40: Domain

Everything is unnervingly still as I wait with bated breath for her reaction. I can hardly believe I said it. Part of me wishes I could take it all back or tell her I was joking. Every nerve is on end, as if the ground could cave in beneath me at any moment.

She blinks and opens her mouth, yet no words come out. Should I say something?

“S-sorry. I just need a moment to process this,” she mutters, glancing away.

I nod, unable to speak. I am about to have a heart attack or throw up, perhaps both. She stares down at her thumbs, anxiously picking at them. I lean back from her, stuffing my hands back into my pockets. Not a word is said.

After a moment she pulls her legs up into a crossed position, facing me, and leans over on her forearms. “So… like… You were an actual assassin?”

I nod.

“With like… guns and knives… and stuff?”

I nod again.

She is quiet for a long moment. “It’s hard for me to picture,” she mutters, her voice shaking. “Th-that’s not what I was expecting at all…”

“Are you afraid? I-I would never hurt you.” My throat clenches more than I would like. “Please, believe me.”

She looks up at me and with tears in her eyes gives me a gentle smile. “I know. It is kind of scary to hear this… but that doesn’t mean I’m scared of you.”

My chest loosens a bit. “I was afraid you would run away from me.”

She shakes her head. “It’s hard to wrap my head around though. I don’t understand why.”

I pause. “Why?”

“How does someone like you end up an assassin? Why would you k-kill people? Th-they were bad right?”

My throat feels tight again. How do I answer her question when even I don’t know the reason myself? Where do I even start?

As I open my mouth to speak, my mind drifts back to the day my fate became sealed, and my life was stolen. The start of a path set before me that I had no choice or control over.

Tokyo, Japan (8 years ago?)—

My hand trembles as I grip Yuna’s jacket hem. She leads us through the crowd of the train station, rolling a suitcase as well as hauling my bag that she refused to let me carry. I cringe away from people who narrowly brush against my shoulder, my bruises still sore.

We get outside of the station, and I glance around at the unfamiliar area, nervous and maybe a little excited to see Tokyo for the first time. She takes me over to a nearby bench and we sit for a moment while she pulls out the slip of paper we were given.

“Aneki,” I mutter. “Do you know who these people are that he wants us to stay with? I don’t remember him saying anything about relatives in Tokyo before. And… I thought he didn’t want me anymore…”

She ruffles my hair with a smile. “No need to worry Shu-Chan. I’m still your big sis no matter what and I’m gonna take care of you, okay? And besides, we’re just here for a short time while Father and everyone get things settled. Then we will be back home for the funeral.”

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. Her arms are around me gently and she strokes my head, not saying a word.

“This is all my fault,” I murmur through a sob.

“Don’t let what he said get to you. It doesn’t matter that you’re not his biological son. The way he hurt you… I can never forgive him!” she says and wipes my face. “And as for your mom I… I’m so sorry. I know it hurts. I’m going to be by your side, okay? I won’t leave you.”

I nod. At least I have Yuna. I don’t know what I would do without her.

We head on down the sidewalk, walking for quite a way. I continually watch the surroundings, taking in this new place. As the sun dips below the skyscrapers, the lights start to come on. We take a seat again at a bench and she lets out a sigh.

“Well, this is the place we’re supposed to meet them,” she says and glances around. “I guess they live around here?”

My eyes rove over the area, a spot off the more populated paths and a bit dark compared to everywhere else. In fact, we are the only ones here. I get a heavy feeling in my gut and remember the vending machine I saw just down the alley.

“I will get us a drink,” I tell her and head over.

As I get closer a figure comes around the corner of the building and I slam into them, falling onto my back. I grit my teeth as my body cries out in protest from my previous injuries.

“Oh, so sorry,” the figure says, and I look up, seeing an older man with emerald eyes wearing a trench-coat alongside another much larger pale man.

The first one reaches his hand down and I silently take it, letting him help me up. “My name is Nori,” he says. “Are you two the Kurosaki children?”

That name burns my heart, knowing I was cast from it. But I simply nod and glance back to Yuna as she comes over. The bigger pale man with an American style buzz-cut grins, looking us over. For some reason, his eyes make me want to run. Not only are they bright yellow, but they are piercing, soulless. Just who are these people?

“Right this way. We have a lot to take care of,” Nori says, motioning for us to follow.

I glance at Yuna, and we lock eyes for a moment before following them. She clears her throat. “So, who exactly are you? Father told us we were going to be staying with some family friends while things settle down, but I never heard of you before.”

“Ah, yes. Well, it’s a bit complicated. I can explain more once we get to our destination,” he says.

They lead us to a sleek black sedan and open the doors for us, taking our luggage and putting it in the trunk. Yuna and I get in as the trunk slams shut. Then they come around to close our doors for us. As I buckle in, I feel Nori place his hand on my shoulder and mutter under his breath, “I’m sorry.”

Then he is holding a white cloth over my face that smells like disinfectant. I panic, trying to pull away, and as I glance over, the other guy is doing the same to her. I lunge toward him, my bruised body aching in protest. Despite my efforts, everything becomes heavy and then dark.

My head hurts. Where is my blanket? As I slowly feel myself waking, I fumble around trying to find my covers, but my arms and legs feel so heavy. Why is my bed so hard? Why do I feel so cold?

I open my eyes, expecting to be back in my room, but wake to a cold concrete floor beneath me. What is going on? Then it all comes flooding back to me and I scramble up, looking around. I am surrounded by four walls of concrete, the only light source coming from a slit in the metal door. There is nothing here except me. My feet are bare, and my clothes have been changed to a gray shirt and pants. I jump up, banging on the door.

