An Obscure Nomination

The man didn't impose as much intimidation on Maria, who easily began a conversation with him as if they were relatives.

"You were right, sir!" Maria shouted, halting Yuki's attention that was tunneled onto the man across the room.

"I knew Ryu too well, it all seemed too fishy, did you take care of the man who was following him?" a pleasant and welcoming yet strong voice released from the intimidating and sturdy statue.

"Hey, I'm Yuki."

" 'Course I did, he was too reckless and just fired his whole clip at me." Maria continued with her superior, not acknowledging Yuki's interference.

"Ha! That must've been too easy for you."

"Oof… Ignored…" Yuki said.

"You know it was, sir."

"Well, now that that's over, My name is Lynden Silverstein and I am the Director of Operations here at the IJA, Yuki."

"The Director? You're the boss here?"

"Well, somewhat, yes."

"What does the IJA or that man want with me?"

"Well, after your father had died, it appeared that someone was following you and we think your father's death was no accident."

"What… what are you saying?" Yuki heard Lynden clearly but couldn't accept the words.

He froze there, wondering about the possibilities of his father's horrible demise, why?

What would someone gain from killing an innocent man, a family man who hasn't steered into the rocky road of sin?

Yuki continued down vertigo, spiraling through the staircase into despair.

This didn't stop Lynden from speaking even though he was well aware of the deterioration of Yuki's mental state.

"I believe some malicious and sinister organization had killed your father because they knew he was an important member here at the IJA."

Yuki's pains started to become physically alarming, as the weight finally became too heavy for his knees.

The liquid broke the barrier and slowly began to roll onto his dry cheeks.

His heart began to pump at an extraordinary rate, beating hard enough to burst within his chest and stain his palms.

He continued to fall, not aware of it, or not even looking for a way from the continuous loop into darkness.

"What…" the only word Yuki could muster without the pain being too much for him.

Yuki's pain felt as if it were going to last an eternity, but it slowly reclined and broke the surface tension.

"Why... what did my father have to do with the IJA... he was just a scientist…" Yuki had to be dragged through the pain, the jagged broken glass, as he let out more than one syllable.

"He was a scientist and he created many things here for the IJA, he helped create new tools for our agents here and even developed the very successful Rem. Core."

"What—What about…"

"Unfortunately, we have no information on the identity of your father's murderer, but the case still remains open and we are—"

"Dammit!" Yuki interrupts the monotone whispers of the still mountain, letting out the wails of the forsaken.

The pain boiled his insides, any moment now and the tea kettle will sing.

His body movements were uncontrollable as he slammed the ground below him, he slowly lost control as rainfall smeared the granite tiles.

"Why… why him… why…"

The sorrows can easily be heard through the creaking whispers, selfishness was obviously not a crime.

Suddenly, blissful memories of toy boxes and ice cream rose from the onion crops, bright smiles through subtle shadows, a familiar face from the past.

Lab coats were the usual attire, television sounds broke the silent greeting between father and son.

Breaking news, something heard quite often on prime channels, as violence struck the bricks of the castle.

"Dad, there's a criminal on the loose."

"Son, no need to worry, Justice will be served and Justice looks out for everyone within Kashitama! Gravity Man will be watching over you, son." Gravity Man, one of the many fabricated celebrities of childhood.

Plastic was the closest thing to the impossible.

"Dad… but it says to stay indoors…"

"But I have to go to work, don't worry about me son. Justice will be watching over me too."

A soft embrace ensued, but strong enough to move titanium.

White slowly smeared back into the canvas as the last sight was nothing more than the tails of a wrinkled lab coat became the brush, stroking heavily with each motion.

"Yuki, we are trying everything we can to solve your father's murder." Lynden softly spoke as he crouched over Yuki, who hadn't heard him get closer through the deafening sounds of a broken banshee.

Lynden's cold gaze hardly gave off the impression of empathy.

"I—I have to go home—I—I can just do this myself…"

Lynden's cold stare subtly changed into disappointment as Yuki's void suddenly spit out a road of destruction, a familiar road to many men.

"It would be unwise for you to return home, this organization who's responsible for the murder of your father now knows where you live, you're better off staying here, or going under a protection program—"

"What can I possibly do here?! What will I get done sitting on my ass?!"

The abandoned vehicle began to run for the first time in quite a long time.

Lynden was surprised at how swiftly Yuki's persona changed, how blindly driven he became with just a small fracture within his chalice.

Lynden feared this vehicle would revitalize with the horrid news, but nonetheless, he couldn't possibly stand in front of a freight train.

