A peculiar gathering

A few days passed after Akira’s house had been burned to smithers, it had caused quite the uproar in the neighborhood. Rumors that dived deep into the potential causes spread like wildfire amongst the people.

A popular theory was that after the death of his loved one, he was unable to bear it anymore and in quite a magnificent display, he passed on dwelling in the flames, as a sign of his love for her.

Of course, that’s what the populus thought off this. However, outside a café sat a certain figure with a drink emptied not so long ago. He was staring at his phone in his right hand, reading through the news article released about the incident;

The man couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the matter, after he was done he slowly caressed the scar present on his left eye. Even though the scar stood out, the man quickly covered it with a black eye patch. He rubbed his hand along his brown hair, slowly pushing it backwards;

That man was none other than Akemi.

“So you finally did it, Pig-kun.” Akemi said quietly as right after a waitress came to him with a check.

“Was everything to your liking?” the waitress asked politely. Akemi glanced her direction, his lips curled into a smile.

“Now that I’ve seen someone this cute, it truly has made my day.” Akemi paid the bill and left elegantly, as the waitress began blushing slightly. As she took the emptied glass from the table, she saw a hefty tip laying there.

Slightly confused, she grabbed the money as her eyes focused on Akemi walking away.

What was that about? the waitress thought as she saw Akemi’s figure disappear in the background.

After walking around town for the past fifteen minutes, Akemi had just taken a corner, leading into a narrow alleyway. The air began to change as Akemi further distanced himself from the city, entering a site most people tend to avoid.

As the smell of excrement and torn open trash bags began to mix in with the air, rats scavenged around filling their bellies with whatever they found. Suspicious looking people started appearing in some corners hanging around, you could even spot some homeless people as well.

Akemi walked past them, completely ignoring them as if they weren’t worth his time. While their lustful eyes preyed upon Akemi’s luxurious outfit and goods, they wouldn’t dare steal them from him. Even in such dire circumstances, they knew that if they messed with him, nothing but death would await them. That was the air he was giving off.

And so they backed down, leaving Akemi alone. As he noticed their movements, a sinister grin formed on his face.

Yeah, cower in fear, you insects. An interesting thought entered his mind.

After walking further down the alleyway, Akemi found himself facing a rather suspiciously looking door covered in graffiti, the place the door belonged to was his destination. The place they had picked as their meeting place.

Akemi knocked a certain rhythm that all of them had agreed on.

The door suddenly opened.

Akemi went inside, deep into the darkness. The door closing right after he’d entered.

As Akemi was heading to the second floor, after walking around he stopped at a red door that was slightly opened, the smell of cigarettes came from the room.

When Akemi finally went through the door, he was met with a cloud of smoke that came flying towards his face. He coughed quietly as he took a seat at the rounded table, specifically reserved for him.

After Akemi sat down, his eyes rolled to the other members attending the meeting. There were a total of five, including Akemi himself. Even though they haven’t held any meeting for the last six years, they all had something in common.

Their pleasure in causing nothing but despair in people, specifically the breakdown of one's psyche. Although they were unable to understand the blurred line between right and wrong, their burning desire to cause havoc was the reason why they were so close.

They all shared one favorite pastime, one they had in the past, long ago.

The experiment which they dubbed ‘Extermination Piggy’ on a boy named Akira when they were little.

Memories of those times held a special place in all their hearts, especially Akemi who had the most fun playing with his special toy. Even now as Akemi thought back on those weeks he had his time with Akira, he couldn’t help but grin.

Suddenly, Arata who was dressed in a suite, who sat opposite of Akemi, stood up as he adjusted the black glasses he wore.

“Gentlemen, now that everyone is present, let the meeting begin.” Arata said with a sickening smile on his face.

                                                                     ...

After discussing what everyone has been up to for the last few years, they continued on about their plans for the future. Some of them began gaining more influence in and around Kyoto, by either buying off shrewd politicians and corrupt cops, all under the façade of a legitimate business. Behind the scenes however, they would do all sorts of illegal activities.

From escorting and prostitution, trafficking drugs to money laundering. The list went on.

While the righteous police officers from the police force were constantly tailing behind them, waiting for the right moment to attack their business. So far they managed to dodge any of the consequences, as they don’t have the proper ‘evidence’ to hold their claim. With the corrupted cops protecting the business the members were running, the police were practically at a stalemate, unable to make their move.

