Venom

Pretence

Takahiro glared at the bag he had been delivered. He had been informed by some incompetent idiot that told him he had a delivery, and now he was staring at a big duffle bag and if it wasn’t money in there, he didn’t care.

“Open it” he told Jun.

He was still angry that Megumi had gotten away, and he had lost more men to that annoying brat, who had the audacity to come to his club and shoot at him. He’d make her pay. But first he’d make the rest of his men pay the price first.

Jun groaned in disgust.

Pulling the zipper to the end, it was a bloody, gagged, bound and naked Geiru still breathing and seemed to be awake?

Takahiro grimaced at the sight and turned around.

It wasn’t at the state she was in. No! Far from that. Her being here meant she had failed and since she was here, Takashi was there and alone. And he could only guess the condition. He should probably ask her the state he was in, but he was sure she couldn’t remember anything.

A number was performed on her. She had been beaten black and blue. Literally.

Jun didn’t do anything until her boss gave the go ahead.

He turned around with a smile on his face and tears immediately gathered at Geiru’s eyes.

He placed his hands on his knees. Jun squatting and their boss behind her looking down at them both. “Geiru…..”

“M...mphf….cha….”everything came out muffled because of the gag.

“You know how much I hate failure” he said.

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. The tears flowing freely now.

“Jun” he drawled.

“Boss” she replied.

“Bring her along. We’re going for a ride”.

Soon they arrived at the lake and he didn’t want her soiling his seats, so he had her kept in the trunk. He moved to admire the view before Geiru was brought to him. Just the gag had been removed.

“Boss I didn’t…”

“Geiru” he called. 

She went silent still scared for her life and it was a miracle that she hadn’t wet herself.

“Sir” she replied.

“How good are you at swimming?” he asked.

She looked at him like she had seen a ghost, and then she looked back at the water. No! She couldn’t believe it. After everything that had happened and now she was here looking into the dark eyes of her boss. The same sadistic eyes she had looked into when she had joined.

And now he was going to kill her.

He placed his finger on her forehead.

“If you survive, you can come back” and he pushed her a little. With her being bound it was easy. She tipped backward easily and into the water.

“Let’s go” Takahiro smiled at Jun.

Jun didn’t even glance at the water and followed her boss. 

“What about Fujiwara?” she inquired.

“I can’t send another one there right now, so for now Takashi is on his own”.

“Do you think that she’ll kill him?”

He laughed. “Megumi isn’t one to let good things pass her by. So all we can do now is wait and hopefully he accomplishes it”.

Jun wouldn’t argue.

VVVVV

Karou barged into Takashi’s room. Good thing he was awake…..and clothed.

“The Mistress wants to see you” she said coldly.

“Sure” and he followed her.

He couldn’t sleep the previous night. The fight still fresh in his eyes and every sound, while he had stood there and done nothing. What did she want to talk about?

He was sure she still had doubts. 

Karou pushed the door open and he stepped inside, but she didn’t. She closed the door and Takashi stood there and looked to Megumi who was on her chair, her feet on the table.

“You wanted to see me” he said.

“Yes I did” and she dropped her feet and stood up. “Come closer” she gestured with her wrapped up hands. She must have hit really hard to bruise herself, or Geiru had a very hard face.

He stood close to her table and she leaned closer. “You are useless” she stated.

He made a face and wanted to open his mouth, but she raised her hand.

“You almost got yourself killed and I had to carry your heavy ass to safety while you were there staring into space”.

“Well…”

“You obviously don’t know how any of this works” she said bluntly.

“Have you ever held a gun before? Fought before? Understand the underworld?!”

“No” he replied.

“You just wanted this for revenge not knowing what you’re getting into” she was surprisingly calm.

Actually that was true.

“The only reason I saved you it’s because of your last name. But that’s not a guarantee that I’ll keep doing that. In Phantom everyone contributes and pulls their weight. No preferential treatment”.

