Haruna Kashiwagi

Cristin I.G. Alvarez

Dua walked into the kitchen in a hurry. This was how it usually started, without warning and
with the sound of a folder slamming on the dinner table. Iris was always a little startled by the routine,
even if she had seen it a few times before. Everything was so recent to her, or at least it felt that way.
It was almost as if it was only yesterday that they started working together. Iris gives a passing glance
at the folder before looking into Dua's glare.
The women stared at each other for a moment before Iris spoke: Bad news?
You bet! Dua said. She pulled up a chair and sat down, her hands working on the folder
already although she wasn't looking at it. There's a gang war breaking out all over Matra, which
would usually mean good business for us but this time it's a little different.
A little different?
That's what I said. Just how different, you ask? Well, remember the job we did last week?
The Kashiwagi hit? Dua pulled out a document from the folder as she spoke.
Sure. That was the one with the scientists' daughter, right? Poor girl, I still think I should've
been quicker with that one. I mean, the screaming
Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, that scientist you killed was responsible for a new drug that's
making the rounds underground. The thing is, the Kashiwagi family thinks the Obale are responsible
for the hit and have kidnapped one of the Obale brothers. Last thing I heard is that they were sending
pieces of the poor bastard back to the Obale until they, well, apologize. But see, that's not happening,
look at this. Dua explained and slid the document she had pulled from the folder in Iris' direction.
Tthat's awful, I mean... Iris' voice trailed off almost immediately once she set her eyes on
the document. No, Dua, come on. Not this. I can't
Yes, the Obale put a hit on Haruna Kashiwagi, the girl you decided to let go last week. Thing
is, I haven't accepted the job yet. Normally I don't ask you, but I don't want you to hesitate during the
mission, so I'm asking you this time: are you up to this? Dua's cold stare sent shivers down Iris' spine,
but she knew the painful answer.
Iris nodded, her eyes fixated on the document. Sure, Dua. I can do that, you know I can. she
replied in a muted tone.
I didn't ask you if you could. I want to know if you're cool with this. When you killed the

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girls' father last week she was right there and when I told you to put the girl out of her misery you
refused. Now is your chance to fix that.
She wasn't the target! II couldn't just do that, you saw it, it wasn't... it wasn't...
Fair, Iris? This job isn't about fairness. But I'm not going to lecture you, just tell you this: if
we don't take the job, some other mercenary is bound to take it. Doesn't mean they'll succeed, but, you
know. Think about it, we have until tomorrow to reply. Dua said and stood from the table. She
looked at Iris but the girl was just blankly staring at the document she held in her hands.
Dua turned to leave and after she had taken a few steps towards the door, Iris' whispered: I will
make her death the quickest, I promise you that. It's the only thing I can do for her at this point.
I'm sorry, but I'm glad you understand. The girl is doomed and we could sit the entire night
here debating it, it won't change anything in the end. This branch of the Kashiwagi are going to be
brought down, if it's not the Obale, it will be one of the rival families or clans. You better learn from
this ordeal, Iris, I don't want repeats of this mess. When I say kill, you kill, got it? Dua asked, but did
not wait for an answer before leaving the kitchen. She knew she was being hard on Iris, but she saw no
other choice.
Iris glanced up from the document after Dua was out of sight, a pained expression on her face.
It was never this personal, she thought. The other times, people died, sure, but it wasn't the same now.
There was something in that scene Iris couldn't understand, with the still warm blood splattered on the
ground, just catching Haruna's right leg. She wasn't supposed to be there, yet she was.
The command that Dua shouted through the communicator barely registered amidst the
shrieking, but Iris knew what it was. Even before Dua had to say it, it was inevitable. After Iris
escaped, whatever it was that made the gruesome scene stick in her memory, also followed her out and
latched onto her like a shadow. Maybe it was the girls' eyes, her face, or maybe it was something else,
she didn't know. If Haruna had to die, Iris had only one more chance to find out.
The payment was nothing special, however the Obale were willing to pay the full amount from
the get-go, which was unusual. They probably had heard from the hit on Haruna's father and suspected
Dua to be responsible. Iris' signature style of leaving messes was often easy to trace back to Dua, much
to her chagrin. Even after telling Iris countless times, it was hard to keep her under control, much less
expect her to be very clean. It was at times like these that Dua had to remind herself that Iris was not
like her, she wasn't born in the rotten culture of Matra so she still had to learn many things about the
way things worked.

