07.07.11
To Aomi The Scheduler8 : Thank you for your kind words! I was beginning to think that I am doing something wrong in this fic, with the scenes/chapters being longer than they should be. It's a relief to know that someone finds it interesting, even with the lack of an appearance from Aoshi. (nn,) Since I don't usually get reviews for this fic, I was planning on writing as many chapters as I can before uploading. I managed to write one before life got busy, sadly, and then I totally forgot to upload it! Thanks for actually reminding me! :)
On a side note, while I was having a break from this fic, I came up with another story for another favourite pairing. If you watch Inuyasha and love the pair Sesshoumaru x Rin, you might want to read Life, Death, Love. It's inspired by Greek Mythology, Hades and Persephone to be specific. Yeah, shameless plug, LOL.
A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story
~ Chapter 9 ~
The Real Deal
Isa and Soujiro spent most of their time leisurely playing Hanafuda while Tsubame chose to stay quiet in one corner. At some point, Saitou came back and to Isa's dismay, joined the game. The trio went with their little game and had their fair share of winning and losing. It was only when Isa complained about all four of them smelling like smoke because of Saitou's continuous smoking in an enclosed space that Saitou stood up and informed them that he was there for a reason. And the reason happen to be informing Isa that the Boss has given her his permission to enter his room. Isa was fuming mad and Saitou made sure that he's not hiding his amusement. To fuel up the fire more, he even said that it was a pleasure spending time with Isa for all this time she had been acting like the real big-shot yakuza that she is. There was an odd smirk plastered on his face as if he is enjoying an inside joke that only he understood, but due to the time wasted, Isa chose to ignore his remarks and told the two men that she will now head to Shishio's chambers "without further delay".
As Isa opened the grand double doors, she was presented with a very traditional-looking room, as if she was looking at another dimension that connected her to the Meiji Era. It wasn't long before she felt Tsubame's fascination as well because she stepped away from her back and folded her hands together in an awed poise.
And it wasn't long either before they spotted the naked woman sleeping and separating her white skin on the patterned silk sheets gracing the enormous bed. It was a King-size, Isa assumed, and purposely made lower than the average bed to give the impression that it belonged to the Old Japanese theme surrounding the room.
So that's why I had to wait
The woman sleeping was Komagata Yumi. "Shishio's woman" as everybody calls it. To Isa, though, she calls her his 'handbag' – an attractive accessory that has little use but to cling to the owner's arms and act like a trophy to be displayed and given the proper attention that its beauty deserves. The woman doesn't mingle with anyone, save for Shishio's comforter. Isa wondered, at first, how one woman can stand Shishio, but then she looks exactly like the kind who would want a powerful man to spoil her. And after her few encounters with the 'handbag', she deduced that she doesn't really want to bother at all.
The two visitors cut their own personal musings when Shishio, the Oyabun of Juppongatana Family, cleared his throat after appearing from a connecting bathroom. Isa noticed that Tsubame was still staring at Yumi, so she spoke first, thinking that it would be too troublesome to nudge her unless she wants Shishio to put his attention to her.
"I was ready hours ago."
Shishio took his time sitting on his bed cross-legged, adjusting his purple robe, and smiling at the sleeping woman before replying, "Yumi was ready, as well, and between the two of you, I'd rather attend to her first."
Isa was put off by his attempt at humor, but she had no time to make a witty retort when Shishio changed the topic.
"I've heard about Sakamoto. You and Kamatari pulled a good stunt there; I surely can't expect anything less from you two. Soujiro even told me about the kissing scene, hahahahaha! That would've been a priceless spectacle to see." He unconsciously glanced at Tsubame while speaking, "I'd give up a hundred women for trafficking just to see it!"
Stay calm. Play along… "What about the little 'slip'? You're not disappointed I left a kunai for the investigators to see?"
"Should I be? I didn't become this successful without a reason. Shinomori, I choose my 'men' well. I trust them and they never fail me. I know that kunai won't be traced back to you… or me… or us."
