"From today onwards, Captain Frank Davis, Lieutenant Amelia Irfan and Sergeant Tom Fischer are to remain in the Headquarters for a period of two weeks –"
Lucas slammed his hand onto the table - interrupting the officer from his monologuing. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?" he yelled. "We can't go on a mission without Frank, Tom and Amelia! You know it's suicide!"
The rest of the team members were equally as agitated as Lucas and with a glare from Frank, Lucas backed down despite his immediate desire to slap the living shit out of the officer who simply wore a flat look as he stared down at us.
"They're orders given by the higher management," the officer said flatly. "Even if you voiced your concern about this, all three are to be grounded. Do what you're supposed to do, soldier."
He got up before Lucas or the rest of the men could say more and we were stunned by how things were going. I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my hair - cracking my neck as I tried to release the tension in my shoulders.
I knew what would happen and being grounded in HQ was nothing short of what I would expect as punishment.
Grumbling at the decision made, the team left the room as they knew they had little choice and Frank asked for the both of us to stay behind so he could speak with us about something. Knowing what it was, I remained in my seat and waited.
I wanted to know what the higher ups told him.
"The shit that went down is being handled by the worst possible way," Frank said. "They're trying to understand how Kirishima managed to hack his way into the database without leaving a trace and how he got crucial information even without getting any clues."
"They've watched the footage of your interactions with Kirishima in the restaurant that night," he continued on. "They've checked and smoothen out everything with a fine tooth comb. They are aware that the both of you have not stated anything that jeopardised the mission."
"But why ground us?" Tom asked.
His statement made me retaliate.
"Because they think you need to lighten the fuck up," I growled in anger. "It's because of your incessant blow out that caused all these shit."
Tom looked at me with a surprised expression and he wasn't able to answer my retort. I stormed out of the room and headed to the pantry where I could make a cup of coffee.
I sighed as I drank the concoction.
Well, I can take it as a holiday.
.
"Contact front!"
Hearing that yell, they threw themselves into the first sign of cover they could see and rolled around to engage the enemy.
It was a brutal fight, they were stuck in a tight corner of a street with no way out.
Lucas let out an angry breath as he looked his six and caught Marcus' side-eye look. They both knew what it meant for the team today. They were on a mission without Tom, Frank and Amelia.
Without their capable sniper, they had no eyes on the enemy.
The question of their top management's rash decision did come across their minds. However, they both knew that their direct boss had no say to the decision made and being soldiers, they had to abide with the rules of the superior officer.
Wolf was entirely different without the trio, and Keith, Lucas and Marcus knew it in their hearts when they stepped off the armoured vehicle and on to heavy fire. Marcus was the senior amongst the other two, but the trio knew Lucas was the current alpha.
However, despite his boasting, they were stuck in a vicious bottleneck. The enemy they were dealing with was smart and they had a capable leader who knew war tactics.
"How many?" Lucas yelled over the rain of dust.
The team was scattered around the ditches that they had made – shooting at insurgents who were closing in a pincer move. "About 40 tangos!" Quinn yelled in return as he sprayed his bullets over the enemies, wanting to send a warning signal to them.
Marcus had retreated into a nearby building when their communication device has begun to malfunction and they were unable to contact anybody. He feared it was a jammer and tried to solve the issue at hand while the rest of the team tries to push the enemy back.
But to no avail.
"Boys!" Lucas yelled. As a shower of dust rained over him. He adjusted his helmet. "Retreat to the building!"
"What!"
"Do not make me fucking repeat!" he yelled. "Retreat!"
Hearing his command, the rookies began their systematic retreat and took cover into the building lobby. As they took cover in a scattered position, they aimed their rifles to the front as they waited for the arrival of the enemies.
"Weren't you a college graduate and the top scorer in the academy?" Lucas asked the latest recruit. "Use your head! How the fuck are they coming in?"
Blake coughed away the dust that had entered his mouth. "They are scattered around a 1 kilometre radius," he replied.
"How many?"
