Game of Cat and Mouse

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Chapter Five: Silverclaw


“Holy fuck… I can’t believe it.” Inuyasha groaned in annoyance. His hands were in his hair as he starred at the depressing scene in front of him.

(Flashback)

Hours earlier, he had woken up in Sesshomaru’s suite again. When he realized he could freely move his limbs again, he rejoiced. His back wasn’t fully healed yet but what the hell did it matter as long as his arms and legs worked? He stuck himself to the wall and peered outside the bedroom. When he didn’t see anyone in sight and heard only the sound of his breathing, he sighed long and hard. Stealing some more grub from Sesshomaru was a tempting idea but he really had to get back home. There was rent to be paid, and that broken door too… Oh shit, and the bullet holes in the walls! He would have to get another job… that is, if the landlady would still let him stay there.

Inuyasha quickly removed the wraps around his wrists and legs and let them fall down to the floor. It wasn’t his room, so no point in being tidy. As he stretched, he heard some crackling and laughed.

“I feel like a crippled old man. But damn does it feel great good to move again!” Inuyasha felt a huge grin appear on his face. He just wasn’t the type to stay in a place for too long; he thrived for action, it was just in his nature to be physically active. Even though it had been almost 4 years since he went into hibernation, his body was still one of a top assassin. He never lost his touch, thanks to the jobs he took on to get by. Most of them were considered laborious but Inuyasha performed them with great ease. At least the skills and experience he picked up over the years made it possible for him to work longer hours, which meant he usually earned a little bit more than others. Not that it made much of a difference.

Inuyasha went into Sesshomaru’s deluxe closet and picked out a pair of baggy black pants, a black tux vest and a leather jacket. He couldn’t wear anything tight since his back was still healing. He made sure everything fit loosely on him before he entered back into the bedroom.

“Time to jet!” He reminded himself as he cracked his knuckles. He picked up the clock on the bedside desk and ingrained the time in his head—it was 4:31PM. “Alright, there should be plenty of time for me to figure out where the hell I am and sneak away.”

After throwing the device on the bed, he made his way to the exit. Good thing there were a pair of boots he could use, although they were two and a half sizes bigger. Stepping out of the suite, he found himself in a long, elegantly decorated hallway that led directly to an extravagant and likely custom-made elevator.

“The shitty bastard’s a prick AND he’s filthy rich.” Inuyasha huffed. He thrust his middle finger towards the sky as he glared up at an imaginary superior being. “Seriously, what the hell are you doing up there? Jerking off on cloud nine while the rest of us are sitting on shit? Geez.”

‘I am so coming back to rob a fortune off of him later.’

As he entered the elevator, Inuyasha tried to decide which overly shiny button to press. Let’s see… Should he press for the ground floor and risk getting questioned by security guards on duty?

…Nah, why waste time flooring the place and beating up weak cronies? Instead, he decided to go with the less tedious route—through the parking lot. Besides, getting a ride was probably a smart idea. He didn’t know where this building was, but a car wouldn’t hurt.

The elevator dinged before opening its doors to the main parking lot. Inuyasha immediately began searching for a car that he liked as he skillfully avoided the security cameras. It was so easy for him to pinpoint with absolute accuracy where the blind spots were. The building was fancy and all, but the level of security was just sad. Inuyasha almost felt a little bad. Almost.

After checking out 4 cars, he came upon a Jaguar XK Convertible. How nostalgic. He used to have one of these back in the day. Inuyasha picked up a 3 small rocks lying around and shot each of them with precision towards the lens a camera near the car, effectively destroying them. Now it was time to get friendly with his new baby. Inuyasha probed around and found 3 GPS tracking devices hidden away in the car. He uninstalled and removed them before smashing them against the asphalt ground with the boots he had ‘borrowed’ earlier.

“Your owner, oh correction: you’re former owner, must have had some stick up his hole. Seriously, three trackers?” Inuyasha jumped lightly into the convertible and slammed his knuckles hard against an area near the key slot. Wiping away the debris, he reached into the new cavity and dug out several wires of various widths, lengths, and colours. He picked out three and ripped them in half so that the metal conductors inside were visible. Connecting two of the wires brought out a bright short-lived spark, which failed to burn skin. The engine then sprang into life. Inuyasha shifted the convertible and followed the tire tracks on the parking lot ground to the exit.

