Polynya

Empress Thun grins. “Please, go on.”

Zaena continues the rest of the story, how she met Ryuk and FeeTwix, their adventures thereafter, Tamana’s betrayal, their trip to Polynya, the attack by the Shinigami in Katiyana, the wolf and his owner, the catacombs, and their arrival here.

Throughout the explanation, Empress Thun keeps the grin on her face. Once Zaena has finished, she turns to Ryuk. “I apologize for imprisoning you earlier,” she looks at the rest of them, “to all of you. But precautions had to be taken, and I wanted to be sure your group was authentic before I had the cuffs removed.”

“Are you saying you knew all along?” Hiccup asks.

“Some parts, yes. And this doppelgänger, as you put it, isn’t the only one who has been running around under false pretenses.” She narrows her eyes at Zaena. “You weren’t being truthful, to yourself or your guildmates. I am sure Queen Renata and the rest of your family are worried regarding your whereabouts. I know for a fact they are, as I spoke with several of them earlier today.”

Zaena bows her head. “It was a decision I had to make.”

“I understand, and you can explore your decision more as your guildmates adjust to the significance of your origin. But that’s not what I want to say. Ryuk.”

“Yes?” he asks, his eyes going wide in anticipation of whatever she may say.

“This doppelgänger, this leader of the Shinigami … that is their name, correct?”

Ryuk nods.

“He is your brother, Kodai Matsuzaki.”

Chapter 26: Repetition is a Form of Change

Kodai is anxious to get the drop on Hajime, but he knows that it will be best to attack later on in the evening, when most of the people in the condo have gone to sleep. He’s already had his thugs secretly relocate the people that live on the floor below his brother. This family, the Ogawas, will spend the night at an exclusive onsen in the hills near Saitama.

His brother will be none the wiser.

The serpent woman’s spies saw him get arrested by Empress Thun’s royal guard. Ryuk won’t be able to log out, providing the perfect opportunity to ambush Hajime.

“You’re smiling.” Tesla sits across from him at his most frequented hostess bar.

“It has been a fine day,” he says, thinking about the massage she gave him earlier.

Tea candles in red glassware make the hostess bar feel both mysterious and shady. The mirror-colored pillar in the center of the room sparkles and shines as a waitress walks past. She stops in front of Kodai, bends just enough to give him a peek at her breasts, and places his glass of Nikko whiskey before him on a napkin.

As soon as she’s gone, Kodai waves Yugio over. “See to it that the new waitress doesn’t flirt with me.”

Yugio nods and turns towards the bar.

“I’m excited,” Kodai tells Tesla after he’s taken a sip from his whiskey. He sees Sarah over at the pollute bar, flirting with a customer, and he waits for a reaction to come to him. It doesn’t. He suddenly doesn’t care if she’s flirting or if she’s under his control. As his gaze returns to Tesla, he comes to understand why this is. “You look beautiful tonight.”

Kodai doesn’t see the three men enter the bar with weapons drawn.

Tesla jumps to cover him. The sound of shrieks meets Kodai’s ears as he scrambles to the floor, his ears ringing, his heart ready to explode.

A beat of silence and then more gunfire, this time from the bar.

Sarah! he thinks, suddenly feeling terrible, suddenly knowing all too well that she may have been caught in the crossfire.

He swallows his terror down.

As his employees scream, as his thugs return fire, as people scramble to get out of the hostess bar, Kodai’s feelings shift from fear to anger mixed with a notion to survive at all costs.

Bits of wood and glass spray through the air as more shots zip around the room. Kodai curses himself for not bringing his sidearm in. He keeps low to the ground, wondering where Tesla has run off to, trying to keep it together and stay alive.

I’m not going out this way, dammit!

His wits come to him and he sends a message to Yugio.

Kodai: Update me!

No answer.

Kodai hears the moan of a man not far off, he hears the grunt of another man who has had the wind knocked out of him. He hears sobbing, more scrambling to get away, glass shattering on the floor. A gun being reloaded. He shakes his head at his stupidity – why didn’t he just message her?

Kodai: Tesla! What the fuck is happening?

Tesla: Both gunmen down. I’ve kept one alive. Three hostesses have been killed. Two patrons are dead, three have flesh wounds. Yugio is dead. Yagami has also been shot and will die shortly. It’s safe to stand now. There are no additional enemy combatants outside.

With a deep breath in, Kodai pushes the table away to get to his feet.