When Kinu returned to the shop, she was surprised to find Ishii squatting out front. Night had fallen, and he was smoking a cigarette, petting the stray cats when he looked up to her. The girl paused, but only for a second before unlocking the shopfront and hauling her books inside. Not the person she was hoping for.
"There you are. I was worried you'd try to run."
Ignoring the man, Kinu flipped the light on. She set her books on the counter. Didn't pay the man any mind. He wasn't always like this, but for the past week or so, he'd been acting oddly. Even in class, he'd been continually staring straight at her during lectures, and wrote notes on her assignments to see him after giving her a bad grade. Even the paper Takasugi had helped her with, he'd singled out and said that she had tried to spruce up the idea of shock absorbers with flowery language. But it was technical. There was no room for metaphor or anything that could be considered such. Ishii entered behind her and walked to the counter. Rubbed his hands together as if he was cold.
"You didn't forget about your assignment, did you?"
Shaking her head, Kinu kept her gaze low.
"Good, let's go get it, and I'll take a look." The man made an approving tone and started behind the counter, but she glared at him. Laid a clear line down. If he crossed the counter line she would cut him. He wasn't welcome in her home. He wasn't friendly with her and she had a mind to say that he was intentionally failing her. Kinu had seen some of the papers he'd given a passing grade. She wasn't an idiot. He raised his hands, laughing and stepping back. "You can get it yourself. I'll stay here."
Why had he even showed up? Kinu hadn't expected him to actually do it; she'd thought it was a joke or a stupid thought that he'd write off. She looked at him for another moment, then walked back to the house entrance, making sure to lock it behind herself. When she returned to the storefront with her paper, he was behind the counter; leaning back onto the sink with his arms crossed. She stopped in the doorway, and he chuckled, hand extended for her assignment. As if nothing was wrong with him being there.
She should kick him. That was her first thought. Kick him, and push him out of the store. But she needed a good grade. She needed to be nice. With a mental sigh, the girl approached and offered her paper over to her teacher, keeping him in her sights as he glanced down at it.
His criticism was mundane at best.
Nothing he said seemed to impact anything she had written, and by the time he was leaving, Kinu was more confused than when she had found him out front. Even going over her so called corrected and rewritten assignment, she wasn't entirely sure what had been changed, or how it was supposed to help. More than anything, he'd corrected grammatical errors, and added a little punctuation. He'd asked more about her than the paper, until he realized that she wasn't going to answer any of his questions.
That she'd only stare at him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he wasn't concerned with her work at all, and only wanted to grill her on her hobbies, family, and the obvious financial strain looming overhead. Rude of him to ask, but Kinu stuck to her preferred method. Silence.
Eventually, he gave up. Said it was later than he'd anticipated and that he had an early day tomorrow, so he'd be going. Good riddance, Kinu wanted to say. She left the storefront responsibilities to her mother after that. Ai claimed to want to get a head start on sorting the bills out, and started with the till as Kinu picked up a book and took a seat at a table beyond the counter for a change.
"Oh, how far are you? That's the one I gave you right?"
Without looking up, Kinu turned the page.
"The princess just butchered her maidservant." She murmured, and Ai chuckled. Slipped a few bills into an envelope and tucked it into her breast pocket.
"Oh, that's a good one. I think it's the best start, you know? The shock factor is right up there with the last book, I just hope they don't dull it down in the movie. Labeled it as a romantic horror, did you know that?" As Kinu shook her head, Ai made an affirming sound and tucked a chocolate lock of hair behind her ear. "Seems more like a psychological thriller, or a philosophical period drama."
"Hm… Or speculative… A dystopian fiction…" The response brought more delight than Kinu anticipated. Ai was at her side in an instant, flicking the ashes off her cigarette into an ashtray she brought with herself and placed on the table.
"The romance isn't even enough to be a subplot, I'm honestly not sure who they'd be hooking up in it."
Humming under her breath, Kinu frowned at the words dancing across the pages. Did she want to talk or something? Was Kinu obligated to put it down and engage? Or did Ai just want to do this? Sit there while she read, and catch a moment of peace for a change?
