Raiha desperately poured a small bottle of liquid down Gavin’s gaping jaw as his head lay back on her knees. It was obvious that her needles were highly poisonous. While Raiha tended to the injured Gavin, much to my deepest confusion, Erica filled me in on the current situation.
“Listen, this is something you might have a hard time comprehending, but those two are married.”
“…. Say what?” I could only ask again, because the words just spoken couldn’t have been correct.
“They’ve been married for some years. But they separated sometime ago after Gavin found out about Raiha’s secret occupation.”
A strange sinking feeling overcame my body all at once and I sat back for a moment thinking of the highly unlikely chain of events that have conspired in the past months of my life, and how these things were connected. “You must be shitting me…”
“Afraid not, Zen. You are looking at the most lethal married couple in the world.”
“Is Gavin going to be alright?”
“Well, he took two very lethal doses of puffer fish venom to the forearms. However, the antidote was applied quickly. A normal human’s chances of survival at this point are around fifty-fifty. But you and I both know durable The Crusader is.”
“Yeah,” I laughed while I remembered our last encounter as enemies, “… I can vouch for that much.”
I looked over to the two in time to see Raiha lean over and kiss Gavin’s lips while his eyes slowly opened. His body was still limp, probably numb and in great pain from the dangerous dose of poison he just caught. He struggled to move as Raiha began to whisper to him some unclear sweet nothing. Erica then tapped me on my shoulder to catch my attention.
“I think we should give them some time alone.” her eyes jerked to the side, her head motioning toward the show.
“That’s fine, but where should we go?” I reached over and withdrew my odachi, scabbard and all, from the armory suitcase. I didn’t plan on being caught with my pants down again. Figuratively of course.
“Well, I still remember a few nice spots to visit from my last stay in Tokyo… are you feeling hungry?”
****************************
Erica had taken me out to a chic sushi bar a few blocks down the road, located on a busy street corner. We could watch the dense human traffic moving on the sidewalks through the large glass windows. Plates of various sushi and sashimi moved past me on a conveyer belt. Erica patiently selected several pieces of her choice. I took note and did the same, grabbing up pretty much everything that passed me. I was still dressed in my lazy travel clothes, a black Adidas running suit with white stripes down the side. My shoes matched my suit in both color and brand. Despite my snazzy threads, I still looked sloppy due to nearly 20 hours with no sleep.
“So, is this supposed to be our first date or something?” I wasn’t too tired to be witty. Or maybe the sleep deprivation was just loosening my inhibitions.
“Zen… I do believe it was but two weeks ago I nearly ended your life. Don’t you find it a bit odd to be hitting on me this soon?” Erica’s eyebrow had raised and I caught a glimpse of spunk in the normally business like woman.
“Oh, don’t think I haven’t forgotten. You owe me at least three more dates to make up for that.”
“I think that’s a bit much. I didn’t take you as one to hold grudges…” Erica placed a chunk of rice in her mouth with chopsticks, chewing with a smile on her shining lips.
“Are you willing to work out a better deal, then?” I took an entire piece of sushi and shoved the oversized morsel in my mouth, chewing messily.
“Oh, I’m sure I could offer you some kind of service to make up for it…” she looked to me from the corner’s of her glasses’ lens, causing me to blush and choke on my food all at once. I was hunkered over away from her, trying force my food down my throat when the electronic door chime sounded off. The sound was followed by the first English speaking voices I’d heard since entering the country. They sounded oddly familiar.
I looked over to see a pair of males dressed in a white and black suit walk forth and in a window booth behind me and Erica. The sandy haired blonde dressed in black began to speak. “Man… how do they expect us find one guy in fucking Tokyo? It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except the needle can kill you… and the haystack is a city… that moves… Shit, I lost the metaphor.”
His companion, a fair complexioned black fellow dressed in white, replied. “Don’t strain yourself, I’m the brains now anyways. You’re the brawn.”
“Are you trying to call me stupid or something?” the blonde responded. I looked into the reflection of a soy spoon to make out there faces, but the image was too distorted to make out much more than their basic features and color.
“I’m not trying to do anything. I was just saying, you got the physical edge now, which leaves me in a more, contemplative role.”
“Well, that edge came at the expense of my ass gettin’ blown up in an epic car wreck. Easily one of the greatest moments in ownage history.”
“You’re lucky it was into the ocean…” my heart suddenly sank into my chest. “It could’ve been another road we fell onto. None of us would be here if that were the case…”
“You and you’re pessimism, Alex. I swear to God.” I slowly and carefully turned towards the two, knowing that what I would see would definitely not be good.
“Hey, I’m trying to get you in the whole ‘half glass full’ mindset. I mean, now there’s no debate of who can beat the other in a fist fight now.” My eyes set down, and my heart dropped into my stomach, I shuddered, and laid my hand on Erica’s shoulder, turning her in my direction slowly.
“Damn right. Now order, weakling! Mwuahahaha!” White laughed, sitting across from his partner Retribution. I’d killed them. I’d watched them die. I saw their dead, lifeless bodies floating lifelessly in the water myself. I know I did….
Why were they still alive?!
