Chapter Six
Every Rose Has Its Thorns
Hands in his pockets, Akira walked across the street, coming up on leBlanc. Doing his best to dispel the constant thoughts of Catherine that were invading his mind, focusing on her full, supple lips, her half-lidded stare, her breasts swaying as she danced and sang like a woman possessed, her hips gyrating in rhythm with the music, her crawling toward him along the stage…
I think I lost my train of thought, he shook his head and lightly slapped his own cheek. Right, Ann, dinner, drinks. Cursing himself for how lecherous he felt, Akira entered the hotel and approached the always reliable young gentleman with short dark hair at the reception desk.
"Good evening, Kurusu-san," he bowed to him. "May I help you?"
"Do you know if Takamaki-san is in?"
"Not to my knowledge, sir. I have not personally seen her since this morning."
"I see. Thank you anyway."
"Of course, sir," the receptionist bowed. "If there's anything else I can do for you, just let me know."
Akira turned around, returning his hands to his pockets as he looked around the lobby. Various rich looking people were sitting around, enjoying drinks and finger food and engaging in casual, hushed conversation. Occasionally, Akira caught a person staring at him, whispering to their companion as they did. Pretending not to pay attention, Akira took a seat at the back of the lobby, waiting for Ann.
His eyes perused the room, focusing on the couples and groups that were scattered about. Faintly, Akira heard a woman to his right, whispering to a friend of hers. "Is that the hero?" he heard her say. "He's not quite what I had in mind."
"I heard he's Sakura's new pet project," her friend replied. "But you never can tell with rumors, you know."
"Someone told me he's an assassin. Another said he's some martial artist prodigy."
To his left, a man said, "I heard he's Sojiro's family. Like, blood family or something."
"No way," said the other man beside him. "You know the shit that went down with his blood family, right? No chance is the hero with him."
Blood family?
"I don't know much about it. Do you know something I don't?"
The man's friend shushed him quickly. "I'll fill ya in later, okay?"
"Right, sorry," the man whispered.
What happened to Sojiro's family? Akira thought. He told me he had a wife… Past tense. I wonder what happened to her.
As he stroked his chin, thinking on the various possibilities of what Sojiro meant by everything he said, and what the people around him could have possibly been saying about him now, the entrance to the hotel lobby swung open slowly.
And in walked Ann.
Wearing a sky blue dress that hugged her figure perfectly, she strutted in like the model she was. The light blue coloring caused her blond hair to pop and radiate just like the sun on a clear summer day, and her vibrant eyes shown like gems. Her blond hair fell behind her head in waves instead of the twin tails she normally wore. Akira was frozen for a moment as he took in the sight of her, only snapping out of his revelry when she spied him from the other end of the lobby, and she immediately waved his way, smiling excitedly and beautifully.
Akira got to his feet, and they walked up to each other in the middle of the lobby, both smiling brightly.
"Wow, you clean up good, Akira," Ann looked him up and down with an interested smirk, a saucy look in her eye. "Did you wear all this for your business meeting, or just for me?"
"If I must be honest, both," Akira nodded his head swaggerly. "Wanna get out of here?"
"And where are we getting out of here to?"
"There's a bar Ryuji and I go to called Serenity. The lady who runs it will give us whatever we like at a discount, and the atmosphere is relaxing while also being kind of posh. Sound like a good time?"
"Oh, so you got your own regular hangout, huh?" Ann asked flirtatiously. "Alright, lead the way, hero-boy."
"Follow me."
They stepped out into the warm night air side by side and began walking toward Tenkaichi Boulevard. They garnered stares from many a passerby, with some even recognizing Ann from her most recent magazine feature. Ann felt a surge of confidence in herself from such attention, and being accompanied by an admittedly very handsome young gentleman.
"How did your shoot go, Ann?" Akira asked her before he nearly walked into a pedestrian due to being distracted by her hair flowing in the breeze.
"It was fun!" she smiled at him, locking eyes with the young hero. "The producer was really nice, the crew were all super fun. The only problem was one of the other models trying to get catty with me, but I delt with her no sweat." The girl smirked deviously at Akira with slanted eyes, something the boy found strangely intimidating and charming at the same time.
"What did she do?"
"Oh, just was getting passive aggressive and kind of bitchy about me being the centerpiece model. Apparently, her agent got her psyched up about being the centerpiece herself and she was taking it out on me. I told her to stick it to her agent instead and walked away."
"Badass," Akira nodded.
"Darn right!" Ann put her hands on her hips and smiled widely. "She apologized to me afterward, I grabbed a frosted croissant that was delicious, and got ready to meet up with you."
"Sounds like you had a hell of day, Ann," Akira grinned at her.
"I did, but I'm sure yours was even more interesting. What all did Sojiro have you do tonight?"
"I was actually gonna wait till we got the bar before that. It's a long story."
"Ooh, color me intrigued," Ann winked at him.
I guess I still got my touch. "In the meantime, if you're still in the mood for sweets, the lady who runs the bar's got some mean cheesecake. New York style is her specialty, and it just melts in your mouth on contact."