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Haruna was sitting inside her room, staring into a mirror. She waited, childishly expecting her
reflection's face to twist in disgust, but every time she heard the screams a little dark grin manifested
for a second in her face, almost involuntarily. It had been, what, five days now of ongoing torture. Her
brother made sure to keep the Obale kid just alive enough to make the torture work properly. She didn't
want to see the grin on her face, brought by the cold taste of revenge. She kept staring out of duty into
the mirror, conflicted and torn about her own feelings. It was horrible, but so was everything else.
The agonizing shrieking of the Obale kid had stopped and she thought she heard footsteps on
the hallway. It was a fairly traditional Japanese house, both in style and materials. A true luxury to
have in a place like Matra, though she only found out about her father's work the fateful day he was
taken from her. She saw in the mirror the door to the room slide open and she turned her head towards
the doorway.
Brother? Haruna asked, but no answer came. She got up from her chair and stared at the
doorway. Tension filled the air and her heart was racing. Brother, please. Don't play games with me
now, it's not the time! she said, but there was still no reply. She slowly reached for her dresser and
trying to be as quiet as a ghost, she retrieved a handgun.
Her hands were shaking and she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she was turning to
the door again. Beyond her pale and worried face, there was nothing else there. Who had opened the
door? She knew she had to go look, there was no other way. Her steps were light but slow, she pointed
the gun at the door and said:
Come out! I know you're there! Pplease, just come out already! Haruna felt the despair
build up with each word she said, making it harder and harder to continue. She stepped into the
hallway and it was empty. Nothing was out of place but she then noticed the complete silence that had
almost sneaked up on her. Maybe it was the fear that made her perceive her surroundings as
disturbingly quiet, but she felt she could hear a pin drop a mile away.
After a few dozen careful steps, she was easing up. Sure, she couldn't explain the door
opening, but maybe the locking system had a malfunction and she was overreacting. However, the gun
in her hands felt heavy, pulling her back to reality. There was a reason she held it, even if she had
never fired a single shot in her life before. Her brother came to her with the weapon and placed it
inside the dresser the day after the murder.
Haruna was opposed at first, but he made a series of good points in the form of a list. The
names of the guards that were dead after her father's assassination. She tried to prevent the names of

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the women on the list from entering her memory as her brother spoke them out loud, not believing the
monster that had killed her father also slaughtered three innocent housemaids.
That very monster had stood before her and let her escape. She couldn't understand it. Her
brother kept saying it was a mistake, that the monster would come back to deal with it later. However,
he wasn't there, she was. The look in the monster's eyes, that was the same stare from the mirror. The
gun only brought the two even closer.
After a few minutes, Haruna found herself in the main chamber of the house. Again, the style
was an impressive display of traditional Japanese architecture mixed with an almost invisible
modernity that was always lurking in the background. She stopped her slow walk in front of the small
shrine they had built in honor of her father. It was poor, rushed. Neither Haruna nor her brother
wanted to deal with that, but they had to. The rest of the Kashiwagi family would expect operations to
continue smoothly despite her father's death, but the only one that could continue it would be her
brother.
It seemed like it was a long time ago when Haruna's father started to take her brother to the
meetings. She was never allowed to go, of course. It was not a woman's place, they always said. She
never really questioned it much, but she wasn't really allowed to either. Whatever it was, now it was
just her brother alone that went to the mysterious meetings.
The shaking had subsided and Haruna called out again: Brother?
Finally, a voice spoke back: Haruna, I'm almost done. Give me a second please. Relief. That
was all she could feel. He was coming up from the basement, where the Obale brother was being held.
Next to him was a tall man, easily recognizable as a bodyguard by the attire and the sunglasses. It was
almost a clich, but he saved her brother's life during the attack.
Brother! Haruna ran towards him and the bodyguard noticed the gun in her hand. He stepped
quickly in between the two siblings.
Lady Haruna, please be careful with that weapon. spoke the bodyguard. Haruna had
completely forgotten about the gun and she was a little startled to be holding something like that so
casually.
I'm sorry Akai. I saw something suspicious and I
Lady Haruna! Please, do not hesitate to call me next time! It's dangerous for you to be
running around like that, what if the killer returns? the bodyguard, Akai, said.
Haruna, Akai is right. Please stay in your room where it's safe. Haruna's brother said. He

