Chereads / Phantom Rose / Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: The Act

Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: The Act

Fujima followed the drunk James Edwards in the shadows on his way back home as he tried to pick a fight with everyone he came across with but no one humored this drunkard. Instead, most of the people who walked passed by laughed at him. Fujima is only waiting for James to be left alone where no people could see him before he eliminates his target. 

After a few minutes of walking in the cold dark night as the blood moon was set, James Edwards was finally alone walking in a local neighborhood. Fujima knew that James would turn a final dark alleyway before reaching his home. This is the set place for James Edwards to be assassinated. 

As James Edwards turned the corner entering the alleyway, what awaited him was a boy holding a knife crying. The boy was as tall as Fujima and maybe around his age also. Fujima wasn't able to identify this boy quickly because of the dark surroundings. As soon as Fujima's eyes adjusted in the dark, he saw Ken holding a knife. Quickly, Fujima hid beside a pole just by the end of the alleyway. 

Fujima chose to see what Ken's agenda with James is, so he just hid there and listened to the confrontation. 

"You'll pay for everything!" Said Ken while crying. 

"HAHAHAHA." James Edwards laughed like a mad man for minutes which stunned Ken. 

Ken stood there slightly lowering his knife as if he wavered and got surprised by James' reaction. 

After a few more seconds of laughing, James suddenly fell quiet. His head, still facing down. The anger on Ken's face was quickly replaced by disgust and confusion. While Ken's guard was down, James quickly charged onto him and held both of Ken's arms as he pinned him on the ground. The knife that Ken was holding is now lying somewhere out of his reach. All he could do was cry as he cursed James with all of his might. 

"You really think you could scare me holding a knife with a shaking hand? You really are dumb just like your mom. Well, at least your mom knows how to bow down to me when beaten. I guess she's a little bit better than you. Still trash though." James exclaimed in a laughing manner.

"I guess Ken's family is one of the victims of James huh? Well, he's going to die anyway so your efforts weren't in vain Ken. I'll do the job for you." Fujima thought to himself. 

Fujima slowly walked towards the Man pinning down his classmate. Fujima grabbed James by the nape firmly and tossed him aside slamming James onto the brick wall to his right. Ken was too stunned to speak as he saw the man pinning him down flying onto the brick wall. 

"Y-y-you! You're the kid from earlier!" Said the terrified James as he acknowledged the strength that slammed him by the wall. 

"Yeah. You sure are having a rough night aren't you?" 

"Who are you?" Asked James. 

"The one who's about to ruin and end your stupid life." 

Out of fear and frustration, James charged at Fujima for a take down but Fujima avoided this early by jumping causing James to trip on the floor face first. By the time that James stood up, he couldn't see Fujima anymore. He was so confused and busy finding the whereabouts of Fujima but had no luck in searching. 

Fujima mastered the art of blending in the shadows ever since he came to the organization. Not all assassins are blessed with this skill. Most can only hide in the shadows but only a handful can actually blend in it. Fujima utilized this skill that made James wonder where he actually is. 

All of a sudden, James stopped moving. That is because Fujima appeared behind him already, strangling him with his left hand and holding a knife pointed at his mouth. 

"Any last words I guess? Not that I care about any of it of course." Fujima remarked as the terrified James Edwards begged for his life.

"Please! Don't kill me! I'll mend my ways. I don't even know you!" Said James while crying.

"Yeah! As if I believe you." Said Fujima as he released James' neck and slit his throat with a knife. 

Fujima has great intuition so he knew for sure that what James said was a big lie to spare his life. The lifeless James Edwards fell to the ground right in front of Ken who was still sitting on the cold asphalt. Fujima left a rose on the chest of his target. Fujima knew that every witness of the crimes the organization committed should be eliminated on the spot. But this time he wavered and decided to just walk away. After all, he can't possibly kill an innocent kid who sought revenge. In addition to this, he is a classmate who he just hung out with earlier. 

