When Wakaba got home she found her mother in tears. "Mother! What's wrong mother?" Wakaba cried, wrapping her arms around the weeping woman.
Her mother shook her head for a while before she stammered, "It's… you…your father!" and then burst into a fresh wave of tears.
"What about Papa?" screamed the daughter, tearing at her hair.
"The Mafia!" cried the mother, flinging herself to the couch.
"The Mafia?" Wakaba shrieked.
"The Shadow Girl Mafia shot your father! He didn't know what he really wanted, so they shot him!"
"Oh Mama!"
The next morning, Wakaba did not go to school, so bereaved was she at her father's death. The funeral was that afternoon. The newspaper came, with a headline reading, "New York City In Terror Of Dark Shadow" The article described the reign of terror the Shadow Girl Mafia was reveling in. They were a number, not known, of young women seen only by their silhouettes. They liked killing people. The monkey mouse did its best to cheer its new mistress up, and Wakaba named it Chuchu, because of the only sound the creature made. They played several poker games, and Chuchu ended up with a lifetime supply of sugar cubes.
This went on for a week before Wakaba felt close enough to well to return to school. On her way to school however, about a block from her apartment, an apple vendor saw on the brick wall the shadow of hands reaching out and suddenly Wakaba had been pulled into a dark alley. "Oh my!" gasped Wakaba, trying to pull the fingers off her throat. But it was of no avail. She heard the scrape of a manhole being pried off the ground and suddenly she was in the sewers.
"I'm sorry m'ame, but your Prince a'int here. We only gots young fresh girls. So scramble off somewheres and get a cup of coffee." The doorman shoved a pink haired girl roughly into the ground.
"I know my prince must be here somewhere! Ever since I-" the girl protested.
"You've told me three times." The doorman cut her off. "You were very young and tried to get run over by a taxi because your drug dealing parents got thrown in the slammer. But a noble young lawyer flung himself into the street to save you and you nearly downed because your face was stuck in a drainage grate."
"Yes! So you must understand why I have to get into this building."
"No can do. You a'int coming in unless you got money, and I'm afraid that you've spent all your cash on whatever you're on."
"I must see my prince!" screamed the girl. "I, Utena Tenjou, order you to get out of my way!"
"I, the doorman employed by Akio, order you to hit the road!" countered the guard.
"FINE!" snapped Utena. She whirled around and bumped right into Anshi, who considering her moth eaten fur coat and fishnets, had to work for Akio. "You look familiar…" mumbled Utena
"We've never met." Said Anshi softly. "Please excuse me, I have an appointment."
Utena held Anshi by the shoulders so she could not pass and leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Can you get me in to see my prince?"
"Oh, so your one of the deluded ones too? You wouldn't believe the number of girls who have seen him around town and come asking me just the same thing. Just give up and find a man who isn't gutter trash." Anshi gave a faint smile and walked into the building.
Utena fell to her knees and the rain fell down on her. "WHAT IF I NEED A JOB?" she cried as Anshi shut the door.
"You don't want a job here, believe me." Said Anshi kindly, locking the door.
"I'll never see my prince." Sniffed Utena, walking sadly down the street.
About two blocks from Akio's shop, Utena was nearly run down by a black Studebaker going nearly 80 miles an hour. She jumped up quickly and landed on the hood, and what did she see but the true faces of- The Shadow Girl Mafia! It was a matter of seconds before Utena was back at Akio's and was being dragged inside. "AKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIO-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" bellowed one of the Mafia members. A man in a purple, yellow and green plaid suit came down the dilapidated stairs swinging a cane. "We brought you some freaks, can you take them in?" He nodded yes. "Don't let the pink one out, she's seen my face." He nodded again.
Her mother shook her head for a while before she stammered, "It's… you…your father!" and then burst into a fresh wave of tears.
"What about Papa?" screamed the daughter, tearing at her hair.
"The Mafia!" cried the mother, flinging herself to the couch.
"The Mafia?" Wakaba shrieked.
"The Shadow Girl Mafia shot your father! He didn't know what he really wanted, so they shot him!"
"Oh Mama!"
The next morning, Wakaba did not go to school, so bereaved was she at her father's death. The funeral was that afternoon. The newspaper came, with a headline reading, "New York City In Terror Of Dark Shadow" The article described the reign of terror the Shadow Girl Mafia was reveling in. They were a number, not known, of young women seen only by their silhouettes. They liked killing people. The monkey mouse did its best to cheer its new mistress up, and Wakaba named it Chuchu, because of the only sound the creature made. They played several poker games, and Chuchu ended up with a lifetime supply of sugar cubes.
This went on for a week before Wakaba felt close enough to well to return to school. On her way to school however, about a block from her apartment, an apple vendor saw on the brick wall the shadow of hands reaching out and suddenly Wakaba had been pulled into a dark alley. "Oh my!" gasped Wakaba, trying to pull the fingers off her throat. But it was of no avail. She heard the scrape of a manhole being pried off the ground and suddenly she was in the sewers.
"I'm sorry m'ame, but your Prince a'int here. We only gots young fresh girls. So scramble off somewheres and get a cup of coffee." The doorman shoved a pink haired girl roughly into the ground.
"I know my prince must be here somewhere! Ever since I-" the girl protested.
"You've told me three times." The doorman cut her off. "You were very young and tried to get run over by a taxi because your drug dealing parents got thrown in the slammer. But a noble young lawyer flung himself into the street to save you and you nearly downed because your face was stuck in a drainage grate."
"Yes! So you must understand why I have to get into this building."
"No can do. You a'int coming in unless you got money, and I'm afraid that you've spent all your cash on whatever you're on."
"I must see my prince!" screamed the girl. "I, Utena Tenjou, order you to get out of my way!"
"I, the doorman employed by Akio, order you to hit the road!" countered the guard.
"FINE!" snapped Utena. She whirled around and bumped right into Anshi, who considering her moth eaten fur coat and fishnets, had to work for Akio. "You look familiar…" mumbled Utena
"We've never met." Said Anshi softly. "Please excuse me, I have an appointment."
Utena held Anshi by the shoulders so she could not pass and leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Can you get me in to see my prince?"
"Oh, so your one of the deluded ones too? You wouldn't believe the number of girls who have seen him around town and come asking me just the same thing. Just give up and find a man who isn't gutter trash." Anshi gave a faint smile and walked into the building.
Utena fell to her knees and the rain fell down on her. "WHAT IF I NEED A JOB?" she cried as Anshi shut the door.
"You don't want a job here, believe me." Said Anshi kindly, locking the door.
"I'll never see my prince." Sniffed Utena, walking sadly down the street.
About two blocks from Akio's shop, Utena was nearly run down by a black Studebaker going nearly 80 miles an hour. She jumped up quickly and landed on the hood, and what did she see but the true faces of- The Shadow Girl Mafia! It was a matter of seconds before Utena was back at Akio's and was being dragged inside. "AKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIO-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" bellowed one of the Mafia members. A man in a purple, yellow and green plaid suit came down the dilapidated stairs swinging a cane. "We brought you some freaks, can you take them in?" He nodded yes. "Don't let the pink one out, she's seen my face." He nodded again.
