Chapter Seven - Part 1

Dawn of the Vipress

The next morning, somewhere far away…

Her alarm had been set for 8:30 a.m. She lay in bed now at 6:43, and had woken up at 5:58. The first rays of the morning sunlight poured through the curtained windows at a shallow angle, illuminating the bedroom in a soft yellow glow. Beside her, her husband was sound asleep with his back turned to her, his thick light brown hair having become a rat's nest overnight. She watched him breathe in and out slowly, then returned her gaze to the ceiling, watching the fan spin around. Not able to take the agonizing silence anymore, she carefully got out of bed and walked down the stairs outside their bedroom.

She rubbed and cracked her neck as she stepped out of the back door and onto her porch. As she adjusted her nightgown which had fallen down slightly over her modest yet sizeable bust, she took in the distinct, calming scent of the pure blue river behind her home. She pushed her black hair out of her eyes and looked out over the beach as the morning waves of the Koi no Choyaku river rolled against it slowly and quietly, the sun just now peering over the trees on the far end of the bay two kilometers ahead. The sky was blue, pink, and orange, with small clouds flying by every few moments, and the sounds of the river was a song that calmed her like nothing else… normally.

Standing on her porch, she leaned against the railing as she stared at the river. She spied two large fish jumping out of the water half a kilometer out, and a large heron standing at attention amidst the reeds a ways off to her right. The woman rubbed the sleep from her eyes before stretching her arms, trying to alleviate the stress that had kept her up most of the night. Alas, it did not work. No matter how she tried to focus on the sounds and sights of nature that so often was able to calm her, she could not help her mind from fixating on the unknown wellbeing of her son.

Her name was Anri Kurusu, and she was in some serious shit.

It had been nearly a month now since Akira had disappeared, placed under the protection of her former benefactor Sojiro Sakura, and the only thing keeping her sane was knowing that if something truly serious had happened to her son, Sojiro would have called her. She had not received any word from the old yakuza since the night Akira was taken to Kamurocho, and while she did not know Sojiro's true nature anymore, she was at least absolutely sure he would tell her if the worst case scenario came about.

Anri closed her eyes, trying to focus on the sound of the waves to little avail. It actually happened, she thought. I had prepared him for this his whole life, but I prayed everyday it would never actually happen. I fully intended for him to never go near Kamurocho, and now he's doing God knows what in that damn city. At least Reina and Wakaba are probably keeping an eye on him. And I'm sure Kashiwagi and Saejima can definitely protect him too, if need be. And it's not like he didn't have a damn good trainer all these years. She smirked at her self-congratulation before feeling something rub against her leg.

Below her was a black cat with deep blue eyes and a white strip traveling from his chin to his belly. The cat rubbed its face against her leg affectionately, purring as it did. "Oh, Mona," Anri said softly. "Did you sense that I'm not doing hot this morning?" She kneeled down and picked up Mona, petting him in her arms and feeling his strong purrs against her chest. "You miss Akira too, don't you?" she asked him. "I'll bet, you're not nearly as social as you usually were. But thank you for coming out with me anyway," she rubbed her face against the cat's head, eliciting more content purrs.

Anri felt tears begin to sting her eyes as she remembered the day Akira brought home the cat he would soon name Mona. He was only thirteen at the time, standing in the door of their house with his friends in tow, holding a box in his arms. Inside was a newborn kitten that Akira emphatically explained was abandoned on the side of the road, and he insisted many, many times that they keep it and give it a good home. It really took very little convincing for Anri and her husband to agree, but she was so impressed by Akira's passion to save the kitten, even at such a young age. They took the kitten in immediately, and the next day Akira named him Mona after a manga character Anri was unfamiliar with, but his friends agreed it was a great name, so it must have had some merit.

Anri continued to rock and pet Mona as the occasional tear fell down her face, unable to stay off the worry she had been awash in for weeks. She tried to be strong and resolute at first, but the worry and guilt was becoming stronger every day, and it now felt overwhelming. She wondered at all times whether Akira was okay, whether she had trained him well enough to make it in the yakuza world…

Whether she had completely failed him as his mother…

It was then that someone hugged her from behind tightly, wrapping his arms around her midsection and holding her close. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek as she leaned into his embrace. "Couldn't sleep?" her husband asked.

"Barely, only a couple hours. You might need to give me meds from your work at this point."

"I've been thinking about it, honestly. If you think it would help, I could write a prescription when I go in today."

"I would like that," she nodded.

Holding her tightly was her husband, best friend, and father of her only child, Takuto Kurusu. A councilor, psychiatrist, cook, and endless fountain of kindness. Many, many times over their twenty-one years together had he picked her up when she was down, and she would then return the favor when needed. She was more than capable of physical fighting, but mental, emotional battles were a whole other challenge for her, and she knew she would not be half as stable today were it not for his help, his empathy, and his love.

"Akira will be okay, I'm sure of it," said Takuto, looking out over the river with his wife. "You didn't train him for nothing, and he's far from unintelligent. He knows to make good choices, to keep himself safe. We'll see him soon, I'm sure of it."

"I wish I was. God, dad must be rolling in his grave right now."

"Why would he?"

