PREFACE: Greetings again, readers! I'm back! This time, with more Sabuko following her temporary ascension to the head of the family business! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: This Issue will be "M-Rated" for a particular reason that will be discussed in-depth in the Author's Notes below.
Issue #04: "In His Shoes"
A limousine drove through Crosstown.
Inside sat Sabuko, the acting leader of the Sanwakai Family. It's Matriarch.
The windows of the limo were blacked out, of course, lest some common citizen of River City catch the sight of her. Her father was adamant on her being kept secret from River City until the time was right.
Only to the other yakuza families was her existence known, and even then, they'd never actually seen her. To every other person living in this city, there was no Sabuko—only Sabu, the man who'd been shipped off to prison.
Now, it was Sabuko's job to maintain that illusion. To keep River City in this false sense of security. That meant staying out of the sight of anyone not of the Sanwakai Family. She'd hidden herself from the world this far, she couldn't lose all of that now by letting a random citizen see her.
Such a thing would necessitate bringing that person's life to an end.
Sabuko didn't mind that, of course. If anything, she relished the thought of having to kill someone, to satisfy her ever present lust for murder. But right now, she had an important job to do. One didn't involve killing.
She was on her way to retrieve some men that had managed to get into contact with her, the third time this week she'd had to do so. These types of "pickup" trips made Sabuko happy. With every call of this nature, she'd brought more of her father's men back to the operation, she'd become that much closer to replenishing their ranks. Especially with all of the new recruits.
Momoe, one of said new recruits, brought the limo to a stop.
"We're here, boss," Momoe's voice came through the intercom. "Sure you don't want me to tag along with you?"
Sabuko pressed the button on the console beside her.
"I'm certain, Momoe," Sabuko replied, her voice clipped and confident. "The only thing I require is for you to get the door, as was instructed of you."
"Got it," Momoe said. "You're the boss."
As much as she cherished death, Sabuko was able to resist the urge to inflict it when around living, breathing human beings. If someone served her well, she'd actually want to keep them alive. Momoe was one of these people. Not only was Momoe extremely dependable, but she knew her place as well. The young woman had excelled in every task Sabuko had given her thus far, and for it, Sabuko deemed it necessary to make her official right-hand woman.
Momoe opened her door, bowing deeply. Sabuko grabbed her katana, climbed out onto the sidewalk. She walked away from the car as Momoe got back inside and drove off.
Sabuko made a turn, heading down an old abandoned alleyway. This was where she told her men to meet her. It was somewhere where they would ideally have privacy.
She stood there, and waited until a full minute had passed. Sabuko frowned. She absolutely despised tardiness, and so did her father. These men would have had punctuality scared into them well before this point. So what was the delay?
"Well, well, well. . ." A sleazy voice mocked. "Whadda we have here, fellas?"
It was a voice Sabuko didn't recognize.
And accompanying the strange voice was a chorus of footsteps.
Sabuko turned, seeing men she didn't recognize. Men that were clearly yakuza, but not Sanwakai. Middle-aged men in numbers greater than what she was told she would receive on her conversation over the phone.
"You must be little Sabuko," The yakuza sneered. "The girl who actually thinks she's gonna be a yakuza."
Sabuko scowled at the man.
"What is this?" Sabuko demanded, clutching her sword in a white-knuckled grip. "Who are you people?"
"What's the matter?" Another one of the men asked, in a patronizing tone similar to that of his cohort. "Don't recognize River City's dominant yakuza family?"
"Don't be stupid," Another in the pack snapped, slapping his associate upside the head. "She wouldn't know a goddamn thing. Those Sanwakai aren't a real yakuza family. Not like us!"
"I know," The one yakuza pouted, unhappily lowering his gaze. "No need to hit me over it, ya jerk. . ."
Sabuko looked at the pins on their suits.
Her eyes narrowed into slits. Of course.
She knew who they were now. These men were a part of the Shigematsu Crime Family.
Where the Sanwakai did what it wished, unbound by codes of honor, the Shigematsu Family were painfully old-fashioned, a group that strictly adhered to the yakuza's values of old. In the rest of the yakuza world, the Shigematsu were considered among the gold standard as to what someone in the profession ought to aspire to be.
