Our Lives for our Sisters

The sleepy town of Lillian is controlled by an alliance of three revered crime families. Yumi is initiated as the souer of Rosa Chinensis en bouton, and enters the underworld of feminine sensuality, gunpowder, and dark romance.

A/N: This AU experiment was supposed to be a humourous parody or satire, but ended up, I think, as something like "dark humour." I thought it would be funny to recast our Yamayurikai, which embodies the "abnormally powerful student council" trope, in a grittier setting. But, as I reinterpreted their personalities in this context, I started to feel slightly disturbed by the sinister overtones. XD I didn't exactly feel "proud" after completing this chapter, nor did I feel "lame" – I just felt a bit weird, kind of tripped out. It's probably because I honestly don't know what to make of the overall genre. Maybe you can tell me. o.O

Please enjoy, and R&R if you have time (so I can decide whether it's worth continuing). :P

Afternoon

"Once you're affiliated with the Lily Council, you don't back out. You can't. It would be… unreasonable."

The dark-haired girl, whose braided hair lent her a deceptive air of delicacy and vulnerability, placed a bossy hand against the end of a pew. Sunlight filtered through the stained glass above, casting radiance and shadow along the edges of her face. Yumi tried to not be distracted by the visible dust floating around the church. Although it was located in a grove, away from prying eyes, its still beauty couldn't be compared to the darkly rebellious lace dress and frilly ornamentation of her new guide, who seemed to enjoy striking outfits that emphasized simultaneous sensuality and chastity. Her dainty voice echoed throughout the dim sanctuary. "You don't want to lose the connections you'll make with us. You'll be dependent on those connections for life, after all. It's a sisterly bond, a sacred vow between petite souer and grande souer. To us, this hereditary system is as important as being baptized.

"After all, once you're reborn, the only way to renounce a new life is suicide. That goes for you and me, who've been blessed by the care of a Rose and their boutons."

Yumi felt a bead of cold sweat slipping down her cheek. Perhaps it was the warm Sicilian heat that was getting to her, since she was wearing a thick pair of jeans. Or perhaps it was the fact that she was practically an intruder on sovereign territory. She was a poor Japanese immigrant in a small but wealthy town owned by powerful criminals. The businessmen, merchants and bankers of this modest domain had amassed fortunes hidden from the public eye thanks to the help of three "families" called the Roses. Settlers of Yakuza and zaibatsu inheritance, the younger generation had since established spheres of influence on the Continent and, in a spirit of mutual benefit and shared fortunes, were formally allied in a triple entente known as the Lily Council.

Of course, enlisting the Lily Council's considerable power in ensuring prosperity had sealed Lillian's fate as a city for arms manufacturing, the recruitment of gangs and strongmen, electoral rigging and fraud, drug trafficking, and other black deeds. Bizarrely enough, in vogue among these criminal "grand souers" was the circulation of posh feminist fiction written in the Romance languages, preferably with homosexual overtones.

Yumi herself had read one of them before coming here: The Forest of Thorns, that one had been called. And admittedly, it was extremely good literature, even in comparison to more classical works.

"You've been given a head start," rang out the voice again, startling Yumi. "It's unusual for the heir to Rosa Chinensis choose a petite souer so quickly. Mistress Sachiko is a very private commander amongst the Lily Council. She must have seen something in you that she favours. As boutons, we'll be tasked with some pretty heavy burdens. It's up to you to decide if you can bear the reality of holding your elder sister with bloodstained hands. But as I told you earlier, even if you can't, there's no turning back now.

"Here."

Yumi let out a quiet squeak as she glanced at the handgun in the other's hand. The cold metal gleamed in the house of God, hardly distinguishable from the beautiful grey of the crucified Saviour watching over the two girls.

"You'll need this later on. Consider this my welcoming gift." Yumi's new friend smiled warmly, completely at ease as she held the pistol by the barrel and offered the butt to the new recruit. "I look forward to working with you, Yumi-san."

"Ehh… thanks, Yoshino-san…" stammered Yumi, wondering if she should have just applied for a labourer's job at the local landfill.

But there's no other way to earn money quickly for mum and dad… the landfill wouldn't be enough to feed even myself…

"Let's go, Yumi-san. Let's go and meet your new mistresses. Don't forget the manners I taught you earlier." Yoshino put her firearm away; slipping it into a strap that had been attached to her right thigh. "Kneel and kiss their right hand. Serve them tea when they want a drink. They won't ask for it – you'll have to learn to tell when they're feeling tired or thirsty.

"In other words, treat them like goddesses. For here in Lillian, they are your Holy Trinity."

The sun was beginning to set. Yoshino had taken Yumi south, to a slightly more populated area where the greenery had been restrained by human hands. "A café?" wondered Yumi aloud, staring at the bright décor, the circular tables and bright white chairs. On one particular table were scones and bread of various kinds, with clotted cream, butter, honey and jam. Opulent teapots and cups, of course, were present.

"We do business in broad daylight. We are, after all, the lifeblood of Lillian." Yoshino smirked. "This place is owned by one of our clients, anyway, so when the Roses come here, be it for meetings or dining, no one else is allowed to." Her smile quickly disappeared, and her demeanour promptly changed from one of relaxation to utter solemnity. "They're here," she said, straightening herself as a black car of modest size pulled over the roadside. The doors opened, and three beautiful young women – and good Lord, they were beautiful – made their way over to the girls. "Stand at attention."

