To the Readers: Thank you for your kind reviews. I am glad everyone is
enjoying things so far. I thought I would wait until now to say that this
is the first fan fiction I have ever written or published. But since I
have enjoyed the other authors on ff.net and other sites, I thought I would
try my best to give something enjoyable back. My only question is: Will
Kenshin ever get something decent to eat or drink, or is he doomed to
wither up due to thirst and starvation here in San Francisco?
~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 4: ~*~*~*~*~*~
"The Borderlands Gang," the mechanic began, wiping his brow with a grime- soaked handkerchief, "All of those kids work for the Borderlands Gang."
Sano had long since let go of the mechanic's arm. The guy wasn't going to try to bolt, not with Kenshin's deadly gaze boring into his skull. Gah, but that guy could be creepy sometimes.
"Who are the Borderlands Gang?" Kenshin asked.
"Don't you know? Everyone around here knows about the Borderlands Gang. When they started off, it was great. Everyone loved them. See, their leader is this American guy, born here in San Francisco. He got tired of all the fighting between the different districts, between Chinatown and Little Italy, between the Irish, Jewish, Spanish and Russian districts. His gang took people from all walks of life who were tired of all the innocent people who were getting killed. They promised to protect all of us who live here on the borders between the different districts, because we were always getting caught in the warfare."
"I don't get it," Sano said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, "Where do the delivery boys come in?"
"Hey! You can't smoke in here, dumbass. You'll blow the whole place sky high. Do you know how much oil and gasoline I have in here?"
Sano tucked the cigarette behind his ear with a snarl as the mechanic began to continue.
"A couple of months ago, things began to get bad. I don't know. Maybe the Borderlands Gang had pissed off too many of the other gangs. Whatever. People around here were getting killed left and right. So one night, I got a visit from a couple of Borderlands guys. They said that if I wanted to continue being 'protected', I was going to need to give them some money every week. So, I told them I could protect myself. Bad decision. They broke my leg to show me otherwise."
The mechanic took a deep breath as he shook his head and looked at the floor dejectedly, "So, I give them the money. Those 'delivery boys' as you call them, come by twice a week to pick up my payments. I remember the one in the picture there. He asked a few times if he could look at the cars inside, seemed real curious about them. Wanted to know how they worked and stuff. But, I haven't seen him in a few weeks."
Kenshin looked at the guy for a few moments as his own expression softened. Perhaps they -had- been a little too gung-ho with this guy. He was just caught up in a situation he didn't know how to combat. "So. Do you know where we can find this gang or their leader?"
"Yeah. They hang out at a speakeasy called 'The Rye House' down on Alameda Street."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yahiko scrunched himself into an even smaller ball in the nook behind the counter. He was pretending to be asleep. Usually, they wouldn't notice him down here, let him be for a while even if they did. The Borderlands guys weren't so bad, you just had to earn your own way. And that meant working, and working hard.
But, he hadn't been out of the Rye House in a week. He understood why. After what he had seen, he couldn't chance it. No, that was wrong. The gang couldn't chance it. But, still, if only he could go home just once. Just once to tell Kaoru goodbye. To tell her she didn't have to worry anymore about anything. She would always be protected, she would always have enough money and they would never, ever, take her house away.
God, she was such an idiot, his sister didn't even know what kind of trouble she had been in.
And, even though she was older, he was the man of the house. His responsibility to make sure she would be okay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The bank guy would come every day. Every single day. It was getting harder and harder to make sure Kaoru was out of the house at the right time. Harder and harder to make excuses. Every day that squirrelly little man would come by and tell Yahiko how much time his sister had left to pay up before the bank took their house, the Learning Center, the Apothecary too.
She didn't have the money. And she didn't have any way to get it. Yahiko knew she didn't. All she had was that damned blackboard fund, and that wouldn't even pay a fifth of the money they needed. Besides, they would need that money when they got kicked out.
So Yahiko did the only thing he could. He started pawning things from the attic. His mother's old kimonos. His father's rare books. Anything. Anything to keep the bank away for one more day.
So one day, when the bank guy finally told him they only had one more week left, Yahiko thought that it was finally the end. He stood outside the gate, watching the squirrelly little man walk off.
And that was when Frederick Aberdeen made his presence known. He had been standing by the lamppost, listening to every word.
"Having problems with the bank, kid?"