And instead of the people she'd come to pick up, they were here.
"I was supposed to be reclaiming some Sanwakai men at this location," Sabuko began dangerously. "What have you done with them?"
"Take a guess, Princess!" One of the yakuza smugly replied, adjusting his sunglasses.
"We thought we'd put 'em down for a dirt nap." Another cruelly smirked, folding his arms.
"You killed them!" Sabuko yelled, angrily clenching her fist.
"Ding, ding, ding!" A yakuza taunted. "The girl wins a shiny new car!"
"Our patriarch has been waiting for ages to see your old man's downfall, sweetie!" One cackled. "Now that's he's locked up, this city is ours, and we're never lettin' it go!"
Sabuko gave a snarl. Her father had told her all about this family's patriarch—Shishio Shigematsu. About how he had been looking forward to his undoing since he'd begun to stray from the beaten path of tradition. Shishio considered her father a disgrace to the yakuza.
Shigematsu, the old fool.
The man expected her father to follow his precious honor knowing how strong he was. Knowing how much stronger than him he was.
Then again, she supposed it was fitting for such a lesser man to think this way.
If you had the power to do something, espiecally without fear of retaliation. You had every right to do just that.
Be it taking something by force, killing someone, or in this case, to violate a rule with impunity. None of it was too far. There were no "lines" for those with great power.
That was the philosophy her father lived by. And it was one she sought to live by herself.
"You killed my men. . ." Sabuko growled, fixing them all with icy stares.
"Yeah, we did," One yakuza shot back. "And you're gonna be next, Princess!"
"Hey!" Another yakuza snapped, roughly shoving his associate. "Remember our job! We take her back to the boss alive! He wants to torture this bitch!"
"I got it," The yakuza sighed disappointedly, adjusting his suit. "Jeez. . ."
"Don't be such a downer," A yakuza said, giving his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "At least we get to watch! All we gotta do is bring her in first! That's what boss said!"
"Now that's a show I'd pay for a front row seat to!" Another laughed, slapping his forehead in amazement. "And I don't even have to!"
"What do you say to that, girlie?" A yakuza smirked, pointing at Sabuko.
Sabuko was furious. . .
Before she realized that she could cut these cretins down, and scratch that itch that she'd always had.
She could sate her need—right here, right now.
Sabuko's rage gave way to an almost child-like glee, her heart beginning to pound in her chest with anticipation. She moved both her trembling hands behind her back, making sure to hold her sword vertically, hiding it completely from their view.
Lastly, she lowered her gaze, closing her eyes.
All it would take is one. One murder would be enough to take the edge off.
But why would she ever stop at just one?
"You really should respect power when you see it." Sabuko said, looking back up at them with a manic grin.
"Power, huh?" The yakuza jeered. "What's that supposed to mea—?"
In the blink of an eye, Sabuko had run right up to him. She performed a standing somersault, kicking with enough force to take his head right off of his body, and into the air. Sabuko pushed off into the air, performing a somersault through the air, landing in a three point stance.
The yakuza's body fell over onto the ground, headless. Blood began to pool from his wide open neck.
And there it was.
The kill.
The now-lifeless husk of a human shell, the gorgeous pool of deep red blood that was now oozing its way towards her feet.
She had caused this.
And it felt so unimaginably good.
The detached head fell back to the ground, its face frozen in a look of surprise.
Sabuko stared down at it, shivering with delight.
The remaining yakuza stood slack-jawed. Speechless at what they'd just witnessed.
"Holy—!" One of them cried out in shock, his eyes bulging out from behind his sunglasses. "She. . .she. . ."
"She killed him!'' Another one of the yakuza fearfully exclaimed, his hand shaking as he pointed at Sabuko.
"Admittedly," Sabuko said, still trembling with bliss. "That was rather messy by my usual standard. Allow me to grant the rest of you a more graceful death."
"S-screw that!" One of the yakuza shot back, attempting to sound intimidating. "Kill her!"
They raised their fists.
Sabuko drew her sword back, her eye glinting dangerously.
SHWING!
