Chapter 10: Avenging Ascension

Hi there! Sorry for taking so long with planning the last few chapters of this fanfic. Welcome to the beginning of the new "arc" of Our Lives for Our Sisters. It is here that the post-Youko/Eriko/Sei generations shine. The chapters from now are supposed to match episode 7 onwards in S2, the OVA and S4 of the anime.

The story so far: The small and quiet but wealthy town of Lillian is ruled by three powerful crime families (Chinensis, Foetida, and Gigantea) who have come together in an alliance called the Lily Council. The heads of the families are known as the Roses, and the current leaders are Sachiko (Rosa Chinensis), Rei (Rosa Foetida) and Shimako (Rosa Gigantea). With the darkness of Shiori dispelled, the story of the souers enters a new, brighter era. With the same dark humour and ruthlessness, they now mobilize to wreak havoc on the government forces behind Operation Flower Harvest. The team for the assignment: the new boutons, Yumi and Yoshino, and Shimako, the ascendant White Rose. The target: Kashiwagi and his clique of goodly, law-abiding buffoons.

Mission objective: revenge served cold.

Please R&R but most importantly enjoy!

PS. A couple of kind reviewers pointed out that I've made some grammatical and name mistakes in some parts of the story. Thanks for this! I've amended them now. I apologize for the errors, I think I was off my proofreading game this time round. XO

"Be careful, Yumi," called Ogasawara Sachiko, as Fukusawa Yumi clumsily dodged a live round of bullets from her Tommy. The younger girl dived for cover as the ground was chipped and dented violently. "I could have killed you were my aim so imperfect. I'm trying not to hit you here." Her eyes momentarily widened as Yumi's retaliatory bullet approached her face. She jolted her head to one side, and it was not enough to stop the bullet from cutting a piece of hair from her silken tresses.

"How dare you," whispered Rosa Chinensis, but her smile was darkly approving as she allowed her gaze to linger on Yumi's sneakers, her sweaty tee and sporty bloomers.

Yumi was no longer the weakling from a year ago. Thanks to Sachiko's do-or-die training, she had mastered the glock and Sei's hand-me-down Beretta at a disconcerting speed. True, this was only the shooting range, complete with an obstacle course, but already she had proved her talents with more than four armed robberies, two assassinations in broad daylight (one had been in Lillian's city square, directed against one of the mayor's aides to intimidate and terrify), and six sealed business deals (guided by Sachiko). Like Yoshino, who had also been promoted to become Rosa Foetida's bouton, Yumi was growing not only in her marksmanship, but also in her skills of manoeuvring around the politics of the underworld.

Yumi poked her pigtails out from behind one of the obstacles. In her hand weren't her pistols, but a Thompson similar to Sachiko's model. She was adaptable, and amidst all her blunders, her adaptability was perhaps her greatest strength. The bouton felt rather proud of herself. She was far from being able challenge a serious Sachiko, but by the stars did this Tommy feel good.

Sachiko glared at nothing. " I was already somewhat disapproving when you stuck with the Glock from Yoshino-chan, but the nerve of Sei to suggest that you fight in her style! Here I was, justifiably pleased that you would take the inheritance of the Chinensis crest seriously, but it seems that was asking too much of you." She shrugged, hiding her somewhat sadistic pleasure as Yumi hung her head. "Well… I suppose we agreed that you would master both mine and hers. This is the desire we all share, that you grow stronger than us. That you surpass all the Roses and be a worthy heir to a venerable inheritance."

She didn't get any farther than that as Yumi ran towards her and clasped her hands. "As promised," demanded Yumi.

"How dare you interrupt me?" said Sachiko bemusedly. "What could be so important that you override my instructions for your training?"

"Our date," laughed Yumi gleefully. She raised her finger, pointing almost impertinently at the thin strand of hair that had been cut in half by her bullet. "You forced me to treat you like an enemy. Do you understand how hesitant I was? But it's over now, at least until next week. And I want to spend time with you in the way a souer should."

Sachiko was spared a response when the door to the shooting range opened, revealing the ascendant Rosa Foetida, Hasekura Rei. She and her bouton, Shimazu Yoshino, had recovered from their grievous injuries, although the humiliation of being defeated by Shiori still hung over the Foetida family's heads. But they were in luck today, and they would now share their good news with the Chinensis house. "Good day, Yumi," acknowledged Rei, her smile friendly.

"Good day, Rosa Foetida," said Yumi, bowing.

"What is it?" called Sachiko, addressing Rei as her true equal now, as a fellow Rose. Their eyes met and bored into the other's imperiously, almost defiantly.

Yes, they were allies and friends. Yes, they would defend each other to the death. But that didn't change their being rivals for greater territory, resources and glory.

"Yoshino reports that Kashiwagi and almost all of his police associates will be celebrating their so-called victory over the Lily Council at a party on a luxury cruise liner called the Leo in two weeks' time." Rei grinned. "Yoshino will map out the coordinates and designate a time and place for our gatecrash."

"Good," agreed Sachiko, no longer minding that Yumi hadn't released her hand. "Tomorrow we remind that man that the Lily Council is far from dead. He will soon learn that a woman's revenge, especially when it cares not for the law, is the most lethal of all." She paused. But what of Shimako?"