"80 tangos," he replied and paused. "The numbers have increased steadily since morning. It isn't normal."
Lucas whistled to Wesley. "Tell Marcus air support is needed."
Wesley hesitated which made Lucas bark at him in anger. As the rookie fled, he directed their attention to the front entrance. Wesley fled the stairs up to the second floor where Marcus was crouched by the back corner of the floor – a look of seriousness on his face.
Marcus knew even without the rookie telling him and so he took the receiver.
"BT-34 to BT-50. Over."
Static.
"BT-34, to command centre BT-50. This is Wolf. Do you read me? Over."
"This is BT-50."
"We need air support. Over."
"The skunks are not out. Over."
"They are out. They're everywhere. They're trying a systematic pincer. We're losing ground as we speak. Over."
"Roger. Contact 8th Main Jet, Marcus. Contact 8th Main Jet. Over."
Static.
Marcus sighed. "Did you hear that, Lucas?"
.
A phone call from my sister make me sit up from my reading and I accepted the call to hear the worst coming from her. Apparently, she was at a party with her friends but a bunch of bullies have been harassing her and she couldn't find her friends any more.
She was scared to leave.
She wanted me to come and rescue her.
"Lock yourself in the toilet. Now."
Putting the book down on the table, I put on a jacket, got the bike keys and left the apartment. At the basement, I got the motorcycle out and drove off.
The address she had given me was a ten minute drive into the rich suburbs and I gunned the powerful machine as fast as it was permissible.
From the expressway, I turned to a slip road which took me from the forest into the rich suburb where double storey houses graced the skyline. I stopped at the fourth house with a magnificent entrance and a very large estate. There were bodyguards at the front.
That was odd.
I parked my motorcycle at the front kerb and took off my helmet, eyeing the lavish place before placing it on the oil tank.
This will be fun.
I walked up to the guards and they questioned my intention, as it was a private party. "I'm here to pick my sister up," I said. "Let me enter."
He held out a hand while saying no.
I grabbed his hand and twisted it hard, knocking him in the temple while I whirled around to deal with the next guy. With both unconscious and on the floor, I ran up the stairs and into the establishment. I tried calling her phone but she wouldn't pick up.
Not good.
Strolling past the booming party with drunk teenagers, I walked out of the building and into the backyard with a sprawling swimming pool in the distance. There, I saw a group of boys huddled around suspiciously and so I headed there immediately.
I saw her in the midst of rowdy boys and I knew that she wasn't able to get to safety. She looked drenched and I got pissed.
Shoving past the boys to get through to my sister, the commotion around me halted as they seized me up. Eyeing them, I stopped in front of her and took my coat off to place it around her shoulders.
Her eyes were brimming with tears and I took her wrist. "Let's go," I decided firmly and guided her out of the group.
However, the boys had a better idea and the burly one blocked the path forcing me to stop. To my surprise, Amalina was yanked away from me, and she let out a terrified wail while the leader put his arm on her, keeping her close to him.
Like a toy.
Like a property.
That angered me even further.
"Let her go," I said sternly. "You don't want to do this."
"Yeah, you really don't," added my sister.
The jerk nodded at me, a signal to his boys to pounce on me. It was a tactic meant to scare and dominate and I am very familiar with that.
The boys surrounded me effectively, ensuring that I was not able to reach my sister easily and so I took out the burliest amongst the group who was the so-called "tank" – the one guaranteed to win most fights. To see him topple with one attack would break their egos.
Mostly.
Seeing that they listen to their leader, I did not waste more time. Sending most of them into the swimming pool, I crossed over to my sister who was held closely by the bully. Eyeing Amalina who immediately bit his wrist, two things happened simultaneously.
The leader shoved her away as he reacted from the pain, so Amalina was free from his clutches. I stepped in and grabbed his neck – holding the larynx between my index and thumb.
"You touch her again, I will sever your head from your neck," I warned quietly.
"Don't you know who the fuck I am, bitch?" he snarled, spittle flying out from his lips. "You're going to regret it."
