Shadows of Revenge Ch. 7
By Eliad Sholomovich

Ibuki sat on the floor, and looked around her. She sighed to herself as her house was a total mess. Most of the furniture had been toppled over during the fight, and bloodstains were a commonly feature in the houses current scenery. Ibuki clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.

She strained her aching body and rose to her feet. ”Why? Why is this happening to me? Haven’t I suffered enough already? Guess I was right last year when I said I was jinxed…” Ibuki thought and rose to her feet, then she limped toward the door slowly.

Upon reaching the door her hand gripped the doorknob, then she pulled it slowly until the door was closed, then she reached for the lock and locked the door as well.

Then she turned around and leaned on the door, she winced in pain and then inhaled deeply. ”I mustn’t despair…For Mom, I’ll stay strong…and do what must be done…and make this X pay for what he’s doing to me…” Ibuki thought and then crouched to her knees.

She picked up her Katana and then found its Sheathe a few feet to its left. Then she walked to the kitchen and sheathed the blade before placing it gently on the kitchen table. After doing that she took a mop and a bucket. She filled the bucket in water and then some cleaning Detergent and continued to mix it.

Then she sighed audibly and went forth to mop the blood off the floor tiles. She worked slowly as the wounds she suffered burdened her greatly. Upon deciding the floor was satisfactory she returned the cleaning utensils to their place.

Then she looked at the wall ”Nothing I can do about those…Guess I’ll go arrange the furniture now…” Ibuki thought and shook her head. As she reached the couch something caught her attention. She raised a brow and crouched. Then she picked up a tattered piece of paper, which was probably a note of some sort.

Then she unfolded it and looked at its contents. ”What the h*ll is this?” Ibuki thought as she read it.

“Code 1: 1276AR#6$90…Code 2: 546*#5671089…Code 3: 4109#$218621?”

”Whatever do these bizarre codes belong to? And who dropped them? Was it Jason? Or was it those “Black Dragon” Assassins? Hmmm…this might come in handy later…I’ll keep it nearby incase the need for them rises” Ibuki thought and put the note near her Katana on the Kitchen table.

Then she went over and started arranging the furniture.

** Meanwhile in a Large Office building in Southern Tokyo **

Amiddle aged Japanese was sitting beside a desk inside a fancy office. The room was silent as he was typing on a laptop, his fingers typing quickly and only the keys soft clicking sounds filling the cold and tense atmosphere in this office.

His eyes were red, and black bags had formed under his eyes, His face was pale and cold sweat dropped down his face. He was glancing nervously from side to side occasionally and his was tapping on the floor with his feet in seeming anxiety.

”Come on…Come on you ruddy piece of junk…Move faster…I have to bypass these stupid defenses and send this…” He spoke under his breath . He was on a site on the Internet and had just encountered a access denial screen which demanded the input of a code to continue.

He waiting for the computer to compile his commands and try to decipher a computerized code, thus enabling him to enter a site and send something to the site’s owner .

Then his phone rang. He pressed the line button and his secretary spoke “Mr. Noriya I’ve finished my shift…I’ll see you tomorrow sir…” She says to him.

”Em…Ye…Yes…Goodbye Yuriko” He says nervously and quickly disconnects.

He curses under his breath and turns to his left allowing the laptop to continue its work. He leans into his chair and rubs his eyes tiredly. Then he wipes some sweat off his forehead with his sleeve before turning back to the desk and tapping nervously on the desk. ”Oh s***…Oh s***…How did I get myself mixed in this mess?” He thinks and his teeth clatter.

Then Noriya hears footsteps. He curses and hides his laptop in his desk’s drawer.

Then the door opens and a large Japanese man enters the room. He stands cross handedly to the doorway’s left. Then a second later another large man does the same and stands to its right. Both are wearing trench coats and dark sunglasses, to finish their ensemble were pairs of black leather gloves on each of their hands.

Then another man entered the room. He was wearing a black business suit. He looked at Noriya and smiled coldly. “Konnichiwa Iori-San…I’ve been looking for you for days now…You haven’t been hiding from me have you?” The man asks coldly while raising a brow.

”Why of course not Boss…I’d never dream to…” He says before the man snaps his fingers. One of the large men walks up Iori and picked him up much to the latter’s surprise. He grabbed both of Iori’s hands and Successfully immobilized him.

”Hey! What’s the meaning of this?! I didn’t do anything!” Iori shouts and tries to struggle against the hold, but his efforts were in vain. The boss figure tilted his head downward with a small nod. Then the other man left his post beside the door and approached Iori..

Then he punched Iori in the abdomen forcefully. Iori groaned and then another blow collided into this frame, The Japanese goon’s knuckles rumbled against his Ribcage and Iori broke into a fit of coughing as his body pounded with sharp pain.

”Don’t lie to me...Regardless to what you may think…I’m not stupid Noriya…and I don’t like liers…” The boss figure spoke coldly. Iori shook his head and looked at the boss figure with a defiant look.

The boss figure sighed audibly and snapped his fingers together. The large thug nodded and this time punched Noriya across the cheek before he ended the newest attack by slamming his knee into Noriya’s privates. The man moaned in pain and squirmed in his captors arms.