"Because he never abandoned me, even to his last breath. But the moment things got tough, like I always knew they would, I abandoned my child, just let him be carted off to his fate." Anri glowered through her tears, cursing herself internally.

"You've been protecting and preparing him since he was born," said Takuto reassuringly. "I'm sure he knows exactly what to do. And Sakura wouldn't make him do anything dangerous."

Anri's gut tightened at that. "You don't know that."

Takuto pulled back away from her by two inches. "What do you mean?"

"That man Akira fought… I don't know what he's like now, how powerful he is. But if he's anything like the man I knew back then, then I have no idea what Sojiro might be willing to do. I don't know what he's doing, or if he's doing anything at all, but I do know that I never told Akira about Shido, even when I should have that night. I've hardly even told you anything about him, Takuto. If it were almost anyone else in the world, I wouldn't be so worried. But it just had to be him."

"What are you saying?"

Anri turned around to face her husband. His large chestnut eyes, his scraggly hair, his sympathetic smile and aura did little to calm her in this moment. "Sojiro is a yakuza patriarch, a clan leader. He'll do anything for his Family, and I think he still considers me to be a part of it. I was always a "Dragon" to him, and everyone else. I'm most worried about if Akira is alright, but what I'm also worried about is if Sojiro will…" she trailed off, her expression darkening.

"If Sakura will… what?"

"…will try to make our son a Dragon too."

Takuto, despite being an accomplished psychiatrist and counselor, was running out of words.

Anri turned back to face the river, glaring out over the water. "I trained him just like father trained me, and I do believe he holds the Heart of the Dragon, but that isn't his world; it's not his fight, if there is one. But if there is, then it may mean father died for nothing, Takuto. And that all the effort we spent to keep Akira away from them may have been for nothing too…

And I may have been able to stop all of this all those years ago."

"You can't possibly know that for sure," Takuto replied fervently. "If things seem off, if you feel like Sojiro isn't protecting him how he should, then we'll go to Kamurocho and get him back. Yes, I know you think they might try to pull you back into that world, but if that's the case, I'll go alone. Hardly anyone there knows who I am."

Anri shook her head as no more tears fell down her face. "No, Takuto. If we need to fix this, then I will fix it. I ran away with my tail between my legs, but I won't run again, especially when it's for my son." Anri rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the slight difference on the skin where the tip of her violet and emerald tattoo ended just below the base of her neck. The serpentine royal purple dragon with a deep green belly on her back had faded in the past twenty years, but she knew there was still some strength left in her once famous spirit.

Be with him, Father, she prayed. I promise, if he needs my help, I'll come home and set all this right, just like you would have. I'm won't run away again.

I swear it.

Chapter Seven - Part 2

The Skeleton Crew

Meanwhile, en route to the Kamurocho docks…

"Noble Team," came a voice over the radio, "this is Kazurhira Miller, Noble Actual. Sound off, Nobles."

"Sae Niijima, Noble One, reporting."

"Goro Akechi, Noble Two, present."

"Kenjiro Egami, Noble Three, sounding off."

"Takiyuki Yagami, Noble Four, sounding off."

"Masayoshi Tanimura, Noble Five, reporting."

"Good," said Miller over the radio, "doesn't sound like anyone fell asleep on the ride over. Sorry to kick you out the door without much briefing, but that's why I'm here."

Kazuhira Miller was a proficient analyst and operational supervisor, well known in the Tokyo precincts for his ability to provide often life-saving advice to police on dangerous missions. Even though he was only half-Japanese, his accomplishments in his eight years of service in Tokyo had garnered him unwavering respect.

Even in the dark of the police car as it rode along the dirty streets of the harbor district, Kaz's voice was enough to at least partially calm Sae's nerves. She had only worked with him directly once before on a particularly volatile drug bust one year prior, but his calm advising in the face of eminent danger instilled in her great confidence in him. In the driver's seat was Akechi, adhering to all traffic laws perfectly, almost robotically so. Behind them on the road was the other three officers hand-picked by Niijima to accompany them on this raid. Yagami was driving the second car, and she knew that Akechi's boy scout-like adherence to the speed limit was likely giving the boisterous detective a serious headache.

"The primary target is Yumi Sawamura," said Miller calmly and clearly over the radio. "Akechi-san has reason to believe her daughter may be held captive as well, and if so, then she will be treated as a priority target as well. The captors are suspected to be the Venom Flower Syndicate, an infamously dangerous triad originating in China. Akechi-san has pinpointed their most likely location to Dock B4 at the harbor, and I have the maps for the building right here, thanks to our generous and well-connected commissioner."

"Couldn't have given us a copy, Kaz?" asked Yagami sarcastically.

"Hey, I gotta be able to do something this morning. Coffee doesn't do much for me anymore, and I was up at three a.m. to get ready for this show."

"So were we, dude," said Tanimura, a half-Chinese officer and second youngest of what Murakata had dubbed "Noble Team", apart from Akechi. "Do we sound any happier about it than you?"

"The briefing, please," Sae interjected sharply, growing annoyed with her friends' unprofessionalism.