Before concluding his successful escape, he drove up to a camera and kissed his middle finger before flipping it off, all the while keeping his gaze. He smirked evilly. He just couldn’t resist. There was no way. Not when he realized how satisfying it would be to finally grab a win over Sesshomaru. Too bad the cameras didn’t record sound though—Inuyasha was familiar with the model—or else he would have left a very colourful message behind for his captor, too. Oh well.

“Security must be pissing their pants right now.” Inuyasha laughed loudly as he drove away from the building. No matter which direction he went, he couldn’t recognize the area. The Jaguar has a built in LCD touch screen Navigation System, but using it would be too risky. Instead, he pulled over and asked a lovely old couple on the sidewalk for some directions, before he headed towards the direction of his apartment. They weren’t exactly the best choices, but Inuyasha didn’t want anyone to notice the hole beside the wheel. Their glasses established their presbyopia. He didn’t mind how much of his time they wasted, as long as he was able to avoid trouble. It took Inuyasha a long 2 hours to finally arrive back at his apartment, even with the Jaguar’s speed.

(End Flashback)

And now look at the disaster in front of him! There stood his home… or at least what was left of it. His apartment looked as if a plane had flown through it and dragged with it a flock of birds with uncontrollable bowel movements. Fucking hell.

No choice but to flee now. There was no way in hell the landlady was going to accept his apology.

“That. Fucking. Jerk.” Inuyasha growled through clenched teeth as he packed everything important to him (the ones that were still intact anyway) into a sports bag he had found lying around on the floor. “And. His. Stupid. Goddamn. Subordinate.” Inuyasha noticed that some of his belongings were gone and so were his guns. The landlady probably had the police over to investigate. Good thing there were people who owed him in the Japanese fuzz. They’ll make sure Inuyasha’s identity stays hidden. “I should have made him buy me more sushi. Fuck.”

The last items he stashed away were a couple of his outfits, the backup identification documents and wallet hidden in the cellar under his bed, and a water bottle. Inuyasha made sure to double check he didn’t leave anything behind, because it was unlikely he’ll ever come back. Then he ran back to the convertible, put the pedal to the metal and drove away as fast as he could. ‘Well, it was nice while it lasted.’ He thought, as the Jaguar disappeared into the horizon.

-----

“Kim, tell me everything you know about Silverclaw and his status in Korea.” Sesshomaru ordered, obviously not in the best of moods. He was now back in the conference room, addressing his men.

Rong and Jiang had, during his absence, taken the liberty to phone their men back in China and Taiwan to make necessary preparations for the mission Sesshomaru had entrusted to them earlier. As much as they wanted to discuss about Silverclaw, they knew better than to disrespect Sesshomaru by excluding him. The delegates in the room were sure that the subject of the meeting would change once their boss came back, so they decided it be wise to make way for another possible set of instructions.

If Sesshomaru had his way, he would have immediately began tracking Inuyasha down. The discovery of a clue only encouraged him more to take action. The only elevator with access to his suite had been at the parking lot floor before it arrived on the 18th floor to take Sesshomaru up. The elevator wasn’t private; it could have been used by someone else during the time Sesshomaru was in the meeting. But as most of his men were strictly instructed not to use it unless the situation was dire, he knew it must have been Inuyasha’s escape route.

Sesshomaru felt the security rooms calling out to him to pay them a visit as he had reentered elevator, but he was a commander and his men were still in the conference room waiting patiently for his return. His sudden abandonment, although uncontrollable, had not been justified. It was inappropriate action for an alpha leader such as himself; he would have to deal with his men first.

But that was partially an excuse.

In truth, Sesshomaru had the greatest shock of his life when he found out Inuyasha had run away. It had affected him more than the most fatal wound he had ever received. To say he wasn’t the slightest bit fearful of what lied in store for him in the security rooms would be a lie.