"Mmm!" Ann cooed with childish glee. "I haven't had cheesecake in forever! I'll have at least two pieces! Maybe three, depending on how good it really is."
Akira looked at Ann inquisitively. "Uh, Ann? No offense intended or anything, but aren't you not supposed to eat a lot of sweets when you're modeling?"
"You're right, but I don't really care. I have a great metabolism! Besides, I like having a slightly fuller figure. I've never liked the idea of being a twig like a lot of the other girls I model with. I've got natural, God-and-mother-given curves, and I'm proud of it!"
Akira took this time to examine said figure in her tightly fitting dress, and concluded that there was truly no wonder as to how she was able to consistently get gigs. "I'll bet your confidence helps with your job too."
"Oh yeah! I'm not some pushover girly girl and I'm not desperate. I've dropped plenty of jobs in the past because the director was a creep, and I've had a lifetime's worth of creeps. I love modeling, but I love myself even more, and I won't ever let anyone take advantage of me. Period. Or my daughters, if I ever have any."
"You want to have kids?"
Ann's eyes immediately brightened up a bit in a way strikingly genuine. "Absolutely! I love modeling, but I also truly want to be a mother. It feels like, well, what I have to do, and not just because I'm a woman or anything. I have my reasons."
"And those reasons are –" Akira felt something hit him in the shoulder, and heard a man yelp as he hit the ground beside him. In shock and embarrassment, Akira looked down to see a bald, round-headed man in a fancy purple suit rubbing his chest, his expression furious. Oh shit.
"The fuck you think you're doin'?" the man asked with a pitchy, nassaly voice as he got back to his feet. Akira immediately got in between the man and Ann, puffing out his chest just a little bit to look more imposing, like a lion protecting his mate. The man, obviously a yakuza, smirked at Akira antagonistically, looking him up and down as he steadied himself. "And just what the fuck family are you from, eh?"
Not wanting any part of this, Akira said, "Excuse me," and tried getting around the yakuza.
"Excuse you?" The yakuza got back in front of him, looking Akira in the eyes. "No… FUCK YOU!" the yakuza screamed at him.
Akira felt that familiar heat in his gut begin to rise as the man was obviously itching for a bout, but he did not move, only worrying about how Ann may be reacting to this mess. "Look, man," Akira said in a low, intimidating voice with a fiery glare in his eyes, "it was just a mistake. I've been drinking tonight and wasn't watching where I was going, so I apologize. But more to the point, you're disturbing my friend here, so why don't we just go our separate ways now, huh?"
"You little shit!" the yakuza shouted again, now garnering many a stare and glare from civilians around them. The yakuza grabbed Akira by the collar of his shirt, and Ann gasped behind him. Akira, however, seemed unphased. "You got any idea who you're fucking with kid!?"
In a flash, Akira lifted up his hand and grabbed the yakuza's collar in turn, pulling him in closer and glaring daggers directly into his eyes. The older man was, only for a moment, more surprised than angry. "Do you?" Akira snarled at him with a quiet but ferocious ire.
The man bared his teeth and somehow looked even more furious than before. "Piss off, dumbass!" the yakuza pushed him away, knocking Akira backward into Ann. He regained his footing, then seeing that his well styled bangs had fallen over his eyes. "You coulda just groveled on the ground like a good young thug, maybe empty your pockets or send your date with me," the yakuza cracked his knuckles with a smirk, "but you just had to play the hero, huh? Putting on a show for your girlfriend? Real fuckin' rich of ya – OW!"
The yakuza howled in pain, clutching his eye as he reeled back. A small rock was on the ground next to him now, and Akira looked to his side to see Ann glaring daggers at him, holding another rock in her right hand. "If you don't want another rock to the eye, you should get lost, jackass," she sneered at him. "We want nothing to do with you."
"Ergh, dumb bitch!" the yakuza shouted at her. "I'll make you both pay for this!"
"Two against one, moron," said Ann with a bit more cocky confidence. "I may be a woman, but you're still outnumbered. You wouldn't last five seconds."
"Uh, Ann?" Akira questioned, growing very concerned. "What are you doing?"
"Sticking up to this guy with you, of course."
"Yeah, but you don't have to," Akira tried to warn her off.
"I know, but I want to," she smirked deviously. Akira was left both impressed and intimidated by his friend. "Now beat it, asshole!" she shouted at the yakuza. "You're cutting into my date night!"
The yakuza got into a fighting stance, and Akira did the same on reflex. "I'll make you eat those words, bitch!"
"Touch her and you go home in pieces," said Akira calmly, defiantly.
"I'd love to see you try," the yakuza smiled evilly. He raised his fist, about to charge Akira, who was all too ready to counter the blow, when the yakuza stopped, hearing a voice from behind him.
"The hell is all this?" came the voice, sounding strangely familiar to Akira. "You picking fights with kids now, Fukuyama?"
