Lee Kaeun. The Reaper. 26. A Firefly.



Miyawaki Sakura. 21. In Pieces, In Peace.





"If I were to pray for one thing, it would be for more time. Just a second I would pause, just another minute to exhaust."

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Don't Fear The Reaper.
Chapter 11: A Death In The Family.

In memory of my late mother, who left this world early into the publishing of this fic.
She taught me that death is not good enough of an excuse for you to stop doing good in this world.

 

She hates it.

 

How the middle-aged housewife next door continues to water her plants in the evenings like clockwork. How it continues to rain heavily at least twice a week right as she was considering to do her laundry. How her fat cat continues to wait by the entrance for someone else other than her to walk in through the front door.

 

She hates it.

 

How the grass she passes by on her way to work continues to grow. How the clouds she walks under continues to drift aimlessly in the wind. How the bus was always 5 minutes late on Thursdays, and how she always forgets to plan ahead to accommodate for the time.

 

She hates it.

 

How life continues to go on without Kaeun.

 

Sakura can still feel her. She’s alive and well, in memories and the odd trinkets she discovers lying about her apartment. There was a bent paperclip on the study table that Kaeun left after using it to remove the sim card from her new iPhone. There was that hairbrush on the dresser that still had strands of Kaeun’s hair stuck to it. There was that striped scarf Kaeun had loaned her that still smelled like her girlfriend....

 

Kaeun was alive.

 

She was.

 

She just...just wasn’t...

 

 

.

 

 

There she goes crying again. One would think that Sakura would be out of tears by now. It’s been several days. Weeks. Months? Sakura can’t even remember anymore. It’s been a blur. An entire lifetime could have passed by for all she knew. She didn’t care anymore. It was as if she became automated, going to work and eating like it’s a routine. 

 

There was no more joy in her life.

 

No more love.

 

Her heart is an empty, dark room with it’s doors screwed shut and barred.

 

The love of her life is gone.

 

The death of the Red Roses’ Reaper makes the news the day after Sakura learns of it, and it almost overshadows the fall of the third crime family. The metaphorical boogeyman is gone from under the bed of children. People can walk the streets at night knowing there is one less crime family and one less Reaper. Everyone was safe. Everyone was happy. It made Sakura sick to the stomach, but she knew she couldn’t blame them. It was understandable for them rejoice over the death of the Reaper.

 

She remembers passing by a newsstand the next day, with Lee Kaeun’s name printed on the front page. They were still unable to get a proper picture of the woman to accompany the news article regarding “A New Life of Peace for Korea”. It was still weird, seeing her girlfriend’s name printed on a newspaper, and she remembers paying for said newspaper even as the articles broke her heart because she just wanted another piece of Kaeun with her.

 

Another piece to hold.

 

Another reminder.

 

She cries while sifting through the pages that night, breaking down to pieces and wishing she could just...be taken away from all of this. She was cursed. Everyone she’s ever loved has died. Her parents, her uncle, her girlfriend...Sakura was a menace. Maybe she was born to be alone. Maybe she didn’t deserve to be loved.

 

And that was when she heard her doorbell ring.

 

Sakura stays curled up on her carpet, and that was when Yuri uses the extra key she has to allow her and Yena into the apartment.

 

That was when Sakura is reminded that she wasn’t alone.

 

It appears Yena finally understands; finally realises Kaeun’s true identity. The girl lays down beside Sakura and wordlessly holds the shaking Japanese girl in her arms as their tears intermingle in the carpet underneath them. Yuri joins in soon after, and Sakura does not know how long they stayed there like that but they did. They stayed. Yuri and Yena did not go anywhere, and for that Sakura owes them her life.

 

Sakura tries to go on with her daily routine as usual, but it was like re-learning how to walk. Baby steps, they tell her. She falls into a routine of classes in the day, work at the pet store in the evenings, and doing absolutely everything she could to occupy the tiny spaces of time in between so that she didn’t have room to think. To ponder. To reflect. To yearn.

 

3 days pass by, and Sakura is doing fine. Not good, but fine. More days pass, and things don’t seem to be getting any better but she was still surviving.

 

“What’s that?” Yuri asks one day, pointing to a piece of cardstock paper Sakura had haphazardly thrown onto her dining table shortly after reading it the day before.

 

“An invitation, or something.” Sakura answers, unbothered and uninterested, which in turn spurs on Yuri’s curiosity instead.

 

“Oh? Is someone getting married? Someone we know?”

 

Sakura shakes her head, still not caring enough to even look in the direction of the invitation. “No. Not marriage.”

 

Yuri usually wasn’t one to pry but Sakura’s dismissive attitude served to heighten the girl’s curiosity, so she reached out for the card on the table with one eye on Sakura to see if her friend would react and sure enough the Japanese girl visibly tensed but made no effort to stop her.

 

She brought the card up to her face, and her eyes widened as she slowly read through the contents. Her head snapped to Sakura who was still making a conscious effort to look at everywhere else but at Yuri and the invitation she held in her hands. 

 

“Kkura—“

 

“No.”

 

“But—“

 

“No. I am not going.” Sakura stands up to head towards her kitchen area, which given the limited confines of her living space really wasn’t too far away from where Yuri was still sitting.

 

“It’s Kaeun.” Yuri insists, but Sakura just grumbled and shook her head.

 

“It’s not the way I want to remember her.”

 

Yuri was about to say a few choice words to try to convince her friend otherwise, but Sakura cuts her off before she was even afforded the opportunity.

 

“—Kaeun-unnie is kind. She’s warm. She’s like sunshine in a bottle. The person they are burying is a Reaper, betrayed by her own family. I won’t step anywhere near that organization. I don’t need to attend her funeral to pay my respects.”

 

Yuri looks down to the invitation card in her hand, sent by the Red Roses to one Miyawaki Sakura, with the details of Lee Kaeun’s funeral procession written on it. Yuri wonders why they sent the invite by letter. Maybe it was traditional mafia procedures. Maybe Sakura has been ignoring their messages.

 

“Can you live with that decision?” Yuri asks softly, trying to make sure Sakura does not do something she would regret.

 

“I hate them.” Sakura hisses out through her teeth. after a moment of prolonged silence.

 

“Are you going to allow your hate for them to cloud your love for Kaeun...?” Yuri asks again, and she takes Sakura’s continued silence as a request to drop the subject. Yuri does so but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from her friend, who was currently pretending to rummage through her empty refrigerator while subtly wiping her tears away on her sleeve.

 

 

******

 

She tells herself that she did not want to be here. That she hated these people, and wanted nothing to do with them. These were the people that betrayed her girlfriend, and she suspects that it will be extremely difficult for her to attend the entire procession without being hostile towards her surroundings.

 

They were all very obviously in mourning. She’s heard from Hyewon and Nako about how Yunjin was ordered by the higher ups to eliminate Kaeun once the former Reaper had taken out all opposing forces, and how none of the other Roses knew of the protégé’s hidden task. Sakura had doubted it then, how such an important mission could be kept a secret but looking at the mass of quivering shoulders clad in black she was starting to believe it.

 

....There were a lot of them.

 

Obviously more than the Gwangju branch itself. Some looked as if they came from other parts of Asia, some looked completely foreign but they were all here to pay respects to the fallen Reaper.

 

It made Sakura sick. 

 

Look at all these people who supposedly cared about her girlfriend. Where were they when Kaeun was shot in the back? How can they show up here, tears flowing down their cheeks, mourning the death of a woman that they killed themselves?

 

Sakura was about to turn to leave, but the sight of one thing made her stay. The sight of one person made her lose all flames of anger and vengeance.

 

Kwon Eunbi. The leader of the Red Roses’ Gwangju branch.

 

Except she did not look like the esteemed and dignified leader that Sakura knew her to be. Eunbi was on her knees by the casket, wailing and crying her heart out for the sister she’s lost. The Roses gave her space, all except Hitomi who was by the leader’s side, rubbing soothing circles into her back. There was so much genuine pain and anguish, that Sakura had to believe that Eunbi must not have known about the assassination plan.

 

Sakura watches as they lower Kaeun’s casket into the grave, watches as they shower the site with rose petals of the most brilliant shades of red, watches with disconnected fascination as the entire ceremony ends. It felt surreal.

 

They have buried her girlfriend. 

