Author's Note:
Hi there! Miss us? Sure you did…we missed you. Anyway, enough about us or you, I'm sure you want to start reading. But before that, small notes from Mel and I; the next few chapters will be in installments, please be patient, we'll get them up as quick as we can. I'm sure you'll figure out the 'order' of these chapters easily. And one last note; the time period is spanning one year after Two Pines. Two Pines to one year later.
Okay, now you can start reading. Enjoy!
Epilogue 1. O-Ren Ishii aka Cottonmouth
It was one year to the day that four people took part in the killing of eight innocent people at the Two Pines Wedding Chapel. After which these same four people took part in beating the utter living shit out of a pregnant young blonde woman. This shortly followed up by witnessing the boss of these four people shot the young blonde woman in the head. But this was not before they all heard that the baby that this young woman was carrying was…Bill's baby.
Not but a week following they all found out that the blonde woman was apparently not dead but in a deep coma. This became not as much of a surprise to the five as it was to one of them, O-Ren Ishii.
Had O-Ren enjoyed punching, kicking, and making Beatrix Kiddo bleed at the Two Pines massacre? Of course she did. Did she regret her actions? Of course not. O-Ren being atypical loner never had much of a friendship with any of the other Vipers, Bill being her only exception. Her cares were for one thing, the Tokyo underground and herself. This didn't go to say that O-Ren never disliked Beatrix but she didn't like her. O-Ren had a firm belief that Bill doused Beatrix with too much favoritism. He always thought she was his best assassin. Yes, she had seen Beatrix do some pretty cool shit but her respect for the woman never bloomed.
Beatrix was a silly Cacusian girl who thought she was something she wasn't. She could never live up to the potential of being a real Samurai warrior.
This was O-Ren's views on the woman and this went along with her clear idea that it being a year later that Beatrix was never going to wake up. How she had survived was beyond her but O-Ren was pretty damn sure that she'd die in her sleep or something equally as worthy for someone as low as Beatrix. Perhaps there would have been a time that Beatrix could have proved herself to O-Ren, that she was as an equal, but that time wasn't going to come. Not unless she woke up and O-Ren did not expect that. Actually it was the farthest thing from her mind.
So, without another thought towards the blonde the half breed set off two months after the massacre to finish her power struggle over the Yakuza clans.
She had accomplished numerous things over the years with her constant trips to Tokyo, Japan. It was all in her 'plans' and with the Tokyo Underground in its current position she knew the time to strike was now. The final task for her plans needed to be covered and she was off to do that right now.
The door to the familiar hacienda was open and the half Chinese, Japanese American stepped inside, her sandals padding against the wooden flooring as she walked into the dining room. Sitting at the large oak table scattered with papers and various other documents was Bill. O-Ren let a small smile of satisfaction cross her docile features. "Sofie gave you my message. Good."
"I did, yes," was Bill's swift reply. He offered the young woman a brief glance and then gestured to one of the empty stools along the edge of the bar. "Please...sit."
His demeanor was of what it had been for the past year or so; a little tired, a little wary...a little disappointed...with something. But, it was all shrouded underneath that typical hard and stoic exterior. If anything he was more distant than he'd ever been in the years past.
Of course, O-Ren Ishii was undoubtedly Bill's most cold and emotionally distant member. So, it was a good match.
Bill took his time finishing up whatever he was engrossed in, and then carefully set down the expensive looking fountain pen in his right hand. He leaned back, cringing a little as he did so. This time he fixed O-Ren with a longer and far more introspective look that was almost parental in its scope.
"I'm glad you called," he began, but without a smile. "It is about time we chat isn't it O-Ren?" This time a wisp of a jaded and knowing smile touched his lips. "I think I always knew this day would come..."
O-Ren smiled gently. "As did I." Over the past year O-Ren had her worries about Bill, about what had happened. She offered her aid, although small, during the first few months but as Bill grew more distant with his 'new' life, O-Ren distanced with perfecting her life. But they remained close and more importantly understood one another.
She bought her hands up on the table top and folded them daintily, her eyes shifted down to them and then back up to the older man before her, giving him a very serious expression. "This Organization has helped me in so many ways and I know that you are aware of my gratitude for everything you have done for me. I know this is not easy given…the circumstances…of the…breakup. But I ask for my leave only with your approval and written consent."