The yakuza referred to as Fukuyama turned around quickly, giving Akira a good look at who was behind him. Three other yakuza, one big and brutish with a thin head, one short and fat with a bad beard, and the other somewhere in between, spinning a pocket watch around in his hand.
"You gotta be kidding me," Akira said under his breath.
Ann looked to him more worriedly. "What is it?"
"They're the goons I beat up at Jewel a few days ago. Damn, this is gonna get rough."
"Dumbasses bumped into me and started talking wise, boss," said Fukuyama quickly. "I was about to teach 'em some manners, is all."
"And who are these dumbasses?" The brutish leader looked over Fukuyama, spying Akira and Ann. His relaxed, dismissive expression immediately soured upon seeing the young man. "Well, fuck me sideways."
"Nice to see you too," Akira nodded toward him.
"You're the kid from Jewel," said the leader. "Out for a night on the town with your girlfriend?"
"And your lackey here is making a mess of it."
"Well, I would apologize for him," the other thugs got behind him, lowering themselves into fighting stances, "if only it was anyone else other than you. I can't pass up a chance like this."
The leader cracked his knuckles with a smile, and Akira stood defiantly in between the yakuza and Ann. "Run for it," he commanded her. "I'll meet up with you at the bar, just get out of here."
"I can help, Akira!"
Akira glanced back at her with shock in his eyes. "You can't be serious!"
"I am," she nodded her head before rolling her neck like a boxer before a match. "I'm not leaving you on your own with them." Ann stepped forward to his side, then raised her hands in front of her in a tiger stance, her palms out and back arched forward. "You idiots don't have any idea how fucked you are."
The men smirked, the leader nodded as he rubbed his shoulder like a pitcher at the plate. "Time to play, kids," he raised his fists. "You're both a mile up shit creek."
"Big mistake," said Akira, adopting his preferred stance his mom taught him. His right fist was raised near his chin, with his left fist lowered by his leg. The posture was the perfect mix of defense and offense, allowing one to switch between approaches fluidly at any time, even during his or his opponent's offensive. His mother had told him once that it was called the "Dragon Stance".
The heat welled up within him once more. "BRING IT!"
Fukuyama rushed him with a wild haymaker, which Akira blocked deftly with his raised right arm. He followed up with a sucker punch to the gut and a swift knee upward as well, pushing him back. The fat, bearded one then charged toward Ann as Akira was focused on Fukuyama, but Ann was far quicker than the man anticipated. He tried to grab her, but she spun to his side and kicked him in the side of the knee. Stunned for a moment, the fat man cried out before Ann brought down a powerful hammer fist on top of his head, driving his face into the pavement with sickening crack. With no pause, Ann raised her leg in the air and stomped downward onto the man's head with all her might, breaking his nose against the sidewalk. She twisted her heel into his head before turning to face the other men.
Spitting on her foe, she shouted with gusto, "Who's next!?"
"Holy crap," said Akira, eyes wide and fixated on her to the point that he almost did not notice Fukuyama coming back around to strike him from behind. Akira turned on his heel, narrowly dodging another attack before striking Fukuyama again in the gut. Akira put the older man in a chokehold and spun him around before throwing him into his two remaining companions. They collided in an instant, sending Fukuyama to the ground and the other two yakuza reeling off balance. "Playtime's over!" Akira shouted before breaking into a sprint. He leapt forward, feet out in a mighty dropkick and flew right into the two remaining yakuza, sending them to the ground as well.
"Akira, that was awesome!" Ann exclaimed as he was regaining his footing.
"Thanks! I made that one up myself!" he called back to her, unable to stop a smile from appearing on his face. He sometimes hated to admit it, but there was something about fighting, using his mother's techniques and his own, that always got his blood flowing. His mother referred to it as "heat" and taught him how to transform that fiery ferocity into physical strength.
"Mother fucker!" the boss shouted as he got to his once again. He looked Akira in the eyes, his fury only growing worse as Akira smirked at him confidently. "I won't lose to you twice, kid!"
Akira cracked his own knuckles, all of his mother's teachings flowing back to him at once, though with complete clarity. His mother was secretive and evasive at times, yes, but she was a hell of a teacher. He knew that for certain. "Show me what you got," Akira beckoned him with a cocky grin. "I hope it's more than last time."
"That's it! You're sidewalk meat, kid!"
The brutish leader rushed forward with a much more stable stance than his cronies, but Akira was unphased. Without hesitation, he stepped to the side and punched his foe in the back, but it had little effect. The boss turned around again and threw a wild punch faster than Akira could fully react, and he took half the full strength of the punch to the side of his head as he tried to duck under it. The blow was nothing staggering, but it did blur his vision for a moment.
Then, from behind him, "DIIIIE!" shouted a man. Akira was about to drop to the ground and roll out of the way, until nothing hit him at all. Instead, the thug behind him cried out in pain as Ann whacked him over the head with a traffic cone. She then hit him again on the other side of the head, and once more brought the cone down on his forehead. The yakuza doubled over before Ann brought her leg back behind her with a mighty cry.