 

There were no tears in her eyes, just a feeling of complete numbness that seemed to resonate from deep down in her core. She feels nothing as the Roses walk past her as they slowly begin to disperse, some barely acknowledging her presence while others offered curt, sympathetic nods.

 

Sakura feels a light squeeze on her shoulder and she looks to see Minju there, hair a brilliant shade of pink which contrasted with the black of her suit. Sakura was not close to the Capo. They barely talked to each other, but Minju was regarding her with so much anguish in her eyes, as if the Rose knew of the pain Sakura was currently feeling. As if she could empathise with the loss.

 

“I’m sorry for your pain, Sakura-unnie.”

 

Such simple words.

 

Yet, they were enough to cause the floodgates to open and before she knew it she was caught up in Minju’s embrace, staining the latter’s suit with her tears. Minju allows her to do so, as the reality finally hits the Japanese girl that her girlfriend was actually gone. The love of her life. The reason the sun shone brighter and more brilliantly than it ever has. They just finished burying that sun 6 feet under. 

 

A couple more hands find their way around her frail, shaking figure until a small group hug was formed. For a moment, Sakura forgot all about her hate for the crime family.

 

In that moment, they were simply mourning the loss of one of their own.

 

 

 

****************************************

 

 

Several weeks go by.

 

A timeframe that was the quietest and dullest period of life she had ever been forced to go through. Almost as if someone had come and taken all the colour out of her world, the skies were in monochrome and the sun was blindingly silent. Still, Gwangju remained the same.

 

Sakura was in the midst of closing up her shop when a chime at the door takes her attention away from the fishtank she had just been diligently scrubbing away at. Sakura frowns as she sees men and women clad in the familiar red and black ensemble file into her store, approximately 7 in all and blocking the only way in and out of the unit. 

 

What did the Roses want with her this time, and why did they send so many people? Surely it wasn’t to kill her? If that were the case, Sakura was slightly honored that they went through the trouble of getting this many people to do the deed. Only one of them would have been enough.

 

With all her heart, Sakura could say with full certainty that she did not fear death, for there was nothing left for her in this mortal world. She was at the end of her education, and she worked a low-paying job at a pet store in a tiny mall. You could count the people that would miss her on one hand, and even then they would probably get over it eventually.

 

Everybody dies in time. Sakura wouldn’t be mad if this was hers.

 

The sea of black suits part in the middle, and from the gap in walks a tall figure. There was confidence in her stride. Purposeful and strong, and it was a gait that Sakura knew very well. Sakura may be ready to die, but she might have to raise a few objections if it were to be at these hands.

 

“You’re not welcome here. Get lost.” 

 

Heo Yunjin was undeterred by Sakura’s words, doing the complete opposite and instead continued walking towards the cherry blossom.

 

“I am under orders.”

 

Sakura drops the rag she had been using to clean the fish tank and places both hands on her hips in what she assumes would be considered as a threatening manner. 

 

“What? Gonna kill me too? Go ahead then. Be done with it. Either kill me or get the out of my shop.”

 

“Watch your tongue, Miyawaki Sakura.” Yunjin warns, straightening out so that she is standing at her full height. A full head taller than Sakura, and despite her hatred for the younger girl the cherry blossom had to admit that it cut an intimidating image.

 

Yunjin looked as if the past few weeks have aged her several years. There were heavy bags underneath the girl’s eyes, and her features looked gaunt, almost skeletal. It was obvious that her transition into being the new Reaper was not a smooth one but Sakura no longer had compassion in her heart for the younger girl. 

 

Just a month ago, Sakura would have fretted and worried about the younger girl whom she loved as a sister. 

 

A lot can change in as little as a month.

 

“Watch my tongue or what, Heo Yunjin? You gonna shoot me? Do it then! Or would you rather I turn around?! It’s much easier for you to shoot people when their backs are turned to you is it not?!”

 

The insinuation touched an obvious nerve as Yunjin gritted her teeth and hissed out her reply with a waning composure.

 

“I’ll have you know my aim is true regardless of how you’re positioned.”

 

“Well ain’t that nice? I’m very proud of you.”

 

The sarcasm in Sakura’s tone of voice appeared to be the last straw as it caused Yunjin to draw her gun from her holster. “Would you like to give it a try right now?”

 

The act was lightning quick. Sakura didn’t blink yet she still managed to miss it somehow. The next thing she knew she had an extremely familiar silver gun pointed between her eyes, but it didn’t even occur to her to be scared for even a second. There was no room for fear in her, as her entire being was occupied by a burning rage that threatened to boil over at the sight of that weapon being wielded by her girlfriend’s killer.

 

“You don’t deserve to touch her gun.” Sakura spat, going against common instinct and moving closer to the weapon instead of backing away from it.

 

Yunjin shrugged casually, content with managing to anger Sakura to this extent. “It’s expected of the Reaper to have only the best weapons in her arsenal.”

 

Sakura scoffed, taking brave steps forward until she’s casually walked past the gun that Yunjin has pointed out at her and entered into the taller girl’s personal space. 

 

“You can take her gun. You can take her title, but you will never, NEVER be her.”

 

The edges of Yunjin’s lips curve up into a smirk that screamed of a dare. “You’re right. I’ll be better than her.”

 

“It’s too early in the day to be dreaming, Yunjin. You’re not even fit to lace her boots.”

 

“I murdered her, did I not?”

 

SMACK!

 

In a rush of movement, 7 guns were pointed at Sakura who had just slapped their new Reaper flush across the latter’s face. Yunjin’s eyes were wide in disbelief whereas Sakura herself paid no attention to the firearms being pointed to her and the insinuation of danger they carried. Her eyes were fixed solely on the young girl in front of her. This disappointment. 

 

This monster.

 

“What happened to you? How can you just stand there with a smile on your face after you’ve taken away the woman I love? Your own teacher and sister? Where has your humanity gone?”

 

Yunjin seemed to hesitate, and for the shadow of an instance Sakura saw something flicker in the younger girl’s eyes. Something barely recognisable but absolutely undeniable in it’s nature. Doubt. The armor of confidence the new Reaper wore had a chink in it and it was made visible for one microcosm of a second.

 

How peculiar.

 

“...I abandoned it.” Yunjin answers finally, sounding robotic and not as boastful as she did earlier.

 

There was something more to this, Sakura could infer, but she didn’t want to stick around to unravel whatever mystery this girl would bring to the table. The very sight of her girlfriend’s murderer sickened Sakura.

 

“What do you want, Yunjin?” Sakura asks with an air of finality. She sees Yunjin hesitate again, hears the latter let out a long exhale as she lowers the silver gun back into it’s holster.

 

“Eunbi-unnie wants you to come into the headquarters.”

 

“Screw Eunbi.” Sakura replies almost immediately, a trigger reflex upon hearing the leader’s name.

 

“She would like to talk to you.” Yunjin insists but a disinterested Sakura had already begun walking away to resume cleaning the tank she had been tending too before these men in suits barged onto the premises. 

 

“I have nothing to say to her. Nothing to say to all of you. The Red Roses can burn in hell for all I care. In fact, please do.” The numerous guns being pointed at her by Yunjin’s lackeys weren’t even fazing the Japanese girl at this point. Perhaps there was something to gain from spending half a year dating the most feared woman in South Korea. Nothing much was able to shake her.

 

“You would want to hear this. It’s important.”

 

Sakura scoffed. “I’m sure I could come up with at least 5 things more important than whatever it is you—“

 

“It’s regarding Kaeun-unnie’s will.”

 

The cleaning rag slips from Sakura’s lax fingers as her eyes grow wide in surprise.

 

A will.

 

Lee Kaeun’s...her girlfriend’s last wishes...

 

“...Leave.” Sakura requests with a small voice, barely audible but clearly heard by Yunjin who nods once without question, her job completed.

 

“Take your time. When you’re ready, call us using this phone and we will send someone over to pick you up. There’s only one number on it.” 

 

An iPhone is placed onto the cashier counter by Yunjin before the younger girl commands her followers to evacuate the premises with a sharp upwards nod. Yunjin’s voice was oddly gentle, and her departure was unexpectedly peaceful. It was confusing for Sakura. The new Reaper came into her shop with all the air and pretentiousness of someone who had just risen to power, but as Sakura watches Yunjin’s back walking away in the distance, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that her girlfriend’s killer seemed a lot more...