"Right," Kaz began again. "The Venom Flower Syndicate is a small outfit, meaning they won't likely have anything too crazy hidden in their coat pockets. They were kicked out of China by the larger syndicates four years ago for an attempted coup against one of their superiors, as the story goes. Akechi-san and I believe that they were trying to make one final push to make a big score before fading out of existence."

"Meaning they're lacking firepower," said Kenshiro plainly.

"Meaning they're desperate," Sae added. "Kaz, we're approaching the docks. What's our first move upon arrival?"

"Enter the building from the South and proceed down the first flight of stairs on your left. That'll take you to the lower level of the complex. I'll guide you from there."

"Roger." The cars pulled up to the docks overlooking the bay, the first light of sunrise reflecting off the dark and murky water. "We're at the docks."

"Excellent. From now on, we will refer to each other by our designations. Contact me if you need advice. Good luck, Noble Team."

"Copy," said Sae sharply. The five officers exited their cars, and Sae found herself instinctively putting her hand on the gun strapped to her side. The warehouse in front of them appeared ominous and foreboding. The docks were used consistently for shipping, but in the low light of dawn, the docks seemed more like a ghost town.

The officers came together in front of the warehouse, all secretly feeling on edge. Sae rolled her shoulders as if psyching herself up for a fight. "So it begins," she muttered. "Let's go," she said to her companions.

"Right behind you," said Yagami.

"Keep your wits about you," Akechi added as they walked to the door. "They may be disempowered, but they are still monsters to the core. We must proceed with caution."

Sae came upon the door to the warehouse and tried to turn the knob, but unsurprisingly, it was locked tight. "Allow me, Noble One," said Akechi, pulling out a lockpick and pin from his coat.

"You just had that on you?" asked Tanimura.

"You don't?" Tanimura shrugged at Akechi's curt response. The youngest Noble went to work picking the lock, only twisting the lockpick for a few seconds before the knob clicked. "There we go, nothing to it," said Akechi, turning to Sae. "By your lead, Noble One."

Sae only responded with a nod as she slowly opened the door. Right hand on her gun, she pushed the door open, eliciting a long, unsettling metallic creaking as it skidded across the floor. Before them was an empty reception area with a single desk, a computer, and a bookshelf behind it. Noble Team entered the reception area conservatively.

"There's the staircase," their leader said. "Keep your guard up, Nobles." They followed her closely in a defensive formation, with Akechi staying at her side. Down into the silent darkness they went, descending the metal staircase with loud, thumping footsteps that put them all on edge. There was a faint white light at the bottom of the stairs they soon found out was a lone workman's torch hanging from its wire on the ceiling.

The room appeared to be an employee breakroom, with lockers and showers lined up in rows across the walls, benches across from them. Everything was covered in grime, hard water, and mold. The place reeked of humidity and standing water, like a swamp.

"How did they get held up here?" asked Kenjiro after being sure the coast was likely clear. "The docks are still used pretty consistently."

"This warehouse has been out of commission for two years," Akechi replied. "A major gas pipe ruptured in a renovation accident, releasing toxins into the air. The cost for repairs after the gas was cleared was higher than the property's actual worth, and so it was sold back to the city. It's only been used as rudimentary storage since, seldom inspected. The rats held up here when they arrived in Kamurocho, likely using the strong yakuza presence to hide from the triads."

"Lucky bitches," said Yagami with venom. "Should've just jumped in the river and gotten it done with."

Sae added curtly, "If there weren't so many yakuza in this damn town, they just might have."

"I pray one day," said Akechi, "we may not have that problem."

Kaz's voice came over the radio. "Still reading me, Nobles?"

"It's a bit fuzzy, but it works," said Sae.

"Good. Guess you're underground then. Take the door at the end of the room on your left, then go up the hall. It's not a large facility, so you should find the targets soon."

"Thanks, Noble Actual." Sae motioned toward the door, and Tanimura and Kenjiro approached it from the sides, drawing their revolvers. They opened the door slowly, watching for adversaries, but all that greeted them was the sound of water dripping from the ceiling, reverberating off the walls. "All clear," said Tanimura.

"Let's move," Sae ordered.

The hallway in front of them was like something out of a horror movie. Black stains and mold crawled up the degrading walls like vines, the stench of mold and god knows what else was even greater here, making it hard to breathe. Sae covered her mouth reflexively as her lungs burned from breathing in the rancid air. "It's not toxic," she remarked, "but it sure as hell is rancid."

"That stench, Noble One," said Yagami, "is death."

Sae turned around to face her companion, her expression quickly growing more concerned. "Repeat, Noble Four?"

"I work in homicides, remember? I know that rancid awfulness anywhere. It's dead bodies, Leader. Likely already starting decomposition."

"This is so fucked," Tanimura muttered.

"We'd best make haste then," Akechi added quickly before jogging down the hall. Coming upon the corner at the junction, he leaned against the left wall and peered out beyond it. "There's another door that way," said Akechi. "The stench is coming from that way. Let's move – er," he cut himself off. "How shall we proceed, Noble One?" he asked Sae, remember his place.

"Just as you said," Sae nodded, seemingly taking no offense to Akechi's behavior, "we make haste and follow the smell."

Once again, they assumed the position at the door, and Sae opened it with a slow push. The metal door grinded horribly against the flooring, and the hinges screeched with stress. Beyond them was another hall with little light, and sure enough, the disgusting odor of decomposition was stronger here. Sae repressed a cough in her throat as she took the lead.

