Rooftop in Tokyo, Japan, Night
Cutting down one Yazuka criminal, Tatsu moved to the next one. Disemboweling the next one with a horizontal slash, Tatsu then felt a bullet hit her armor; thankfully the impact barely slowed her down. Pulling out a knife from her waist, Tatsu threw it at the man's torso and brought him down. Moving to her final target, Tatsu gripped her sword with both hands and approached her final opponent who was also armed with a blade. As he swung downwards, Tatsu effortlessly blocked it despite her injuries and kicked him back against the railing, and held her sword against his throat.
"(Where is he?)" Tatsu demanded from the thug in Japanese.
"(He left.) The thug revealed to her.
"(He spent weeks sending men to kill me and you expect me to believe that he just left?)" She said threateningly as she pressed her katana closer to his throat.
"(He said it was a business opportunity that he couldn't pass up, a chance to give the syndicate another American source of income. And an operation that he alone would be in control of and run.)" He nervously revealed.
"(And where in the states can he make this fortune?)" Tatsu inquired.
"(Star City)," He said and Tatsu removed the sword from his neck and only to knock him out with her sword's handle. It looked like she was going to be paying some old friends of hers a visit.
Arrowcave Bunker, Star City, Day
Down in the Arrowcave Bunker, wearing a black sports bra and yoga pants, Laurel was working up quite a sweat. Armed with a wooden stick, Laurel rapidly struck the Wing Chun dummy with her weapon. Switching between strikes and forearms block, Laurel's mind drifted to her fight with Prometheus. It had been two weeks since he nearly killed her, and for some reason, it was getting to her. As she continued to hit the dummy, she recalled falling for Prometheus's feint as he then threw her to the ground and began punching her in the face.
Later, Laurel moved on to the punching bag and used a jab combo and then a roundhouse kick. Grabbing the bag to hold it, Laurel repeatedly used several knee strikes with each leg. At the same time, she remembered Prometheus kneeing her in the gut during their fight. Eventually, Laurel moved on to the salmon ladder and moved her way up to the top. And as she did, the recollection of Prometheus kicking her through a wooden wall popped into her head. Closing her eyes, Laurel just hanged there for a moment trying to get over whatever it was she was going through.
Putting on a loose navy blue tank top, Laurel stood about 6 feet from a stool with a single glass cup on top of it. Planting her feet, Laurel screamed at the glass although a wave appeared the cup barely moved. Eventually, Laurel stopped and went over to the glass. She saw that it cracked as it had a distinct line in it but it didn't shatter like she hoped it would.
"When did this happen?" Oliver asked Laurel in surprise as she turned around and saw him. "Are your powers back?" He said approaching her.
"If they were this whole glass would be on the floor right now," Laurel answered with a sigh.
"Clearly it seems like they're coming back." He said examing the glass. "Again, when did this happen?"
"Since I've become the Black Canary, I've been shot at, sliced, choked at, and more. So imagine my surprise, when yesterday I cry out when I stub my pinky-toe while getting breakfast." She explained slightly embarrassed. "Anyway, when I did I notice a nearby window cracked. I thought I might have something to with it so."
"So you came down here to find out." He finished for her.
"Yeah." She said and walked over to drink from her sports bottle. "While I was away from Star City, I called Constantine. Told him about my situation. And after he finally stopped flirting with me, he gave me a few theories about what kind of spell Darhk must've used on me."
"Which are?"
"The biggest one is that because Darhk was so powerful when I killed him the spell he used lasted longer than it should've. So, gradually he figured my Cry might come back over time ... he just didn't know when though. Months or years he said." She added. "The second biggest theory is that it might be tied to my head, some of kind mental block Darhk put up in my brain."
"Still whatever it was, seems your getting them back ... that must be a relief." He noted with some cheer.
"Yeah ... I guess." She reluctantly said.
Noticing she seemed rather unsure before he could speak up, Oliver's phone ringed. It was Captain Frank Pike. "Captain Pike? Where? I'll be there soon." He told the police captain. "We have a situation in the Glades." He told Laurel.
The Glades, Afternoon
Arriving at the crime scene, Oliver and Laurel stepped over the police tape and walked over to Pike who immediately noticed them. "Mr. Mayor." Pike addressed Oliver and shook his hand. "Laurel, it's been a long time." He addressed her.