Before she could decide, a crash rang through the shop and put the book down for her. It dropped from her hands, and she jerked upright as Ai spun around, staring towards the door. The storefront fell silent. As if the sound had never torn them from their idle chit chat, but neither moved. That couldn't have been from upstairs. Riku wasn't home.
"Dear… Maybe we should-" The sound came again, louder, but didn't stop. It repeated and continued, as the door started to shake, and Ai jumped as she grabbed Kinu's hand. The girl was already on her feet. "Go- go Ki, quickly-"
Pulling her hand away, Kinu pushed Ai towards the counter door. A break in? Again? Ai had the money, if anything, she was the one that needed to go. Once anybody got into the shop and realized there wasn't anything in the register, there was no telling what they would do. Whether they'd force their way into the rest of the house, and look for something valuable, or leave. Kinu wasn't risking it.
"What are you doing? Kinu, get over here, right now!"
Ignoring the rushed words, she reached into her collar. Pulled her most reliable weapon from within.
"You go."
Ai's eyes had already been wide, but the words twisted her face. She shook her head. Reached for Kinu again, but the door shot open; fractured and caved in. Three dark forms rushed past it, and behind Kinu, the woman screamed. They stood in front of Kinu, faces wrapped, so that only their eyes were exposed, and wearing identical black pants that slimmed at the calves. Snagged at the arm, Kinu eyed the people, two men, and a woman. Her mother was trying to pull her back.
It was too late for that.
"Just who we were looking for." Lifting the crowbar at her side, the woman motioned towards Kinu and Ai.
"Tol'ja I was feeling lucky tonight!" The man in the middle nudged his companions, and was met with a short chuckle from the woman.
"Maybe you should buy a lottery ticket after this. Make us rich!"
"Us? Hell, I'm dumping you if I hit the lottery!" The woman hit him at that, and Kinu eyed the second man. A tuft of salt and pepper hair framed his wrapped face. He hadn't said a word. Even Ai had stopped tugging on her. They'd said they were looking for one of them, and not money. Did that mean the debt was escalating to a point that the loan sharks had hired assassins? Kinu wasn't clear on the numbers, but she knew it wasn't pretty.
"Don't be like that!"
"Aw, baby, you know I'm just jokin' I love you!"
"Oi you robbing us, or trying to give us diabetes?"
Glancing back towards Ai, Kinu raised a brow. Oh, now she grew a pair. Of course. She must have realized they weren't getting away from this without a hitch. The man on the left stepped forward, and broke his vow of silence.
"Actually, we have a more interesting mission tonight." A trio of kunai were slipped from his pocket as his lovestruck companions followed. Turning, Kinu held her boxcutter behind her thigh. They were going to close in. Try to attack at close range. She didn't know if she'd be able to watch her mother's back with three people in the store. The woman had a crow bar, and she wasn't sure what the man in the middle had. "One of you is coming with us. The other, not so fortunate…"
"Do us a favor and make this easy. I think… We're taking you." Thrusting the crowbar into Kinu's face, the woman met her gaze. She hadn't flinched. Just held the woman's gray eyes with her own. "And you…" Slowly pointing the crowbar at Ai, the woman tilted her head. "Well, I think you get it."
This didn't seem normal. Kinu's pulse skyrocketed as her mother took a step back.
Intimidation wasn't going to work on the trio. So they had something in common with Kinu. Without waiting for them to say another word, she moved. Was in the woman's face before she could back up. Her knee slammed into the woman's ribs, and as if on cue, Ai slipped behind the counter. Knew better than to stand so closely.
She knew the drill. A fist shot across her face, and Kinu stumbled back as the brunette that had been in the middle threw another punch at her. This time, she managed to duck under it, and her fingertips hit the ground as she stabilized herself and rushed past. Three gleaming points shot towards her, and she threw herself into the bar, only to be forced to abandon place as a crow bar smashed into the wood.
As long as they couldn't touch her. That's what she told herself. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last, but here, she had an advantage.
"Ki!"
Hearing Ai's voice, the girl narrowly escaped another swipe of the crow bar. A chair flew from behind the counter, and slammed into the brunette. Knocked him forward, long enough for Kinu to kick him across the jaw, but the woman behind her soon followed.