"Noble One," said Kaz again, "are you still reading me?"

"You're coming through, Noble Actual."

"Good. You're coming up on the primary storage area. If those cretins are really down there, that's where they'd be. Eyes up, Nobles."

"Copy." Sae drew her gun, holding it at her side. As the rest of her team followed suit, they proceeded further down the hall.

It was becoming harder to breathe as repugnant odor grew stronger. Sae was forced to cover her mouth to try and breathe in some better air, but to little effect. Her eyes started to water as they pressed on slowly.

She was so focused on trying to breathe that she nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a great metal crash from somewhere far off to their right. All five officers raised their guns in synchronized reflex as they looked toward the source of the sound. "Leave us alone!" a woman cried out desperately. A man shouted aggressive Mandarin back at her, and there was another scream, though this sounded far younger.

"What the hell!?" Tanimura shouted.

"He said they're gonna 'take care of both of them'," Tanimura translated quickly. "We gotta move now!"

"Move out!" ordered Sae, adrenaline quickly rolling through her body. The reek of death faded from her senses as they rushed down the dingy hall toward the sound of a growing scuffle.

"Leave her alone, you bastards!" a woman screamed frantically. "SHE'S JUST A BABY!"

Sae's ears became hot as the reality of the situation descended upon her. "This is the police!" she called into the darkness furiously. "Come out with your hands up NOW!"

The same male voice uttered something in Mandarin again; he was far closer now, and getting closer still. Sae heard a woman whimpering, and a young girl beginning to sob. Out from behind a corner emerged a shirtless man with vile, disgusting, infected-looking scars on his face and chest. Most of his nose was cut off, his left eye was white, his torse was covered in improperly treated cuts. The man stumbled into view like a drunkard, holding a long, rusty knife out in the direction of something behind the wall. He shouted Mandarin at them in a taunting voice.

All members of Noble Team held out their guns in his direction. "What's he saying?" Sae asked Tanimura.

"He doesn't speak Japanese, so he's not sure who we are." The man shouted at them again. "He's telling us to leave or die… and cussing us out. And he's saying we could offer you as a peace offering, Ma'am."

"Tell him that we're the cops, and he needs to release his captives and come quietly."

Tanimura translated as he was told, and the monstrous man spat something back immediately. "He's telling us to fuck off, Ma'am."

Sae pulled back the hammer on the revolver. "Make sure he knows we are not leaving."

"Please!" cried the woman from out of view. "Please help us! I have a child with me!"

The Chinese man spat something at them threateningly, and there was more whimpering from behind the wall.

"By your orders, Noble One," Akechi said calmly.

"Noble Five, tell him if he does not comply, we will resort to force!"

Tanimura did as he was told, making himself sound as threatening as possible. The Chinese man laughed and started walking backwards out of view. The terrified cries of the woman and her daughter sounded off through the hall.

"Goddammit!" Sae shouted. "Don't let him get away!"

They rushed down the hall, rounded the corner to find the girls. The Chinese man was holding both of them by the throats, a thin and bruised young woman and a little girl with long black hair and large, dark eyes, appearing to be about seven years old. Tears streamed down her face, though she seemed to be trying not to cry, to stay strong amidst the horror.

"Let them go, you scum!" Yagami shouted, not caring that the man may not understand him.

The man laughed at them again, uttered something vile, then motioned behind him as he shouted something.

"What he saying, Four?" asked Akechi. Sae noticed him starting to breathe heavier, shallower.

Tanimura readied his weapon as well. "He's threatening to kill the girls if we move, and calling friends."

The man pulled the girls back into the doorway behind him, jerking them back and forth to keep them from escaping. Noble Team's attempts to deescalate the situation proved futile as the girls became more frantic and the man became more taunting as he guffawed at the officers' threats. The mother pleaded with her unknown heroes to help them, but the man then put his knife to the young girl's throat. Her attempts to remain strong were waning, and more tears fell down her cheeks in rivulets. Sae felt an instinctive fury rise up within her at the barbaric sight; her hands clenched around her revolver tightly.

Tanimura tried to threaten the man once more in Mandarin, but he only laughed louder at them as they heard more footsteps rushing down the hall beyond the doorway. Cheers in Chinese sounded through the metal corridors, and the mother was now crying out with such fervor that her throat was going hoarse.

"Five more men are approaching," said Akechi. "The time for talk is long past."

Akechi's eyes then locked with the young girl. His expression softened for a moment, and he nodded at her reassuringly. The girl looked to him with confusion and shock, but as the knife was pressed harder into her throat, she mustered a weak, tiny nod back at the stranger. Akechi lowered his revolver by 1.2 inches, imperceptible to the deranged madman, let a few muscles in his wrist relax, and then to all present's shock, pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew through the air and directly into the wrist of the Chinese man, leaving a small hole that became a fountain of blood in an instant. The blood burst out of his arm on contact, staining the young girl's face before the man dropped the knife to the ground and howled in agony, clutching his wrist with reflexively with his other hand. Akechi then rushed the man, skipping between the mother and her daughter as they fell to the ground. He grabbed him by the throat and beat his forehead into the doorframe, though this did not render him unconscious yet. Noticing this, Akechi pounded his head into the doorframe twice more before turning him around and punching him in the nose at an upward angle. Searing pain shot through the man's head as his nose was shattered, the world lost its color around him, and he then fell into darkness.