Only one thought had comforted him as he reluctantly made his way back to the conference room: he could find out more about Inuyasha and his past. Oh and yes, Kouga. Korea’s kingpin. Sesshomaru had deliberated meeting the man and offering him a partnership if the rumours of his prowess were true. But now he wanted to kill the man, just to keep him away from Inuyasha. Any probable future-contributions he could have made to Sesshomaru’s organization could not sate his rising bloodlust. He had no doubt his men would agree to his wishes.

Truly, how laughable, Sesshomaru scoffed, remembering his earlier conversation with Kim. The Korean was not worthy of Inuyasha. He did not have the ability to woo such a beauty. The iron-willed hitman deserved more than being the ‘wife’ of such an inferior. Sesshomaru wanted to kill all those who had even considered comparing this pitiful man to him.

Straight up, there was only one thing that Sesshomaru and Kouga had in common: they both had good taste.

“H-His? But Silverclaw is a woman…”

“He is a man. Answer my question.” Sesshomaru snarled crossly, as Kim’s eyes widened. That certainly came as a big surprise to him, but he was more uncomfortable with the awareness of the inaccuracy of his intelligence. He had never once, while serving Sesshomaru, made such a mistake. Had he failed his boss?

When Sesshomuaru left earlier, his mind entered a state of distress for fear he had something to upset his boss. Kim mentally slapped himself for not providing his superiors and Miroku with proper information. He could only hope that they wouldn’t start doubting his skills. The only way to revoke his embarrassment was to provide Sesshomaru with every little bit of information he had relating to man in question.

“Yes, sir! Silverclaw is considered a prize—a top catch—among the Korean mafia. But that is not to say everyone knew about him; no, only those at the very top knew of his existence. Simply knowing this entity and his worth was a sign of power. Most only know him as a top assassin with unparalleled beauty, but that does not contain the whole story. Silverclaw first rose to fame when he openly invaded headquarters and murdered the top kingpin almost a decade back.

“His target was known to have the dimensions of a gorilla, the strength of a tiger, and the prudence of a meerkat,” Kim tried to recall, “so the death of their boss came as a shock to his men, especially since the assassin appeared so small and fragile in comparison. When the hundreds of men at the scene tried to take revenge for their fallen boss, the then-delegates watched as Silverclaw spared every one of their lives. They say he just casually walked away from headquarters as he easily and elegantly blocked every bullet, dodged every swing, and countered every fist.”

“We cannot afford to have this man as an enemy. I will have my men dispose of him.” Rong suggested, hoping to ease Sesshomaru’s tension.

“You will not.” Sesshomaru hissed. Rong only frowned in disappointment; it was not his intention to upset the man further. If only Sesshomaru would reveal the entire story. Maybe then he could offer some real help.

“Who is this Silverclaw person, boss? Why you would defend him so? When he sounds so dangerous?” Jiang asked with worry washed over his face.

“We are… acquaintances.” Sesshomaru explained, as laconically as he could. In reality, he didn’t want to tell anyone about his relationship with Inuyasha. It just didn’t feel right for some reason… “He was inside this building, just hours ago.” It was a good thing he didn’t publically announce all the details of Myouga’s death. His men were simply told that he would deal with it himself, so they respected his wishes and have kept their noses away.

Nevertheless, Sesshomaru’s minor revelation had succeeded in bringing out the complete surprise now distinctly plastered on the face of his men.

“Is he a threat?” Jiang continued his inquiry.

“No. Rather, I want him as an ally. It is the least I owe him.” He sighed in frustration. Sesshomaru had known about Silverclaw, but it only recently became apparent to him just how little he actually knew. He had never bothered to learn about Inuyasha. There had not been enough time for him to do so considering the short time he’d known the man on a personal level. But that was no excuse for his negligence, nor did it stop him from feeling strangely upset at the fact that his men knew about the mysterious beauty more than he did. That is not to say he didn’t appreciate Kim’s valuable intelligence. The problem was he hadn’t requested it, like he felt he should have. The news—which reminded Sesshomaru that Inuyasha was really just full of surprises—had not been planned.