"What's it to you?" Yahiko asked, glaring at the man. How dare he eavesdrop?
The tall American man took a large marble out of his pocket and rolled it between his fingers deftly, balancing it on the back of his hand for a moment before he bounced it up in the air and caught it.
"You know the bank is as crooked as the cops, as crooked as everyone around here. Everyone is a criminal these days, especially in these parts. They think they can take advantage just because most everyone is an immigrant. I bet your sister doesn't owe half as much as they say."
Yahiko stood stunned. He hadn't considered the possibility that the guy from the bank was lying about how much they owed.
"Look, kid. They'll keep telling you that you owe more until you stop paying. Then they will take the house anyway. You can't win, the way you are going."
"And what -exactly- do you propose I do, mister? Huh? If it is all so hopeless? Why don't you just make like a fan and blow?" Yahiko's fists balled at his side. He'd been in plenty of street fights. He could probably at least give the guy a good bite mark on his arm or something.
"Calm down kid. I'm telling you I can help you out. Me and my friends, we gots ways of dealing with people that like to take advantage of others. Tell you what, you come to work for me, and I will get this whole bank mess cleared up for you. I'm Fredrick Aberdeen, head of the Borderlands Gang."
"Can you really do that?" Yahiko felt skeptical. Adults were always trying to pull one over on kids, the bastards.
"I tell you what. If that bank guy comes back tomorrow or the next day, you can write me off as a liar. But if he doesn't, you take this marble and head down to Alameda Street. Right past the bakery, there's an alleyway. Show the marble to the guy at the back of the alley, and he'll bring you to see me, and I will put you to work. I'll even give you a quarter a week. Deal?"
As the man held out his hand, the giant glass marble twinkling in the sun, Yahiko hesitated. Something about this just -had- to be wrong. Maybe. Or maybe today was his lucky day. Maybe once in a while, the world really does give you a break.
"Deal. On one condition. Never, ever again, call me 'kid'."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Things had gone well, really well, for the first few weeks. Mr. Aberdeen introduced him to the Borderlands Gang, and then all the other 'delivery boys'. There were five of them, all of different cultures, and they called themselves the Marble Squad. Mr. Aberdeen had given them a storage room in the back of the Rye House for their bikes and for playing marbles and cards and hanging out. Plus, they got all the root beer and Coca Cola they could drink.
The Marble Squad really knew how to stick together too. They all stood up for each other, especially when any kids gave them trouble for being from other countries, for looking different or talking different. They'd left quite a few kids with black eyes.
And then one day, just like that, it turned bad. He had been riding in one of the gang's automobiles with Joe Rosco, Mr. Aberdeen's right-hand man, and some of the other gang members, when suddenly the car came to a stop and the gang piled out and started shooting up a barber shop. Yahiko had heard Rosco tell him to stay in the car, stay down, but when he saw Rosco get shot, he couldn't just leave him by the side of the road. He climbed down and tried to pull the heavy-set man back inside.
That's when the two policemen came around the corner.
As the cops ran towards Yahiko, one of the other gang members reached out of the automobile, grabbed the Japanese kid by his collar, and threw him into the back of the car.
The police had seen him. And now, now they would be looking for him to try to get him to squeal on Mr. Aberdeen.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yahiko woke up in the same position. He rubbed his eyes. He hadn't seen the sun in almost a week. If only he could go outside, just for a little while, maybe he would stop feeling so sleepy all the time.
Wait. Something was wrong. The music in the Rye House had stopped. No one was talking.
"We're looking for the leader of the Borderlands Gang."
The spiky-haired kid peered around the side of the counter. Who are these guys? Not cops, at least. They didn't look like cops. Geez. That one guy was wearing a trench coat in the middle of this heat wave? Must be crazy people. Dope heads or something.
Jimmy Rosco, Joe's younger bother. swirled some ice around in his drink. "Eh? What makes you think he's here? And if he is here, what makes you think he wants to talk to you?" Yahiko watched as Jimmy set his drink down and pulled out his knife, a solid metal piece with a blade slightly longer than a man's hand. "Maybe you freaks should just scram."
"Scram, Sano?" Kenshin asked, glancing at his partner.
"You know. Get lost. Beat it. Leave," Sano replied. Kenshin always had to pick the worst moments for an English lesson.
"No. I do not think we will scram, we won't."
