A/N - I don't own these characters.
Chapter 13
By the smell alone she could have guessed that they were on a fishing boat. The traces of fishing line and the random smattering of fish scales in grooves of the floor and along the edges of the room definitely helped to solidify it for her though. From what Yumi could tell, this had once been a room where they prepped fish for transport at sea. Absent were the workbenches and stores of salt now though. All that remained in the narrow confines of the room was a squeaky, rusted bed with a thin, filthy mattress. On the opposite wall were two metal links from which hung a pair of well-worn manacles. From her place huddled in the corner of the bed, Yumi could see a tinge of red on the cuffs of the manacles. She didn't dare get close enough to determine if it was rust or something more sinister.
It had been hours since she had woken, but still, no one came to check on her. In the first hour, she had scoured the room only to find little to nothing that would help. Aside from an odd bit of fishing line, she had found wedged in the floorboards, the room had little to offer. Tucking the fishing line beneath the mattress, just in case she found a use for it, later on, Yumi had set about trying to listen to the noises from around the boat.
Her Sensei had trained her to fight without being able to see her opponents, but she never imagined her training there would come in handy in such a way. With her eyes closed, her other senses heightened. Keeping utterly still, she tried to steady her breathing and her heart rate to a cadance that didn't distract. It wasn't easy, given her situation. For the first few minutes, she would jerk at every loud sound, convinced her captures were about to charge into her room. Each time she would have to spend valuable minutes calming herself back down.
Thoughts of Sachiko kept distracting her as well. Worries about her lover would not settle as she craved answers to questions that swirled in her mind. Did Rei-sama find her? Is she safe? They didn't get her too, did they? Is she mad? Will Candace-sama explain to her the plan? … Will she be able to forgive me? That last one seemed to be set on repeat in her mind as she imagined time and again the look of fear on Sachiko's face. What if when this all ended Sachiko couldn't forgive her for her lies? True, it wasn't that she had told any big, straight-up lies. She had, however, kept much from her lover and that was just as bad. She knew Sachiko would see no difference between withholding information and false information.
Sunlight soon faded into darkness and Yumi was left in shadow with only the light of the moon off the waves through the porthole to light her room. Still, no one approached her room. Only once did she hear voices from nearby, but they had moved away without revealing any information. She shivered against the cool steel wall of her room. Having no blankets or anything with which to warm herself, she could only curl in on herself and pray that her own body warmth would help ease her into sleep.
With eyes closed, she tried once more to listen to the surrounding area. When the silence around her became thick and overwhelming, she surrendered herself to the image of Sachiko and let her fill her mind. Sachiko was straddling Yumi's thighs on the couch like she had done just days before. Her long, slender fingers were caressing her cheek and Yumi moaned at the affectionate, inviting touch.
"Mhm, 'ts good." She whispered though she was hesitant to break the silence and banish the feel of the woman above her.
Despite the darkness of the room, Yumi could see the smile that overtook Sachiko's face. It was such a joyful look, one that Yumi would sacrifice daily to see. "My Sensei is feeling needy today, aren't you?" Sachiko's sultry voice drifted to her ear, making Yumi's body quake in anticipation.
"Your Sensei, huh? I don't think I've been able to teach you much of anything. It's actually the other way around, isn't it?" Yumi grinned up at her dark-haired angel.
Seeming to contemplate Yumi's words for a moment, Sachiko then leaned in and with a gentle kiss to her nose, whispered, "Shall I give you a lesson then?"
Sucking in a sharp breath, Yumi nodded eagerly and let her eyes flutter closed as ghost-like fingers began to dance along her arms and shoulders. Cool lips pressed against the eyelid of her left eye, earning a curious look from the younger girl. With a tap to her nose, Sachiko merely ordered her eyes closed once more. Complying without complaint, Yumi leaned her head back once more and waited. Soon, those cool lips alighted against the eyelid of her right eye as well.
