Black Death And White Roses (1) Mafia Romance

28. Loyalties

Marco

"Marco, come down from there. Some sucker from the Yakuza wants to talk to you, and only to you. Entitled loser," screams Stefano from the balcony below, making sure I don't enjoy my roof coffee.

"Who exactly?"

"Some Yamato, Yamamoto, fuck knows. Come down and stop annoying me."

This is unexpected. I have not talked to Yamato in years. In consequence, I jump down on the balcony where Stefano is waiting to hand me the phone.

"こんにちはヤマトサン/Hello, Yamato San! It is an honor to hear from you."

Stefano just rolls his eyes and walks away.

"I have heard some rumors," says Yamato without further ado. His voice makes me recall the time spent together years ago and forces me to remember the Japanese I haven't practiced in ages.

When I was eleven, I was sent to Japan according to my father's wishes, to stay with his business partner's family for a year, which ended up being four and a half. It was a modern-day, cordial hostage situation, kind of like in the middle ages when a lord did some shit and the other lords take away his kid to be the ward of another family so the father can be kept in check.

My father didn't respect his previous agreement with the Asian clans and was caught red-handed, so to prevent a war I lived with the Yakuza clan led by Yamato's father, Yoshi, at that time.

To be honest, I think my father was quite happy and relieved I was gone, as Stefano's mother, Giulia, wasn't happy at all to have the child her husband had with his mistress living with them.

Later I also found out, that another child our father seemed to have had with a waitress in Napoli was found dead at the age of five, presumed being that Giulia gave the order for that to happen after she found out about his existence.

It was never confirmed but what was certain, was that Giulia never agreed or was happy about my presence in their house or in the world.

In Japan, I have learned several Asian arts like for example, the use of needles. I was taught how to sew with them, how to heal, and how to kill with them.

"What rumors?" I ask Yamato in the end.

Yamato is five years older than me and by now the leader of the clan after his father retired and became a Buddhist monk.

"That Stefano is not well."

"That is not true," I lie.

"Too bad. Our house would have welcomed if you became the head of your house."

"I understand, but that is not going to happen, Yamato San."

"Mhm. Have a good day, Marco San. You might be a gaijin but I got to consider you my brother. I miss our time together."

"I do too," I say in the end.

It is impossible to not get attached to someone you spend so much time with like the two of us in those five years. Yamato had the mission to take me everywhere with him and teach me Japanese and martial arts, among other things. He also has a younger brother and a sister, Minoru and Hitomi. While Minoru is the youngest and was quite fond of me, my relationship with Hitomi was a bit more complicated, but everything got to be neutral after she got married.

"What did the sucker want?" asks Stefano.

"Uh. He thinks about doing business with us again," I lie... again. No, I don't like it; it's just that loyalty to the family goes over friendship, as sad as it might be, and it is also for the good of the family that I didn't tell Stefano what Yamato actually asked. He would only go crazy again.