A flash of blue-white light flickered through the speakeasy. It jutted in Jimmy's direction. When Yahiko could see the cross-scarred man clearly again, he was tossing Jimmy's knife in the direction of his partner and re- sheathing a sword. The Italian man in the hat caught the knife without even glancing in his partner's direction.
"Wow. Nice knife. Maybe you should get the grip re-done, though. Help you hold on to it a bit better."
Yahiko couldn't believe his eyes. This guy was standing up to Jimmy the Knife. No. This guy had -defeated- Jimmy the Knife. Without Jimmy even getting any shots in.
As the other guys in the speakeasy started to stand up, Kenshin put his hand behind his back, ready to draw.
"That's enough," Mr. Aberdeen's voice boomed from the top of the stairs that led to his office, a gun leveled at the pair. "I'm Aberdeen. Leader of the Borderlands Gang. Now, what do you two want?"
"We're here for Yahiko Kamiya."
"Oh? The police hire you? That kid doesn't work here anymore. He took off. Couldn't hack it. Said he was going south to find work."
Kenshin stepped forward, his head hanging forward somewhat, obscuring his eyes from the others in the room. "Unfortunately, I do not believe you."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because from what I understand, you have a good and decent heart, you do. You started this gang to help people out, people in trouble, people being preyed upon by forces they could not combat. Because you were tired of watching innocent people die. That's why you stopped me, just now, because you care about all the men who work for you. You can't stand to see them get hurt. No. You can not."
"So?" Mr. Aberdeen replied, steadying his gun on the smaller of the two men.
"So, a man like that wouldn't let a thirteen year old kid take off for parts unknown. You're protecting him, just like you protect all your men. Somewhere along the line, I know, I know, something went wrong, it did. Something happened that you couldn't control and started a chain reaction that you didn't know how to stop. You started sinking into a quicksand, and no matter how you tried, you couldn't get back out. Something snapped inside, and you became desperate, grasping at anything you could to try to pull yourself out of the mire."
"Shut up. You don't know what you are talking about. You don't have any idea what it is like when people depend on you for their lives," Mr. Aberdeen replied, his gun trembling slightly.
"But, I do know, Mr. Aberdeen. Because I am just like you. I used to be a regular guy, just trying to make my way in the world, I was. But, then my sister got sick. Really sick. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could. I took a contract with the Japanese mafia. I was their top assassin. I killed numerous people without remorse to save one girl, I did. I know all about the quicksand, Mr. Aberdeen, because I am still sinking. But, I think I have figured out a way for us both to get out."
Aberdeen let his gun fall to his side. "I'm listening."
"It is good to protect people, I think. The people we care for, they need us. But, when we kill people, when we steal or are dishonorable, we are only improving the lives of our loved ones for the moment. But, we endanger them in the long run, we do. Because there is always someone who will come for revenge, or a policeman clever enough to find us and put us in jail. And then, then who will protect them, when we are gone? No. I am not going to kill anyone anymore and neither are you. And maybe if we do that, we'll stop sinking. Maybe someone we save will even come one day and help us out of the mess we've gotten ourselves into."
"Give this boy Yahiko back his life, Mr. Aberdeen. Don't put him on a path to a life of crime. Don't toss him into the quicksand just because you don't know how to get out."
Mr. Aberdeen seemed lost for a moment. He took a deep breath as he placed his gun on the stairway railing. "Yahiko?"
The Japanese boy pried himself out from behind the counter, his hair even more unruly than usual.
"Do you want to go with these guys, Yahiko? Go home to your sister?"
"Yeah. Kinda," Yahiko clenched his fist at his side before blurting out, "Yes, Mr. Aberdeen. I really, really do. And I won't tell the police anything, I promise."
"If the police come looking for him, we'll tell them that you kidnapped Yahiko and that he doesn't know anything," Sano said, placing Jimmy's knife back on the table in front of its owner. "We'll cover for you. Unless we ever hear of your gang killing ever again, of course."
"Alright. You go, Yahiko."
The trio headed for the door, before they were stopped by Mr. Aberdeen's voice.
"Hey, Yahiko!"
The boy turned slowly, looking up the stairs at the gang leader. Was he going to change his mind?
A glimmering object soared through the air, over the heads of all the patrons of the speakeasy. Yahiko jumped up and caught it easily in his right hand. He turned it over and looked at it for a moment before realizing what it was. A large marble.
