A Demon's Lapse

Nora felt so weak at the sight of the man who stole her heart.

"I'm just here with Hideyoshi, I'm not looking for any trouble, so you can rest assured that nothing will happen," she told Kiyohira. He approached her.

"What are you doing here with him?" he said, with an urgency in his voice.

Nora backed away from Kiyohira.

"It's none of your concern, I'm sure your party is looking for you," she said curtly. Kiyohira frowned.

"This place isn't for you. You need to leave," he ordered her.

"You have no right to tell me anything. We have no relation so if you will excuse me," she told him as she tried to head back in. Kiyohira grabbed her arm.

"Let me go," Nora demanded.

He gripped her arm tightly. Frustrated, she blurted, "Why did you kill your father?" He looked at her, surprised. He let her go but she did not leave.

"Your endless quest for power has destroyed your family and you. It was a good thing that you let me go because that's not what I want in my life," she told him.

"You have no idea what you're talking about-" he was cut off by her.

"Then tell me the truth," she demanded. He felt compelled to do at least that much.

"My father was a cruel man who hurt my mother and me. He killed her. She was the only light in my life and he took her away. I was never able to prove it but I knew he did! I swore that I would avenge her by getting rid of the old man. I learned from all this that the world is an evil place and that something must be done to right all wrongs. You may see me as an evil man but I'm actually trying to save this world from itself," he explained.

Nora's eyebrows pulled together. Hearing about Kiyohira's tragic background broke her heart.

She shook her head and said, "So you plan on saving the world by conquering it and destroying everything? How does that make any sense? I'm sorry that your father was horrible and that he took your mother's life but this isn't the way! This won't bring her back! Do you really think she'd want you to do all this?" She instinctively approached him and put her hand over his heart.

"Tell me something, was I the only one to have felt something?" she asked with teary eyes. "I didn't want to admit it, but I fell for you, Kiyohira Kimura. I thought about you all the time. I thought I forgot about you but then seeing you again reminded me of the truth, the truth that I love you," she confessed, with tears rolling down her face. Kiyohira's face flinched. He felt so awkward and confused. He was too proud. All the years of plotting for revenge and domination extinguished any light in his heart. Meeting Nora had awakened something in him that he was not ready for. Letting his ego win, he removed her hand from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You're not even a-" he stopped himself.

"A what? Say it," Nora demanded, "a woman?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

"You know what? I can't believe I wasted my time on you! You can say and believe whatever you want about me but I know who I am, do you?" she said as she darted away. That last part struck a chord in him. Who was he?

"What is going on here?" said Hideyoshi, walking in on the scene.

"Are you bothering my date, dear brother?" he asked. Kiyohira scowled. Date?

Even though she wasn't on speaking terms with Kiyohira anymore, Nora didn't want him to get the wrong idea about Hideyoshi and her.

"Why did you bring her?" Kiyohira said, looking at Hideyoshi.

With a smug grin on his face, he said, "Well, now that we're all here might as well get the real party started." Nora was confused.

"You see, I'm here to do what my assassin couldn't. Before I end you, however, I will make sure you see how I destroy the woman you love," Hideyoshi said, grabbing Nora.

"What?" Nora said. Hideyoshi was the one who sent the assassin? He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Nora's waist. Kiyohira fumed.

"So it was you! I should've known that a spineless little weasel like you would've been behind this," he said.

Hideyoshi laughed, "But you didn't, did you? I'm going to ruin your reputation in front of all these people before I end you, just like you did with Father!"

How did Nora unwittingly become tangled once more in this mess?

"You tricked me," she yelled at Hideyoshi.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but you owed me a favour," he laughed at her.

"Let her go, do what you want with me but let her go," Kiyohira said.

"You think I'm just going to go easy on you, brother? No, this is just the beginning," Hideyoshi said.

Suddenly, everything in the ballroom went dark and quiet.

A voice on the loudspeaker announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the host of this event and benefactor of Zubriga Corporation, Mr. Takeshi Kimura!" There were audible gasps. Hideyoshi was surprised and his attention drifted toward the spectacle. Kiyohira frowned and Nora was confused. They walked back into the room and looked at the stage. From behind the curtains appeared the aforementioned man, Takeshi Kimura. From what Nora could see, Kiyohira and Hideyoshi definitely looked like their father. Takeshi was older and had a more weathered face but she saw the family resemblance.

"Greetings, I am happy that all of you were able to join me this evening. You may have thought that I was gone forever, but I assure you all that I am here to stay. I'd like to acknowledge my son, Kiyohira, who's here tonight," he said in a deep voice. Nora noticed the similarity to Kiyohira's. A spotlight pointed at Kiyohira, he didn't budge.

