Chapter 11 Victory

VVVVV

“…..and none of this would be possible without none other than Takashi Fujiwara himself. Applaud him”.

Takashi smiled.

Megumi’s smile broke due to her coughing.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink” Sachi told her.

“No I haven’t” she denied. “And can you define too much” and she was coughing again and Sachi moved to take her glass, but she didn’t relent.

“When do we get to see the video?” a random voice asked.

“We’ll see it when we’re complete. Karou isn’t here yet” she said looking around.

“And she’s not answering her phone” Sachi said.

“It’s already set. Until she’s here” again another coughing fit and then she stumbled into Takashi’s side, but Takashi caught her.

“Okay enough for you” Sachi took her glass.

“I’ll take her to her study” and he supported her up the stairs. Megumi surprisingly didn’t put up a fight.

Takashi took one look at all the guests of what he could say was his party. All surrounding the TV so they could watch the fall of their enemy Takahiro. They would be in for a surprise. All of them.

Takashi finally made it up and to the front of her door and he pushed it open, dropping her on the closest chair.

“I think I had one too many” and she coughed again.

“I can tell” he said.

“I didn’t see you drinking though. Why?”

“I didn’t care to drink tonight” he shrugged.

“Even when it’s your party?” she asked surprised.

“Yes. I didn’t want to drink”.

She laughed and then she made a pained face, and coughed again.

“What’s wrong?” he asked looking at her table, and it was just his luck he found a stopwatch.

“I don’t know. My s-stomach hurts and I….I” she took a deep breath. “What?” she asked confused. She tilted her head to the side so it rested comfortably on her shoulder “Why is it so hot?”

“How much did you drink?” he asked placing a hand on her forehead.

“Five….six?” she said after a long pause.

“And how do you feel?”

“My stomach hurts and I’m hot” she whined pulling the collar of her dress down.

“Do you feel headaches, nauseous anything like that?” he asked.

She coughed again and looked up at him.

“Yes” she replied. “H-how do you know that?” she wheezed standing up from her chair, and just took a step and then she fell and Takashi didn’t bother to help her. He balanced himself on his toes and still had the watch in a countdown.

He patted her head as she was on the floor shaking.

“If you didn’t have too may drinks, this would have been slower” he said.

“W-what are you talking about?” she asked softly.

“Well poison that’s all” he patted her head again and then grabbed on and pulled her up, and put the timer in her face. “The venom of a Redback Spider causes all the symptoms you’re having now, and can kill a human under an hour. You ingested five to six doses and that could accelerate your death” he grinned.

And then she threw up just before his feet.

“How could you?” she wheezed.

“Why would I want to kill you?” he asked tapping his chin. “Maybe because you’re a gangster, and had a completely heartless father who goes around killing people who rejected his offer…”

“W….” she broke off into another coughing fit.

“Your father is already dead and you were the next thing I had to my revenge. You wanted yours and I got mine and now I can sleep peacefully”.

She tried pushing strength into her arms so she could get up, but she gasped and landed on her face, in her own vomit.

“But don’t feel left out. You’re not the only one” and Takashi went to her table and he turned the computer towards her and her eyes widened as she saw her gang, her gang die out before her eyes, and this time she could hear everything.

She looked to Takashi disbelief in her eyes.

All of them in pain and vomiting, and convulsing, until they stopped moving. She looked for Sachi in the frames, but she couldn’t find her. Probably among the pile in the living room, the kitchen, the stairs. Just scattered everywhere and then back to Takashi and she tried to get up again.

“It’s no use Megumi, you’ll be dead soon. Don’t fight it” he whispered patting her head again.

“You….you…” she wheezed.

“Was with Geiru all the while? Actually with Takahiro? Never loyal to you? Was actually part of the plan to take you out? Yes to all of it. Not only is this for me, but also for my parents and Geiru. You’ve been killing all your life” and he smiled looking into her eyes his hands moving continuously over her hair.

“Did you really think you would die a peaceful death?” he asked. “And just before you leave me…” he could see her eyes dimming down and her cough was getting worse. “Remember that whole thing in our suite, when you thought you saw Takahiro die?”

