Kai
"Hey, I'm heading out with Rin. Rei's staying with you, and limit the time you spend outside." Toya says already leaving through the door.
So, he noticed it too, "Yes honey, I will." Stupid punk, who does he think he can order around like his wife?
I walk into Rei's room and she's sitting up.
"Toya already left. How are you feeling?" I ask and she nods. Nausea again huh, "I'll get you some water." She shakes her head and I stand still, "Okay, I'll just stay close for the day."
We stay in bed in silence. I remember she loved to read.
I get up and come back with a collection of books. I give her one and I take one. We sit down and read beside each other. Toya's watch beeps and I help her out of bed.
She throws up again and I get her something to eat from the shop. I know she'll be in the bathroom for practically over 2 hours.
I should do groceries, but she would be upset if I went without her.
We'll go together, but she gets car sick.
Oh wait. We can walk to the mall here. I forgot.
I really do think Kaiya would love this place. It's simple and small.
I dodge an attack from a group of strangers and wave my hand throwing a spear through their hearts at the same time.
I keep going making sure there's no blood on the food.
I get home and take a long shower myself.
I should call Kendo. I want to know if my fathers house is still intact. I am more comfortable moving to the compound.
I get out and there's a man dressed like an assassin in my room. I look at him and he looks back at me.
"Kai, can we go to the park today? I don't want to stay cooped up in the house." Rei calls from her room. Front opposite mine.
"Okay, take your time. Your food's on the side table."
"Okay."
I grab my clothes and get dressed. He's not going to do anything, I see it in his eyes, he should get to the point.
"I saw you kill those three men who attacked you. Didn't even flinch, it was swift and clean and didn't even take that long."
I narrow my eyes at him, he's about to be next if he doesn't get the hell out of my house.
Rei would never forgive me for taking a life, that was just instinct, my body moved on its own. I didn't mean too.
"Get the hell out of my house." I look at him and he takes a step back.
"I see it in your eyes, you should join us. We hunt down criminals like those ones, there's good money involved too." He speaks.
"Not interested. Now get the hell out of my house."
I open the door to check on Rei. He didn't come alone I can see that in his confidence, he's a clumsy fighter, the way he walks made it very clear.
I open Rei's bedroom, she is having a hard time getting dressed.
"You're doing that thing where you're in denial. You'll fit in that again, you always bounce back after a baby. You should also know, you don't eat bread. You changed your diet to strictly fruits and vegetables and meat. Dairy sometimes."
I can't believe there was something I had forgotten about Rei. I hated it when she took my burgers and gave them to the kids making me eat salad.
"That feels like something I would do." She sits down eating a light meal. We go outside and the guy is following us, from a far distance though, must have keen eyes, or he's tracking me. Either way he's irritating me.
"Kai you're making that stupid look again. Quit freaking out." Rei says taking my hand into hers.
"I was attacked this morning. I can't be calm. Let's take a turn to the hospital. I need Kendo's contacts, I need information."
Rei nods hanging from my arm. We make it to the hospital and I ask the lizard woman for her sons number.
"No, I know Kendo's father. Kid looks a lot like his dad it's scary. Odd question? They any close?"
"Very, along with that other boy, what was his name? Katsuki, I think."
"Katsuki? He's still alive? What about any Hiryu's, any of them around?" I ask and the woman looks at me suspicious.
"Hiryu's don't live in these parts everyone knows that."
"I don't. Look, thanks for the numbers." I take Rei's hand and call the kid for Kendo. Luckily their together again, "Tell your dad I want to talk to him, right now."
"Can't. He's in a business meeting."
"Where?"
He tells me and I get a car driving to the place.
Rei and I enter the building. It's still the same company name, SKaiya.
Security is on my tail but luckily the kid gave me a floor and room number.
I open the door and Kendo stops talking looking at me shocked.
"I just came back, and this is more important to you? Clear out this room." I take Rei's hand and we walk in standing by the door waiting for everyone to leave.
I sit down and Kendo sighs, "I need you right now, what the hell are you doing?"
"I was buying out the shareholders, I couldn't keep the company alive this long without messing up. I wanted to fix things so you could be the sole holder of the company again. I wasn't as good as you were." Kendo says sitting down stressed.
"I'll handle that from here, I'll need records and files, and I want to know about the compound."
"Kept it in tact for you. Neighborhood is owned by me. Zero runs the real estate. Emptied the entire city. Now that you're back we're proceeding with your original plan."
I lean back, "Alright, call them back in, you take a break and spend time wit your son. I robbed him of his father for too long."
"Oh, no. I work here with my son, don't worry about it."
"Why didn't you tell me that?" I call the kid to the building and he arrives with his Lizard friend and a teenager that looks like a descendent from Katsuki. Not his son though.
Kendo leaves while I have the boys sit down and everyone else back in the building to sit and discuss the buyout. They've always been messy business.
"If you all don't know. I'm Kai Riden. This is my company and were here to discuss a buyout. Truth is, with what's happening out there, what's putting the people on edge, it's affecting business. We're looking at a 50% profit drop. So, I suggest those who can't afford that kind of hit right now, you drop out now."
I pass the files projecting how the company is doing. Not bad if I'm being honest but a crash from so many shareholders at the table is inevitable.
Luckily 80% drop out and agree to the sign out. The rest don't have that much to lose anyway. 80% shareholder sounds good. The last two each have 5 and 3%.
Who has the 13% they did not bother with showing up.