”Where are they Noriya?” The boss figure question coldly. Then he walked up to Iori and grabbed his chin in his slender hands and forced Noriya too look into his eyes. A disgusted sneer on the boss figure’s face as he did so.

”I don’t…know what…you’re talking…about” Iori said weakly, his entire body hurt and his lips was bleeding. The boss figure’s eyes narrowed in anger and his slapped him forcefully “Lying Scum…Insolent swine…Stupid Fool…” He bellowed slapping him between every couple of words.

Noriya’s face was swollen and his irises dilated as dizziness consumed him, he fought the urge to retch and swallowed some bile and spit.

The boss figure shook his head and snapped his fingers and turned away. The large man pinned Iori to the desk and the other one grabbed one of his arms. He forced Noriya to extend finally pinned his wrist to the table.

”I’ll ask you only one more time Noriya…Since you’ve been loyal in the past…” The boss figure said and brushed some dust off his expensive suit. Noriya gulped yet remained silent. One of the thugs looked at the boss figure and then the latter nodded slowly.

The thug turned to his comrade and nodded. The man pinning Noriya’s wrist smiled and reached for his trench coat. He pushed the suit aside and took out a large curled knife from a sheathe which was strapped to his belt.

He held it straight, its blade gleaming in the office light and looked at Noriya. His facade did not change from its cold expression as he awaited his boss’s orders.

The boss figure then turned around sharply his eyes flaring in great fury. “Tell me now Noriya! Or so help me God you’ll pay for it…” He says before his eyes turning cold again.

The thug pinning Noriya’s hand twisted it forcefully, instinctively Noriya opened his hand. And the thug raised the knife and sent it downwards.

Noriya closed his eyes tightly screamed in fear and then a audible slam was heard as metal collided upon wood. Noriya panted and opened one of his eyes slowly. He saw the knife was stuck in the table, in the gap between his thumb and index finger.

”Don’t make me ask again…Where are they?” He asks in a menacing tone. Upon not receiving an answer boss figure shrugged “Too bad, however will you type without fingers…” He says casually and snaps his fingers again.

The thug holding the blade raised it again and swung it downwards.

”NO!!!!WAIT!!!” Noriya shouted and the thug held his blade in midair.

”Ok…Ok…I’ll tell you…” Noriya mutters tiredly.

”I knew you’d cooperate…Let him go…” The boss figure ordered the two men and they let him go immediately.

Noriya walks to his desk and opens his drawer and takes out the laptop. “Its all in here…all the data I’ve taken…” Noriya says weakly, his face pale while holding his ribs with his good hand and his twisted arm dangling beside his body.

The boss figure nods “Check it” He says and points to one of the thugs. The thug nods and walks up to the laptop and looks at the screen, he punches in some keys and then looks at the screen. A few silent minutes later he nods.

Nice doing business with you Noriya, have a nice day” The boss figure says and turns to the door. One of his thugs takes Iori’s Laptop and then both follow their boss toward the door.

As the boss figure reaches the door he whispers something to the thug without the laptop and walks out. The one with the laptop leaves as well leaving the free one alone with Iori.

Then the last thug reached for his trench coat and took out a pistol with a silencer built on its barrel. He pressed the trigger twice. Two bullets escaped the barrel and slammed into Iori’s chest. They send him to the ground.

Then the thug exited the door and closed it silently behind him. Iori Noriya fell to the ground and lay lifeless on the soft brown carpet. Soon his blood began spilling and staining it. The last thoughts running through his mind before his demise were surely not pleasant due to the feared expression that now decorated his dead face.

** Back at Ibuki’s house **

Ibuki wiped her forehead and looked around. She blinks away the haze from her eyes and sighs audibly. She then walks to the kitchen and takes her Katana and the mysterious note.

She closes her eyes and then starts walking towards the stairway leading towards her room. She drags her feet tiredly up the stairs. Then she reaches her room. She places her Katana on her desk along with the note.

Then she collapses on her bed and starts sobbing. Her body shaking as tears stream down her cheeks . She sticks her face into the blanket and ”Why?! WHY?! WHY!!!! Mom…You don’t have anything to do with last summer…Why did they have to get you involved in this…I hate this!!! I hate this X…” Are some of the thoughts that run through her mind.

She just sat there letting all her frustration out. She sniffed and her chest shook with her Sobs. Twenty minutes later she stops and wipes her eyes while sniffing.

She inhaled slowly and arranged Her breath. “What am I doing? I can’t let this happen…Mom…I’ll save you…” She thinks And reaches a decision that she doesn’t care how or what she has to do on her way, she will succeed.

She then gets out of her bed and gets some clothes out of her closet. Then goes to clean herself from her blood and sweat from the battle and then the cleaning.

She entered the shower after undressing and let the warm water caress her tired form. She sighs and winces slightly when she reaches her wounded back. Then she loathes herself with soap and exhales as she feels all the filth fall off her.

Then a few minutes later she exits the shower and dries herself with a towel. Then she changes into her P.Js and heads for her room. Then she lies in her bed and covers herself in her thick blanket. She turns to lie on her belly since her back stings in pain.

”First thing tomorrow I’ll go explain to Sensei…and get ready for what seems to be another long and hard mission…” Ibuki thinks to herself and sighs before closing her eyes.