"Have a good life, kid."
Yahiko smiled and nodded before tossing the marble back across the speakeasy. He was a pretty good throw, having played stickball in the street since he could hold a bat. Mr. Aberdeen caught the marble and looked at it inquisitively.
"Thanks for everything, Mr. Aberdeen, but I won't be needing this anymore," Yahiko said turning back towards the door. He looked back over his shoulder one more time as he called out, "And don't call me -kid-."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I can't -believe- you spent the blackboard and textbook fund to hire private investigators. Are you -stupid-? That was your entire life's savings!"
"I'm the stupid one? You're the one who pawned all of our parents' things and got involved in a gang. Are you crazy, Yahiko? You could have gotten yourself -killed-!"
This wasn't -exactly- the sort of family reunion that Sano and Kenshin had envisioned. The pair had been brawling since the moment Kaoru had stepped into their office. Hair pulling. Eye rolling. Poking each other. Throwing insults and accusations. The pair of detectives could only watch, wide-eyed, hoping not to get in the way.
"Jeepers, sis. You get uglier every day. Didn't you even bathe while I was away?"
"If I look bad, then it is -entirely- your fault. I couldn't sleep because I was worried about you, you idiot."
"Well, maybe if you learned how to cook, I wouldn't have to join a gang to get some decent eats."
"Why you little ungrateful lump, you are so grounded."
"You can't ground me."
Kenshin looked around to make sure neither of the pair were near any sharp objects while Sano sighed, "Maybe it would have been better for them both if we hadn't found Yahiko."
The red-haired man stepped forward a bit and cleared his throat. Yahiko and Kaoru looked up from throttling each other, not really having realized since their reunion that anyone else was in the room. Both of them sat back in their chairs quietly as Kenshin said, "Hey Sano. Why don't you take Yahiko across the street to get some food. I'd like to speak to Miss Kamiya for a few minutes."
"Hey great! I'm starving," Yahiko said, jumping up to pull Sano's arm in the direction of the door, "Come on, Mr. Giovanni."
"Eh. Just call me Sano," the Italian said, pulling the door open. As the door closed, Kenshin could still hear his partner talking as he walked down the hall with Yahiko by his side. "You know, Yahiko, you'd look great in a fedora. We should get you one."
"Really? You think so? That would be -swell-."
~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 4: ~*~*~*~*~*~
"The Borderlands Gang," the mechanic began, wiping his brow with a grime- soaked handkerchief, "All of those kids work for the Borderlands Gang."
Sano had long since let go of the mechanic's arm. The guy wasn't going to try to bolt, not with Kenshin's deadly gaze boring into his skull. Gah, but that guy could be creepy sometimes.
"Who are the Borderlands Gang?" Kenshin asked.
"Don't you know? Everyone around here knows about the Borderlands Gang. When they started off, it was great. Everyone loved them. See, their leader is this American guy, born here in San Francisco. He got tired of all the fighting between the different districts, between Chinatown and Little Italy, between the Irish, Jewish, Spanish and Russian districts. His gang took people from all walks of life who were tired of all the innocent people who were getting killed. They promised to protect all of us who live here on the borders between the different districts, because we were always getting caught in the warfare."
"I don't get it," Sano said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, "Where do the delivery boys come in?"
"Hey! You can't smoke in here, dumbass. You'll blow the whole place sky high. Do you know how much oil and gasoline I have in here?"
Sano tucked the cigarette behind his ear with a snarl as the mechanic began to continue.
"A couple of months ago, things began to get bad. I don't know. Maybe the Borderlands Gang had pissed off too many of the other gangs. Whatever. People around here were getting killed left and right. So one night, I got a visit from a couple of Borderlands guys. They said that if I wanted to continue being 'protected', I was going to need to give them some money every week. So, I told them I could protect myself. Bad decision. They broke my leg to show me otherwise."
The mechanic took a deep breath as he shook his head and looked at the floor dejectedly, "So, I give them the money. Those 'delivery boys' as you call them, come by twice a week to pick up my payments. I remember the one in the picture there. He asked a few times if he could look at the cars inside, seemed real curious about them. Wanted to know how they worked and stuff. But, I haven't seen him in a few weeks."