 

...a lot more reserved.

 

Maybe Yunjin wasn’t ready for her new role. Sakura laughed to herself at the thought.

 

Was she feeling sympathetic towards her lover’s murderer?

 

How preposterous. Absurd.

 

Her gaze travels towards the wooden counter, and the phone resting atop of it. She bears nothing but animosity towards the Roses, but a part of her questions if her hatred for the crime family can outweigh her love and loyalty for Kaeun.

 

 

********************************

 

 

The Red Roses Headquarters was as sparklingly clean as she remembered it to be. Sakura still finds it unbelievable that the center for Gwangju’s sole crime family, the apex of all mischief and illicit activities, was situated in one of the poshest, most opulent buildings located smack dab in the heart of the city. Prying eyes could very easily deduce the nature of the building, but still the Red Roses were unperturbed.

 

It just goes to show just how deep the roots travel. Just how much the government is involved in the crime families. This whole ing town was rotten.

 

As the man in the perfectly pressed red suit that drove her to this building drives off with a curt nod, Sakura comes to terms with the fact that there wasn’t much choice for her now that she’s come all the way here. No time for second guessing. She straightens her back and walks with as much confidence she could muster through the unassuming lobby area, where the path is blocked off by two metal detectors that one would expect to find at an airport.

 

Sakura raises an eyebrow, and the sharply dressed man standing by the machine gestures for her to place her belongings onto the conveyor belt to be scanned. Removing all electronic devices, Sakura wonders briefly if water bottles were allowed through this security check.

 

The man nods once he’s satisfied that Sakura wasn’t carrying any weapons on her person, and gestures for the cherry blossom to continue walking on, and Sakura really would like to do so except there was one tiny problem.

 

“You have my phone.”

 

The male security guard along with the other two security personnel situated there regarded Sakura’s question with frustrating nonchalance.

 

“Communication devices of any kind are not allowed to be brought past the main lobby.” One of the other guards, a female with blonde hair, informs with barely concealed pride. It appears they take much pleasure in this, for some weird reason.

 

Sakura stares back at the woman while wearing the most incredulous expression on her face.

 

“That’s ridiculous.”

 

The woman shrugs simply, an act that was probably highly unprofessional and against protocol but Sakura was beginning to think that these people were not legitimate security personnel in the first place. Probably some ruffians amongst the Roses who took this job for the sole benefit of being able to bully people in this way.

 

“You may collect it here as you exit the premises. We apologise for the inconvenience.” The third guard jeers, not sounding apologetic in the slightest.

 

Sakura was losing her patience, and she damn well was not going to be walking around in this building without communication access to the outside world. What if something were to happen to her? How would she inform Yuri and Yena? She wouldn’t be able to call for help. She needed her phone. Moving into enemy territory without it was not an option. It was at this moment she regretted leaving the other phone the Roses had given her behind.

 

“Then I’m exiting the premises now. Give me back my phone.” Sakura demands, realising that this whole trip was a waste of time.

 

The three security personnel almost burst out into laughter upon hearing her attempt at being firm and commanding. They weren’t going to give her phone back, were they? What would they do? Sell it? Have fun getting anything of value in exchange for her crappy old Samsung.

 

Did she have to throw hands to get it back? Admittedly she hasn’t been in the right frame of mind as of late. A completely sane Sakura that has gotten enough sleep would’ve been able to talk the situation down before it escalated. A Sakura that is sleep-deprived, furious and still in the process of mourning her dead girlfriend was very much ready to pick a fight with three armed individuals who were bigger and taller than her.

 

“Sakura-unnie. Is that you?”

 

All heads turn to see a tall, auburn-haired girl walking towards them. Dressed in regular street clothes and a new hair colour, Sakura barely recognised the girl but despite herself she couldn’t help but feel a little relieved at the sight of a familiar face.

 

“Ah. Minju.” Sakura acknowledges as the younger girl smiles gently in reply. Sensing no animosity from the Japanese girl, Minju steps closer and inserts herself into the situation with graceful ease.

 

“What seems to be the problem here?”

 

“They took my phone. Said they’d only give it back when I leave, so I’ve decided to leave.” Sakura tried very hard to make it sound as if she wasn’t whining or complaining, but her exasperation must have broken the cool facade she tried to keep up anyways. Minju looked between Sakura and the security personnel while biting her lip in thought.

 

It was cute.

 

Inappropriately so. Sakura would kick herself if she was that flexible.

 

“It’s okay. Give her phone back to her.” Minju said finally, much to the surprise of everyone present.

 

“But Minju-ssi—“

 

“Please.” 

 

It was a soft request. Gentle, but even so a sudden cold chill ran up Sakura’s spine and it was obvious she wasn’t alone as all three security guards seemed to stand a little straighter after Minju’s single-worded reply. The man standing closest to them was starting to sweat profusely as he did a shaky salute.

 

“Y-Yes ma’am.” 

 

What followed was a series of rushed actions as Sakura’s phone was passed along between the security guards like a hot potato before it ended up safely within it’s owner’s hands. Sakura looked towards Minju who wore a soft smile that seemed to scream of gratitude, which was a harsh juxtaposition to the sheer terror being displayed by the three guards.

 

It was weird, but it reminded Sakura that Minju was not just a run-of-the-mill member of this organisation. Despite her sweet and demure appearance Minju was still the Gwangju branch’s Capo, ranked directly underneath the organisation’s Enforcers.

 

Sakura couldn’t believe that she’s let her guard down in this building. They may appear nice, but they’re still the same people that betrayed Kaeun. 

 

Pocketing her phone and taking her bag, Sakura begins walking away and distancing herself from the security who were almost literally soiling themselves in fear. She didn’t know why they all feared Minju, and she wasn’t planning on sticking around to find out.

 

Only Minju seemed to have other plans, as she seemed adamant on sticking to Sakura. The Japanese girl could only walk so far with the Capo following so closely behind her before she had to break the awkward silence that had seemed to settle between them.

 

“I’m not thanking you for helping me out. It was a bogus system to begin with.”

 

A soft giggle could be heard coming from somewhere behind her, signaling that Minju had heard her. It was a girlish sound. Innocent and pure, something that Sakura wasn’t expecting to find in this hell-hole.

 

“I’m not expecting a thank you, so we’re good on that.” 

 

Sakura had to resist the urge to look back at the girl, as well as the urge to smile. Minju’s reply was cheeky enough to make Sakura momentarily forget the anger she had been feeling for awhile now.

 

They continued walking in relative silence. This lobby was far too big. So much wasted space. 

 

“...It’s nice to see you back here.” Minju’s soft voice cuts through the air again. It was an odd thing to say. Sakura hasn’t even spent that much time here before.

 

“Don’t get used to it.”

 

Silence once again, and Sakura has finally come to terms with the fact that she had absolutely no idea where she was walking to. She was too proud to admit it earlier, but if Minju was going to keep following her around in circles she might as well save herself the embarrassment of getting called out on being lost sooner rather than later.

 

Sakura finally stopped and turned around and based on the slight raising of her eyebrows, Minju was not expecting the sudden action. “Could you show me how to get to your leader’s office? Or lair? Or dungeon? Wherever it is she’s controlling the scenes from now?”

 

Minju takes a moment to recover, before that gentle smile found it’s way back onto her face. “It’s still the same office. We’re on the right track. Just take that elevator and head to the 17th floor.”

 

Sakura looked in the direction Minju was pointing at and nodded. It was still a ways away. Why was this lobby so darn big?!

 

“You going to be tailing me all the way?”

 

Minju shrugged. “I might as well.”

 

It was odd, but Sakura resumed her walking anyways despite her suspicions of Minju’s intentions. Was the Capo under orders? Was this Eunbi’s way of keeping Sakura monitored? Was Minju going to pull out her gun on her the minute they get into the elevator? So many scenarios, each more dramatic than the next played through Sakura’s mind and before she realised it her finger was already on the control panel, calling an elevator down.

 

Minju politely allows Sakura to enter first, stepping aside to give the latter all the space she needs before she steps in as well. 

 

Sakura stood awkwardly in place, feeling as if the elevator was moving a little too slowly as far as elevators go. Did she willingly step into a trap? How was she going to get herself out of this? She hears Minju’s uneasy shuffling from somewhere off to the side, mimicking Sakura’s own awkwardness.