"It's good to see you too, Captain Pike," Laurel replied with a smile.
"As nice as it is to see you I can't let you enter an active crime scene," Pike told her as he knew she was no longer with the DA's office.
"I'll vouch for her Captain," Oliver told him.
"Alright, this way," Pike said as the couple followed him. Entering the den, Oliver and Laurel saw bodies massacred all over the place startling both of them.
"Oh god," Laurel said in disgust and horror.
"Yeah, I probably should've given you the heads up," Pike admitted.
"What exactly happened here?" Oliver asked.
"At first we thought maybe this was the work of that vigilante in the ski-goggles or the "Throwing Star Killer". But this is entirely different because we checked the security footage and it showed multiple assailants." Pike revealed. "There's more, these guys were Los Halcones (The Hawks). Their numbers have been dwindling for years, everyone that's here might be what's left of them."
"Your thinking this was a gang-related issue." Laurel guessed.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking," Pike admitted. "Mayor Queen, in my experience I think we have a new group of criminals in Star City. And they just took over the turf of the Halcones overnight." He explained and Oliver grew pensive.
Streets of the Glades, Night
After a night of tracking down leads by roughing up criminals, the Team learned that a group of Yakuza from Japan had been the ones responsible for the Los Halcones extermination. Outside of a sleazy motel room in the Glades, the Team gathered on a nearby rooftop.
"Your sure this is the right location?" Oliver asked Rene as they were going off his leads. Immediately after asking, however, gunshots were heard.
"That answer your question, hoss?" Rene snarked as they went into the motel room.
With Curtis and Rory behind her, Laurel went down the hallway on the third floor. Turning she saw one of the doors had bullet holes in it. "I'm guessing this one." Curtis noticed.
"Rory, get in front of me," Laurel told him.
"One mystical bulletproof shield coming up." Rory sassed and kicked open the door. Getting in front of them, Rory saw the room was clear but far from clean. There was definitely a rumble, a dead body on the floor, and an Asian woman bleeding out up against the wall. "Huh, Overwatch you'd better call an ambulance."
Getting in front of Rory, Laurel looked at the woman and saw that it was Tatsu." Oh my god, Tatsu." Laurel said rushing to her side.
"You know her?" Curtis said with surprise.
"She's a friend. Tatsu. Tatsu!" Laurel said trying to shake her former teacher awake. Gradually, the samurai began to regain consciousness.
"Well, this wasn't how I planned to surprise you," Tatsu noted weakly.
Arrowcave Bunker
Back in the bunker, Tatsu was sitting on the medical table and being patched up by Felicity who just finished wrapping the bandages around her waist. "Thank you, Felicity," Tatsu said graciously.
"You're welcome, though I hope the next time we met I don't have to wrap you up." Felicity quipped.
Smiling, Tatsu looked around at Oliver's base of operations. "Your headquarters is quite impressive, Oliver," Tatsu noted to Oliver and Laurel who were standing in front of her, with Rene, Rory, and Curtis not too far from them.
"I would've given you the tour if you told me you were in town," Oliver said. "Tatsu, what are doing here? And why were you in that hotel room?"
"Some old business from my past caught up with me. And I recently found out that it came to your city, I wanted to take care of it myself but it would seem that Takeo was one step ahead of me." Tatsu explained.
"Who's Takeo?" Oliver asked.
"Takeo Yamashiro. My brother-in-law." Tatsu revealed.
"I didn't know Maseo had a brother," Oliver said a little surprised.
"They were never close especially in recent years," Tatsu noted somewhat sadly.
"Back up, why does your own brother-in-law want to kill you?" Laurel asked.
"For several reasons I imagine," Tatsu said vaguely. "We never did tell you why we were under Amanda Waller's protection while you were staying with us in Hong Kong, did we, Oliver?" She recalled and Oliver remained quiet.
"Whoa, wait a minute. When exactly were you in Hong Kong?" Curtis cut in.
"About 7 years ago," Oliver told him.
"But weren't you like trapped on Lian Yu for 5 years?" Rory remembered.
"It's a ... long story," Oliver said reluctantly.
"It usually is with him." Felicity cut in.
"Anyway, Tatsu you're homicidal brother-in-law," Laurel said getting back on topic.
"Takeo ... lusted after me. Even though I was his brother's wife. One night, 8 years ago, Takeo came to our house and burnt it to the ground with Maseo and Akio still inside." Tatsu painfully recalled.