She was convulsing now and he wasn’t sure she could concentrate anymore. The smoke that came out didn’t get to that room. It was just us and remember the day you gave me those test subjects and the last I told you had hallucinations? You were given that”.

“I was scared that it wouldn’t work. Buy you must have wanted it so much that your brain produced it for you”.

“It’s like you said Megumi, you make them see what they want to see and not the real thing”.

The watch made a sound showing it had stopped counting.

Everyone must have drank a lot for it to take effect that quick.

He placed his hands over her eyes and he took in her appearance. Sweaty and stinking because of her vomit. A little bit swollen and the look of pure pain, with the way her eyebrows were scrunched up.

He stood up and looking around there was nothing that caught his eye to take. He wasn’t a thief like the rest of them, so there was no need to take anything.

He walked out of the room closing the door. As he walked down the hall to the stairs, he began to see the bodies and also the stench of sweaty bodies and vomit. They littered the stairs and the living room. All of them on each other like sardines.

Before this would have bothered him. He didn’t like killing, he didn’t like violence. But seeing as they were gangsters, how they had done much worse. This was justice. He had only wanted to kill Megumi, but seeing as they were all the same they all had to go.

Megumi said she didn’t trust him, but in the end she had let her guard down at the last minute. And he had been able to strike like the cobra he was.

He had already packed his things. His jacket that Megumi didn’t like was very roomy and his gadgets didn’t take that much room. He made sure he cleared out all his things so what happened here wouldn’t be traced back to him.

So this was how the great Phantom fell?

He fished out the keys from his pocket and set his eyes on the bike of earlier. Megumi had been so generous to invite the entire staff. Because he was struggling not to step on them even as he descended the steps. There was no looking back now. He had done what he needed to do and now he could get out of this disgusting world.

VVVVV

Karou threw her opponent onto the ground. She was skilled and was making her waste time. She needed to get to Megumi now. She was in danger.

She groaned as she was punched between her legs. And doubling over she was punched in her face, and Jun was on her feet pulling her by her hair. She had dropped the staff earlier, and now she could feel the cold gun against the base of her skull.

She speared Jun catching her off guard and assaulted her face, stunning her for a while before she could get up and get the staff, but Jun was faster and held her back by her hair forcing her to the ground.

Inside her jacket she could feel the canister she had snatched and she reached for it slowly, and Jun aimed her gun. Karou twisted the top and there was a click that stalled Jun, and then she threw it.

Jun dropped her gun as both her hands went to her eyes.

Karou kicked her in her face and it was funny that she couldn’t do anything. Funny and good for her because Jun was one tough opponent.

Jun attacked blindly.

She dodged her kick and found the staff and swung it, hitting her behind her head and Jun fell flat forward.

She dropped the staff and picked her bag up. She couldn’t afford to look for her phone right now. Takahiro was alive, when Megumi claimed he wasn’t. She had never trusted him.

VVVVV

Takahiro looked at his right-hand with a lazy smirk.

“You look horrible” he stated.

She just rolled her eyes, but he didn’t see it. Her head was still throbbing and she could feel it getting bigger, or was it bigger?

“How hard was it for you to kill someone?” he asked.

“She had a device and I wasn’t expecting it” she admitted.

“Or you’re just not as good as you claim. This isn’t the first time that someone escaped from you”.

“Next time….”

“They will be no next time” Takahiro said sternly and that was when Jun looked to the TV in the room her expressions escaping her for a while.

“He actually….”

There was a knock.

“What is it?” Jun asked.

“Takashi is here boss”.

“Let him in” Takahiro said before Jun could answer. She opened the door and Takashi walked in. Jun was wary. He had somehow managed to kill Megumi and her whole gang. How did he pull that off?

“Like I said” Takashi handed him something.

“What’s this?”

“I felt you’d want to see the moment she died”.

“I only wanted you to kill Megumi. Not her whole gang”.

“Well that was what I had hoped. But things changed and she did kill Geiru”.

Takahiro grinned.

“So what now?” the man asked tossing the drive to Jun.

“Well I took out your rival and my parent’s murderer. I’m free to do whatever I want”.

“It’s a shame your gift will be wasted on nothing” he sighed.