For tantalizing minutes, Yumi sat in darkness as she felt Sachiko's lips against her skin. At first, the kisses were light and tender, but they soon began to linger, and everywhere she touched felt as though Yumi were being singed by the heat of it. When she, at last, moved on to Yumi's neck, the younger girl was fidgeting beneath her, as with every touch of Sachiko's lips she felt an open flame against her skin, consuming her, embracing her, body and soul. It was both scary and intoxicating, a sensation that Yumi knew would be the end of her should she let herself become addicted to it.
As she felt the straps of her tank top and bra being maneuvered down the gentle slope of her shoulders, Yumi groaned and knew it was already too late. She was addicted to the girl above her. Her touch, her smell, her smile - She could never get enough. Sachiko's voice alone could soothe the storm that Yumi felt raging in her and her laugh could give her a high that was unparalleled and unmatched by anything on the streets. No, she needed nothing but Sachiko in her life in order to be happy and content.
She wanted nothing more than to run her hands along Sachiko's slender waist, but when she went to do so she found herself restrained by surprisingly strong hands, belonging to the girl in control. Cool lips played at her ear, relaxing her until a quick nip to her earlobe had Yumi jerking in surprise. "I didn't say you could move, now did I?" Another ghosting kiss to her neck, before Sachiko's voice returned, tickling Yumi's ear. "I'm going to show you a Kata of my own. You just sit back, watch, and enjoy. And I mean that quite literally." She then felt Sachiko's hands give her a quick, sharp shove and she felt herself falling backward.
Jerking awake, Yumi flung her hands out instinctively trying to break her fall. Instead, she found that she was lying securely on top of the filthy mattress, not falling backward onto the couch beneath Sachiko. Letting herself collapse back onto the mattress, Yumi had to groan aloud. "Well, that's a letdown."
Sighing heavily, Yumi rolled to the edge of the bed, noting the pale sky outside her porthole. Silently, she wondered how much longer she was going to have to wait for someone, anyone to come to check on her. She thought about knocking on the door and calling out to anyone who could listen and almost tossed the idea, but her bladder would not tolerate the neglect any longer. Walking her sore body over to the steel door, Yumi pounded her fist against it, a resounding thwong, thwong, thwong reverberating through her room and, no doubt, the nearby corridors. "Hey! Whoever is out there, I need to use the restroom." When only silence greeted her, she pounded again. "Seriously! Whoever you are, whether or not you let me use the facilities, this is happening!"
After a short delay, muffled voices could be heard from beyond the door followed by plodding footsteps that seemed to grow closer. Yumi had placed her ear against the door to listen but jerked back with the sharp grinding of metal against metal signaling that the door was being unlocked.
Jumping backward, she instinctively took up a fighting stance but caught herself only moments before the door swung open on squeaky hinges. Remembering that she was supposed to be the adopted daughter of a powerful family, she pressed herself against the wall and forced her shoulders to roll in on themselves, making herself look smaller and frailer. It didn't take a lot of effort to school her face into a look of timid terror though, since she really was terrified. This was definitely not going the way she had imagined it. One, she had never considered they would take her out of the city, let alone to a boat offshore. Two, she had thought she would be in closer proximity to her kidnappers sooner than this. Lastly, she had no clue if the distance from shore would hinder any of the avenues Candace had prepared to track her.
In the night she had remembered and considered using the tracker in the back of her mouth. All she had to do was clench down in fifteen-second intervals. Each time she did that the tracker would emit a beacon that would be visible for one minute at a time. It was designed this way deliberately so that spec ops could signal their positions covertly on the radar. To anyone not knowing what to look for, the image would be seen as a mere ghost of a signal on a normal radar. On a specially attuned radar, it would be an intermittent signal that would lead directly to their comrade. The drawback though is that the device had a limited life span. Candace had implied that she would only be able to signal out a handful of times before the device became nonviable. For that reason alone, she had refrained from signaling out in the night. If Candace was still in France then there was no telling if anyone would be looking at the radar yet.