"Jesus," Rene commented in horror.
"We managed to escape and found security with ARGUS. However, as you know all too well, Amanda Waller's protection came at a cost." Tatsu finished.
"You and Maseo were some of the best fighters I knew ... how come you didn't go after Takeo yourselves?" Oliver questioned.
"We considered it ... but Takeo was every bit as formidable as Maseo even before he served under Ra's al Ghul. He also was a Kyodai, a senior boss in the Yakuza. He had resources and numbers that we did not have at the time ... and we had our child to protect." Tatsu explained to her old friend. "Also ... to be honest, I'm not entirely sure Maseo could kill his brother ... regardless if he had become a monster." She reflected.
"Tatsu, how did they find you after all this time?" Laurel inquired.
"Apparently, they spotted me at some point ... when I was training you," Tatsu revealed.
"I'm so sorry, I ... I had no idea," Laurel said feeling guilty for Tatsu's current situation.
"You mustn't blame yourself, Laurel, we all have a past. And sooner or later it all catches up to us." Tatsu assured and Oliver silently agreed, knowing the circumstances were true for him with Prometheus.
"Why is the world's worst brother-in-law, here in Star City?" Felicity asked Tatsu.
"He's here to open up a new source of income for the Yakuza, one that he will have control of and oversee," Tatsu explained.
"Lines up with what Pike told us about Los Halcones," Oliver mentioned. "He picked off the weakest target he could. But still to open up a business of any kind he's gonna need a lot of income." He pointed.
"And he'll have it soon. Once he sells my family's sword." Tatsu explained.
"He stole your sword?" Laurel asked surprised.
"He did, after much difficultly and bloodshed." Tatsu struggled to say as she got up and walked over to the computer station. "The man you found in the motel room with me told me about an auction being held this week. Takeo intends to sell it on the black market." As she brought up the auction and address of she found out.
"How much could he get for it?" Oliver asked.
"That sword has been in my family for generations. Its edge is still sharp enough to cut down weaker blades. It should fetch Takeo around Five-Hundred thousand to One Million US dollars. Antiques are a hobby of mine." Tatsu explained.
"Damn, you sure you wanna keep it," Rene asked knowing he'd sell something worth that much.
"That katana has been in my family since the 17th century. It was given to me by my father and it was to be my son's one day. I am certain." Tatsu said adamantly as she scowled at Rene.
Black Market Auction, Night, 2 Days Later
The night of the auction came, Oliver decided the best way to find Takeo and get back Tatsu's ancestral sword was to attend the auction. As the mayor, Oliver was too public a figure now to attend an auction like this. While Laurel was still kind of a public figure, she had been out of the spotlight for many months now since she refused to go back to work; so while there was still some risk, it was one they needed to take. Outside of the building, which was often used for rave parties Laurel and Rene entered the building from downstairs. After being cleared by security and having their coats taken, Laurel and Rene browsed around checking the muscle they had area. There was quite a collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture, dresses, jewelry, and more surrounding the two vigilantes.
"Hard to believe that even one of these things could've set me up for life," Rene noted with some envy.
"Don't get any ideas, Rene?" Laurel chastised him.
"Trust me, Bonita, the only ideas I've got on my mind is the Yazuka scumbags, the sword, and how you look damn good in that jumpsuit," Rene told her light-heartedly as Laurel did look particular eye-catching tonight in her hunter-green jumpsuit, which was sleeveless, backless, and had a v-neck that showed a fair amount of her cleavage that Rene couldn't help but leer at. When he wasn't staring at her chest, he lingered at her face with suit's color bringing out her olive-green eyes, her lips having a nice shade of red lipstick, and her golden-blonde hair looked extra wavy tonight.
"Rene, you do know that we can hear you on comms. Or more specifically, I can hear you." Oliver said to Rene on comms in a slightly threatening tone as he was watching the building that they went under from the building adjacent rooftop he was on.
"Uh ... I'm gonna go give this place a once over," Rene said nervously as he left Laurel to herself.
"He's right though, you do look great tonight," Oliver admitted to Laurel in her earpiece.
"Thanks," Laurel replied with a smile as she walked around deciding to mingle. "I was going for sexy but classy with the option of kicking someone's ass if the need came."
"Well, mission accomplished," Oliver remarked playfully.
