Chapter 18

Ideal For Violence

Akira's upper lip pulled back as he scowled at her, baring some of his front teeth. Sae only smirked in response, not caring at all about the boy's defensive demeanor. At first, passersby seemed not to notice what was going on, but as the moments of cold and uncomfortable silence passed, some began to take note of this strange and foreboding sight.

"Why are you asking?" Akira finally replied, his right hand curling into a fist at his side. His body was readying itself in case he needed to bolt or defend himself.

"Don't you know who I am?" Sae asked in turn.

"Sae Niijima, Kamuro P.D. Here I thought the Kamoshida case was closed by now."

"Mostly, but I still need some additional information, and tales of your recent exploits inform me that you may be the best source I have."

"And if I refuse?"

Sae's confident smirk turned to a cold glower as she reached into her coat. She pulled her hand back an inch, and Akira could make out the handle of a revolver in her fingers. Akira remained steadfast, not even being truly phased by the threat, a realization that did in fact phase him itself. "It's not loaded," he said.

"You willing to bet on that?" Sae asked more sternly. "Walk with me, kid." She put back on her glasses and hat and walked to his side, making sure that he was following her. Not seeing another way out of this situation, he did as he was instructed, following the woman up a flight of stairs in a building off Tenkaichi Street to the rooftop.

Before them was a view of the whole street. With Tenkaichi being one of the busiest boulevards in the city, people were constantly walking up and down the road, and even in the street. There were a few cars parked along the sidewalks, but none dared to drive through the swath of people enjoying the nightlife. From their advantaged viewing angle, the city seemed almost inviting, bathed in the light of the moon above and the neon signs of the ground floor. Almost.

Sae leaned against railing running along the edge of the rooftop as she took off her disguise once again. The orange and yellow lights of the city illuminated her head in a near angelic glow that was contradicted by her callous, interrogative demeanor. Staring Akira directly in the eyes once again as she just had on the streets, she said, "State your name."

"You don't already know?"

"I ask questions, you answer them. I tell you to do something, you do it. That's it," she shot back. "State your name."

Akira sighed, crossing his arms in front of him. "Akira Kurusu," he admitted plainly.

"Do you admit to killing Suguru Kamoshida, Kurusu-san?"

Akira's jaw clenched, his face and left arm twitched before he responded. "Yes."

"Do you have any feelings regarding the events? Have you experienced any backlash or ramifications since the events occurred?"

"Well, I got embroiled with the yakuza," he said. "But I swear, this is just a temporary thing. I haven't sworn any allegiance to them or anything. And before you ask," he cut her off before she could ask multiple more questions, "no, I did not have anything to do with the attack on you and your men yesterday, and I have no idea how it happened."

Sae nodded, mulling through her following questions in her head. "We didn't suspect that the Sakura Clan was involved," she said. "But it has put yakuza activity in the limelight. We are currently working to take control of this city back, as it were. Do you know of anything that may help us with that?"

"Sakura doesn't tell me shit."

"You've spoken to Sakura directly?"

"I'm under no oath to continue this dialogue, you know. I'm not even under oath to tell you the truth. How do you know I haven't been bullshitting this whole time?"

"I don't. I'm just seeing how you respond, what you say. If I want, I have full jurisdiction to arrest you and take you in for formal questioning, and if you push me," her eyes narrowed, "I will. So cooperate, and you might sleep in your own bed tonight."

Akira leaned back on his foot, nodding his head once as he smirked to her. "You got the kingslayer, as you called me, right here, and you're not gonna arrest me? Didn't see that one coming, I admit."

"Look, I wanted to get a feel for you, get your side of the story, see if you knew anything about the recent attacks. To be honest, I expected you to be some sort of yakuza thug, a life-long Family man. So, when I saw that you were just a kid, I decided to maybe give you a bit of leeway."

"Gee, thanks."

"Now, tell me first about the Kamoshida incident. I've heard a lot of different versions of this story, so I want to hear it straight from the source."

"What are these versions saying?" asked Akira. "Who's been spreading these rumors."

"Answer my questions first."

"Right, sheesh." Akira paused, let out a deep breath, and collected himself before continuing. "Kamoshida was just as evil as you've probably heard: stalking, kidnapping, rape, murder, the works. Entering his hideout was the scariest thing I'd ever done in my life up until that point. When my partners and I finally subdued him, I was left alone with him to make sure he didn't try to escape as his captives were helped."