Unfortunately for the two visitors, the little glance made Shishio's attention shift to Tsubame, who is still staring at Yumi thinking who-knows-what. Isa tried to hide the girl using her arms, but the girl was rooted to her place and Shishio's eyes were not leaving her at all.
"Tsubame, what you're doing is rude. Don't stare." Isa scolded.
Shishio ignored the fact that Isa let one of his girls go, instead, he let out another booming laugh and said, "And you?" addressing Isa with his eyes. "You're not bothered at all?" Curiosity evident in his orbs.
Isa thought his response was better than what she had anticipated; she decided to indulge the man and refer back to Sakamoto,
"Not at all. By now I am used to seeing naked people and acquainting myself with men who had to finish their carnal business first before attending to the real business at hand."
Tsubame blushed hard but neither of the two cared.
The result was painfully good. Shishio was laughing his ass off while moving himself to sit beside the sleeping woman. As he finally took notice of the blushing girl, his laughing eyes obviously says that he's willing to let the girl go for unintentionally causing him some entertainment, although it still held the warning that he'd be keeping his eyes on her in case Isa did not do her pending job well.
As he continued shaking with laughter, the bandages covering his whole body began to loosen some more, the first signs of loosing obviously from his previous 'activity' with Yumi. But instead of showing any kind of burns or injuries, which normal people expect to see under heavy bandages, the bandages revealed detailed tattoos from his neckline down to his wrists and body. Isa understood what tattoos meant to Yakuzas, but the bandages… she will never understand or care to. There must be some serious shit screwed in that head of his!
The movement finally made the woman beside him stir. "What's funny?" Yumi asked.
"Nothing, nothing... I was just about to assign Isa her final mission, but then these two kept distracting me, it was funny."
"Oh?" She said absently.
Yumi raised a bit to lean on the headboard and guess what? To cling on Shishio's arms! She didn't even bother to cover her exposed upper body. Isa chose not to voice anything. Tsubame, on the other hand, took a step back and finally went to hiding on Isa's back.
Isa then decided to end all distractions. "I guess we should move on to business then."
In a second, all smiles were gone and everybody in the room was attentive on what Shishio has to say.
"When I found out that the person who attacked my men is an Oniwaban, I didn't just take you in with the intention of using your skills. All these years the killings are only a form of stalling and benefitting from you while you're here. What I really want you to do is to go back to your home in Kyoto and monitor a person for me."
"You stained four years of my life with blood just because you're waiting for me to go back home? How can you be so inconsiderate! Couldn't you just send someone else or blackmail me when I'm there?"
"You might want to watch your mouth, Shinomori. I have a lot to say and I don't want to have a volume contest with a whining brat while I give my orders."
It took a lot of courage for Isa to stay calm and say, "I'm listening."
What Shishio said next, however, quieted Isa for real. Shishio knew she's finally learned the importance of her mission.
"I'm sure you've heard about the Kashiwazaki Family, the largest and wealthiest criminal organization all over Japan."
As a confirmation, Shishio heard a loud gulp whose echo seem to stretch in the quiet room.
"Now what I want to ask you is, have you met Kashiwazaki Nenji otherwise known as Okina?"
"No, I've only heard that he stays in Kyoto. Aoshi-sama has seen him a few times, though, for reasons I don't know."
"Precisely. You see, a long time ago, an involvement occurred between the Oniwabanshu and Okina. The elders from the ninja clan and the Boss developed a friendly bond since then. But as of the moment, all the elders are dead and the oldest member existing who is present from those days is the current okashira, Shinomori Aoshi."
"You make him sound ancient. He's only 31." I don't like where you're going…
"Do you see what I need now? I want you to extract information from the well-respected okashira and I want you to act based on that information. As if I'm not lucky enough, I got a member of the best intelligent network on my side… and Aoshi's one and only ward at that. Your surname is proof enough of how effective it is that you do this."
