Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Project An ❯ Claws Of Past ( Chapter 4 )

WARNING for violence and bloodshed.

 

// // means reading material's contents ( ) means quick flashbacks ~ ~ means thoughts

 

+CODE 05: CLAWS OF PAST+

 

You may feel everything bad has been destined in your life. But never do you expect; the more you go through, the more your mindset in life matures, bringing your perspective to greater heights.

 

Hidaka, I was hoping you could guide the whole team into the international soccer competition. How could you consume forbidden drugs during the match?

 

No, I didn't, coach! I am innocent!!!

 

From now on, Hidaka Ken, you will be disqualified from all sports due to intrusion of Rule IX for taking forbidden drugs during competition.....

 

NONONONOONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

 

"ARGGGGGG~~!!!"

 

"RINGGGGGGGGG!"

 

It was another bright morning. Ken sat up on bed, panting while the memory of his nightmare continued to haunt his mind.

 

No, not a nightmare.

 

It was his past. His unforgettable past.

 

Although Kase--- his childhood friend whom had caused his disqualification from professional soccer team was killed with his own hands, his nightmares still continued to haunt him almost every night.

 

"Ohaiyo, Ken-kun!" Omi's cheerful voice greeted him as he pulled himself out of the room to wash up: "Hurry up for breakfast! Aya-chan has just prepared it!"

 

"You're the last to get up, Ken!" Yoji's lazy voice sighed: "We're not waiting for you to open the shop."

 

~ + + + KEN'S POV + + + ~

 

My name is Hidaka Ken, 19 years old. Three years ago, I was one of the outstanding professional soccer players for our country. Unfortunately, because of my childhood friend-Kase's act, I was tricked into consuming forbidden drugs during a match, resulting to my banishment from the professional soccer world. During my attempt to clear my name, Kase and I were beaten up and I was almost burnt to death in an abandoned warehouse.

 

Someone came to my aid.

 

Amidst the smoke and darkness, a red hair lady extended her hand to me.

 

"Join WeiB, Hidaka Ken. Join us to eliminate the wrongdoers from this corrupted city. Your weapon will be claws and your old identity as a banished soccer player will be declared dead in our police record."

 

Later, I know who she was. Manx. A police investigator who was working under Persia until his death.

 

My life almost ends once. And now, I am alive again with a new aim. To change the evildoers' tomorrows.

 

My parents have passed away from illness five years ago, so this change will not pose much problem to me. My new family will be the other members of WeiB. And now there is a new comer-Fujimaya Aya, Ran's younger sister.

 

"Oniichan!!!" Aya skipped and grabbed Ran by his arm, swinging it slightly and started asked in a cutely way: "There's going to be a funfair across the lane tomorrow night. Can we go together, can we?"

 

"I am not in mood, Aya. Go yourself." Ran said, still absorbed deep in his thought. He was still acting cold despite his sister's recovery from his coma and death of his parents' murderer---Takatori Reiji. I wonder what's bugging him this time.

 

"But, Onnichan, you used to bring me to the funfair when Papa and Mama..."

 

"Enough!" Ran roared furiously, startling Omi and Yoji in their meals.

 

Tears started to well up in Aya's large violet eyes.

 

"Aya-chan, Ran-kun is probably still worrying about some important matters," Omi immediately jumped off his seat and pulled Aya's hand: "We'll go together. I need to buy something along the way anyway." Omi secretly glanced at Ran in concern, knowing why Ran was throwing his temper.

 

"Really? Arigato, Omi-kun!" Happiness immediately filled in Aya's child- like face.

 

Omi. He is always a darling, an angel sent down to wash away our distress despite his dark family background as the son of the notorious Takatori Reiji and murderer of his own brothers.

 

"Aww, Omi, you are acting just like a baby-sitter!" Yoji-the playboy scowled comically.

 

"Ne, I'm just accompanying her conveniently!" Omi quickly replied.

 

"I like you, Omi-kun!" Aya beamed happily and gave the blue-eyed blond a quick hug. Instantly, a red hue spread over the boy's face.

 

I laughed heartedly.

 

At the other side of the table, Yoji was flipping the newspaper.

 

"Whoa! Another professional sports player was found dead in his apartment with his wrist cut before a national match. He is the key player for the team's success! What's wrong with sports players these days? Nah, Ken, is that what you call competition stress?"

 

I felt my face darkened.

 

"I finish my meal," I said dully and pushed my plates aside.

 

~ + + + NORMAL MODE + + + ~

 

Later that night...

 

"A mission from Persia, guys!" Burman said. Unlike usual times, Manx did not turn up.

 

"What's wrong with Manx today?" Yoji asked. He never failed to ignore the red hair beauty's presence.