"I remember when we took the victims into protective custody," said Sae. "They said there was a girl with you. Is that true?"

"Yeah. She was a girl who had a bone to pick with Kamoshida. We were gonna let her kill him if she wanted, but she ended up refusing, decided to help out the captives instead of staining her hands with his blood."

"How honorable," Sae remarked passive-aggressively. "What prompted you to slaughter him when your friends showed such a rabid animal mercy?"

Akira did not respond immediately. His gaze lowered, his hands tensed around his biceps, tightening their grip uncomfortably. Sae sensed a change in the air around him, noticing a strange and crooked glare on his face. "I made a mistake," he said. "He taunted me into… ending it."

"Taunted you?"

"Yes. He threatened me, my friends, even my family, saying that the justice system in this city is broken. He said that he'd hunt everyone I loved down and make them all 'stars', and he laughed while he did. Before I knew it, I'd lost control and shot him in the head."

Sae's demeanor, in the slightest perceivable way, softened. "You talk about it like you regret it. I'd heard he'd been butchered."

"I'd never been in a situation like that, Niijima-san. I didn't know what I was doing and lost myself. I see that image of his corpse every time I close my eyes now. And to think, just a few days before, I was relaxing at home with my friends and family like usual." Akira shook his head, now appearing more sad, ashamed than uncomfortable. "I just had no idea what to do. I was a normal kid until a couple weeks ago. That's not any kind of excuse, but it's the truth."

"What do you mean? Where did you come from?"

A spark of wistfulness appeared in Akira's tired eyes. "A small town on a small river a couple hours from here. I was dragged here for reasons I still don't entirely understand."

"Just out of the blue?"

"Sort of. It's been a real ride, let me tell you. But do you really wanna know about my personal life, Niijima-san? Didn't think you'd find it very interesting as an officer of the law."

Sae was surprised at his sudden conniving proposition, and additionally felt a tad impressed at him turning this around in his favor. "Regardless of what you say or how you say it, I can still arrest you, you know. You are a criminal, after all. You've killed someone, even if just in self-defense."

"I assure you that I'm fighting for this city just as much as you are. Sakura is as well, and even if I don't like how a lot of this shit is run, I'm gonna be sticking around to see this through." His ashamed expression turned to one of, surprisingly, determination as he let his arms down, standing straight. "I don't think of myself as this 'hero' a lot of people have been calling me," he said. "But I've got people that are counting on me now, at least for a little while longer. And that's why I'm going to help save this damned city."

Sae nodded, unable to keep herself from smirking. "Sounds a lot like you're resisting arrest, kid," she remarked.

Akira then smirked in turn. "I don't have any loyalty to Sakura or his people, but I am loyal to my friends. If you don't believe me, then fine. But I'm afraid I can't go with you, Niijima-san." His smirk turned to a confident glare. "However, know that once my business is done, and I know that we're all safe, I'm leaving Kamurocho, and I'm never coming back."

Sae's own smirk faded from her face. "Funny, you're not quite the hero I heard about. Seems you've got conviction, but I at least thought you'd have some love for this city."

"I hate it here," Akira replied. "A part of me wants to catch a taxi and home tonight. But… I have people that are counting on me before that happens. That's the only reason I'm still here, and why you and I are talking right now."

"These people that are counting on you are more important than your family?"

"Keeping them safe, dealing with this mess; all of it will keep my family out of harm's way. And for that reason," Akira glared at her once more, "I can't allow you to arrest me, Niijima-san."

Sae cocked an eyebrow, standing up straighter than she had been. "Aren't you the confident one? I never even said I was going to arrest you."

"You never said you wouldn't." Akira lowered stance slightly; not ready to fight but fully prepared to run. "I'm not one for hurting women, but there's too much going on right now for me to just come with you, even with that gun you've got in your jacket. So please, don't try to take me in."

Sae's upper lip tensed in annoyance. "You talk big and noble, but you're still a yakuza. You'd be a valuable source of information to us, especially now."

"Whatever I'm worth to you, my mission to help those I care about is worth a lot more to me. I'm not going anywhere with you." Akira turned on his heel and took three steps toward the staircase before he heard a shuffling behind him.

"Stay where you are!" