WISTERIA petals danced within the memory... They fluttered between Satsuki and Shindo... In a curtain of dancing petals, the same scene began to roll before the two.
A breeze blew through the silent greenhouse. It was a draft born from the ventilation system. Yet there was a consciousness that was not Satsuki at work that made the wisteria petals dance up and down around her.
“So that’s the Tsujikawa’s only kid, eh...? She’s just as cute as they say...” said the man who appeared from the bushes, curling the corner of his lips into an unsavory grin. As realization struck, Shindo quickly shifted his position so he was holding her protectively in both arms.
The man was in his fifties. He boasted a robust, muscular build. Although the top of his head was shaved clean, tufts of white could be seen in the overgrown mustache above his lips. The dark lenses of his mirrored sunglasses hid his eyes. But it was easy to imagine that under those glasses, he had eyes as sharp as any weapon.
“She’s the first thing you couldn’t kill.”
Satsuki wasn’t looking at the man who called her a “thing.” Trusting herself to Shindo, she looked up at him as he held onto her with all of his might.
The man chuckled dryly from the back of his throat before continuing, “Did she ensnare ya with her cute charm? Does that little girl satisfy yer itch better than them ‘ladies’ who treated ya real nice back at the hideout? Well? Does she, kiddo?”
“Wha-?!”
“I’ve gotta admit, she is cute. C’mon, lemme have her for a bit. I haven’t done it with a girl this young in ages. It’s cool, ain’t it, kiddo? You and me, we’re pals, ain’t we?” the man persisted. He laughed from the back of the throat, the sound of ridicule in his laughter only growing louder.
Burying Satsuki deep in his chest, Shindo held his arms across the back of her head to cover her ears in hopes of blocking out the man’s voice.
“We aren’t pals...” Shindo whispered at the man. “That relationship came to an end four years ago.”
“Yeah, when you failed to kill that there brat.”
Shindo was raised at a place where humans who “made a living killing people” gathered. He was there as far back as he could remember. He had no idea what either his father or mother looked like... He didn’t even have a name.
The place was a large mansion built like a labyrinth. Countless nameless people with similar backgrounds were also there. The men all called him “kiddo” while the women who hunkered there to entertain the men referred to him as “boy.”
“Kill to live.” The creed was commonly accepted in this world. He learned this—and more—from this man. Displaying impressive mastery with the knife from an early age, Shindo used his talent to kill his first person at the early age of ten.
The man was greatly pleased with the job he completed then. “I knew you had talent in ya! Ya’ve got the same eyes as yer old man,” he had claimed. Apparently this man was also pals with young Shindo’s father.
It might be fair to say they were close. The man gave more attention to him than the other boys, and taught him a great many things. Shindo had viewed him as a teacher and father figure. Over time, he naturally grew to refer to him as “Pops.”
“I thought you were dead,” he said, walking slowly—pausing between each step—toward Shindo. “Right after you failed to come back four years ago, the politician who hired us to kill this munchkin died in an accident. The damn thing smelled freakin’ fishy. Rumor among our kind had it Big Man Tsujikawa pulled some strings to make it happen.”
With Satsuki in his arms, Shindo inched back as if hoping to escape the man who gradually drew closer.
“I can’t help if the client up and croaked on us. What with you missin’ and rumors that the brat was just fine, we decided this whole deal was a bust.”
Shindo’s back hit the trellis lattice, preventing him from edging back. The man came to a halt before Shindo and glared down at the young man.
“I never dreamed the Tsujikawas had ya tucked away, alive and kickin’!” the man snarled. He suddenly grabbed Shindo by the arms. Utilizing his incredible strength, he broke Shindo’s protective hold on Satsuki. She was huddled in the crevice of his arms like a small animal as the man grabbed her by the scruff of her dress, lifting her up as easily as if she were a kitten.
“Miss!” Shindo cried.
“...Shin...do...!” she whimpered in pain with both hands clutching at the suffocating collar of her dress.
She was being held by the back of her dress’s collar. The only thing supporting the weight of Satsuki’s body was the material of her clothing. And that was cutting against her neck. She was trapped in a suffocating position. It was too much for any four-year-old to bear.
“Miss!” Shindo shouted.
He jumped up and began to lunge at the man in hopes of snatching Satsuki back. But before he could launch his attack, the man caught Shindo in mid-stride with one hand and lifted him off the ground!
“You’ve gotten damn big for yer breeches if ya think you can attack me...kiddo,” the man goaded.