Rosa Foetida shook her head. "Should I even answer that? The Gigantea family is in shambles. Their secret weapon, Rosa Canina, is dead, and only a former bouton remains. Shimako has much to prove before she can convince the European underworld that our tripartite alliance is still as strong as before. And if she doesn't manage to…" Rei's expression darkened. "Then the aura of our prestige as the Lily Council will fade away. The Gigantea family will be easy prey, and Chinensis and Foetida will find it difficult to deal with the government and the police."

Sachiko sighed. "Let us hope that Shimako knows what she's doing, and that she will be able to rebuild the Gigantea family with a new souer soon."

She looked back down at Yumi, who beamed back eagerly. She couldn't help her cool heart from melting somewhat. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to involve Shimako in our operation: a debut for a White Rose, if you will. Yumi, Rosa Foetida and I will lead you and Yoshino-chan to pay back Suguru-san. Do you agree to follow me?"

Yumi nodded. "If you match my promise with your own."

Sachiko sighed in exasperation, and how she wanted to rip Rei's snickering smirk off with her fingernails. "Fine. A date it is, then."

Yamato Tower. Tokyo

"An alliance with the Lily Council? Out of the question." The old, wheezing patriarch of the Yamato Yakuza clan stared unblinkingly into Shimako's surprised eyes. "Do you think we'll allow ourselves to be monopolized by your Rose empire? Do you think we aren't unaware of your true intentions? First Osaka, and then Hiroshima?" He shook his balding head. "Tokyo won't surrender to your jurisdiction so quickly, especially not after your protracted absence from the Japanese homeland."

"But our absence has been for a good reason. Europe is ours. As a result the Lily Council has been able to offer the finest protection to those that consent to work with us. There has been not a single conglomerate that fell to police interference after it placed itself under us," said Shimako, who sat diffidently on the black couch across from the old man, whom she thought would be her ally. "I flew all the way to Japan last night to propose and finalize this agreement. That you allowed me to come as a guest prompted me to assume that you had agreed over the phone with my secretaries – "

The patriarch shook his head again, this time more condescendingly. "We allowed you to come because we knew you were a naïve, stupid girl who cannot compare to her predecessor. It seems that I was right. Satou Sei was a brilliant star in the constellation of crime lords. But that star's fire is now spent and burnt out. Leaving a pathetic glimmer like you in her wake."

"You didn't take me seriously to begin with," said Shimako in realization, her voice completely unruffled even as she remembered Sei's aura of invincibility. That aura had now been dispelled with her retirement, and Shimako was left alone.

That was how she had always been.

Alone.

"Heiress or not, you are only a woman," said the patriarch, as his suited goons loomed behind his couch. They stared balefully at the tiny Shimako. "And this will be the day when a greenhorn Rosa Gigantea is put down before she can even earn points for her little game." The crime boss's eyes glinted. "When the news is out that I personally gunned down one of the Roses, Japan's entire underworld will turn to me in deference. My apologies, Shimako-chan, but you've just wasted a first-class air ticket and paid for your death instead."

It was at that moment when the modestly dressed, adorable Shimako realized that there was a very simple problem at hand: she was in physical danger. Her attendants – two strapping, Japanese gentlemen – seemed to realize that too. "Rosa Gigantea," roared her handsome bodyguards. "Run!"

Shimako calmly kicked her feet upward, giving her the momentum to vault over the sofa and roll away from the gunshots that came from the Yamato pistols. She felt her skirt trailing behind her, although this wasn't the time to be worrying about modesty. The patriarch had also whipped out his handgun from his traditional hakama, and the numerically superior Yamato quickly overwhelmed Shimako's bodyguards. The men dropped to the floor, bodies punctured with smoking metal. But their resistance had bought enough time for their leader. Running on the Persian carpet, she kicked open the ornate door that hemmed her in and bolted out, bypassing the elevator and ramming herself through the door that led to the staircase. She could hear the patriarch's angry commands for his thugs to hunt her down as she fled down the flights of stone steps. Already she saw suited men running up to intercept her, and they drew their glocks in preparation to silence her. As they neared, Shimako turned to her last resort. She drew her curved blade from a strap on her thigh – a smaller adaptation of the fearsome, dread kukri of the Nepalese gurkhas. She vaulted over the railing of the stairs, descending on a shocked foe. Before he could aim his automatic rifle, she gutted him, caring not as intestines and black gore splashed against her frilly shoes. She sprinted down, two steps at a time, and pounced at another shooting attacker, carving his head in two. His cranium flew off his face, exposing a bloody mass of tissue and a still pulsating brain. The body still hadn't crumpled to the concrete by the time Shimako had passed.

This was the weapon of the late Kanina Shizuka, the Pink Rose, thought Shimako to herself. She rubbed her bleeding shoulder, which had been cut by a stray bullet. Red was seeping through the floral fabric. She had already lost a decent amount of blood. No problem. This is how I've chosen to honour her memory, although I'm hardly as skilled as she was. I dare not compare myself to her.

Perhaps it wasn't ideal to move to the ground floor via the stairs, especially when she was still on the eleventh. She turned to her left and kicked the door open, whipping out her phone and dialling the numbers of her surviving henchmen. "Prepare the van. It was a trap. I'm leaving via the eleventh floor," she said, and the crackling reply buzzed out an affirmative response. Sei's resignation had dealt a heavy blow to the morale of all who served under the Gigantea crest, and Shimako's challenge was to ensure that she could somehow rally the crime cartels that still professed loyalty to the White Rose. One way she briefly considered was to try and imitate the aura of Sei, although building up that kind of reputation seemed impossible and undesirable in any case. Shimako loved Sei precisely because the latter had adopted her while allowing her to be who she was.

