Chapter Text
The tall man entered the room; the doors closed behind him, and he dropped to his knees, bowing his head. Before him stood a desk with a large computer and scattered papers; a man was typing while simultaneously scribbling notes on various sheets surrounding him. Upon noticing his subordinate's presence, he sighed and rose from his chair.
"I hope everything went according to plan." His voice betrayed no anger; it was calm and composed, yet carried a note of expectation.
"Yes, Master—exactly as you asked. I hope it yields the results you desire." His voice was deep and melancholic, yet tinged with hope. "Perfect. I knew I could count on you for this; I am very proud." He stepped closer to the man kneeling before him and patted his head, watching the other’s composure waver slightly. "Now, go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, I will reveal the second phase of the plan. Good night, Pillar."
As the shorter man stepped back, the other stood up and quickly left the room; once the door finally clicked shut, the so-called Master walked back to his chair.
"Good night, Gyomei."
Walking the streets—now out of uniform, his injuries concealed, and without that massive dagger strapped to his back—he looked like an ordinary, simple man. He wore loose-fitting clothes that obscured his features and carried a retractable cane—a special touch; he didn't actually need it, but he found it interesting to have with him.
Despite his somewhat intimidating physique—broad shoulders, muscular arms, and powerful legs—his angelic, tearful expression helped mask his true intentions in the city. It wasn't very late, but thunder rumbled in the clouds, threatening a storm. As he walked, he heard shrill, slurred laughter drifting from a street off his usual route; he hesitated for a moment but acted on impulse when he heard a meow, immediately heading toward the sound.
As he drew closer, the smell of alcohol grew stronger—unpleasant to his senses—and the laughter became clearer; the voices didn't belong to people much younger than himself. The meows, however, had shifted into a sort of distressed whimpering, which deeply concerned him.
Upon reaching the spot, he grasped the situation: a group of youths—likely drunk—were tormenting and hurting a litter of kittens. His blood boiled; cats are pure, innocent, gentle, and mysterious creatures. Any human who dared to harm a tiny, defenseless kitten deserved a slow, painful punishment. Gyomei would ensure they got it, heedless of the raindrops falling upon him.
As he slowly approached, some of the youths noticed his presence. "Hey, big guy? You lost? Get moving!" Himejima didn't stop; he took a few more steps until he was face-to-face with one of them—he estimated there were three or four youths in total. They needed to learn a lesson. "Hey! Didn't you hear me? You high or something? Looking for a fight?"
Gyomei delivered a violent punch to the face of that insolent, motherfucking punk. The others around them screamed, and some scattered and ran, though one stayed behind; the towering man didn't even bother to chase after the ones who fled. "Cruel kids meet cruel fates; if you value your life, get out of here—you and your little friend." The boy shouted and dragged the other away, leaving behind only Gyomei and a box filled with cold, frightened kittens.
"Poor babies... it’s okay, everything will be alright."
He walked over to the box and couldn't hold back his tears upon finding so many tiny kittens; some growled, while others moved toward him, climbing up his legs and meowing for help. Tears streamed down his face as he gathered all the little felines inside the small box.
The rain, previously calm and gentle, was now pouring down violently. Desperate to protect the animals, he took off his jacket and placed it over the box; the cardboard was already soaked and on the verge of collapsing. Unable to recall any nearby shelters, he finally decided to take the box home and figure out what to do later.
As he lifted the box into his arms, he heard approaching footsteps. Those youths had been too reckless to call the police, so he assumed it was someone who had heard the commotion and come to check it out—or perhaps one of the delinquents had returned, or even the kittens' owner coming to retrieve them.
"Excuse me, is everything alright over there?"
The voice sounded male and likely belonged to someone his own age; there was no aggression or wariness in it—just genuine curiosity. "Yes, just sorting a few things out," he replied indifferently, though the sadness of knowing so many cats had been abandoned gave his voice a melancholy tone. In a matter of A moment later, a tiny, furry head popped out of the box, meowing loudly, while its siblings tried to do the same.