Before any of them could move an inch, Sabuko had dashed forward, cutting them all down in one motion.
There was a collection of wails as their upper bodies went flying upwards, all in a shower of blood.
Sabuko went weak in the knees, watching the halves hit the ground in wet splashes that stained the ground.
The sight of their blood had been beautiful. Each yakuza had been cut cleanly, immaculately.
When the chills wore off and the feeling was gone, Sabuko became upset, clenching her fists.
Some of her men were now dead. Seven of them, to be precise. It wasn't a large number, but it was something. Or at least, it would have been something.
Sabuko sighed, beginning to calm somewhat. She supposed those seven were no significant loss if they were to get themselves killed in the Sanwakai's darkest hour.
She turned, walking back out to the street.
Sabuko rode inside of the limousine, frowning down at the dried blood on the blade of her katana.
Her high had subsided, and she was already craving her next murder.
Suddenly the limousine came to a hard stop, throwing Sabuko onto the floor.
Sabuko frowned, picking herself back up. Why in the world Momoe had slammed on the brakes as roughly as she had, she didn't know, but there had better have been a good reason for it.
She reached for the button on the console, to ask Momoe what was going on. . .
CRASH!
From the side, something had slammed into the limousine, sending it flying.
Sabuko was sent bouncing from wall, wall, to ceiling, to floor. . .
Then she felt the limousine hit the ground, rolling along the street until it crashed into a wall.
It may not have harmed Sabuko in the slightest, but having her vehicle tossed across the road was disorienting.
"You think she's alive?" A voice queried.
"No way," Another man responded. "Not after a roundhouse kick like that!"
Sabuko narrowed her eyes into slits. She had a hunch as to what this was about.
"We're after Sabu's brat, not him," A third man chimed in. "She can't be built the way he is."
Sabuko grit her teeth. More Shigematsu. This was them.
"I dunno. . ." One of Shishio's enforcers muttered. "If she's not supposed to be tough, how'd she kill that first group 'o guys?"
"If you don't believe that kick of mine was enough," Another one of the men barked. "Then you go finish the job! Assuming she's not dead. Which she just has to be!"
"Ah!" The yakuza yelped. "I'm going, I'm going! No need to get all pushy!"
Sabuko patted the ground for her sword, finding it beside her.
Her fingers curled around the handle. She leapt into the air, cutting through the upturned floor of the limousine with a swing of her katana. She somersaulted, landing neatly on her feet on the sidewalk in front of a group of flabbergasted Shigematsu men.
"N-no way. . ." One of the men muttered, his body slumping forward with disbelief.
"If you thought such a thing would kill me," Sabuko growled. "You are all even less intelligent than I thought."
The yakuza were briefly taken aback, glancing among themselves before turning to her with collective scowls.
"Like we're gonna stand here and take that from you!" The man spat, jabbing an angry finger at her.
"Yeah!" Another one chimed in. "Where does the daughter of a fake yakuza get off on insulting us?! Your daddy couldn't even handle two teenage punks!"
"How does that happen, princess?" A third yakuza questioned with a nasty sneer. "Don't tell me big bad Sabu took pity on two people trying to shut him down. Even if they were two ankle-biters."
Sabuko snorted.
"Yeah," The yakuza chuckled. "Pathetic ain't it?"
"Admittedly, I'm not certain how two high school deviants got the better of my father," Sabuko narrowed her eyes. "But rest assured, it was in no part due to any of the pity that he has shown your Family."
The group of yakuza gasped. They immediately grit their teeth with anger, clenching their fists.
"What's that supposed to mean, girlie?" One of the men demanded in a low growl.
"I'd pick my next words real careful, too," Another snarled, cracking his knuckles. "Don't know if Daddy bothered to tell you this, but the wrong choice of words'll get your ass killed in this line of work."
"My father is one of, if not the strongest men in River City," Sabuko spat. "He could've ended all of your lives by himself had he gotten tired of keeping you around for his own amusement."
"You got a real mouth on you," A yakuza hissed through gritted teeth. "Anyone ever tell you that?"
"I only speak the truth," Sabuko said coldly. "The only reason any of you worms still stand—as individuals, and as a Family—is because my father has allowed it."