 

“....She was a kind woman, Sakura-unnie.”

 

“Stop.” Sakura replies, quick as a whip and nearly as sharp. She wasn’t going to give Minju the satisfaction of doing this.

 

“Don’t give me any of that. I don’t want to hear it. Not from you, not from any of you Roses. I have no tolerance for people who would betray their own family members.”

 

Sakura’s scathing reply was met with silence from the Capo, and it was then that the Japanese girl realises the elevator had not moved in the last few minutes. Minju must have rigged it earlier when she pressed the buttons, so the cherry blossom could only wait it out to see what the auburn-haired girl’s intentions were.

 

“Neither do we.” Minju replies finally, and it was with a voice so quiet that Sakura was sure she would’ve missed it if the enclosed space surrounding them had not been so deafeningly silent. She waits for Minju to elaborate, and elaborate she did.

 

“What Yunjin did...it’s something unforgivable. I don’t think anyone else here would have done it. All that for a promotion...” Minju trails off, before chuckling softly to herself.

 

“...Well, I probably shouldn’t be talking badly of her. She outranks me now.” 

 

Sakura takes the time to study the younger girl’s features. To really look at Minju’s face and as she did so Sakura felt as if she was staring at an art piece of some kind, with a canvas painted on using only the brightest of colours but applied by a paintbrush in despair. Kim Minju was absurdly pretty. Almost prettier than—

 

....There was also a deep sadness there. Behind those eyes that seemed to capture a thousand stars. It made Sakura curious. Kim Minju raised more questions than Sakura would have thought possible. 

 

She watches Minju move towards the elevator’s control panel, observes as the Capo presses that big red button that allows the elevator to move again and Sakura realises her time with this girl was fast coming to an end. There wasn’t much time left to satiate her curiosities.

 

“How did you end up as a Capo, Minju? You don’t seem like the rest of them.” Sakura finds herself asking, and the question surprises Minju just as much as it surprises the one asking it.

 

The girl in question laughs lightly. “Why? Because I’m timid?”

 

“Because you’re gentle.” Sakura corrects, although she doesn’t deny Minju’s first guess.

 

Minju shrugs weakly, a small smile appearing on her face. “People listen to me. I guess. Also I’m pretty handy with a sniper.”

 

Humility. Something Sakura wouldn’t expect coming from one of the highest ranking members of South Korea’s largest crime organisation. Maybe all this while she had been too caught up in her sweeping generalisations of the Red Roses family. There were good eggs mixed in as well. Of course there were. Her girlfriend was one of them.

 

But they were two very different people, Kaeun and Minju. One seemed to be aloof and confident, whereas Minju was quiet and reserved. Sakura’s brain starts to wander as to where their similarities may lie.

 

“Have you ever thought of leaving the organisation, Minju?”

 

Minju appeared to be slightly taken aback by the random question, as she should be. It was a ridiculously invasive question and Sakura really did not have the right to ask something so personal but what’s done is done. The surprising thing was that Minju actually appeared to be contemplating the question instead of brushing her off for being rude.

 

“And where would I go...? This is the only life I know.”

 

Minju looked genuinely stumped. The answer coaxes Sakura’s lips into the smallest of smiles.

 

“Funny.” Sakura chuckles. Strange coincidences. “That’s exactly what she said as well.”

 

The elevator dings to signal their arrival while Minju processes Sakura’s words, but the Japanese girl raises a hand to the Capo as she steps out of the door. 

 

“I can find my way from here. Thank you.”

 

Minju is caught between following her orders and tailing Sakura, and giving the older girl the luxury and freedom to roam the halls freely. It didn’t take her long to come to a decision however, and she awkwardly nods to Sakura.

 

“I’ll...see you around, unnie.”

 

Around.

 

Sakura highly doubts that, but she finds herself nodding back right before the elevator doors close and Minju disappears from her sight.

 

 

 

******************

 

 

Sakura navigates through the more familiar area with considerable ease. It comes in waves, the memories of being guided through these halls by Kaeun. The way the older woman would just...

 

The way Kaeun would pretend as if giving Sakura a tour of the building was an absolute chore but she went out of her way to describe EVERYTHING with exceptional detail, not skipping out on...

 

She remembers Kaeun leaning against that exact wall while the latter waited for her to finish up in the...

 

They had their first kiss in this building.

 

.

 

Sakura misses her so much.

 

She just....it was insane. Insane just how much she yearned for Kaeun to be here with her. The walls just screamed her girlfriend’s name and ing hell now she’s leaning against the wall crying her bloody eyes out when she was supposed to be meeting Eunbi in her office which is RIGHT THERE! It was only a few feet away and Sakura couldn’t even keep herself together long enough go get this whole ing thing over and done with. She slides to the floor, and is thankful that there was nobody around to witness this spectacle she was making.

 

She gives herself time. She allows the sorrow to completely ebb away out of her system before she picks the pieces of her heart off the floor and collects herself enough to stand back up. 

 

She was here for one thing and one thing only. Kaeun’s will. She could do this.

 

Sakura approaches the heavy double doors, takes a deep breath and gently knocks on it. The doors swing open almost immediately, causing Sakura to jump back in surprise. From where she stood, the doorway perfectly framed Kwon Eunbi in all her leader-ish glory, sitting behind a heavy wooden desk with several piles of paper cluttering the surface of it.

 

It looked like a mess. 

 

The entire office was a mess.

 

Not the sight Sakura was expecting, but she took it in stride anyways, walking into the space with trepidation. This was the Gwangju branch’s leader after all. The person that was to take care of Kaeun, and instead her girlfriend was shot in the back. Under Eunbi’s watch. Her paranoia was warranted.

 

“Please. Take a seat.” Eunbi says as Sakura approaches the desk, and Sakura wordlessly obeys.

 

The large room looked as if a tornado had flown in and flung everything around that was not heavy or securely bolted down. There was a broken lamp chucked into a dark corner as well as important-looking documents strewn about the floor and furnishings.

 

“This office has seen better days.” Sakura notes with a grand understatement, causing Eunbi to laugh weakly.

 

“So has this leader.”

 

Sakura takes in Eunbi’s appearance, and she immediately understands what the leader meant. If the office looked unkempt, the person as to which the office belonged to looked almost unrecognisable. Kwon Eunbi had dark circles under her eyes and her cheeks were sunken and gaunt. Gone was the charismatic and powerful image that the leader used to strike into the hearts of those who bore witness to her greatness.

 

In her stead was a weary, beaten down and almost broken woman. One who had lost a precious family member. Sakura was sure she herself did not look any better, but Eunbi’s appearance was upsetting. It was painful to see someone so strong look so fragile and weak.

 

“How have you been holding up?” Eunbi asks in a motherly tone. It catches Sakura off guard, and she has to remind herself that this was enemy territory and the leader of said territory was sitting right in front of her seperated by about 3 and a half feet of wooden table.

 

“...I haven’t.” Sakura replies curtly, a little colder than she probably intended to. Eunbi only nods in understanding.

 

If there was anyone who could understand, it would probably be Eunbi anyways. Sakura looks up into the woman’s warm gaze.

 

“How about you?” Sakura asks, figuring that it was only polite for her to return the question.

 

Instead of immediately answering, Eunbi only shakes her head and it was an action that spoke louder than anything else the leader could have done. 

 

“I miss her. Everyday. I’m not sure if I took it for granted or not, seeing her walking around the building with that stupid grin on her face like she owned the world. Now I just...” the leader pauses, clearing up as her words struggled to clear. “...I just want my sister back.”

 

A single tear runs down Eunbi’s cheek, and that seemed to be the catalyst for everything as the leader’s entire body trembled and shook. Kwon Eunbi started to babble and cut herself off mid sentence and it was fascinating for Sakura to watch the collected leader crumble to pieces before her very eyes.

 

“When I saw—when I heard that Yunjin had—had assassinated Kaeun under my father’s orders...I just—“ Eunbi seemed lost for words so instead she began gesturing wildly in the air to describe her emotions but the point never got across. Maybe there was never a point to begin with. Eunbi sighed, wiping her tears on the back of her sleeve looking absolutely spent.

 

“I tried to kill her y’know. Yunjin, that is. I threw her down and pressed my gun right between her eyes but I just...I couldn’t do it.” 

