Hayato wanted badly to look over his shoulder, to face his worst nightmare once again. However, something was holding him back. Maybe it was the fear of making abrupt movements and getting beheaded before he could turn.
He didn't have the time to get shocked and stay paralyzed, though. There was a huge threat right behind him, an unpredictable one. Trevor was too unstable for Hayato to know what he was going to do. It was always a suspense, a thrill.
"What happened? Not going to talk? Even after so long without talking to each other? Didn't you miss me, jap?"
Hayato opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated once more noises came from the door. He didn't know whether to worry about himself or Mr. Satoshi.
"Haha, calm down. Why so tense, Hayato? You seem about to explode, you know?"
"You guys are hurting my friend", was all he could come up with to say. His mind was a mess, he thought about different things at the same time and couldn't organize them properly.
"Well, we do know that he is your friend, and that's why we are doing what we are doing. We want him to confess it and give you to us. I am very sorry if he is so important to you, but right now you are a criminal, and he is covering you for a long while."
"What did I do to be considered a criminal?"
Hayato heard steps behind him, which made him finally turn around as fast as possible.
"Wow, nice reflexes. I thought you would never turn to look at me. So...? What do you think? This armor and suit are made especially for captains of the Royal Guard. Sick, isn't it? Besides, I seem to be much older than you. I think we are seven years apart now."
Hayato had turned around by pure instinct. If he was to follow his will, he would rather not look at Trevor, as much as this fact embarrassed him. So, he was not prepared for what he saw. He definitely wasn't prepared to see an older Trevor in such fancy clothes and, once again, being the one with the weapon in his hands.
He didn't carry an umbrella or anything. He stood under the rain as if it was nothing. Actually, it didn't look like he was paying attention to anything specific around him except Hayato.
'What happened to him? Why... Why is he like this? It doesn't make sense at all', Hayato's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, I know what you are thinking, jap. You are smart, after all. However, our time is short, you know? I cannot waste it explaining these unimportant details. I would rather urge you to make your choice once and for all."
"C-Choice?"
"Yes. Our encounter this time will be brief. Nothing can help it. But, exactly as in the first crucial encounter we had, you have a couple of choices to make here.
"Back then, you chose to surrender to the monster inside you and avenge your beloved friend, you chose to fight for him. Now, you need to decide what you will do, too.
"Your friend is inside there, being tortured. I, the person who killed your damn cat and kidnapped your girlfriend, am standing in front of you. My guards aren't here to give me support, so it wouldn't be a surprise if you just ran away to live another day, thus postponing our reckoning... or tried to settle things here and now. Whatever you do, this story will change forever. Exciting, isn't it?"
Hayato was at a loss for words. He looked at his own hands as if not believing how much they trembled. His eyes watered and he gritted his teeth.
'Not again...'
Another loud thud echoed, followed by a pained moan and angry voices asking something.
'Please, God. Not again.'
A thud. A moan. Angry questions...
Trevor's steps sounded again. He slowly approached Hayato while unsheathing the katana on his waist.
"What you gonna do, jap?" he asked again while swinging the katana around. The hissing sound of the katana cutting the air and the small raindrops made Hayato shiver, it was as threatening as the sound of a gun cocking.
(...the time will come when the guards will find out. They will find out and try to catch you. When this day comes, I need you to remember that I am doing all this for myself. I doing it for me and my wife. It's my vengeance) Mr. Satoshi's voice echoed into Hayato's mind.
The boy shook his head as if trying to get rid of that memory, but it was too late.
'Damn it, old man...'
(So, live a long life and accomplish as many things as I think you will accomplish. Run away, don't fight. Not until you are sure you can win. Got it?)
"Damn it!" Hayato roared. It was so abrupt that even Trevor stopped walking. He still stared at his face, though.
Hayato closed his hand into a tight fist, then pointed at Trevor.
"I cannot do it now but... but the day will come, you hear!?"
Hayato's eyes were glazed. It looked like he was staring at Trevor's very soul.
"I will find you again. I will kill you."
A smile spread across Trevor's face.
"I can't wait for this, jap. Make sure you keep this expression on your face until then!"
Hayato turned to his right, then closed his eyes as he began to run away. A bitter taste spread in his mouth, and his eyes watered. Nevertheless, he didn't look back.
For some reason, though, he didn't feel like he was running away. Instead, he was racing toward his destiny. He took the first step on a crooked and obscure path. Deep down, he knew he would never be able to go back.
Trevor, however, didn't pursue him. His facial expression was as soft as it could be. He seemed out of place, a tranquil and relaxed person standing in the middle of a raging storm.
'My mind couldn't be more at ease than now. Finally, after seven years, the fruits of all my preparation became true. I just didn't expect that I would need to finish my job in another world... Well, not that this particular detail is important. My previous world didn't have a single thing attaching me to it.'
Trevor heard a sound coming from the ramen place. Of course, a punch. Some plates fell as well.
"Oh, that's right", he muttered.
'This way, they will be the ones killing him. I cannot let this happen. Everything needs to be perfect, from start to end.'
He entered the ramen place by the backdoor, just in time to catch a glimpse of one of his soldiers punching Mr. Satoshi in the stomach.
"That's enough for now, I suppose", Trevor said.
Only by hearing his voice, the guards hurried up and took their distance from Mr. Satoshi, even though most of them were really pissed off by the lack of respect and arrogance of that old man.
"Don't worry, guys. This man here is mine. I promise I will let you do anything with the next ones. We have a lot of people to visit today."
His apologetic tone was completely discrepant with his nonchalant face. Obviously, he didn't care about his soldiers' feelings. Anyway, this discrepancy only made Trevor more frightening. Nobody ever knew what he was up to, what he would do, what he was thinking. Unpredictability installs tension, and constant tension and pressure eventually lead to fear.
Trevor crouched in front of Mr. Satoshi. His broad shoulders nearly occupied Satoshi's entire field of vision from so close.
'This guard sure is big', the old man thought. 'And he looks even bigger from so close.'
"I am honestly disappointed, but that's just the expected", he shook his head.
Mr. Satoshi snorted, averting his eyes from that ugly face of his.
"Of course. I wouldn't say a thing even if this kid worked he-"
"Hmm?" Trevor tilted his head while cocking an eyebrow. "Who is talking about kids here, old man? I am not talking about it. I didn't even let clear what I am talking about, so how could you know?"
Mr. Satoshi went quiet immediately.
"What I truly meant is that I am disappointed with your memory, you know?"
"I don't know what you are talking about. My memory?"
"Yes. Your memory. And I am not coming up with a theory that you forgot that you employed this kid we are looking for or something like that. No... I am talking about your memory regarding me. Though at the time I was wearing a mask, so maybe that's why.
"In any case, you guys are used to recognizing people with and without the masks, right? It should be easy for you if your memory was as good as I expected."
When seeing Mr. Satoshi's troubled face, a little smile appeared on Trevor's face. He unsheathed his katana and put its tip in the very same place as his scar was.
"Maybe like this, you will recognize..." he slowly said while bringing his mouth to Satoshi's ear, "...recognize the face of the man who killed your wife and nearly killed you one time."
Mr. Satoshi lasted a few seconds to let that sink in. When he realized who Trevor was, he opened his mouth to say something, but his words never were spoken. Before any sound came out of his mouth, the katana went through him.
"Don't worry. You can go rest with her in heaven or hell or whatever. You already filled your purpose. After all, if I hadn't killed your wife at that time, things wouldn't turn out to be as they are now. So, thank you."