Although Shindo was only sixteen, he was nearly 5’11” and began formal unarmed combat training once he became Satsuki’s retainer. In Aikido, he was already able to fight on par with the Master Instructor. But none of the skills he honed were of any help to him now.
The man tightened his clutch around Shindo’s neck, cutting off airflow. Shindo clasped both hands around the man’s arm.
“Why don’t I go ahead and kill ya here and now...? I don’t got no use for a dull-eyed sap.”
Caught in the man’s grasp, Shindo looked at Satsuki from the corner of his eye. She was dangling beside him from the man’s other arm. Her neck was bent awkwardly despite her hands pulling at the collar of her dress. Her mouth opened and closed slightly, unable to voice the word, “...Shin...do...” But the wisteria petals flying erratically around Satsuki conveyed what she was trying to say.
“Shin...do...” The word uttered from lips as little and adorable as flower petals was none other than his name. They weren’t words beseeching help or any other imaginable possibility. It was the name she gave him. “...Shindo...”
“Miss...!”
Shindo put all of his strength into his clasp on the man’s arm. Whipping his body around, he landed such a powerful kick on the man’s torso that it sent him tumbling away! Caught by surprise, the man released his hold on Shindo. While he was stumbling off balance, he made the mistake of accidentally popping open the hand used to hold Satsuki.
“Miss!”
Once Shindo was on solid ground after breaking free of the man’s grasp, he dashed toward Satsuki, falling from the man’s outstretched hand. He managed to catch her before she struck the ground, but wound up sliding across the grass as a result. At least he was able to catch her safely in his arms, successfully preventing so much as a single strand of hair from crashing to the ground.
“Miss...are you...all right?” Shindo asked, his voice hoarse from being strangled. He was on the verge of hypoxia, but oxygen was reaching his brain once more, giving him a mild headache.
“Shin...do...” Satsuki whimpered, slightly out of breath. Her beautiful eyes that could make his heart melt were brimming with tears. Each time the name she gave him left her trembling lips, Shindo’s chest grew painfully tight.
There was a time when all he knew was how to steal, including human lives. Without a name, no one would notice or care when or where he died like a dog.
But then this little girl taught him the meaning and joy of living and protecting another. The girl gave him a name. The more he tried to protect her, the more she filled him with kindness and peace.
“Miss...” he croaked. If I never met you...I wouldn’t be alive today.
“Shin...do...” Satsuki said in a slightly stronger voice as she held her hands up to his cheeks. “You won’t leave me...will you...?”
Rustle...! There was no breeze, yet right at that moment, the wisteria flowers began to stir.
“Stay by my side, okay...?” They had promised one another as much only moments before. She repeated it sadly as if ensuring it still stood. “...That man wants to take you away...”
“What?”
After hearing Satsuki’s warning, Shindo sensed the desire to kill and leaned backwards! Along with the sound of knocking on wood, a small dual-bladed knife stabbed the base of the tree next to him! If Shindo didn’t lean back, the knife would have struck him clean in the head.
“At least ya’ve still got yer wits about ya,” the man said with three more knives in one hand. He might’ve stumbled, but he never did fall.
“I was originally gonna put an end to yer sorry existence, but...” The man readjusted his hold on one of the knives and threw it at Shindo with a whip of the arm!
Shindo smoothly rolled to dodge the throwing knife with Satsuki held tightly in his arms! Against this man, the best he could do was dodge. Even if he tried to launch an attack, he knew he didn’t stand a chance from the physical punishment he’d taken throughout the twelve years he was raised by the man.
But...at least I have to protect the Miss... I don’t care if I die as long as I protect her... That’s good enough... Shindo glared at the man. The killer chortled happily the moment Shindo’s determined eyes fell on him.
“Come back, kiddo,” the man invited. He swung the two remaining knives around in his hand before they disappeared into his jacket. His eyes behind the mirrored sunglasses looked happily upon the boy glaring daggers at him. “I like those eyes. Ya haven’t totally lost the old glint. It’s not too late. Come back, kiddo.”
“No...”
“You don’t belong here. The clean air’ll rot yer brain if ya stick ‘round too long.”
“I’m not going...” Shindo refused.
“Us bastards raised ‘round the stench of blood can only meet violent ends. Don’t get any stupid ideas ‘bout goin’ clean after all the shit ya’ve done. Yer sixteen now, ain’t ya? All ‘em sweethearts who used to play with ya will treat ya real good. As a man this time, not as their toy.”
“I’m not going!”
The man’s lips curled into a vulgar grin and his voice dripped with boundless sarcasm. The stronger Shindo rejected his offer out of growing anger, the more violently the man’s shoulder’s trembled from suppressed laughter.