“So what?” he asked.

Megumi glared at him and stood straight. 

“Karou!” she barked.

She walked in.

“Yes Mistress” she said.

“Show him the ropes” and she turned to the window.

“Yes” and she turned to Takashi waiting for him to follow her. And he did a little bit elated that she had no suspicions.

Karou walked behind him until she was in front of him and they went back to his room. 

“So Fujiwara, I don’t like it but I’m here to educate you because you are completely stupid”.

“Glad you’re just jumping into it”.

“First what do you know about gangs?”

“That you’re a large group of people who commit crimes and prey on the innocent”.

“If that’s what you believe then why are you here?”

“I want my revenge” he said.

“Why didn’t you become a police officer then?”

“So many rules. I can’t exactly act on my own, can I?”

“And what makes you think this organization is different? You can’t do anything without first consulting the Mistress” she informed him.

“Then what do you do?” he asked folding his arms.

“A gang is a body of people who like you said commit crimes and prey on the innocent, but there’s more to that. Think of us as politicians, but we actually keep our promises. We’re closer to the people, to the communities and where security doesn’t reach, we are actually there. We only collect a little fee and if they don’t pay, we have the right to get angry”.

“So you’re saying you actually protect the people?”

“Yes we do” she replied assertive.

“What about all the drugs and weapons and violence you let out on the street”.

“How else will we make our money? Every organization needs money”.

Takashi groaned.

“The doctor hopes people gets sick, the coffin maker hopes people die, and the car dealer hopes people destroy their cars in accidents. We sell drugs, we sell and buy ammunition and if you by chance see us destroying something or beating someone up, they totally deserve it. As you saw with your friend yesterday”.

“She’s not my friend” he groaned.

“Just because you say something doesn’t mean I have to believe you” she looked him in the eye. “There’s a hierarchy here and everyone has a role to play. There’s Megumi, then there’s Sachi, me and formerly Geiru, but she’s not here. And now there’s you and you are under specialized” she smiled.

“But you should know that you’re not a celebrity here. Even the leader of this gang knows how to handle a gun. She doesn’t need the rest of us to protect her and you aren’t any different. Whether your father was a big shot or not!”

“Fine” he agreed. “Can you calm down?”

“I will not be calm. Do not tell me to be calm!”

“Okay I’m sorry”.

“Let’s go” she said.

VVVVV

She led Takashi to one of the many rooms in the house where they seemed to train. And train they did. Well if training meant Sachi picking them up and putting them in painful positions. Well if that was it was, that was what was happening.

“We’ll start with basic training today”.

“You should know that gangs won’t be the best fighter out there like you see in sports. Take it as underground fighting. That’s where most of them come from anyway. So a little less sophisticated. More raw and bloody and that’s what we do here. We bring what we all know and test it out”.

“Why did you join this gang?” Takashi asked.

“Just like you I have a story. And so does everyone”.

She removed her jacket and she got on the mat looking at Takashi, who still hadn’t gotten on.

“I don’t have all day” she said.

He reluctantly got on the mat. He really didn’t see why he needed this. He could protect himself very well and he didn’t see the need for fighting. He could leave the violence to them.

“Now try to hit me” she said.

“Wait! What?”

“Try to hit me!”

“That’s it? I just try to hit you?”

“Yes. How long do I have to say it before you get it?”

“I don’t know how to do this, and why would I hit you?!”

“You think they care”.

“If they don’t, I do”.

“And when a girl is attacking you. What will you do?”

“I can just knock her out” he replied simply.

“Tell me how you’ll do that when she keeps swinging her fists” she scoffed and bent a little, spreading her legs. “I’m not going to teach you a lot. Just how to defend yourself. Hopefully you get it and not let your morals get in the way”.

“Now hit me” she said.

He threw a very weak punch. Well to be honest he had never done it before and he didn’t know what he threw, but Karou blocked him with her forearm and it was hard on impact.