Was there any other way?

Shimako blinked. She was in a long hallway with humongous windows that matched the beautiful lights and skyscrapers of Japan's capital. Below was a concourse, and further down were the patios and walkways that lined the immaculately kept business hub. The Yamato Yakuza were nowhere to be seen, but she could sense a presence nevertheless: one who had opened an elevator door and stepped out. Was it the patriarch? "It is rare for a mob boss to be an assassin too," declared Shimako, not turning around as her hand prepared to throw the kukri at the newcomer's face.

"I'm not the boss. I'm just the assassin," came a female but tomboyish voice, and Shimako stopped in her tracks, turning to stare at the girl who faced her. Clad in plain jeans and a black tank top, she was fairly boring-looking in an aesthetically pleasing way. With a no-nonsense hairstyle cut into practical fringes, wide dark eyes, and an impassive expression, she looked like a Japanese doll. In her hand was a long, streamlined shotgun, and Shimako recognized it as the Yamato model, the largest and strongest shotgun in the world. Its barrel gleamed menacingly. If its ammunition connected with someone at close range, the killer wouldn't even recognize the remains.

"You're the one who's supposed to kill me?" confirmed Shimako, not sure how to react to such a strange sight.

Her pursuer also looked taken aback. "Who are you? I've never seen the boss receive anyone… like you." She narrowed her eyes. "You're hurt," she said, and the tone of her voice expressed a striking degree of concern.

"Are you worried about me?" said Shimako, smiling.

To be honest, Noriko didn't really know how to answer. It was as if her mind had simply jumped out of her body and left her eyes to gaze upon the girl before her. Was it ever possible to capture Shimako in words? Even when she hardly knew her, description was something that could never do justice to such beauty, faith and fortitude.

"Your name?" requested Rosa Gigantea calmly, unsure why she bothered to ask.

The other lowered her head. "Noriko… Nijou Noriko."

They gazed at each other for an unusually long time.

"Wait… I know you!" cried the younger girl suddenly, and the White Rose jumped slightly at the sudden change of mood. "You're Shimako Todou, the daughter of the priest at Shouguuji! I always went there to visit before I ended up here! He's a famous monk who's told all his visitors about you."

"You like Buddhist temples?" said Shimako in surprise. She began to blush as she realized the implications. "Oh no, so you've met my otou-sama? He's hopeless, isn't he? We're nothing alike, I assure you."

"But I love Buddhist statues, Shimako-san," said Noriko eagerly, completely forgetting that she was supposed to kill Shimako. Indeed, the conversation between the two had completely relaxed on its own. "I used to be in the smuggling business, but my contacts were killed and I had to go freelance. I've been with the Yamato for a while now…" She sighed. "All I want is to enjoy my time with my statues."

"I do admit that my father has done much to promote our temple, but I've been interested in Catholicism too." Shimako smiled as her hand around her kukri also slackened. Noriko no longer had her shotgun raised, and it dangled uselessly by her side. She began to walk towards Shimako, and somehow Shimako didn't feel it necessary to step back or even warn her away. "Noriko. You've noticed my wound, and I will need treatment for it."

Noriko shook her head. "I'm working for the Yamato, and I have to keep my job if I'm going to keep on smuggling Buddhist statues," she forced herself to refuse. It was clear that she had said that with difficulty. "I can't just let you go… even if I wanted to."

"I understand," said Shimako compassionately, raising her kukri and bending her knees slightly. "Just know this – I have no intention of killing you even if we must fight. If possible, I wish both of us to leave unharmed."

Noriko almost looked hurt at the sight of Shimako's defensive pose.

The elevator suddenly let out a quiet ring, and out stepped the head of the Yamato family. "Noriko-kun!" barked the patriarch. "What are you doing? You're supposed to have put one of your shells in her head!"

Shimako stared at the patriarch, and then at Noriko. "We'll flank her and attack together! The White Rose lineage is about to end at my hands!" The patriarch had raised his gun, but he never managed to pull the trigger. A shell from Noriko's shotgun had exploded into his chest, and he collapsed in a flood of gore. The pistol splashed into the puddle of blood in front of his feet.

"Noriko!" cried Shimako, whipping around to see the other's smoking barrel. "Thank you, but you shouldn't have done that."

And from the look on Noriko's face, it was apparent that she knew it too. Even the criminal underworld abided by certain laws, and the highest and most fundamental was to never betray one's employer. "What… what are you doing, Noriko-kun?" whispered the patriarch, who collapsed to the floor. His shocked eyes weren't even angry, just shocked. "You're supposed to be my bodyguard!" But another shotgun shell cut off his outraged words. His head exploded like a beachside watermelon and that was the end of it.

Noriko lowered her shotgun, her teeth clenched and her eyes wide open in anger. But she was trembling and it was obvious she was afraid. She had betrayed her lifeline, not only by refusing to even engage the target in any meaningful way, but killing him in the most direct way possible. "You dared to interrupt us to steal my prey, Yamato-sama. Shimako-san is mine," she whispered in self-congratulatory bravado.

"To kill?" confirmed Shimako calmly.

