"I-I have to go." I clutched my phone so tight I thought it would break. "Family emergency," I lied to Chifuyu.
He looked disappointed that we had to end our special date but he nodded and assured me that it was fine. "I don't have my bike with me, but do you want me to walk you home?"
"No thanks. I'm not going home." Taiju ordered me to meet him in a restaurant he always frequented.
"Will you be fine by yourself?"
"Yes," I replied and after a few steps, I heard him call my fake name again. I stopped and faced him.
He said, "Let's do this again! A date! Okay?"
I smiled, my heart full. "Yes."
I sprinted, half because of joy, half because I feared Chifuyu would follow me and find me with the Black Dragon's leader. Looking back, I made sure Chifuyu didn't see me as I entered the Italian restaurant.
Taiju was seated in a corner, a plate of pasta in front of him. He was the only customer and there were no waiters or cashiers present. The place smelled like tomatoes and garlic. I didn't like it. The large boy gestured for me to sit across from him. "Do you want some? It's Penne Arrabiata."
I shook my head. "Why did you call me here, Taiju?"
He opened his arms and put them on top of the backrest of the long sofa where he was sitting, flexing his well-toned muscles. He was a good fighter but between us, two, I was the better killer. Still, he looked so comfortable and so confident that I fidgeted inside.
Did he... know about Chifuyu?
"I'm sorry for ruining your lovely Saturday morning." His words were teasing as he glanced at my ring finger. "Pretty piece of wooden accessory there. Take care of it."
I stopped myself from shielding my ring away from my Boss' gaze. It was alright. There was no way he would know. "Let's just get down to business," I told him. I wanted to end this meeting, go back home, and contact Chifuyu.
"There's no business," he replied as he continued eating his pasta. "Can't we just get together and talk?"
"It's never just get together and talk with you, Taiju."
He grinned wildly and I glimpsed the animal he was inside. Taiju dropped the fork and focused on me. "Tell me about your missions."
"My missions? Well, they're all mission accomplished."
"Report them in detail." He drank water from a glass and put it back on the table.
I straightened as I sat and told him from memory what I had done the past few days, leaving the fact that I was now uncomfortable in killing my targets. I remembered realizing how I loved the light more than the darkness. I wanted out of the cycle of death that I spiraled into. I could do it. I could stop myself from killing. First, I needed to talk to Taiju. Whatever I owed him, I would give them back.
But... was that really possible?
Would Black Dragon really release me so easily?
I sank into my seat. No, that was impossible. But I could try, right?
"Taiju--" I was about to tell him my thoughts.
"See! Told ya!" That female voice....
I swung to my right and saw Chifuyu with the girl named Shizuka. Instantly, I rose from my seat. "Chifuyu!"
"Surprised, huh." Shizuka wound her arms around Chifuyu's but the boy instantly took away his arm from her. The girl pouted and then started accusing me, "You cheater! You left Chifuyu alone while you're in a fancy restaurant clearly flirting!"
"F-flirting? No!" I walked toward Chifuyu.
His emerald eyes stared into mine, searching for the truth. "Sakura, why are you here with Black Dragon's Taiju Shiba?"
"I can explain. We--"
"Are cousins," Taiju said as a matter of fact. He pointedly looked at me. "You didn't tell him it was a family emergency?"
It seemed Shizuka was the most surprised among us. She sputtered the words "Cousins?! You two? F-family?"
"Yes," I lied like how I always did. Chifuyu's eyes still bore into mine. He looked like he wasn't convinced, like he knew how uneasy I felt with the lie.
But he sighed and said, "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. Sakura, I'll call you later. And, Shizuka, you should go now, too." He exited the restaurant, Shizuka behind him.
When the two were already outside, I sat down and told Taiju, "You set this up. Somehow, you knew Shizuka would see us and see Chifuyu. How many eyes are on me, Taiju? And what are you planning to do?"
"Why ask me, Death? You know what you have to do." Thick venom laced Boss' words. He finished his plate of pasta and set down his fork. "And you must do it quickly."
"I don't know what you're saying because clearly Chifuyu still doesn't know about me."
"It's only a matter of time."
"No, I won't let it!" He was implying that I kill Chifuyu. Fuck, I couldn't do that! Never!
Taiju crossed his big arms over his wide chest. "You've changed. A lot. Black Dragon will not let this pass. You need to do what you need to do."
He was serious. He really wanted me to end the life of the boy I love. My heart beat fast and loud in my chest. My lungs emptied and I gasped for air. Yes, I realized now, I loved Chifuyu Matsuno. And I would never let anything bad happen to him. "No, Taiju," I refused to obey my Boss' command.
"You're refusing to finish a mission?"
"Chifuyu is innocent. There is no way this is a mission. It's murder!"
He scoffed. "You didn't have any qualms about killing the innocent before."
That was before. Now, I have changed.
"Okay," he suddenly said as he wiped the sides of his mouth with a clean white napkin.
What was okay?
"I'll call you for your next mission. Go home and sleep this conversation off." Taiju clapped his hands loudly and a young waiter appeared to clear his plate.
He let me go. Just like that. Without another word about Chifuyu.
Shit.
He was planning something. I could feel it. And I needed to be ready to protect my boyfriend.
***
Needles of rain pelted down from the gray skies. I sat on a swing in a neighborhood park, letting myself get drenched with the heavenly water. I kept on thinking about Chifuyu and whatever scheme Taiju was brewing. Even with someone so young as a leader, Black Dragon was a very dangerous group. And they would do everything to make sure that everything went the way they wanted it to be.
I sighed. It was very tempting to tell Chifuyu the whole truth and then convince him to run away with me. We could go and hide in Okinawa. No. Taiju would certainly track us down there. Maybe we could go to Hawaii instead. Money wasn't a problem. I was very rich. Should I empty my bank account and start hiding my cash away?
Fuck. It wasn't like Chifuyu would just agree with me. He had a life here in Tokyo. He wouldn't abandon everything just to be with me. That's fine. I could just tell him the truth and see how he'd react and then just disappear if he realized how much of a garbage I was.
I watched the puddles of rain on the ground. Wrong. I could never tell him the truth. If Black Dragon found out about him knowing it, he'd be dead in hours.
But I really wanted to be with him. I clenched my chest as my eyes watered. "Chifuyu..."
"Yes?" It was Chifuyu's voice.
I looked up and saw my boyfriend holding a transparent umbrella over me, making himself wet. "How did you..."
"How did I find you? Pure chance." He pointed East. "I lived there, near this park. I was buying eggs for omurice."
"Omurice? Even though it's already late?"
He smiled his bright smile and my insides fluttered. "Yeah. Just wanted to eat it. By the way, what are you doing here?"
"Thinking."
"Well, you're all soaked up. You could dry yourself in my apartment and think there. You could go home when the rain stops." I stared at him in silence and then he suddenly went red and then he stammered, "I-i-it's not like that! I'm n-not making you go with me to my apartment to do something funny! I just t-thought... You know. You're soaked and--"
I giggled at his cute reaction, stood up, and held the handle of the umbrella as I moved it closer to him so both of us would not be covered by the rain. "I'll go with you."