I sighed heavily. "That shit doesn't scare me, kid," I said flatly and knocked him out with a single punch to his face. I turned to my sister. She looked pale and she was shivering. "Come on, let's go."
Holding hands, we left the estate to where my bike was parked. The two front guards were still unconscious.
"Amelia, I –"
"Save it until we reach home, Amalina," I interrupted as I shoved the helmet on her head. "Get on."
The ride to my apartment took no less than ten minutes as the roads were clear of vehicles and I managed to get back with no drama. The entire ride, Amalina was clutching on to me hard, her body was shivering with fear or cold I did not know. With the bike parked at the basement, we took the elevator up to my apartment on the fifth floor.
I kept quiet the entire ride up to my apartment. I could feel her being restless and I knew she was feeling all sorts of guilt in her veins.
Getting out of the elevator, we took a left and walked to the third apartment on the right. The familiar grey door seemed to welcome me, and I tapped in the numbers to unlock, hearing the lock unlocking from the inside with a winding sound.
The doors of this apartment building are the usual type – with normal lock and keys function. Since I wasn't around most of the time, I had upgraded the door to a fire resistant type and changed the lock to a smart lock so I don't need to remember where I had kept my damn keys.
Sighing in relief as I took off my shoes and placed the bike key on the desk, I looked over at Amalina who looked glum. Sighing again, I went up to her and gently brought her in for a hug – resting my chin on her head.
"Who were those guys?" I asked.
"They're from the same university as I am," she murmured. "The leader is Xavier Oh, the heir to the TJ Group and he likes to harass girls."
She burst into tears.
"I just wanted to drink with my friends," she wailed. "I went outside to get some fresh air and they spotted me from afar. They wanted me to come with them, and have a drink. I said no. Amy, I said no! Repeatedly!"
I held her tighter to me as she wailed her grief, her fear and her anger. I was afraid to say more, and I was angry at how the situation had turned out. It was something that most girls had to go through – at the expense of boys who didn't know how to take rejection like a gentleman.
She took a deep shuddering breath, as if to recollect herself. "I have to call Markus, I have to let him know," she murmured.
"Okay, go and get a shower while you're at it," I said. "You know where your clothes are."
.
They had some sort of a plan. Wesley was to bring the manpack out of the jamming range – as he was the fastest on foot – and to request backup from the 8th Main Jet.
Benjamin, Keith and Blake will cover his six up till they clear the edge of the city while Lucas and Quinn provide support at a nearby building. They had to make do – they did not have their reliable sniper with them.
They had to move quick – as the enemies are regrouping and increasing by the hour.
With Lucas and Quinn on the fifth floor of an abandoned building which wasn't complete except for the main structure itself, they noticed that the insurgents are slowly reaching the trio – in a formation that defied the odds.
They have a smart one amongst them, Lucas realised. A battle tactician.
The trio had crossed the street and steadily gaining ground – passing by shell-bombed houses and burnt cars, seeing nothing but absolute destruction around them.
This is war.
"Once you hear my M4, start running like death is chasing you," Lucas warned as he nodded to Quinn. "There are insurgents swarming up to where you are."
Lucas went up to the seventh floor while Quinn remained on the fifth. His task was to shoot down any enemy that's climbing up the building. His task was to protect Lucas' six and he was proud that he was trusted with the task.
Seeing the insurgents nearing, bullets started to rain and the trio split into a fast sprint – swearing loudly at their predicament as they cleared the buildings.
They thought that they had the upper hand, seeing that the trio managed to flee without any incident. However, they realised too late that they were about to be run over by insurgents surging towards the building where Lucas and Quinn were.
It was too much for Quinn to handle.
"Brother! They're coming!"
"You know what to do," Lucas replied without turning, shooting down the enemies who were reaching the trio.
Quinn knew what he meant. They had a sit down before they went off to this task. Lucas spoke of a famed war hero – the determination and loyalty of this man was unparalleled. He died saving the country and he died bravely.