Noriko looked away. "I… I don't know," she stuttered.

"You do realize you are in great danger?"

"Of course. The Yamato clan won't be kind to me."

"They shall have me to answer to," said Shimako seriously, as she walked down the corridor towards the massive window. Noriko looked taken aback, unsure of what to say. "You must escape from here. You must find another place before they can track you down." Rosa Gigantea beamed. It occurred to her that she hadn't revealed to Noriko her prestigious rank yet. Perhaps she could have told her at the very beginning, but it was probably better this way. It gave her something else to share, perhaps, in their next meeting. "I will now take my leave. Let's see each other again," she proposed, smiling gently and comfortingly.

"Sure," mumbled Noriko shyly, lowering her weapon again.

And with that, Shimako gathered pace and ran towards Noriko. Their eyes met yearningly one last time. The White Rose's wispy hair innocently brushed past Noriko's arm, as her sprint became a dive. Hurtling towards the window, she crashed passed the glass and ignored the stings and cuts of broken shards to make her escape. On the ground floor was a black van that awaited her. Silence rang painfully in Noriko's ears as she stared at the shrinking form of Shimako, and then at the corpse of the man she was supposed to be working for. She began to blush even as she began her own retreat. She had turned against the very Yakuza that had employed her services. She would need to get out of here and find someone else, fast.

All for the sake of her rapidly beating heart over a strikingly adorable girl.

Two weeks later. On board the luxury cruise liner, Leo

"Be glad I brought you here, Yuki-kun," smiled Kashiwagi, resplendent in his dinner suit. His hand was sore from shaking those that belonged to senior officers, correspondents and even heads of state. Below him and Yumi's brother dangled an opulent chandelier. It took a luxury liner like the Leo to host such a ballroom, which could also accompany many of Europe's most influential anti-Mafia (read: anti-Lily Council) crimefighters. "While your sister lost her way in the darkness of the Roses, you've basked in the warm light of law and order. You won't regret joining the police force."

"I haven't seen Yumi for so long, I guess I didn't have much choice," said junior sergeant Yuki modestly, but he meant it. Kashiwagi was clearly gay for him, and while Yuki wasn't exactly a prude, he wasn't about to let his boss touch a hair of his head. Having a superior who clearly had designs on you was far from the romantic drama portrayed in movies: it was a professional and possibly legal nightmare. Still, if he was ever going to get back in contact with Yumi, he needed to get as close to the Lily Council as possible. And in a bizarre way, Kashiwagi could help him achieve that.

But for now the investigation would have to wait. He was also dressed impeccably, but the luxurious Gucci outfit was physically constraining, too tight for a plebeian kid like himself, who enjoyed working jobs that required physical labour and a simple head. Giggling women and hearty men in dinner gowns, with fine wine and food that shone like jewels. But now here he was on the seas of the Mediterranean, thanks to his parents' bid to flee loan sharks in Japan, and so he might as well make the best of it.

"Why have we been dragged out to the middle of the ocean, anyway?" groaned Yuki, as he shook another hand of an elderly Italian minister.

"Operation Flower Harvest did not go as smoothly as planned," admitted Kashiwagi, smiling attractively at the politician's blushing Sicilian wife. "But we brought down the house of Gigantea, and we did away with two women who could have become potential threats: the hitwoman Shizuka Kanina and Shiori. Shiori was perfect for the task: we stood to gain if she killed the Lily Council's members, but we also stood to gain if she died herself. And here we are."

"Yeah. The only ones who lost out were the kids Shiori was looking after at the convent," added Yuki bluntly, to which Kashiwagi sneered.

"I won't let sentimentality get in the way of securing the clean name of my family, Yuki."

The minister, who was still leering down at Yuki, raised his eyebrow as a spurt of blood burst from his ear. At first Yuki thought it might have been some quirky but messy allergy – until his hand slackened around his champagne glass and it was obvious that there was a hole in the other side of his head. "Someone's got a silencer," cried Yuki in horror, and Kashiwagi shoved the dead man's horrified wife aside as several more people around the room – all of high ministerial or law-enforcing rank – collapsed. Bewildered screams erupted across the ballroom as Yuki looked feverishly around. Where and how – ?

The ceiling was collapsing. Shards of glass fell, along with chunks of wood and carpet, as a powerful explosion rocked the Leo. The deck shook, and Yuki stared up wordlessly as five, six… up to ten or twelve intruders clad completely in black Kevlar and armour rappelled down sinewy ropes that had slipped through the giant hole made by the detonation. Their faces were completely hidden by sinister, insectoid masks reminiscent of those used in gas warfare during the Second World War. The moment their thick boots landed with hardly a sound, they immediately raised their automatic rifles at the petrified attendants of the dinner party and began to fire indiscriminately on the guests. Bodies began to pile as Kashiwagi drew his pistol – damn it to hell, he didn't expect to have to bring any heavy weapons! He fired, and one of the masked killers fell. "What is this?" complained Kashiwagi, as the others noticed and began to shoot at him too. "Are you going to stoop so low as to spoil my big break here?"