"Aw, man! Such cute kittens! Are they all yours?" The man stepped closer—exactly what Himejima didn't want. Before he knew it, they were standing side by side, and the man was gently poking the kitten's little face. "I found them here; it's raining, and they must be cold." Gyomei only realized the raindrops had stopped hitting his head after he finished speaking; the man was carrying an umbrella and had kindly shielded the dark-haired man. Judging by how easily he did it, he was clearly a very tall person, too. "That’s really cool of you. Hey, if you want, I can give you a lift to a shelter around here."
Yeah, right—as if Gyomei Himejima, the Pillar agent, would agree to get into a car with a guy he’d met five minutes ago, just because of some cats.
The leather seat was soft; it was definitely a high-end car. Since they were under cover, he was able to put his jacket back on, and the man turned on the heater, which helped dry both them and the little animals.
"So... not to pry, but I noticed your knuckles are a bit banged up—they're actually bleeding. If you need help..." Gyomei shook his head. "Just a workplace accident." It was a curt, dry response. Sensing the other man's aloofness, the car's owner turned on the radio. In Himejima's opinion, the guy had pretty crude and explicit taste in music, but he couldn't really complain—after all, he should have refused the ride in the first place. He stepped out as soon as the car stopped, but was caught off guard when he couldn't recognize the surroundings; his mind drew a blank. It seemed he really did need that damn cane—which he had forgotten. He paced back and forth, looking lost, until he felt a tap on his shoulder. "You dropped this back there, and I figured you'd need it."
For the first time that night, they stood face-to-face. The man could finally see Himejima’s tear-streaked face; despite a shiver running down his spine, he took the object and ignored the sensation.
"So... are you blind, or...?"
"Yes, I am completely blind in both eyes. Thank you for holding onto it for me." He held the cane in one hand and the box in the other, finally feeling a bit more steady. The two entered the building together and spoke to a woman, who said she would call a veterinarian to check the kittens before getting them settled. They sat on some chairs in the back and "unpacked" the cats.
They played with the kittens, and while the nameless driver was quite vocal about how cute they were, Gyomei remained silent—until they looked at each other again and he realized the other man was breaking down in tears. "Are you okay!? Are you allergic, or is there some trauma?" He gestured nervously while the dark-haired man wiped away his tears—a futile effort, as he couldn't seem to stop crying.
"No, no, I just... cats are cute—too cute for my heart to handle." The other man chuckled, picked up a very fluffy, noisy black cat with blue eyes, and handed it to Himejima. "By the way, I think I should introduce myself. I'm... Tengen Uzui." Silence hung in the air as Gyomei continued playing with the feline. "Um... nice to meet you?" An awkward silence hung between them for a moment.
"You don't know who I am?"
"Should I?"
"Well... what's your name?"
Before he could answer, the woman returned and called them over to hand over the animals; however, the dark-haired man seemed a bit attached to the one in his lap. "Do you want to keep him?" The man—Tengen—was carrying the box with the other cats, while Himejima held that specific one.
"Unfortunately, I can't; my job doesn't leave me enough time to take care of even a goldfish, though I really would like to have him." Uzui handed the box to the veterinarian and then took the feline from the other man's hands. "What name would you give him?" Tengen didn't hand over the little kitten; instead, he comforted it, gently stroking its small ears.
"Zekka—I'd call him Zekka. I think it's a beautiful name." He finished speaking and headed toward the exit. "You're leaving already? I can give you a ride home." The other man raised his hand and shook his head. "No, thank you; your generosity was already more than enough." He waved goodbye one last time and stepped out of the shop. "Wait! Don't go out in this rain!"
He ran up to Gyomei and handed him an umbrella; Himejima smiled sweetly at him and offered his thanks before finally leaving. It was only when the other man was already miles away that Tengen realized he hadn't mentioned his own name.
"What an... extravagant man! I wonder if I'll ever see him again... Zekka... I think it's time for me to adopt a cat."
"Tengen... that name sounds familiar. It doesn't matter, but... why was he so attached to me?"
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