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quickly waved for Akai to step down. I've asked Yamazaki and Tenma to keep an eye on you, so you
should be safe. Don't worry, we've tightened up the defenses this time. I won't let anyone get near you,
I promise.
Brother, I understand. I will go back to my room now. I'm sorry for being such a burden.
Haruna spoke softly and lowered her head. Her brother stroked her hair lightly once and walked past
her, Akai in tow. When she saw him disappear into the hallway, she knew what he was going to do. He
was most definitely headed for her father's study, no doubt to check on things.
One of the things her brother showed her after their father died was the study, in particular the
secret passage that led into a security room. She had been living all of her sixteen years in that house
yet there were still parts of it that she didn't know existed. The basement was of course another place
she was forbidden to go to but she often did anyway. It was obvious her father knew and hid things
very well, so she never found anything more than spiders and old wine bottles.
Haruna resisted the urge to follow her brother and traced her steps back to her room. The gun in
her hands still made her a little nervous, but she had to put it back in the dresser. As she walked down
the hallway, she noticed the door to her room was closed. Panic awoke anew and her hands clutched
the gun, though she had no clue what she could do with it against a closed door.
I'm sure I left this open. I bet it's just the locking system having a bad day. she said to herself
out loud. Her hand reached for the door handle, it was shaking though she was trying hard to keep her
cool. She tried to convince herself that nothing was happening, that there was nothing inside her room,
waiting for her. The door slid open easily and the warm summer breeze felt like a warning.
She stepped quickly into the room and raised the gun, pointing it at the window. The barrel
trembling so hard that firing the weapon would probably be pointless, even at that range. Sitting on her
bed was the monster herself. The door behind Haruna suddenly closed and locked. This was the thing
that was not supposed to happen. Haruna felt a scream come up from deep within her, calling out for
her brother, but it came out a muted whimper. She couldn't alert her brother.
No, the monster came for her. The sweat from her hands felt strange against the polished metal
of the weapon and her finger lightly brushed against the trigger. However, the monster was not phased
at all by the weapon. She looked sad, almost as if she was mourning someone. The monster's head
was low and her gaze was on the ground.
I'm sorry. the monster said. Haruna grit her teeth, the sound of the monster's voice rang with
painful sincerity.

