A Hope Which Comes with The Wind

Ando woke up hardly. His headache was really bad. He began to remember before he collapsed. He guessed he had collapsed after fifth punch of that jerk. The clink of the chains on his wrists were echoing in his head.

As he remembered, his place had not been changed yet. And he was still under the effect of the muscle relaxant drug which was given to him when he was in the car. Ando guessed it was past midnight. He forced one of his hands and touched his blown lip. His right cheek was in pain.

He reconsidered what happened. He had been called by phone and learnt that his grandfather had hospitalized. Some men were going to take him to the hospital. He had been in hurry and gone in the car. When he had realized that he was not being taken to the hospital, he had started to ask questions. Then a man had injected a syringe which had included narcotic and paralyzer probably.

Although he had not been totally unconscious, he couldn’t remember how route they got during that drive. However, Ando was being able to hear wave sounds. He guessed he was being kept in an unused hangar in the port area. He looked at the chains. Unless the effects of the drugs drew away, he wouldn’t get rid of these chains.

His grandfather’s being betrayed by his men is so sorrowful. He hoped this incident would be solved without harming his grandfather's health. He thought Eita. Ando could guess how Eita was worried about him right now.

Ando startled with the door opening sound. A man entered in and came closer to Ando. Ando knew he was not the big betrayer. The real betrayer probably was with Ando’s grandfather. He couldn’t believe that there were rats in his family one more time.

The man sat on the fruit box in front of Ando. “Are you hungry or thirsty?” he asked. Ando looked at him with a disgusted face and “Even if I am, I wouldn’t want them from you,” he answered.

Man laughed so hard and “Do not look at me like that, please,” he said. “We did betray you, not the family. The head of this family should not be an extraneous.” he added. Then he lit his cigarette and gave his first smoke to the air. He continued to talk.

“If you gave us what we wanted, you wouldn’t suffer too much. The only thing that we want is your confession the place where you are keeping Ryunosuke-sama's official seal in,” he said.

“You have betrayed to Ryunosuke-sama's decision, not me,” Ando answered with a calm voice.

The man got up and bended to Ando. If Ando could move his muscles, he would choke that man with those chains easily. But the drugs didn’t let him do it. The man put his cigarette higher and made it close to Ando.

“You’re wrong if you think you can use your sharp tongue here,” he said. The cigarette was just front of Ando’s eyes but Ando didn’t even wink. He was looking at the man without fear.

“Just like a Sakurai member!” the man said by laughing. He put out his cigarette on the ground, not on Ando. Then he closed enough to make Ando feel his breath and “But you’re not in our family,” he added.

Even though Ando felt disgusted by his breath, he kept his staring. The man got up and started to walk to the front hall of the hangar.

Ando was still staring him but he was feeling so desperate. How many members who didn’t want Ando to be family head were there? Not being found yet showed that there were a lot of members, though. No matter he told where the seal was, he would be killed anyway. Besides, even if he was rescued now, they would try to destroy Ando after his grandfather would die. He felt exhausted. Why was he dealing with this as an orphan? He could renounce the will and leave this town.

Suddenly, he heard his grandfather’s voice in his head. He was calling Ando. He thought the young family members who learnt the job together. The lovely maids, his big but soft-hearted bodyguards, his happy moments in Sakurai mansion and Eita... If he didn’t come to Tokyo for Sakurai Family, he would never know Eita. He was not alone for five years.

Ando put his chained arms on to his knees. Even though he was sitting on the cold ground, he felt warm in his heart. He imagined the jacket which was hanged on his room wall. He felt like he couldn’t give up. He succeeded a lot of things in these five years. He did a lot of things for his family. Not being wanted by someone didn’t show that he didn’t belong to this family. Ando loved his family.

He shouldn’t lose his hope. He was going to get rid of the effect of the drugs. Then he was going to strangle those disgusting men with the chains which was tied with and run away. He was going to save his grandfather from those betrayers.

At the same time the man returned his way. Ando startled. This time the man was not wearing a jacket. While he was heading to Ando, “Do you know what kind of memory came to my mind?” he asked.

