โ
โI mean, cโmon.โ The silhouette rounded the tables in the middle of the room, passing by and bumping into Shingo, who immediately toppled sideways and crumpled into a heap. โRikutoโs workshop is the least subtle place to show up at, even if heโs not been to Yubara in quite a while. Iโm beginning to think you donโt have any other hideouts left.โ
โAnswer me.โ The distinctively scandinavian accent was somewhat stereotypical, but blended in with a genteel coolness that commanded both attention and admiration. โYouโre one of those renegades, arenโt you?โ
The metal mask the silhouette wore reflected off the light coming from the window, which also revealed the jacket atop his dark hoodie. โWe knew you people would show up somewhere, so we chose to watch the most obvious spots. I guess we read you like a book.โ
โThereโs a wealth of info you two possess. And while you donโt know that weโve already cleaned up the remaining branches, thereโs still plenty we can use. So why donโt you scrape up your partner in crime and we can tend to that fainting episode I caus-โ
He had glanced back at Shingo as he spoke, giving the man plenty of time to pull out a handgun from his pocket and pull the trigger. His eyes blinked through his visceral reaction to the sight of Shingoโs new piercing, freeing up his previously trapped eyelid and redecorating the wall behind him.
The gun rattled for a brief moment as it was aimed at him, and the safety snapped into place when the slightest pressure was applied to the trigger. โRight, Tone. Guns first, Tone.โ The silhouetted figure grumbled under his breath, occasionally pausing between sentences to force back down his gag reflex as he strode across the warehouse and closed the gap between him and the man who was now frantically trying to force the safety off again. โThey can shoot you, Tone, take the guns out first. Remember to take out their guns, Tone.โ
Forcing the safety back into place, the man pressed the barrel up against the bottom of his chin and pulled the trigger, only for the hammer to softly tap against the firing pin. The next second the gun was ripped from his fingers, a gloved hand gripping tightly around his throat, and the silhouette pushed him through the old wooden door and down the sharp gravely slope.
โIโll be honest, I was only interested in Shingo.โ The silhouette, now revealed in the bright moonlight to be the broad-shouldered young man under the alias Tone, kept his grip around the fellowโs throat with a steady level of choking pressure. โYouโre just another threat to take out. He couldโve told us where Rikutoโs masks are hidden. He could have given us all the information we need to cut off your little groupโs funds for good. But you just had to kill him, didnโt you?โ
The man tried to respond, but a sudden tearing occurred in his throat, and the scream that followed was little more than a hoarse whisper. โI know the first thing youโll do once Iโm gone is call up your boys and tell them where to hide. But without killing you, thereโs no good way to shut you up in the meantime.โ
โThat pain youโre rolling in is the sensation of your voice box being torn out.โ Toneโs eyes rounded on his victim with pure malice emanating from them. โI tried to make it as painful as possible. But that can be fixed, canโt it? A little surgery, a nice organ donor, and youโll sound enough like yourself that nobody will question anything.โ
The man, who had been sending swipes at Toneโs face which fell just short of his mask, suddenly gripped the sides of his head and wheezed out a growl. โThatโs the feeling of a brain lesion right where your body controls speech function. Foreign accent syndrome, they call it; only my version completely destroys that particular subsection of your brain. No matter what kind of help you conjure up, youโll never sound like yourself again.โ
The river was swelling from heavy rain, and its speed had greatly increased as a result. โI hope you can swim after an injury like that. Iโm not sure why youโd choose to do something so dangerous.โ Tone wickedly grinned beneath his metal mask, looming over the horrified fellow as he bent him backwards over the riverโs edge. โBut at least we didnโt kill you. Weโve got a no kill rule, after all.โ
The man dug his fingers into Toneโs sleeve in an attempt to hold on, too disoriented to do much else. Tone responded by raising his terrible fist in dramatic fashion and slamming it into the manโs skull, smashing him into the riverbed and sweeping him downstream. His frantic thrashing was quickly lost around a bend in the river, and the last second lieutenant of the Kumagai clan was gone.