The tip of her shoe then crushed the man's balls, and he fell to the ground crying out in a high-pitched scream of agony. Both Akira and the yakuza boss cringed at the sight.
"What!?" Ann called to the leader. "You want some too!?"
"I'll send you both to hell for this!" The leader tried to punch Akira again twice more, but he blocked them both deftly. He pushed the man back, and then the world seemed to slow around him.
"When you can perfectly balance your focus and emotions," he heard his mother's voice say, "you can briefly become stronger than normal. This is 'heat', Akira, and it's one of your greatest tools at your disposal. Feel that anger in you, but don't let it overtake you. Keep it perfectly balanced with your technique and focus, like walking on a tightrope, and you'll be able to take down even the strongest foes. Find that perfect line to walk, that exact point of pressure, then take hold of it and let it erupt through your body!"
Akira returned to himself, and taking a stance exuding true power, he cried out with a thunderous voice. "It's showtime!"
Akira rushed the leader with a powerful punch across the face, then another, then another. He unleashed a flurry of blows, each seeming even faster than the last. As his punches increased in intensity, so did his voice, building up a shout as he pummeled the yakuza. He brought down one more punch, crashing into the side of the man's head and bringing him to a kneeling position before Akira chambered his leg in a flash, and sent the full weight of his body through his foot directly into the man's face. "SHOW'S OVER!" he cried out as the kick connected, sending the man tumbling backward. He rolled backward three times before coming to a stop, laying on the ground in a heap.
Breathing heavily, Akira stood up straight, feeling overwhelmingly pleased with himself as the leader of the yakuza lay sprawled out on the pavement in a daze. Akira shook out the soreness in his hand from the onslaught of punches he threw and could not help smirking at his handiwork, his sense of triumph only furthered by the rising applause from the crowd that had gathered to watch the show.
"Oh my god, Akira!" Ann exclaimed from behind him. "That was amazing! Where did you learn to fight like that? You were like a freaking boxer!"
"Oh, it's all in the technique," Akira said confidently, rubbing his muscular shoulders in full view of his friend. "I'll tell you all about it when we get to the bar." He walked over to Ann's side, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll bet you're hungry after all that. I know I am," he smiled at her.
"I sure am! And a nice pastry and a stiff drink sound divine after that mess."
And thus, with renewed vigor and many a joke made at their adversaries' expense, the duo made their way down Tenkaichi Boulevard. "Where did I learn to fight like that?" Akira asked his friend excitedly. "Where did you learn to fight like that, Ann? I didn't know modeling involved learning martial arts."
"When I started modeling, and after the whole Kamoshida thing, I took some self-defense classes just in case I ever got caught in a bad situation again. I really only learned karate, but I also saw a lot of kung-fu movies with my dad growing up, and I took some of those street fighting moves to heart. Well, the ones that didn't need a trained stuntman to perform, at least," Ann giggled to herself. "I've gotten in a couple scrapes with creeps before, but that was the first time I've been in a real fight. I was mostly acting on instinct, honestly. The crazy thing is… I wasn't scared. At least, I don't think I was. I saw a rock, knew I could use it against much larger men than me, and just did it. Same with the traffic cone. I just knew I had to use every advantage I could to keep me safe and help you."
"You're very resourceful. That's one of the best skills you can have in a fight. If you can use anything in your surroundings to your advantage, you should, as it might just save you."
"Wow. You sound like a martial arts master."
"Well, I did have a good teacher."
"Your mother, right?" asked Ann.
"Yeah, that's right. She taught me almost everything I know, and the rest came from movies, like you," Akira chuckled to himself. "I'd say about 96 percent of what I know came from my mom though."
"She must be an amazing fighter."
"If you can believe it, I've never beaten her in a sparring match once. We've sparred at least three times a week since I was five years old, and I still can't quite beat her. She has her own fighting style she designed herself to be able to go up against even the strongest men. Don't get me wrong, she's super strong herself, but it's gonna take a lot more than brute force for her to take down most men. To do this, she invented her own fighting style all about defense, countering, and incredibly fast offense to take advantage of even the slightest opening. I've gotten close to beating her a few times in the past couple years, but when she gets serious, she's practically untouchable. She even calls her fighting style 'Dancing Dragon'."
"Whoa," Ann droned with an awestruck expression. "She sounds like some kind of goddess."
"You could say that, yeah. She's amazing, both in a fight and daily life. Almost everyone in my hometown loves her, and she's helped out just about everyone in some way at least once, and rarely asks for anything in return. I've always tried to be like her in that aspect, and I got a lot of practice with it with my friends back home over the years."
"I'll bet they really love you then," said Ann pleasantly, almost wistfully.
"I just do my best to help," Akira replied with a nod. "I haven't been perfect at it, but I always try my hardest to help people."
"I've already seen that," Ann looked up to him with an expression almost thankful. "And I think it's wonderful."
