Reckoning - Chapter 14

Kaori felt sick. “What did you do?” she whispered.

“You should thank me. Both of you!” Kaibara, face alight with crazy glee, spread his arms and grinned maniacally. “Thanks to me, you have your friend back, Ryo. And you’re once more reunited with your dear cousin, Kaori-chan. Aren’t you happy?”

Kaori wanted to vomit. The creature before them might look like her cousin, but it wasn’t Hideyuki standing there. Not really. Not anymore. It was a dead, empty shell, wearing a Hideyuki mask. Nothing remained of the boy she grew up with, of the man who was like a brother to her.

“You didn’t—” Ryo murmured.

“Yes!” Kaibara exclaimed. “It’s Angel Dust. The newly developed, more potent version I told you about. Now, do you see?” He pursed his lips as if remembering. “He proved stronger than he seemed. When my men were done with him, he was still alive, barely, but alive.” An evil grin as he looked at her. “Wiggling on the ground like a worm.”

She knew everything she felt at the moment—rage, revulsion, hatred…—was written all over her face, but she didn’t care. The man killed Hideyuki. Twice. Because the creature would have to be put down.

Kaibara chuckled, clearly enjoying the show and his own evil genius. “I wanted to grant him his wish to get back to you, Kaori-chan.” He looked at Ryo and grinned. “But I also wanted you to have your best friend back. So I injected him with Angel Dust, and he regenerated with superhuman strength.” He turned to the creature with an almost proud smile. “He’s perfect PR for the wonders of Angel Dust, the drug of the gods.” He turned back to the two of them. “Aren’t you glad I did it? Hideyuki is back!”

“You sick son of a bitch,” Ryo hissed.

“I knew you’d like it.” Kaibara’s face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas. “I want to partake in the joy. So why don’t you two put on a show for me?” His eyes became dead, his expression blank as he snapped his fingers. “Hideyuki, this man is an intruder.”

The creature opened its mouth. “Intruder…” it slowly growled, the sound grating, guttural. “Kill…”

“Kaori, step back,” Ryo ordered calmly.

“Ryo—”

“Move!”

Ryo shoved her aside just as the creature charged.

“Makimura!” Ryo roared as he dodged the brutal swing of a thick steel pipe. “Don’t you recognize me?!”

The creature appeared not to hear him, his dead eyes glinting with madness.

“Don’t bother,” Kaibara said jovially. “Hideyuki hears only my voice. This new Angel Dust formula has a curious brainwashing effect.”

Umibozu stirred with a pained groan, and Kaori rushed to him and helped him sit.

“What are you doing, Ryo?” Kaibara asked as Ryo slid to the side. “If you limit yourself to dodging, he’ll kill you eventually. You have to retaliate.” He scratched the faint stubble on his chin. “Don’t tell me you’ve gone so soft as to not be able to kill a friend. Not even to save your life?”

“Why?” Kaori asked, glaring at Kaibara, cursing the slight shake in her voice. “How can you be so cruel?”

Kaibara looked at her, startled, as if he’d forgotten she was even there.

“Why do you treat him like this?” she asked. “You once cared for him like a father. What changed? What made you hate him?”

Kaibara offered her a faint smile that made him look almost normal. Almost sane. “Why do I hate him? Let me ask you something. Why do you love him?” He tsked. “You have no idea, do you? Because it’s not logical. You don’t need a reason to love someone. It’s the same for me. I don’t need a reason to hate him, either. Love and hate are two sides of the same emotion.”

Umibozu more or less steadily leaned back against the staircase, and Kaori let go of him, stalking toward Kaibara. “You got that wrong, you sick bastard. I know perfectly well why I love Ryo, not that you’d be able to comprehend, and explaining it would be a waste of breath.”

The click of a hammer being cocked stopped her in her tracks. Which was good, because if she reached Kaibara, she’d probably kill him, which would result in all of them blowing up; the bastard was certainly rigged with a dead-man switch.

Back to her, to Kaibara, his entire being focused on the creature panting and growling in the corner, readying for a fresh bout of attacks, Ryo slowly lifted the Python. “It’s like battling an empty shell,” he murmured.

Kaori veered, slowly walked toward him, and stopped by his side without a word.

“It’s never happened before,” Ryo whispered, heartbreak in his voice. “I can’t feel anything from him. There’s no heart left. I need to give him peace.”

It was like he was asking for her permission, for her forgiveness for what he had to do. But he didn’t need permission, and he didn’t need to ask for forgiveness. She took his left hand, squeezed his fingers, hoped he’d understand the message. There was no need for permission; there was nothing to forgive. He had to do what needed to be done. The creature had to be put out of its misery. It wasn’t Hideyuki in front of them. Her cousin, his friend, was long gone.

