In The Shadows

The Silver Wolf and the Grim Reaper

"Right, first off, I don't think you've been properly informed of what organization has taken you in." Fukuzawa began, clearing his throat. 

"So... you guys are the Armed Detective Agency hmm? You don't really have many members do you." Fumiko muttered.  "So let me guess, your deal is going to be I'm spared my life and granted protections if I become a member of this agency, right?" She shifted around on the bed, casting her gaze out the nearby window. Muffled sounds of traffic passing by the Agency building and the quiet mumblings of passersby grabbed the ex-mafioso's attention. Her eyes flicked over and down to her arms that were splotched with purple and black. God, I look awful. The rest of my body probably looks just as freakish counting the deep cuts on top of the bruising. 

    The silver-haired man shifted his weight in the chair where he sat. "Not quite. You are still a criminal and even though you did defect from the Port Mafia, you are still liable for all the damages and lives you've taken. Even so, all who want to join the agency must past an entrance exam." His voice was stern as ever, causing Fumiko to tense in place. 

"Then I don't understand what you want from me. Why make a deal at all with me if you clearly have the greater advantage?" Her words came out a bit louder than a whisper as she fidgeted with her hands. These were bruised as well with small scabs forming where she had cut herself avoiding the attacks and scraping herself against the asphalt of the road. They began to look pleasing enough to start peeling off to divert her attention from the present situation. If she seemed uninterested, maybe he would just hand her over to the military police. She could always escape from them quite easily and find somewhere to hide until she could reintroduce herself into society. 

        The middle-aged man's expression didn't change much except offering a ghost of a smile. "Have you ever thought of starting your life over, Enchi? And I don't mean in the sense of assuming of new identity, but just being who you could've been before the Port Mafia?"

She sat still and placed her hands flat on the bed, casting her gaze down. Start my life over? What the hell is he talking about? That's not possible, is it? At least, not to the point of before I was taken in by the Port Mafia. 

       If she could, she would go back to when she was a little girl, still living a happy and normal life with her parents. Before they were killed in a raid, that is. Her past was mainly a blur, and she wasn't sure what to consider a normal life or even a good life. The Port Mafia is her life -- no; it was her life. Every day was filled with requests from her Boss or any of the executives to carry out their dirty work. Assassination had been her way of life for so long, she was a bit afraid of what the President's offer would do to her if she accepted it. She gripped the sheets of the bed until her knuckles turned white. 

      Fukuzawa sat patiently across from her in a metal folding chair. His eyes were closed as he rested, waiting for her response to his question. He wanted to give this girl a chance to be a good person. She obviously exhibited emotions, even if she was struggling to understand them. The Agency could benefit greatly from her skills and knowledge of the Port Mafia. And the fact that she was still a child in the eyes of the President made him more apt to want to assist her. If she disagreed, the military police would take over and kill her for her crimes. She may not receive a trial at all. Not that she would be proven innocent by any account. 

"If I did pass this entrance exam -- then what?"

      Fukuzawa's eyes flicked open. "Then what indeed." His hardened gaze softened up as he recognized the uncertainty in hers. "Understand that the main goal in the Agency is to protect people who are put into danger by criminals not too much unlike yourself. The lives of the innocent are the most valuable. I understand the situation you are in is putting a lot of pressure on you from both sides. It would just be easier to let the Mafia catch you and have them off you like they want to, is probably what you are thinking."