He winced rubbing his wrist.

“Again!” she ordered.

He did it again and she ducked.

“Hit me. It’s not that hard”.

And he did again. This time she ducked and turned, then pulled his arm onto her shoulder and threw him over with her hip.

He landed on his back looking up at her. “You are weak” she stated.

And he couldn’t ignore the laughter that he heard. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again he was looking at Sachi. 

“The great Takashi Fujiwara” she announced.

And everybody laughed again.

“Get up and let’s do it again”.

“Well you’re not telling me what to do. I think you enjoy throwing me around”.

“Maybe” she smiled. “Up!”

Well the day didn’t go well. She had kept throwing him around and how much she bent his legs and his entire body. He didn’t know that one person could do that to another. He was in pain and he knew he’d have to do that tomorrow. A small price to pay for his revenge.

After Sachi had put his body through very long hours of torture, she left him there, and no one had bothered to help him up. He got up himself and wanted to do nothing more than to spend the rest of his day in bed.

Then he heard something.

Like metal slicing through air. How he heard that? Well with the slicing and everything was quiet so he could hear it. He opened the door and he could see Megumi with a sword, and she was moving it around and that was scary. Really scary. She could fight, use a gun and now she had a sword.

The way she moved was so choreographed and she looked like she was dancing. Her form and her movement on the mat with her rolls, and her flips, and the slice of the shiny blade. That had him gulping.

“Beautiful isn’t she?”

Takashi turned to see Kenji. And also he had been caught spying by him of all people.

“Well I can see why you paused to admire her. Who’d see her and turn away” he said.

“Yeah” he agreed and he wanted to go his own way, but Kenji followed.

“She doesn’t use the sword. If she did that’s the term bringing a knife to a gun party”.

“I get it”.

“Well why don’t you go after her then?”

“Excuse me?”

“Like I said go after her”.

“Why would I go after her?” he asked. The very idea was sickening. Not that she wasn’t attractive or anything. He just found the whole idea disgusting. A gang leader, a murderer, drug dealer and just plain mean who was violent. That violence she exacted on Geiru.

“You will do what I tell you. Unless you want to me to talk to Megumi. You know she will listen to me” he smirked. “And I’m pretty sure that you want your face to remain the same way it is, and also alive”.

“But you will do it either way. There’s a reason you’re here anyway”.

Takashi was quiet.

“I guess you agree” and he walked away.

Takashi followed. If that was how Kenji wanted it, he’d get it. He wasn’t the only one with a plan.

VVVVV

“Today is guns” Karou told him.

“Thank goodness” he told himself.

“Yes. With what happened to you at that attack. Do you even know how to hold a gun?”

“I think that’d be easier than what we tried yesterday”.

“That’s what you think” she said and took a gun and filled it with bullets, and aimed at the target, and shot directly and hit the bulls eye.

Then the ringing noise assaulted his ears.

“Yeah. Easier right?” she asked.

“Well you’re used to loud noises and I’m not”.

“Well wear the headphones then” she said nonchalant that she might have damaged his ears.

He grumbled and then he placed the headphones over his ears.

“Are you going to actually teach me something or you’ll just expect me to know?”

“You’re living in this century and you don’t know how to fight. Who’s going to protect you when you need it most?”

“Isn’t that what you’re there for?”

“Do you pay for it?” she smiled. And when he didn’t give her a reply she thrust the gun against his chest.

“Now stand with legs apart” she instructed using her knees to spread his legs. “Raise your hand” and she raised his elbow her chin coming to rest on his shoulder. “Aim….what are you doing?!”

Takashi glanced at the face on his shoulder.

“Aiming?” he replied unsure.

“You do not close an eye when aiming”.

“Why not?”

“You only do that when you’re using the gun that requires you to close your eyes. For example sniper rifles”.