The creature prepared to charge, a growl rumbling in its chest.

Ryo sighed and squeezed her fingers. “Goodbye, Maki.”

“Nooooooo!”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Saeko rushed to the creature’s side and locked her arms around its waist, her expression stricken, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Saeko?!” Ryo quickly lowered the Python. One bullet would never be enough to put down the creature, and God only knew what it would do to Saeko when wounded.

“Oh, Falcon!”

Kaori, her fingers still clasped in Ryo’s, looked toward where she left Umibozu. The man was being helped to his feet by Mick and Miki. She didn’t really care where they’d come from; she was just glad to see them there. Because that meant they’d breached the yacht’s self-defense and locking systems.

The creature, momentarily stopped by Saeko’s rushed approach, let out something between a growl and a yell, grabbed Saeko by the throat, and lifted her off her feet.

Ryo aimed again. “Saeko!”

“No, don’t shoot him!” she screamed and grabbed the creature’s arm, holding her up and away with both hands. “It’s me, Hideyuki! It’s Saeko! Please, remember. Remember me. Remember us!”

The creature seemed to pause, expression slightly quizzical, as it stared up at Saeko with dead eyes.

“She got through to him,” Umibozu groaned, clutching his side. “His killing aura is abating.”

“I love you, Hideyuki,” Saeko whimpered. “I’ve always loved you and I always will. Please, remember, my love.” And she grabbed the creature’s head and pulled it forward into a clutching embrace, her body shaking with quiet sobs. “It’s me, Saeko.”

“Sa…” It was an inhuman growl. “Sae…ko.”

Ryo squeezed Kaori’s fingers. “Jesus.”

Saeko’s face lit up as she leaned back slightly. “Oh, Hideyuki…”

“Makimura,” Kaibara said calmly as if discussing the weather. “That woman is also an intruder.”

The creature screamed, tightened its hand around Saeko’s throat, and lifted her away from itself.

“Hideyuki!” Saeko screeched as the creature threw her across the room, straight into Umibozu, who went down like a rock, taking Miki and Mick with him.

The creature growled, took two steps, and leapt directly toward Ryo and Kaori.

“Shit,” Ryo muttered, grabbed her around the waist, jumped to the side, aimed…

But the creature was still in the air, jumping over them, aiming for Kaibara, still lounging on the sofa.

The man’s pleased, downright giddy expression at the mayhem and pain he was causing quickly morphed into one of shock and fear as he scrambled to the side.

The creature slammed into the sofa, right on the spot where Kaibara had been a few heartbeats before, then clambered over the back and stalked to the wall of monitors…And thrust its arms into them.

White and blue zaps of electricity enveloped it, casting its silhouette in stark contrast as it threw back its head and roared, pushing its hands deeper, its bulging muscles strangely deflating.

There was a distant clack-clack-clack of locks disengaging and doors opening, and the engines stopped. Then, a strange crackling sound, the blue and white light grew brighter, the zaps merging into a scorching halo…Then the light became blinding, electric blue fire spewed out of the wall of monitors, and the creature was once more airborne until it landed, unconscious, its skin, hair, and tattered clothes singed and smoking, beside Umibozu, Mick, Miki, and Saeko. Who quickly rushed to the unmoving creature and shook it.

“Please, don’t die, Yuki. You can’t die. Not again. I can’t lose you again!” Crying, she placed the creature’s head in her lap, brushing her fingers tenderly, reverently down its cheeks.

Kaibara’s slow clapping brought everybody’s attention back to him. “Congratulations! It might not have been the ending I was hoping for, but it was fun nevertheless. It looks like not even Angel Dust can make him forget the woman who threw him aside.”

“You psychotic asshole,” Kaori snapped as Ryo helped her back to her feet.

Kaibara smirked, then glanced at the smoking wall of monitors, where the dummy timer was still counting down. “Five minutes to detonation.” He chuckled. “Makimura almost ruined it all. If he had hit the timer, we’d be vapor by now. But given the current situation, I can no longer guarantee the timer is working correctly.” He grinned. “We might blow up any minute. We should settle things now, Ryo.”

“Think again, pal,” Mick said. “I also have a score to settle with you.” He reached inside his jacket for his gun. “It’ll only take me a minute.”

“And I’ll disable the bomb before we blow up,” Umibozu added.

“You can barely stand,” Mick snapped.

“Bullshit!” Umibozu shot back. “I’m fine. I can’t leave everybody’s lives in your incapable hands. You just might set off the bomb.”

“There’s no bomb,” Kaori interrupted. “The timer is bogus. Just like you,” she spat, glaring at Kaibara. “You might be crazy, but you don’t want to die. Do you, Kaibara? Because deep down, you’re a coward. You’ve always been a coward, letting other people do the dirty work for you. And if they refuse, you just dope them up. So there’s no bomb. Not on the ship and not on you. You scrambled out of Yuki’s way too quickly. If you wanted all of us dead, you’d just sit there.”