 

That catches Sakura’s attention. 

 

“You did?”

 

A strained laugh leaves Eunbi, airy and hoarse. “Yeah. Ironic isn’t it? We’ve been killing people under orders our whole lives, but we can’t accept it when it happens to us.”

 

Sakura fails to see the same humor in the irony, so she stays mum and allows Eunbi to collect herself enough to continue talking. It takes a moment, but eventually the leader’s tears cease from falling and her voice eventually steadied.

 

“I’m sorry, Sakura.”

 

The person in question tilts her head in confusion. She studies Eunbi’s face, sees the guilt wracking the leader’s features and comes to the conclusion that this was something Eunbi has been meaning to say for awhile now. 

 

“For...?” Sakura asks dumbly, not giving Eunbi the easy way out of this. She was going to make the older woman explain herself and her actions.

 

Eunbi swallowed thickly, realising Sakura’s game and how she had little choice but to play it.

 

“I...I should have known they wouldn’t let her go easily. I should have guessed that they would tie up loose ends, but how could I have ever predicted that Yunjin would actually go through with the order?”

 

Sakura regards Eunbi’s words with narrowing eyes and increasing doubt.

 

“Are you really sorry though?”

 

“Of course I am!” Eunbi shouts, flabbergasted that Sakura would even imply otherwise but the Japanese girl has had weeks to come to her own conclusions. Weeks of her darkest thoughts playing scenarios and whispering reasonings as to why her girlfriend had to die. Sakura searched for an explanation as to how the Red Roses could betray someone they supposedly loved so dearly but her heart couldn’t come up with any justifiable answers.

 

Only questions. Questions that haunt her at night.

 

“Then why?! Why did you send her out to die?! You say she’s your sister? Who sends their own flesh and blood to their death?! That whole impossible mission was a load of !” Sakura didn’t mean to yell but her emotions and frustrations were getting the best of her.

 

“It was the only way she could have left this family! It was the only way out for her!” Eunbi retorts, voice equally as loud and a hint of anger creeping into her tone as a result of Sakura’s insinuation.

 

“Some way out that turned out to be! She is DEAD Eunbi! My girlfriend! The love of my life is DEAD because of your stupid family politics!” Sakura was crying again, the tears spilling freely and at the sight of it all earlier anger vanished from Eunbi’s body.

 

The leader sighed, fishing out a box of tissues from somewhere on her mess of a table and hands it over to the sniffling Japanese girl who wordlessly accepted it.

 

“....Like I said, it was my miscalculation. I...did not expect my father to pull such a move from under my nose.” 

 

“ your familia.” Sakura spat with so much venom that if words could hurt, Eunbi would be lying in a pool of blood in this office. “I’m an orphan but even I could tell you that family members don’t shoot other family members just because some bigshot told them to.”

 

“You’re right.” Eunbi admits, much to Sakura’s surprise. “Maybe Kaeun had the right idea in wanting to leave. This is a hostile environment, justified only by the fact that we’re the ones who won the war. This conversation wouldn’t be taking place if we had lost.”

 

This wasn’t easy for either of them. Sakura knew that. A large part of her felt guilty about using Eunbi as a punching bag and venting out her anger on the leader but it was hard not to. She’s spent weeks wallowing in grief with nobody but Yuri and Yena to comfort her, she just...now that the face of the organisation that betrayed her girlfriend was in front of her, how could she just walk away without at least letting all these feelings out?

 

“Now. Let’s go over the main reason why you’re here then, shall we?” Eunbi suggests upon seeing that Sakura has calmed down a fair amount.

 

“You mean I’m not here just to see what a mess you’ve become since you lot killed my girlfriend?” Sakura replies snarkily but it lacked the edge and venom her previous jabs possessed. 

 

“I miss that. That snarky sense of humour. Nobody else here talks to me like that anymore.” Eunbi pauses, possibly to reminisce about the previous smartass that used to roam these halls. “...It’s refreshing.”

 

A soft smile tugs at the corners of Sakura’s lips, one that mirrored Eunbi’s. They were two heartbroken women in mourning. Two women who had a similarly-shaped hole in their hearts. Although their standings in life were at polar opposite ends of the proverbial chart, they had their love for Kaeun in common.

 

Eunbi was probably the only person who could understand Sakura’s pain.

 

“So here.” Eunbi began, pulling out a scrunched up letter from her desk drawer. It had Kaeun’s familiar tidy scrawl on it and Sakura’s heart leaped out of her chest. Did it...did the paper still smell of Kaeun’s perfume as well? 

 

Eunbi takes one glance to Sakura to ensure the girl was paying attention, before she began reading aloud the letter’s contents. “...and in the highly likely event that I do not make it out of this—and I quote—ing headache of a mission. I, Lee Kaeun, daughter of an upstanding plumber and a mediocre insurance sales agent hereby bequeath my final salary to the love of my life Miyawaki Sakura.”

 

“I’m not taking it.” Sakura says almost immediately, which causes Eunbi to raise an eyebrow at her.

 

“It’s in her will. My task is to make sure you get it. Do what you want with it, it’s already been transferred into your account.”

 

“It’s blood money.”

 

“It’s Kaeun’s blood. I’d much rather her money go to you then have it being used for other purposes by the Roses.”

 

It was hard to deny that. As much as Sakura did not want to accept such an (assumably) exorbitant amount of money that came as a result of Kaeun’s death, the adverse option was definitely not an option at all. 

 

“There’s more.” Eunbi says and Sakura nods to show that she was all ears.

 

“...in addition to that, I’ll leave another ₩200 million to Miyawaki Sakura’s ugly cat. Transferable to it’s owner if she so chooses to do so, and I highly recommend she does because what the is a cat supposed to do with 200k USD?”

 

Sakura chuckles in disbelief and Eunbi’s smile was a mile wide. That idiot. Only that idiot would leave that much money to a cat. 

 

...Maru-chan misses Kaeun as well.

 

“Is that all?” Sakura asks and Eunbi shakes her head.

 

“Not quite. There’s a sealed letter addressed to you, and one last thing.”

 

“This is a lot.” Sakura laughs lightly as Eunbi hands a sealed envelope to the former, who pockets it for a later time.

 

“She genuinely loved you. From the bottom of her heart. She would’ve given you the world if it was hers to give.”

 

Eunbi rolls her chair backwards towards the large painting overlooking her entire office and she fiddles with a few knobs embedded into the painting’s frame. Like a James Bond cliche the painting swings open on a hinge to reveal a heavy safe. As Eunbi punches in the code into a control panel, Sakura wonders if this was something she should even be seeing. 

 

Eunbi was being weirdly casual about her hidden safe.

 

The safe opens, revealing bars made of solid gold and envelopes that undoubtedly contained secrets that could topple an empire somewhere. To Sakura’s confusion the thing that Eunbi withdraws from the safe was a medium-sized wooden box, reminiscent of a cigar box.

 

“Here. She wanted you to have this after she...after she retires.” Eunbi states as she presents the box to Sakura. The Japanese girl had absolutely no clue what this box could contain.

 

“Open it.” Eunbi urges with an expectant smile, and Sakura grasps the lid with shaky hands. She doesn’t know why she was so nervous, but Eunbi being so excited just seemed to further agitate her. What could it possibly be, to make the leader of the Red Roses this giddy?

 

With doubt and nerves wracking her body, Sakura removes the box’s lid and gasps in surprise at what she sees nestled within the wooden confines, held perfectly in place with thick foam to ensure it doesn’t get rattled around as the box is moved around.

 

It was Kaeun’s gun. Polished silver, with ornate etchings carved into the metal barrel and grip. There was no doubt about it. She’s seen this very weapon placed onto her nightstand whenever Kaeun used to come over, and as a matter of fact Sakura has even had this gun pointed to her a few days ago by the Reaper’s own protégé and murderer.

 

“Wha—but isn’t this—isn’t this supposed to be with Yunjin?!” Sakura sputters, looking up at Eunbi for answers who readily provides them.

 

“Yunjin willingly surrendered it the moment she discovered that it was meant to be yours, much to our collective surprise. The R&D team have been working towards making her a new one but as of right now...this gun is one of a kind.”