“If you do that….” She took the gun from him and then fired a shot, and she was way off from the paper. She actually made a hole at the side. “You’ll miss and give your opponent the opening to kill you”.

Well at least she was better than yesterday.

“Now aim, steady your hand and she placed her hand against his on the trigger. Now….fire!”

And he did.

But he didn’t hit the big red target.

“Don’t worry about it. Just takes a lot of practice”.

And practice he did till he thought his arm was going to fall off and Karou kept saying again every time he missed. This wasn’t going anywhere.

“Why do I have to learn any of this?!” he snapped throwing the gun and the headphones.

“For your protection” she replied.

“No offense, but I don’t need any of this. I am well protected with what I do and I can protect myself with that”.

“The Mistress doesn’t seem to think so” she said.

“She has already seen me in action….”

“Then why didn’t you do something to protect yourself that night. You put yourself in danger and also endangered her” she argued.

“That was because….”

“Because you don’t know how this works! She’s doing this to help you, and the only thing you do is complain. Shut up and then we can continue and maybe make progress today”.

“I’m done for the day” he said with finality and he spun on his heel.

“Takashi! You will get back here!” she didn’t like that she was wasting her free time on the rookie, but here she was doing it and she wasn’t complaining. He who didn’t know anything was complaining. She didn’t know where he came from but if he was treated like a King there, it’ll be different here.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and he spun around and pushed her hand away.

That aggravated her and she wanted to crack one on his jaw, but he blocked her hit with his wrist.

She smiled, but she wouldn’t let him have the last laugh. 

She launched her knee, but he leaned away and she stumbled.

“So I think this sums up our lesson for today”.

“Just because I slipped doesn’t mean you won. Stop complaining and actually focus. Your poison isn’t a guarantee that you’ll make it out there”.

“Let’s test that then” and he walked away.

VVVVV

He knocked on the door and waited patiently.

“Enter”.

And he did. Seeing Megumi on her seat polishing a sword. He was thinking maybe voicing his thoughts and having her hold a very long knife wasn’t a good position for him.

“What is it Takashi?”

“I came to tell you that I’m not sure….” He was hesitating now.

She didn’t push though. She just kept cleaning her sword meticulously and looking at him.

“Yes”.

“I came to tell you that the training I’m going through isn’t for me. I don’t need it”.

“And why do you think you don’t need it?” she asked. “I was the one to carry you back to the car and you say you don’t need it?” he watched her hands carefully. In case she wanted to throw it he’d know when to duck.

“That, I wasn’t prepared for that”.

“The others weren’t, but they jumped into action. Even the late Geiru”.

Takashi had to think. He couldn’t delve into that.

“W-well….because….”

“Well. Because. You don’t know how this works” she said bluntly. “You need the training for your own good…”

“What I do is more efficient than your bullets and fists. Anyone can wear a bulletproof vest and have bulletproof windows. People survive from gunshot wounds and it takes a lot of time to beat someone to death” he laid all his arguments on the table.

“You’re right, but that’s why we have highly trained snipers and, we have businessmen to sell us bombs. It’s messy, but it gets the job done. You want to go out there with your needles and hide in the roof with Karou by your side? I’m not going to do that. You’re in my gang and you will follow the rules just like everyone else”.

“What if I can prove you wrong?”

She slammed the weapon on the table and stood up abruptly. “I hate when people challenge my authority!” she growled in his face.

He held her stare.

“You want to prove me wrong?” she asked.

“Yes” he replied.

She smirked. Her eyes now excited. “You can do that after you’ve completed your training, or at least gone an extent and I’ll oversee it and judge you, and if you do well, I’ll let you prove me wrong. You can show me what you got”.

“It’s a date then” he leaned closer smiling. Their lips almost touching. 

Megumi gave him a bored look. “Get out and go continue with Karou” and she sat on her chair back to her sword.

“Till then” Megumi said as he walked out.