Slowly trudging back up to the wooden door, Tone passed through the woodshop with all his neck muscles tightened to their limit to prevent his glancing at the body of Shingo. The metal doors opened with a rusty squeal, and Toneโs footsteps across the loose gravel in the drive received a pulse after he stepped out of them, smoothing out the gravel and erasing any indication of his having walked there.
โAnd thank you for the ride out of here.โ Tone smirked, slowly approaching the lone vehicle in the empty gravel drive. โI know you wonโt be missed, but I still appreciate the sacrifice.โ Sidling into the driverโs seat, Tone reached down and pried open the front panel to hotwire it.
A pause to allow a glance towards the rear of the vehicle helped personify the thought going through his mind. Repeated attempts to distract himself from it proved unsuccessful, and with a sigh he exited the vehicle, walking to the rear of the sedan and opening the trunk to see if anything was inside.
Tone immediately lowered the trunk lid until it almost closed, giving him an excellent view of the back windshield and the distorted reflection of his wide-eyed shock. Softly opening the trunk again, he stared in silence at the sleeping figure of a boy nestled inside, having wrapped himself in a thin blanket and fallen asleep nearly in the fetal position.
Toneโs fingers closed hard around the handle for the trunk lid. There were only two possible reasons for this; one of them, however distasteful, was still one he could easily live with. The otherโฆ
โ
Coreyโs eyes slowly opened.
Almost immediately he could feel the same drugged sensation he had detected several hours before. Sleep had waned it considerably, but it still held power over his senses, and slurred his reaction to being in the passenger seat.
Lifting himself off of the passenger door, he wobbled in place for a moment before a paper cup was practically shoved directly into his face. โHere. Youโre horribly dehydrated. Take sips every now and then.โ
โMm.โ Corey mumbled, accepting the cup with his hands close to his chest, kept in place by a much more efficiently wrapped blanket. After his tongue had tasted the much-needed water, the realization suddenly hit, and he blinked at the stranger to his right several times before speaking. โWho are you?โ
โIโd say Iโm a friend, but I have no idea who you are.โ Tone replied, his hoodie having been slid to the side to obscure the left side of his face as best he could. โWant to tell me how you got trapped in the back of this car?โ
Corey looked out the passenger window. The sun was just beginning to turn the dark sky indigo, slowly building to the monumental reappearance of the celestial body. โIโฆ Dad gave me something. Said it wouldโฆ Helpโฆโ He smeared his hand across his face, rubbing his thumb across one of his eyes as he looked out across the mountains whenever they werenโt obscured by the terrain.
Toneโs breath grew sharper. โYouโve been drugged. Did your father do that?โ
โNo, he wouldnโt-โ Corey murmured, cutting himself off as the situation forced itself back into his cognizance. "Whereโs my dad? Who are you?"