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You're a monster! You killed you killed so many people! You killed my father! You
deserve death, more than anyone I have ever known! Haruna barked out, but she wasn't prepared for
the moment when the monster looked up at her. The eyes, something about those eyes. She slowly
turned to look at the mirror. It was a feeling, a concept she couldn't put into words, but she understood
it then. Who are you? she managed to say before she felt a knot in her throat and the tears ran down
her face.
I bet you don't know that many people.
Haruna could just stare at the delicate looking girl sitting on her bed, that was her answer. The
gun by now was mostly a symbol, but she slowly lowered it. The futility of it all was quickly draining
her of whatever aggression she could have felt.
You know, ever since I saw you back then, I just can't stop thinking about it. the monster
spoke.
Why didn't you kill me?
I don't know. I couldn't move, I
And now? Are you going to end my life? Haruna said, though it took great effort to remain
focused. Every inch of her body wanted to beg for her life, or run away, or take any kind of desperate
measure to try to survive. She resisted, still feeling the metal of the gun in her hands.
No reply came, but Haruna did not expect one. She raised her gun and despite the shaking,
fired the weapon at the girl sitting on her bed. Lucky shot, right in the head. The girl yelped and
recoiled, her body swinging back and down. The shot must have surely alerted her brother and the
guards, she thought. She hoped they would be there in no time and this would be all over then.
However, nothing happened. The door remained locked and the monster laid on Haruna's bed
with a bleeding bullet wound on her forehead. Haruna tossed the gun aside and tried to force the door
open, but the security enhanced doors only looked paper-thin. She started banging her fists against it
but refused to scream for help.
Brother, I avenged our
Ah, that hurt. That hurt a lot, you goddamn... the monster suddenly spoke. Haruna whipped
around only to see the monster sluggishly sit up on the bed again, rubbing her forehead, groaning. She
tossed the bullet at Haruna's feet.
Wwhat are you!? How... Haruna collapsed on her knees. She saw the bullet, squashed as if
it had hit something much harder than human bone. You're not a girl at all, you're not even human!

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You're a monster!
Iris shook her head. I took this job so I could kill you myself and spare you of whatever
horrible torture the Obale had waiting for you. Believe me, they wouldn't be quite so kind to just kill
you. Oh no, your stupid brother made sure of that.
He should be torturing you! You're the monster that killed my father! I don't care who hired
you, you're the one that needs to pay for what you've done. Haruna darted towards the gun on the
floor and grabbed it, taking aim again at Iris once more. However, before she was even able to pull the
trigger, the gun was sliced clean in half by a flash of light.
Haruna's eyes traced the light back to the blade of a sword, following it up to Iris' face. She still
wore sorrow in her expression, but her eyes were determined. Haruna lowered her head to the ground,
her body shook with fear. She didn't want to see the moment coming. In a moment, it was over: the
light from the blade cut Haruna's neck and her head rolled near Iris' feet. Iris turned to look away as
fast as possible after the deed had been done, not wanting to witness the last moments of consciousness
left in Haruna's head. The blood from the teenage girl spread over her bedroom floor. Iris heard the
click of the door unlocking shortly thereafter.
Iris, do you copy. Dua's voice came through the communicator on Iris' ear. However no
reply was coming. Iris, come on. Say something.
I read you loud... Dua heard a sob cut Iris' voice short. Loud and clear. Mission
accomplished.
Excellent. Your next objective is to kill Ryo and the Obale brother being held there. Do you
understand? Dua said.
I want to go home. Please
Iris! Get your shit together and finish this once and for all. Watch out for Akai, one of the
bodyguards. Something's up with that guy, be careful. Over and out. Dua cut the communication and
Iris sat back down on the bed. Haruna's lifeless body still bleeding out over the nice tatami flooring,
her severed head only a few feet from it was bleeding as well.
Iris buried her face in her hands. Why is it so easy sometimes? she asked Haruna's corpse.
Why were you so hard to kill. Why you? Goddamn it, I still don't understand a damn thing. Iris
suddenly heard footsteps coming from the hallway, cutting her monologue short. She moved quickly,
running past Haruna's corpse and out the door just in time to meet two guards.
The men barely had any time to ready their weapons before Iris was already right next to them.