Kenshin looked at the guy for a few moments as his own expression softened. Perhaps they -had- been a little too gung-ho with this guy. He was just caught up in a situation he didn't know how to combat. "So. Do you know where we can find this gang or their leader?"
"Yeah. They hang out at a speakeasy called 'The Rye House' down on Alameda Street."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yahiko scrunched himself into an even smaller ball in the nook behind the counter. He was pretending to be asleep. Usually, they wouldn't notice him down here, let him be for a while even if they did. The Borderlands guys weren't so bad, you just had to earn your own way. And that meant working, and working hard.
But, he hadn't been out of the Rye House in a week. He understood why. After what he had seen, he couldn't chance it. No, that was wrong. The gang couldn't chance it. But, still, if only he could go home just once. Just once to tell Kaoru goodbye. To tell her she didn't have to worry anymore about anything. She would always be protected, she would always have enough money and they would never, ever, take her house away.
God, she was such an idiot, his sister didn't even know what kind of trouble she had been in.
And, even though she was older, he was the man of the house. His responsibility to make sure she would be okay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The bank guy would come every day. Every single day. It was getting harder and harder to make sure Kaoru was out of the house at the right time. Harder and harder to make excuses. Every day that squirrelly little man would come by and tell Yahiko how much time his sister had left to pay up before the bank took their house, the Learning Center, the Apothecary too.
She didn't have the money. And she didn't have any way to get it. Yahiko knew she didn't. All she had was that damned blackboard fund, and that wouldn't even pay a fifth of the money they needed. Besides, they would need that money when they got kicked out.
So Yahiko did the only thing he could. He started pawning things from the attic. His mother's old kimonos. His father's rare books. Anything. Anything to keep the bank away for one more day.
So one day, when the bank guy finally told him they only had one more week left, Yahiko thought that it was finally the end. He stood outside the gate, watching the squirrelly little man walk off.
And that was when Frederick Aberdeen made his presence known. He had been standing by the lamppost, listening to every word.
"Having problems with the bank, kid?"
"What's it to you?" Yahiko asked, glaring at the man. How dare he eavesdrop?
The tall American man took a large marble out of his pocket and rolled it between his fingers deftly, balancing it on the back of his hand for a moment before he bounced it up in the air and caught it.
"You know the bank is as crooked as the cops, as crooked as everyone around here. Everyone is a criminal these days, especially in these parts. They think they can take advantage just because most everyone is an immigrant. I bet your sister doesn't owe half as much as they say."
Yahiko stood stunned. He hadn't considered the possibility that the guy from the bank was lying about how much they owed.
"Look, kid. They'll keep telling you that you owe more until you stop paying. Then they will take the house anyway. You can't win, the way you are going."
"And what -exactly- do you propose I do, mister? Huh? If it is all so hopeless? Why don't you just make like a fan and blow?" Yahiko's fists balled at his side. He'd been in plenty of street fights. He could probably at least give the guy a good bite mark on his arm or something.
"Calm down kid. I'm telling you I can help you out. Me and my friends, we gots ways of dealing with people that like to take advantage of others. Tell you what, you come to work for me, and I will get this whole bank mess cleared up for you. I'm Fredrick Aberdeen, head of the Borderlands Gang."
"Can you really do that?" Yahiko felt skeptical. Adults were always trying to pull one over on kids, the bastards.
"I tell you what. If that bank guy comes back tomorrow or the next day, you can write me off as a liar. But if he doesn't, you take this marble and head down to Alameda Street. Right past the bakery, there's an alleyway. Show the marble to the guy at the back of the alley, and he'll bring you to see me, and I will put you to work. I'll even give you a quarter a week. Deal?"
As the man held out his hand, the giant glass marble twinkling in the sun, Yahiko hesitated. Something about this just -had- to be wrong. Maybe. Or maybe today was his lucky day. Maybe once in a while, the world really does give you a break.
"Deal. On one condition. Never, ever again, call me 'kid'."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Things had gone well, really well, for the first few weeks. Mr. Aberdeen introduced him to the Borderlands Gang, and then all the other 'delivery boys'. There were five of them, all of different cultures, and they called themselves the Marble Squad. Mr. Aberdeen had given them a storage room in the back of the Rye House for their bikes and for playing marbles and cards and hanging out. Plus, they got all the root beer and Coca Cola they could drink.