And his training continued with Karou, who he personally felt was still mad at him and took it out on him on the mat. But he knew he was getting better.

“You have to learn how to fall” she always said that when she found a way to throw him onto the mat.

“You have to learn how to take a hit” whenever she delivered a punch.

“You shouldn’t expect the same thing twice” she would say when she put him in a difficult position. 

“Expect the unexpected” she would deliver when she did something outside their normal routine.

It did a lot to his pride that he was getting beat up by a girl, and Megumi was always around to see it. If he continued like this, he would never be able to stop this stupid training.

But he did better in his gun training.

The tiny problem, he could never hit the target.

“I think that there’s something that will help” Megumi said.

“He’s hopeless Mistress”.

“Now Karou, don’t be mean. You know how it was for most when they first joined”.

“Now Takashi what always works you imagine a face you hate so much and fire. You said you wanted revenge right? Then imagine the face of the person who you want to exact your revenge on and then fire”.

With the constant practice, he didn’t need the earphones anymore and he looked at his true enemy. The big red circle he couldn’t hit. He’d take Megumi’s advice.

He focused on the dot and took his position, he aimed and fired and for the first time in his long weeks of training he hit the target.

“It was that easy” Karou was astonished. “Who did you visualize?”

“You” he replied simply.

And Karou would have broken his legs then and there. She was in a good position to so, but Megumi gave her a look.

“Now you’ve finally hit it after a very long time, we can finally move on to other kinds of guns”.

He stifled his groan. ‘There were more’ he thought mortified. But anything to end this quickly.

His hands hurt by the end of the day and he wasn’t sure he was almost halfway done.

“Excuse us Karou” Megumi told her right-hand.

“Yes Mistress” and she left the both of them.

“Am I done with my training?” he asked with a little smile.

“No. But I want to do something with you. Follow me” and she was already walking.

“So inconsiderate” he murmured.

She led him back to the training room and she had taken of her shirt and now she was wrapping bandages round her fists.

“This is your test. Get ready” and she turned to face him.

What was happening today? He had fired guns for hours, and now he was going to spar with Megumi? Who had left Geiru for dead? No. But then again to end this and begin his own plan. Take the test now and risk death?

“Are you doing this or not?”

He stepped onto the mat.

“You don’t really fight Karou, but you learn. I don’t know why you don’t actually do anything. It’s kind of painful to watch”.

He was silent.

“Ready?” she asked.

He took a deep breath. “Yes”.

She gave a roundhouse kick, but he blocked that. Her other leg which also came out of nowhere, he blocked that too. She threw her elbow back, which he ducked under and she stomped on his fingers.

“You have to do much more than that if you want to prove me wrong” and she applied more force.

There was something he noticed when she had fought Geiru. She had delivered clean hits to her legs twice, and he delivered a chop to the ankles and she fell, but not before delivering a head-butt which had him on his back, and she on him her forearm crushing his windpipe.

He switched their positions quickly putting all his weight on her wrists trapping her just for a little while. Megumi never stayed down for long and he was tired of being bent like clay. He was sure he’d break soon enough. But Megumi stayed.

Takashi looked down at her and being honest. It was a nice view.

“Never drop your guard” and she used her knee again between his legs and he was out. He had lost and Megumi was on her feet in a very stylish way.

“Don’t tell me you’re done” she said circling him.

Well kicking anyone between their legs male or female will hurt and put them out. She didn’t even go anywhere. It was disappointing. He had failed woefully.

“Well Takashi I won’t lie. I’m not impressed” she said.

“I guess I failed, huh?” he wheezed.

“Yes you did. But I still want to see you prove yourself”.

He looked up at her and she had her hand out for him and she pulled him up. “Don’t let me down the second time” she whispered before leaving him alone in the big empty room.

He hoped he wouldn’t too.

VVVVV

So when Megumi had said that he’d prove himself he really didn’t know what to expect. What he should have expected was to be in the basement cellar again with Megumi, her right-hand Karou, crazy sister Sachi and the manipulative friend Kenji.

And they weren’t the only ones present.

Gangs had their own enemies, so yes they had a lot of people to get rid of? Fight? Hurt? Send a message? A combination of all. So just like that night in the parking lot when he got pulled into their world, they were five people all strapped to chairs.

“Got you test subjects” Megumi said. “Whenever you’re ready”.

“Which should be sooner” Sachi spoke up.

“You didn’t need to get me five. I could have even tested it on myself”.

“No one wants to see that. We can’t afford you accidentally killing yourself. Gangs would kill to have you…”

“Literally” Kenji commented.

“And to kill yourself with your own poison. Funny” Karou laughed.

“What about animals?”

“Can you stop stalling and get on with it?!” Sachi snapped.

He still wasn’t on board with the whole killing people. But he had already killed so it was too late to complain. He took a deep breath. All what he had learnt from his father’s notes, all what he had thought himself would finally show.

He got his device and filled it with a total of five bottles.

“What do they do?” Karou asked.

“I specialize in all types of poisons and toxins. You can’t have that in a real gun so I had to manufacture my own kind of weapons”.

“Looks fancy” Megumi said.

The needle came out and he pierced the first guy in the neck and went over to rest. Needles changed of course. He was in a gang, his sense of hygiene didn’t have to go with it. He had already put that factor in his gun to change the needles with every dose.

“Now we wait” Takashi said.

And it didn’t take long before the first guy was foaming at the mouth, the second guy turned pale, then blue and he looked bloated. The third guy jerked uncontrollably in his seat and just seized movement. The fourth just simply breathed his last. A peaceful death compared to all the rest. And the last guy released a screech trying to get free, and the screech died down and so did he.

“A wonderful presentation”.

“Care to explain?” Sachi asked her eyes refusing to leave the terrifying display before her. Guns were messy, and were fast and it usually left a hole when it hit. It wasn’t so…..she had no words for the display before her. But it’ll be good adding that to their weapons.

“Well the first unfortunate guy just had soda injected into him. When soda makes contact with water it foams up. Just like dropping a mint into soda”. The little bottle had mint properties and when it was injected into the body and made contact with the water in the lungs and foamed up until he couldn’t breathe and eventually died.

“The second unfortunate just had a shutdown of all respiratory organs and he just died, hence the turning a shade of blue. The third just adrenaline and too much off that. He was weak and he couldn’t get up to wear himself out. Too much triggered a heart attack. Fourth sedatives. Overdose and he fell asleep and last died on his own”.

“How?” Megumi asked.

“I didn’t actually poison him. I just gave him some pictures in his mind. I really don’t know what he saw, but what he did was able to raise his blood pressure and kill him”.

“Wicked” Karou said under her breath.

“So how did I do?” he asked.

“Splendid” Megumi said grinning her hands together. She had the crazy look and the crazy eyes. She was thinking and Kenji couldn’t be prouder.

“Excuse us Takashi” Megumi said.

He walked out and Karou read the signs. She wasn’t meant to be there. She followed after him. 

“What do you think?” Megumi asked.

“Good, disgusting and sick” she said with distaste gesturing to the bodies. “But it will give the gang an edge. We’ll have something against all of them. Not even Red Dawn can compare”.

“I second that” Kenji said. He turned to Megumi. “You have a plan”.

“Yes I do” she said.

“What is it?” Sachi asked cautiously. “It’s not something crazy, is it?”

“No it’s not. A completely hundred percent sane”.

“What is it?” Sachi asked.

“Maybe now I can get my revenge faster than I already set” she said.

Sachi was silent.

“Takashi can help me get my revenge in the most painful way possible and I can help him in the end”.

“Are you sure of what you’re about to do?” Kenji asked.

“Yes” she nodded and she left happy. Genuinely happy that after so long her revenge was just within her grasp.