"Get away from him!"
Dipping back, Kinu came all too close to a broken shoulder. Could feel the wind graze her bare skin. She needed to stop that woman. The older man seemed more lethal, but the guy on the ground was low hanging fruit, and the numbers weren't on her side.
She rushed the woman. Caught her wrist before she could swing and kicked her leg out from under her. She hit the ground, but Kinu's knees buckled as a sharp pain shot through the back of her leg. Grabbing onto the table beside her, she turned. Found the brunette with a dagger, scowling up at her.
"You take the woman!"
The older man spoke, and Kinu's heart thudded in her ears as a blade swept towards her. She threw herself back. Could barely focus on the brunette as he started to climb the counter. Again, the crowbar went by her, but it slammed into the window and the glass shattered. Filled the shop with what was possibly the loudest sound Kinu had ever heard. She stumbled around the blade, and kicked towards the older man, but he was just as fast. Tore towards her, and nearly took her leg with him.
There was no hope. She couldn't do this alone. They were going to win, and she already knew it. Throwing caution to the wind, she dashed to the counter. Jabbed her box cutter into the brunette's thigh as she yanked him back over and snatched him in front of herself. The crowbar came down on him, and he went limp.
"Yuu-chan!"
Seeing her opportunity, Kinu shoved the man forward, into his girlfriend, and subsequently, into the sword that had been poised to strike. The shriek that echoed through the storefront stabbed at Kinu's ears as she lunged for the woman. But the older man behind her knocked her aside. Yanked his sword back and jabbed it towards Kinu. The edge sliced into Kinu's arm, and she retreated.
Now what? If she couldn't get close to him, she was as good as dead. Whatever reason he had for wanting to take her couldn't have been good. She was sure it wasn't a tea party.
"Girl, this could have been easy." The man's voice was low, and he menaced forward, rotating his sword in his hand. "All you had to do was comply. Say don't hurt me, or beg a little, but now…"
As Kinu glared at the man, a flash of light plunged into his chest. Only entered half way, but he froze, nonetheless, and gaped down at it. At the chef's knife, then at Ai, already holding another and poised to throw it.
"Get the fuck out of our shop!"
"That bitch… She… Yuu-chan…" Though her voice was low, the woman took a step towards Kinu. The crowbar dragged against the hardwood with each step, and Kinu moved backwards. Snickered at the flickering edges of her eyes as she approached.
"You killed him." Kinu knew this was a bad idea. But if she could get that woman riled up, she could use her. Make her sloppy. Maybe not enough to hit the remaining man, but enough to catch her off guard. "You murdered your boyfriend!" The words exploded out of her in a laugh, and the woman swung, as she expected. It was easy to dodge her blow. "He said he felt lucky! And you killed him!"
Rage boiled in the woman and erupted in a scream as Kinu ducked past the bar. Under the feet of the man crawling over it. As she expected, the crowbar slammed into shin. He cried out, and dropped back, cradling the injury as the woman rushed Kinu, swinging and still hissing words she didn't care to hear. Catching the crowbar, Kinu felt pain rip through her hand. It had to be broken. At the very least, something was fractured. But she used the opening to thrust her box cutter into the woman's stomach. Kneed her back, and yanked the crow bar from her hand as she pushed forward.
That was more like it.
If they were going to kill her mother, she was going to kill them first. The woman tripped back, holding a hand up to shield herself as she cried out, but that did nothing to stop the iron searing in Kinu's hands. She tried not to scuff the floors. Didn't want another repair bill, considering the state of the window and door, but she couldn't help herself.
Blood splattered her face and arms as the weight of the crowbar took over. Eliminated the woman's face from existence. Just as she thought she was in the clear, a glint seared towards her. The crowbar instinctively raised, just in time for her to see the razor sharp edge split in two. Weight slammed into her shoulder, and she felt the table that had been in the way crushed against her back, then disappear altogether. She fell through the shattered window, struggling against the pressure over her.