 

So Yunjin gave up this gun that she had previously been brandishing with so much sickening pride. It was difficult to believe, but the fact of the matter is Kaeun’s gun was right in front of her almost literally giftwrapped for her. She had no choice but to believe it.

 

Gingerly, Sakura reached into the shallow box to pick the gun up, all the while not quite knowing how a gun should be properly picked up. Was there an etiquette involved? Some kind of procedure? The last time Sakura held a gun...

 

...she apparently didn’t do much with it but still there was something about this particular one. The way the office lighting seemed to gleam off it’s finished surface, the intricate details of the etchings inscribed into the gun creating elegant swirling patterns all over the barrel...

 

“Keres.” 

 

Sakura takes her eyes off the gun in her hands to offer Eunbi an inquisitive look.

 

“...That’s what it’s named. My brother Jiyong rewarded Kaeun with this gun after a particularly gruelling mission when she was only 15 years old, and it’s been with her all these years. She...she died with this gun by her side.” Eunbi finishes her explanation, and Sakura’s eyes fall back onto the weapon that fit a little too perfectly into her hands. 

 

Keres.

 

From Greek Mythology. 

 

It’s the name belonging to the Goddesses that signified violent death.

 

How morbidly appropriate.

 

“...It’s heavy.” Sakura says finally, not knowing what else to say.

 

Eunbi only smiles warmly at her, almost motherly. Sakura doesn’t remember her own mother all that well but she could imagine that she would smile just like this. “It should be. It’s a tool for murder.”

 

“...What do I do with it?”

 

“Keep it. To remember her by. Keres was the only thing she could rely on until you came along. I think it’s appropriate that you would be it’s final owner.”

 

Sakura nods, gently placing it back into the box but not quite ready to take her eyes off of if. It was beautiful. Elegant, yet if one were to look close enough there were flaws in the edges of the perfection. It had obviously seen much use and abuse, but it was still an undeniably beautiful piece of work. It reminded Sakura of Kaeun, to be honest.

 

“You don’t need to worry about using it. From now until the end of time or until it is no longer within my power to do so, I promise as the heir to the Red Roses Empire that you and your future generations will be under our protection. No harm shall befall you and/or your brethren. That includes Choi Yena and Jo Yuri as well.”

 

Sakura nods again, understanding just how far Eunbi is stretching to try and make amends. They were nothing but verbal promises, but something about the timbre of the leader’s voice makes Sakura want to believe in Eunbi. That the leader would not let her down.

 

“Thank you, Eunbi-unnie.” 

 

They both knew that Sakura’s gratitude was for more than just the offer of protection, but it need not be said. It was an understanding between them. As Sakura pushes her chair back and began to stand up, Eunbi hurriedly reaches into her own pocket and slaps an object onto the top of Keres’ box.

 

“Please. Contact me if you need anything. Keep this phone on you at all times.” 

 

Looking down, Sakura sees a brand new phone, similar to the one Yunjin had given her earlier. The one that she had left at home. Sakura couldn’t help but be amused.

 

“Y’all are pretty generous with the phones, aren’t you?”

 

“We need a lot of burner phones. There’s an Apple store in the stockroom. This one though....has my own personal phone number stored inside it.” 

 

Eunbi smiled weakly, as if she was unsure if all of this was enough. As if the leader felt that there was something more she could have done to atone for her sins but she just couldn’t figure out what, although she has already done a lot. Eunbi has already gone through enough.

 

Sakura places the box and phone and letter and everything else she received down onto the table and walks around it to approach Eunbi, who’s eyes grow wide in caution that quickly transforms into surprise when Sakura pulls the older woman into a warm embrace.

 

By the way Eunbi seems to tense up into the touch, Sakura wonders when was the last time the leader had been hugged like this. Who would be allowed to do so? Kaeun? Or that doctor that Sakura has heard tales of from her girlfriend? It takes a moment and a few soothing rubs along Eunbi’s back for the leader to finally relax into the embrace, letting her guard down and resting her chin on Sakura’s shoulder as she hugs the girl back.

 

“I forgive you.”

 

Eunbi is silent for a long moment, and Sakura doesn’t mind it. She knows the older woman heard her. She was very much okay with just standing here, hugging the surprisingly soft leader, until the person in her arms started to tremble and Sakura’s shoulder was wet with something warm. The latter resumes rubbing soothing circles into Eunbi’s back, telling the leader that it was okay to cry. Sakura understood her pain.

 

“....T-Thank you. That means more than you know.” Eunbi’s voice came muffled and weak. Sakura had no idea how long she spent in that office with Eunbi, collecting pieces of their fragmented hearts and trying to join them back together to see if they could make something that even barely resembled the figure of the woman that’s left this world. 

 

By the time she’s in the limo on the way back to her house, the sun had long since set. Kaeun’s sealed letter lay in her hands, with Sakura fiddling with the seams as she contemplated reading it. 

 

Coming to a decision, Sakura reaches up to turn the reading lights on and gingerly tore along the edges of the sealed seam, trying her best to not accidentally tear the contents.

 

To: The Love of My Life.

 

Kaeun’s handwriting was instantly recognisable, and just the sight of it along with the realisation that the hand that crafted such delicate penmanship was no longer of this world clamped a vice around Sakura’s heart. Blinking back the tears before they spilled and stained the letter, Sakura quickly unfolded it to read the rest of the letter before her emotions crippled her.

 

“So uh...hey. If you’re reading this, I guess that means I must have died. Bummer, huh? , it’s weird to write this from the perspective of a dead person. Did I at least go out looking cool? I hope you know I write a new letter to you everytime I survive the last ridiculous mission they throw at me, just so that this thing is up to date.

 

Well, in the last mission...I lost an eye. It’s okay though, it wasn’t my favourite one anyways. So...yeah. I hope you’re doing good. I hope Eunbi and Yunjin take good care of you after my passing. I....I’m sorry.

 

All those beautiful, sweet things I promised I would do with you...I guess I wasn’t able to do it in the end. I want to tell you that this is not your fault, so don’t go blaming yourself for my death. It was bound to happen anyways. I’m just glad I managed to die after meeting you. After I managed to LOVE you and BE LOVED by you. God, it’s the craziest, most wonderful thing.

 

You taught me that the world was a far bigger place than I thought it was. Thank you for teaching me about life. For teaching me how to love. Gosh, you taught me so much, and I’ll forever be indebted to you. I’m not one to live with regret but I regret not taking you to that stupidly fancy Italian restaurant you wanted to eat at. I regret not holding the door open for you that Tuesday when you had your hands full of groceries, so you had to struggle on your own.

 

...I regret not getting down on one knee for you while I had the chance. 

 

We’ve only dated for half a year, but I live a fast paced life. Every minute counts. I just ran out of minutes, I guess.

 

Chin up sunshine. The skies are still clear. Go out and play, and have the time of your life.

 

I will always love you, Miyawaki Sakura.

 

 

— Lee Kaeun.”

 

 

Sakura cries. She cries so hard she couldn’t even see what was in front of her. She hugged that piece of paper as close and as tightly to her chest as she possibly could without tearing it in half and it was still not enough. Her body ached for Kaeun. She yearned for her girlfriend but she was gone. Kaeun was gone. Every fiber of her being missed Kaeun. How incredible it was, for a human being to miss something she could not have this much.

 

She would never be whole. She would never be the same ever again. 

 

This life has broken her. Her heart was in a million pieces.

 

A million, shiny, glittering pieces. Like fine stardust. 

 

 

 

 

**********************************

 

 

 

Sakura continues working her job selling ornamental fish at the mall. It was more out of habit and having nothing else better to do, than an actual need for money. She didn’t require financial support any longer. Not after Kaeun bequeathed her final salary to the girl; a very healthy sum that approached the 3 million USD mark. It was an understandably high sum, given what was required of Kaeun to accomplish in that final mission.

 

She was now absolutely filthy rich, but she didn’t really feel like it. You probably wouldn’t catch her blowing through stacks of cash in the mall anytime soon. Nothing much has changed in her life over the past 3 months except for the numbers in her bank account. She still attended classes in the day, and worked at the mall in the evenings. 

 

She was still the same girl she was 3 months ago.

 

Only on one brilliant day during the beginning of those aforementioned 3 months, Sakura decides to head to what appears to be the only shooting range within reasonable distance of her to take Keres out for a walk. She doesn’t know why but for some reason having Keres left in her care felt similar to Kaeun leaving her a pet dog. It just felt wrong to leave the silver pistol in it’s wooden box so on an absolute whim she decides to learn how to shoot it.