Heck, they can’t even go after those in tie with the members, as their positions in power are far out their reach. And so, after the members attending the meeting began boasting their untouchability to each other. After their fiery celebration calmed down, the subject changed to the incident that occurred to their favorite toy.

The first one that began talking stood up.

He was tall and had a body whose muscles had been trained to their fullest potential. He wore a dark red suite with checkers inked in different colors. His short blond hair came together, all tightened together by a simple rubber hairband.

"Gentlemen, our little experiment has been a great success. Despite taking a while, fate has finally rewarded our patience with such a dazzling spectacle." the person said, as images of when he both knocked out Akira and his wife began displaying in his mind. Just as he reminisced on those moments, both ends of his cheeks rose, causing his mouth to curl into an ugly grin, his teeth shining brightly.

Others began sheering in response. Then another person stood up, he sat right next to Arata.

He had gray hair with several white highlights in them shimmered as if they were smeared in gel. His attire seemed entirely professional and made of high quality. The glasses he wore seemed to be of premium quality as well.

His name is Akihiro, and was the face of the company they ran in the public’s eye.

“Rejoice fellow comrades. If it wasn’t for our favorite toy bringing us together, we wouldn’t have amassed such wealth with our business. All of you must know what that means, this asks for a celebration!” Akihiro said as he held a glass of wine high in the air.

All of the others did the same, as they all cheered in honor of the person which made of all this possible.

“Let them whores in!” a person yelled after jugging several glasses empty, his cheeks were slightly red tinted. His body temperature rose in response of his mind getting in a drunken state. He had ripped the sleeves from his suite, exposing the dragon tattoo on his right shoulder. Surprisingly his body was toned as well. His name was Hajime.

Right after Hajime’s drunken comment, the red door opened and six ladies dressed in lingerie walked into the room, all of their faces expressionless as if their emotions had been sucked out of their being. Despite the lifeless look in their eyes, the moment the members stared at them, they felt nothing but disgust run through their bodies, a cold sweat dripping in their backs as well.

Some ladies shuddered at the outcome that awaited them, while others quietly accepted it as their duty to survive. And so, with the lustful eyes preying on them, the ladies went to their respective master to entertain.

Just as the five members at the table were having their way with their women, one however was still standing at a corner. The women around the tables began looking at her directing, their eyes filled with jealousy.

“Please accept this, master.” the woman said as she spoke to the person sitting at the corner. She had just gotten on her knees and was about to start her duty, when the person suddenly raised his hand.

The person had reached his hand to the woman’s chin and pulled it towards him, finally resting her head on his lap. He began carefully stroking the woman’s hair as he looked at his fellow comrades.

Despite seeming them enjoy the feast, he couldn’t be bothered to celebrate with them. After all, the one thing that made him truly happy was gone forever.

The person’s gaze focused on the ceiling, there, a thought came to him.

I wonder what surprises you’ll have in store for us. The person continued to stroke the back of the woman’s head. The light above him slowly dimmed, with the way he was positioned, it made only the bottom of his face visible.

“I can’t wait to see you again,” he said as a sinister grin appeared on his face.

“Akira-kun.” he said as he finally spoke the name of the person stuck in his mind.

                                                                     ...

Meanwhile somewhere far away from the busy city. Akira was currently being cared for by someone he knew from when he was little, someone he calls ‘Uncle’. The person in question was a family friend. Akira had not spoken to him since a certain incident between him and Akira's father.

But things from the past did not bother him. Now he was with him, preparing his body and mind for his revenge.

Akira's training began the day he knocked on his door, and he had to run three kilometers around the area. Of course, with the already low stamina Akira possessed, by the time he returned, Well. Let's just say his legs gave out.

Akira was not even allowed to rest and was dragged to the backyard, where he had to hang upside down from a bar, with his already tired legs as his only support. 'Uncle' had instructed Akira to do hanging sit-ups, with one set consisting of twenty-five reps each.

Akira was really pushing his body to its limits, as he had just finished his fourth set.

"One more time, do one hundred more!" 'Uncle' shouted as he ordered Akira, who had a whitened face, to do another set.

Although Akira wanted to end his misery, he couldn't really bring himself to do it. As he continued to endure the pain, his urge for revenge keeping him moving, he persisted in doing what he was ordered to do.

After all, without the help of 'Uncle', there was no way to complete his revenge. Akira gritted his teeth as sweat began to leak from his body. Akira was finally beginning to change, he could feel it deep inside.