From the blasted hold dangled one last rope, and from that rope descended an immaculately dressed Sachiko, her flowing night hair trailing behind her as her heels pierced and dug into the ballroom floor. Following closely behind her were Yumi, Yoshino, and a jacketed Rei, and they landed within seconds of each other, observing their troops lay waste to the unarmed pen of victims. "This is a massacre, Kashiwagi-san," said Sachiko matter-of-factly, her Tommy raised high in the air. She fired again, and glass tinkled from the damaged chandelier. More screams. Yumi and Yoshino also had deployed their weapons, and Kashiwagi could not help noticing that Yumi also held a similar firearm to Sachiko's. "Our Iron Hawks are here to remind you who owns Italy. Did you think your Guardia di Finanza were the only Special Forces in this country?" Her eyes didn't shine. "Don't grow arrogant just because you've beaten one of our seniors, you revolting men. Know your place and let Yumi break everything you have."

Yuki stared at Yumi in shock, and Yumi did so likewise. "Yumi?" he said blankly.

"Yuki," blurted the bouton, who looked almost out of place as the Lily Council's Iron Hawks continued to mow down the surviving policemen and correspondents. The survivors scattered like roaches and fled. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that!" shouted Yuki, as Yoshino laughed wickedly and unleashed a hail of bullets at the politicians who were fleeing towards the left wing. "So you've been here all this time? With… with these… Roses?"

"You were always a bad influence, Saa-chan," said Kashiwagi, as Yumi blew a hole through a security guard who attempted to sneak up on them, before riddling his corpse with bullets from her Thompson. "I may not have been expecting the honour of your presence and those of your accomplices, but perhaps the new bodyguard I've hired could earn some merit for herself by apprehending all of you at once."

He snapped his fingers, and Yoshino and Yumi jumped as one of the Iron Hawks was ripped apart by a deafening shotgun shell. Standing behind the mushed remains of the soldier was a girl of similar age to them, dressed in little more than a tank top and jeans. The Lily Council's elite strikeforce turned their rifles on her, but while their aim was impeccable, her skill with the Yamato was such that she traded a cut and bleeding arm for the exploding hearts of the men attacking her. "My name is Nijou Noriko," snarled the Japanese doll. "I'm taking you in, boutons."

"Jesus – " Yoshino ducked as a shell burst from Noriko's fearsome firearm, and an unlucky Iron Hawk behind her saw his torso explode before his eyes. Screams could be heard behind the mask as he fell. "You're crazy!" Noriko cocked her weapon and fired again, forcing Yumi and Yoshino to dive away as one of the banquet tables splintered and flew apart, not unlike the head of a police chief who had been unlucky enough to be caught in Noriko's crossfire. Another sinister "click," and Noriko was on the rampage once more, this time aiming for Sachiko and Rei. But to Yumi's surprise, Sachiko was smirking.

"We don't have time to deal with her, and it is true that she is formidable," said Rosa Chinensis to Kashiwagi. "But once more, you underestimate our preparations. And once more, you shall lose. Rei?"

The Yellow Rose nodded smugly as she raised her head to the sundered ceiling, drawing her sword as she did so. Her boyish voice rolled like noble thunder across the bloodstained ballroom.

"Rosa Gigantea!"

Still firing away happily, Noriko paused for a brief moment, before dropping open her mouth in gobsmacked astonishment when she raised her head to look up at the final enemy descending from the rope above the ceiling.

"Wait, Noriko!" called a frail, songlike voice, wreathed in sunlight.

"You!" breathed the freelance gangstress.

"Hello. We meet again," greeted Shimako, her pleated skirt and frilly shoes giving the impression of a childish angel. "I didn't expect you to find work here, with the police. That they let you join them surely indicates their dishonest desperation."

Noriko had stopped dead in her tracks, her starstruck eyes betraying her utter shock. She began to stutter incoherently. "I – I – um," she sputtered. "What are you doing here, Shimako-san?" She turned as red as an apple. "Wait, no, of course you should be here, you're Rosa Gigantea. Wow, I'm so embarrassed. I didn't want you to see me like this… with no job and working for these guys. And you… you are really the White Rose of the Lily Council. I… I…"

I had no idea! she thought in amazement and dread. If I had known, would I have challenged her?

"Yes, Noriko," said Shimako patiently. She released the rope, and the Iron Hawks rallied behind her, aiming their guns at Noriko again. "I'm Rosa Gigantea."

Yumi and Yoshino nodded. "We'll take care of Kashiwagi. You take care of her!" cried Yoshino.

Noriko slowly stepped back, her grip on her weapon's trigger faltering. She looked at Kashiwagi. "You never told me she was Rosa Gigantea," she spat angrily. "If it's like this, there's no way I'm taking on Shimako-san. You can keep your money. I'm not about to lose my life here." Her eyes met Shimako's, and something tingled between their irises. "I'm not fighting her."

Kashiwagi glared at Noriko. "You will stand your ground."

Noriko snorted. "Says you. The pay was crap anyway." To the surprise of all the souers, Yuki and Kashiwagi, the hired gun dropped her shotgun and made a break for it, towards the emergency fire exit at the corner of the ballroom.

Sachiko nodded. With Noriko's will broken by the mere entrance of Shimako, this little scuffle was sealed. She didn't even need to look at the outraged Kashiwagi to know that the two gentlemen were outnumbered and would be outfought. "She's yours, Shimako."

Noriko panted as she burst out of the fire exit, out of breath as she fled down the stairs to another corridor. She managed to reach the exit and continued to run. But the inhumanly fast Shimako was already gaining on her, and she couldn't give much resistance as the better-trained White Rose spun through the air, crashing into her back and pinning her against the wall in an armlock.