"And where's your daddy now, sweetheart?" One of the yakuza challenged. "He's behind bars, waiting to die! Just like you're gonna, for not knowing when to shut up!"
"You're somehow the only thing keeping your excuse of a Family afloat," Another one pounded his fist into his palm. "After you're dead, its curtains!"
"Let's put the last nail in the Sanwakai's coffin, fellas!" One sneered, cracking his neck.
Bright blue sparks of ki began to crackle around their clenched fists.
Sabuko raised her sword in front of her. Had these fools truly learned nothing from seeing the previous group of their comrades' mangled corpses?
Despite not understanding the audacity these men had, she welcomed what may as well have been their collective suicide attempt.
Challenging her would only mean death.
And she craved to bring more death.
"Hey, boss!"
Sabuko blinked at the sound of Yakuza's voice.
The yakuza briefly in front of her turned their gazes past her, the ki around their fists dissipating.
Sabuko turned around to see Yakuza, her newest domestic laborer, running toward the scene. That uzi was clutched in his hand, as it always was.
"Yakuza?" Sabuko snapped. "What are you doing here?!"
"Sorry. . .boss. . ." Yakuza apologized, resting a hand on his knees as he caught his breath. "I know you wanted me to pick up your dry cleaning, but I heard all of the commotion on the way over, and had to come check it out!"
"Leave," Sabuko ordered. "I am in the middle of something."
"But what if these guys hurt you?" Yakuza asked, his eye going wide with fear.
"We're gonna do more than that, kid!" One of the yakuza said. "And if you decide to do anything funny, we'll take you out, too!"
"Buuut. . ." Another yakuza added. "Lucky for you, the Shigematsu Family's got no need to kill you, you're not the last person we need gone before your whole Family falls apart. Sabuko is. You? You're a nobody. Our patriarch couldn't give less of a damn about what happens to you. So if you decide to just walk away like a good wannabe yakuza, we'll forget you even exist. We got ourselves a deal?"
"Wannabe yakuza?!" Yakuza angrily repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"It's self-explanatory, kid," The yakuza said. "You wanna be a yakuza. But you're not. You're pickin' up dry cleaning like a butler."
"Okay, I know that all I really do is the boss' chores for her," Yakuza conceded. "But still, who do you guys think you are?!"
"Real yakuza, kid," Another yakuza said. "If these guys you work with had any decency, they would've taught you that."
"You should feel ashamed of yourself!" A yakuza pointed at Yakuza's uzi. "Waving that thing around!"
"Boss says we're too good to follow your stupid rules!" Yakuza shouted. "She says we can do whatever we want!"
"You degenerates were a stronger Family," One yakuza said, pointing a thumb at himself. "But now we're on top! And we plan on keepin' it that way!"
"We'll give you one more chance, kid," Another yakuza said, crossing his arms. "Come over to the Shigematsu Family. We're the in-crowd, as you kids like to say."
"Huh?" Yakuza asked. "In-crowd? What do you mean?"
"Our patriarch has something big planned for River City," The yakuza explained with an ominous smile. "It's somethin' that you're gonna wanna be a part of."
There was a chorus of sly chuckles from the rest of the group in response.
Sabuko narrowed her eyes. What was this enforcer on about?
"Take the offer, kid!" A yakuza chimed in, pointing at Yakuza. "We'll make a real yakuza outta you while we're at it!"
"Forget it!" Yakuza said. "You guys would take my gun away from me!"
"Fine," The yakuza said. "If that's how it's gonna be, then step aside. This is gonna get ugly for little Sabuko, and I really doubt you'd survive getting caught up in the crossfire."
"You know," Yakuza pouted. "You guys underestimating me is not cool."
"Yakuza," Sabuko frowned. "I command you to leave at once. These men will kill you, and that murder is reserved for me."
"No can do, boss," Yakuza happily swung his arm, shoving his other hand into his pocket. "What kind of yakuza doesn't stick by his matriarch in her time of need?"
"You are anything but needed here!" Sabuko snapped.