Bashfully, Akira looked to his side for a moment. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Soon after, they came upon the quiet, little bar known as Serenity. Akira opened the door for his companion like a gentleman on prom night, and they entered to the sound of quiet jazz piano and ethnic woodwinds singing through the sound system, and a news broadcast. Once they came into the foyer, they spied a man with a scruffy five o'clock shadow, wearing a purple suit jacket and black slacks sitting at the bar, his long black hair falling past his neck. He was watching the television overhead as he sipped on a glass of whisky. The man was the only patron present, yet Ma was nowhere to be seen.
A woman with long brown hair and a gray pantsuit administered the news. "The disturbing assassination of Representative Tatsu has shaken the political race for the role of Prime Minister. However, newly acquired evidence shows that the perpetrator may have ties to local yakuza, contrary to the previous theory that the assassin was affiliated with a political extremist group. The source of this evidence has elected to remain anonymous, though law enforcement claims that this evidence is to be trusted.
Food service conglomerate Okumura Foods CEO, Konikazu Okumura, who has been Tatsu's most steadfast rival in the running, openly mourned the loss of the representative, and called upon all people of Japan to stand up against the growing threat of organized crime with a rousing speech."
The image changed to that of a tall, bespectacled middle-aged man in strikingly expensive looking suit standing on podium in front of a large crowd. "While the yakuza have aided our nation before," he proudly proclaimed, "they have gone too far this time, to say the very least. Support me in my race, my fellow countrymen, and I will see Representative Tatsu's abhorrent passing avenged swiftly to the full extent of the law's power! Never will I allow this nation's servants to live in fear of harm or assassination. All those who stand against the law will be brought to justice by the law!"
The crowd erupted into applause and the man, identified as Okumura, waved his hand respectfully to the people as he was escorted off stage by security.
The man at the bar took another sip of his drink. "An assassination, huh?" he muttered aloud, his voice as thick and smooth as his whisky. "Scary shit," he shook his head and finished the last of his glass.
The door to the kitchen then opened, and out walked Ma in her red blazer and knee-length skirt. Her face lit up as soon as she saw the younger patrons who had just walked in. "Akira!" she said happily. "Welcome back! Oh my," she raised an eyebrow, smirking, "and who is your friend?"
"Ma, this is Ann Takamaki," he motioned to his companion. "She and I were hoping to get some dinner and drinks tonight, and I knew this would be the best spot in town."
"Nice to meet you, Ma'am," Ann bowed respectfully. "I hope we're not intruding."
"Not at all! Please, come have a seat. Make yourselves at home an take a look at the menu."
"Thanks a lot, Ma," said Akira, taking seat at the barstool beside Ann and two seats down from the other patron.
Getting to his feet, the man then spoke up. "Well, guess that's my cue to leave." He then produced a wad of cash from his breast pocket and put it on the table nonchalantly. "Thanks as always for the drinks, Reina. No one mixes 'em like you."
"Oh, pish posh, Akiyama-kun," Ma waved him away with a giggle. "I simply aim to please."
"And that you do," the man referred to as Akiyama replied with a grin. With an effortless swagger, Akiyama made his way to the exit before calling back, "Enjoy your date, kids. Just don't let the lady talk your ear off."
"Oh, get out, you," Ma called after him playfully. "Leave the children be."
"Yes, Ma. See ya soon," Akiyama waved over his shoulder and disappeared out the door.
"He's a… friendly one," Akira remarked.
"Oh, he's just a clown in fancier clothes," said Ma. "But he is a good man through and through. He's a financier and has helped many of my customers with money troubles."
"So he's a loan shark?"
"Something like that, but he's nothing close to what you normally think of when you hear that term. He's a good, honest man, just a little too cocky for his own good. But at least he's witty about it. Now, what can I get you two?"
"I'll have a chilled hard apple cider on the rocks," said Akira.
"And I'll have watermelon Moscato with… well, Akira mentioned you have New York style cheesecake?"
"Of course! Would you like that with strawberry, cherry, or blueberry topping?"
"Strawberry, please!" Ann said excitedly.
"A wonderful choice. Give me just a few minutes. Oh, and let me turn off that darn news station. Akiyama insisted on watching the results of the horse races today and never bothered to change the channel to something more pleasant." Ma produced a remote from under the counter and flipped the channel to some game show Akira did not recognize. "Ah, much better. Now, take a load off and relax, you two. I'll get your orders out shortly."
"Thanks, Ma," said Akira politely. Turning to Ann, he asked, "So? What do you think of the place?"
"It's lovely. I love the atmosphere. It's so mature, but still relaxing and lowkey. I admit, I'm not quite used to going to adult venues like this yet, but Ma makes it feel very welcoming."
"She's a real sweetheart, yeah. Never runs out of things to talk about, but when you serve Family men on the regular, you probably get tons of stories to share."
"She serves yakuza here?"
"Yeah. I learned it from Ryuji, who brought me here first. But don't worry, this is one of the safest spots in the city. Anyone makes trouble in here, and they'll have the whole Sakura clan on their ass. Ma is highly respected and loved by many, and no one makes trouble in her place."