Yumi's attention was drawn back to the door when a short man stepped through the door with a greasy-looking bandana tied around his head, covering one eye. His one visible eye fell on her within moments and glared unabashedly at her. He was dark-skinned and from his bare chest, she could tell he was neither ripped nor unfortunate when it came to fitness.
Storming toward her, he grabbed her arm and flung her toward the door. It was no act when Yumi found herself slammed into the wall near the doorway, her right shoulder and hip taking the brunt of the impact. Groaning in pain, she hunched against the wall and looked toward her assailant as she cradled her injured shoulder. "Whu?! Who are you?!" She had only a moment to prepare herself before he had grabbed her again. It honestly took all of Yumi's self-control to keep from knocking the guy straight on his ass.
She let him fling her out into the corridor, only for her to trip over the raised metal lip of the doorway. With a cry of shock, Yumi willed her body to go limp as she fell, cushioning her fall as best she could using the training she had. Despite her best efforts, the jarring collision with the steel floor had her wincing in pain.
"On your feet!" The man yelled from behind her while he toed at her shin. His Japanese was stilted and the accent with which he spoke made it clear that it was not his first language.
When she didn't move fast enough for the guy's liking, Yumi felt a swift kick to her left side. Gasping for air, she reflexively tucked in on herself, curling her arms around her sides to protect what had already been damaged.
"You, get up!" The man spoke again, this time grabbing her by the hair and drawing her forcefully to her feet.
"Ahhh!" She cried out in pain as the man's every move threatened to rip the hair from her head. Tears flooded her eyes unbidden and she felt a flood of frustration and anger at having her hands tied by the role she was playing. She couldn't strike back. Not now. Not yet. She had no choice but to play the weak little girl. Knowing what her end goal was, she just prayed that her body would survive the abuse long enough to succeed.
Through her tears, Yumi saw the angry eyes of the man before her and braced for another wave of pain as he raised a hand to strike her yet again.
"Ajay! What do you think you are doing?" A female voice spoke from behind Yumi. And though she could not see the speaker, Yumi was instantly grateful for the interruption.
"She was not listening! She moved too slow!" The man called Ajay tried to argue but was swiftly cut off by the female.
"And that is enough reason to beat her senseless?" The woman scoffed. "You really are a fool."
Yumi was pushed back to the floor with a suddenness that had her shrieking in surprise. She grunted as she collided with the wall on her way down. Trying to breathe through the pain, Yumi looked up and caught sight of the female. She was a bit taller than the man, hair a deep brown that was tied into cornrows. Her skin was slightly lighter than the man's, though it still held a tanned glow. In a word, she was stunning, despite the ripped jeans and ragged tank that showed her midriff. By all appearances, she looked to be in her late twenties.
Thankfully though Ajay's attention was now on the other girl, his glare looked as though it could boil the sea. "You stay out of this, Novia! I'm in charge here!"
"No, I don't think so!" Despite the tension, Novia did not back down. Instead, she stepped closer and boldly pointed a finger directly at his chest, stabbing him with each word. "You may be in charge of this boat, but I am in charge of her." Shouldering him out of the way, she stepped to Yumi's side. "Now, back off, Ajay, before I report this to the Boss."
With obvious reluctance, Ajay stormed off, all the while spouting curses.
Growling in her own frustration, Novia called after him. "Yeah, keep that shit up and we'll see if you get any more of my cooking!" Under her breath, she mumbled, "Jackass." Kneeling next to Yumi she eyed her critically while Yumi forced herself not to meet her gaze.
Look weak… Look weak… She knew it wouldn't take much convincing for these people to see her that way, she just needed to make sure she didn't slip up.
After a tense few moments, the woman clicked her tongue. "Not much to look at, are you?"
Glancing at her from the corner of her eye, Yumi could see the look of disgust on the girl's face. Deciding it would be best to keep quiet, she forced herself to curl into a ball, hiding her face from the woman.
As she expected, Novia merely scoffed at her reaction. "You girls from rich families are all the same. So soft." Grabbing her by the arm, Novia yanked Yumi to her feet in one swift motion.