 

"She's engaged to an important case. Therefore, for this time, I'll solely take over the explanation and delegation job." Burman responded and turned off the light.

 

Persia's dark image popped up on the television screen.

 

"Good evening, WeiB. A two-men group has been running illegal betting business using professional sports matches. To please some important clients, they lured insiders to eliminate important players through false accusations or suicide-like murders so that their target teams would win. The masterminds are as follows.."

 

Instantly, pictures of the two men were shown on the screen. One was extremely thin with deep hollow eyes as if he had not eaten for days while other was plump with wicked looking eyes.

 

"My white assassinators, help these villains rewrite their tomorrows."

 

The screen went blank.

 

Ken's eyes widened and his knuckles clenched so hard that they turned white. Omi secretly looked at him with concerned eyes.

 

The room lit up.

 

"This group used to operate under Takatori Hirofumi to gain connections with important politicians and businessmen for Takatori Reiji. 1 years before Takatori Reiji's fall, they went to other country and were only back 2 months ago." Burman said, holding out an envelope: "The full details are here. Is everyone participating?"

 

Ran took the envelope from her.

 

"I'll take it as a yes." Burman smiled.

 

Ken was still shivering uncontrollably.

 

Omi touched Ken's shoulder slight: "Ken-kun, are you alright?"

 

"I.. I'm ok," Ken said, still shaking.

 

~ + + + OMI'S POV + + + ~

 

I am worried for Ken-kun. He does not seem to be in his right self today. Is that something to do with today's mission? I know he used to be a professional soccer player. I wonder if this crime has anything to do with his past.

 

Nevertheless, I immediately go to my computer after the briefing.

 

The masterminds are nicknamed 'Skeleton' and 'Boss'. Their nicknames do suit their outstanding appearance. 'Boss' is in charge of getting in touch with clients and game manipulation planning while 'Skeleton' coordinates with insiders through bribes.

 

They are cunning, very cunning people. They do not allow other people to know about their presence, except their clients. Even insiders who help them to remove professional players do not exactly know their activities are organised. All they know is that they can get money and fame through these two people's alliance with big companies.

 

I guess Takatori clan's fall has weakened their power to hide in the shadows.

 

The headquarter is situated in a skyscraper of Shinjuku. A very obvious spot for illegal activities. But who knows? The most dangerous place can be the safest.

 

Tonight, we will be spilt into two groups to look for the two masterminds.

 

"Omi," Ken-kun's voice suddenly appeared behind me, making me jump.

 

I turned to look at him: "Ken-kun! You almost startle me!"

 

Ken-kun's voice was serious: "Can I pair up with you?"

 

I stared at him for a short while: "Hai!"

 

Our mission will start at 11pm.

 

~ + + + + + + ~

 

The hospital ward was dimly lit with a table lamp. A dark slim figure made her way to the red hair patient who was sitting on her bed.

 

"The boys have gone for their mission, Manx." The face of the figure revealed under the light as Burman. Manx made a soft 'eh' sound and continued to stare at her hands. Very concerned, Burman reached over and touched her friend/colleague's hand: "Daijoubu, Manx? It's not like you to be so quiet."

 

"Takatori Masafumi is still alive. Do not let the boys know about this." Manx's voice was low and defeated.

 

"But how long can we keep this?"

 

"I don't know. We'll wait and observe." Manx whispered in exhaustion, betraying a slight hint of sadness in her voice. She had been confident of keeping situations in control, but with the enemies penetrating by their doorstep, she was beginning to doubt her capability and her endurance.

 

A hand petted her shoulder.

 

"Don't give up hope, Manx. Everything will be all right. Be brave!"

 

"Arigato, Burman. I can't imagine how I can deal with this situation without you."

 

~ + + + + + + ~

 

The mini-city of Shinjuku, with its skyscrapers, department stores and red- light district was buzzling with 'night owls' looking for night excitements. Penniless roamers who were too poor to afford a lodging in the high-cost city were out shivering in cold on roadsides and in dark alleys, long forgotten by passingbys.

 

Before a skyscraper of Nishi-Shinjuku, two tall figures moved swiftly at lightning speed past the unsuspected guards from a dark corner into a sewage hole that led into the interior of the building.

 

In a dark office, a plump man nicknamed 'Boss' was snickering, his bewildered eyes gleaming with lust as he counted his money as usual at his desk alone.

 

Amidst the dark behind him, two figures loomed.

 

"You've been counting money all the time. Have you ever calculate the number of bad deeds you've done before your death? I bet it's countless." A low cold voice said.

 

"Who's that?!" 'Boss' gasped in shock and tried to press the alarm button under his desktop.

 

"WeiB-the white assassinators!"