“You have a debt to this man?” Rong asked, dumbfounded.

Aware of their paramount loyalty, Sesshomaru knew that he would need to convince his men that Inuyasha was not a threat. Then he felt as if he had been drenched in cold water as he realized:

He did not see Inuyasha as a threat, but could he say the same for every other organization that knows of his existence? Silverclaw was not like most men, whose ignorance guaranteed their safety. Forgetting—or perhaps just selfishly ignoring—the assassin’s true martial prowess and undying will, Sesshomaru commanded of his men:

“Yes. Therefore I wish him no harm. As such, should any of you ever come across him, I expect you to protect him as you would me.”

“But that’s impossible, boss! He’s a mere assassin when you are—“ Koh began. Like him, the men around the table had trouble taking in their boss’s words. To them, no one was as important as their boss. But Sesshomaru understood this. He himself did not truly understand his infatuation for Inuyasha, nor could he determine whether he welcomed such peculiar, unanticipated emotions. He was, however, certain of one thing. For Inuyasha, and only him, Sesshomaru would replace his dominant rationality and logic with intuition and conscience. And there was only one way to make his men understand this.

“He is a man that I, Sesshomaru, will protect.” Sesshomaru cut Koh off with a stern look. “Do you understand?” He persistently pushed.

To this, his men could only furrow their brows in confusion and great interest. Who was this Silverclaw? They were more intrigued in his relationship with their boss than anything. For they understood their superior’s words—Silverclaw had equal or possibly higher status than them; similar to them, the mysterious assassin had been taken in by Sesshomaru and placed under his protection. The mens’ expectations of Silverclaw only grew for they trusted their boss’s decisions with the utmost confidence.

“As you wish, Sesshomaru.” Rong pledged while the others nodded in agreement.
“Kim, please do continue.” Jiang urged, speaking the words that everyone in the room wanted to say.

“Yes, sir,” Kim replied, searching his brain for every piece of information pertaining to the assassin. “As I had indicated earlier, no one but the kingpin died that night. After the incident, Silverclaw was recorded to have popped up on the mafia’s radar many times—as if he did not fear them. Everyone was out to kill him at that point—there was even a huge bounty on his head, until a very shocking discovery.”

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow.

“The kingpin’s right hand man came forth to reveal that their late boss was not who they thought he was: a cheater and a liar. He had been using the organization’s money for his own voracious desires and had murdered many of his own followers for defying him, while acting a hero as he exacted revenge for them by placing the blame on his other men. It was also confessed that the kingpin had agreed to hand over some of his top delegates to the police in exchange for money. Their boss had greatly reduced the organization’s funds and in order to keep his position and secrets hidden, he had to make up for the money.

“Before his execution, his right hand man gave the delegates the kingpin’s contact within the police, who confirmed the truth. It seems the contact was actually under Silverclaw’s instructions, for he owed the assassin a favour. The entire mafia—even those who had hated each other for years—came together to search for their liberator, determined to thank and repay him. His bounty was even increased, with the renewed intention of finding him instead of killing him. By that time, however, Silverclaw had completely disappeared.

“Not even those who excelled in gathering intelligence could find information on him. Therefore, the enigmatic Silverclaw could only go down in Korean mafia history, as someone of remarkable modesty, purity, strength, integrity, and beauty. His single act had even managed to unite and strengthen the geondal.” Kim took a moment to breathe while the party silently took everything in. When all eyes were back on him, he concluded his report:

“With the absence of a leader, it was said that anyone who could manage to get a hold of Silverclaw would rule the country as the new kingpin, with the full support of the delegates.”

“Such a man was within our reach and we did not extend our hand?” Rong asked, looking over to Sesshomaru. His boss was staring, in deep thought, at a spot on the table with a mixed expression of pride, amazement, and curiosity all at once.

“And the current kingpin wishes to court this Silverclaw?” Jiang recapped when he received only silence. No one noticed Sesshomaru’s flinch, but Jiang and Rong did notice that his expression now had the slightest hints of worry and anger mingled in.