The Marble Squad really knew how to stick together too. They all stood up for each other, especially when any kids gave them trouble for being from other countries, for looking different or talking different. They'd left quite a few kids with black eyes.
And then one day, just like that, it turned bad. He had been riding in one of the gang's automobiles with Joe Rosco, Mr. Aberdeen's right-hand man, and some of the other gang members, when suddenly the car came to a stop and the gang piled out and started shooting up a barber shop. Yahiko had heard Rosco tell him to stay in the car, stay down, but when he saw Rosco get shot, he couldn't just leave him by the side of the road. He climbed down and tried to pull the heavy-set man back inside.
That's when the two policemen came around the corner.
As the cops ran towards Yahiko, one of the other gang members reached out of the automobile, grabbed the Japanese kid by his collar, and threw him into the back of the car.
The police had seen him. And now, now they would be looking for him to try to get him to squeal on Mr. Aberdeen.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yahiko woke up in the same position. He rubbed his eyes. He hadn't seen the sun in almost a week. If only he could go outside, just for a little while, maybe he would stop feeling so sleepy all the time.
Wait. Something was wrong. The music in the Rye House had stopped. No one was talking.
"We're looking for the leader of the Borderlands Gang."
The spiky-haired kid peered around the side of the counter. Who are these guys? Not cops, at least. They didn't look like cops. Geez. That one guy was wearing a trench coat in the middle of this heat wave? Must be crazy people. Dope heads or something.
Jimmy Rosco, Joe's younger bother. swirled some ice around in his drink. "Eh? What makes you think he's here? And if he is here, what makes you think he wants to talk to you?" Yahiko watched as Jimmy set his drink down and pulled out his knife, a solid metal piece with a blade slightly longer than a man's hand. "Maybe you freaks should just scram."
"Scram, Sano?" Kenshin asked, glancing at his partner.
"You know. Get lost. Beat it. Leave," Sano replied. Kenshin always had to pick the worst moments for an English lesson.
"No. I do not think we will scram, we won't."
A flash of blue-white light flickered through the speakeasy. It jutted in Jimmy's direction. When Yahiko could see the cross-scarred man clearly again, he was tossing Jimmy's knife in the direction of his partner and re- sheathing a sword. The Italian man in the hat caught the knife without even glancing in his partner's direction.
"Wow. Nice knife. Maybe you should get the grip re-done, though. Help you hold on to it a bit better."
Yahiko couldn't believe his eyes. This guy was standing up to Jimmy the Knife. No. This guy had -defeated- Jimmy the Knife. Without Jimmy even getting any shots in.
As the other guys in the speakeasy started to stand up, Kenshin put his hand behind his back, ready to draw.
"That's enough," Mr. Aberdeen's voice boomed from the top of the stairs that led to his office, a gun leveled at the pair. "I'm Aberdeen. Leader of the Borderlands Gang. Now, what do you two want?"
"We're here for Yahiko Kamiya."
"Oh? The police hire you? That kid doesn't work here anymore. He took off. Couldn't hack it. Said he was going south to find work."
Kenshin stepped forward, his head hanging forward somewhat, obscuring his eyes from the others in the room. "Unfortunately, I do not believe you."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because from what I understand, you have a good and decent heart, you do. You started this gang to help people out, people in trouble, people being preyed upon by forces they could not combat. Because you were tired of watching innocent people die. That's why you stopped me, just now, because you care about all the men who work for you. You can't stand to see them get hurt. No. You can not."
"So?" Mr. Aberdeen replied, steadying his gun on the smaller of the two men.
"So, a man like that wouldn't let a thirteen year old kid take off for parts unknown. You're protecting him, just like you protect all your men. Somewhere along the line, I know, I know, something went wrong, it did. Something happened that you couldn't control and started a chain reaction that you didn't know how to stop. You started sinking into a quicksand, and no matter how you tried, you couldn't get back out. Something snapped inside, and you became desperate, grasping at anything you could to try to pull yourself out of the mire."
"Shut up. You don't know what you are talking about. You don't have any idea what it is like when people depend on you for their lives," Mr. Aberdeen replied, his gun trembling slightly.
"But, I do know, Mr. Aberdeen. Because I am just like you. I used to be a regular guy, just trying to make my way in the world, I was. But, then my sister got sick. Really sick. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could. I took a contract with the Japanese mafia. I was their top assassin. I killed numerous people without remorse to save one girl, I did. I know all about the quicksand, Mr. Aberdeen, because I am still sinking. But, I think I have figured out a way for us both to get out."