Yet he did not allow the insurgents to take him alive – to torture him so he could spill the secrets of his beloved country.
That was what made him a hero, Lucas rationalised. Be that hero.
Quinn began to stick the C4s to the columns around the fifth floor, while Lucas shoot down any stray enemy that appeared on the stairwell.
Quinn glances at Lucas who nodded. He took a deep breath and pressed the button – setting off the C4s.
A loud explosion on their seven made the trio turn and their eyes went wide with shock as they saw the building collapse to the ground.
"Bro! Quinn! Lucas!"
"Do you copy?"
In that moment, they had to make a choice. A split second decision was made by Wesley. He knew the inevitable, and he gave the orders immediately.
"Go and help brother Lucas and Quinn," he said, as he strapped on the manpack tighter onto himself. "Give me your M4, mine is too heavy for a run."
"I'll take care of yours," Benjamin spoke as they swapped their guns. "'Make sure you come back, bro."
"We still need to bring you to the edge of the city," Keith stated flatly.
"Those two only have an hour of oxygen at most," Wesley stated firmly. "I can clear the area by sticking to the dried up river canal. I'll be there on the hill before you know it."
"Wes-"
"We can do this, brother," Wesley said firmly. "I can do this."
Keith let out an angry sigh and slapped the younger man's chest, grabbing a hold of his vest. "Make sure you come back to us!" he ordered. "Let's go boys!"
The trio split there and the duo doubled back to where the ruins of the building was.
"Lucas! Quinn!"
"Hey! Can you hear us?"
.
After showering, she put on a pair of pyjamas she took from my closet and snuggled up next to me on the sofa with her favourite chick movie on the telly. I had made hot chocolate with marshmallows – her favourite drink paired with a bowl of cheese biscuits.
"I missed our old home," she murmured and lets out a sigh. "It's only times like these that I miss them terribly."
"Yeah," I replied. "We should visit them soon."
"Do you think they would be proud of us?"
"I'm sure they are."
I wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close as we watched the movie. It was a typical evening for us when we were younger – whenever she was feeling anxious, or sad. Our mother would give us hot chocolate with marshmallows floating at the top and switch to a movie we loved even though she doesn't allow us to watch late night movies.
Only for special occasions.
"Are you staying overnight?" I asked quietly.
"How long are you going to be here?" she asked in return.
"Two weeks."
"Okay, I'll stay over."
"Have you told Markus that you're here?"
She paused. She must've forgotten.
"I should make a call."
.
Buried deep beneath layers of rubble, concrete slabs and columns, lay Lucas and Quinn who were alive. They were alive because the slab that threatened to crush them were held up by a thick column, as Lucas wakes from his slumber with a groan, he realises where they were.
"Quinn?" he asked, as he coughed and taking out his torchlight from his pocket to find the rookie. "Quinn! Where are you?"
He found the younger boy lying face-down a few feet away from him. Immediately, he went towards him and turned him around while checking for any injuries on his person. Quinn stirred from being shifted and jerked awake - struggling as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
"Easy! Easy!"
Quinn grabbed Lucas' hand, as he looked around the confined space they were stuck in. "Why is it so dark here?" he asked as his hands went up blindly, trying to see. "I can't see anything. Brother, where are you?"
Lucas kept quiet, the torchlight was shining on Quinn's face. "It's okay, Quinn," he replied. "I'm right here. Your eyes are fine. You just have temporary blindness from the bomb blast."
Quinn paused.
"Do you think they'd come and rescue us?"
"I doubt so, this building is in the middle of the pincer."
Quinn drew a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Might as well make ourselves comfortable."
Lucas sighed. They might not be able to make it out of here alive.
On the other side of the rubble, Keith, Benjamin and Blake arrived panting. They looked at each other, terrified of their team members and wondered if they were able to fish them out from there. But first, they need to know if they were alive.
"Lucas!"
"Quinn!?"
"Let's try to shift some –"
"Is that you Keith?"
The trio let out a gasp and exchanged excited looks when they hear Lucas shouting from below. They have a higher chance to dig them out. Immediately, they tried to shift aside some stones but hearing muffled shouts to stop, as they were afraid that it will cause the slabs to shift, they retreated to regroup with Marcus.
.
Two kilometres away, Wesley was making good progress along the dried-up canal and clearing the edge of the city with little incident. He crossed the city limit and ran across the corn field to where it will lead him eventually to the sprawling hills.
Wesley will need to climb five metres up, to the summit of Melaka Hill to get a clear signal to radio for help.
Running alongside the corn field gave him cover from the insurgents but halfway through, he heard the unmistakable sound of vehicles driving along the dirt road. Pausing at the break of the field, he crouched low and stuck his head to the side to take a peep.
They must've been attempting to find me, Wes realised. That's why they retreated. They had regrouped to take the vehicles.
Cursing, he crept across the dirt road and continued the run uphill. There was about 5 kilometres left before he reaches the summit, and he cannot waste any more time. His team members are relying on him now, and he didn't want to disappoint them.
He cleared the corn field and began the gruelling climb up the hill. Seeing some shrubs that could provide cover, about a mile away, he stopped to use the tactical manpack radio and tweaked the buttons around until he managed to catch a phrase in the radio comms.
"BT-34, to 8th Main Jet. Over."
The static was loud in the silence.
He repeated and held his breath as he prayed for a reply.
"This is 8th Main Jet, I am unable to get a clear signal. You need to get higher, BT-34. Over."
Wesley felt relief running down his spine upon hearing a reply.
"Standby."
He put the manpack on, and resumed the climb.
.
"Do you have your phone on you?" Lucas asked suddenly. "I broke mine."
Quinn patted his pockets and brought out his smart phone. "The jammer is still up, brother," he said softly. "I don't think it'll work."
Lucas took the slim phone from the younger man. "I just want to hear my daughter's voice one last time," he said. "I don't want any regrets."
"How old is your kid?" he asked.
"She's eight now," he replied with a laugh but stopped suddenly. "But her mother wouldn't let me see her. You know, because of my crappy temper. She's afraid that I'd show it to my daughter."
Quinn nods in understanding. "I heard from sister that you'd do anything for her," he said and shrugs. "I don't think you'd do that, brother."
"You have more faith in me than my ex-wife."
He laughed, feeling embarrassed.
.
Panting as he climbed, Wesley paused to catch a breather and turned around to take a look. The insurgents have realised that he was on the hill, and they are making the climb as well. They were about two hundred yards away from him, and he was undoubtedly outnumbered.
Firming his resolve, he continued the climb.
His team is relying on him now.
The Melaka Hill was steep, and scarce of any vegetation ever since the last rainfall two years ago. It overlooks the city in a solemn gaze, eternally forlorn and majestic. Those who have climbed knew of its history and importance, and never seemed to understand the significance of it.
Wesley crossed the first low summit point, and his legs were screaming now. They wanted to rest and his chest hurt from all that running. Yet, he pushed on and aimed his sights at the highest summit point. His team is waiting for him and he needed to do this.
He will do it.
Come on, Wes!
.
In the city centre, the trio had regrouped with Marcus who was cursing at them for their insolence and stupidity. Their crazy idea to dig Lucas and Quinn out was accompanied by them attempting to locate an excavator.
Marcus has little choice, because he didn't want to have that guilt of leaving behind his team members.
Together, they managed to locate that critical excavator and bring it towards the crash site. It was slow going, as they needed to be careful of the insurgents who were closing in with their pincer tactic.
They had little time.
They need to act quickly.
.
The sun's heat was beating down on his back, and every step he took hurts. Every breath he took was a struggle. His gaze to the summit of Melaka Hill was blurry with sweat and it suddenly looked too far even for him to clear. It felt impossible for him to reach. He didn't know what was making him push forward, but he was doing it nonetheless.
No, he murmured. Don't give in. Don't give up.