"I caught you," said a beaming Shimako, her voice sounding like she had won a teddy bear at a carnival game.

How did she manage to know where she would be running? She had probably caught up with her as early as when she was on the stairwell. Groaning Noriko didn't care anymore; her head was spinning. She could flee from her employers and she could flee from crime lords, yet why was she running here? Why was she running, when she felt so drawn to this girl? she wondered to herself, as Shimako's small nose brushed at her black hair from behind.

Why was she running from Rosa Gigantea?

Yuki had had several small scuffles with his sister when they were younger, and even then they didn't enjoy fighting each other. Perhaps it was their close bond, or perhaps the inclination to make trouble intentionally just wasn't in them. But no way was he going to shoot her here, not when he had finally found her. But what the hell was she doing with a Tommy in her hand? "I haven't seen you for so many months and the first 'hello' you give me is this?" he shouted, running away from Yumi and Yoshino's bullets. "And who're your madwomen friends?"

"What matters isn't that they're madwomen. What matters is they're my friends," snarled Yumi. "What's so hard to understand about that?"

"Who's the madwoman, anyway?" scoffed Yoshino, her arm raised arrogantly as she pressed the trigger again and again. "I'm going to enjoy carving you and the boys up. It's been months since I could move from my injuries, and I intend to make the most of it."

"Yumi-chan, were you always this violent?" wondered Kashiwagi, leaping over one of the tables and escaping the gunfire from Sachiko's submachine gun. Yumi pressed her back to her grande souer and fired as well, forcing the men to split up and run for dear life.

"You've become a good partner, Yumi," praised Sachiko above the roar of gunpowder.

Yumi nodded, her heart swelling with pride. "Onee-sama," she acknowledged gratefully.

"It doesn't need to be like this, Yumi," called Yuki, pressing the butt of his pistol close to his chest as he took refuge behind an overturned table from Yumi's Tommy. Kashiwagi had his hands full against Sachiko and Rei, whilst Yoshino was butchering the last remnants of the officers who were still brave (or stupid) enough to offer resistance. Everything around them was falling apart. Noriko had figuratively jumped ship too, and there was no way he and Kashiwagi could overpower the Lily Council and their Iron Hawks.

Suddenly, he felt himself hurled into the air as his cover was blown apart by Yumi's grenade. The battle suddenly went silent as he felt his ears withdrawing from the deafening detonation. He sprawled painfully on the ground amongst burnt pieces of ornate wood. I think I broke a rib, he thought unhappily.

"Sorry, Yuki," said Yumi as she approached her groaning brother, "but it's probably best if you just sit down and keep your hands up. Onee-sama knows that you've done nothing wrong, she won't do to you what she's going to do to Kashiwagi-san."

"I feel comforted and terrified at the same time," sighed the slightly charred Yuki, forcing himself up to face his sister. There wasn't any resentment between their gazes, only what some would call perplexity at the absurdity of their situation. He slowly and reluctantly raised his hands. "Well, I don't want to die by your hands, so I'm not going to be so stupid as to refuse you."

"Thank you. And sorry," she whispered, taking him by the shoulder.

"At least I know you're in good shape, if a bit crazy," smiled Yuki tiredly, and Yumi laughed in embarrassment. "Next time you try earning money in such a way, don't try to hide it from me. Mum and dad have been worried sick."

Meanwhile, Rei had finished cleaning up the last pockets of resistance on the liner. She wiped her bloody blade clean, satisfied that the few who had managed to escape probably had abandoned ship and drowned. And if they somehow managed to swim or be helicoptered back to shore, they had a truly inspiring story to tell. "Your elite circle is broken," snarled Yoshino, reloading and shooting at a twitching body. "But we won't be satisfied until you're either dead or humiliated to the point you'll wish you were."

"We've ransacked your precious Leo and butchered all your connections here. Your entire force is broken, your hopes for a promotion kaput for at least a couple of years. You're going to have to stay in this backwater Italian town instead of returning to the skyscrapers of Tokyo," said Rei viciously.

"Checkmate, Suguru." Kashwagi coughed blood as Sachiko's sharp heel dug into his stomach and kicked him against the wall. Slamming against the gilded wood, he raised his pistol desperately, but another round of bullets from the Red Rose's Tommy punctured his body, forcing him to drop the gun. He slumped, his body ruined. The rich kid who had masterminded Operation Flower Harvest now looked pathetic in his splendid suit, stained generously with blood and dirt.

The Lily Council's revenge was complete, and Sei had been avenged. As the Iron Hawks filed into rank order and awaited further commands, Sachiko glared at the defeated Kashiwagi, itching to punch his mug. Even now, he looked so damn arrogant. Perhaps it was to mask his fear or frustration, but he still had the sense not to show it, and that cool-headed calmness was what frustrated Sachiko the most.

Suddenly, a positively evil smirk lit up her face. "I have an offer you literally can't refuse."

"And what's that?" rasped Kashiwagi hatefully.

Sachiko aimed her gun at Kashiwagi's legs and fired, disabling him in a similar way Shiori had done to Sei. His hiss of pain was such a delightful melody. "You get to keep your life – and in return, I'm taking your family's inheritance."

