Suribachi's vagabond (english vers)

Chapter 5 part 2 : a well kept secret

Port Mafia Territory, Morning

Negotiations with the department had begun. Mori had been discussing the terms of an agreement for almost two hours to ease the tensions caused by Ryu's maneuvers and the six high-ranking officials involved in this matter.

Toru was waiting for the meeting to end and Mori's signal to hand over her prisoners to the department agents. She stood calmly with her back against the exterior wall of the building where she had locked them up until the exchange. The morning was still cool and pleasant, a light mist humidified the air while a few rays of sunshine pierced through the soft clouds.

With arms crossed and her gaze thoughtful and directed towards the ground, Toru couldn't help but suspect that Dostoyevsky was behind all this, using those six men to create chaos. After all, if he targeted Mishima, he undoubtedly was after the Book... She sighed in frustration, raising her head to rest it against the wall, her eyes lost in the gray sky. She intended to ask Ryu for more details about the artifact, but it was too late. She still didn't know what made the book special. Maybe its contents held sensitive information? No... Her gaze shifted sideways as she continued her reflection. Putting so much effort into sealing a book or gaining access to it suggested that if it really contained such important information, someone would also seek to harm those who had written it, which didn't make sense. There was only one plausible hypothesis left: this was the book Kenzaburo mentioned, capable of changing reality according to what was written in its pages. If such a thing really existed, it boded ill. If a man with Dostoyevsky's exceptional intellect sought it through such means, who knew what would happen to the world if he succeeded...

As the young woman remained lost in thought, she felt a sudden urge to yawn, which she did, bringing her hand to her mouth before letting it fall again once finished. She sighed softly, knowing that continuing to think this way wasn't helping her. Even though she had taken the precaution of having a proper meal the night before and being in good shape for the day, she hadn't managed to sleep at all, despite desperate attempts, and had ended up leaving her room early in the morning, around 3 AM, realizing she wouldn't find sleep until the transaction was over.

And for good reason... If Dostoyevsky was really behind all this, she wouldn't be surprised to see the six prisoners get killed. He would have no reason to keep them alive now that they were exposed and stripped of their functions, thus useless to him. Moreover, he certainly wouldn't leave such witnesses in the hands of the mafia or the department. If they were killed, it would confirm to her that he was behind all this... but it was best to avoid that happening while they were still prisoners of the port mafia. The negotiations had to proceed, and they had to stay alive to prevent any further tensions from adding to the current climate and to bring things back to normal. There was also the possibility of a power similar to the one used on Mishima four years ago being employed. However, nothing of the sort had manifested yet. She knew very well that such a power couldn't remain dormant for long without being triggered, so this concern had dissipated. This possibility wasn't to be considered.

Thus, she guarded the entrance to their prison, accompanied only by a few men to whom she had entrusted the perimeter's security, with four stationed nearby at the entrance, waiting patiently for the moment of the exchange... It was then that a silhouette appeared in the mist, approaching her. As it advanced, several other silhouettes followed, silently and with discipline. Toru tilted her head towards the horizon to distinguish them fully. Noting the confident stride of the first silhouette, which seemed to be a man judging by the width of his shoulders, and the absence of any sign indicating an attack, she understood that they were probably department envoys coming to retrieve the hostages. She signaled her men to lower their weapons and let them pass.

She then pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against and took a step towards them. As the distance between them reduced and the mist dissipated, Toru could see more clearly the man approaching. He was quite tall and had a rather charismatic build, with a bald head and a confident expression, a slight smile on his lips, and small round glasses perched on his nose. He wore traditional clothes and kept his hands tucked into the folds of his sleeves.