Out of pure instinct, Yumi tensed under her grasp, unconsciously flexing the muscles throughout her arms as she resisted the pull. Realizing her mistake, she tucked her head down and compelled her muscles to relax. Novia's sharp eyes were on her though, having paused at the feel of her sizable muscles, impressive for a girl of any size.
Moments later Novia was pushing her down the hall. "Ah, where are you taking me?" Yumi asked in a trembling whisper, catching herself on the wall of the swaying hallway.
"You were yelling about taking a piss. What? Did Ajay scare it out of you?"
Remembering her role as a girl of propriety, Yumi risked a glare over her shoulder at the girl but did not speak. It was going to be a battle to balance the right amount of fear with the act she needed to put on of being an Ogasawara.
She was led to a small closet of a bathroom down the hall and shoved inside. When Novia merely stood in the door with arms crossed, Yumi flushed realizing she didn't intend to leave. "Uh, I can't. Not while you are…"
Scoffing once more, Novia raised an amused eyebrow at her. "If you think you're being left alone outside your cell, think again, princess."
"Then - Turn around at least!" Yumi tried to imitate Sachiko's hardened gaze, one she had seen a hundred times. It must have made an impact because Novia finally threw her hands up and turned around.
"I knew you would be more trouble than you're worth!"
As she set about her business, Yumi spoke again. "Then you could simply take me back home and rid yourself of this trouble."
"If it were up to me, I would." This Novia spoke in a lowered voice before adding in a louder voice, "It'd be easier to rid ourselves of you by simply tossing you to the sharks."
Yumi went quiet at that, caught not by the threat, but instead by Novia's softly spoken words. Could she have meant something by that?
While uncomfortable with Novia's proximity, Yumi was relieved that she did not turn around a single time while Yumi was in the restroom. It showed Yumi that the woman had some respect for her, despite her rough behavior.
They were on their way back to Yumi's cell when a tall man with midnight skin stepped into the hall in front of them. At first glance, he looked as big as a mountain and as hard as stone, with muscles bulging everywhere she looked. His eyes were dark and face expressionless as he reached a hand toward Yumi.
Instinctively, Yumi stepped backward, bumping straight into Novia's chest. There was nothing fake about the trembles she knew the older woman could feel from her as the mountain of man reached for her. However, it wasn't her he reached for at all. His hand paused by her shoulder, lifted as if waiting to pass something.
Novia, without a word, lifted her hand and palmed whatever it was from his massive hand. She smiled up at the giant before the man nodded and disappeared the way he had come without a word.
So distracted by the man was she, that Yumi didn't begin moving again until Novia gave her a push toward the open cell a few meters away.
"Jeez! You all sure like to push people around!" Yumi grumbled, stumbling toward to open doorway.
"Don't test us, princess," Novia said loudly as they reached the cell and walked in. Closing the door swiftly behind them, Novia turned to Yumi and grabbed by the shoulders. "Ajay didn't hurt you, did he? He didn't touch you inappropriately?"
Taken aback by the sudden show of concern, Yumi merely shook her head.
"Good." Releasing her, Novia stepped back and leaned against the door. "You must be wondering who exactly I am."
Again, Yumi just nodded. She wasn't sure where this conversation was going, but she didn't want to reveal anything quite yet.
"I am Novia. That man you just met is Pirro, my husband. I am a chef and will make your mouth water with the smell of my Caribbean cuisine." She spoke in a low voice, but her eyes lit at the mention of her husband and cooking. Suddenly, she was a different woman altogether.
"You… You're not what I expected." Yumi said simply, still standing a few feet away in the middle of the room.
Novia smiled bitterly as she replied. "Yes, we look like syndicate scum, don't we? Believe it or not, I went to culinary school and Pirro is a skilled mechanic. It's my father and brothers - They are the real scum."
"Wait! Your family is part of the syndicate?" She was a bit shocked that this woman would be saying all of this only minutes after meeting her, but she dared not press her luck. Not yet at least. For now, she would let this woman talk.