 

Sakura remembers how she had showed the gun to the elderly man working the counter that day and seeing his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets at the mere sight of Keres. He spent a full 10 minutes doing nothing but looking between Sakura and the gun while the latter stood awkwardly waiting for him to do anything other than freaking out and trying to draw conclusions as to how this scrawny Japanese girl managed to acquire the Reaper’s legendary weapon. Perhaps she should have been more worried about him questioning her as to why she possessed a personal firearm without a license, but being in possession of the Reaper’s gun seemed to bypass certain parts of the law.

 

She never provided an explanation as to how Keres came to be in her possession, and thankfully he never asked for one. He did however, ask her if she was aware of how valuable Keres was to collectors and gun enthusiasts. Sakura had casually replied by asking if he was intending to steal it from her, and she swears she had never before seen a man cower in fear just from her asking a simple question.

 

“To steal the Reaper’s scythe would be to wage war against the entire country”, he had answered quite ominously. Perhaps there was more to Keres than Sakura knew.

 

So Sakura asked the old man to tell her stories about the Reaper and Keres, and he happily obliged. He told her tales that seemed incredibly far fetched on first listen but he told them with so much conviction and passion that she listened anyways, albeit with a pinch of salt. Maybe Kaeun really did slay a two headed dragon with a single bullet that pierced through both heads. The woman was always doing unbelievable things anyways.

 

He decides to teach her how to tame Keres. How to shoot the most notorious gun within the crime circle, and Sakura gets the hang of it decently quickly. Not fast enough to be considered a prodigy, but it only took two sessions for her to consistently hit the paper target instead of missing it completely. The Old Man, who wants to be only referred to as Uncle Lee, commends her skill but warns her of only one thing:

 

To not press the button located just past the trigger.

 

Of course Sakura being the absolute idiot that she is decides to do exactly as she is told NOT to do and presses the button anyways.

 

....and that is how Miyawaki Sakura accidentally discovers the Reaper Shot, and how she spends the rest of those 3 months wearing a cast around her hand.

 

The grotesque recoil from Keres’ signature ability almost instantaneously creates hairline fractures in Sakura’s entire arm, with the worst of it centered around her weak wrist. She wasn’t able to even use chopsticks for a month and a half, and now as she enters her 5th month of being a multimillionaire Sakura takes special care to never let her finger wander close to that demonic button ever again.

 

It becomes a hobby now. She’s back at the shooting range as soon as she’s healed and begins to find the joy in shooting Keres. She learns through experimenting with other guns just how perfect Keres was. It functioned like a dream. Almost instinctual. It was no wonder Yunjin called it the best gun in the Red Roses arsenal. Frankly, Uncle Lee’s allowed her to test out the priciest handgun in the shop and it still felt clunky and unwieldy when compared to Keres.

 

It’s been 5 months since she’s inherited Keres, and she was starting to become a gun enthusiast. Even in death, Lee Kaeun finds ways to occupy Sakura’s attention.

 

“You’re getting really good at that.” 

 

Sakura jumps in fright upon hearing the random disembodied voice, almost sending her next shot straight into the ceiling.

 

“Holy—Yul don’t sneak up on me like that!”

 

Yuri shrugs from where she is seated on a nearby couch, not even a shred of guilt on her features. “Not really capable of sneaking. Besides, I’ve been here for the past—“ the law student checks her Patek Philippe watch (an extravagant gift from Sakura, because what’s the point of being rich if you don’t splurge on your friends?). “—34 minutes just watching you shoot that thing.”

 

“It makes me feel better.” Sakura says as she reloads Keres, ready for another round.

 

“Does it now?”

 

“Yeah. It’s just a hobby. A means to pass the time.”

 

“...It looks like training to me.”

 

The finger curling around the trigger loosens somewhat. Sakura takes her eyes off the target and looks at Yuri, who was seated with her arms folded and staring back at her unblinkingly.

 

“...And what would I be training for?” Sakura asks, feigning ignorance while Yuri continued to stare her down.

 

“I don’t know, Sakura. You tell me.”

 

Sakura sighs as she empties Keres of it’s bullets before setting it gently onto the counter. Another feature of the gun that Sakura could never wrap her head around was that it didn’t have a safety feature. Ridiculous, really. Sakura wonders how many times Kaeun must have accidentally shot her while walking around with a loaded gun primed to fire.

 

....Who was she kidding. Kaeun was incredible. Of course she would’ve been able to tame Keres without the gun misbehaving.

 

“...I’m not joining them, Yul. I made a promise to her.” Sakura says to Yuri, and she really tries her best to make it sound as convincing as possible but it was obvious the aspiring lawyer didn’t believe a word.

 

Yuri stayed silent though, instead of instigating an argument or calling Sakura out on her own weak promise. Yuri was wise like that. Diplomatic, even when the situation calls for a firmer hand.

 

“Let’s go eat dinner. I’m starving. Yena’s already gotten us a table.” Yuri says instead, effectively changing the topic and Sakura is thankful. 

 

Sakura nods and begins packing up, only to realise something important.

 

“Oh. I left my phone in the shop.”

 

“Do you need it right now? We won’t be gone long for dinner.”

 

Sakura contemplates for a moment, before deciding that she wouldn’t enjoy dinner anyways if her mind was constantly thinking of that phone.

 

“Yeah. I feel kinda insecure without it around me. Go ahead and keep Yena company, I won’t be long.”

 

“Insecure? You were just fine shooting that gun a minute ago without your phone anywhere near you.” Yuri asked with justified confusion, which results in another shrug from Sakura.

 

“Yeah well, now I’m aware that my phone isn’t with me I’m feeling all types of insecure. Just go ahead without me Yul. I’ll catch up.”

 

“You sure?” Yuri asks, and Sakura gives a thumbs up to show just how sure she is. Yuri shakes her head and gets up to leave the shooting range, Sakura following right behind her but instead of turning left with Yuri, Sakura turned right to head back towards the mall. Fortunately it wasn’t that far of a walk, and within 20 minutes Sakura was already standing at her store’s entrance, unlocking the padlock—

 

—huh. It wasn’t locked. Did she forget? Sure, nobody in their right mind would try to rob a pet store when there was a jewellery store right opposite hers but Sakura has never forgotten to lock up.

 

Deciding to chalk it up to human error, Sakura opted to forget about it and quickly grab her phone lest Yena gives her an earful for being an hour late to dinner. Well, technically not her phone. That one was in her bag. The one that she had left behind was her second phone.

 

The one she uses to communicate with Eunbi. 

 

Sure enough as she picks the phone up from the counter the display was chock-filled with notifications from Eunbi, sending her random videos of Minju with her head stuck in a bucket from a mission gone wrong. Sakura really needs to know the context behind that.

 

Turning to leave, the cherry blossom spots something else out of the corner of her eye by the Angelfish tanks. Finding it odd, the shopkeeper decides to investigate because the shape was pretty odd and...out of...place...?

 

Sakura’s eyes narrow. Sitting there by the desk right near the Angelfish tanks was...was that a stuffed animal? Who the heck—

 

As Sakura approaches the mysterious object, with the aid of her cellphone’s built in flashlight feature, she quickly realises what it was she was seeing. It was funny how long it took for her to figure it out as she’s spent many a dejected evening with her nose pressed against a glass panel just trying to attain the sodded thing.

 

Right in front of her, on a table next to the Angelfishes, was a Jerry the Penguin doll. It takes Sakura a few seconds to realise that the reason why the stuffed animal created such a weird silhouette was because it was sitting in a coffee pot. Of all things.

 

A frickin’ coffee pot. 

 

With “Property of A Slice of Life Bakery” still scrawled on the side of it in green marker because that was the only colour Sakura could get access to back then.

 

How....?

Why....?

 

Sakura reaches out, shaky hands having trouble removing Jerry out of the coffee pot. The tears in her eyes didn’t make things any easier as well. She brings Jerry closer to her and realises that he’s holding a piece of cardboard in his tiny, floppy flippers.