Blood poured from his nose as he landed on the ground in a revolting, gory heap. Akechi shook out the stinging sensation in his hand before spitting on the man's face. The officer pushed the man's body out into the hall, picked up the knife and used it to bar the door handle upon closing it. He then turned to face the captives and his comrades, who all looked him with shock, though not entirely unthankful.

"We were out of time, and I acted," he stated, as if reading their questioning minds. "Thanks are not needed, especially right now."

Akechi immediately went to work inspecting the mother and daughter for wounds, and Noble Team followed a moment later. Kenjiro took a seat at Akechi's side as he began inspecting the daughter. "Not that I'm ungrateful," he began, "but how did you land a shot like that?"

"A great deal of training, a bit of instinct and reflex, and a good deal of luck."

"You made that shot based on luck?" Sae pressed him.

"No, I made it based on training. I just acknowledge that there was some luck involved." A man started banging on the door and shouting more Chinese. "We must move them away from here posthaste," Akechi said. "None of us have any desire to remain here longer, and that door will not last."

"Noble Team," Kaz's voice broke through the uncomfortable whimpering of the girls, "what's going on? We've heard gunfire over the radio."

Sae stood to her feet, holding her finger to the radio in her ear as her gaze remained fixated on the captives. "We got in an altercation, but no one was killed. We've secured the targets, Noble Actual, and they need immediate medical attention."

"Good work, Noble One. We're calling for an ambulance right now."

"Acknowledged. We'll rendezvous at a safe location."

"Now get the hell out of there and come back for some coffee, Noble."

"Heard," Sae nodded, the slightest smirk pulling at the edge of her lips. "See you soon." The woman let her hand down back to her side and knelt before the mother, who was clutching her daughter close even while the police were trying to inspect them for injuries. "Sawamura-san, right? Are you both okay?" she asked in a deliberately calm voice. "Have either of you been hurt?"

The mother looked to her with a pleading gaze, emotional anguish emblazoned in her furrowed brow and reddened eyes. Sae scrutinized her appearance closely, taking note of the bruises that dotted her body, from her face to her legs. Her clothing bore multiple holes where more bruises and cuts could be seen, but surprisingly, none appeared grave. The daughter, however, appeared almost entirely untouched, save for a small cut on her jaw where the knife had been and a bruise on her cheek by her ear, as if from a strong slap.

"We… we were returning home from dinner," the mother began quietly. "They came at us quickly, too quick for me to react. When I woke up, my daughter and I were in a van being driven… somewhere. We've been in a cell ever since."

"They didn't try to hurt you?"

"Yes, but only occasionally. They were always busy with something, and their primary form of torture was just not feeding my child and I."

"Thank God," Sae shook her head. "It's going to be okay, I promise. We're going to get you and your daughter to a hospital."

"How did you find us?" the mother asked.

Sae looked to Akechi, who was glowering at the door. The leader then noticed that the banging on the door had ceased, and she strangely felt more worried now that the room had gone suspiciously silent. "Our team is well informed," she replied. "And I'm very thankful for that. If not, we may not have found you and your daughter," Sae looked to the young girl, "who is very beautiful, by the way." The daughter mustered a weak but sincere smile.

Tanimura returned his revolver to its holster, standing to his feet. "Are they okay? We need to keep moving."

Akechi stood up as well, though his gaze remained on the captives. "They appear to have suffered no serious physical injuries, though they will need a full psychiatric workout. We will also need to execute further investigation into the compound. We do not know whether others may yet be held captive."

Sae then added, "Then take Noble Three and escort these two out of here. We'll continue to investigate—"

There was a great crash in the hall from whence they came, silencing all present save for the mother who let out a frightened scream. Many footsteps then clapped along the floor toward them, and all of Noble Team got in front of the mother and daughter with guns drawn.

"Identify yourselves!" Sae shouted. "This is the police!"

"We're well fuckin' aware," said a gravelly male voice in a distinctly non-Japanese accent. From around the corner, there appeared a tall, lanky, and extremely ugly Chinese man twirling a small, curved knife in his right hand. Behind him were four more members of the Venom Flower triad of varying builds and ugliness. "You beat the shit out of one of my top men," the triad member said, "and you tried to steal our property. Most of your Japanese yakuza types would give you a chance to walk away, demanding silence in exchange for you getting out of here alive, but that's not how we do things." He locked eyes with Sae, who only glowered more furiously at him. "We're on our last legs, kids. Those two were the make or break for us, and now you're trying to take that away. So let me ask you this…" the men behind him raised their own pistols toward the police. "Do you know how ferociously a starving dog will fight for a good meal?"

"You want a fight?" Akechi asked. "We have reinforcements coming any second now. It's a small town, after all. You fire one shot, and you die, plain and simple."

"We're all dead men walking anyway, kid," the leader taunted him with a smirk. "Been on the run for too long now, with nowhere left to go. So, we might as well go out with a bang."

