Excerpt: Red Dragon

The shadows were my only ally. My foot falls were quick but silent the only sound that I could hear was the rhythmic pounding of my heart as I struggled to calm it. This was not the normal hit that I was asked to perform, this was something more… risky.
The very idea thrilled me. It made my blood course through my veins faster and faster as I became dangerously high off the mix of fear and adrenaline that was pumping though my system. It was unusual for me to feel frightened while I worked; a hit was a hit, something that I had done countless times without fail before, why should this one be any different?
But it was different, very different.
I leaned up against the cold cement wall and listened intently to the still air. Silence, it was defining and yet comforting. It meant that I had chosen my time correctly. I pulled the small compact mirror out of my waist pocket and angled it around the corner of the wall.
The court yard held three men, all dressed in over priced black suites. Two of them had ridiculously long hair dyed in colors that were unnatural to the rest of the Asian population. The other had short hair spiked in an almost gravity defying hairstyle.
Was this the best security that he had? No, it wasn’t the security that bothered me. I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps this man held no fear. He was after all dangerous, but did he have enough confidence in his skill that he felt the need for guards obsolete?
Retracting my mirror I pulled out the one of the two weapons that I was carrying. It was a Beretta 9mm px4 storm sub-compact. A thing of beauty really; she weighed all of 22 ounces and felt like heaven in my hands. If it could give me a blow job as well as she blew off my targets heads I sure as hell would marry her.
I took a deep breath to steady myself; it wouldn’t do to have my hands shaking at a time like this. Hitting the magazine release I checked the ammo for the third time that night. A nervous habit you could call it. It seemed that I only did it when I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to close enough to my target to do my job. The ten round cartridge was full and I knew that it was now or never.
I ducked around the corner and ran at a dead sprint to the bushes that were on the opposite side praying that I had gone undetected. I needed to take out as many of these men as I possibly could without making to much noise. Any commotion and he would know what was happening, he would be ready for me, and he would more than likely take my life.
There were few men who could place themselves in my league when it came to our line of work. I knew that I had a reputation of being one of the most feared men in Japan, a reputation that I worked hard for and refused to let go of. However I was not the only person with this reputation, in fact he had it as well. That is what frightened me the most. He was the Black Dragon, a man of myth and legend, and the only man that I knew I would have a problem killing.
I slid the black bag that I was carrying from my shoulders and quietly fumbled around inside. My silencer was in a leather case at the bottom of the bag nestled between various sized ropes and other small items that would make this job easier if I ever found myself in a precarious situation.
I pulled the long metal shaft out and screwed it into the barrel, my eyes never having to leave my targets as this was a task that I was well practiced in. I checked for the large knife that I carried on my hip, unbuttoning the latch that held it in place.
Taking another deep breath I stood up remaining stock still for a moment lost in the dark shadow that was cast by the large mansion that I stood next to. The Kimyo Ryu spared no expense when it came to his lifestyle. He had the money and would not hesitate to flaunt it accordingly so suffice his own personal wants.
I crept along between the hedge and house making no noise. The breeze picked up a little making the trees dance to the bizarrely timed rhythm. I miss stepped and let my foot fall flat against a larger twig that was in my path. My body tensed up as the three men looked directly at me without actually seeing me. I had stooped as low as I could while maintaining my balance.
My heart raced, the mistake was that of an amateur, not something that should be expected form the Akai Ryu. One of the guards made his way towards me and I cursed my luck and foolish comfort with my job which was to blame for the blunder.
My grip tightened on the hand grip of my gun as I raised it with a steady hand, the uneasiness in my heart not showing though my actions. A few more steps and I would have him; I would be able to make my move. But the man stopped, his braided hair blowing slightly in the wind. Shrugging it off he turned to walk away yelling to his companions that it must have been the wind.
I gave an inward laugh as I launched from my position pulling out the hunting knife from it’s sheath. The man was caught off guard and I gave him no time to react before grabbing the top of his head and pulling his substantially larger body back into mine. The silver edge of my knife dug deep into his warm flesh sucking the heat and life out of him as I moved it in a swift movement cutting down from beneath his ear and severing the main artery.
A river of dark red ran from the gaping wound and flowed freely over my hand. I gave a sick smile reveling in the pure high that I experienced almost every time I took a life. I was once again reminded that I was God, no one and nothing could stop me.
I looked at the other two standing no more than ten feet from me. They were rooted at the spot unable to believe what they saw. I let go of the corps that was now in my hands and smirked at them as the body fell with a heavy thud to the grass.
“Good evening.” I said as I raised my blood soaked hand to my mouth and licked off some of the offending substance, enjoying in the metallic taste as it assaulted my tongue. The two men fumbled for the semi-automatics that they were carrying at their hip. I just watched with amusement as they raised the weapons in my direction with shaky hands.
Without a second thought I threw my knife at the short haired man embedding it in his chest while simultaneously drawing my gun from its carrier. I released two rounds into the night air and the man with the long bleach blond hair fell to the ground with a shudder, a bullet planted in his chest and between the eyes.