"Hey, at least you brought me somewhere safe," Ann smiled at him. "Speaking of which, where exactly did you and Ryuji go tonight?"
Realizing the awkwardness of the truth, Akira attempted to deflect it somewhat with humor. "Would you believe a nursing home?"
"Not at all."
"Yeah, didn't think so." Akira paused as words suddenly became harder to come by. "Well, the truth is, we met up with another member of the family, a guy named Akechi only a couple years older than us, and he took us to meet up with an informant for a new job at the request of a Sakura subsidiary. Some guys called the Kitagawa Family. We met up with the patriarch's grandson, an amazing guitarist named Yusuke, and he gave us the info we needed."
"That's all very cool, but where did you go?" Ann pressed.
"Uh, well, we went to an underground sex club."
"Oh my," said Ann with a surprised though surprisingly non-judgmental expression.
"Yeah, some place called 'The Gates of Hell'. Cheesy and cliché, I know, but the staff were nice. We even got to mee the owner, and you would never get a stoner, rock groupie like him was the manager. He was really friendly though."
"I'll bet the girls were very friendly too," Ann pressed further, though with a knowing, teasing voice that exhibited no ill will.
"Oh god, it was something else," Akira exhaled sharply upon reminiscing on the night's events. "It's in places like that where you realize just how innocent you really are."
"Aw, were you feeling a little overwhelmed?" Ann teased in a cutesy, patronizing voice.
"Wha – No! Not at all! Ahem," he coughed awkwardly into his hand. "Not a bit, nope, no way," Akira sputtered out, causing Ann to laugh.
"Oh my god, look at mister big, bad, yakuza hero acting so adorable!"
"Hey, you asked first!" Akira shot back without a hint of genuine anger.
At that, their orders arrived, and Ann immediately became giddy with joy as she took her first bite of the cheesecake. "You were right!" she exclaimed. "It just melts in my mouth! And the strawberries are perfectly ripe too!"
"I told you it was great. I'm glad it lived up to expectations!"
They both laughed heartily before clicking their glasses together and enjoying their drinks. The world seemed a bit calmer now, a bit brighter. Though in this new calm, Akira felt a burning question force its way to the forefront of his mind. It was possible asking such a question would ruin this new brightness, but to truly be at ease with his friend, he felt he had to ask it. Or perhaps it was just the alcohol. He would have time to weigh that possibility later.
"Hey, Ann?"
"What's up?" she mumbled through a mouthful of cheesecake, an image that was so endearing it almost made Akira forget what he was about to ask. Almost.
"I just wanted to know, well, why you're so comfortable being around me."
"Um, because you're my friend, and a really cool person. And you kind of saved my life," Ann laughed as her face became slightly more blush.
"Yeah, and thanks for that, but I meant in regards to… well, me being affiliated with yakuza."
Ann set her fork down after a moment, wiping the bits of cheesecake and droplets of wine from her face. "Well," she began slowly, "I know you don't like being a yakuza, for one. I also know that you're caught in some crazy circumstances I still don't fully understand."
"Neither do I, to be honest."
"Exactly. It's not like you wanted all this to happen to you. You saved a girl's life, right? Something you seem to have a habit of, and that's a good habit to have," Ann smiled warmly, before her smiled faded, her expression becoming dour. "You just got screwed over for being a good person."
Akira was running out of good responses. "Yeah, I guess so."
"But that doesn't change the fact that you are a good person, and you saved someone's life. Sure, you didn't get the reward you deserve, but you still threw yourself into a dangerous situation and saved someone in the process." Ann paused, taking a long sip of her Moscato. "Just like with Shiho and me."
Akira nodded slowly, then pursed his lips with concern. "If you feel you owe me in some way, that's not the case. I didn't do either of those things for a reward."
"I'm not saying you did, or that I'm doing this because I owe you. I'm saying," she looked Akira dead in the eyes, and he almost got lost in hers, "that I know, regardless of what 'job' or whatever you might have now, that you are a good person, and that you care about people too much to go down a life of crime. If that weren't true, you wouldn't have taken on Kamoshida for a couple people you had just met." Ann then gently, softly, delicately, put a hand on top of Akira's. Their skin barely touched, but the boy felt compelled to look her in the eyes once again. Her striking gray-blue eyes, like waves on the ocean, showed both deadly seriousness, and immense, deep, genuine compassion. "And thank you for that."
Akira's expression slowly turned to a soft smile, as he felt a great weight being lifted off his conscience. "And thank you for seeing me that way."
Ann smiled back at him as she removed her hand from his. "You're very welcome."
Their eyes were locked for a long, quiet moment before they finished their drinks. Ann ate the rest of her cheesecake with blissful gusto, savoring every bite. The conversation became far less dour quickly, moving to subjects regarding Ann's job, reveling in their recent victory in combat, and making light small talk with Ma.
Then the bell chimed, signaling the door being opened.
"Ma, I'm home," called a very familiar voice.
"Welcome back, Ryuji!" Ma called over sweetly as the raucous young man in the black hat entered the bar. Akira immediately caught his friend's gaze, waving to him with a friendly grin.