“I told you I’m not a gangster” he said.

“Your father would be proud” he said.

“I know” he replied standing straight. “Thanks for telling me, and accept my condolences for Geiru”.

“Don’t worry about it” Takahiro smiled and held his hand out. “Hopefully we…”

“No” he cut him off. “I’m not getting wrapped up in this again. Your life isn’t meant for me” and he turned around. “Thanks for telling me though. In the end we both got what we wanted” and he stepped out.

“So arrogant” Jun commented.

“You know what they say. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”.

“But there’s still that girl….”

“What’s one girl Jun?” she asked.

“Well she was able to beat me and she survived” she didn’t want to say it, but she had to.

“Yes she was able to beat you, but she’s all alone and you don’t think that all the people Megumi had wronged wouldn’t take the opportunity to take their anger out on her? She’s alone without a gang to hide behind” he laughed.

“Don’t you think she might go after Takashi?”

He gave her an annoyed stare. “And I’m meant to care? He can take care of himself, can’t he?” he asked sitting down. “I know your pride is wounded, if it makes you feel any better you can go after her yourself”.

“That’s the problem. It’s like she disappeared”.

“Then she’s dead then. Not our problem” and he turned back to the news.

‘Megumi Hirose daughter of the late Isami Hirose has been found dead in her family mansion along with several others. Bodies up to forty and still counting. Cause of death unknown. Why anyone would want to kill the young heiress is an ongoing investigation. But this is a death that will leave a mark on the community’.

Takahiro turned the TV off and everything just felt peaceful. He really deserved a pat on the back, and now things could go back the way it was and meant to be. No more Phantom, no more problems and he was at the top.

VVVVV

“You’re leaving?!” mother and son asked astonished.

“Yes” he replied simply.

“Why?” Aiko inquired she looked on the verge of tears. “Did I do something wrong or….?”

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re the best. Both of you and I can’t keep living off you”.

“I’m not complaining about that Takashi. You’re my son and….”

“Why do you want to leave?” Lee cut in before his mum could begin her lecture.

“While I was….working I realized something. That’s there’s more to life more than these four walls of our apartment, and I want to experience that. I’ve seen things and I want to know what else life has to offer”.

He wasn’t lying. He had seen things. Things, inhuman things he wished he could unsee, and he was running away. As cowardly as it seemed he was. He wanted to get away and start anew. There was blood on his hands. Innocent or not it was still blood, and that was a part of his life he wanted to close. It was in the past.

“But you just came back” Aiko said. “I missed you, can’t…can’t you stay longer?”

He wished he could. But he couldn’t. Growing up in an orphanage and meeting Lee in a playground, and then his mother which led to his adoption. He loved the two of them and all the years that they had spent together. But he just couldn’t be with them. He didn’t want to taint any of them. Nothing stays hidden for long.

“I’m sorry” and he hugged her.

When Lee was finally able to get him free from their mum’s strong hands he went to pack.

“Where did you get the bike?” Lee asked. “It looks cool”.

“I know. My former boss gave it to me”.

“Nice” he said. “So this job of yours is done?”

“Yes” he replied. “It paid well” he smiled softly.

“It still doesn’t make sense you want to leave”.

“Lee…”

“Listen Takashi if you’re in some kind of trouble I can help. I can talk to….”

“I’m not in any trouble Lee” he assured his older brother. “I just can’t stay here anymore. I feel suffocated and I’m not sure I’ll ever get this chance again”.

“Will you come back?”

He wasn’t sure if he’d ever step foot here again. But if he did, it’d be for a very good reason. “Yes” he replied.

The brothers hugged and soon the family of three were outside, as they watched him sit on his bike.

“I love you” Aiko said.

“You too” and he stepped in it and he drove off.

He wasn’t sure where he’d end up, or what he’d do to get money to sustain himself. He didn’t get money from Megumi or Takahiro and he had refused money from Aiko, but she had been relentless and then from Lee and his savings. That’d get him somewhere.

He’d just keep his eyes forward. Everything that happened was behind him. The deaths, the murder. He had ended it and closed it and it was time to begin anew. But he wouldn’t be dropping his gadgets just yet.