“I won’t allow it.” All eyes were now on their boss. “He belongs to me.” Oh, let me rephrase that: all arched eyes were now on their boss.

“Silverclaw is still in Japan, I will find him before the Kingpin does.” Sesshomaru decided. His head was clearer now. “Do not worry. I will inform you should I need anything.” He felt his delegates shoulders finally relax.

“Meanwhile, I want you all to make an effort to find out anything you can about Silverclaw. Kim’s report suggests the high probability of a history within several different countries. He may have been in yours without your knowing.” Sesshomaru couldn’t stop himself—he was so intrigued. He wanted to know everything about Inuyasha. And he would need to make a better effort to make it happen.

“Seeing as how most of you did not know of his existence until today,” He continued, “I expect this task to be a rather difficult one. With that said, every little leak must be forwarded to me immediately… personally.” The tall man stood up, indicating the end of the summit.

The men followed act and bowed deeply to their boss, as Rong spoke for every ambassador and agent in the room: “You need not worry, Sesshomaru. We will begin our investigation the moment we arrive back. Until next time, please do take care.”

“Take care, sir!” A few others behind him agreed in harmony. They lifted their heads to make eye contact as they listened to Sesshomaru’s concluding remarks.

“And all of you as well. Do excuse me for not being able to escort you out myself. There is something of utmost importance that I must do.” Proper procedures specified that he be the first to leave the room, but Sesshomaru didn’t want to waste any more time. “Will you permit my subordinate, Miroku, to take my place instead?” Sesshomaru nodded towards his attentive subordinate, who deftly responded:

“Please allow me the honour to escort you to your aides. They are ready to retrieve you downstairs.” He bowed his head humbly to the delegates before motioning his hand toward the doors.

“Lead the way, Miroku.” Jiang insisted, the first to follow Miroku, who was the first to leave the room.

As Rong, the last to leave along with Sesshomaru, closed the doors for his boss, he whispered, “May I look forward to seeing Silverclaw’s hands in yours in the near future?” He grinned teasingly at his boss while he hid his hands in his sleeves in deference.

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow as he looked down at the Chinese man. “And if I were to consent?”

“Then I will be nothing less than supportive, my dear friend. You know how strongly I disapprove of the countless nymphos you’ve taken in. It is as clear as the night of the new moon how different your opinion of the assassin is, compared to them. I believe the man deserves respect, simply because I respect you. Therefore if all goes well, I, along with the rest of your men, will give it to him accordingly.” Rong replied with a smile. He certainly liked what he heard about Silverclaw. If the man was as talented as rumoured, then he was happy for his self-proclaimed brother. Having no one capable beside Sesshomaru in Japan had always been a concern of Rong’s, since the man needed him in China. Sure, there was Miroku, but he could not lead.

“Then you have my consent, Rong.” Sesshomaru replied. Rong knew his boss well enough to recognize that when he took the effort to say someone’s name, it meant he was impressed. “But I must find him first.”

Rong hoped to meet Silverclaw himself one day.

When they reached the set of elevators, the group branched off into two. When theirs arrived, the delegates gave a final bow to their boss—to which Sesshomaru responded to with a small nod—before making their way to their vehicles parked outside the building entrance on the ground floor. Their aides would take them back safely to their individual hotels.

Sesshomaru entered his own elevator. He was also going down, but not so far as the ground floor. He needed to get to the security rooms and run the footage recorded by the cameras installed in the main parking lot. Hopefully, somewhere within, the silvery butterfly that had escaped his grasp could be found again.


-----


The surroundings cars were beeping and leaving a trail of mini-clouds behind them when a lone figure came out of a slick, jet black vehicle with one way windows. As he closed the door behind him, two other men in dark, slack suits came up beside him, having parked their motorcycles some place nearby.

“Kouga, are you sure about this?” One of the two was heard asking the masculine man with long midnight-coloured hair tied back in a perfect ponytail by a long golden-braided rope with traditional red Chinese decorative knots. He moved his long fingers up to his handsome face to pull his expensive Gucci sunglasses away. His shiny bangs did a curtailed dance across his clear temple as he did so.