Ryuji whistled to himself as he bore witness to the scene before him. "Am I interrupting?" he asked in both a jesting and genuine tone.
"Maybe a little, but you can have a seat anyway," Akira motioned to the seat beside him.
"Take a load off, Ryuji!" Ann called to him. "We're just chilling out."
"If that's what you wanna call it," Ryuji muttered to himself as he walked over to the bar.
The blond boy ordered a classic Irish dark beer as Akira ordered another round of cider, and while he was disappointed he was no longer alone with Ann, the three friends quickly fell into a good rhythm of conversation. Never was there a moment of awkward silence, but instead there was smiling, laughter, and many a breeze being shot as they discussed anything that came to mind. Be it the newest action manga on sale or the new income tax legislation in the works, the conversation bounced back and forth between myriad subjects over the next hour, though no one was paying attention to the time.
As his face became more and more red, Ryuji slapped Akira on the shoulder out of the blue and proudly proclaimed, "Hey, Akira! Let's do some karaoke!"
"Um…
…
…
What?"
"Karaoke! Ma's got a good selection, so let's hit it, man! Just one or two rounds before we hit the hay for the night!"
"I dunno, man. I wouldn't wanna embarrass myself in front of you guys."
Ann giggled loudly into her hand. "Do you think Ryuji can actually sing, Akira? He can barely find the melody!"
"Yes, I can! I'm a musician! Just because I play drums, doesn't mean I don't have any understanding of melody!"
"Okay, okay," Akira defused the argument. "I'll sing a round, alright?"
"Sweet!" Ryuji pumped his fist in the air. "Let's see if we can get a high score!"
They quickly flipped through the songs on the machine, with little standing out to Akira's tastes. That is, until he came across JUDGMENT.
Of course they would have that one, he thought. "Can you do backup on this one, Ryuji?"
"Well, I normally sing lead for JUDGMENT, but I'll let you take the lead this once."
"How generous," Akira smirked as he cued up the rock song.
Picking up the mic and relaxing his throat as he had so many times before back home, Akira listened to the synthed-up opening chords ring out as Ann and Ma applauded the boys enthusiastically. Akira cleared his mind and his throat, and then, just as he had many times with his friends back home, began to sing the anarchic, self-empowering voices with gusto and perfect pitch.
Likely, it was the alcohol that allowed him to sing to the full extent of his abilities in front of his new friends. It took only a few seconds before Akira was singing wholeheartedly, every word and note matching the pitch of the original singer to a t, though with some added dramatic flair on Akira's part. Ryuji, Ann, and Ma watched him in awe, completely surprised by how well he could sing, and it was this talent that Ryuji was spurred to sing even more proudly himself.
Ma and Ann clapped along and cheered them on as they reached the chorus, with Akira and Ryuji strutting about like hair-metal rockers at a sold-out concert. For the first time since arriving in Kamurocho, Akira felt entirely in his element, letting his love of music emanate from him through his vibrant performance. Going into the apex of the chorus, it became difficult for Akira to remain on pitch, as he was smiling to brightly it interfered with his mouth movements, but he did not care. No one did. They were all enraptured by the usually stoic and closed off boy's energetic performance.
They came to the conclusion of the song, and Ann and Ma erupted into raucous applause. Akira and Ryuji both bowed deeply before bumping fists. "Dude, you can sing!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"You're not half bad yourself, man!"
"No, like, you can SING! What, were you in a band or something in high school?"
"Uh, well," Akira rubbed his neck sheepishly before both boys were pulled into a group hug by Ann.
"You guys are AMAZING!" she exclaimed, the alcohol apparently taking effect; not that either boys cared. "And Akira, you're such a good singer! I had no idea, but I was floored! How long have you been training?"
"Since I was eight. My parents are both huge music fans, especially of rock. It kinda, well, inspired me when I was young."
"You should be in a rock band!" Ann proclaimed. "You could be the next Jon Bon Jovi, or Steve Perry!"
"Okay, I wouldn't go that far," the dark-haired young man laughed at Ann's enthusiasm.
They all shared a laugh, and Akira tried to dodge more compliments to no avail. And for another half hour, the horrors and complications of the last couple weeks completely faded from memory for the teens. They sang, they talked, they enjoyed life like any normal teens would. For the first time in a very long time, Akira felt like he was in a good place once again, with loyal friends at his side.
His scars, his mistakes, his uncertainty no longer mattered, at least for a little while. They all hugged each other with slurred words as they regretfully exited the bar, wishing their blissful revelry could have gone on just a little while more…
…
Masayoshi Shido was escorted to the back of the traditional Japanese mansion by a young bodyguard in black sunglasses. He knew this meeting would be short, but still wished he were back in his own penthouse. Upon reaching a sliding door with an ink depiction of a peach tree, the bodyguard granted him entrance to the small room, the back wall of which was taken out to build a porch overlooking the beautiful garden awash in moonlight.