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She jumped off the side of the hallway and cut the two men in one movement, mortally wounding both.
It was almost a rhythm that she kept, springing back from her attack into a sprint. Soon she reached the
main chamber and almost immediately a hail of bullets descended upon her. Haruna's brother was
probably already aware of what had happened and he was angry.
Avoiding the bullets wasn't much of a problem, though she was hit by a few. However, as
Haruna had found out they carried no finality for Iris. She was doing the thing she knew how to do, the
only thing she knew how to do. It felt like a choreographed dance how she charged through the guards
while they hopelessly shot at her. Sure, they hurt her further, but the shining blade of her sword would
take them down without doubt.
There was no hesitation in Iris' movements, though it looked like she was improvising and her
motions seemed awkward and unrefined. Soon all ten guards in the room were cut down and Iris felt
the pain from the shots pounding in her head. There was blood as well, but not nearly as much as there
should have been considering the burnt holes left in her garments.
Ryo is in the basement, so is Akai. Get to them, end this. Dua spoke again in Iris' ear. The
end was near. Just a couple more people and she could finally go home, maybe even forget the entire
thing. It was a little too optimistic, she realized, but she kept the thought in her mind as she ran
downstairs.
The basement of the large house was impressive. Soon she found herself inside the wine cellar
and she could see the far wall pull back slowly. She walked, her sword brandished, waiting. The secret
room adjacent to the cellar was very well lit, looked like a lab of some sort. In an instant it was
obvious she had found Akai, the man ran towards her at an inhuman speed and she was barely able to
avoid the slash of his blade. Keeping in style with the Japanese theme, Akai used a Japanese-style
sword.
Last time I couldn't fight you, but I've been waiting for the chance. You're not an ordinary
mercenary, but neither am I. We're of a different kind, you and me.
You're an idiot. Iris scoffed. The two crossed blades, though the Japanese sword was no
match for the flashing blade and was destroyed within instants. Akai was not so easily defeated,
however. He seemed to be a master in hand to hand combat as well. Iris, well, wasn't. She was thrown
against a wall and disarmed, her blade falling on the other side of the wine cellar.
Akai was strong, unnaturally strong. However, there was a limit to how much you could do
with cybernetic augmentations, and he was stepping on that line. The speed, the strength, all came at a

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cost. He repeatedly struck Iris, who was already weakened by the bullet wounds and caused her to
collapse.
The difference, though, is that I'm fighting to protect something. I can't fail... though I was
foolish and you managed to take lady Haruna's life. For that, I will show you no mercy! Akai said.
He picked Iris' battered body off the ground and punched her in the face hard enough that the blow sent
her careering into yet another wall. She did not go down again however and instead stood still after the
impact, her gaze lowered.
Idiot. Iris whispered.
I will end you! Screamed Akai.
Just mere moments before Akai landed his next attack, Iris lifted her gaze. Her body moved
much faster than Akai had forseen and she used a defense movement she copied from him in order to
take him down, much to his bewilderment. The force and the speed with which she did so destroyed
part of Akai's body instantly the moment it slammed the ground. His right shoulder was smashed,
along with his left thigh and probably his hip.
He quickly moved out of Iris' range as soon as the move was over, pushing her. However, it
was clear by then that the difference in strength and speed was insurmountable. He stared in disbelief
at his own shattered right hand. It must have cost a fortune to buy the upgrades and install them. His
eyes were probably modified as well, but the previous attack had probably damaged one of them
judging by his expression.
I've never seen your kind of mods, girl. I don't want to know how you got the cash to pay for
them. Akai said.
I don't have mods, none of that shit. Come on, is that all you got? Fight, goddamn it!
Iris lunged at Akai, her steps shattering the replica cobblestone floor of the cellar. In no time he
was struck down, his arms helpless to defend against the violent attacks of the monster. His own
cybernetic mods were keeping him alive longer than he probably wished and it took more hits than the
monster wanted to finally put an end to him.
Eventually a blow to the torso finished crushing what remained of his ribcage and his heart
ceased beating. The blood pooled around his corpse, mixed with the nano compound that oozed from
the mods in his body. A loud gunshot rung through the cellar shortly after Akai took his last breath.
Iris slowly retrieved her sword and slowly stepped inside the lab. The Obale brother laid dead in a
nightmarish looking operating table, his body completely disfigured with poorly executed amputations.