“Of course, Hakkaku. I can’t wait to see how he’ll react when he sees me again.” He laughed as he slid the shades into his charcoal Eisenhower jacket pocket and deeply inhaled the full flavour of downtown Tokyo.

“But we’ve been searching Japan for three days and there’s still no sign of him!” The third man cried, flustered by the lack of results of a certain something.

“No… You’ve been searching for three days. I,” he emphasized through his voice, “am just starting. Now let’s go, Ginta. We’ll go grab a bite to eat first.” Kouga smirked at his aides. The vicious determination in their boss’s eyes told Hakkaku and Ginta that it was no use convincing him anymore. They had been all up for the search for Silverclaw, knowing how favorable his presence would be in Korea, until Kouga revealed that the assassin was actually a man the minute they arrived in Japan.

Kouga stuffed his left hand in his jeans while he walked down the sidewalk. His two escorts caught up with him in a matter of seconds.

“But it’s been years, how do you know he hasn’t changed?” Ginta questioned.

“Yeah, what if he changed his appearance? Or worse, he’s lost all his skills? And there’s also the possibility that he’s dea—“ Hakkaku continued his partner’s train of thought, before he was abruptly interrupted.

“One, you guys don’t know shit, don’t know how motherfucking gorgeous he is. That ain’t something one can change easily. Two, there’s no way he could lose his skills. I’ve seen what he can do and it’s not something you just forget. And three, that’s impossible, so don’t even mention it.” Kouga warned sharply.

“Well, I hope we made the right choice coming here. We can’t have what happened in Korea happen here, too.” Hakkaku remembered back to a year ago when Kouga began his search for his ‘wife’. He had been rising in fame and his reputation was increasing in Korea. But all of the sudden, his boss started acting strange. It turned out he had spotted someone whose face was very similar to Silverclaw’s, forcing Kouga to remember their history together. He really believed the person was Silverclaw and pursued the imposter tirelessly. Kouga had already lost a fortune trying to court the sly, promiscuous fake before he realized he had made a mistake. And how had he figured out the truth?

A dream. A dream full of nostalgia.

The first time he had met the assassin was about a decade back, just when he was about to enter college. Of course, he never did end up choosing the academic path, because his father had been killed around that time. He had insouciantly met Silverclaw in a pet shop a month earlier when he had wanted to buy a Husky, while the other man was in the process of purchasing a Spitz.

They quickly became friends with the help of their dogs. Kouga was thankful to his dog because Silverclaw was so mesmerizing that he would have really regretted it if they hadn’t hit it off so easily. He especially loved the black tattoo that outlined a Ulysses Butterfly behind the man’s right ear. When the devastating news of his father reached him, Kouga took the next immediate train ride back home. Sil or Silver, which was what he ended up calling the assassin, ended up going with him to the funeral. His presence helped Kouga maintain a calm façade in front of his relatives. But still, Kouga couldn’t help feeling miserable and angry. He had always told his father to quit working with the mafia. It only happened once, but he did cry; and like a total baby, too. It was then that Silver said his last words to Kouga:

“Don’t cry anymore, Kouga. Your old man wouldn’t want to see you like this.” Kouga had just clung tightly to his friend’s clothes and sobbed into his chest, occasionally muttering ‘fuck the bastard who killed him’. Sighing, Silver patted his back gently.

“Alright, Kouga, listen carefully. How’s about we make a deal? I’ll avenge your father if you make sure this kinda shit doesn’t happen to anyone else ever again.”

“What do you mean?” Kouga backed away slowly, trying to regain his composure. He didn’t think he heard right. He figured he was probably freaking Silver out—I mean, he usually gave off the persona of a strong man, so it probably surprised his friend when he appeared to him like this.

