Never Judge a Book by Its Movie


In one of the bars of Kabukicho, a strange presence was felt. A hooded figure slowly made its way through the drunken men lying on the floor, somehow managing to get to the counter.

"Excuse me," it asked softly as it hopped on a stool. "Who are the strongest people in Edo?"

The barman was about to reply with his customary "You won't last long with that attitude", but after getting a good look at the person, he decided to keep quiet. The creature was an Amanto. Thankfully, it was humanoid, but it was still unnerving. Rather pretty too, in a freakish sort of way.

But the barman knew from experience that Amanto women should not be messed with. After all, that's how he had ended up here… the barman shook his head and realized he still hadn't answered the Amanto's question.

"Official or unofficial? Legal or illegal?" he finally replied.

"Both."

"Well," said the man, thinking. "There's the Shinsengumi. They're about the only legal thing to watch out for. Their vice-chief's is a real demon, and their first captain's a true sadist. Of the Joi factions, the Kiheitai's a real monster. Don't screw with Takasugi Shinsuke. Just don't. Rumor has it he hooked up with the 7th Division. There's also Katsura's group, but they aren't that radical anymore. But they're still dangerous, and getting on their bad side is not a good idea. Of course, the Harusame's a presence here."

The man grunted and leaned forward. "Of Kabukicho specifically, we've gone through a few changes. Now, the head of the Yakuza is Katsuo Kurogoma. He's pretty strong. There's Mademoiselle Saigo, a former legend... hm..." The barman ceased his "cleaning" and stared of into space for a moment.

"And?" prompted the Amanto.

"And of course, there's the monster of a man, with white hair who lives on Otose's turf. A real demon." The man looked around nervously.

"That's enough for now. You should get going."


Author's Note: This story is discontinued. It remains here for purely for nostalgia. Sorry for the inconvenience.