 

Before the fingers could touch the button, a wire curled round his wrist and pulled back. A slash of katana sent his head off his body, staining the white wall red instantly.

 

Yoji pulled his sunglasses down slight, blinked an eye and smiled: "One down. The rest is up to the two kids." Ran gave a slight nod.

 

They did not notice a pair of bright eyes watching them behind a pillar when they walked out of the room.

 

~ + + + + + + ~

 

Ken and Omi ran and ducked behind the wall as two security guards walked by, chatting between themselves gleefully.

 

Ken looked at Omi and moved his eyes at the guards, hinting: 'Shall we strike and disguise?' Omi shook his head and moved out quickly the moment the guards were out of sight. Ken sighed and followed the blond. It would be so much easier to kill a person under a disguise than scampering around like night mice.

 

A door with the plate 'Information Room' caught Ken's attention. He tugged Omi's jacket and moved to open the door. It was password protected. He swung his claws, torn down the lock and sneaked into it.

 

Omi frowned in protest. He followed.

 

"Ken-kun! There's no time for trivial matters!" Omi whispered.

 

"Chotto, I need to clarify something." Ken whispered back. He had sensed something amiss when he saw Skeleton's face on the television screen, feeling he had seen that person somewhere.

 

"Ken-kun~!" The blue-eyed boy protested.

 

"Shhhhhhhh.." Ken hissed.

 

The room was large, but its space was cramped and littered with shelves of documents. There was a computer in the corner of the room on a desk. Instantly, Ken moved to operate the computer.

 

"Ken-kun!" Omi's tone was harsh and impatient. This time, Ken chose to ignore the boy and started to hunt through the database.

 

He went to the search box and keyed 'Hidaka Ken'. No record was found.

 

Then he tried 'Kase'.

 

Instantly, paragraphs of words ran down the screen. The file was recorded three years ago.

 

// 7th August. 'Boss' wants me to get 'Blue Victory' out of the picture. I need an insider and found Kase. He seems to be dissatisfied with a team member for a long time. It's a good opportunity to strike down the team...//

 

Ken's eyes widened. Omi moved behind Ken and noticed it. His lips moved, but suddenly swerved behind and flew a dart at the figure who moved swiftly just in time to avoid it.

 

It was their mission target-'Skeleton'.

 

Omi's eyes widened in shock. Not many people could avoid his darts like that.

 

"Heh, heh, heh.. What are you doing here, kids?" 'Skeleton' tittered in a high-pitched voice.

 

"WeiB-the white assassinators. We're here to send you to Hell!" Omi snarled and flashed four more darts from his gloved hand.

 

"Too bad, you probably do not know I used to excel in military fighting techniques before I came into this business."

 

Omi tried to calm himself. He knew he had to be fast and deadly to get this target out of the world.

 

~Hayaku, Ken-kun. I might not be able to handle this man!~ Omi stole a worried glance back to the stone-still figure known as Hidaka Ken while flying his darts at his fast moving target.

 

//...get the team 'Blue Victory out of the picture....//

 

("Hurry up for our next match, Hidaka! Our 'Blue Victory' must win!")

 

//.... need an insider and found Kase. He seems to be dissatisfied with a team member for a long time....//

 

(Ken wiped his sweat after a competition practice and headed to the rest room. Along the way, he caught sight of Kase talking and smiling to a thin figure. The person's face was suddenly focused to show 'Skeleton.)

 

"Enough of hide-and-seek, it's now my payback time!" Skeleton snickered and shone a long knife. His thin figure moved like a haze towards his young opponent.

 

Pain shot through his arms. Omi winced inwardly in pain. Blood oozed out of a deep cut on his shoulder.

 

"Like what you've seen? It's just a beginning, little boy." Skeleton's form reappeared behind Omi, licking his newly blood stained knife.

 

"Bastard, how many sportsmen's dream have you scattered?!" Omi spitted and pulled out his crossbow.

 

//....Kase has done well. He manages to disqualify the goal keeper with a forbidden drug I've given him...//

 

("Ganbattee, Ken, have a drink!" Kase offered a bottle to him. The ball slipped past Ken's reach into the goal net as his eyes failed to focus on it. Investigators' gaze became cold after the result of his urine test was out. There was drug content in his body. On the same day, he was banished from the sports.)

 

The past. Like a rewinding video tape started to come back in flashbacks in Ken's mind eyes. His fists clenched and unclenched themselves.

 

Ken gritted his teeth. So, these two people were behind all these. They made use of Kase's grudge on him to achieve Takatori Reiji's aim by pleasing Yasiya Building Corporation that helped to eliminate Takatori Reiji's rivals before the day of politic election.

