chasing your paradise

Chapter 2

Izana swirled his glass on his right hand and watched blankly at the red liquid circling inside of it before he took a sip of his wine idly.

His eyes swept over the skyline from the windows of his penthouse overlooking the city. A lot of things had been running through his head right now but funnily enough the flitting image of Takemichi looking dazed, pathetic and hopeless on his arms previously brought out the virulent smile on his lips, the grip on his glass growing a bit tighter.

At first, he didn't understand why Mikey was besotted with him. To him, Takemichi was nothing like a speck of dust in the society. A lowly citizen who was a mere crying doormat and possessed an ordinary presence among the sea of people.

At first, he didn't get it.

Even being compared to their late big brother.

Takemichi couldn't even compare to his greatness.

Hanagaki Takemichi was a cheap imitation of Shinichiro.

Izana would've laughed if it's not deeply insulting to his late memory and the legacy he left behind. Izana would've underestimated him and pay no attention to him if he didn't ruin Mikey's life and broke his heart by leaving him and disappearing on his life without any context.

He would've spared his peaceful life if he didn't kill his Mikey.

Izana spent the half of his life planning, analyzing, perfecting and creating his own dynasty in the world of delinquency as part of his revenge against his estranged brother who brought nothing but pain and misery in his life. Of course, he didn't forget the goal he formed with Kakucho in creating an era for orphaned people to live in their kingdom where they don't feel isolated and lonely anymore.

But...

Vengeance...

Is what keeps him going.

Mikey's anticlimactic and disappointing death made the half of his world seemed dull and monochromatic.

It felt suffocating yet at the same time it's not.

Of how he had waited for the time to come into Mikey's life when everything was perfect and slapped him the painful and harsh reality that he felt because of him.

Only to die a pointless death.

Only to perish under the cruel spell of worthless longingness and affection towards someone who wasn't even there for him except for his death.

Only to die into the arms of a fucking trash like Hanagaki Takemichi.

His initial impression of the raven-haired boy wasn't even good when he saw him. He was a pathetic, sniveling mess when they caught him and separated him away from Naoto before they could even be reunited successfully.

It made the dark thoughts swirled inside his head that time and he had an instinctive reaction on just to kill both.

Nevertheless...

He also realized that by just killing them it would be an easy way out for both especially for Takemichi who caused not only Mikey's suffering and anguish but also for destroying his plans and thwarting one of his goals that was a part of his life.

A quick death would've saved them from the wretchedness and misery that he felt because of them and he wouldn't let it.

He would make sure that Takemichi would taste the lingering pain and anguish he had caused not only for Mikey but to him as well.

He will never leave him unscathed.

The silent vibration of his phone inside his pockets broke him out of his malevolent thoughts and fished it out with his left hand. Seeing the name of Kakucho on the caller ID made him automatically swiped it on the call mode and answered it.