The day began as any other, with me sitting on a barstool waiting for the morning rush to begin.  Saturday morning rush was always hectic, but I’d been working at Benny’s Diner for well over a year now, so I’d gotten used to it.  I was sixteen, two years after the death of my parents.  I’d been getting better over time, slowly healing from the wound that their loss had left me with. I wasn’t perfect though, as no amount of healing and love could change the bitterness I felt.  

I heard Benny in the kitchen heating up the stoves and could smell the first batch of coffee brewing.  

“Only a few minutes until opening, here we go,” I thought.

I stood up from the stool and stretched my arms, preparing myself for the onslaught of customers.  A few families were already walking in.  Lively chatter soon resounded throughout the restaurant as it continued to fill up.  I began taking orders and eventually delivering food to different tables.  Thankfully, the day was fairly busy and there was no shortage of customers.  After a few hours of working in my section, I noticed a man sitting alone at a table.  He looked to be in his forties, with greying brown hair, a clean goatee, and reading glasses.  He was wearing a suit and tie, which made me think he was an unlucky businessman with Saturday work.  His attention was dedicated to reading the local newspaper, the Genesis Gazette.  

I went up to his table, wondering how long he had already been sitting there. 

“Can I get you anything, sir?” I asked.  

He looked up from his morning paper with a pleasant smile.  His voice was scruffier than I was expecting when he spoke, but he had kind eyes and a calming voice.  

“Could I get a coffee with a splash of milk and a pinch of sugar, and an egg and cheese bagel, please?” He asked.

“Of course, I’ll have that out for you in a moment,” I responded, echoing his smile.

I watched him as I went back to give his order to the kitchen.  Something about this man intrigued me, like there was something under the surface.  His eyes were tired, and his smile was faded, as if he’d gone through unimaginable pain.  He would occasionally look up from his paper and toward the door, as if he was waiting for someone.  I shook the thoughts from my mind.

“Back to work, scatterbrain,” I chided myself internally.

Though I continued my shift, I couldn’t shake the thoughts of the nameless man.  There was just something strange about him, though it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I figured Benny knew something about this man, as most of the people who came into his restaurant were regulars, and Benny was quite popular with the locals.  After my shift, I approached him to ask about the man.  When I did, his eyes widened a bit, but they quickly went back to normal, clearly hoping I hadn’t noticed.

“Oh him?  I’ve seen him here quite a lot, but I don’t really talk to him much,” he said. “He generally keeps to himself, ya know?  If you want to know something about him, then why don’t ya strike up a conversation?” 

“And how exactly would I go about that?” I responded, a bit agitated at his dodging of the question. 

“I’m sure he has plenty to say.” 

“Cryptic,” I thought.

Benny’s lack of communication did nothing but make me more curious about the man.  I decided I’d take his half-assed advice and try to strike up a conversation.  I had a shift the next day, so I was hoping he would pop in for another breakfast.

… … … 

It seemed that whatever higher power existed was listening, because the man was there the next day, at the same time, in the same seat.  I approached him, a little less professionally this time.  His order was the same as the day prior, and when I brought him his meal, I attempted to formulate a dialogue.  It seemed, though, that he was just as interested in me as I was in him.  

“I’ve seen you around here fairly often,” I began. “What’s your name, sir?”

“James. James Oakman,” He replied.  “And yourself?”

“Oh, I’m Reiji Sutton.  I know I don’t look like the rest of the Suttons, but they adopted me and made me one of their own, so I carry their surname with pride.”

“Nice to meet you, Reiji.  Tell me, why did the Suttons adopt you?”

I sighed.

“Well… because my parents were killed.  Two years ago, they were shot in the street and…” I trailed off, not wanting to bore him with an exposition dump.

Noticing my awkward silence, he spoke.

“I’m sorry to hear that, though I can understand the pain.  When I was twenty-three, many moons ago, my parents were also shot down in a random act of violence.  I never did forgive the killer, and what I did to him will forever be seared into my brain.”

I raised my eyebrows, intrigued.

“What you did to him?” I asked.

He changed the subject to something strange.

“Have you ever wanted revenge, Reiji?” he asked me.

His tone darkened, which caught me off guard.  I blinked twice, taken aback by his sudden question.

“Well…” 

I thought for a moment.  Then, I decided to be honest with him.  For some inexplicable reason, I felt as though he would be my first step towards my goals.  

“Yes.  Yes I do.  Every day that their killer walks this earth, it pains me.  I want to see him bleed.”

His face curved upwards into a smirk.

“I think you and I have a lot more to speak about,” he said, the malice in his tone still present, but this time with a hint of relief.

With that, he raised his hand into the air, three fingers pointed to the sky.  I heard a shuffling, then Benny and Marie appeared next to me on either side.  

“Kid, I shoulda been more honest with ya yesterday,” Benny began. “I’ve known James since we were kids.  I was with him when he got the news of his parents’ murders.  I’m sorry.”

I chuckled at the absurdity of the situation.

“I knew there was something you weren’t telling me,” I replied. “You’re forgiven.”

Marie spoke next.

“What you’re about to learn from James is going to be… a lot.  But, this is your decision, and you can say no. Please remember that.”

I saw tears welling up in her crystal blue eyes.  A wave of nervousness washed over me as James stood up and led the rest of us to a private room in the back of the diner, usually rented out to businessmen for meetings.  The four of us sat down around a table, and James began to speak.

“So, Reiji, you say you want revenge for your parents.  I can help you with that.  Have you ever heard of The Nest?”

I thought for a moment.  It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it.

“Yeah, I think so-” 

It hit me.  They were an organized group of mercenaries and hitmen that were known for killing criminals, and their purpose was to be judge, jury, and executioner of the most evil scum of Genesis.  They stepped in when the police just weren’t doing enough. I’d heard about them in the news, and opinions of the people were split.  Some thought that they were just as bad as the criminals whose lives they took, and others saw them as heroes, risking their lives to do what others weren’t willing to do. Personally, I admired what they did, and was in the faction thinking that they were heroic, in a way.

James saw the gears turning in my head and spoke once more.

“I’m the leader of the group.  I founded it after my parents’ deaths, wanting to make the world a better place.  Benny and Marie have known about this for as long as it’s been around, and supported me financially when I first started out.  I’m forever grateful for what they’ve done for me, and I’d like to extend a hand to you.  Join me.  I want to train you and shape you into a hero.  Someone who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty to deliver justice and righteous vengeance.”

My jaw dropped.  This man was the leader of a group that kills people like those who killed my parents, and he wanted to recruit me.  It was an honor, but did I want to become a killer?  Was I willing to lose a piece of my humanity in order to exact revenge?

I thought for a moment.  Since my parents death, the thought of retribution has been eating away at me.  I wanted their killer dead, and I was willing to do it myself if the need arose.  This would give me the skills and the tools to do exactly that.  I made up my mind. I looked at Benny and Marie.  Their kindness shaped me into who I was, and now, I wanted to repay them by doing some good.  I wanted to make the world a better place for them and their kids, for Jonas and Shiro, for all of the good people of Genesis.

“Benny, Marie, thank you.  Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you guys.  You’re family, and you always will be.  I love you both, and your sons.” 

I turned to James.

“This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.  I want to become someone who does good for Genesis.  I’ll do it.”