Soryu: "Kyo, take care of the organization while I'm gone."

Kyoichiro: "Soryu..."

Ryosuke: "Sir! Damn it!"

Soryu's been taken away by the police. I watch from the window, stunned, as the police car disappears.

(They took Soryu away... but what should I do... and what can I do...)

Kyo calls out to soothe me...

Kyoichiro: "Meimei, Soryu gave me this."

Meimei: "What..."

Kyoichiro: "He borrowed this from you, right?"

He hands me the book, I lent Soryu the day as he came over... before he broke up with me.

Kyoichiro: "He asked me to give it to you when the cops came for him."

Kyoichiro: "He should have given it to you himself... but he probably didn't want to make it more painful."

Meimei: "Soryu..."

I take the book and I hug it to my chest. My resolve to wait for him coupled with my helpless despair... feels like it's going to crush me.
_________________________________________________

After that, Ryosuke drops me off at the dorms... and I head into the hotel with a heavy heart. After I finish work and I head back to my apartment and I sit down on the bed.

(...I'm tired... so much about happened since yesterday...)

I open my purse and I take out the book.

(That day I lent it to him, he came to check on me when I was sick...)

(I was so happy back then...)

I reflect back on the day as I flip through the pages and...

Meimei: "Huh?"

There's a small piece of paper wedged in between the pages.

Meimei: "This is Soryu's handwriting..."
____________________________________

Three days later in the middle of the night... I slip out of the dorm with a destination in my mind.

(The piece of paper... Soryu put inside the book... only I had a time and place written on it... but it was defintely his handwriting...)

Meimei: "But I've lost my confidence..."

Meimei: "What if someone forged his handwriting and it's a trap?"

Meimei: "...No, I have to brave and get stronger..."

(But I can't keep hesitating or nothing will happen.)

(I said I'd anything for Soryu.)
_________________________________________

I cheer myself up and I head to the address written on the sheet of paper.

Meimei: "Hm? Coin lockers?"

Down a back ally of the main road is a row of large coin lockers. But in the middle of each is an electronic touch panel... displaying the locker number and I allowing you to enter a 7 digit passcode.

(The locker number and a 7 digit code... it's on the paper, so...!)

I realize what those numbers on the paper were that I had puzzled over... and I hesitantly start entering the code.

*CLICK*

(It opened!)

I peek inside the locker and I see a single DVD inside.

Meimei: "What is this? Geez, Soryu..."

Meimei: "Couldn't he have just left another note?"

(Anyway, I need to watch it!)

Just when I start to hurry back to the dorm...

Meimei: "Ugh...!"

A strong odor assaults my nose and mouth and I lose consciousness.
___________________________________________________________

Voice: "Hey, wake up. Hey!"

In my hazy consciousness, I hear a man's voice calling.

Meimei: "Mmm..."

I open my eyes slightly and I see a figure peering down at me.

Samejima: "You're finally awake."

Meimei: "Ahh!"

Meimei: "S-Samejima!?"

I bolt upright and see I'm in some kind of dimly lit warehouse.

Meimei: "Where am I..."

Samejima: "A warehouse by the harbor. Nobody's around this time of night."

Meimei: "Why are you doing this! And Ryosuke told me cause you went missing!"

Samejima: "Because Soryu was about to find out who I really am."

Samejima: "But now that I have the DVD, it's not a problem."

Meimei: :That's the DVD from that was in the locker! Why do you have it!?"

Samejima: "I don't think you understand the value of this DVD."

Samejima: "This proves who the shooter was the night of the auction."

Meimei: "It does!? That means.... it was you!?"

Samejima: "Of course I'm not. I'm just your average thief."

Meimei: "Thief!?"

Samejima: "Yeah. That's how I'll get the money from the real culprit."

Meimei: "Then who is it!?"

I lean forward and I hear a voice ring out...

???: "That's enough chatting."

I look towards the direction of the voice and I see a gun glint in the darkness. And the person holding the gun is... Soryu's right hand man. Kyo.

Meimei: "Kyo? You came to save me? Didn't you?"

Kyoichiro: "..."

Samejima: "I knew it was you."

Kyoichiro: "Hand over that DVD."

Samejima: "How did you know I was here?"

Kyoichiro: "I knew Soryu had something, so I searched the book as he left for the girl."

Kyoichiro: "I went to the address on the note..."

Kyoichiro: "But I never expected I'd see you kidnapping Meimei."