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On the floor was the corpse of Ryo, Haruna's brother, the gun in his hand smoking from the recently
fired shot into his brain.
Iris, I see you made it to the lab. Status? Dua spoke.
All three down. Just finished Akai up and Ryo shot himself. As for the Obale brother, you
don't want to know. Let's just say he's very, very dead. Couldn't be deader.
Copy that, good job. Clear out of there. Over and out. Iris listened to the static for a minute
after Dua's voice faded. She left the house through Haruna's room, the same way she arrived. Haruna's
lifeless corpse didn't arouse any feelings anymore by that point. It was all senseless brutality, that's
what she did, that's what she had to do. Iris' blade collapsed into the hilt, much like one would expect a
laser sword to do when deactivated.
The safe house was further than Iris would have liked. She tried to hide her wounds and all the
blood stains with a long coat she had left outside of Haruna's window, for just such an occasion. She
had to keep moving. That part of town was not friendly to mercenaries, much less ones that looked so
beaten up. The safe house was a small apartment almost on the edge of the sector, a good thirty
minutes of running from the Kashiwagi house.
By the time Iris unlocked the front door, most of her wounds had closed, though the pain from
Akai's attacks took notably longer to stop. She washed her body quickly and changed her clothes. It
was hard to wash the stench of gunpowder from her hair, but she had grown accustomed to it by then.
Leaving the safe house, taking the transport back to sector 7, all routine procedure. She went through
the motions without thinking about it.
The large but worn down structure she called home felt welcoming after all the elaborate
ornamentation from the Kashiwagi house. Dua bought it cheap and they repaired most of the glaring
flaws, but there was a certain charm to the abandoned industrial complex that Dua wanted to keep
around, so only a few cosmetic changes were made.
Iris dragged her tired body into the kitchen. Dua sat at the dinner table, reading some
documents. Iris groaned at the sight of the opened folders on the table, they probably meant more
work.
There you are. Took you longer than usual. Dua said.
I wanted to scrub the pain away. Guess it didn't help. Iris sat down on the table and looked
out the window into the rust-colored backyard.
There was a brief moment of silence, before Dua spoke again: Are you okay? Her voice rang

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of caution more than worry.

I'm just dandy. Sliced Haruna's head clean off, but I shouldn't have talked to her. It just
dragged on, and on, and on... Everything after I killed her, it was all just a blur, really.
Dua shook her head as she listened to Iris. She set down the document she was reading and
looked at the pale girl. Learn from this, girl. Never make things personal.
Sorry, Dua. I'm dumb. I couldn't even rescue the Obale guy, I hope we don't get in trouble for
that. Iris said, lowering her head.
Nah. It wasn't a rescue mission, his brother seems to have calmed down once I told him of the
end result. Not surprising, really. Either way, he got his revenge and it looks like things are quiet
again. Doesn't hurt we got paid, so I took the liberty of placing an order on a new fridge.
Iris smiled a little. I guess that's good, then. Anyway, I need to get some sleep. she said.
Gotcha. I'll be here, sorting out the next contracts and all that jazz. You just get some good
rest, don't worry about a thing. Dua said. She returned to reading the documents and only eyeballed
Iris when she passed by on her way to the door. Oh, one more thing.
Yeah?
I heard what Haruna said on the com. We may be monsters, Iris, but so were they.
Is that supposed to make me feel better? Iris said.
I try not to send you against innocent people, that's what I'm trying to say. I have passed on
many, many contracts because of that. You have no idea.
What's the difference anyway? Dead is dead, innocent or not. Goodnight, Dua. Iris stepped
out of the kitchen and vanished into her room.
Iris dreamed that night of a girl named Haruna and the monster that killed her.
Fin.

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