Taking a shuddering breath, he continued the steep climb and tried to put more distance between him and the insurgents. He needed to give his team the chance to survive – even if he couldn't.
Wes knew he was shot – it felt like a baseball bat had hit his thigh and he fell to the ground in shock. The insurgents were using AK-47s, so he knew the bullets were 7.62mm rounds. There was no pain – no blood spewing out like a tap so the bullet didn't hit the femoral artery.
He was glad they weren't using M4s.
Getting up, he felt a buzzing feeling in his thigh before a severe ache set in.
The insurgents were nearer than he realised. He need to move!
Fifteen minutes or so later, he crossed the final slope and reached the summit. Panting harshly, he dragged himself towards some shrubs for cover and radioed the 8th Main Jet pilot.
"BT-34, to 8th Main Jet. Over."
"This is 8th Main Jet, BT-34. I read you loud and clear. Give me your coordinates, I have twenty minutes of fuel left. Over."
Wes let out a relieved laugh. "I'm going to give you the coordinates but I want you to promise me not to drop your bombs there," he replied. "My team is there."
"Roger that, I can scare them away."
Wesley sighed. "Thank you. This is the coordinates..."
.
Five kilometres away and at the edge of the crash site, Benjamin, Keith, Blake and Marcus had brought the median excavator over. They were discussing (arguing more likely) on how to set aside the mount of rubble without starting a chain reaction below and end up burying both Lucas and Quinn.
They were under a lot of stress, and they were yelling at the other. It was a rare sight, as they didn't have their leader with them but Marcus, being the highest ranking officer at the moment had to step in to direct them and so he did.
As an engineer, he knew what he needed to do.
Giving precise instructions to Benjamin who surprisingly knew how to use the excavator, they shifted aside a part of the rubble that was at the side and Blake and Keith began to clear a path so they could get to Lucas and Quinn who were deep inside.
"Lucas!"
"Brother!"
"Oh my god, Keith!"
"Come on! Get out from there! We got no time!"
Ben and Blake pulled a disoriented Quinn out of the rubble, taking their M4s from them so Lucas could climb out from the depths. Marcus urged them to gather near to the excavator, telling them to strap up as the insurgents are closing in their pincer attack.
"I can't believe you doubled back to get us!" Lucas cried in relief as he crouched next to the escalator track. "Careful, Quinn has temporary blindness."
"If I didn't, you'd come back and haunt me for the rest of my life!" Marcus cried in anger. "I can't deal with that shit!"
"Why are you all here?" Lucas exclaimed. "Where's Wesley?"
"He's probably on the way up Melaka Hill."
"He should be there by now."
"Get ready!" Marcus barked as he shifted himself, moving behind a few paces to get some cover. "They're already here."
The group was hopelessly outnumbered, they realised as they watched the enemies coming up on both ends of the streets, flanking them and boxing them in. The enemy was blocking their only way out, effectively stealing their chances of any success.
The boys glanced at the other – their determination to return home was still high and they had hope running in their veins. They will not go down without a fight and they will ensure the enemies know who they were – even if they need to do it forcefully.
"What do we do, boys?" Lucas yelled as he disengages the safety catch of his M4, ensuring that the weapon was ready to fire.
"No mistakes!"
Out of the blue – like a mercy from God above, a flurry of bullets rained down from the sky and .22 rounds decimated the insurgents who filled the streets. Others simply ran away with their tails between their legs.
The boys cheered at the sight of the jet piercing through the sky. They knew Wesley had done it! Their trust and determination for their brother has paid off.
"BT-34 this is 8th Main Jet, I am patching you through Wesley."
"Wes! I knew you could do it buddy!"
"We'll come and get you!"
"I'm fine guys but there are insurgents filling up the hill," he replied. "I cannot possibly take them down by myself."
"We'll come and get you!"
"No, you don't have time."
"No Wesley, don't!"
"Don't do it!"
The communication was cut off between them and the group went silent at what Wesley was about to do.