With a humorless laugh, Novia hung her head. "No, my family isn't part of the syndicate." Lifting her head, she glared as she continued. "My family is the syndicate."
Taking a nervous step backward, Yumi raised her hands in front of her chest. "What do you want from me?"
Hissing in anger, Novia shoved off the door and with three swift steps grabbed Yumi by the forearm and pulled her close. "That's just it! I want nothing! Nothing but freedom!"
"Whu-What?"
Tensing her grip around Yumi's toned forearm, Novia grinned. "You want the same, don't you? You want to return to your home?"
Yumi nodded, still not willing to give up anything of her own plan.
"The way I see it, your family is powerful enough to arrange for my and Pirro's freedom." Grabbing her other forearm, she pulled Yumi flush against her and whispered in her ear. "So here's what I'm thinking. You just listen carefully. We will get you out of here, safe and sound, and in return, your family will arrange for a new life for us."
"Why?" Yumi couldn't help the curiosity she felt at the unexpected request.
"Why?" Novia's eyes flashed in anger. "Imagine for a moment, growing up in a family that is only feared. The people you wish to befriend are too scared of you to do so and the people who do approach you only want to use your family connections for their own gain." She gritted her teeth as she continued. "All I want is peace. I want to live a good life. Can you understand that?" The sound of approaching footsteps cut her off before she could say anymore. Pushing Yumi across the room to the bed, she backed toward the door quickly, leaning against the wall a foot to the side only seconds before the door opened, revealing the still fuming Ajay.
Looking between Novia and Yumi, Ajay's eyes narrowed before saying, "You're needed upstairs." The words, of course, were meant for Novia.
Groaning in annoyance, Novia pushed off the wall with her shoulders and motioned toward the door. "Fine. It seems none of you fools can do anything without me, huh?" She glared at Ajay as he stood in the doorway, neither moving. "Well, go then!"
With a ruthless glare, he sneered at her. "I said you were needed. Not me."
She responded with an equally scathing glare. "As if I would leave you and your filthy mind alone with the girl."
"What do you care?" He growled in response.
"I care because we need her unharmed, you mindless ass! Maybe you should try thinking with the organ between your ears instead of the one between your legs." She smirked at his reddening face and continued, "Neither are impressive in size, but you work with what you got, right?"
"Why, you little bi-" His words were cut short when a massive hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed. In an instant, he was crumpling to the floor. "Gah! Pirro!"
It was indeed Pirro standing in the doorway, his dark intelligent eyes glaring at the smaller man. When he spoke, his deep voice traveled and reverberated along the steel walls. "Nasty names like that should never be directed toward my wife. I think I've warned you about this before, haven't I?"
Ajay cried out in pain, trying to rip the giant man's hand from his all-but-crushed shoulder. "She called me an ass! If I'm not allowed, then she shouldn't be either!"
Pirro only leaned in closer and replied, a mere hint of amusement in his eyes, "If your husband has something to say about it, I'm all ears."
"You bastard!" Ajay ground out between gritted teeth, having finally given up on prying the man's fingers from him.
Novia chose that moment to step in, grinning devilishly at her husband and moving smoothly to his side. "Hmmm, a bastard he may be," Taking her husband's handsome face in her hand she planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Turning back to Ajay, still, on his knees, she continued, "but he's a bigger man than you could ever hope to be." Biting her lip, she turned her eyes back to the man by her side and caressed his scruffy cheek. "In every way imaginable."
"You- Ah!" Before Ajay could finish his, doubtless, colorful response, Pirro had squeezed and lifted him from the floor.
Stepping back from the door, Novia smirked as Pirro pulled Ajay from the room and issued an order. "You aren't to enter this room again, Ajay. We obviously can't trust you and the Boss will not be pleased if you cause this child any harm. That being said, Boss has given Pirro special privileges for this trip."
With a low chuckle, Pirro elaborated. "I'm allowed to cut off and toss to the sharks any part of you that steps outta line. So, watch yourself."
Ajay paled at the threat as Pirro tossed him behind himself into the hall. Despite his obvious fear, Yumi could hear his grumbling protests as he retreated.
