The Morning After

Akito Yamamoto swore an ugly curse after hanging up the phone. He was the head of security for the Ikemoto family, and he had just spent the last few hours hitting up every contact he had, not to mention chewing out his men for slipping up on the job. They had one job! he had berated. How hard was it to keep a twenty-two-year-old girl in your sight at all times? Well, that simple task was too much for these fools, which unfortunately fell on his shoulders.

The only good thing was that he had just received a phone call from young Kyoko herself, explaining that things hadn't gone as planned, but that she was OK, and someone was bringing her back to the house. Not as planned...? he thought icily. And by "someone", that meant no one from his team; he grumbled. Nights like this made him want a stiff drink, but right now, he needed a clear head. He would still need to frame his report to his boss, Ikemoto-kaichou himself, in the best possible light, or he may be facing the axe himself.

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Kyosuke Sakurai thoughts went through his personal debrief as he drove his white Toyota Corolla. He had chosen it specifically as it was one of the most popular make and model out on the roads of Tokyo to blend as much as possible. He had parked two train stops away from Chez Kooun. The original plan was to blend into the party crowd, then head to the Shinjuku train station before making his getaway, but he hadn't anticipated the gang leader's security force would go so far as to actually fire bullets into the crowd. I'm going to have to find out more about that contract; clearly that target was hotter than I was led to believe, or I wouldn't have taken that job. Yes, he was a contract killer, but generally he took jobs where killers were killing other killers. He avoided killing high profile or public figures, both for his own conscience, but also killing someone like that was the fastest way to get put on a wanted list way too hot to be survivable. When gangs and drug lords were getting killed, police and the public rarely cared; if someone important actually got hurt, well, then suddenly the public and the media would demand action, and that was bad for business.

Of course, all those plans just went out the window the instant Kyoko came into his life. He saw her get separated in the rush of the crowd, then the knife in the attacker's hand and instinct kicked in. The selfish and perhaps smart thing to do would have been to walk away but something in her eyes just didn't allow that to happen; the genuine honesty and fear of someone who really had no business being there and there was still enough humanity in him to protect someone like that.

He was a little taken aback when Kyoko gave him an address in Minato City, one of the wealthiest parts of Tokyo, which made him do a double take. Was she some idol star or famous athlete I I didn't recognize, he wondered. He wasn't up on all the pop culture of the day, so it was possible he had accidentally run into some famous celebrity which frankly had him greatly concerned. He didn't need his face suddenly plastered out on some gossip rags.

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Kyosuke pulled his car into the towering apartment building as the security personnel came to meet him. One look at Kyoko completely changed their demeanor, though they still gave Kyosuke a thorough examination. For him, the entire neighborhood was almost foreign territory, a whole new world. As soon as the security personnel were satisfied, a group of older men came into the car garage.

"Kyoko-chan, you had us all worried," the older man, clearly her father by manner and tone. "We didn't know where you were all night!"

"I'm fine," Kyoko explained. "This man helped me out when things got a little rough."

The men looked at Kyosuke with some suspicion but also some approval. "I see..." Isamu noted. "May I know the name of your rescuer?"

"Kyosuke Sakurai, sir, and I was just in the right place at the right time," Kyosuke offered his hand.

"I see..." Isamu replied, taking Kyosuke's hand. "Won't you please come in? Let me offer you something for helping out my Kyoko-chan from her night of foolishness."

"Really, no reward is called for," Kyosuke waved. "It was just a simple misunderstanding; I didn't do anything remarkable. I just got her home, that's all."

"I see... so what do you do, may I ask?" Isamu inquired, escorting the group into the living area. The multiple floors were spacious and featured open stairways between floors, luxurious accommodations and floor-to-ceiling windows that offered panoramic views of the city's skyline. Kyosuke noted that every step he took was being observed by security; the warm welcome was just a mask, and he knew it.

"I'm currently working part-time as a noodle chef at Hana in Shibuya sir," Kyosuke answered, which was a half-truth as it was one of the places he had spent time establishing as a cover. Hopefully they don't actually dig too deep and realize he only showed up there between contracts.

Isamu nodded with a grunt. "I'll be sure to send my personal gratitude for your actions," he promised.

Kyosuke nodded, making a mental note that he would need to pay his cover profession a visit just in case the man wasn't just making empty promises. After he had left, Isamu made a call on the house intercom, which summoned Akito Yamamoto to his office. "Yes sir?"

"What were your impressions?" Isamu asked.

"His story has some inconsistencies, sir," Akito grunted. "I'm not quite sure I quite buy he's just a noodle chef, based on the incident report I've since received from the club security. I've watched the security footage; he's either extremely lucky or exceptionally well-trained, and I don't believe in luck. I don't think he's from one of your enemies, or he wouldn't have returned Kyoko home as quickly as he did, but I can't know anything more without running a background check. That said, I don't believe in coincidences any more than you do, sir."