As he was walking away, Ken called him. 

"Fujima? That's you right?"

Fujima was shocked that he even looked back at Ken. 

"It's you right?" Ken added. "That figure, that cold demeanor. Even with a mask on I know it's you. So you're the infamous killer. The phantom rose. I know you'll kill me now that I've seen you in action. But thank you Fujima." 

"I'll talk to you tomorrow at school. For now keep your mouth shut." Replied Fujima as he walked away from the bloody scene. 

Fujima went back to his apartment to find Mr. Takamura waiting by his doorstep.

"I suppose you already finished the mission." 

"Yes sir." 

"As expected. Were there any witnesses?" 

"None sir." 

"I see. May I come in? I have some matters to discuss with you, Phantom rose." 

"Please call me by my name. Who knows? Someone might be listening." 

"Good. I see that you are wary and attentive." Said Mr. Takamura smiling. 

Fujima opened the door to his apartment and signaled Mr. Takamura who followed him. Fujima turned on the lights and Mr. Takamura looked a bit surprised by the plain looking room of this teenager. 

"I know you are a top class assassin at your age but still you're a teenager. We'll definitely need to upgrade this room of yours." 

"Whatever you say but I like it this way." 

"Where do you keep your weapons in here?" 

"I have a secret vault by the cabinet." 

Fujima walked towards the cabinet and shoved off his clothes to the side and pressed a button that opened a door. Inside it was neatly designed weapon compartments lit by led lights. Inside it was a katana, 2 daggers, a hand gun, and a compartment dedicated for smoke bombs and ropes. 

"Ah I see. I just hope that your room is as fancy as this one." 

"I'd rather avoid suspicions anyway." 

"Well, you do have a point. I'm just talking here but my room used to be like this when I was still active." 

Mr. Takamura and Fujima both sat by the dining table right across from each other as they continued to talk. 

"So you're not active anymore sir?" 

"Yes. I never wanted to kill people anyway but just like you I never had a choice. I'm just glad that I get to be a watcher now. And it looks to me that you don't like killing as well." 

"Right on point. All these unwanted praises from the organization just suffocates and disgusts me all the time." 

The room was filled with silence for a few minutes as both of them sipped from their cups of tea that Fujima prepared earlier. 

"I knew you didn't kill the witness." Said Mr. Takamura. 

"I won't let you kill him." Fujima retorted. 

"You won't be able to stop me even if you tried to. But rest assured, I won't kill him. He's my student after all. It'll be a pain in the butt to deal with the aftermath at school. We'll keep this between us." 

"Ken. He was crying. I shouldn't get attached to people but I enjoyed my time with him for the first time ever since I got out of the orphanage. I couldn't possibly dispose of him." Said Fujima as he held the cup of tea firmly. 

"I know. I saw it. I'm your watcher after all. And I'm glad you didn't. I have a proposal." 

"What proposal?" 

"I'll handle the disposing of the undeserving ones. Targets who don't deserve to be assassinated. You'll do the disposing for the deserving ones." 

"What? That's not allowed is it? I've never heard of a watcher doing the works for their assigned assassins." 

"Of course it's not allowed. That's why we'll do it in secret. I'll replicate your ways and report to the higher ups that you're the one who did it." 

"W-why are you doing this?" Asked Fujima with a curious and worried face. "You'll get in trouble if the higher ups would learn about this." 

"That's why we'll keep this a secret between us. It's just that I saw my younger self in you. Feeling the guilt of killing undeserving people. They would haunt you everyday. In your dreams and in your mind. The least I can do for you is to keep your sanity, your humanity. So the least I can do is to make you kill for justice. I'm beyond saving after all. That's why I decided to save you instead. I'm really sorry that you have to do this." 

"No. You're already doing me a favor by taking all the guilt of killing innocent people away from me. As a person, I really am thankful for that. I felt like I'd gone numb and turned into a savage. This might be the smallest saving grace for me at least."