"Matriarch," One yakuza spat, utter disgust written across his face. "Not on our watch! You're history, kid!"
"Uh-oh!" Yakuza fearfully whimpered. "Uh. . ?"
Yakuza held up the uzi with a shaky, timid hand. He pointed it at the group of yakuza, trying to hold his arm steady with his other hand.
"S-so, check it out. . ." Yakuza stammered nervously, sweating as he attempted to sound intimidating. "I've got this uzi, a-and I'm not afraid to use it! I-I swear!"
"Sure you aren't kid," The yakuza grinned, lunging forward. "Gimme that thing!"
The yakuza grabbed Yakuza's uzi, trying to wrestle it out of his grip.
"Let. . .go!" The yakuza angrily growled through his teeth.
"No way, man!" Yakuza defiantly cried, holding on tight.
Sabuko watched the game of tug-of-war between Yakuza and the Shigematsu enforcer. To her mild surprise, the rest of them did the same, apparently just as invested in this little spat as she was.
"You're honestly having this much trouble getting a gun out of a teenager's hand?" One of the men questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Shut. . .up!" The yakuza grunted. "He's got an iron grip on it. . !"
Sabuko began to have questions. Did Yakuza even remember to load his gun?
Probably not.
She was doubtful Yakuza was strong enough to actually pull something out of another man's grip.
Would she have to assist him with this? Saving his miserable life in the process?
Probably.
"Dude, seriously!" Yakuza narrowed his eye. "Stop it!"
And just then, Yakuza's finger slipped, squeezing the trigger.
Bullets flew from the barrel of the uzi, the force sending Yakuza's arm sharply jerking to the right. Yakuza tried to right his aim, using his free hand to push his arm back, only to send his arm's trajectory helplessly veering the other way.
The yakuza in front of him were riddled with bullets. Some had tried to run, to duck out of the way, but they'd been too slow.
The gun ran out of bullets, the shells now scattered among the ground.
"W-whoa!" Yakuza's brow furrowed. "See what happens when you're not careful around guns?! If you guys used 'em you'd know not to be so dumb!"
There was a brief silence.
Sabuko gave a silent gasp, staring at all of the now-lifeless bodies of the Shigematsu men.
In any typical scenario, she would have been furious over the fact that someone else taken a series of lives that she'd set her sights on claiming.
This, Sabuko was almost willing to overlook.
"Um. . ." Yakuza timidly asked. "Are you guys. . .good?"
Sabuko facepalmed.
"They're dead, you imbecile!" Sabuko spat, sharply gesturing to his gun. "What do you think happens when you spray an automatic weapon in front of a group of people ?!"
"I mean, I probably could've avoided their hearts or something. . ." Yakuza mildly argued. "Ah man. . .that really sucks for these guys."
"I'm actually surprised that you managed to do something that a yakuza should," Sabuko said, arching an eyebrow. "Even if it was purely accidental."
"Well. . .yeah!" Yakuza flashed a dopey grin. "That's what I do!"
"Debatable," Sabuko deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "But upon closer inspection, you may have use to me as a soldier after all."
"Really?!" Yakuza's eye widened as he clutched his gun excitedly. "You mean it?!"
"Yes," Sabuko said. "Starting today, you will stand guard outside my office and eliminate any intruders who seek to harm me. Can I trust you not to fail?"
"Absolutely, boss!" Yakuza exclaimed, eagerly saluting. "Thanks so much! I won't let you down!"
"You had better not," Sabuko gravely warned, her gaze going steely. "Because if you do. . ."
Sabuko swung her sword up to Yakuza's throat, holding it an inch away from his skin.
"You will be my next kill." Sabuko finished. "Am I clear?"
"Y-you got it, boss!" Yakuza gulped, happily holding his hands up. "Wouldn't even think about screwing this up!"
"Hmph." Sabuko snorted.
Sabuko withdrew her sword and faced away from him.
"We must return to Sanwakai Tower at once," Sabuko instructed. "It is vital that we keep a low profile."
"Stealth mission?" Yakuza grinned, excitedly pumping a fist. "Awesome!"
"Quiet!" Sabuko hissed, angrily grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "What did I just say about keeping a low profile?!"