 

//....Just a little convincing and Kase carries out his work. As promised, I got him into Yasiya Building Corporation--- one of our clients and it even assisted us to get rid of the banished goal keeper in a warehouse fire when he tried to get into the investigation work on the case.... //

 

{Kase screamed as he was dragged out by three men whom Ken later knew to be under Yasiya Building Corporation. Ken laid on the ground in pain as the place was covered with smoke and fire...)

 

Omi's fearful scream woke Ken from his daze of past.

 

The boy was clutching his bleeding left leg and gritted his teeth hard, causing some grinding sound.

 

Hovering above Omi was 'Skeleton'. He cleaned his knife like a cat.

 

"Time to say 'tata', pretty boy." 'Skeleton' drove the knife at the dizzy boy's chest.

 

A clawed hand entangled the weapon.

 

"Why did you choose Kase to do your dirty work?" Ken's glare, like his tone, was frightening cold.

 

Another claw drove down and paused a centimeter before Skeleton's nose.

 

"Keh, keh." Skeleton swallowed hard and laughed nervously: "He's got the lust for powers, he wants to be on the top, the best in everything. That's normally the kind of person we choose.. errrr. your hand.." His eyes, like widened in enormous size was staring at the claws like a hawk.

 

"You.you're Hidaka Ken, the banished goal keeper, right? We did not ask him to target you, we...."

 

"ENOUGH! THAT'S ENOUGH! Because of you people, he gets a reason to betray the team to achieve his aim!!" Ken screamed hysterically and drove his claw straight into Skeleton's head, sending blood and brain bits scattered onto the wall.

 

"KEN-KUN!!!" There was fear and shock in Omi's shrieks: "STOP!! STOP IT!!!!!"

 

Ken could no longer see the bloody corpse and the frightened boy before him. All he could see was two young boys playing soccer on a field, laughing and shouting.

 

"Hey, Kase! I'm going to be a soccer player when I grow up. How about you?"

 

"Me too! And we'll be the best comrades in competitions!!"

 

"A promise!"

 

LIAR!! LIAR!! LIAR!!

 

Immediately, Kase's greed-filled face shining with excitement replaced the joyful scene as he pointed his gun at Ken.

 

"I hate you, Ken! Why must you always be the best when I'm only a third- class player in the game?!! Why can't you just vanish from this world for me to thrive with wealth and power?!!"

 

Kase! Have you forgotten our childhood promise?

 

Yes, that must be it. Skeleton must have influenced Kase into betrayal, to lure him into obsession with wealth and fame and poison his pure personality.

 

I HATE, I HATE!!!! I HATEHATEHATEHATEHATE

 

"KEN-KUN! THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!!" A hand forcefully encircled Ken's body and pulled him from behind. Kase's face instantly vanished, replaced by a badly slashed 'Skeleton' and a tearful Omi.

 

"It's over, Ken-kun. Everything is over. Let the past rest." Omi whispered softly, gripping tight from behind, his face on Ken's back.

 

Tears steamed down Ken's face: "Doshitte, why must everything happen like this? I would have become a successful professional soccer player with Kase instead of an assassinator now!"

 

Omi looked at his friend sympathetically and let off his uninjured arm.

 

"Why, why must this happen to me?" Ken tearfully turned to face his younger member and stared down his bloodstained claws. His enemy's blood dotted all over his face and mission coat.

 

More tears flowed. Ken collapsed onto the ground. His body shivered hard with grief and lost.

 

"Ken, look into my eyes." There was soft tenderness in Omi's voice. Instead of the usual 'Ken-kun', he simply called 'Ken', hoping to arouse the older man's attention.

 

"Doshittee?" Ken looked up into the sympathetic blue eyes above him. His expression reminded Omi of a confused and lost child instead of the quick- tempered ex-soccer player.

 

Omi moved forward and kneeled down before Ken. Sobbingly, Ken let himself fall forward and buried his face into Omi's chest to cry, to let out his resentment of his fate.

 

In the dark, bloodstained room, the sobbing of the ex-soccer player echoed in the air.

 

In the midst of the sea of memories....

 

The cheers of the audiences' rose and fall, fall and rose as the atmosphere of the game came to a greater height.

 

"GREAT CATCH!! Another excellent catch from the goal keeper of 'Blue Victory'-Hidaka Ken!!!"

 

The cheers became louder and louder..

 

But gone.. This dream would never be realised anymore.. Never ever....

 

~ + + + + + + ~

 

Light steamed into the room as the door cracked open. A fluttering sound faltered. A feather spiraled down onto a piece of newly placed card on the study table.

 

The red hair leader of WeiB reached over and picked up the card.

 

A row of words was written neatly on it.

 

His eyes narrowed.

 

The card wrote: //Manx knows something you do not know. She is now hospitalized in Central Hospital.//

 

-END OF CODE 05-