Somewhere else on the cruise ship

Noriko stared at Rosa Gigantea in reverent awe as the latter gently released her from a vicelike grip. The rogue gangstress felt Shimako's fragile fingers brushing against her wrists. "I still can't believe that you… you're the White Rose," she stuttered, moving her arms and flexing her wrists gratefully. "I… I didn't know, and I completely underestimated you. I almost feel like I should apologize for not knowing who I was up against."

"If you had been a bit more prepared, you would have been awarded a distinguished medal from the Italians for apprehending one of the three Roses," smiled Shimako, helping Noriko up and turning her to face her. "Such is police hypocrisy and cowardice." Noriko looked taken aback by how vulnerable Shimako was willing to appear. "No matter. I have no intention to hurt you, so don't be afraid. You showed me mercy once, at Yamato Tower. Thank you, Noriko, for saving me back then."

Noriko looked up at Shimako bashfully. "Aren't you worried I'll backstab you? I'm… I'm not exactly a loyal person. You of all people should know that after seeing how I betrayed the Yamato patriarch." She looked away. "But I did that – I threw away my job and credentials – all because of some weird fire burning inside of me… that's been ignited ever since I met you."

"Think nothing more of the Yamato. Don't feel guilty; it wasn't your fault. I just think you haven't found someone worthy of your loyalty yet," murmured Shimako, as Noriko stared at her pink lips. "But…" Her voice grew quieter. "Perhaps I may be that worthy one… "

"You of all people?" repeated Noriko, shaking her head in disbelief. "I legged it at the sight of you. I mightn't be the exemplar of courage you need."

Shimako looked down, blushing slightly. "Then you must prove to me that I can trust you. I don't know if you'll be my souer yet." Shimako's pink lips were flushing. "I am not totally given to the souer system. Yet I feel differently about you. You are brave, honest and strong. You deserve better than to work for frauds like Kashiwagi-san. I could use your frankness… and your skill with the shotgun. On my part, I have the money you need to smuggle in all the Buddhist art you want into Italy. Kannon. Jizo. Miroku. Dainichi Nyorai."

"Wow," murmured Noriko. "You're cheating now, saying stuff like that. I'm getting all hot and bothered just because you mentioned them." Her eyes glinted. "So you'll let me? You're saying I may stay with you awhile?"

Shimako stared Noriko in the eye, and her thumb had started to trail across the other's chin. Neither flinched at the other's touch, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Let me put it as simply as I can. If I promised to place myself at your mercy, would you promise to protect me?"

Noriko licked her lips (and had to resist licking Shimako's fingers). How on earth was she supposed to refuse that? "Deal." She now realized she wanted to throw herself on top of Shimako and ravish her right then and there, but for now she would satisfy herself with Shimako's dainty touch and voice. The blushing Shimako looked away as Noriko eagerly took her hand.

"I will kill and die for you."

"Oh my," stammered Shimako, as Noriko's hand wandered down her arm. "That is a greater declaration of loyalty than anything I ever gave to my own grande souer, Sei-sama. And you said you weren't loyal."

They stared at each other, hearts pulsating. The silent affection and chemistry passing between them was physically tangible and electrifying. "Noriko," whispered Shimako.

"Shimako-san," answered Noriko eagerly, her hands clasping the other aggressively, before she couldn't continue lying to herself that she was satisfied with those delicate hands alone. As their eyes continued to melt into each other's, the gangstress attacked and planted a fierce, unexpected kiss on the dame. She could feel the latter's gasp of surprise in the form of a hot, sexy breath, before her own tongue forced aside Shimako's lips and began to make them hers, weakening the White Rose by the moment as she explored the mouth of the woman she adored at first sight, the one who was soon to be her superior and mistress – the one who had given her a new life.

Yes, after this was over, she would submit to her as the law of the Roses demanded. But surely she could enjoy the last moments of her freelancing like this?

"Have mercy," begged Shimako, fighting back by stroking Noriko's hair curiously, caressing her ear and cheek, and pulling amorously at the back of Noriko's shirt. Sweet, delectable Shimako's naïve attempts to "dissuade" Noriko were obviously rather ineffective, and indeed encouraged her. So Noriko didn't listen, taking advantage of her free hands to continue forcing herself on Shimako. Their knees pressed on the cool carpet of the luxury ship's deck, with Noriko bearing down on the trembling angel that was her new employer. After several entire minutes of unrestrained kissing, Shimako pushed her junior's shoulders back, breathless and panting from the brutal assault. She gasped desperately for some air, any air, her flushed face cast downwards in simultaneous embarrassment and guilty arousal. Excited Noriko could only give her so much time before she swept her into another kiss, at once wet and fiery. She didn't stop, not until Shimako had been silenced and only quiet moaning and breathing could be heard. She triumphed by smothering her. Only then did she allow her dripping lips to reluctantly leave Shimako's.

A trail of damp love formed a moist bridge of bonding between their mouths.

Her hair dishevelled, Shimako stared up at Noriko helplessly, soaked in Noriko's saliva and her glimmering eyes betraying her enchanting, endearing, powerful vulnerability. Sweating with desire and the wish to please Shimako, Noriko clutched Rosa Gigantea's waist tighter, her heart pounding with pain. She never knew love's arrows, such beautiful weapons, could pierce so deeply.

The Reign of Two – the unique sistership that began with Sei and her predecessor, and continued with Sei and Shimako – had now been passed down to a new generation.

The Gigantea family was whole one more.