“Man up, Kouga. I’m asking you if you got what it takes.” Silver replied with a stern face. Kouga, in a state of incoherence, could only agree to his friend’s demands. During the next few days he stayed at his family household, he noticed Silver disappearing a lot. One time, when he had went out to buy more incense, he saw his friend coming out of a police station. When Silver told him nothing was wrong, Kouga foolishly believed him. Soon the two were on the train again, on their way back home. What Kouga didn’t expect was his friend disappearing on him when he, having been under great stress and fatigue, took a long nap. He assumed Silver had gotten off on an earlier stop for his own business. After all, they have been away from home for almost a week. It wouldn’t be strange if he had something urgent to do because of his sudden absence.

When Kouga had arrived back home, the first thing he did was fall onto his bed and enter REM sleep. The long nap had not been enough to neutralize a whole week’s worth of headaches. He didn’t even bother reading the letters in his mailbox, but he deeply regretted not doing this the next morning. Among the load, there was an envelope from Silver. Inside was a two thousand grand check and a short letter:

‘Hey Crybaby,

You better not be drunk when you’re reading this.
Can you look after Kiwi for me? I left him in the pet shop where I bought him—the place where we first met. Hippo likes Kiwi, so I won’t worry. Just make sure they don’t hump each other 24/7. Seriously.

I need to leave now. I’ve taken care of your family’s problems.
Just remember your part of the deal. Don’t fuck up, ok?

Silver’

That was the last time Kouga ever heard from the man. Immediately after he finished reading the letter, he got a call from his mother who told him between tearful laughs of joy that everything was going to be okay. The true murderer of his father had been revealed and killed by an assassin, as reported by the anchorman in the news channel. His family’s debt that accumulated after his father died had been repaid. His mother found this out when she had went to the bank earlier that day. She also discovered a whooping five million in her account, which she ended up using to save and expand the dying family business. When she questioned the staff there, she was only given a card with a picture of a butterfly on it.

And that same Ulysses Butterfly couldn’t be found behind the fraud’s right ear. Kouga had been so excited seeing Silver again that he had forgotten about the tattoo. Of course, there were signs—like how their memories didn’t match—but Kouga didn’t want to doubt the man he fell in love with. Despite discovering Silver’s true identity when he moved back to the family household and took over the business for her mother, Kouga couldn’t deny that he had fallen in love at first sight with the famous assassin—he had just been in denial.

He was sure the dream was a sign telling him he needed to find the real Silverclaw. And here he was, convinced that Silverclaw was in Japan.

As the three men entered the somewhat crowded café, the scents of cinnamon, confectionaries, tea and a fresh batch of coffee engulfed their noses. A soft relaxing tune was also being played. They sat themselves on a large round table near the door as Kouga instructed Ginta what to buy. When his subordinate left for the counter, he and Hakkaku continued their conversation.

“Don’t worry, it won’t happen again. I know what to look for.” Kouga reassured his companion. He promised to himself and to his love that he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. It would only insult the real Silver, and that was something he could not tolerate.

“That’ll only work if you actually find the person, boss.” Hakkaku sighed. Was this really going to work?

“I will. No doubt about it.”

“Remember we’re on a schedu—ah!“ Ginta tried to say when all of the sudden, he felt a push on his back, causing him to lose balance. The contents he dropped would have ruined Kouga’s clothes if someone hadn’t caught them in time.

“Whoa! Careful kid,” the man smirked at Ginta as he lay in a most awkward position on the floor, “You might want to get up before someone tramples you over. Here.” He placed the coffee and sandwiches on the table in front of Kouga as the Kingpin glared at Ginta for his clumsy and totally avoidable mistake.

But when Kouga looked up at the stranger to thank him and apologize for the trouble, he found himself holding his breathe. There, right in front of him, stood another Silverclaw. The splitting image, in a sexy loose, black outfit. In the café. With him.

Shit.

‘Fuck, you better not be playing with me.’ Kouga screamed in his head when he finally managed to exhale harshly. It was very unlikely, but he had come to the country promising to take every possible chance. He had to find out if the man—who now had turned his back to him and was walking towards the counter to place his order—was who he had been looking for. He could only hope it was, because his heart had never thumped this hard before. Not even with the imposter. If the back of the man he was staring at with the most intense eyes right now was not Silverclaw, he’d definitely be ridden with guilt. Kicking his own ass wasn’t exactly something he enjoyed doing.