The mother and daughter screamed as they and Noble Team all ducked, letting out wild, blind shots from their guns as the triad members shot in their direction. Two triad members were struck, one in the arm and the other in the chest. The brief moment of confusion was enough for Akechi to rush them all wildly. He continued to fire his revolver, though not with the explicit intent of killing anyone, only to cause more noise and panic in everyone around him. However, he did manage to hit the second injured triad member once again along with the uninjured one to his right.

With a powerful, lightning-fast roundhouse kick that Akechi threw the whole of his body weight into, the enemies were scattered or knocked to the ground. Akechi put so much power into this furious motion that he himself was left kneeling on the ground off balance. The other three men on his side rushed in to subdue their opponents, with Tanimura tackling the leader first with reckless abandon.

The triad members were subdued, but only barely. Sae witnessed her companions dogpile each other in a bloody, shrieking pogrom. The Nobles beat the triad members into submission, attempting to cuff them amidst the chaos. Sae held out her hands in front of the mother and daughter, watching intently in case any of the triad men managed to escape the fight. The mother and daughter cowered behind her, whimpering and panting anxiously.

Suddenly, the leader of the triad men roared in Akechi's hold and flung himself forward out of the dogpile toward Sae. The mother screamed, though the daughter did not. Noble One crouched down at a striking speed before unleashing a strong sucker punch into the leader's lower gut, right above his groin. He spat out a burst of saliva and clutched his chest as the wind was knocked out of him. Sae was about to unleash another strike into the man's throat when the door behind them suddenly flew open with such force that it may as well have been an explosion.

Both the mother and daughter shrieked in terror as the monstrous man they had encountered earlier barreled through the doorway. Backed up by three other triad men, he grabbed the mother and tossed the daughter to one of the others, cackling and rambling as he did.

"Goddammit!" shouted Tanimura, raising his revolver once again.

"Unhand them, scum!" Akechi shouted as he did the same. The man cackled again, throwing vile insults their way in Mandarin.

Murakata's voice suddenly came over the radio, speaking more frantically than Sae had ever heard before. "Noble Team, what's going on!? What's the situation!?"

"Help uuuuss!" the mother begged as the monstrous man put a gun to her head.

"Mommy!" shouted the daughter.

Sae rose to her feet, revolver drawn as she slowly stepped toward the mob. Her teeth were gritted, her ears rang, her face was hot as vile adrenaline started rushing through her body. "PUT THE GUN DOWN!"

"Drop them, asshole!" Yagami threatened.

"Noble Team, what the hell is happening!?" Murakata yelled.

Akechi took his place beside Sae, breathing sharply as he pulled back the hammer of his revolver. "Harm a single hair on their head," he nearly growled, "and every one of you will go to meet your ancestors!"

The monstrous man laughed again. His cohorts behind him joined in. The daughter began to hyperventilate. The mother tried to fight him off, but he only jerked her around more in his hand. The monstrous man revealed a hideous grin with his mostly toothless mouth. "Our… property," he spoke Japanese slowly. "Our… house. Our…" he put the gun to the mother's head. Her eyes went wide as her breath caught in her throat.

"…rules."

There was a panicked cacophony of screaming and shouting just before the gunshot rang out. The mother screeched in terror before the stingingly loud gunshot sounded off, and the wall to her right was splattered in hot blood.

"MOMMY!"

"NOOOOO!" screamed Sae in unbearable shock and rage.

"Civilian down!" Kenjiro shouted into the radio. "We have a civilian down!"

The triad members picked the daughter up, holding their guns out in front of them. The monstrous man fired another warning shot in their direction as the panicked shouts of the police continued. The daughter sobbed disturbingly strongly, flailing in her captor's arms in an attempt to reunite with her mother, but was slapped across the face. The tension of the moment reached a horrific apex as the triad members dragged the daughter, screaming and wailing, into the hall behind them, shouting threats at the police as they did.

Kaz then spoke over the radio in a distressed panic. "What the fuck is happening, Nobles!? What's the situation!?"

"Let her go!" Sae shouted, ignoring her distant comrade.

"Commissioner," said Akechi, "requesting permission to use lethal force!"

"What the hell are you doing!?" Yagami shouted at him. The men dragged the daughter down the hall slowly, ignoring her cries and flails.

"Commissioner, now!" Akechi cried.

There was silence on the radio for a moment as the ringing in Sae's ears continued.

Murakata then responded. "It's your call, Noble One. Do what you think must be done."

Sae weighed her options in her head quickly, though her thoughts were hazy and disorganized. She could barley think, and now multiple lives were hanging on her next words. Sae looked to Akechi, who met her gaze with pleading eyes. She knew in her heart what must be done, and knew that there must be no concession for the safety of a child.

She glowered toward the triad members with brutal, fiendish fury in her eyes. "God be with us," she muttered. "Save the girl… at any cost."

Akechi nodded, turning toward the detestable horde. "Thank you," he whispered to her.

For a moment, Sae wondered why a man as pragmatic and impassionate as Akechi would exhibit such a response. But following that moment, her companion sprang into action, rushing down the hall as the triad members rounded a corner with no consideration for backup.