"Are you two gonna flirt all throughout the mission?" Felicity asked from the Arrowcave Bunker with Tatsu right next to her at her desk. "Cuz that is kinda unprofessional."
"Oh, you're going to talk to me about being unprofessional? Or do I need to remind you about the "Chatty Cathy" incident?" Laurel snapped back as she played with the gold bracelets on her wrists.
Realizing Laurel had her there, Felicity relented. "Okay, fair point."
"Americans and your love lives," Tatsu noted sardonically.
Asking around, Laurel eventually went over and spotted Tatsu's sword which is was on display in an encased glass. "I have eyes on your sword, Tatsu," Laurel said on comms.
"Interested in buying or are you just looking?" A man asked Laurel. He was only a foot or two taller than her, Japanese, and had slicked-back hair. This was Takeo Yamashiro, she thought to herself.
"Both actually," Laurel said as she flashed a fake smile. "Marvelous craftsmanship, Edo Period right?"
"Well done, you have an eye for my country's history. I like that in a beautiful woman." Takeo complemented the attractive beauty.
"(I have a great deal of respect for many things in Japan.)" Laurel said in Japanese, hoping that impressing him might be useful to her later.
"(Thank you. I must say you speak Japanese quite well, I can hardly hear an accent.)" He commended her again.
"(Then my time in Japan paid off.)" She remarked and held out her hand. "Laurel Lance."
"Takeo Yamashiro," He said shaking her hand. (Laurel-chan, would you mind continuing to speak in Japanese; my English still needs work.)
"(Not it all. Tell me Takeo-san, how did you come across this sword?)" She inquired even though she knew the how.
"(It's actually a family heirloom. Passed down for generations.)" He said filling her in.
"(And you're selling it?)"
"(When you wish to build a future, sometimes it means letting go of the past)." He explained. "(I will admit it is difficult to part with such a powerful item ... if you believe the stories.)
"(What stories?) She asked, her interest piqued.
"(It is said that when this sword was forged, it was given special properties. Mystical properties. Legends say that whoever dies at the hands of this blade, their soul becomes trapped within it. Imprisoned.)" Takeo recounted the tale.
"(What a cruel fate. To not reunite with the those you love.)" Laurel noted honestly.
"(I find it even crueler to be forced to serve the one who killed you.)" He added. (Good luck tonight on the bidding, Laurel-chan.)
"(Thank you, Takeo-san.)" She replied graciously as he left. "Bastard." She said under her breath.
Around 10:30 pm, the auction had finally begun commencement. Laurel attended the gathering while Rene stood behind to watch her six. Outside the building, on the streets, Curtis and Rory were waiting for this to be over. "Please tell me, we're done with this auction," Curtis asked shaking. "It's really cold tonight, and I don't have anything thermal woven into this suit."
"Speak for yourself, I'm always comfortable in this suit," Rory replied in his spooky Ragman voice.
"I think we'll be up soon," Rene said to his fellow recruits on comms.
"Felicity, I forgot to ask but how much of your money can I spend again?" Laurel asked her in the crowd.
"You go up to 1 million at least." Felicity filled her in.
"You got a million bucks on hand blondie, exactly how much was that settlement from Palmer Tech." Rene inquired.
"Rene, believe it or not, there are some things I don't discuss. My finances and what I dressed like in college are among them." Felicity told him.
"Heads up, I think this is it," Laurel said cutting the chatter.
"Our next item for sale. An antique Japanese katana. Created in the Edo period, almost 400 years ago. Kept up in remarkable condition." The auctioneer told the crowd of buyers and Tatsu's sword was brought by another party. As he unsheathed the sword, he then used it on a cutting mat that was held in front of them. It was a quick clean cut, which the crowd clapped in applause and they soon put the sword back in its sheath.
"Our bidding starts at Four-Hundred Thousand." The auctioneer said out loud and someone raised their number. "Four-Hundred Thousand, do I have Five-Hundred Thousand?" Raising her number sign, Laurel agreed to the raise. "Five-Hundred Thousand. Do I have Six-Hundred?" The betting went on for several more seconds, and Laurel decided to just cut to the chase.
"Two million dollars," Laurel said out loud.
"Two million, going once, going twice. Sold to number 52." He said pointing to Laurel as she then left the crowd to sort out the finer details.
"Laurel, I said you could go as high as 1 million." Felicity reminded her on comms worriedly.