Bill was silent for a few long seconds after her announcement; his expression unchanging. He looked neither unhappy or elated to hear the news; as he'd already expressed he seemed to be expecting it.
Then slowly, he smiled; eyes crinkling with a touch of human fondness for the deadly young woman sitting across from him. "And you will have it," he replied, this time in fluent Japanese.
Whatever Bill's past crimes against O-Ren had been, common knowledge or not, regretted or not, it was obvious that he cared for her. His approval of her choices were clear. He was proud of what she'd become.
"You will have not only my...personal and professional approval," he continued on in Japanese, "...but as always, my financial resources." Bill had spent the last few years financially backing O-Ren's yakuza efforts in Tokyo, it made no sense he stop now. "Whatever you need...you know I have many contacts there, consider them yours now."
Whatever difficult circumstances of the current DiVA breakup, Bill was doing a damn good job of not allowing that to get in the way of watching O-Ren leave as well. It had only been a matter of time anyways...
He pushed away from the table and rounded the table top to where O-Ren was still sitting. Smiling, he picked up those two small yet deadly hands in his own larger and equally deadly pair. He gave each one a fond kiss and then looked her directly in the face with an intense expression.
"But you must promise me something...even though I have no doubt that you will be more than capable." He squeezed her hands; eyes flashing. "Don't leave a living soul in your path...you must be even more ruthless than you have been in the past." His voice was heavy with experience and perhaps...a touch of parental concern. "You must raise hell and then create your own in its place."
O-Ren nodded and smiled respectably. She clearly understood Bill's words and would take them with her and use them to their full potential. She hadn't worked this hard become soft hearted and lose what she had. No, she was going to raise hell and create one much grander, so much more powerful in its place.
She had a few more less personal words with Bill before departing. She promised she'd keep in touch and she would because as independent a woman as she was she depended greatly on Bill, and not just financially. He was the father she missed and in many ways it was ironic but not to her…unfortunately but she was happy…and that was all that mattered.
"How long have you known me, Sofie?" O-Ren was standing in front of the full length mirror clad in a white kimono that she was neatly tying. The French-Japanese woman was standing off to the side watching the other woman with an admirable eye. She replied swiftly, "Nine years."
O-Ren smiled knowingly to her reflection in the mirror. "And what has my goal been for those nine years?"
"To gain complete power over the Tokyo Underground."
"Exactly and tonight my friend we are going to accomplish just that." She turned to Sofie. "Have you made the calls?"
Sofie nodded, "This morning. Johnny Mo said he will gladly accompany us." After O-Ren had departed Bill's in her resignation from the DiVAS she had requested Sofie work for her permanently. Bill did not need the 'lawyer' as anything he had had to do that required a lawyer were long in the past…it was…sad…but needed. Of course Bill gave no objection and Sofie gladly came into position. It was also a known fact that Sofie had been working with O-Ren 'privately' for the past five years helping her achieve her goals. It was Sofie who made all of the business phone calls and helped O-Ren accomplish her first greatest goal; The Crazy 88. And just recently accomplished the tedious task of finding the best bodyguard Japan had to offer; Go-Go Yubari.
"Perfect." As O-Ren turned to put on a pair of sandals a loud car horn from outside echoed into the abode. "Ah, there is Go-Go. Just on time. Shall we go celebrate?" Sofie nodded eagerly and followed O-Ren out to the car where she would be driven to the meeting with six Yakuza clan bosses and gain ultimate power.
"…the price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or my American heritage as a negative is, I collect your fucking head…" O-Ren lifted the decapitated head of Boss Tanaka. "Just like this fucker here. Now if any of sonsabitches got anything else to say, now's the fucking time." The room is silent. "I didn't think so." With an eerily calm smile the half breed bows. "Meeting adjourned."
"I believe it went well," Sofie commented as she sat in the back seat of the limo along with O-Ren Ishii who was now proclaimed the boss of all boss's in Tokyo Japan.
"Oh, it went very well."
Sofie smiled wider and leaned in closer to O-Ren. "Bill will be proud."
O-Ren turned to her good friend and the sparkle in the woman's eyes spoke volumes. "Of course he will." And she silently turned away to gaze out at the passing street lights. Over the years O-Ren would have many 'proud' accomplishments but nothing would outweigh what she had just done.