"If you truly want to find the person who killed your father, you can become an agent of the IJA, and possibly by then, you could have the skills to assist within our investigation."

"Sir, I don't think that is the best course of action, maybe we should give him time before offering him an opportunity like that." Maria interrupted.

"I'll do it! I'll become an agent if that's what it takes!" Yuki shouted as Maria's interruption was nothing more than that.

"Very well" Lynden softly replied as he stood up from his sympathetic stature.

Lynden exhales deeply as he gazes down at Yuki's back that's shielding the pride that exited his soul and poured onto the ground beneath him.

Lynden pulls out a plastic golden card from his right pocket and stretches his hand out above Yuki. Maria is taken back from Lynden's gesture.

"Take this." Lynden's monotone demeanor remained as still as a beautiful lake in July.

"Sir! That's your nomination card, are you sure you want to give that to him?!" Maria's shocked expression became vocal, which somehow matched the visual.

Yuki slowly lifts himself up, recognizing the gesture from Lynden, and still recovering from the broken jar of moonshine that poured beneath his feet.

"It's the least I can do for him, he'll still have a long way to go."

Yuki slowly grasps the plastic card plastered in front of him, still picking up his lost change from the floor through the process. Yuki firmly grasped the card and began to analyze the enigma that felt like a cheap bank card.

"What is it?"

"It's a nomination card. Only a select few of Agents and well-respected individuals of the IJA receive that card—" Maria continues as she is readily prepared to answer the unspoken questions from Yuki. "—It's purpose is for an individual to be enrolled at a youth program here at the IJA. The Youth program is the stepping stone in teaching the essentials of becoming an agent here at the IJA, almost every agent here has gone through this program."

"Awesome." Yuki's simple reply was barely enough to represent the backflip in emotions that occurred in less than a few minutes.

"There are only two Youth classes per year and only two ways of getting in. One way is through receiving a nomination card, and the other is through a rigorous trial called the recommendation process. Only .01% of the participants successfully pass the recommendation process."

"A teacher is randomly selected throughout all the S-Class agents here, this year's teachers are Ivan Bogdon and Jerome Murasaki." Lynden interrupted.

"Maria, you can take Yuki to—to Class B."

"Yes sir. Follow me, Yuki."

"Oh–Ok." Yuki, a bit startled as he clearly didn't intake all the information spewed to him as fast as a territorial spitting cobra, recognizes Maria walking out of the lobby and back towards where they came from and follows.

"You'll be a fine agent, Yuki!" Lynden shouted at Yuki and Maria, giving a thumbs-up through the surprisingly loud demands.

"Wait, where are we going?"

"To the youth building, were you not listening back there?"

The Youth Building was the farthest building to the left of the Main Quarters, it stood two stories tall and just as professional in appearance as every other glass-covered cubicle within the garden of Eden.

The interior of the building was similar to the Main Quarters as well, but with a touch of yellow compared to the bland business like shades of the former.

In the lobby sat a somewhat heavyset gentleman, in average business attire, behind a desk working through a dead zone.

He recognizes Maria and follows suit with simple pleasantries

"How's it going, Maria? Who's that?"

"I'm fine, Bob. This is a new member of youth class B, which way is class B again?"

"Oh–Class just started, you two'll be late."

"Where is it?"

Bob points strongly to his right as he replies "You'll have to go down this hall and take a right and it'll be the second room on the right."

"Thanks!" Maria swiftly grabs Yuki's arm and waste no time to get him to youth class B.

"Bob? Who the hell is Bob?" the man behind the desk said under his breath as Maria darted out the lobby with Yuki.

The two of them stood outside a plain door, still within a hall of space that read "Classroom B".

"Well, this is it. I will be seeing you later, good luck." Maria didn't hesitate to begin walking away from the classroom, as if she'd rather be anywhere else but here.

"So, who's bob?" Yuki slyly stated as he hinted at something more with his short comment.

"Would you get in the classroom already!"

"Geez, didn't know it was that serious…"

The door to Classroom B then suddenly swings open, startling both Yuki and Maria's pointless bickering.

The teacher, Jerome Murasaki, stood tall within the doorway, demonstrating a haunting glare as if he were about to interrogate a captured terrorist.

His exotic brown curly afro gave him more dominance over the two cornered cubs, along with his business casual look of slacks, a wrinkled dress shirt, and a bland indigo tie.

His dress shoes were the only thing capable of making the attire of a professional.

"What's going on out here?!"