"O-oh yeah," Yakuza nervously whispered back. "My bad!"
Sabuko gave a tiny growl as she released Yakuza, taking out her phone.
"Masaaki," Sabuko began. "I need you to pick me up this instant. I'm near the laundromat."
"Sure thing, boss." Masaaki replied.
Without another word, Sabuko hung up the call. Masaaki was a member of her father's hiring, and a highly effective one at that. He respected her authority just as he did her father's, which was why Sabuko was glad to have returned him to the ranks on the last pickup that she'd gone on.
"Follow me," Sabuko ordered, slipping her phone into her pocket. "We'll need to look for someplace to hide."
As if on cue, the lid of a nearby dumpster burst open.
"Ah. . .man!" Godai groaned, his eyes closed as he stretched upwards.
Godai opened his eyes, his head whirling to look at them.
"Oh!" Godai's expression brightened. "Hey there!"
Sabuko grimaced, wrinkling her nose at the dumpster's putrid scent as it wafted past her.
"Whoa!" Yakuza yelped, fearfully jumping back.
"Who are you?" Sabuko demanded, pointing her sword at the boy.
"Who, little old me?" Godai smiled, paying the sword in his face no mind. "I'm Godai! Pleasure to meet ya!"
"You. . .don't know who we are?" Yakuza questioned, pinching his nostrils shut. "Man, that smell. . ."
"Err. . .nope," Godai scratched his head. "Haven't got the foggiest idea who you two're supposed to be. Should I?"
"Hell yeah you should!" Yakuza boastfully replied, crossing his arms. "We're—"
Sabuko slapped Yakuza across the face, the ear-piercing sound of the strike disturbing a nearby flock of birds.
"Owww!" Yakuza cried, massaging his reddened cheek.
"We are no one of importance," Sabuko responded, looking at Godai. "I merely decided to take a walk with my kid brother."
"Uhh. . .yeah!" Yakuza nodded rapidly. "Yep! That's us! Just regular old siblings! Love ya, sis!"
Yakuza threw his arms around Sabuko, hugging her tightly.
"Release me now and never say those words again." Sabuko coldly muttered under her breath.
Yakuza let her go, taking a large, awkward step away from her.
"Aww!" Godai happily gushed. "So cute!"
"Say, uh. . ." Yakuza asked. "You wouldn't happen to have any spare room in that dumpster, would you?"
"That won't be necessary!" Sabuko scowled at Yakuza.
"But boss—er—sis," Yakuza nervously stammered, shrinking under Sabuko's deathly gaze. "We need somewhere to, uh. . ."
"Hm?" Godai gave a curious tilt of his head. "You guys need someplace to hang out?"
"Do we ever!" Yakuza smiled. "It's, uh, supposed to rain wicked hard today, and we don't wanna get wet!"
"Did it now?" Godai said. "Then you've come to the right place! Hop on inside!"
"Thanks, man!" Yakuza smiled, climbing inside the dumpster. "Appreciate it!"
"Just doin' my part as an upstanding citizen of River City!" Godai grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Who needs an ulterior motive or any of that silliness, eh?"
Sabuko studied this Godai, narrowing her eyes at his cheerful expression.
She would have killed him for bearing witness to her, but he seemed to possess even less intelligence than Yakuza. She honestly saw little purpose in killing someone who barely seemed aware of the fact that he'd been held at sword point just moments ago.
This cretin would get to live another day.
"C'mon, sis!" Yakuza urged, beckoning her to join.
Sabuko eyed the dumpster, her stomach beginning to turn at the mere idea.
She may not have had any interest in killing this urchin, but she would not be indulging in this. . .wretchedness of his.
"I refuse." Sabuko growled, her face twisting with disgust.
"But we have to, remember?" Yakuza reminded, his eye widened.
Yakuza leaned forward, cupping a hand around his mouth.
"The weather!" Yakuza hissed. "Remember?!"
Under just about any other circumstances, Sabuko wouldn't have even entertained the idea of such a thing. . .
But her ride wasn't here yet, and she couldn't risk being caught by anyone else.
She had to get out of sight, immediately.