"May I get to know the names of everyone else in the building?" I sit down.
The woman on my left introduces herself. Very arrogant for a 3% shareholder. The man next to her introduces himself as well. He is representing Zero. Therefore that 5% is mine.
The woman is the problem. She runs my private islands?
I smile, Rei always wanted a private island. I'll have to give her something to do.
"What did your dad put you in charge of?" I ask Kendo's son.
"I'm in charge of the schools."
"Working under your father, or independently?"
"Under my father."
"Well, that's a crappy mistake. We'll be separating the multiple branches from now on. I'll mentor you on how to run the schools, I would assume it's easy but you're dealing with a bunch of brats, might not be as easy when I introduce you to the big leagues. Stick with your pals, you'll need loyal friends if you want to make it in business."
I turn to the woman, "You'll be working with my wife, she's now a 47% shareholder. You talk to her first before making any decisions with the resorts. You're dismissed. I have some business to take care of with these kids."
She stands up and exits the room.
I take the kids on a walk leaving Rei with Kendo to bring her up to date with the private islands and sign off her 47%.
It's still mine, but when it's in her name if there's ever a problem, I can combine her 47 with Zero's 5% and be a majority holder.
I can tell times are tough. Kendo did his best, it's time we shake things up a bit. I have a feeling we're still standing by reputation alone. We need to introduce something new, something that will put us on top again and these kids are the key.
"Where are we going?" Katsuki asks as I drive around the building a second time.
I want to know every inch of this place to see if the kids should really stay here.
"Nowhere in particular couldn't have this conversation around people. I need your help putting that company back at the top again. I need your ideas on what can we bring to the table that everyone else is not doing. Don't worry about funds, that's nothing big."
"Well, Katsuki here is a tech whiz, he just needs equipment and a work space and he can build self sufficient cars, fossil free planes the whole shebang." Lizard boy says excited.
"Alright. Consider it done. What about you?" I ask Lizard boy and he shrugs his shoulders, "I've got nothing."
I can work with your nothing, your loyalty is the real deal, a worthy investment. "Yeah, Kendo's father once told me the same thing. I took him in anyway, because more then money and more then power, a loyal friend is the most valuable asset.
"I wouldn't be here if not for your father. That company wouldn't even exist. He was loyal even in my absence. I see that a lot in you, so don't you ever change kid, your friends will always need you." We take a different turn.
"You tech kid, business advice, don't start making cordless microwaves and all that. When you're climbing to the top have a long-term plan. Keep the good stuff to yourself to keep people guessing.
"I mean fossil free planes sound great but do you really believe shitty society deserve it? Will they abuse the privilege, or it will actually do better than harm?
"How do you plan to protect your secret? If it's even a secret how you make them run without any engines. When that secret gets to the outside world, it will be game over for you.
"Focus on security first. How you will protect your work, how will you choose the people who work for you, better yet, why not make your employees, you're working with something special here, blind trust won't work."
Katsuki nods.
I look at Kendo.
"Tell me about the school."
He shows me the original work and I pull over.
"This, is Rei's hand writing."
"Yeah, that's who dad got it from, but she was not around to make it happen so he did it. System has been working well for everyone since, but it's a bit outdated now. I was thinking that branch schools split into career buildings. Students who want a career as architects and the engineering field be here." He shows me a hologram projection. He's thought it all through.
"Well, I'll assign you a work force Kendo. Katsuki, create your own workforce. With your work I'm thinking we can take over military power. Once we've got military power my daughter can grow up in a safe place.
"Lizard you're going to be working with a friend of mine. Currently on a business trip. I think you can be trusted with the finances." We take another turn and the GPS is dead.
"Great, make me a car first. What exactly do you need?" I ask Katsuki. He lists common elements and a heavy compound, "Oh, but why use helium instead of sulphur?" I ask and he looks surprised.
"Uhm, I never thought of using sulphur, but you're right. It could be better, it's just, Sulphur could run out."
"Alright, right down a false recipe then. That's what I'd do. Machines don't need to remember so once they know what to do, they will never forget. People should be under the impression people work for you not machinery. I'll be using one of the islands for your project, when are your school holidays?"
"Next month."
"You all have a month then. I'll see you again then."
I drive back getting lost a bit before finding the office again. "See you around, and let's keep this conversation just between us. Yeah?"
"yeah." They say walking away.
I walk into the building and I have too many people in this office.
"Kendo sort out the staff for me. Those working real estate, islands, schools, and the other branches. Divide each department by floors, there's too much chaos I can't work like this. I prefer less people on the job, but I won't fire anymore, cut down on hiring. We're done."
I sit beside Rei drawing plans.
"What are you working on?" I ask trying to see but she's all over the paper.
"A house. I'd really like a place where the kids and I can just relax. Super safe and enjoyable. I also want to buy back some of the islands. Sent out a proposal email and Kendo can handle funds. We should own a bank, easy money if the computer was automated." She jokes and I smile, I could teach Lizard boy programming.
"Rei you're a genius. That's perfect. Zero is a fucking genius when it comes to that. I could run it from the compound. I love that beautiful brain of yours." I sit down thinking about it, it's exactly what I had in mind.
We take military control. We take the banks as well, we make everything automated then we have the country by the balls, infiltrating the government should be easy from there.
I like those odds.
I snap out of it and realise I was kissing Rei the whole time.
She looks at me with a big smile on her face, "Wow, you're a really good kisser."
"Get back to work. I'll call Toya and see what's going on."