3: Awaiting

In the city of Fukushima.

CRUNCH CRUNCH SPLASH

No words, the young adult stood there on the field his hands dropped water, his blue silvery hair was carried by the wind. 

What did I do?

His name was Chidori, and he stood on the field doing nothing at all. 

He knelt down to the bucket of water and roughly scrubbed his hands.

He panted.

Fingers running deep through his skin. His palm he pinched.

“Aaaarg!!!!”

He kicked the bucket hard, his fingers dug the earth spraying dirt everywhere. Not too long after a finger nail of his cracked. He stopped.

The clouds in the sky were deceitfully white and slow.

Sensei, why did you allow it?

Steps crouched the earth behind him came a man with priestly garnets. No men said a word for a while.

“Chidori, you have been drowning yourself in guilt for months now…”

“I intend doing it for years,” he said. 

The priest looked at the sky. The blue was marked by the white. Chidori hair was somewhat similar to that. The man patted his head.

“Remember the Lord forgives”.

“He can't in my case…” his black eyes swam in tears which he held back, tightening his face to the earnest. 

…

TWO MONTHS PRIOR. 

A notification came over to his comm; “Chidori I've got the Kagu girl head to the location, the kidnapper is just in front of you”.

He sprinted with full force, his opened shit flapping to the wind. His hands gripped his two swords. 

THRUST

Little did I know that the man I was made to charge at was none other than my old Master.

“Shisho?!”

The man collapsed. In front of Chidori. Sanji grabbed the girl and tossed her to one of his men. 

Sanji’s palm became a shadow of darkness. “Now old man there is some information we need from you, stay still…it won't take long”.

He charged at Yunsuke who was still struck by Chidori's sword. Yunsuke pushed him back and mumbled a few words before falling neck long on the blades.

“CHIDORI?! Are you spacing out”.

The boy blinked hard and he was again at the field of Fukushima. The earth in his hand falling off through his palms. The remaining were blown away by the wind. 

The priest planted his staff on the ground. Resting his head on it. “Listen young man, you did wrong, and the guilt you are seeing now is your schoolmaster.”

“M-my school master?”

“Life teaches you things, and I've lived to see people like you even in the States coming out of their predicaments by the Grace of God” the priest said.

Chidori shook his head. “But I am guilty and I must pay for what I did…”

The priest staff raised a pointy spot on the earth. “You are swift in condemnation, however time and chance is all you need to amend.”

The man traced the scar on Chidori's chest from left to right. “What if you are still alive today because God has a plan for you.”

Chidori's eyes grew serious, a plan? what this man was talking about.

The priest laughed, waving at him “well I'm off.”

The man walked away at an increasing speed. Chidori turned his head slightly. Beside him a shadow and Sanji had his dart ready for the throw.

Chidori’s hand grabbed his arm “ehi what are you doing…”

Sanji hissed “don't listen to anything he said, those delusional folks are trying to brain wash you.”

Chidori rolled his eyes “didn't you say the same thing when I started working for Hourglass…”

Sanji's foot stopped, the leaves started rustling on the trees at the side of the road. He turned “glass cuts – his eye fell to his chest— you should know by now.”

Chidori frowned, “Whatever, just don't touch the priest he has helped me a lot lately.”

Sanji hissed “if he gets in the way I will find him”. He turned to look at him yet his pupils shrank. 

The man was no longer there. Chidori's mouth gaped for a moment. The wind rose, combing his hair backwards. He placed a hand on his forehead whispering , “Kamisama, I receive your forgiveness”. 

Sanji shouted at him “Oi let's go you don't want the Bosslady to get mad at you”

“Coming”, he replied, briefly adjusting his swords, and clothing. 

Both of them entered a black van and drove off. 

…

Sanji drove over several cars at full speed. Meanwhile Chidori's feet were in the chair folded. His swords on his laps. 

He turned on the radio, it buzzed.

“Reports have come to shore that the head of the Shirome family has been actively working against the Hourglass corp.”

Mr. Shirome to the press said “Yes we are doing our best…our possible best to rescue the, uhm…the children yes. We will rescue the children out of their hands. I also want to use this medium to send my sincerest condolences to the Kagu family. I hope your daughter will be back soon.”

Sanji switched the radio off. 

“Hey I was listening to that!”

“News is like peach seeds, the more you eat of it the more poison you ingest. What you have to learn is that we feed the news they don't feed us, remember that.”

Chidori simply scoffed resting his head to the far side of the door for the rest of the journey.

A few minutes later they pulled over into a manor. The gates shutting behind them. Sanji dropped in one swoop. 

There waiting for them was the boss lady Cleoplace Kageyami. Her bob cut blue hair paired with her blue eyes, and impeccable attire adorned with a twinkling Perl necklace, commanded respect, and carried space

A space Sanji was grinning to invade, his hands outstretched in a hug. Cleoplace ignored them both. “I see, he is not here yet”

She turned on her heels, coldly walking away.

Chidori cheeks puffed up, and reddened. Heavy gulps went down his throatashe held his neck.

Don't laugh, don't laugh.

Sanji spat on the ground grumbling. “Piero this, Piero that, I dunno what she finds in a weakling like that…”. 

He said lighting three cigarettes at a time.

Chidori's face grew serious. What? Did he mean Piero senpai? Is he…coming here?

 Sanji pointed Chidori to the door, as he moved to report to the gatekeeper.

The mansion was huge, and made out of whitestone and surrounded by several trees. Chidori's eyes looked around. I've been here for just a few months and still it is incredibly big”. 

His foot stumbled upon a thing. He turned there were several blankets. His hand reached to lift one. His eyes swam. 

What…what the heck!?

SLAP

His skin burned as the blanket slumped his eyes darting between Sanji and the things covered there. Sanji grabbed him by the neck, pivoting it towards the entrance “i said GO INSIDE!”

He groaned through the teeth.

Chidori nodded hastily, rubbing his hand. And again his neck had turned red. His eyes grew bags. As several shadowy figures in Nilon clothes grabbed the stretchers and in the van bagged the content.

He was at the door. Sanji waving the van off. 

Where those…?

His eyes trembled. Sanji turned slowly to look at him shaking his head, “newby.”

A flicker appeared behind him. He waited. 

Dan knelt on the floor shaking his head. 

Sanji spat “Damn, those Royal Guard agents—Find him!”

Time passed and it was evening and in Tokyo, Liberty offloaded from the train a bag, from it a small patch of light pale brown checkered coat.