"God damn it-" Her head snapped aside as a dull pain radiated through her jaw. The crowbar was gone. Dropped somewhere, but there was no time to look for it. In the dirt beside her, she could see the familiar blue handle of her boxcutter. Out of reach, but just barely. She was struck again and the world blurred. It was harder than her father's punch. Blood filled her mouth, and she tried to swallow it back. Stretched her hand towards the plastic giraffe in the dirt. Her fingertips touched it, tapping against the plastic handle, but the night sky went hazy. She was going to pass out. "It wasn't supposed to be like this!"
She could feel the box cutter, but she wasn't sure where the man was anymore. His weight was still on her. Her body didn't feel like it was moving. Wasn't trying to turn away from his fist or buck him off her, but her hands were digging at him. Somehow. She could feel her nails peeling at the forearm crushing her into the ground, and the muscles in her abdomen tightening in defiance. Like her body had panicked and taken over. Then he was gone. As quickly as he had been there, his weight disappeared, and Kinu looked towards the sound of a dull thud and crack.
Crow bar in hand Ai looked back at her, and Kinu let out a breath. Was that it? They had won? In the blink of an eye, the woman was there, wiping at her face.
"Dear-" The light from the storefront was giving Kinu a headache. She was pried up. Felt her entire body shaking as her hair was brushed from her eyes. "Kinu, honey, are you alright?"
"I don't know." Murmuring back, Kinu glanced over the sky again. The stars. If that had been Gintoki, he could have handled it. Ai shouldn't have needed to help her. "Are you hurt?"
The sound that met her was a dry snort. Barely a breath.
"Me? Look at you. I'm fine! Nobody made it past the counter- you- you should have run with me." Tears were springing into her mother's eyes. As if there was something to cry over. Pushing away, Kinu caught herself in the dirt. Spit the blood that had been pooling in her mouth below her with a cough that shook her entire body. Her teeth hurt. All of her hurt.
"Let's… clean the-"
"No!" A hand met Kinu's back, and rubbed a line to her shoulder. "Clean? You need to go to the hospital."
"I'm fine… Is… he's dead, right?"
"If he's not we're skipping town."
Frowning, Kinu gazed back at Ai. Jokes?
Pushing herself up, Kinu nearly dropped back beside Ai, and a pair of hands reached for her, but she managed her way past her mother. Peered at the line carved up the man's forearm, and the powder blue boxcutter jutting from his throat at the end of the trail. Instinct was a lot more reliable than she gave credit for. It easily slid from the man's flesh. Like cutting through warm butter, but the blood on her hands was quickly losing heat. She didn't feel so good. Like she needed to throw up, or sleep for a week, she wasn't sure which was more important.
"Kinu, let me take care of this… I can…"
"What about your heart?" Falling silent, Ai stared at the ground. She slowly pushed herself up, shaking her head. "Let me help."
"Just… don't worry about it, dear. I can manage. Let's check their pockets though. See if they can cover repairs."
Takasugi had been minding his own business when he noticed a trio of men trailing behind him. He first saw them as he approached the bridge between the neighborhood and the shopping district. Standing around, skulking in the shadows, as if they had nothing to do. As soon as he stepped on the bridge, they fell in line behind him. Top knots were a dead give away. Each of them had one, and the swords at their sides implied that they were looking for a fight, which was even more amusing. Only three?
"Oi," One of the men called, and he stopped. "We've got a message for you."
"Do you?" Turning to face the group, Takasugi tapped the mouthpiece of his pipe between his teeth.
"Aso's fraction has formally merged with the Amagi clan, know what that means?"
Of course he did. They thought they had diplomatic immunity. Thought that Takasugi would hesitate to kill them.
"Is that so? You're telling me because..?"
"You ripped us off. Aso has graciously decided to settle with you. Double the shipment, and we'll call it even. Otherwise, we'll retaliate."
Chuckling, Takasugi shook his head at the man speaking. Who did they think they were? They had no idea who they were fooling with. There was nothing they could do to get back at him. It was an empty threat, and he wasn't going through the trouble of another shipment. Everything he'd done had been a response to their actions in the first place. If they hadn't tried to cheat him, there wouldn't be any bad blood.