The silence grew heavy – weighing upon their shoulders and Lucas gazed up at the hill, looking forlorn and helpless at what was to come.
Wesley, please don't do this, he begged.
.
"Give me your coordinates, I'll swoop down and get you out."
Wesley was touched at the pilot's kindness. Are all pilots this kind and caring?
"If you can swoop in and shoot them down I'll be eternally grateful," he said with a shrug.
Wesley knew of the inevitable as soon as he stepped on this hill. He knew what will happen as soon as he volunteered to get communications working again. It was part of the job, he rationalised.
Come what may.
He looked up as he heard the familiar sonic boom of the jet breaking the sound barrier as it flew low and bullets raining down just a few feet away from where he was. Any closer, he could've been wiped out as well.
The jet landed a few metres away and Wes got up to see the pilot gesturing furiously at him to come. His eyes widened when he saw the pilot removing the oxygen mask, to reveal how beautiful she was.
"Come on!" she yelled.
He snapped out of it and limped to the jet. Now, he knew what he needed to do for his team.
.
The clock struck midnight when the bell rang and I got up to the front door, taking a peep before opening the door to find Kirishima standing there with a smile on his face.
A familiar cowering jerk stood behind him. He dare not face me.
"You know, I'm going to have to get you arrested," I pointed out flatly.
He laughed. "It's good to see you," he said. "How's your sister?"
I eyed the younger boy behind him. "She's terrified thanks to that idiot," I replied flatly. "Who is he?"
"Can we enter?" he asked.
I sighed and retreated into my apartment, heading to the sofa where my little sister was asleep. Rousing her awake, I told her that there was a guest here and that she should wake up.
"Who is here?"
"The asshole."
"Who-"
"Come on, he wants to apologise."
Stumbling slightly as she got up, she sucked in a deep breath at the two visitors and she immediately hid behind me in fear.
"Get on with it."
"You have a nice place," Kirishima commented, as he looked around the apartment. "I like it."
"Kirishima, stop stalling."
"This kid is working under me," he said as he wrapped an arm around the kid, tightening the hold around his neck as he brought him forward. "Unfortunately, he wanted to exact revenge on you and I happened to find out."
"Oh is he training to be a yakuza as well?" I asked.
"Such disrespect!"
Kirishima smiled as he tightened his grip, making him choke. "She's the only one who can disrespect me, Isaac," he warned. "Now apologise before I sever your balls."
I watched as Isaac grew disgruntled and turned serious as he faced us – eyeing my terrified sister who was clutching hard on my back.
He went down on his knees and did a dogeza – it's used to show deference to a person of higher status, as a deep apology.
In the Japanese social consciousness, the act of dogeza, is an uncommon deference only used when one is deviating greatly from daily behaviour. It is seen as part of etiquette and filled with the feeling of being sorry about troubling the other person.
"Please forgive me!" he exclaimed in earnest. "I was out of line!"
I stared down at him. "If you disrespect other women again like that, I'll make you sure you can't even reproduce," I warned. "Not even fuck around."
"You're so hot, my love."
"And you're being creepy."
He chuckled.
"Get up from the floor, don't dirty it," I said flatly. "And please leave. It's late. I got work tomorrow."
Isaac got up from the floor and hung behind Kirishima with his head down, his eyes has lost its lustre.
"Are you free tomorrow?" Kirishima asked rather innocently.
"I'm not going out with you," I said firmly. "You're yakuza."
"Oh come on, I'll give you a blockbuster date that you can't forget," he said with a grin.
"She'll go," my sister piped up from behind me. "She's free for two weeks."
"What are you doing –"
"Then I'll pick her up after work," Kirishima interrupted with a wink.
"Wait! Wait a minute –"
"Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow!"
They left before I could say more and I was stunned at how things had worked out. I can't believe what Amalina had done and I stared at her in disbelief.
She let out a laugh at my expression, and switched off the lights, fan and television before pulling me with her into my bedroom.
"Amalina!"
.