 

Sakura pulls off the paperclip attaching the cardboard to the soft toy and brings it closer to the light. It was a simple postcard. One you could find at any souvenir shop, Sakura would imagine, except this one had the image of the Eiffel Tower on it. Sakura turns it over and sees it there, just a single sentence but it was clear as day in that familiar writing.

 

I always keep my promises.

 

Sakura bursts out laughing as she brings Jerry close to her chest to hug him as tightly as she could as if she needed the support as her knees finally gave way and she sank to the floor, alternating between sobbing and laughing like a madwoman. She buries her face into Jerry’s soft, furry body and the first genuine smile she’s had over the past few months manages to crack across her face. 

 

It smelled of roses.

 

 

 

 

- The End   -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 years later.

 

 

 

Her vision was blurry.

 

Unfocused.

 

Rattled from being sent flying into one of the underground carpark’s many stone pillars. She slid down said pillar like a wet rag. Ungraceful and far from pretty, her consciousness seems to come and go like the air in her lungs.

 

It hurt so much.

 

As her vision focused, all she could see were the fallen bodies of her brethren, strewn about the dirty floor like mere afterthoughts. 

 

“What is this?! Weak!”

 

The mystery assailant, the same one who had sent her flying into the pillar from earlier shrieked. The woman looked angry as she punched Ahn Yujin in the stomach, causing the young girl’s knees to buckle underneath her from the pain.

 

“All of you are WEAK!” The same woman yells in frustration as she unceremoniously tosses Yujin’s unconscious body to the side, where she slid and landed next to Wonyoung who was lying in a pool of blood, unmoving.

 

“Joy. Don’t toy with your food. Kill them and move on.” A blonde woman says from behind the loud tall one.

 

There was something about this blonde one that terrified her. It sent a sharp chill down her spine as every nerve in her body screamed in alarm. The loud woman, Joy, as she was just addressed as, was powerful. Despite that, her blonde acquaintance has yet to lift a finger but she knew that the moment the silent blonde decided to move, it wouldn’t be pleasant for any of them.

 

“Can I help it though unnie? I was expecting more from the people who managed to kill Chaeryeong’s sister. This is PATHETIC!” Joy mocked as she punted an already downed Minju in the stomach, sending the Capo across the carpark to land in a sputtering, coughing fit a few feet away.

 

“Minju!” She could only yell her colleague’s name in vain, as Joy begins walking towards the groaning girl.

 

“Oh? Minju? THE Minju? The Gwangju Roses’ Capo?” Joy wore an expression on her face that screamed of delight. As if she were a cat that had finally captured the pesky bird that has managed to elude her all this while.

 

A glint of silver, and she notices the blade Joy was now brandishing as she pulled Minju up by her hair into a kneeling position. “Yours would be a pretty head to bring back home, wouldn’t it?” 

 

.

 

.

 

How did TWO women take out an entire strike team? Nay. It wasn’t even two. The blonde one had yet to do anything but watch. 

 

She had to do something. She still wasn’t fully healed yet but despite her severely limited movements she had to save Minju. She just had to. . Her body was beaten up and broken, but she’s felt worst. She’s been beaten to this point before.

 

Move.

 

MOVE!

 

“Get...your hands off...off of her.”

 

Somehow she manages to stand up. Somehow, her body obeys her. Somehow she wasn’t dead yet.

 

Joy turned to the source of the voice and smiles a sickening smile. Almost as if she was happy another one of her toys still has some juice left in her batteries. “Oh, this one still has life in it eh? C’mon then Gorgeous! WHATCHU GOT?!”

 

She feels the weight of Keres in her hands and it takes every ounce of strength she had to lift it up to her shoulder height. Joy had already begun sprinting towards her, leather whip in hand as she wore a demented look on her face.

 

Her finger inches forwards, and presses onto the button that makes Keres purr.

 

“Sooyoung don—“ the blonde begins but she couldn’t finish her warning before the Reaper Shot cuts through the air, hitting Joy in the chest several times and sending the demented woman flying several feet backwards, landing on her .

 

“Who are you...?” The blonde girl asks with a hint of caution in her voice while reaching for her own gun.

 

Finally, she makes a move. It was getting worrisome how this one woman with an aura that was on par with the Reaper was just standing by the sidelines doing nothing.

 

“ THAT HURT! SEULGI-UNNIE DON’T TOUCH HER!! SHE’S MINE!!”

 

She turns to see Joy already sitting up, clothes in tatters from where Keres’ bullets had struck her and revealing a thick bulletproof vest underneath.

 

Well, that didn’t work out well. Should have aimed for the head. Now she’s out of bullets, she had no backups around her and her wrist was shattered to pieces from the Reaper Shot’s recoil. Pulling out a knife with her good hand, she points it towards Seulgi and pants through gritted teeth.

 

“I’m....Miyawaki Sakura...of the Red Roses.”

 

If she was going to go down, this was how she was going to do it. Just like her.

 

“...Remember that.”

 

 

- to be continued in Don’t Fear The Reaper Volume 2: Blooming Petals  - 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Hello!

So, that was it. The final chapter of Don't Fear The Reaper. It was both the easiest and hardest chapter in my life to write. This will also be the longest author's note I'll ever write probably, so strap in folks!

So, the topic of grieving through a loved one's death was something that I could relate to extremely easily, after the loss of my mother back in November of 2018. I could basically understand how the world could suddenly seem like such a cold dark place, and that made writing this chapter all the more easier. It wasn't easy to write, but it was also really easy to do so at the same time, weirdly enough. 

Someone in the comments section managed to guess the ending of this fic, and I kinda had a panic attack and wondered if I should have changed it from the planned ending, but I decided to stick through with it anyways! It's an open ending, but that is only because I planned to write a sequel to this fic, which will be explained in further detail later. Let's talk about this fic first!

Y'know....this fic was supposed to be a superpowered mafia fic. I had it all almost planned out, but I decided to not go with it in the end because I have a tendency to get carried away with my world-building and it would have taken me an entire year to come up with the lore and backstory behind the superpowers, and it would have gotten too complicated so we got an ordinary mafia fic instead. If you were curious, Kaeun's power would have been the power to stop time, but only for 10 seconds at a time, and it would have needed 5 minute breaks before she could activate it again. Overpowered when used correctly, but also full of caveats. The draft was insanely fun to write and it still hurts me that I had to scrap it. 

I hope you could see the tiny glimpses of Sakura becoming more like Kaeun in this chapter. The shrugs, the nonchalance, the subtle things I tried to add. I didn't want to remove Kaeun entirely, but the reality is I sorta predicted that real-life Kaeun was going to stop being an idol as her contract expiry neared, so I didn't feel like writing for someone who wouldn't be active any longer. It was time to send her off, the real Kaeun and the fictional Reaper version of Kaeun. Thus, here comes the sequel to this fic, Blooming Petals.

First of all, I'd like to enforce that Blooming Petals WON'T be published anytime soon. I...kinda need a break from writing this fic. I want to go back to writing Heehyun and Jung Chaeyeon which is my niche and bread and butter, because the DIA fandom is dead and it sorta needs me I guess LOL! 

Secondly, Blooming Petals will be a Minkkura fic. 

A lot of people wanted Sakura to join the Red Roses in this fic and I had avoided doing so for this reason. I had already planned for her to join the crime family in the sequel. I just needed a reason for her to join, so this entire fic is the backstory as to how Sakura becomes Yunjin's protege and becomes a crime family member. It's all planned out, I just don't have the time to write it as I'm basically involved in several businesses and I only get like 4-5 hours of sleep a day so writing is kinda hard :(

Thank you to everyone who has shown love to this fic. Truly. Thank you so much. I admit I occasionally look up "SakuKaeun" and stuff on Twitter to see if anybody is talking about this fic because it gives me so much joy to see people just talking about this humble little world I've built. I'm almost sad to end it. I love your comments, and I read every single one although I'm right E at replying but I appreciate them all the same. Hit me up on Twitter if you wanna just talk and stuff or get random updates on the fics I'm writing. I'm also contactable on Instagram but that's mostly just me posting pictures of my sneakers and obsession with footwear lol

Shoutout to songbac, sigurd and Ebonwong for the upvotes, and the other (at the time of writing) 58 of you beautiful people who has given this fic so much positive vibes! I love you all!

Thank you so much. I could write that so many times and I'd still feel like I'm lacking the gratitude. Truly. All of you readers have made me very, very happy.

Till we meet again!