Sakura Kiss

Part Two

“Atobe, what happened to her?” Taki immediately asked when he noticed his buchou arriving and carrying in his arms; his black jacket covering her body and her face and body bruised; both of them are soaked from the rain.

“It’s better if we don’t talk about it,” he replied grimly, carrying her upstairs. The Hyoutei Regulars looked at each other, wondering what had happened but they all had an idea of what had taken place. They had been invited for dinner, but had not expected something like this is going to take place.

“ -chan…” Jirou mumbled sadly, glancing at the stairway with a grim expression on his face; his usual cheerful expression was gone and replaced by seriousness.

“She doesn’t deserve this,” said Shishido, his hands clasped together and supporting his chin then continued, “Especially not her,” the remaining Regulars did not say anything but agreed silently.

‘ …’ Oshitari silently thought, his gaze focused on the stairs where the said girl rests.

~~~

The dinner began shortly after Atobe came down the stairs, and silence fills the room except for the occasional clinking from the silverwares.

“Keigo, what happened to ?” asked Atobe Kiyo, the CEO of the Stock Exchange, glancing at his son and his friends. He had asked to join them for dinner so he can talk to her about some business regarding what the family had requested prior to their leave.

“She...had an accident,” Keigo answered hesitantly, glancing sideways with a small frown and Kiyo looked at him with raised eyebrow. His son nodded in agreement but did not elaborate his statement, making Kiyo guess what had really happened.

“I see…” Kiyo responded unsurely with a sigh and stated, “I asked her to come regarding to her parents’ will,” as he massaged his temple, trying to ease the oncoming headache. He had not anticipated that something like this would happen, especially to her.

“Her parents’ will…?” Taki echoed as he writes it down in his notebook. Kiyo did not say anything but nodded in agreement, making the Hyoutei Regulars wonder what the will is all about.

“Yes, that is something only she and I will discuss,” he replied seriously as the Regulars glanced at each other, trying to decipher the meaning behind his statement.

“I understand,” said Keigo with a nod looking at his teammates so that they would not ask anything further.

~~~

‘Where am I?’ was the first thought that came to my mind as I tried to focus my vision. Everything around me is so blurry… I noticed that I’m resting on a canopy bed and the room looks so huge. I let out a yawn before sitting up, trying to remember what happened. Suddenly, the incident rushed back to me like a tidal wave; the talk with my boss and those men, the unbearable scene in the alley, the rain, and my savior.

‘Who saved me…?’ I thought, trying to remember who that shadowy figure is and mumbled, “Seems familiar…” It’s too bad that I lost consciousness before knowing my savior. I let out a sigh and shook my head, then noticed that I’m wearing a pair of pajamas. Wait a minute…who put these clothes on me…?

“At least that didn’t happen…” I said quietly to myself as I got out of bed and put on a pair of slippers and walk out of the room. I noticed in the mirror that I’m wearing an ice-blue camisole and black sweats. Not a bad choice.

“I wonder what the others are doing…?” I wondered out loud as I walked down the hallway, hearing indistinct voices from downstairs. I stopped outside the living room, trying to listen in on their conversation but I couldn’t make out anything.

“I wonder what they're talking about…” I murmured, peeking into the room. I noticed that the Regulars are talking to Kiyo-san about something, which made me wonder what they are talking about.

~~~

“So father, what’s the will you’re talking about?” Keigo asked, trying to pry the information out of his father; however his father shook his head and refused to answer him.

“That is between me and , Keigo,” Kiyo replied strictly and noticed peeking out from the door. walked out of her hiding spot and looked at everyone with calm yet saddening eyes.

“Konichiwa Kiyo-san, minna-san,” greeted, bowing slightly to them then asked, “How may I be of help?” as Keigo raised an eyebrow in question at her sudden change of behavior.

“Come walk with me, ,” stated Kiyo as he stood up from his seat and walked out of the room. looked at him in confusion before bowing once again to the Regulars and followed Kiyo towards the garden. The remaining Regulars looked amongst each other before silently following the duo.

“What is it that you want to talk to me, Kiyo-san?” she asked, leaning against the gazebo with her arms crossed and her calm gaze looking at him. Behind many rose bushes, noticed many silhouettes of the Regulars, trying to eavesdrop on the two. She lets out a soft sigh, pretending that she did not notice them and glances at Kiyo.

“ , your parents left you a will,” he started slowly and nods in agreement, indicating for him to continue, “And here,” as he entrusts her an embroidered envelope.

~~~

‘What…? A will…?’ I thought as I hesitantly accepted the envelope while glancing at the fancy title of “To ”. I opened the envelope, not knowing what to expect, since this is too sudden… I mean first, I almost got raped by a group of men that I don’t know and now this? I slowly took out the letter from the fancy envelope and unfolded it, glancing at the letter briefly before reading it.

‘Dear ,

You may or may not know of this but we are the owners and Executive Officers of CSA, which is also known as Central Starlight Agency. What is CSA you'd ask? For many years, many mortals had wondered what it is like to be a part of Central Starlight Agency, what it is like being one of its agents, and most of all, what is Central Starlight Agency. Yet, to them these questions remain unanswered and hidden. However, to you, the future owner and Executive Officer, I shall reveal them to you.

There are many classes and statuses at the Agency; Class 0 being the lowest and Class Z being the highest. However, many people think otherwise but none of the high-class agents bother to correct them; plus, there are many occupations concerning Class 0 to Class B. Each agent in the Agency has another occupation aside from being a part of the CSA and these are ranged from engineers to lawyers to doctors to physicians to spies.

The Central Starlight Agency has high expectations for its agents, and those who cannot or will not meet these expectations are instantly removed and/or punished. When a person wants to join the agency, he or she will be required to face a trail of qualification, and if excelled in trail, he or she will be recognized as a Class 0 Agent then work his or her way up the statues; however, each level is much more difficult than the last. We had made sure that all agents are fully trained and prepared, both mentally and physically, before they move up to the next class. Most importantly, the agents, of all classes, are expected to be ready at all times for any kinds of situations, no matter how trivial or how crucial.

The Central Starlight Agency is known for its precise intelligence on global adversaries, high-tech. gadgets, and excellent groups of spies and agents. However, bear in mind that some of the agents in the Agency are known as lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc. Plus, as an Executive Officer, you must know how to use weapons like all the agents and deal with each situation calmly without giving in. We will not push you to be an Executive Officer, ; the choice is yours to accept or not.

Executive Officers of Central Starlight Agency,

Kouji and Nadeshiko’

‘Okay… that was some explanation,’ I thought, blinking in surprise at the writing but instead of wanting to back out, I wanted to join and be that Executive Officer that mom and dad were talking about. I finally know what my parents do, and their job is pretty exciting, and I’m glad that they finally told me. I mean, all my life… I was only told that my parents do something important and that. I was not told how they died, but as of now, I have a pretty good idea.

“So what does it say?” Kiyo-san asked me, but I just shook my head in response. I think this is something that must be kept within the family.

“Just entrusting their family business to me,” I replied, keeping it as brief as possible, and said, “Thank you for giving me the letter, Kiyo-san,” then I bowed to him before leaving the garden.

~~~

Yuki

Edited by Anon