Though she didn't know the story behind these people, she was immediately thankful that Novia was there for her protection. She hadn't stopped to consider just how far these criminals would go when dealing with a captive. Candace had though, Yumi knew. It had been written on her face when she had explained their plan. If Yumi had been honest, she would have admitted that the threat had been a lingering thought in the back of her mind, but she had not allowed herself to examine it. No, she had blocked all thoughts that would have made her doubt her actions, her plans to save Sachiko. This was for her and Yumi would not allow herself to fold in fear. Not now, not ever when it was Sachiko's safety on the line.
Yumi watched as Pirro disappeared into the hall following the fleeing Ajay. This left Novia and Yumi alone to stare at one another. Glancing back over her shoulder, a hint of nervousness in her stance, Novia spoke in a low whisper. "Listen, girl, I will do my best to protect you. Think about what I've proposed. Oh, and catch." She tossed something small in her direction and Yumi caught it without thinking. It was a granola bar. "It's not much, but it should help. I'll get you more food as soon as I can." Looking back to meet Yumi's gaze she glared to emphasize her next words. "Just so you know what I'm trying to escape and what kind of threat you are facing - Ajay is my brother." With that, she walked out the door and slammed it shut.
The shrill grind of the lock sliding into place was all Yumi heard until Novia's quick steps faded into the background. Left on her bed, confused and terrified by all that she had just learned and witnessed, Yumi didn't know what to do. If she trusted Novia only to find it was a ploy, she could ruin Candace's rescue plans for her and the plan to raid the syndicate's Tokyo stronghold. If she didn't… She was at sea. This was something neither she nor Candace had planned on. This changed everything, didn't it? Her mind kept circling back to that one question in the back of her mind. Can I really trust the daughter of a crime syndicate family?
While she had many skills, Yumi knew her own tendency to think the best of people. It was part of herself that many had warned her against, but that she never wanted to relinquish. The truth was, people eventually showed their true colors. Until they proved they were untrustworthy she had the firm belief that she would give them the benefit of a doubt. However, this was a far different situation. What crimes had this woman committed at the behest of her family? Did she really do it all under duress? Could she really be trusted or would Yumi's trusting nature cause even more trouble for the Ogasawara family? For Sachiko? Yumi didn't know the answers to these questions.
Sighing in confusion and frustration, Yumi laid back on the bed and opened the granola bar. She would have to make a decision on whether or not to trust Novia soon. Putting it off was not an option. Closing her eyes as she slowly chewed the granola, Yumi let her thoughts drift to Sachiko and how she had looked the night she had left. As her thoughts went to the kata and their intense interaction that followed, she felt a pain in her heart, an aching felt just as much physical as emotional. Sachiko, my love, I miss you…
Sachiko's eyes opened. She had dreamt of sitting on the couch with Yumi, as she had days before. Only this time their encounter was not interrupted and did not end prematurely. Her cheeks were flushed from the memory of her dream and her body felt the lasting effects of it as well.
Rising from the bed, she walked to the kitchenette and retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Taking a deep drink, she looked down and tried to catch her breath. It was then that a slender piece of fabric caught her eye. She knew it for what it was the instant her eyes fell on it. It was one of Yumi's ribbons, the one she had left for Rei as a sign of where Sachiko had been hiding.
With tentative fingers, she reached out, grabbed the ribbon, and lifted it to her lips. Closing her eyes, she focused on the feel and smell of the ribbon. It still smelled of her, of her Yumi. Gripping it in her fist, she felt the tears on her cheeks before she realized she was crying. Oh, how I miss her! She truly doesn't understand how important she is in my life, does she? To her, she is expendable. Replaceable even! Just the thought… No, it's impossible to even think! There is no replacement for Yumi. There would never be another. No matter what happens. Yumi, you are my one, my only… my love.
A/N - Hey y'all, sorry for the late posting this week. I spent some time in the hospital this weekend, so I'm not at my best. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter despite everything!