"This ain't funny!" Another man took over, and stepped forward. Had his hand on his sword, like he was willing to use it. "Ya even killed one'a our men. If ya don't comply we'll do somethin' back. We stormed the tea shop and got that girl. You know what we'll do ta her?"
"I don't care what you do. She's not one of us." They had her? Already? It wasn't a lie; she wasn't one of them, and trying to use that to evoke an emotional response or compliance was laughable at best. But to think that they'd taken her without chance for negotiation… "You'll get nothing from me." Small fish, trying to pick a fight. Not even worth his time. He didn't care. Not one bit. If that girl was going to get herself captured and killed, she was a bother at best. Turning on his heel, Takasugi started away again, but the men followed.
"Ya do realize we own that family, right? All their debts? We could close the shop tamorrow. 'Specially after what she did ta our men. You make 'er do that? Make 'er a murderer, too?"
The one eyed man paused again, frowning. Interesting. What had Kinu done to their men? She didn't look like she had it in her. They said they had her thought. They had to be mistaken, or making things up to try to dig under his skin. Takasugi glanced at the trio over his shoulder, feeling his lips start to curve. They really wanted to die tonight. Not over the girl, but for pestering him.
"Hell, we'll cut your deal with Amagi-sama's son. Don't think we don't know all about that. We'll tell the girl you're grooming her for him. Tell her you sold her to a high bidder, just to get in with the next shogun. We'll tell the Shinsengumi where you are. Just give us what we want."
"Alright." If Aso thought a few threats would get under his skin, he was wildly mistaken. Takasugi was up for a little fun though. "I'll give you what you exactly want." He had his sword out before he knew it. They were easy. All three of them. Gone in the blink of an eye, as if they had never existed in the first place and had only been halved corpses decorating the street all their existences. It was pathetic at best, that a group that weak had the audacity to approach him. When he finished, he continued on his walk as if nothing had happened. Figured it would be a clear enough message to Aso, and whoever else was watching. He was no pushover.
He'd tell Kawakami that he'd been right about retaliation when he got back. And he'd tell Amagi if necessary, but for now, it didn't seem to be. As he passed the tea shop, he found the window and door completely shattered. The dirt road was speckled with thick dark pools, and a familiar scent hung on the air. The same as what Takasugi had just created down the road. A form was standing in the open window, sweeping the floor beyond the light.
She glanced over at him and he froze. Blood spattered her face, arms, and chest. It looked like she'd been dragged behind a car. A crowbar laid on the table beside her, and a dark cloth that he already knew wasn't naturally red was draped across the handle.
They hadn't been lying. Aso had actually tried to storm the tea shop, but from the looks of it, hadn't gotten far.
Setting the broom against the table, Kinu stepped through the window.
"Are you-"
"Don't." It was as simple as that. Her gaze fell, and he looked over her again. Waited. She was cut all to hell, her leg, her arms, her nails were broken to the bed, and looked as though they had just stopped bleeding.
Ignoring his denial, Kinu took a small step forward, and her lips parted as though she would speak, but if sound came out, he couldn't hear anything. She took another step forward, and Takasugi stood still as she pinched his sleeve between her thumb and forefinger.
"Were you… attacked?"
Pulling his arm away, Takasugi took a good look at her face. Did she really not know? All of this was because of him. If he'd just taken his shipment and called it a day, she wouldn't have been standing before him as she was. Would have been fine. And what was with her? He was sick of this. That stupid innocent act. She wasn't actually like that. Nobody was, genuinely. She had to have a motive too. Was trying to get him into weird positions with her, for some reason.
"What do you care?" His voice was harsher than he intended, and he followed as Kinu stepped back. "Do you think we're the same? Is that it? You're nothing to me, understand? Nothing like me. Not even human." The girl's eyes shifted away from him, and his jaw tightened.
"Are you injured?" As soon as she spoke he moved back. As if touching her would further taint her. What was her problem? He'd just told her she was worthless. Practically garbage. Still, she looked up at him like she hadn't heard a word and tried to throw him off with that question. Acted like he hadn't said anything, and like she, herself, wasn't the one that needed tending. He didn't believe her for a second. She had to have a motive. A real motive.
