Rainy Weather (Kazurei)

Every Storm Must Come to an End

I see no one around but I refuse to drop my guard. My hand is ready on my gun prepared for any attacks. I might as well call Kazuki now instead of waiting. I pull out my phone and quickly tap on his name in the contacts. "Rei, is something wrong? Kyu-chan and I found something interesting." "I think I'm being followed. don't come for me just incase I am. I can protect myself." "Suwa-san, where are you?" a voice with a playful tone yells off in the distance. "I have to get going." "Rei, wait!" I hang up the phone before taking off running again. The sound of the rain helps hide the noise of my footsteps. Why am I running away? It's not like me to evade danger like this. Why am I scared? I'm going soft. As I run through the empty streets, I spot a grocery store. Surely I won't be found in there. Kazuki is likely coming after me, it's in his nature to be protective. I'll duck in there and call him back to check the situation. I jog towards the store not daring to look behind me until I make it inside. "Welcome!" the cashier greets me as I enter. I give them a polite nod then walk further in. Pulling out my phone to call Kazuki, I suddenly get a call from none other than....my father. What could he possibly have to say to me? I contemplate just pressing ignore, but my curiosity got the best of me and I answered. "What do you want?" I suspect he's up to no good again especially since he sent someone to get me. "We have much to discuss. You need to come home so I can talk to you face to face. Both you and Kurusu." "No way are we going there. You and your people don't know how to talk. It's all just violence." he must be stupid if he thinks that either of us would be willing to go there for a talk. "My people? Have you forgotten that you're also one of them?" "I'm nothing like you or the rest. Not anymore." "How many people have you killed since going down your own path? Regardless of what decisions you made, your hands are still bloody." I'm still just a murderer. "I have someone you might be interested in. your friend Isaka Yuri. If you and Kurusu fail to appear tomorrow, I'll kill her myself." My blood goes cold at the mention of Isaka's name. She is alive, she just got captured. "There will be a car sent to collect you both tomorrow at 20:00. Be ready. I will let Isomori know that you agreed to the meeting. I asked him to retrieve you, but I put my faith into a fool." Shigeki abruptly ends the call. Damn it. We need to make a plan. He wants Kazuki dead but insists on including him in that meeting. Then there's Isaka-san. She's alive, but knowing how cruel my father is, he'll continue using her as leverage over me to make me do whatever he wants. Another possibility is that he kills her and forces me to watch then do Kazuki next. I wasn't prepared for this. I thought we'd have more time to plan. The organisation is unpredictable. Whatever happens tomorrow, I won't let him or anyone else hurt Kazuki. "Suwa-san, I'm so glad you decided to agree to go home tomorrow." The man from outside found me. "So why did you follow me here?" There's not very many shoppers here, but I still shouldn't do anything rash. "To get a better look at you. And possibly once again offer to take you somewhere a little more private." he winks. "I should introduce myself properly. My name is Isomori Kentaro." he holds out his hand for a handshake but I don't budge. "I'm not going anywhere with you for any reason. Find someone else to harass." I blow him off and start trying to call Kazuki again. "Come on, what's the deal? You say you've already got someone...But he's not here is he? What he doesn't know can't hurt him." Isomori won't stop even after I rejected him. What the hell is his problem? "Kurusu Kazuki won you over, I think I could do the same. Give me a chance and you'll see that I'm a better man that he could ever be." We caught the attention of some customers, a few stand staring in our direction waiting to see what happens. "No." I refuse to entertain this further and try walking away. I have a feeling that he won't back down. Making the decision to leave the store to avoid further attention, I hurry back out along with that guy still following behind. I'm getting fed up. If he doesn't go away...what should I do. I call Kazuki back just to let him know I'm alright and we need to talk before Isomori can start being annoying again. "Rei, are you okay?" he answered instantly. I hear the sounds of cars over the phone so my estimation that he wouldn't listen to me was correct. "I'm fine. The guy who was following me is standing next to me. Tomorrow we have to go visit the mansion. Get here and we'll talk about it." "What do you mean standing next to you? Do you know them?" Kazuki asks. "I don't, but he refuses to go away like some dog." "How rude, Suwa-san. I just wanna have a little date with you~" I turn around and scowl at him. "I already told you no." "Well then, I think you have your answer." Kazuki appears from the fog showing much disdain towards Isomori. "Ah, Kurusu-san, I've heard a lot about you. Such a ladies man aren't you? A little weird how someone with your reputation decided to settle up with another guy after all the women you've taken to bed." Isomori giggles. "Whatever I did in the past doesn't matter and has nothing to do with my relationship with Rei today. Now, I do believe he's rejected you. You should go run along before you embarrass yourself further." Kazuki had stepped between Isomori and I. "Can you blame me for trying? Anyway, I'll be seeing you guys later. A text will be sent to Suwa-san once I've arrived to pick you both up." Isomori says. "You're the driver?" I ask him inquisitively. "I'm filling in for Isaka Yuri. Depending on how the meeting goes, It's probably gonna be a long term gig for me." They replaced her that fast? "But yeah, I need to get going before your boyfriend here gets mad. Be seeing you, Suwa-san." he blows a kiss in my direction and walks away, vanishing in the fog." Who is he? Isomori Kentaro. The name is vaguely familiar, There's probably another Isomori in the organisation that recruited him. "That bastard better watch himself. Trying to take what's mine...I'll show him not to mess with me." Kazuki is muttering to himself in annoyance. "He's gone, it's fine now." I try to calm him down. "Did he do anything to you? I'll kill him if he did." "No, he didn't. Let's just go back home so we can talk in private." "Alright then. Time to go home." Kazuki promptly takes my hand in his as if it was the most natural thing as we go off towards our home.