The Foreign Exchange Student

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 Naoko

 -Tokyo, Japan

Idiot. I am an absolute idiot. If there’s one thing I should have learned by now, it’s that you don’t tell an international arms dealer ‘no.’ Obviously, I hadn’t learned that yet.

That is how I came to find myself staring down the barrel of said international arms dealer’s shotgun. This particular arms dealer’s name was Kichida-san, or at least that’s what he told me to call him. I'm not even sure if that's his real name.

I was standing in his large apartment, where I had been called for a meeting. I hadn’t been expecting this though.

“I’m going to give you a chance to reconsider your decision.” Kichida said with a smirk. “Will you or will you not complete the mission?” Although he gave the order in the form of a question, we both knew that it was still an order. I really had no choice in the matter.

“I’ll do it.” I said quietly, and Kichida lowered his gun. He smiled victoriously, as if he had defeated me. Then he handed the gun to me.

“You have twenty-four hours. If I find out that it your father is not dead by this time tomorrow, you’ll be the one with a bullet through your skull.”

I nodded shakily and took the gun from his outstretched hand. Even as I slid the gun into my belt, a plan was forming in my head. A plan that would free me from this life, at least temporarily.

*******

That night, I walked into my father’s study, the shotgun hidden beneath my jacket.

“I’m a little busy, Naoko-kun,” my father said, not even looking up from his computer screen. “Can we talk later?” My father was the chairman of Tanaka Inc., a technology company that he started long before I was born. He and his workers manufactured everything from computers to MP3 players, and he made great money. In fact, he was a millionaire.

One downside of having such a successful father is the fact that he is always busy. My mom left when I was little, for this very reason. She couldn’t deal with the fact that he paid no attention to her. I’ve been dealing with him all my life, so I got used to it.

“No.” I with a sigh. “This can’t wait.” I made up my mind right then, and slowly reached into my jacket and pulled out the gun. When my father finally looked up, I aimed it right between his eyes.

“Guards!” My father yelled frantically. Before I could pull the trigger, two of my father’s bodyguards rushed in and tackled me to the floor and ripped the gun from my hand. Oh yeah, another downside. My father always has several bodyguards around to protect him from his “enemies.” I never understood why a technology company chairman would have enemies,  but he assured me that the more money you have, the more enemies you have.

Believe it or not, this was what I wanted. I wasn’t really going to shoot my father. Going to prison for attempted murder would be nothing compared to dealing with the wrath of a very ticked off arms dealer, and it would definitely be better than killing my father. Since I was still a minor, I could probably get out soon anyway.

Actually, even if I didn’t go to prison, any punishment would be better than what Kichida would have in store for me.

I waited quietly for the police to arrive, one guard on either side of me, pinnnig my arms behind my back, and preventing me from moving even an inch. I turned my head slightly in an attempt to see my father, but all I caught was a glimpse of his face, and the emotions on it were indescribable. Before I could see more, my head was turned back by one of the guards so it was facing front again.