Sabuko gave an indignant snarl, her fists trembling. A yakuza such as herself—the heiress to the Sanwakai Family—reduced to this? Taking refuge inside of the garbage?!
It was sacreligious.
And it only made her want to skin Kunio and Riki alive even more.
Whether they realized it or not, they put her in this position, and they deserved to suffer for it.
"Fine." Sabuko hissed through her teeth. "Move aside."
Sabuko climbed inside the dumpster, curling into a crouch as Godai shut the lid behind her.
There was darkness.
And the ungodly smell that made Sabuko's stomach churn. She was suddenly deeply regretting having eaten a full lunch prior to setting out into town.
"O-oh God!" Yakuza moaned, vomit loudly gurgling its way up his throat. "Don't hurl, don't hurl. . ."
Suddenly, she heard the sound of Godai noisily eating, moaning euphorically between each bite.
"What in the hell are you doing?" Sabuko quietly demanded.
"Oh, just workin' on a Merv Double!" Godai said. "I found it in here only half-eaten! Talk about a stroke of luck, eh?!"
Sabuko gagged, tasting bile in the back of her throat. She swallowed.
"If you must eat, then do so quietly." Sabuko brusquely said.
"Oh sure," Godai merrily responded. "Where are my manners? You want some?"
"I said quiet!" Sabuko barked.
"O-oh, okay!" Godai gave a slightly amused chuckle, his voice dropping down to a whisper. "How about you, fella? You want in on this?"
"Hard pass," Yakuza whispered back. "I'm not hungry enough to eat food outta the trash."
"More for me, then!" Godai softly giggled.
Sabuko scowled. Masaaki had better have been close by. If any of her men were heard discussing this predicament of hers in the future, she would bring their lives to an end.
Though as much as she loathed to admit it, being stuck in the trash was the least of her current worries. What did that Shigematsu officer mean by what he said? About "something big" being on the horizon?
She had no idea what Shishio had on his agenda. He was already the city's leading crime boss, and her father was in jail, no longer able to threaten him. What more could he have wanted so badly?
Sabuko set her jaw. Whatever it was, she was certain she would be able to stop whatever little plan he was concocting. Their organization may have been in a weakened state at the moment, but be it by her father's leadership when he inevitably returned, or by hers while he was away, The Sanwakai Family was bound to return to form, as strong as it was before.
She hoped that Shishio was enjoying supremacy while he could. Soon enough, he would be back underneath them, where he belonged.
Author's Notes: That does it for this one readers! With this completed, this marks my second look into Sabuko's character.
With Sabu still in jail by this point in the story, I wanted to give some kind of insight into what Sabuko has to deal with as the acting leader of the Sanwakai Family. This is just prior to their collapse at the hands of Kunio and Riki, so I felt it was necessary to show her attempting to rebuild as well.
During which of course, there was a fight. And a bloody one at that. This I also felt was necessary, as disputes among yakuza tend usually aren't pretty, to say the least. Now River City Girls isn't a bloody game, and I want it to be known that in this series, I'm not usually going to be relying on this kind of blood for most of the action scenes. I wanna keep to the game's tone as closely as I can, and that includes having the characters keep their limbs and all other body parts intact throughout the fight, even if they'll still get roughed up a bit!
Now to the third element of this entry, and the most important one, arguably. I've decided to feature another yakuza family—the Shigematsu Family. They're actually antagonists from a previous Nekketsu game, River City: Tokyo Rumble. I figured bringing them into my RCG setting would help to flesh it out some, as Sabu's Family is likely not the only one with its eyes on River City. Admittedly, they didn't get that good of a showing here, and that's really only because they had the misfortune of running into Sabuko, someone much, much more skilled and powerful. But make no mistake, the "big" thing that Shishio Shigematsu was mentioned to have been planned will come to light. . .eventually. If you've played through Tokyo Rumble's story, you may have an idea of what that could be. The Shigematsu may have been utterly shown up by Sabuko here, but they are a threatening force in their own right, and they'll get to show it in due time.
Did you enjoy my take on a Sabuko fight scene? Drop a review and let me know!
Until next time, guys!