"You all know that my dear boy tried to kill me and steal my livelihood some time ago but I have set up this exclusive event to show everyone that nobody crosses me and gets away with it. I have also invited all you collaborators to bear witness to a new era. The era of my return," Takeshi proclaimed and began to laugh sinisterly. Nora assumed that by "collaborators" he meant everyone who bowed down to Kiyohira, the business leaders who submitted to his authority and forgot about Takeshi.

"Thanks to the efforts of my original company, I was able to acquire the data in order to augment myself, transcending bodily limitations," he added. People whispered to each other, wondering what he meant. Takeshi began to take off his coat and then his shirt, revealing that he had robotic body parts. The right half of his chest to his arm was comprised of a complex system of machinery. So that was what the data that Nakano stole was about! Cyborg technology. There was a sense of dread in the air as the attendees became even quieter.

"Enjoy the show," said Takeshi.

BOOM!

Everything happened so fast. All Nora saw was a bright light and felt such an intense heat. Kiyohira instinctively tackled her to the ground and shielded her from the explosion. The entire venue was engulfed in flames. Nora felt the weight of Kiyohira's heavy body on top of her. People were running and screaming, terrified. Men, clad in military gear, charged into the event hall, armed with assault rifles and other weapons. They began to round up the people. Kiyohira stood, helping Nora up.

Amidst the chaos and the flames, Takeshi made his way to Kiyohira. The guards surrounded both Nora and Kiyohira.

"My son, how good of you to come to my banquet. I see you brought your little girlfriend," he said in a mocking tone. Kiyohira glared at his father.

"So, you're still alive. Cockroaches are hard to kill, I guess," he said, harshly.

"Silence, boy! I've invited you here to take back what is rightfully mine, and to make sure you suffer every single minute of it," Takeshi said. Hideyoshi, who had been flung back by the explosion, regained his footing and ran over to his father.

"Father! Are you alive? I can't believe it! I tried killing Kiyohira in order to avenge you! I want to do right by you," he gushed. He was met with Takeshi's fist to the face, sending him backwards once more.

"Pathetic boy, always trying so hard to be in my good graces. An absolute waste," Takeshi snarled.

Nora watched in horror at how this man treated his sons. Regardless of Hideyoshi's previous actions, she ran over to check if he was okay, much to Kirohiya's chagrin. How could a parent ever treat their child like this? Takeshi began to approach Kiyohira but Nora gathered the courage to stand in front of him.

Kiyohira was alarmed and yelled, "What are you doing?" Nora, undeterred, spoke firmly to Takeshi.

"You vile man, how could you be this way to your own sons? Children look up to their parents for guidance and protection but all you have done is destroy everything in your path! Leave Kiyohira alone," she said with conviction. Takeshi laughed at her.

"Stupid girl, who are you to intervene on my familial matters? As a matter of fact, you're not even a girl, are you? I've been watching you, 'Nora Ramírez'. I know about your little secret. It doesn't surprise me that my son would fall for an abomination like you. He was never a real man, anyway," Takeshi spewed.

"He's more of a man than you'll ever dream of being. Your words won't hurt me because I know who I am. You're just a sad and pathetic man who never found himself and projected that bitterness onto his sons," Nora said. Everything she said was true. Kiyohira felt comforted that someone stuck up for him. Once again, Nora had defended him. Takeshi, on the other hand, was furious.

"Why, you insolent, little bitch," he said as he gritted his teeth. Kiyohira then got in front to shield her.

"This is between us, old man, leave her out of it," Kiyohira said.

"No, my son, I will end that thing, and then I will end you, I will make sure you watch every second of it," Takeshi threatened.

Suddenly, Matsuda and Kiyohira's men appeared, guns pointed at Takeshi's men.

"Matsuda, it's a shame that you work for Kiyohira, when I have been good to you," Takeshi told him.

"My loyalty lies with Master Kiyohira, sir," he responded.

"Enough," yelled Takeshi. Just then, he transformed his robotic arm into a rocket launcher and aimed it at the ceiling. The projectile tore a hole through the already burning ceiling. In the midst of the frenzy, Takeshi charged towards Nora and grabbed her. The augmentations gave him rocket boosters that could make him fly. With Nora in tow, he ascended into the sky. Nora screamed as she held on for dear life.

Kiyohira was left in the burning building as the men engaged in a gunfight. He grabbed onto one of the guards' rifles and swiped it from his hands, and used the butt of it to ram it into his face. He quickly transformed into his demon form to pursue Takeshi. His shirt tore off as his large wings grew out of his back and spread out. He jumped and flew through the opening.