Khaos Wars

Chapter 2 - "King and Queen"

Emiko stood there as she watched Aika run away. Emiko had to get hold of herself. Her reputation was at stake. She quickly shook it off and regained her composure as if nothing had happened. A brief glance at her phone told her she had to hurry. Oh no. Even if she ran all the way to work, she would still be late. That Koizumi Aika, how dared she ruin Emiko's perfect attendance?

Emiko ran down the steep hill as fast as she could. Gravity pulled her downhill, causing her speed to accelerate with each step. Concentrating upon it only got her confused, and before she knew it her feet had tangled themselves up and she was lying on the ground. She felt a striking pain in her right knee; she lifted herself up and reflexively placed one hand on the wound. Moving her hand away revealed an ugly scratch; blood had already started dripping down her leg. Ugh, she had no time for this! She straightened herself up and went on, despite the pain.

Emiko had to cross a park down the road to get to her destination. She limped over to one of the benches surrounding a big, elegant fountain in the middle of the park. She placed her schoolbag beside her and took out a band-aid. Always prepared. She glanced at everyone around her; hopefully no one gave her any weird looks. Everyone were focused on their own business it seemed; talking on the phone or listening to music. Good. She ripped open the band-aid and gently placed it on her wound.

Emiko exited the park and continued on to another street. This time she didn't run, instead she scurried along. What if she tripped again and wasted more time? Or if someone from school saw her?

The wide and neatly paved street had shops, cafes, and restaurants placed on each side of the sidewalk. Lots of well-dressed people strutted back and forth and in and out of the eating-places, probably office workers on their lunch break.

Emiko's mood brightened when she spotted her usual manhole cover. She slightly picked up her pace, jumped, and landed perfectly on top of it. Her right knee stung a little, but this kind of insignificant injury didn't bother her anymore.

Every time she went to work she had to step on this exact manhole cover, almost like a checkpoint of some sort. This was just one of those silly things humans do for no good reason.
Right as her feet touched the ground a few raindrops tapped her face. She stared up at the sky and noticed dark clouds starting to form. She sat off jogging, hoping the rain wouldn't catch up to her. Luckily, she had almost reached her destination.

Emiko entered a building at the very end of the street: a big, two-story, light brown restaurant. Above the entrance was a sign with elegant letters reading «King and Queen».

The whole room emitted a delightful smell of delicious food. It made Emiko rather hungry because she hadn't eaten anything for a while. Today appeared quieter than expected. People's conversation and the clattering of silverware against the plates were more evident than the usual noise they turned into.

Emiko continued to the back where she opened a door labeled "staff only".

"Good afternoon everyone!" Emiko said a bit tiredly as she put away her bag. Employees rushed back and forth between the kitchen and dining area. Their uniform consisted of a basic black shirt and pants with a brown apron tied around the waist. Every employee had a different color on the ribbon tying the apron. Among them she spotted a guy with slightly tanned skin and medium long dark hair, which beautifully framed his gorgeous face. No matter how plain the uniform, he made it look exceptionally fantastic. In his hands he carried a stack of dirty plates and silverware. Emiko's heart skipped a bit when he stopped and looked at her with his stunning, brown eyes...

"Yo, Emiko. Early as always, I see." Tsubasa was just as goofy as he was handsome, Emiko had already gotten used to his teasing. She didn't mind though, if anything it made her feel like he saw her as a close friend.
"Haha, funny as always Tsubasa. Do I have to remind you of that time you showed up when your shift had already ended?" At this restaurant she really allowed herself to let her guard down. At first working here felt like a chore, but with time she had come to enjoy it. It had become her second home and the people here felt like family.

Tsubasa let out an exaggerated dramatic sigh.
"You will never let me live that down, will you?" A small giggle escaped his lips, followed by a somewhat louder ahem.
"I'd love to chitchat some more, but I need to put these away." He lightly swayed the pile of dirty dishes to specify what he meant. But before he reached the kitchen Emiko heard tramping from the floor above. She froze in place and so did Tsubasa, he must have heard it too. Someone would come down the stairs any moment... It couldn't be anyone other than...