โIโm not your brother.โ Tone huffed, his voice becoming defensive the moment he opened his mouth. โItโd be easier if- look, whatโs your dadโs name, kid?โ
โI think,โ Corey swallowed, his hand tightening around the paper cup and denting the side. โYou ought to tell me your name first.โ His eyebrows raised slightly as he leaned forwards, catching quite enough of a glimpse of Toneโs face to comprehend what it looked like. โAnd take your mask off.โ
Toneโs hands tightened around the steering wheel as his face tightened into a scowl. โThe mask,โ He snarled, ripping his hoodie off his head and revealing his beanie-covered scalp and charred shin fused to the metal face covering he wore, but catching himself a second after and forcing a long and methodical breath. โDoesnโt come off.โ
The silence that followed prompted Tone to send a glance at Corey, doing a double take as his brain registered the horrified expression written across the kidโs face. โLook-โ He apologetically covered his head back up, refocusing on the road as much as he could. โMaybe itโs better if we donโt tell each other too much. I donโt want to get you into trouble. But if you want my help finding your dad youโll have to tell me who he is.โ
โNooa,โ Corey replied, a practiced Finnish accent slipping effortlessly into his otherwise perfect American before disappearing immediately after. โItโs like Noah, but it- you have to-โ
Toneโs demeanor changed to the degree that Corey was able to notice the shift in attitude. All the irritation that had infected his character was gone, a cold and sobering reality bearing down on him in its place. The agony in his hands from gripping the wheel was incomparable to the icy chill which swept over the rest of his skin. โDo you know him?โ
Toneโs mouth hung open for a moment, his saddened eyes searching desperately for a way out of saying what seemed inevitable. โIโฆ Iโm sorry. I think heโs dead.โ
โWhat?โ
Tone instantly regretted looking back at Corey, who was now visibly shivering, the water in his hand rippling back and forth inside the paper cup. โWhat? No- Heโs just, I sawโฆโ His pause gave his small body the opportunity to start hyperventilating. โYouโre wrong. Youโre LYING. He didnโt say he was dying, he said he- Youโre WRONG!โ
The fist that slammed into Toneโs arm was by no means threatening, but his fragile skin smarted heavily as it made contact. โSTOP LYING!! Heโs alive, he HAS to be! He HAS to be alive!!โ Coreyโs voice started warbling as tears streamed down his face, unknowingly crushing Toneโs heart into a ball with each staggered inhale.
โWhy would you take the only one I had left?โ Corey swallowed, his eyes pleading with Tone for some kind of solace to contradict the horrible truth he now had to face. โI CANโT go on alone! PLEASE-โ His hand dropped the cup of water, letting it tumble onto the floor and dash its contents along the way as his newly-freed fingers clung desperately to the sleeve of Toneโs jacket, quickly losing the battle with his emotions. "PLEASE TELL ME HEโS ALIVE!!"
Toneโs neck muscles fought as hard as they could, but as Coreyโs final plea broke into anguished sobs of Please bellowed into the sleeve he smeared his face against, as his body slowly slumped over the center console, the Wild Mask could fight back no longer, reaching a gloved hand across his body to rest on Coreyโs trembling head and offer some words of consolation which, while barely effective, would have constituted doing something, at least.
His hand never made it there.
As Coreyโs desperate cries came and went without relief, Tone slowly drew his extended hand back towards his body, rotating it until the soaked palm of his glove could be seen, a pair of red droplets having already rolled down the inside of his forearm into his sleeve. A long and shuddering inhale followed as the driving became instinctual, the anguished wails faded into white noise, and the rest of the world grew blurry and abstract as an unrelenting rhythm of pulses echoed in his mindโฆ
โโฆOverโฆMy soulโฆโ
โ
Coreyโs eyes slowly opened again.
Despite not falling asleep, he had lost track of time, driven to absolute exhaustion by his cries. Wiping a sleeve across his crusted nose, he deeply inhaled the cold morning air as he slowly processed his new surroundings.
The town of Minakami was normally scenic enough, but the autumnal colors of the mountainside made it much more desirable, even if the autumn was so young only a small part of the trees had turned. The western sky was glowing orange, promising that before long, the sun which touched the mountaintops would soon brighten up the rest of the sky as well. A side road that ran under the highway lead to a quaint crossing overlooking the town, and there Tone had parked, leaving Corey alone in the vehicle to process his emotions.
Coreyโs eyes landed almost instantly on the burly figure, standing at the side of the road, staring at the mountain range with a melancholic air, his hands folded behind his back. Despite his heart still feeling so raw โ or perhaps because of it โ Corey softly opened the car door and stepped out.