"What's he thinking!?" exclaimed Kenjiro. "He's gonna take them all on his own?"

"No, because we're right behind him," Sae rushed off after him in turn. She would not let any other innocents fall this day, even if it cost her everything. "Take care of the woman, Ken and I'll go after Akechi."

"You can't be serious!" Tanimura objected.

Already running, Sae shouted back, "Just do it, Noble!" Tanimura cursed under his breath, and the two gave chase.

Akechi stood at the end of the hall, back against the corner as he listened intently for the cries of the girl, letting him know she was still alive. He reloaded his revolver with adept speed, taking into account the four foes that now stood between himself and his goal.

He breathed out slowly, composing himself. He muttered, "Worthless scum shall know no quarter when facing the might of the just."

With a powerful cry, Akechi whirled around the corner with repeated blasts from his revolver. His companions noticed his reckless actions, but were shocked all the more by the deftness with which he moved. He fired in ways unable to be reacted to so quickly, filling the air with lead in an instant though entirely missing the girl. One of his shots struck true, hitting the thug to the right directly in the forehead, and he collapsed to the ground instantly. The other two thugs in the service of the monstrous triad member tried to fire at him as they got in front of their leader, but Akechi was far too fast. The officer shot the first man in the gut, then rolled behind him to evade the gunfire of the second. He pushed his still living shield into the second thug then pointed his gun at his forehead. "Be gone," said Akechi before putting the barrel of the gun to the first thug's head, and firing.

The bullet passed right through his skull and embedded itself in the other's brain as his face was plastered in blood. They both then fell to the ground in a heap. Akechi spat on their corpses, saying, "Reap what you sow," then turned to the monstrous leader.

The scarred, disfigured beast before him pointed his revolver his way, but Akechi was faster, far more so. Without hardly looking, Akechi shot the man in the shoulder, causing him to drop his gun with a wail of pain. Akechi tried to rush him with a kick, but the triad member let go of the daughter for only a moment to pull out his knife and slashed at Akechi's leg. The blade connected, cutting Akechi nearly to the bone. He fell to the ground with a grunt and the man ran off with the girl in fear.

Breathing heavily, Akechi groaned out, "That it? That your best?" With searing pain in his leg and blood soaking through his pants, Akechi trudged off toward the man as fast he could go. The triad member went to the bathroom at the end of the hall and threw the girl inside before following her in. "You have no chance!" Akechi shouted after him.

"Noble Two!" Sae cried out through the halls, trying to catch up to him, but to her great surprise, Akechi then broke out into a sprint. With a fearsome battle cry, Akechi barreled through the bathroom door, nearly blasting it off its hinges before stumbling to the ground as the pain in his leg became too much for him to ignore. His vision went blurry as he knelt on the ground, and then the door was creaked behind him. He looked to the doorway, seeing his companions running after him as the door was closed by the last triad member. He stuffed an iron pipe under the door to lodge it shut, and turned to Akechi.

"Little fuck," he mumbled. "No take property!"

Sae and Kenjiro banged on the door, but it would not budge an inch. "Leave it!" Akechi shouted to them. "I'll handle this, just get out of here!"

"Have you lost your mind!?" Sae shouted back.

"Trust me, Noble One!" He glowered at his adversary, shakily standing to his feet. "This fool is mine."

The triad member held his knife underhanded, waving it in front of his vicious smile slowly. Akechi shook his head back and forth, trying to focus his mind on the battle in front of him instead of the searing pain in his leg. "You hold such strong convictions for death," he taunted. "Show me how you fare when faced with the edge of the knife yourself."

The triad member raised an eyebrow. "Weird… cop."

"You're not the first to say that." Ignoring the pain in his leg, Akechi lunged toward the man before throwing himself to the side to throw him off. The triad man tried to slash at him, but only hit air as Akechi nearly faceplanted himself into the floor. On his recovery, Akechi grabbed the man's hand that was holding the knife, and with shocking strength, twisted the hand completely around, snapping its wrist in an instant. The triad man howled in pain before Akechi toppled him to the ground, wrapping his arm around the man's neck.

The monstrous triad man struggled against Akechi's hold, but the young police continued to surprise with how strong he was. Akechi got on the man's back and pulled his arm backward against his neck, straining his spine and throat. As the triad member continued to struggle, Akechi only seemed to get stronger. The man spat out saliva, trying desperately to get air in his lungs, but Akechi seemed to have him completely subdued.

"Worthless trash like you," Akechi muttered, "belong in a ditch, without even a name."

"What… are you trying!?" the man belted in between gasps for air. "You are cop… aren't you!?"

"What difference does it make to you?" Akechi pulled back on the man's throat once again, and something inside snapped. Blood poured out of the still living man's mouth as he gargled and gasped in his throat. Akechi slammed his nose into the ground before pulling back on his neck again. "Ashes to ashes, scum," he spat, before wrenching the man's throat and head to the side with a sickening crack. The monstrous man's eyes rolled back in his head, and he exhaled his last as his body went limp.

Akechi let his body fall to the floor before standing again. He hissed as the adrenaline that kept his mind off his leg left his body, letting him feel the full searing pain in his thigh. He quickly inspected the bathroom stalls to his left, and soon heard whimpering behind the farthest one. He pushed it open slowly, revealing the young daughter sitting in the fetal position in the corner.

