Emergence Delight

Bright Lights

Tokyo, a city filled with business, glitz and glamor, but one thing that keeps this place running is the underworld of the Yakuza. Despite having my normal high school life people always forget that I'm still oyabun and that the people that are in my domain necessarily know what I am capable of. Living a double life isn't what I always imagined, but when someone kills your father in cold blood someone has to take the helm. My father let the life blow up his head and its not like he didn't deserve to spoil himself and all of us but it lead to one tragedy after another. Mom and my brother died in a supposed car accident and despite my father being distant, that was the day I saw him cry the hardest. Ever since that day he only dedicated himself to the life as well as finding the murderer that took mom and my brother from our lives. After getting his revenge on a low level Yakuza clan, dad abandoned me and party constantly until Sophia came to our lives. He bought her from a Russian prostitution ring in the depths of the red light district Kabukicho. Sophia was sent to the penthouse that I resided in as a "gift" so I wouldn't feel alone. I remember how she actually tried to.... get it on with me. I had just turned 15 and my father was out doing his usual partying. I left from the dojo and head to my place only to find her sitting on the couch, right ear fully pierced with all kinds of earrings, a very short skirt, black boots, a v neck shirt that revealed her huge chest. She spoke to me in Japanese to much of my surprise as I responded in Russian. She smiled at me and made her way towards me. She proceeded to pull my pants down and before she could have her way I stopped her and told her I would be back with something. From that moment onward she became my maid. She was shocked at first and thought it was a game, but one day she realized it wasn't a game at all. She confronted me with tears in her eyes with the books in her hands, she told me how she would watch me read til morning sometimes learning just to come from school to teach her something new. She was happy for the first time in her life and all because some Japanese kid wanted to have someone to keep him company. When she said that I remembered blushing and telling her its not like that at all. She smothered me, passionately like a mother with her child. Seeing her like that with Saki actually makes happy, but of course duty calls. I made my way to the elevator as Saki stopped me,

" Hey where are you going, its Sophia's birthday, " said Saki

" I know that it's just... something really important came up and I have to go handle it, the company needs my approval on something and they can't start without my say, " I replied.

" Company? You have a company!?!!??! " said Saki shocked.

" Of course I do, how do you think I can live like this, my father left the company to me when he passed so I have to handle these things, " I said.

" So that explains why you've been arriving to class late these past few weeks, " said Saki " For a second I thought you was trying to avoid me. "

" That's not the case... no worries I'll be back soon, " I said to her giving her a confident smile.

With that she understood and I proceeded to make my way out. Lying to Saki has never been my intention and in a weird way I wish that I could just be honest with her and just flat out say I'm Yakuza, but telling her the truth will only endanger her more. Yeah most people will say that her not knowing is more dangerous, but most people don't consider the allies that are around me. Shin despite being one of those people has come to realize that if anything were to happen he'd need to protect her no matter what. As we arrived to the office building, an unfamiliar man waited outside the front door.

"Izuki, looks like time has made its changes, your father would be so proud," said the stranger.

The man roughly in his mid to late fifties approached me sticking his hand out for a formal handshake. He looked strong and built, but his grin and calmness made him seem like a pushover. This man definitely isn't someone to take as a joke or even lightly, despite my father's personality he did always tell me to look out for the calmest man in the room. I responded his gesture in kind and gave the man a firm shake,

"Excuse my rudeness, but do I know you?" I said puzzled.

"Ah yes where are my manners, my name is Ryuzen. I am an old colleague of your father's, we used to indulge in his outings from time to time," said Ryuzen

Great another party crazed Yakuza to bother me with partying antics and prostitutes.

" Look sir, as much as I would like to speak with you about indulging the night life, I have important things to take care of...."

Before I could even finish of my sentence, Ryuzen put a hand on my shoulder. His firm grip matched his strength, letting me know that he was not interested in playing games. My bodyguards quickly got on guard. Ryuzen began to chuckle and loosen his grip.

"Sorry Izuki, it seems I might have overstepped my boundaries. I wanted to speak about your father and his untimely passing if you had time to spare," Ryuzen said generously.

As I heard his words I gesture him to follow Shin and I inside, we reach our floor and proceeded to enter my office. Shin sat beside Ryuzen as I got comfortable behind my desk.

"So you have information about my father's murder Ryuzen," I said curiously.

Ryuzen reached for the bottle of expensive whiskey on the desk and open the glass bottle with class, Shin handed him a whiskey glass with a circular ice ball inside. As he poured his whiskey he looked at me calmly yet determined.

"Your father despite his changes in the last few years was known as a respectable man nonetheless, but with that came many enemies which patiently waited for his demise after the lost of your mother and brother," he said.

Ryuzen stirred his whiskey gently and took a sip.

"Izuki your in the scope so to speak, and your father knew his time was coming. I'm here to let you know that this man coming after you is hungry for power and wants your turf," he said as he set down the glass.

"Your a smart boy, and you have done more than any of these old men have done in decades. So I came to give you a warning simply because I loved your father and what he stood for, but my employer isn't a patient man," he said as he stood up looking at with a serious look.

"My employer was involved with the death of your father, I don't have all the evidence just yet, but he definitely was there at the time your father died," said Ryuzen.

I was shocked, confused and perplexed by all this information thrown to me at one.

"Why are you telling me this," I said

"Because we are on borrowed time Izuki," said Ryuzen nervously.

He went to explain further about what the plans of his employer were and how they were going to attack all of our major structures from the inside out. I asked for the name of this man, but all he could tell me was an alias, Jormugandr. As he mentioned the name, he went to talk about that he never revealed his face unless it was deemed necessary and with those cold words I painted the picture for myself. The man who killed my father is man who let his victims see him before they met there end, a true murderer.