“Help! Aneki!” I cry out. “Let me out! I’m not supposed to be here! Where’s Ane?”

Silence.

For what seems like hours I yell and bang on the door, trying to pry it open. My fingers are raw and bleeding. I finally hear noise from the other side and jump back as the door opens. There stands Nori and a shorter person with a long black coat, the hood shrouding their face. My aching hands tremble, but there is fire in my gut as I lay eyes on the man who betrayed me.

Without thinking, I am lunging toward him. “What did you do?! Where is Ane?” I scream, fists swinging as he holds me back. “Tell me where she is!”

The cloaked figure leans toward me. “94, is it?” a feminine voice asks, gesturing toward my shirt.

I glance down, noticing numbers across the right side of the chest. I glower. “I have a name! It’s—”

“Not anymore,” she states.

The heat in my gut burns hotter, my fingers aching as I clench them into fists. What is this? Who do these people think they are? Am I dreaming?

“This one has fire in his eyes,” she says and chuckles. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

“He intrigues you, Master?” Nori asks.

“Perhaps. Mikado promised me he has potential. And he knows the consequences of lying to me. I don’t think he would offer his only son unless he knows how much he could be worth if he progresses well. I wanted to see for myself.”

How does she know him? The realization that he set me up for this makes my blood run cold. What does she mean by how much I’m worth?

She points at my hands. “And he has a lot of endurance, shredding his hands to try and escape. You have experienced much pain already, haven’t you?”

Her words are a knife in my chest, and I slap her hand away. “Tell me where Ane is! NOW! I DEMAND YOU LET US GO!”

They are both silent, staring at me. The woman laughs, her hood falling back. “What a stupid thing to do! You really think you have any authority? You really think we are going to just let you walk out?” she asks and her gaze bores into me, her black eyes shaking me to my very core. “I hope you learn fast kid.”

Next thing I know I am being flung across the room, hitting the wall before dropping to the floor. I gasp for breath, my lungs aching for the air that was forced out of me, and my already bruised body wracked with pain.

She stands before me. “I am your God now, your reason for living. Whatever you want to call it. And I do not tolerate being demanded of by those beneath me,” she says and kicks me in the stomach so hard my teeth clack. “Nor will I allow your raising a hand to me to go unpunished. So, you best learn fast 94 if you wish to stay on my good side. You are now part of my Domain.”

Blood drips down my lip from where I bit it and I gasp for breath, groveling on the floor beneath her. This can’t be real, can it? This all has to be a nightmare.

“From now on, you will address me as Master,” she says. “You will begin training in the morning. If you fail your tests or if we find you not performing your best, you will be killed on sight. Nori here will be your attendant. He will teach you English, and I suggest you learn that quickly because this is the only time I will be speaking your pitiful excuse for a language. Am I clear?”

I sit up, still trying to catch my breath. What is she going on about? Training? Learning English? What if I do fail? I’ll die? What about Yuna?

She slaps me across the face, sending me back to the ground as pain spreads across my cheek. “I said, am I clear?”

“Y-yes!” I say, just hoping she will go away.

Yet again I am struck across the face. “Yes?”

Out of habit and fear I quickly bow, my forehead to the ground. “Yes M… Master.”

“Good.” She goes to stand in the doorway and looks back at me with a grin. “I look forward to seeing if you progress 94.”

Then she is gone, leaving me and Nori in the room. My body trembles. I taste blood. It’s not the first time I’ve been knocked around, but even Father never went that hard on me. I stare blankly at the floor for a long moment, trying to gather my thoughts. The light pours in from the doorway and Nori remains standing in his spot, I guess waiting to see what I will do.

My eyes fixate on the door. I have to get out of here and find Yuna. Without much thought, I bolt toward the door. However, the next thing I know I am back on the ground. He comes over pulling me off the floor, but I rip my arm away.

“Don’t touch me!” I spit.

“I understand you don’t trust me, but let me tend to your wounds,” he says.

“No!” I shout. “Tell me where she is! What is this place?! Wh-why did you bring me here?!”

He sighs and sits before me. “Your sister is in a different part of the facility. She is lucky compared to you. She will be used as a maid instead of undergoing the training regimen you will be doing.”

I feel my chest ease a bit. Does that mean she is… “safe”?

“As for why you are here, your father sold the both of you to the Domain,” he says.

His words send me aback. Sold us? But why? I can understand me since I’m not his biological son, but Yuna is his daughter.

As he reaches out to me, I scramble back again and just sit there, taking it all in. Tears flood my eyes. “Wh… what did I do wrong?” my voice cracks. “What did I do to deserve this?”

His face remains like stone. “Absolutely nothing.”

I clench my fists, the rage within me burning. “I will get out of here. I will save Ane. I won’t give up.”

He reaches toward me again, but I cringe away. He sighs and heads to the door. “I doubt that,” he says and steps out of the room. “I will only warn you once. Keep to your training and stay out of trouble. And as you can see it is best not to cross Master.”

The door clangs shut, and I am left in silence, cold and alone. The rage gives way to sorrow, and I curl up in the corner sobbing silently. How is this happening? Can I really get Yuna out of here? I don’t even know where this is or the layout. I will have to bide my time until I can come up with a plan. Until then, I will just have to play along.

I had no idea how wrong I was.

Translations:

Aneki (ah-neh-key) – Sis (Sister)

Ane (ah-neh) – Older sister. Used when indirectly speaking of older sister.