"If anybody needs assistance, it's you. Look at yourself. This was nothing compared to a real fight, and you're knocking at death's door already. I should finish the job. Get rid of a liability waiting to happen."
Kinu frowned. Looked at the shards of glass beside her embedded in the ground.
"Do it."
"What?" Disgust crossed him. No fight? Nothing to say in her defense? Didn't she want to tell him how much of a fight it was, for her to be so obviously spent and wounded? If she'd had a group like the one he had, he doubted her injuries would be as such. Sure, she had cuts, but the scratches on her face, the pried door, and shattered glass; that wasn't the work of casual samurai trying to intimidate someone.
"You're right. Do the whole world a favor." She approached, as if she thought he'd go along with her. That wasn't what he'd been thinking when he'd expected a reason. It wasn't even a real motive. Spontaneous acceptance of a death threat was something completely different, and the fact that she hadn't gone along with how he'd imagined it and given him details pissed him off. "I won't make a sound. I won't move."
"This isn't a joke." He couldn't believe her.
"Hm. Looks like one." The girl's eyes flicked over him for just a second, and he wasn't sure if that was more insulting than her thinking he'd let her speak to him in such a manner. "I'll stand right here, hell, I won't even look at you. Protect your tender little heart from having to see my face. Save me the trouble and get it over with already, you piece of shit."
A hand was over her throat before she could continue, but her scowl didn't fade.
"Be careful..." He was only a breath away. Sinister in his expression and unwavering in his grasp. She could actually breath, still. Just barely. "This tender little heart is a lot sharper than you think. You have no idea what you're toying with here."
"Oh, you're a big man, huh? Prove it. Do it."
"That's not funny." He said, fully aware that she wasn't joking. "Like I'd waste energy on cutting you down." Dull his blade for no reason.
Kinu's fingertips wrapped around his wrist, as if she'd squeeze, or try to break away, but her opposite palm jabbed into his chest. Shook him off with minimal effort. She didn't wait for him to say anything else. Didn't speak again. Just shot him a look from the corners of her eyes and walked back into the window. The curtain between them shut.
What the hell was that?
Takasugi returned to the hideout, vastly more annoyed than before. He may have been an awful person, but Kinu was taking it too far. When he'd said nothing, he hadn't meant that much of nothing. Sure, it was true. That didn't mean he'd just murder her in the street in cold blood. He'd wanted to scare her off, not entice her with an assisted suicide.
The people that confronted him were easy, and that meant either one of two things. Kinu was useless, or he had gotten messengers, and the real threat had gone to the tea shop to begin with. Those men had told him that she had killed their members before. They had to know they'd need more than what they'd previously brought to the table to take her, if that was their plan.
That implied that she wasn't entirely useless.
He entered the house, wishing he had been the one to get a real fight and slammed the door behind himself as he started towards Kawakami's room.
"Bansai," Yanking the door open, Takasugi felt his face contort as two forms snapped to look up at him. Kawakami was laying across the floor with a crossword book stretched open, tapping his pen to the ground. Matako was seated by the window across the room, looking over a magazine with a pistol on the front. That was new. Them sitting alone in Kawakami's room.
"Shinsuke-sama! What happened?" Already on her feet, the woman started to his side. She reached for him, but stopped short as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.
"Aso is trying to retaliate. As expected. We should prepare a gift for him." Kawakami sat up. His pen dropped to the open book in front of him.
"What did they say?"
"Not much. Nothing important, at least. Just bragged about a merger between the Amagi family and Aso's fraction. Thought it'd give them some leverage. They hit the tea shop, too." For now, the best retaliation was a reminder. Something to make them remember who they were messing with, without causing too much of a stir.
Matako looked up at the one eyed man, hands still hovering just inches away from him. Poised for an invitation to latch on.
"What will we send?"
"A fruit basket." Ignoring the frowns, Takasugi felt his lips curl. "Pack it with a confetti popper and wire it to a bomb. I'll write a note." In an ink made from the blood on him, to be more precise. All he'd do was write something short and sweet. For our continued good relations.