Isa wanted to swallow all the disgust. All this time Shishio's been intending to use her against the most important person in her life. As if going home was not risky enough, she even have to lie to Aoshi on a frequently basis! Suddenly she's been thinking if all this trouble is worth her freedom.
"What do you want from Aoshi-sama?"
"I want you to find a person that only Shinomori Aoshi knew of. I want you to find and kill that person and then we can both have a fresh start." Shishio's face expressed the most evil grin.
"Tell me about this person you speak of."
"22 years ago, Juppongatana and Kashiwazaki were supposed to merge as one family." Shishio said the word "family" with strong bitterness, but Isa decided to stay quiet and listen to the rest of what he has to say. "Things were going accordingly until Okina broke an important deal. Now, Yakuzas may be known as gangsters and crime lords, but if there's one thing that you can trust us with, it's that we take it to a whole new level when we say we will keep our word. As punishment for not keeping his, I carefully planned an accident that will lead to the death of each and every one of Okina's living family. It was successfully executed one year after. It wasn't that hard, seeing that there's only three left – a couple and their child, Okina's grandchild, a one-year-old little girl."
Knowing that she herself does not have a family related to her biologically, Isa already felt pity for the Boss she has never met. "You killed a whole family? How sick can you get?"
"UNFORTUNATELY, it wasn't as successful as I thought it was."
"Six years ago, I received word that the grandchild is still alive. I used all my power to trace the source of the rumor, but to no avail. It's been pure, unrestricted chaos in my mind since then. The only clue I have was that the Oniwabanshu aided in rescuing the girl, thus resulting to her survival."
"That's what you want me to find out? Search for a girl that's only 'rumored' to be alive and then kill her? Why Aoshi-sama? Why not look into that Okina's home instead?"
"My sources already told me that there is no granddaughter living in his house. Besides, if the girl's existence has been hidden for this long, then Okina must have taken great measures to make sure she is alive and well-hidden. I know the old man, if he owed the Oniwabanshu his grandchild's life then they will be the only one informed of her whereabouts. Even the kobun surrounding him showed no signs of knowing the girl's hiding place. Everybody knew her as 'that child who died a long time ago'."
"What if she really is?"
"That is for you to find out for me."
"Any instructions on how am I gonna work this out?"
Shishio gave a smile that says "this is the part I'm excited to tell" and Isa loathed what he has to say before he even opened his mouth.
"Love."
"What the fuck?"
"Simple. You're gonna make your okashira fall in love. Why, I never imagined you'd be opposed to such task!"
"..."
"You'll go home and live your life like how Shinomori Isa lived it with her adoptive family, with the exception of making the ninja commander fall in love with you. You act according to your findings, and then when we're sure that everything is inconspicuous, you kill the grandchild."
"Aoshi-sama won't fall in love with me. He practically raised me, for kami's sake! I say BULLSHIT."
Yumi, who has been silent the whole conversation, erupted into giggles.
With a side glance at his woman, Shishio replied like he is having all the fun in the world, "Oh trust me, with the way you are looking right now…" He trailed while giving Isa a malicious look. "…it wouldn't be that hard to make your stoic prince fall in love."
Again, the giggling from Yumi!
"Fuck you, Shishio Makoto," wow it very much feels like swearing is not bad at all when I'm talking to him, "I think I can think of another plan, thank you."
The smile Isa got told her that swearing at him was as good as a compliment. Ugh!
"Emotions," he started again, "as you've learned the hard way, are a very effective distraction. It would make it easier to divide his attention and acquire what we need from him. So unless you can think of another… emotion, I suggest you do as I say. Think of it as my 'thank you' gift for all your hard work. Who knows, if his love is genuine, he might even forgive you for being a traitor. Hahahaha!"
"Speak another word about love and I'd make you talk to the wall instead!"
"My, my, such a sensitive topic, isn't it?" Yumi interjected.
Isa took a deep breath and tried again, "WELL," then as if reassuring herself, she continued, "the Kashiwazaki Family ARE Yakuzas. Surely it wouldn't be that BAD to kill one heir… She is an unknown heir, after all."