I shook my head walking over to the man in which I had thrown my knife. He was still breathing which surprised me. The blade was eight inches long and buried to the hilt in his left lung. His eyes were glazed over as he looked up at me. He was in pain, and here I was prolonging it. ‘What type of a man am I?’ I thought sarcastically. But I couldn’t help but wonder why that man feared death so much, what was it about life that kept him wanting to live?
I knelt down beside him and gently ran my hand over his chest painting it with his blood looking at it in fascination. Blood was the physical proof of a person’s existence. Without enough of it a person would die. Perhaps it’s my love for blood and the dark red color that it would paint the ground when spilled that earned me the name Akai Ryu.
“What drives you?” I asked him. I was destined to become the killer that I am, I may even be fated to die at the hands of another as well; because of this the idea of drive was lost on me. Everything was predetermined so who am I to fight it. If I was to be in this man’s position I would greet the death god with open arms. But this man… he wished to live on. Why? Shaking my head I ripped my knife out and used the hem of his dress shirt to clean it before sheathing it. The man tried to keep filling his lungs with air, kept trying to live.
“A…a man like… you… could never under… stand.” He wheezed. His breathing had become ragged and I knew that within the next minute or two he would die. No amount of resolve could save him from this fact. I watched him for a moment as he continued to struggle against his fate. Why? I couldn’t understand it. I pulled my gun from it’s holster and pointed it at him hesitating for a moment before pulling the trigger.
His eyes went wide and never closed. I turned heels and walked away leaving the site alone. I didn’t have the time to linger. He was sure to know that I was coming for him if I took much longer. If he found out, all hope would be lost. I would never be able to make the kill.
I walked around the side of the house to one of the back doors. I listened for any sounds coming from within. Once I was satisfied that there were none I pushed the heavy door open just enough to allow my body to slip through. I worked my way through the long hallway that led to the main part of the house making sure to stay in the blind spots of any camera system that he had placed.
‘This is far too easy’ I thought to myself, something was wrong. Things just seemed to be too quiet and that was never a good thing. I began to feel a little uneasy as I slipped through the lavishly designed doors and into the main foyer.
According to my information there should have been at least three men here as well. However the room was deserted. My shoes made muffled clicks as I walked across the black and white tiled floor to the stair case that would lead me to the third floor and my target.
Part of me was surprised to see that there were no men waiting for me; the other part of me knew the reason for this and was not phased at all. Regardless of if the Kimyo knew I was coming or not I still had a job to perform. If I allowed myself to get too excited over the lack of guards I wouldn’t be walking out of here unscathed… if I walked out at all.
At the end of the hall there was a set of cream colored double doors and behind that the bedroom which I was sure held the Kimyo Ryu, the one man that stood in my ‘families’ rise to the top. I took a deep breath and silently turned the handle. I didn’t dare push open the door just yet. I listened to the defining silence waiting to for some sort of noise that would alert me to his position or perhaps even the fact that he knew I was there. But I heard nothing.
The door gave way just a little as I pressed against it. The room was bitch black; I could only see the bed which had an unmistakable lump in the center. I silently walked towards the bed with my gun raised and pointed towards the mass. I knew that I would have to kill him quick. I couldn’t look at him before I pulled the trigger or I would never be able to do it.
I stood at the foot of the king sized bed, my hand shaking as my finger tenses on the trigger. Could it really be this easy to take him out? Did I really have the ability to pull the trigger? The more important question in my mind was could I live with myself if I did?
I had my orders; I was to kill this man for the sake of my Yakuza factions rise to power. The only thing that stood between us and the top was this man, the head assassin for the Shintori faction, the man that I was currently tied with for the number one assassin in all of Japan.
I jumped as I felt arms wrap quickly over my arms tightly pinning them to my side and warm breath on my ear. I dropped the gun to the ground and let out a pathetic yelp as the weapon discharged sending a random round somewhere in the room.
“Such a dangerous toy for you to bring into the bed room,” The breath ran warm across my flesh causing me to sigh.
“Shouta.” I whimpered. I couldn’t turn around; I didn’t want to see him. Not him, not now, not like this. I felt his tongue lightly lick the outer shell of my ear before he set to nibbling it.
“You didn’t think that you would really be able to kill me like that now did you, Takahiro?” I sighed and leaned back into his body. My mind screaming at me to break free of this spell, grab my gun, and plant a built between his eyes ending this whole mess. My body had a mind of it’s own though as he began to plant feather light kisses along my neck and collarbone causing me to melted into his touch.
“S-Shouta!” I moaned as he began to let his hands roam over every inch of me that he could reach. He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger and gently pulled my head around so that I was forced to look at him. Even in nothing more than the faint light provided to us from the hall way light I could see his handsome face and lust filled eyes.
“You cannot kill me Takahiro,” he whispered, lips hovering millimeters above mine, “nor do you want to.” I felt my arms move on their own and wrap around his body pulling him closer as he captured my lips and pushed me gently to the bed. The gun along with my resolve to kill him lay on the floor forgotten.