His back against the cracked window, his legs splayed and his hand clutching his bleeding bicep, Kashiwagi couldn't help a vein twitching as he watched Yumi gleefully stuff his inheritance papers into a waiting bag. His torn formal suit was all he had now, and even its Armani nametag wouldn't fetch a high price since it was torn beyond profitability. "You've turned me into a beggar overnight," he said, his left eye closed from the trickle of blood that poured down from his matted hair. Yuki's face was despairing as he observed Sachiko rummaging through the files of the Italian government and police. "You do realize that you've reduced me to what amounts to little more than a minimum-wage slave?"

"Be grateful you get to keep your life for what you did to Sei-sama," spat Yumi hatefully. "Onee-sama is so merciful for leaving you untouched. She should've broken your arms for the record."

"Yumi, you've become really scary," observed Yuki fearfully, whose hands were still raised high in the air.

"A small price to avenge Sei-sama," snapped Yumi, turning to face her slightly younger brother. "I only wish onee-sama would be willing to inflict more… physical damage against him."

"Yumi, enough," said Sachiko coolly, as she tied Yuki up and shoved him roughly to the ground. A weary Yuki sighed and resigned himself to his fate with Kashiwagi. "For the heir to the Suguru zaibatsu to lose everything except his hollow title… it is quite the humiliation, I assure you. Perhaps enough for him to now give us some information." She smirked at Kashiwagi. "Now… Suguru-san, Yuki-kun. I assume you now understand your place, and that it will always be subordinate to the Law of the Souers. You will now work with us to eat away at the government's justice system, so that it rots from the inside!"

Kashiwagi smirked as Yumi pointed her gun at his head. "Ruin yourself and betray your friends, or die," she demanded. "You can keep either your life or your dignity, but you can't have both. And you have no money, anyway."

Kashiwagi shrugged bitterly. "I suppose. But let me warn you that it's not so simple as putting a bounty on the heads of my colleagues, or hunting down a group of good-hearted Japanese men. In the same way you Roses have funded statesmen, pundits, lobbyists and writers to protect your regional and political interests, those who fight against you – like me – have our own sources of income and support."

"So you're saying we can't control the entire parliament of Italy without taking care of those whose interests conflict with the Lily Council's. After all, they're the ones who check our progress by funding politicians who believe in justice, and supporting the police force financially," said Sachiko. "A commonsense, yet important insight."

"How intelligent of you, Saa-chan," snorted Kashiwagi sarcastically. "Hitherto, my own expenses have been covered by a prodigy who even your Roses and boutons cannot outclass." He smiled. "Have you heard of Drill? As you can tell, their philosophy to oil acquisition is straightforward. But there is a reason why the oil company has such a strange name. You'll see when you meet their CEO."

Yumi raised her eyebrow. "Drill?" she repeated, almost disappointed at the anticlimax of a stupid brand name.

"Yes," said Kashiwagi, and this time he was quite serious. "She'll be a whole different ball game to the one you've been playing. Let me assure you: you'll need far more than just your souer logic to convince her you're even worthy to challenge her assets."

"Oh? And who is this generous, beneficent financier you speak of?" sniffed Sachiko. "I'd like Yumi to meet her."

Yumi held her breath as Kashiwagi responded, and the name that issued from his lips was completely unfamiliar.

"Matsudaira Touko-chan."

Next chapter: Who is the mysterious young tycoon behind the wealthy oil cartel Drill? How will the Lily Council deal with this influential rival? And what will she come to mean to Yumi?

Lily Council Dossier: File 11

Name: Nijou Noriko

Family: White

Rank: Rosa Gigantea (Shimako) en bouton

Preferred weapon: Yamato 535 double-barrelled shotgun

Profile: There was only one person who Shimako would cry in front of when she was a petite souer, and that was Sei. With Shimako's ascension, there is only one girl who can fill Sei's role and perhaps surpass it. Noriko is a blunt and hot-tempered girl proud of her native Japanese culture and Buddhist faith. After a meeting that could be described as mutual, fierce attraction at first sight, Noriko has turned her back on working as a mercenary and accepted Shimako's offer to protect her. Carrying on the Gigantea tradition of two souers instead of three, Noriko now serves as Shimako's close-range support, destroying all who threaten her soon-to-be grande souer with a powerful shotgun. Blunt and to the point, Noriko's choice of weapons reflects her direct and candid attitude.

Lily Council Dossier: File 12

Name: Fukusawa Yumi

Family: Red

Rank: Rosa Chinensis (Sachiko) en bouton

Preferred weapon: Glock 30, Beretta 92, Thompson submachine gun

Profile: Her Glock was a welcoming gift from Yoshino, her Beretta a memento from the now wheelchair-bound Sei. Most importantly, however, her rosary was bestowed upon the incumbent Rosa Chinensis, Sachiko. Yumi is not only a bridge between Sachiko and the latter's humanity, but also a bridge that has cemented the strong ties between the Rose families further. Having learned and supported Sachiko for a year now (after being partly forced/seduced into joining the Lily Council), Yumi now must turn her attention to not only the higher concerns of a bouton, one of which is the responsibility of identifying an appropriate heir. Still naïve, kindhearted despite her life of crime, and surprisingly sharp in dealing with people, it is finally Yumi's turn to assume an authoritative role as she begins to take on more and more responsibility in the name of her beloved Sachiko.