An exhausted-looking guy showed up at the top of the staircase. It appeared that he had just gotten out of bed. He heavily wobbled down a few steps and over to the railing where he supported his weight. His ripped jeans, cashmere dark beige sweater and navy jersey blazer combined with a black choker gave him a tough yet laid-back image.

"Ryuu, you're here today. What happened, did your daddy force you to finally take some responsibility?" Did that just come out of Tsubasa's mouth? Emiko stared at him in bewilderment.
She could feel the growing tension in the air.
A sense of unease filled the empty space between them.
"Tsubasa," Ryuuzaki harshly glared at him.
The room grew heated.
"I don't have time for your nonsense!" He yelled.
"I came to speak with Emiko."

He finally came down the stairs. Tsubasa slightly backed away; Ryuuzaki's behavior must have had him a bit shook up. To be honest, it quite shocked Emiko as well. He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back up with him. She could swear she heard Tsubasa mumbling to himself:
"Lately it feels like I don't even know you..."

Emiko clumsily stumbled after Ryuuzaki up the wooden staircase. He let go of her arm when they reached the top. He always dragged her up here when he had important things to discuss. He went through the hall and entered the living room, but she hesitated a bit and stayed behind. What would he think of her when she told him that she failed to recruit Aika? A few drops of sweat fell down Emiko's forehead and she quickly wiped them away. She took a deep breath and followed him.

A warm tone of beige created an inviting atmosphere in the nice and spacious room. It appeared smaller than it's actual size due to the plenty of big furniture. Clearly his family was quite wealthy. It really impressed Emiko that Ryuuzaki's single father managed to accomplish such success and raise a child at the same time. Even as the owner he helped out in the kitchen downstairs. It must be really nice to have a chef cooking for you every day. She couldn't help but slightly envy him on that front.

A beautiful embroidered lace tablecloth rested on a round table in the middle of the room. On top of it stood an orange vase filled with all kinds of flowers; Emiko couldn't even name them all. Beside the vase lied a fancy teapot and cups. No way Ryuuzaki had been the mastermind behind the furnishing. From what she knew about him, he was the messy, chaotic type. All this elegance stood as a big contrast to his careless nature. Honestly, it looked kind of charming... in a weird, Ryuuzaki kind of way.

Ryuuzaki sat down at one of the two coffee brown sofas on each side of the table. Emiko braced herself for the inevitable. She despised being confronted and anxiously watched him as he picked up a cup and reached for the teapot.

"Tea?" He offered her. As of lately he always sounded exhausted. Emiko politely declined. "Whatever." As he slowly pours himself some tea, she couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes and the roots growing out from under his bleached blonde hair. Poor guy probably pulled an all-nighter again. As a close friend, Emiko knew he cared about his appearance; he usually dyed his roots the moment they showed up. He disliked his real dark brown hair color and wanted everyone to think he was a natural blonde. Even though those damaged ends didn't exactly work in his favor.

"How is it going?" He shifted his gaze back to her. Emiko sat down at the sofa across from him, trying her hardest not to show any signs of restlessness. Her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest at any moment. She resisted the urge to bite her nails and forced herself to stay calm and focused.
"Good I guess. Just a little wet from the sudden rain." Ryuuzaki narrowed his eyes and his brows formed a little frown.
"I meant with Koizumi Aika. It has been a week." His voice matched his facial expression. Emiko kept silent. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him anymore. The silence slowly started turning into torture. What a cruel form of punishment.

Ryuuzaki casually sat there sipping his tea...
"I tried everything, she just doesn't want to listen to me." The stress Emiko had been holding in for so long finally surfaced.
"She knows why I want to talk to her, but she still ran away from me! I don't get it; does she not care at all? What selfishness! Who in their right mind would choose someone like her to protect humanity?" Her voice got lighter as she got more worked up. She abruptly stopped talking when she noticed. How embarrassing, letting herself sound so desperate. She glanced back at Ryuuzaki, who only now finished his tea.
"Please, calm down. Don't let it get to you, she is just stubborn. This affected her life as much as it did yours. For now just focus on your work, and do something about that wound..." Emiko looked at him in surprise as he stood up from the sofa.
"Eventually she will realize she has no choice."