Secret ( part 3: A deeper meaning)

   “Ever heard of nuclear pasta?”

The enemies’ leader looked at me silently for a few seconds thinking…

Meanwhile, I was looking around trying to find out how he was able to disappear so simply before my eyes.

Before I could even realize the method, a gunshot sound echoed in my ears. The bullet, after hitting the wall behind me, rolled slowly to stop near the nitrogen tank.

“So, you’ve defeated the first commander! And here I was thinking that he’s going to be the one who will stand against you. He was your natural enemy!”

A frustrated look was on his face. His hand was shaking so badly to the point where he was unable to aim his gunshots at me.

After firing 8 bullets, I knew that the magazine of his gun was empty, so I walked toward him.

The man, consumed by fear and panic, was focused on refilling the load of his gun and didn’t notice that I was moving toward him until he received a kick that sent him flying in the air.

After hitting the nitrogen tank, his legs started trembling as he was unable to stand straight.

Defeating the first commander had the biggest impact on him.

With me using those gauntlets he thought that there was no way he could stop me.

Despair was written all over his face.

I started wondering whether this man was really the one who called me and taunted me when I was in hospital…

The man was supposed to be the strongest member in the Red Claws in Japan. Seeing how he reacted after hearing that the first commander was defeated made me curious to hear what he was going to say if we captured him.

I held my guns silently and aimed at him. He stared back with eyes filled with hatred.

Seeing him thoroughly refusing pity through his eyes, I gave up on trying to capture him or persuade him.

Shifting my aim to the side, I shot the storage tank next to him.

Instantly, out flowed a liquid at negative 196 degrees centigrade, enough to freeze anything.

Evaporating into a hazy mist, it attacked the current leader of the Red Claws branch in Japan.

I closed his eyes.

My only consolation was that the instantly expanding gas turned into mist, obscuring the decisive moment.

Finally, all I heard was freezing sounds then nothing at all.

The intense cold air blew across my hair with strong wind. This space was once again shrouded by the mist of the underworld.

“Shinji...”

Refusing to let Rin finish what she was trying to say, I walked past her directly.

“It's over. Let's go.”

Ascending the stairs to walk from the second floor underground to the ground floor, I found a beam of light coming in and hastily raised my hand to protect my eyes.

Totally unaware due to moving about underground all this time, I found that noon had already gone by on the surface.

“Rin, where are the explosives?”

“Shuna already installed them on the building's main support pillars. They can be detonated any time. I also took the chance to take photos in the facility for further investigations after we return home."

“Well done, then let's hurry far away to join the others and watch the building's demolition.”

“What are we going to do about the cages? And what about the man you were fighting? Are you going to leave them all to die here?”

I shook my head slowly.

“I don’t think that we can get that man now. Nitrogen is spreading slowly in the lower floors freezing everything on his way up to the top.”

Rin looked a bit worried after hearing that. She started looking left and right then asked.

“You destroyed the tank to kill the man?”

“…”

“You let the man there freeze to death?”

I kept looking at her silently as she repeated the same question in different ways…

Slowly yet surely, I started feeling the urge to answer her and end this conversation.

“You’re too focused on your revenge to the point where you put everyone else in danger!”

That was the moment where my patience reached its limits…

“What do you want me to do exactly?”

“Eh?”

“You know very well that I came all the way here with the sole purpose of destroying the Red Claws Japan branch. What do you expect me to do? Ask them gently to stop killing and murdering people?”

“…”

“Forgiving them for killing Rin and taking everything from me in just one day? I am a human after all! I got hurt! Really hurt! Just thinking about the peaceful quiet days that I had when I was a kid was just like permanent torture for me.”

“Shinji…”

“Have you ever tasted what it means to have the dearest person to you get killed in front of your eyes, in your arms! Do you know what it feels like seeing the corpses of the kids from your neighborhood thrown into massive graves or burned?”

Rin bowed her head silently as I continued talking my heart out.

“Do you know how it feels seeing your own father aiming his gun at you and shooting you mercilessly?! Do you know how frustrated…”

I stopped there and stared at the sky. The corners of my eyes were heated up. I closed my eyes quickly trying my best to prevent the tears from falling off.

I was about to say: ‘how frustrated I felt when I heard that they planned to hurt you just to enjoy upsetting me’ but then I realized that behind those words is a deeper meaning that I should never mention.

I reminded myself quickly that I wasn’t ready yet to assume the responsibility that would fall on my shoulders if my tongue slipped and said those words.

Life has never been gentle with me in the last few years…

I knew that I should’ve never said those words to her. Of all the people I know, she had passed with just as bad moments as I had…

I went overboard that time. I knew that I was making myself the ultimate victim of fate. If anything, I should be grateful to her for always staying with me and trying repeatedly to pull me into reality whenever I got driven by the unreasonable desire for revenge…

I looked at her… She kept bowing her head, not moving a bit.

I started feeling some regret because of what I said. I didn’t regret my action of course.

That feeling of regret intensified exponentially after seeing tears falling from Rin’s face.

She lifted her head slowly and looked at me.

“I am sorry!” She said with a calm yet sad voice.

That wasn’t supposed to happen! It should’ve been me, not her, the one who says sorry…

My hand reached her face instinctively, swiping her tears.

Rin’s tears were something I definitely didn’t want to see.

“I know that you had to go through a lot in the past, yet I couldn’t bring myself to agree with the way you’re dealing with things” She forced a smile on her as she continued. “I went a bit too far this time, I guess…”

“Actually…”

I scratched the back of my head as I felt embarrassed.

“I should be the one who apologizes and expresses his gratitude!”

“Eh?!”

“Since the moment I realized that the Red Claws had abandoned this hideout, I was feeling a bit annoyed. I said things I should’ve never said! Especially to you! Sorry!”

A smile mixed with a sad feeling appeared on her face as she asked: “What about the gratitude you mentioned before?”

I pushed her from behind as I replied while smiling: “Let that be for another occasion! It's too early for thanks, right? It'd be funny if the detonation fails.”