A Broken Promise

With his hood now pulled up, Kurashi stepped into the warehouse door. The room was large yet dimly lit, the overhead lights casting a soft glow on the concrete floor. The air stood still, it was thick with the stale smell of sweat and chemicals. Wooden Crates cluttered the space, some stacked on shelves ready to transport, others still on the floor ready to be filled. Men packed the room, some slouched at tables cluttered with lines of white powder talking the time away, while the rest carried wooden crates around with strained grunts.

Of the men sitting at the tables, a lanky figure with a stubby beard, narrowed his eyes at the two figures standing at the door. His eyes then widened, getting out of his chair and hurrying to the back of the warehouse to a secluded office.

"Daichi! Sir, the girl is back...", the man stated urgently, standing at the doorway of the office.

Inside the office, Daichi sat at a desk cluttered with papers, cigarette buds, and an almost empty whisky bottle. His black hair was slicked back with gel, and wore a suit that seemed out of place in the gritty surroundings.

"She's back you say?", Daichi stated with a smirk, pushing off his chair to help himself stand up.

Kurashi's gaze locked onto Daichi as he approached with a confident stride from the back of the warehouse, the lanky man following behind like a loyal pet. As Daichi stood in front of Kurashi, he adjusted the buttons of his suit, the linen stretching awkwardly over his rounded stomach.

"Remember what I told ya' about staying put, huh sweetie?", Daichi stated glancing around Kurashi to startled little girl behind him, "C'mon, there is nothing to be afraid of".

"Mama? Papa? Where are they?", the little girl asked in a sorrowful whisper, her hands still seeking comfort in Kurashi's hoodie.

Bending down to the girls level, Daichi responded with an evil smile, "Your mom and dad had to leave for little bit. That's why they asked me to watch over you until they got back".

The little girl then hid herself behind Kurashi's frame once again.

"And you kid...get out of here.", Daichi stated as he straightened back up, his smile fading as he switched his gaze to Kurashi, "Consider letting you leave with your life a sign gratitude for bringing the girl in".

With a silent signal, Daichi tapped the man beside him on the chest, walking away back to his office afterwards.

As Daichi walked away, he stated to Kurashi, "And get rid of that sword...It looks ridiculous".

With one step forward from the man, Kurashi unsheathed his katana and dashed at him, stabbing him directly in the heart. The surrounding men, including Daichi, were momentarily paralyzed from the unexpected outcome, all sounds with the warehouse now coming to a halt.

"Get Him!", Daichi commanded in a fearful tone.

Armed with pocket knives and pistols, 23 men now surrounded Kurashi, all with the intent to kill him where he stood. The first few men who stood before him met their end in an instant, their bodies falling to the ground. Kurashi's movement was seamless, utilizing the layout of the building to disappear between shelving. Bullets whistled past Kurashi, the gunners unable to track him as he dashed around. Though one bullet did graze his shoulder, tearing through his hoodie and leaving a trail of blood. Ignoring the pain, Kurashi continued his deadly dance.

Few men now stood, the remaining now became more desperate, their attacks uncoordinated and easily readable. Kurashi exploited every opening, killing the rest of the men with single yet vital strikes. In a matter of minutes, the warehouse was now littered with bodies, the floor stained with blood. Kurashi flicked the blood off his katana and sheathed it on his back once more. He then picked up a pistol from the bloodied floor when he heard heavy panting behind him.

Turning slowly, Kurashi's cold stare locked onto Daichi. The once confident man was now frantic, the panic seen in his eyes. In his grasp was the little girl, tears streaming down her cheeks. Daichi's arm wrapped tightly around her neck, pulling her close to him as he pressed the barrel of a gun against her temple. All it took was one step from Kurashi to strike fear into Daichi.

"Stay back!", Daichi's voice quivered in both fear and anger.

His hands shook, causing the little girl to flinch and whimper.

"Look, this is just business! Her dad owed a lotta' money! All I'm doing is just getting it back! What the hell is wrong with that!", Daichi pleaded.

"Please...", the little girl whimpered out.

In the intense situation, Kurashi's stood there unfazed, his emotionless eyes piercing at Daichi. As Kurashi slowly lifted his gun up, Daichi began to tense up in fear. It was then a bullet was shot.

The little girl grasped for air, her eyes widening in shock. The bullet had pierced her chest, blood slowly staining her nightgown. Behind her, Daichi began to stumble backwards while holding his hand over his chest, falling to the ground soon after. The girl then looked up at Kurashi's cold gaze.

"You...promised.", the little girl stated in a trembling tone, her eyes fluttering shut as she collapsed to the ground.

With a broken promise, Kurashi stood above the corpses with only one thought in mind. The mission was now complete. He retraced his actions and erased all evidence of him ever being there, then left back to base.

Now back at base the next morning, Kurashi entered the main office where Hikari was working.

"Oh, you're back...", Hikari stated as he looked up at Kurashi, "What's your status?".

"The mission is complete...", Kurashi responded in his emotionless tone.

"Really? That's good to hear.", Hikari stated as he leaned back in his chair with relief, "You should go back to the house and rest up for now. I'm looking forward to hearing how it went...".

With a subtle nod, Kurashi left office and went back home. The first thing that Kurashi did when stepping foot in the house was taking a shower. He turned on the shower, letting the steaming water fall down his tired body. The dried blood from his shoulder began to gradually wash away as if his sins were being purified.

After the shower, Kurashi got dressed in nightwear and slipped into bed, the exhaustion of the mission finally catching up to him. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.