Kouga told his two aides to stay put as he walked away and arrived at the counter to the right of the man.

“Sorry for earlier, can I get you a cup of coffee?” Kouga asked, completely masking the shakiness and anxiety in his voice as he took out his wallet.

“Er, sure? You don’t need to though. I just thought it’d be pretty sad if your nice clothes were ruined.” The man laughed and Kouga’s heart sang at the top of its lungs and reached for the heavens. Damn, this guy is way too similar to Silverclaw. But Kouga held himself back for there were still some suspicious details:

He had bandages around his chest and Kouga could see the very inconspicuous blood stains at the corners. Silver would never let that happen to him. His hair was very similar, but longer than Kouga remembered. His feet were also a lot bigger than Silver’s—and shoe sizes don’t change all that much over the years.

“No, I want to, so please let me buy you a cup.”

“Alright, then a French Vanilla. I prefer not to drink coffee.”

Just like the Silver he knew, who loved the scent of French vanilla more than anything. If it was a warm drink, it had to be French vanilla… Could it be?

While the two waited for their order, Kouga decided to take the initiative. He had to find out whether the handsome man in from of him was really who he had been searching for.

“Hey, there’s something in your hair. Can I take it out for you?” Kouga asked as casually as he could.

“Shit, really?” He cursed, as he looked away and muttered under his breath, “Did that bastard put something in my hair?!”

Desperate to know whether he would be hunted down later or not, he replied to Kouga as he positioned himself, “Please do.”

Kouga could feel the goosebumps on his skin as he reached for the man’s right ear. He quickly brushed the hair aside and pulled his ear forward. Detecting Kouga’s deceit, the man suddenly covered his right ear as he pulled away and stared back at him with his stunning golden orbs.

“What are you doing?” He demanded. But Kouga couldn’t answer right now.

Within the split second the hidden spot was exposed, Kouga had clearly seen what he had been looking for. There was no mistaking it. The man had a small but skillfully drawn Ulyssus Butterfly tattooed behind his baby soft right ear.

“Silverclaw…” A mere whisper.

Inuyasha panicked and backed away. ‘Fuck, how did he find me this fast?’ He was about to bolt when he was pulled roughly into a bear bug.

“Silver, it’s me. Oh god, it’s really you…“

“What the fuck are you talking about, let me go!” Inuyasha hissed. The stress along with the tight hug was putting more pressure on his back—the only area that still hadn’t completely healed. Did Sesshomaru tell this guy about that, too? Shit!

Noticing the amount of unwanted attention they were attracting, Kouga murmured ever so softly, “Sil, calm down, please.” Inuyasha froze at the familiar name and his eyes widened. No fucking way.

“K-Kouga?”

Okay, that proved it. This was definitely the Silver of his past. The Korean smiled and buried his face in Inuyasha’s hair as he took in his first love’s memorable scent.

“Hey, answer me!” Inuyasha gently pushed the man away, to get a better look at him.

“Yeah, Sil, it’s me. Kiwi misses you.”

“Holy shit, it’s really you.” Inuyasha covered his mouth as golden met onyx. “What the hell are you doing here, Kouga? Damn… I…” He furrowed his brows as he tried his best to find his voice again. But Inuyasha really had no idea what to say.

So he just stupidly followed Kouga’s pace.

“H-How’s Hippo?” He managed to breathe out.

Kouga threw his head back as he laughed loudly with his right hand covering his temple. His left hand did not leave Inuyasha’s shoulders. He hadn’t yet realized that he was subconsciously telling himself not to let this man go. Not ever again.

Then Kouga did the one thing he had been dying to do the very moment he laid eyes on Inuyasha:

He bent and passionately kissed his supple lips hungrily and roughly, devouring every corner of Inuyasha’s cute mouth.



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In reality, this chapter only contained a part of Silverclaw's past, haha.
Such a long chapter and I still couldn't include everything. They will have to be revealed slowly throughout the story.

Anyways, please review if you enjoyed the new chapter! They inspire me to continue writing!!
Thank you for all the support so far!

See you next time!