K: Bittersweet Flames

Chapter 42

"Why..."

That soft, almost like a whisper kind of question left the lips of the owner of the amber eyes widely opened staring straight back at the ravenette sitting on the opposite side.

"Why, you?" The question repeated.

--Why are you the one sitting there?

--Why does it have to be you?

The expression on his face twisted slightly as he bit the inside of his cheek; face frowning and looking to be holding back words.

His changes in expressions and the words he had said only caused the influx of emotions in Kaiyo to whirl more. She thought he would be angry at her. She thought all of them would start a war and demand for more answers. But...

Kaiyo looked at the expressions each of them was showing. None of them showed any expressions anywhere close to anger.

Confusion, surprise, happiness, fear... She felt all those at the same time and they were all collecting in the bowl she kept within her.

"... I think we..." Kusanagi hesitated, "need some sort of explanations here, Kaiyo-chan."

Kaiyo took in a breath to calm her nerves. She held her trembling hands together; the palm of her hands was sweating. She had come here with a resolve. But the moment she had to talk, her nerves didn't want to settle down.

"I..."

Kaiyo flittered her gaze away to bring her thoughts together. She glanced back at the people in front of her, who were waiting for her answers patiently. She felt glad, very glad, that they were people who were willing to wait for her to answer than to force the answer out.

--They are all good people. Or is it only a front to her?

"It's... honestly a long story," Kaiyo looked over at Genji before looking back forward, "but I can say with my life on the line, that I am not working with them."

Anna felt the emotions Kaiyo was feeling and tugged on Mikoto's jacket. "She's not lying," she whispered to him. She didn't want Kaiyo to suffer under his wrath or get hit or thrown out. She had taken a liking to Kaiyo and knew she was an honest person despite having hidden secrets. But what Anna didn't know was that she mistook the emotion she was feeling from Mikoto as anger and betrayal.

Mikoto nodded his head. He had seen the fiery in her eyes. Even without Anna's confirmation, he knew Kaiyo does not mean anything bad nor is she a threat to them. She was honest.

Mikoto, "We have all the time here. You can speak and explain."

"Uh I don't think our people outside would have the patience enough to finish this conversation fully?" Genji cuts in with a raise of his hand. He loosened his tie around his collar with the other. "I bet they are very ready to set off from their hunches for blood."

Mikoto clicked his tongue and shot a glare at the male. That half black half blue male irked him for some reason after he realised that the hooded person from back then in Genji's office was Kaiyo.

Kaiyo's eyes flitted to Genji before looking over to Mikoto. Sensing that someone was looking at him, Mikoto took his eyes away from Genji and saw her looking over at him.

She thought about something for a few moments before opening her mouth to speak. "My Father was once a gang member under the previous group leader's ruling and left after Genji-san had taken over as the group's leader. Father still keeps in contact with Genji-san and the group because he favours the wine production. Because of that, Father would ask me to buy alcohol and wine from Genji-san." Kaiyo's eyes showed the integrity in her words. "Genji-san and I are acquaintances met through a mutual person who is my Father. That's all. I am not part of their group, and never was."