"Shido-san is here, sir," said the bodyguard as he slid the door open. Sitting on the floor at a small wooden table was a large, bald gorilla of a man in a dark kimono, sipping tea as he looked out over the garden.
"Let us be," said the man, and the bodyguard obeyed. Shido took a seat across from him, bowing his head.
"Shimano-san," said Shido quietly. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
Shimano turned his gaze to the younger yakuza. "I was about to call you just before you called me. Your friend, employee, accomplice, whatever you call him, has made things very interesting and just as difficult in the past day."
"Did you and Goda not trust that my plan would work?"
"Chairman Goda trusts you, yes. I, however, am a bit more concerned given how badly you injured my liaison."
"I asked for a professional, and you sent a monkey in a suit who thought himself immune to the chain of command. I'm certain you were not surprised by my response."
"Not at all," Shimano shook his head, taking another sip of his tea. "Though I'd hoped you wouldn't try a power move like that."
"You're the one who doctored the contract, aren't you?" Shido accused him swiftly. Shimano glared at him over his cup, knowing that both he and Shido were aware that such talk to a superior could get a yakuza's finger cut off, or worse. Shimano wondered what the presumptuous younger yakuza was getting at, being so insultingly confident.
"I serve the Omi Alliance in body and soul," said Shimano slowly. "I will do anything to ensure the best for my Clan. Your original contract put you in a distinct place of opportunity, regardless of the outcome of your master plan. And yet, here you are, justifying injuring my man for circumventing 'the chain of command', as you put it." Shimano leaned forward with a smirk, though Shido sat perfectly straight with no response at all. "What in the goddamn kind of bullshit are you pulling here, Shido?"
"Exactly what you wanted," he retorted promptly.
"How is deliberately fucking with me, Goda's right hand, doing what I want."
"You, me, Goda, and the entire Omi Alliance want Sakura's head on a pike, yes? To be paraded through your gardens like Chinese New Year. Well, as I said when I first came to you, my plan is the only way that will ever happen. The Alliance is strong, yes, but you will never rise from the ashes of your humiliating defeat on your own, Shimano. That is why Tatsu is dead, strung up like the French Revolution. And why I have some… friends coming to town soon which I will be rolling out the red carpet for. They will show all of Japan only a glimpse of my influence, yet they will probably still see it as a symbol of the end times."
"You cocky prick," said Shimano.
"This cocky prick is going to redeem the War, or should I say, the Fuck Up of '67, Shimano. Goda understands this, at least. Tatsu stood directly in your way in trying to expand your forces in Osaka, and now he's dead in the ground, and I already have Kanto in my pocket. We will have full ability to operate as we need from here on, both the Alliance and myself. All that's left now before the next phase begins is for me to… well, be officially inducted into the Alliance." Shido could not help a smirk from sneaking to his face. "As a patriarch."
"How dare you?" Shimano snarled. "You're not even from Osaka! All you did was barge into our front door out of nowhere and proclaim yourself a messiah!"
"Am I not?" asked Shido with a perfectly smooth voice.
Shimano held his tongue for a moment before speaking again. "Goda will never stand for this."
"He already has agreed to it."
"What?"
"I was in contact with him after the assassination. The pact will be made in three days. Though I did not come here just to gloat, but also to inform you myself that you, Shimano, will be helping me welcome my friends to Japan soon."
Shimano had no more words.
"Your Family is full of strong warriors, and I will need them to send a message to all of Japan that the yakuza are not some relic of the past, and we are not a charity organization like the bullshit Sakura propagates. We are the modern samurai," said Shido proudly. "And we have risen from the ashes." Shimano felt, for the first time in his life, powerless. "There will be no repeat of 1967, Shimano. Trust me, we haven't even truly begun yet, but we have already won."
"You make demands of me?"
"Not demands, no. Goda has already agreed to that as well. I simply felt it better to inform you myself. Kanto and Osaka will fall at our knees in due time, now that we are united, Patriarch Shimano."
Shimano glared daggers at Shido, who seemed to take some sort of enjoyment from it. "And will there be a Dragon this time?" he asked after a moment.
"I already have contingencies for that."
"So, you're saying there will be?"
"I say nothing, save that there is no Dragon of Sakura for Chairman Sojiro to fall back on this time, as he always did. The Dragon family died that night in 1967. Even gods like him can't survive a thirty-story fall, it seems."
"What about this new hero in Kamurocho? Some think he may be the next Dragon."
"I am already taking care of him. He will be of no consequence."
"How are you taking care of him?"
Shido chuckled to himself as he rose to his feet, not waiting to be excused. "That is none of your concern."
"You little bastard," Shimano muttered, staring Shido down. "Damn you."
"Yes, many have," Shido replied as he exited the room without a bow, or even a thank you for Shimano's time.
The older patriarch looked out his window to his garden. He then looked to his tea, and thew the stone cup out the window in a rage. Goda, his boss, his lord, has just sent him to the dogs for a young upstart.
He regretted not strangling Shido to death that night when he had the chance.
[Reviews are always encouraged.]