He stopped in front of Ando and “It was about two years ago. You had to collect information about an incident with a big yakuza family. You sneaked that area where the incident came up with a few members. I was not with your team but I saw you that night. You were looking like a naughty gigolo and flirting for men,” he added.

Ando guessed what was next and opened his eyes with shock. The man laughed and “I like that reaction,” he said. While he was unbuckling his belt, “I knew that was just a role but I couldn’t forget you from that time. I'm sure you are really good at bed. And we have so much time until tomorrow,” he continued.

Ando tried to move away with the last strength in his body. But chains didn’t let him go. The man caught him by holding his chin. “Stop that,” Ando said by trying to stay calm. He asked him to use his logic. “Even if you kill me, if they find out that I was raped, they would not keep you alive,” he added.

The man laughed so hard and “Do not worry. They are never going to able to find your dead body,” he answered. But he was distracted. Ando knew that and pushed the man. He ran away as he could go. The man got angry. He was about to catch Ando but he realized his hand was gone. The blood was gushing the place where was supposed to be a hand.

Ando couldn’t see what was going on because a pajama top had been put on his face. And he was saved from blood by that pajama top. Ando was about to move this cloth he heard Eita’s calm and strong voice. “Do not move it. Never.”

Finally, Ando could sense the battle voices which were coming from inside and outside of the hangar. He was being able to hear the man’s screams in pain. Then he startled to Eita’s voice again.

“Ah, you were hooked on your betty swallocks so much that you couldn’t realize I had time to hear what you were talking about,” he said. Ando guessed Eita was talking to the man who was about to rape Ando.

“W-Who the hell are you?” the man asked in pain.

“Come on, you’re breaking my heart. You don’t know one of your most important hostiles. How can you call yourself a yakuza? Your ears must be bad. If they were not working well, let's get rid of them,” Eita said.

The man screamed again. Ando guessed he lost one of his ears.

Eita watched the man was writhing in pain on the ground for a while. Then he looked at his sword with admire. He thought his sword was shining beautifully even in the darkness. While he was trying to see brightness since he moved his sword, he saw the man’s unbuttoned pants and unbuckling belt. His eyes got dull.

“Well...” Eita said. “I decided to cut whatever you intended to touch my most precious treasure with,” he added. Then he showed the cut hand on the ground with his sword. “I took one of them,” he muttered.

The man heard that and stopped moving in pain. He was looking at Eita with fear. He planned to take his gun but he realized he forgot his gun in his jacket. He found a stone on the ground with his rest hand and he suddenly threw it to Eita. Eita could dodge it easily but he didn’t move away. The stone hit on Eita’s chest.

“If you don’t have another show, shall we continue?” Eita asked. He stepped towards the man. “I am planning to cut your other hand first. Then your thing which is bigger than your brain between your legs...” he added.

“E-Eita, please stop,” Ando said. Eita startled. Ando was holding the pajama top on his face in case of its falling. “I’m not looking as you said. Please listen to me. He didn’t do anything to me. I beg you,” he continued to talk.

Eita looked at the man one more time. “Is his life still important to you?” he muttered calmly.

“N-No...” Ando stuttered. “If he loses more limbs, he will die from losing blood. That makes you interfere to a matter of another family. That shows you bad,” he added.

It was too late. Eita ordered his men to kill already. However, killing all of these twelve people who gathered in this hunger didn’t make sense. Because one of them should confess who was the biggest betrayer. But Eita didn’t need a confess unlike Sakurai Family. He learnt which Sakurai member was doing the job in this area. He had reported that Kobe-san.

“Sorry, Ando,” Eita said with a tired voice. His dull stares turned to stares which belonged to a person who was in suffer. “Do not expect from me to have mercy for the ones who did this to you,” he added. Before he finished his sentence, he had severed the man’s head already.

After a few seconds, one of Sakurai members and Yamato entered in. They used a Fumikaze member’s ax and broke Ando’s chains. Ando was still holding the cloth on his face. He didn’t want to open yet because he was so embarrassed end he was crying.

“Eita-sama... Where is he?” one of members asked. Yamato hit that man’s head and “Who is he?” he asked angrily. “You hit your head somewhere or something? We are all Sakurai members here. We found the betrayers inside us and finished them up,” one of smart Sakurai members said. Then he held Ando and took him out.