"Relax, Felicity your gonna get it back ... eventually," Laurel said light-heartedly.
Later on, in a private area where the buyers received their merchandise; Laurel and Rene waited until Takeo and two of his men came into the room. "Laurel-chan, your purchase is most appreciated," Takeo said with Tatsu's sword in his hand. "It is a comforting notion, that my family sword will be with someone who has a great deal of respect for my country."
"Your check," Laurel said and the two exchanged the paper for the sword. As Laurel looked at the sword and notice something off. Pulling the blade out of the sheath, Laurel examined the sword and immediately figured out what was going on.
"Is something wrong?" Takeo asked as Laurel put the blade back in its sheath.
"No, nothing at all this is a very impressive sword. Too bad it's not the one I paid for." Laurel mentioned and Rene was a little taken back.
"I'm sorry," Takeo said being briefly startled.
"Don't get me wrong, it's a good replica. Very good. And it probably would've fooled me, if had hadn't trained for months against the true owner of the real sword." Laurel told him, and Takeo's eyes flared up. "Tatsu says hi by the way." She added cheekily.
Flustering in anger, Takeo reached for his gun in his blazer but Laurel simply knocked him in the face with the end of the sheathed sword. While Rene dealt with Takeo's muscle. Hearing how things were going on comms, Felicity addressed the team. "Okay, I've been at this long enough to know when someone's in trouble. And Rene and Laurel are definitely in trouble!" She told as Oliver fired a grappling arrow to get to the next rooftop and Curtis and Rory ran inside the building.
Using the sheathed blade as a weapon, Laurel struck with both ends of the weapon but Takeo blocked both with his forearms. Grabbing the fake he made in the middle, he used it to shove Laurel back causing her to lose the weapon, and tossed it aside to face her empty-handed. As Rene was beating and getting beat by the Takeo's guards, Laurel delivered two roundhouse kicks to their boss. The first to his ribcage, which he blocked. The second to his knee, which he didn't. As he stumbled, Laurel delivered a spinning side kick that pushed him back a bit. Charging him, Takeo regained composure and throw Laurel to the ground, and spun around with a sweep kick that hit her face.
As Oliver entered the building he immediately shot two arrows into the shoulders of the security while Rory and Curtis covered him as he went to Laurel and Rene's location.
Being thrown against a wall, Laurel moved her head to avoid Takeo's fist that hit the wall. Deciding to work his body, Laurel delivered a kidney punch with her left to Takeo's right side and then placed her hands on his shoulders as she pulled him into a knee strike to his abdomen but he managed to bring up his forearm to jam it. Immediately, Laurel followed up with an elbow strike to his forehead but he managed to recover from it and blocked Laurel's follow-up, which he managed to maneuver around and put her in an armbar lock. Shoving her face-first back against the wall, Takeo pulled out a pocket knife. As he was about to stab her, Oliver appeared and shot the knife out of his hand with a flechette.
As Takeo turned and saw the Green Arrow, Oliver fired another arrow at the man but Takeo simply caught it mid-air. At the same time, Rene managed to knock one of the Yakuza gangsters but the other one managed to get past and get a sub-machine gun which he unleashed on the trio but they all managed to take cover. Eventually, Oliver an arrow into his hand causing him to drop the weapon. Rene then rush him and knocked his lights out with a right cross. Looking around, they all saw that Takeo was not among them.
"Oliver! Laurel! Rene! Answer me!" Felicity said worriedly on comms.
"We're good, Blondie," Rene responded.
"But Takeo has left the building." Laurel vented in frustration.
Author's Notes: I don't really remember much of Season 3 of Arrow but I'm pretty sure we never knew the reason why the Yamashiro family came under ARGUS protection, so I took from the comics on this part.
Tatsu's katana is known as the "Soultaker" in the comics, and I'm actually rather surprised the sword's mystical abilities were never explored on the show especially in Season 4 which had a lot of magic.
Takeo Yamashiro is Laurel's final challenge in this story for her to become a master combatant, as I mention before Takeo is as good as Maseo; so he'll be a challenge to her. Also, I wanted to really explore's Laurel's current limitations since losing her Canary Cry and her motivations for being the Black Canary now. There's a part of me that felt Tatsu should handle her twisted brother-in-law but I needed her somewhat sidelined for this story.
The final chapter will be this week.