Samejima: "Grr... you followed me!"

Meimei: "What's going on...?"

Samejima: "He's the one behind the shooting! He betrayed Soryu!"

Kyoichiro: "Shut up!"

*CRACK*

Samejima: "Arrrgh!"

Kyo knocks Samejima in the back of his head with the butt of his gun and he falls to the ground.

Kyochiro: "I don't know where he got that information, but he's just trying to get ahead."

Kyo takes the DVD out of the pocket of Samejima who's unconscious. He tries to put it in his own pocket. I can't believe what I'm seeing and without thinking, but I...

(I have no idea what's going on, but...)

(But Soryu left that to me!)

I grab Kyo's hand that's holding onto the DVD.

Meimei: "Tell me what's going on..."

Kyoichiro: "...Let go! What does it look like?"

Meimei: "Is that because you betrayed Soryu!?"

Kyoichiro: "Yeah, that's right."

Meimei: "How dare you!? That's terrible!?"

Kyoichiro: "I'm really sorry about this, but now that you know the truth..."

Kyoichiro: "I can't let you live."

*CLICK*

Kyo points his gun towards me.

Meimei: "Ah...!"

(I finally figured out who the shooter was...)

(Soryu left me that DVD!)

(If I can't do anything by myself...)

Kyoichiro: "If you're going to curse anything, curse the day you met Soryu."

(No...! Soryu...!)

My whole body freezes as I glare at him...

*FWOOOOOSH*

I hear a groan at the same time the gun rings out.

Meimei: "!?"

Kyo's face screws up in agony as he holds his right hand against himself.

Kyoichiro: "Arrggh..."

Soryu: "Don't move or the second bullet will go through your brain."

I look to see Soryu standing there with his back to the pier, holding a gun.

Meimei: "Soryu!"

Momiji: "I made it at this time... Kyo is the one who betray with Soryu!"

Soryu: "Kyo... I knew it was you."

Kyoichiro: "What!? I thought you were in police custody!"

Soryu: "Too bad for you. They released me due to lack of evidence."

Kyoichiro: "Damn it... why did it happen so quickly!?"

A third person appears from the shadows.

Ota: "I guess there really are people like that."

Ota: "People who are lazy most of the time but come steal the glory at times like this."

Mamoru: "You talkin' about me, Kisaki?"

Eisuke: "Even I didn't expect it to go this well."

Meimei: "Ota! Detective Kishi... Mr. Ichinomiya!"

Kyoichiro: "...What's going on here!?"

Kyoichiro: "Was that note you left behind a trap??"

Kyoichiro: "But Meimei..."

Soryu: "She didn't know anything about this."

Soryu: "She just went to the locker just like the note said."

Soryu: "There's no way I wouldn't have told her about you."

Soryu: "Because if I had, you definitely would have noticed her acting differently would have noticed her acting differently around you."

Mamoru: "You stayed calm even when Samejima showed up, too. You followed him... you watched him and you didn't try anything till you figured out who he was."

Eisuke: "Just what I'd expect from Soryu's right hand man."

Ota: "It was a pretty risky move."

Kyoichiro: "Grrr..."

Soryu: "Kyo, I had a pretty good idea that it was you all along."

Soryu: "You were very thorough and you didn't leave behind evidence."

Soryu: "So my only choice was to use Meimei as bait to draw you out."

Soryu: "...I don't want to believe it."

Kyoichiro: "...Son of a bitch!"

Meimei: "Kyaaah!"

I was just standing here in disbelief as watching the scene unfold... when Kyo grabs me then hold of me and he presses a knife against my throat.

Sakura: "!? Meimei!"

Soryu: "Meimei!"

Kyoichiro: "Forgive me, Soryu... but this is my only choice."

Soryu: "Why, Kyo!?"

Kyoichiro: "...I need money."

Soryu: "Money?"

Eisuke: "His mother's sick, so he probably need the money for her treatment."

Kyoichiro: "...If you already know that much as that makes this a lot quicker."

Kyoichiro: "Regular doctors can't heal my mother."

Kyoichiro: "I heard about the genius back-alley doctor a while ago, that he could heal any illness as long as you had the money."

Kyoichiro: "But I didn't have that kind of money."

(The back-alley doctor... oh that's right, he was at the auction.)

(So Kyo needed the money to hire that doctor?)

Kyoichiro: "And somebody told me they'd pay me to kill Soryu."