"Is that confidence radiating from you?" Shishio asked with amusement.
Ignoring his question, Isa continued, "Okay… Just one more kill."
"One more kill and you have your freedom… and everybody attached to you." He spared a glance at Tsubame. "All strings between us will be cut, much to my disappointment." He finished with exaggerated tone of displeasure.
"You're honestly, honestly, going to keep your word?"
"That word is what got Okina's family killed, didn't it? You have MY word."
"I still can't understand, though, why you should bother with a poor girl that has already disappeared. Although, if Aoshi-sama knows about her, that makes my freedom an easy reach."
"We all have demons of our past that we'd like to erase to have a fresh start. The death of this missing girl is what I need to complete the foundation of the new me. As you know, without a strong foundation, we cannot be as successful as we think we are becoming. It'll just be the never-ending chaos within our self."
I can relate to what he said. This is freaking me out!, Isa thought with involuntary shivers. "I don't really want to water your evil roots, but a fresh start sounds good. I'm already excited to kill the girl."
"Good to hear! Birds of the same feather really do kill together!"
"Hn!" In your dreams! "By the way, you never told me the name. Does the girl go by Kashiwazaki, as well?"
"Iie. Now remember this name, Shinomori, with all that's left of your tainted heart. You will owe her for the rest of your life. The grandchild's name is Misao… Makimachi Misao."
For some reason, Isa felt like testing the name on her tongue, "Mi-sa-o".
I hope you're already dead because when I find you, I won't delay in killing you.
A few minutes before midnight and the two ladies are ready for bed. Since Isa only has one bedroom, she offered to share the bed to her visitor, Tsubame, who insists in sleeping on the couch.
Before going home, Isa apologized to Tsubame for the late dinner and made it up to her by treating her to her first hearty meal in a long while. They even dropped by to a 24/7 Department Store to buy Tsubame a reasonable change of clothing and some necessities. While passing by a bookstore, a journal even caught Isa's attention and she decided to buy it for herself.
As they reached her flat, Tsubame has finished giving her a quick summary of her life and how she ended up at the Juppongatana's headquarters. Isa found out that she has no living relatives left, and since she couldn't keep up paying her rent anymore, her landlord tricked her into working for Shishio to get rid of her.
As for the two of them, Isa can say that they get along pretty well. Tsubame loved Isa's casual and carefree side outside her 'work' and she idolizes the girl so much to question any unwanted topic. Isa found, too, that she can tolerate the girl despite her weak character. Tsubame is the shy type, but if given attention, she noticeably shows her interest in making friends and having fun. Having grown up with limited finances, the girl is pretty humble and appreciative of whatever she has. Isa already like that part of her. She vowed to spoil the girl to at least make one person happy in her life, but she also swore to keep her feet to the ground and to give her proper guidance so that she can become a strong woman in her own way. Isa knew the perfect place for her, but she will have to wait another day before she promises the girl anything.
Now as the two of them lied in Isa's bed, Isa's emotional stress took its toll and she fell asleep right away. But as she pulled the comforter higher, Tsubame didn't fail to catch her mumble before sleep took over.
"I must be really, really stressed, my bed smells so much like Aoshi-sama." Tsubame heard her say.
Tsubame wondered who is this Aoshi-sama that they keep on mentioning and concluded that he must be someone really special if her savior thinks of him during rough times like this. "He must be Isa-sama's prince."
She snuggled closer to her and waited patiently for sleep to take her.
"Ne, you forgot to demand your 'thank you', but I'm saying it anyway. You seem like a really nice person deep inside. I hope I get to stay with you, my troubled 'prince', Isa-sama…"
Hanafuda – Japanese playing cards, translates to "Flower Cards"
Kobun – means "foster child", the Yakuzas adapt the Japanese hierarchical structure of Oyabun-Kobun. The oyabun is the foster parent and the kobun are the brothers.