Tone processed the sound of the car door opening and the soft approach of Corey, pausing to pull his blanket even tighter around himself, but was so consumed in his depressed reverie that he did not prioritize it until Corey asked, his voice weak from its prior effort, โAre you yakuza?โ
Tone snorted, catching himself a split second afterwards and tempering his cynical inclinations. โMaybe itโd be easier if I was.โ He mumbled, tipping his head down towards the descending valley and the numerous homes dotted around inside it. โWas your father involved?โ
โI donโt know.โ Corey blinked away an incoming tear. โHe always kept things hidden. He tried to keep me hidden too, especially from those men in suits that kept showing up. I donโt think they ever found me.โ
Another long pause was finally broken by a sniffle from Corey, pushing Tone to redirect the conversation in reply. โWhatโs your name?โ
โโฆCorey.โ
Tone looked back at Corey in surprise, the same resolute determination in his voice now radiating from his face as he stared up at the Wild Mask. There was a finality as well; whatever was at stake with Corey sharing his identity had been thrown to the wind, the blonde-haired boy solemnly standing to face whatever came from his decision.
A gloved hand was extended, but as Corey reached out to meet the handshake it faltered, flinching away slightly from the incoming hand. Corey responded by gently grabbing Toneโs wrist and keeping his hand still long enough to complete the gesture.
โIโm tired.โ He said, trying to keep his face as flat and cold as possible to prevent any emotion from slipping through. โCould I rest at your home for a while? Just long enough for me toโฆโ
Tone stepped forward and knelt down to match Coreyโs height, placing his hands on his shoulders as he tried to fight back a fresh wave of tears. โIโll do whatever I can to help. Thatโs a promise, kid.โ
Corey replied with a very shaky nod, letting out a shuddering breath as Tone wrapped his arms around him and gently pressed him against his shoulder. The rhythm of pulses in Toneโs mind slowly synced up with the beat of Coreyโs heart.
โ
โI am.โ
Ren looked at Tone with an air of incredulity, a smile slightly cracking through his otherwise suspicious expression. โYou didnโt drop his ice cream or something?โ
โThis is serious.โ Toneโs voice grew threatening, Ren rolling his eyes and snapping off a piece of a narrow chocolate bar with his molars. โI already told you Iโm putting my foot down about this, and I wonโt take no for an answer under any circumstances.โ
โCould you at least ask first?โ Ren raised his eyebrows while keeping his eyelids at the same level. โIโm much more receptive to ideas if theyโre politely introduced.โ
โFine.โ Tone hissed through his teeth. โMay I please force you into taking in this orphan kid that I found in the trunk of a yakuzaโs automobile for the foreseeable future, no questions asked?โ
Ren leaned off the restroom door, cracking it open slightly and peeking out. Corey was in the middle of arranging refrigerator magnets on Raceโs stomach while she slept in the computer chair, looking back with dinner plate-sized eyes at Rookโs mask which sat on the computer table and repeatedly egged him on.
โI think thatโs a unanimous vote.โ Ren softly closed the door, turning his attention back onto his associate. โButโฆ While Iโm not going to make you say anything, itโd really help if you gave me some information about what happened. Iโm kinda left guessing otherwise, and you know how much I love jumping to conclusions.โ
The slight smile worn as he delivered the sarcastic self-deprecation fell in response to Toneโs silence. The room grew still as the two locked eyes, the unrelenting stare of Tone speaking without words that which he could never say aloud.
โDoes he know?โ
Tone shook his head to the most minimal degree in reply. Renโs eyes shifted their focus to the wall behind him, his fingers tapping against the side of his thigh as the familiar irritation gnawed on the back of his mind.
โWhen will you tell him?โ
Tone slowly blinked, walking forward and resting a hand on Renโs shoulder, his unyielding presence making him seem much taller than before. Several more seconds would pass before he spoke again, his voice no longer threatening in its inflections, now dominated by a controlled application of notes and emotion, each word now characterized not by an impulsive striking out, but by a much more powerful reservation implying the strength lying underneath was far greater than anything he had displayed before.
โIโll leave that up to you.โ
โ
Ch 35