Meimei: "Wha-!? That's not good reason to kill him!?"

Kyoichiro: "I know that... and... I couldn't possibly do that!"

Kyoichiro: "So at first I turned him down."

Kyoichiro: "But then, he said I could just give him information."

Eisuke: "Ha! That's basically the same thing!"

Eisuke: "You knew that would be putting Soryu's life in danger."

Eisuke: "You were just trying to ease your pathetic little conscience."

Soryu: "Eisuke. It's okay."

Soryu: "So who is this person, Kyo."

Kyoichiro: "I don't know. I just took the order and I gave them at the information."

Soryu: "...Alright."

Soryu quietly lowers his gun.

Soryu: "You were my right hand man, Kyo."

Soryu: "It's my fault cause I didn't realize you were in trouble."

Soryu: "If I die, you'll get the money, right?"

Soryu slowly starts to raise his gun again...

Eisuke: "Soryu!"

Meimei: "Soryu, what are you-!?"

He points the gun at his own head.

Meimei: "Soryu, stop it!!!"

Kyoichiro: "Soryu..."

I feel the pressure of the knife against my throat start to waver. And just then...

*WHACK*

Kyoichiro: "Arrgghh!?"

Samejima: "How dare you point this at a woman!"

I thought Samejima was passed out on the ground... but he twists back Kyo's right arm and the knife drops from his hand.

Kyoichiro: "Samejima!?"

Soryu: "Don't move!!"

Now Soryu points his gun back towards Kyo.

Kyochiro: "Arrgh... Samejima... I thought you were out cold!"

Samejima: "Well it's hot and you guys were taking forever!"

Samejima: "You really think I'd get knocked unconscious?"

Just then, Samejima starts peeling away at a mask.

Meimei: "What the hell! No way!! I knew it is you, Baba!"

Baba: "I can't believe you figure it out, Meimei."

Beneath the mask, a calm smile on his face... is Baba!!

Kyochiro: "Wha-!? So what is that DVD?"

Baba: "Oh, that? Just a movie of my favorite anime."

Baba: "I highly recommend it."

Ota: "Geez, Baba! What took you so long!?"

Eisuke: "I've had enough of your jokes!"

Eisuke: "You shouldn't done about something before Soryu had to point a gun at himself!"

Meimei: "What the hell is going on!?"

Baba: "My job was to protect Meimei if things got serious."

Baba: "So I disguised myself and I waited for him to let down his guard."

(I was surprised when I saw Soryu and the other guys...)

(But this is just...!)

Baba: "Are you surprised, Meimei?"

He winks at me and suddenly I feel exhausted.

Meimei: "Geez, couldn't you have to saved me sooner?"

Baba: "I was just waiting for the right moment."

Baba: "The hero has to come in at the perfect time, you know."

Meimei: "...'Hero'..."

Baba: "I just went along with Soryu's plan this time, though."

Kyo is so stunned as he falls to his knees on the ground.

Kyoichiro: "Haha... I can't win against you, Soryu."

Soryu walks up to Kyo who's crumpled on the floor.

Soryu: "I meant what I just said."

Soryu: "It's my fault that I didn't realize you were in trouble."

Soryu: "But I can never forgive anyone who hurts Meimei."

Soryu: "No matter who they are."

Soryu: "...Even if it's you."

Kyoichiro: "...Please kill me."

Soryu: "Ota. Kishi. Take care of him."

At Soryu's command, Kishi and Ota start scattering... some kind of liquid from a nearby plastic container.

Meimei: "That smell...!"

(Soryu! Are you really going to kill him!?)

Detective Kishi tosses aside the empty can... and he throws down the cigarette from his mouth. The place erupts into a sea of flames.

Mamoru: "Burns pretty good."

Ota: "It's hot! Let's go already."

Eisuke hands Kyo a single envelope.

Eisuke: "Now you can die happy."

Baba: "C'mon guys. The fire's getting bigger."

The four men are already running towards the exit. Soryu stays behind and he stares at Kyo.

Soryu: "Kyo, losing you is more diffcult than I expected."

Kyoichiro: "...I'm sory I caused so much trouble for you."

Soryu: "Heh. No kidding."

Their conversation sounds so normal, it's hard to believe what's happened. But I can detect a hint of sadness in Soryu's smile.

*THUD*

Soryu: "Meimei, c'mon!"

~End of Sequel 7~

TO BE CONTINUED...