"What a cute new helper – the cutest little girl extortion can buy!" laughed one of them. She had blonde hair reaching down to her shoulders, and she was dressed comparatively casually (she looked quite sharp nevertheless), with a speckless white shirt and long blue jeans. Her leather shoes tapped lightly on the pavement. "I knew it was worth investing in the black market for them lasses."

"She came here out of her own free will, silly," chastised her companion, a beauty with short, cropped black hair. She was dressed far more formally, with a black skirt that boasted her stockinged legs and Gucci high heels. Yumi felt rather plain in her cheap jeans and t-shirt. "Have you not read the dossier? Yumi's family is here in Lillian. They'll be depending on our good care. She's not one of your usual playthings, but perhaps you, Sei, don't make a distinction anyway."

"Good – good day – " sputtered Yumi. She remembered Yoshino's words. This was the real thing, and if she were to make a good impression, she needed to be prompt. She hastily bowed, and the black-haired woman lazily stretched out a hand. Yumi hurriedly took it – perhaps too roughly – and placed her lips on the other's knuckles.

How surprising. Her palm… her skin… felt smooth, pristine. It was as if Rosa Chinensis had never struck a person or held a gun.

"Don't lose yourself, my new sister," drawled the arrogant belle, and her associates snickered. "I appreciate a girl who takes her time in the physical dimension of kisses. You probably already know, but I am Mizuno Youko, or Rosa Chinensis. My operations are based in France, Germany and Austria."

"My honour, Rosa Chinensis," cried Yumi, flushing like a beetroot.

She reached for the hand of the lady with a prominent forehead, who nodded dismissively and shortly. Her dress was a simple yellow one, and if one didn't know better, she would have looked like a high school or university student dressed for a holiday date. "Torii Eriko, Rosa Foetida to you. Italy is the sandbox I've built for Rei and Yoshino-chan. I have Berlusconi and his mogul partners under my thumb."

The light-haired beauty chuckled as Yumi finished kissing Rosa Foetida. Innocent, fearful eyes met those of an experienced crime mistress. "Satou Sei – or Rosa Gigantea, if you insist on my title. I'm an Anglophile, so of course my girls go wild in London with our best friend, Boris." She licked her lips, gazing at Yumi with what could only be called hunger. "You look innocent. Fresh. That style's my favourite, y'know?"

"It's… it's my honour…?" stammered Yumi, unsure of what to say.

"Shimako!" said Sei suddenly, clicking her fingers.

From behind her emerged one of the most beautiful girls Yumi had ever seen, with strikingly soulful eyes. Her garb was a simple white dress – enough to deceive others into believing she was some cherub from the skies above. When she spoke, it was as if the wind paused to listen. "Rosa Gigantea was knighted by the Queen for her considerable philanthropic work throughout London's boroughs. Unfortunately for the British government, those funds were actually siphoned from the pockets of the country's taxpayers," stated Shimako Todou matter-of-factly.

"That's probably why the underground Tube there still sucks," laughed Sei. "It's all my fault. Oh, if only we thieves and them victims could get along."

Yumi felt her insides churn. Can I really do this? she wondered. Can I do what they do with such… straight faces?

"Kiss my hand again," demanded Sei suddenly and smoothly, and Youko and Eriko glared at her. "I want to feel your mouth on my skin again."

Her heart pounding, Yumi looked at Yoshino, who also looked embarrassed and troubled.

"I suggest you put up with Rosa Gigantea's inappropriate whims for now," said Rosa Gigantea en bouton gently, smiling with an indulgent air that indicated Yumi's utter helplessness in the whole matter.

"That's harsh, Shimako," sighed Sei, although her expression was one of pleasure as a flushing Yumi reluctantly obeyed and submitted to her softly-expressed but absolute will.

Eriko coughed into her hand imperiously. "Now that Sei's had her pointless fun… let me address you, Yumi. Our predecessors elbowed aside our rivals in Japan and the Chinese mainland, allowing us to expand business here. You can see how our operations stretch throughout Western Europe. This is only the first step. We wish to penetrate into the former Soviet Union's satellite states, where trafficking and bounty hunting make good wealth. But the current level of competition in Moscow is too troublesome to deal with. We will go on the offensive only when our stranglehold over the Spanish and Portuguese is complete. Only when they are broken will we advance."

Rosa Foetida played with a strand of her hair. "So do your job with a straight face," she demanded quietly, and Yumi shivered. "The bigger things get, the more serious they become. We're talking about hard cash and human lives here. Money flows into our coffers from all corners of the Continent. Our business is more catholic than Rome itself. We don't play with lives, I assure you on that. We keep them or take them. That is all."

Yumi ignored her apprehension. The die had been cast. For her family… "Please take care of me," she said determinedly, and Yoshino and Shimako looked at each other, impressed.

"Come, my pretty new recruit," smiled Youko, pressing her slender hands together in satisfaction. Rosa Gigantea was still observing Yumi admiringly. "It is time to meet my petite souer. Ogasawara Sachiko shall be your guide into our world. She has probably withdrawn herself again. She prefers the company of her Steinway to people. Come with us for a ride. I'll take you to our mansion, so you can be by her side."

TO BE CONTINUED