Kaibara grinned. “Interesting theory, Kaori-chan. But only a theory. Do you want to test it?”

She drew her SIG, pointed it straight at his head. “Do you?”

She barely got a moment to enjoy his shocked expression when Ryo took her wrist and pushed her hand down. “No. He’s mine.”

“Now’s not the time to play hero,” she hissed.

“This is between him and me,” he murmured. “It’s always been. Stay out of it.”

Kaibara grinned, half-glee, half-craze as Ryo started walking toward him. “I see. You want to personally make up for ruining my fun, do you?” Quick as a snake, he pressed a switch at the far, yet intact, side of the wall of monitors, and a thick glass partition slammed down, dividing the room in two, effectively separating Kaibara and Ryo from the others.

Kaori, having lunged forward as the glass was coming down, rolled back to her feet on Kaibara and Ryo’s side of the partition and smirked at the older man’s annoyed expression. “I’m a spoilsport, I know.” Then she winked at Ryo. “He’s all yours, don’t worry. But if he somehow gets you, I’ll finish the job.” She glared back at Kaibara. “See, unlike Ryo, I don’t give a shit about you. Whatever happens, you’re not getting off this ship alive.” She plopped down on the sofa and crossed her legs. “Gentlemen, the floor is yours.”

After a venomous glare at her, Kaibara focused fully back on Ryo, but Mick ruined the moment by shooting at the glass from the other side, and Kaibara rolled his eyes. “It’s bulletproof, Mr. Angel. Do you think I’m an amateur?”

“No,” Umibozu growled from beside Mick, slamming his fist into the glass. “Just insane.”

Kaibara shrugged. “A matter of opinion.” He took off his jacket, revealing a leather shoulder holster, then looked back at Ryo. “The stage is set for our encore. I’ve disabled the sensors that set off the bomb in my prosthesis—”

“I knew it,” Kaori huffed.

But Kaibara went on as if she weren’t there. “Even if you do manage to shoot me, it won’t go off. But I’m sure you won’t come close to hitting me. After all, it was me who taught you to shoot. I know your speed, your reflexes, but most importantly, I know all your weaknesses. The biggest one is sitting on the couch, falsely believing you’ll kill me.”

Ryo’s gaze filled with love and sadness, and Kaori internally sighed. That’s what she was afraid of. He couldn’t win like this.

“Do you know what I’m thinking of?” Ryo smiled slightly. “The old days, the day you lost your leg. Do you remember? You lost it because of me. I was still young and green. I made a mistake and got captured. Our platoon was in the middle of an important mission, so they had no choice but to leave me behind. If they came back to get me, they would’ve compromised the mission, so they left me there.”

Kaori’s heart broke for the young boy from that day so long ago. She looked at Kaibara, but there was nothing on his face or in his eyes. Nothing that would indicate he even remembered that day. Nothing that would indicate he even remotely cared.

“But you,” Ryo continued. “You came back for me anyway, defying orders. You saved me, but the price you paid was steep. You lost your leg during the retreat. But even though you lost your leg because of me, you didn’t blame me. You just smiled, and with that smile you told me that trading a leg for my life had been worth it. In that moment I felt the depth of your feelings toward me. In that moment, I saw you as my real father. Your presence was the only comfort for me in the middle of that war. Your presence was everything.”

Kaibara’s expression was impassive. “What are—”

“What the hell are you saying?!” Umibozu yelled from the other side of the glass divider. “What’s the matter with you?! He’s your greatest enemy. He’s the one to beat. Forget your damn feelings!”

Kaibara smirked. “Falcon is right. You keep making my show boring. Which means you’ve already lost.”

Ryo took a step to the side. “It’s the other way around,” he said calmly. “I’m the only one who can defeat you.” Another step to the side. “I’m the one who cares most about you, respects you the most in this world.” Another step. “That’s why I’ll win.” Another step and he was face-to-face with Kaibara, no sofa—or her, Kaori noticed with an eye roll—between them. “Do you want to know why my feelings haven’t changed even after all this time?”

“Stop fooling around!” Kaibara screamed, face thunderous, eyes crazed.

Ryo dashed to the side, Kaibara to the other, hands reaching into their shoulder holsters. Simultaneously they drew their revolvers, Ryo his black 6-inch Colt Python and Kaibara a shiny 8-inch Colt Anaconda; they both pulled the trigger at the same time, the two shots sounding like one, the brutal recoil barely registering…

Then Ryo staggered, fell back, the Python clattering on the floor as it dropped from his slackened grip, and Kaibara chuckled.