After Ando got in the car with help, his helper waited Ando to open the cloth himself. After a few minutes Ando opened his face but he was still crying. When Sakurai member who helped Ando saw Ando’s ruined face, “Damn! That makes sense why Eita-sama has gone crazy after he saw Ando-sama's face,” he thought.

Ando looked at his peer man with crying face and “A lot of people are died,” he muttered. The young man hugged his young master and “The punishment for those who do this to our Lord is death. We’re ready to give our lives for you, too.” he said.

After this hugging the man felt Ando’s cold body. A few men put their jackets onto him. But Ando didn’t leave the bloody pajama.

Eita was walking on the street surrounded by containers near the harbor beach with quick steps. He stopped at a few blocks further away. Tachibana has leaning on a container just in front of him.

“Man, even if we are in March, the night is cold as ice. What happened to your top cloth? Tachibana asked. Eita didn’t listen to him. “Hold it.” he said and he threw his sword in its scabbard to Tachibana. Tachibana managed to hold it.

Eita threw himself into the sea. He wasn’t shown for a few minutes. Then his head went out. He came out of the sea by using a rope in the harbor. He lay on his back on the icy floor. He saw the bright stars on the sky.

Tachinaba crouched down next to him. “We know you’re a madman but you’re going to be a madman with pneumonia two days later,” he said. Eita smiled sorrowfully. “If I didn’t do this, I could cut myself. Above all, if he moved that pajama from his face and if I saw how much he got hurt...” he said.

Tachibana sighed. “Do not think the happenings are your fault,” he said.

“If I could come earlier—” Eita was about to say, Tachibana blocked his words by saying “If you came later, the things would be worse, too. Moreover, if you were not here, he would be killed by now. Look at the bright side.” Then he held Eita’s wrist and got him up. “Come on, get up,” he added. He carried him to the car.

…

Two days later, at the same hangar area, Kitagawa was being hold tied with rope between a lot of men. He was kneeling down.

Ryunosuke looked at the chains in the hangar. There were no corpses but blood was still there. He thanked God since any drop of this blood didn’t belong to his grandchild.

When Ryunosuke went out of the hangar, a few men dragged Kitagawa to end of the harbor by force. Kitagawa was staring at Ryunosuke with hate. Ryunosuke was not upset anymore to this hateful stare. He was used to that in these two days. Moreover, after he saw how much Ando got hurt, he gained immunity for this hatred.

“Say, Kitagawa... Haven’t you been regretful a little?” he asked. Kitagawa laughed so hard. “You have mercy even for a person who betrayed you. Fool! I did for the family whatever I’ve done. As a grandfather and a child, you will bring an end to this family,” he answered.

One of bodyguards punched him since he insulted Ryunosuke. Ryunosuke didn’t say anything until a man got sure that the heavy stone was tied to Ryunosuke tightly. He wanted a gun from a man. Kitagawa looked at with his eye which was not swollen yet. “Don’t you have your own gun?” he asked.

“No, my own gun is on my waist. You’re not worth to use my own gun,” Ryunosuke said.

Kitagawa bowed his head and “Is that so...” he muttered. Even if he was the betrayer, hearing this broke his heart. He thought their over twenty years old friendship. He smiled.

Ryunosuke aimed Kitagawa’s left shoulder and shot. After Kitagawa came himself after the pain, “I’m sure you will mock with my aiming skills, too. But shooting your left shoulder had a meaning,” Ryunosuke said.

“That night, when that young man showed up in our house, you had hit him from his left shoulder with a bat,” he added. Then he turned to his men and “I just wanted to get revenge of the person who saved our young master. We are not the saviors. So, everyone, feel this pain in your hearts and never forget that you’re not the saviors of your young master,” he said.

He aimed Kitagawa without looking at him. He hit his heart with only one shot. Kitagawa died quickly. Then he was rolled into the deep sea. Ryunosuke watched the sea until traces of blood in the water got lost. He couldn’t forget the pain of being betrayed. He muttered that and left there.