She looked up to the bleeding young man, though in her eyes Akechi saw little fear. Instead, he saw reluctant, nervous relief. He let out a short sigh as he saw her to be unharmed. "Are you alright?" he asked her in a deliberately softer, higher pitch. She looked away, unresponsive. Deciding to change the topic quickly, Akechi continued with, "What's your name?"

The daughter looked up to him with her large, dark eyes, nearly obscured by her messy, long black hair. "Haruka," she whispered.

"Haruka," Akechi repeated with a nod. He knelt down in front of her, trying to keep his expression as neutral and unthreatening as possible. "Are you ready to get out of here, Haruka?" he asked. "My friends are waiting for us."

Haruka turned away from his slightly. "Where's my mommy?"

Akechi's heart dropped at that inquiry. "We will need to discuss that later. But I do know she'd want you to leave with us."

"She's dead," said Haruka plainly. "They killed her."

Akechi sat down, feeling at a loss for how best to respond. The only thing he knew was that they could not linger. "Close your eyes, Haruka. I'm going to get you out of here safely. You want to leave, don't you? Maybe get a snack?"

Haruka looked to him suspiciously before nodding. "I wanna go."

Akechi nodded. "Me too." Gingerly, he picked her up in his arms, feeling her heavy breathing against his chest. She closed her eyes and held her face against his shoulder, shutting out the world. Akechi dislodged the pipe from under the doorway and opened it slowly. Before them was the long hall, with the two bodies of the triad members laying in a heap.

Haruka whimpered quietly into Akechi's shoulder as he limped through the pool of blood at his feet. She did not seem to notice the long trail of blood going up his arm that had been from the monstrous triad leader, and Akechi wondered whether she was simply in shock, or she just did not care. He did take notice of how she was a surprisingly resilient young girl, exhibiting only limited reaction to the hellish events of the past couple days.

In some strange sense, he pitied her already being so strong of will.

Rounding the corner, they came across the rest of Noble Team, standing away from each other awkwardly. Sae stood in the middle of the entryway still as a statue, her expression blank and her eyes glazed over. She appeared to be in shock, her eyes lazily traveling between her companions, the cuffed triad members, and the corpse of Yumi Sawamura. The other men were watching the apprehended triad members, but seemed in no better spirits.

Sae at last noticed Akechi walking down the hall, with Haruka in hand. Seeing also that he was injured, she walked up to him to look at his wound, and give him a piece of her mind. "What the hell happened?" she muttered, speaking not nearly as strongly as she had intended. The renowned officer simply felt… empty, like her life had been sapped away from her.

"I saved the girl," he replied, starting to breathe heavier. "Took a bad cut on the leg, but I'll live. Just needs stitches, is all."

"You were reckless at the very least, Noble."

"I still saved a child," Akechi glared at her defiantly. Before Sae was able to respond, Haruka lifted her head to see the woman in front of her. The hardened lawyer and officer immediately melted inside upon seeing the traumatized little girl, only barely saved from this hell.

Tears fell down Haruka's face anew. "Mommy…" she muttered in a near whisper. Neither Sae nor Akechi knew what to say to this beautiful, scarred little girl. "Mommy…" she whimpered, reaching her hands out to Sae as her strength to hold back the tears failed her. In an instant, reflexive reaction, Sae took Haruka into her arms and began to rock her back and forth, stroking her hair as the young girl cried quietly into her shoulder. Whether it was from the stress of the day, the pain of seeing a child in agony, or both, Sae then began to quietly cry herself, whispering anything remotely comforting she could think of into Haruka's ear.

Akechi walked past them silently, putting a finger to the radio in his ear. "Noble Actual, this is Noble Two, come in."

"We read you, Noble. What's the situation? Have the targets been secured?"

"We lost one, sir, but the daughter is secure. We're all ready to get out of here."

"And Noble One?"

"With the daughter."

"I see. Evac will be there in five minutes."

"Thank you."

Murakata then spoke over the radio. "Noble Two, I'll need a full briefing when you get back. I know things didn't… well, go as planned, but I want you all to know that you are still heroes to all of us. What you did was… extraordinary. Same for you, Noble One." Sae heard, but did not respond. "Come back home, everyone. You deserve a rest."

"Thank you, sir," Akechi whispered. He turned off the radio and walked over to the apprehended triad members, being watched by his companions.

"Can't believe you actually pulled it off," said Yagami. "Bastards tried to escape twice since you left."

"These cornered rats deserve far worse than what they got," Akechi sneered down at them. "Their injuries will be cared for, they'll be housed in a penitentiary, and will never know the pain they inflicted on others." The group's leader looked up at him, showing off a bloody smile. Akechi's eyes widened in fury. "Your kind does not deserve to share the air I breathe."

He stomped on the man's face, crushing his nose and knocking him unconscious.

As the men started to argue over the legality and civility of such actions, Sae simply sat with Haruka at the other end of the room, holding the child tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to the girl, counting the seconds until their evac arrived. "I'm so sorry…"

[This was the hardest chapter so far to write bar none. I only hope it was worth the wait. Reviews are always encouraged.]