Aberdeen let his gun fall to his side. "I'm listening."
"It is good to protect people, I think. The people we care for, they need us. But, when we kill people, when we steal or are dishonorable, we are only improving the lives of our loved ones for the moment. But, we endanger them in the long run, we do. Because there is always someone who will come for revenge, or a policeman clever enough to find us and put us in jail. And then, then who will protect them, when we are gone? No. I am not going to kill anyone anymore and neither are you. And maybe if we do that, we'll stop sinking. Maybe someone we save will even come one day and help us out of the mess we've gotten ourselves into."
"Give this boy Yahiko back his life, Mr. Aberdeen. Don't put him on a path to a life of crime. Don't toss him into the quicksand just because you don't know how to get out."
Mr. Aberdeen seemed lost for a moment. He took a deep breath as he placed his gun on the stairway railing. "Yahiko?"
The Japanese boy pried himself out from behind the counter, his hair even more unruly than usual.
"Do you want to go with these guys, Yahiko? Go home to your sister?"
"Yeah. Kinda," Yahiko clenched his fist at his side before blurting out, "Yes, Mr. Aberdeen. I really, really do. And I won't tell the police anything, I promise."
"If the police come looking for him, we'll tell them that you kidnapped Yahiko and that he doesn't know anything," Sano said, placing Jimmy's knife back on the table in front of its owner. "We'll cover for you. Unless we ever hear of your gang killing ever again, of course."
"Alright. You go, Yahiko."
The trio headed for the door, before they were stopped by Mr. Aberdeen's voice.
"Hey, Yahiko!"
The boy turned slowly, looking up the stairs at the gang leader. Was he going to change his mind?
A glimmering object soared through the air, over the heads of all the patrons of the speakeasy. Yahiko jumped up and caught it easily in his right hand. He turned it over and looked at it for a moment before realizing what it was. A large marble.
"Have a good life, kid."
Yahiko smiled and nodded before tossing the marble back across the speakeasy. He was a pretty good throw, having played stickball in the street since he could hold a bat. Mr. Aberdeen caught the marble and looked at it inquisitively.
"Thanks for everything, Mr. Aberdeen, but I won't be needing this anymore," Yahiko said turning back towards the door. He looked back over his shoulder one more time as he called out, "And don't call me -kid-."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I can't -believe- you spent the blackboard and textbook fund to hire private investigators. Are you -stupid-? That was your entire life's savings!"
"I'm the stupid one? You're the one who pawned all of our parents' things and got involved in a gang. Are you crazy, Yahiko? You could have gotten yourself -killed-!"
This wasn't -exactly- the sort of family reunion that Sano and Kenshin had envisioned. The pair had been brawling since the moment Kaoru had stepped into their office. Hair pulling. Eye rolling. Poking each other. Throwing insults and accusations. The pair of detectives could only watch, wide-eyed, hoping not to get in the way.
"Jeepers, sis. You get uglier every day. Didn't you even bathe while I was away?"
"If I look bad, then it is -entirely- your fault. I couldn't sleep because I was worried about you, you idiot."
"Well, maybe if you learned how to cook, I wouldn't have to join a gang to get some decent eats."
"Why you little ungrateful lump, you are so grounded."
"You can't ground me."
Kenshin looked around to make sure neither of the pair were near any sharp objects while Sano sighed, "Maybe it would have been better for them both if we hadn't found Yahiko."
The red-haired man stepped forward a bit and cleared his throat. Yahiko and Kaoru looked up from throttling each other, not really having realized since their reunion that anyone else was in the room. Both of them sat back in their chairs quietly as Kenshin said, "Hey Sano. Why don't you take Yahiko across the street to get some food. I'd like to speak to Miss Kamiya for a few minutes."
"Hey great! I'm starving," Yahiko said, jumping up to pull Sano's arm in the direction of the door, "Come on, Mr. Giovanni."
"Eh. Just call me Sano," the Italian said, pulling the door open. As the door closed, Kenshin could still hear his partner talking as he walked down the hall with Yahiko by his side. "You know, Yahiko, you'd look great in a fedora. We should get you one."
"Really? You think so? That would be -swell-."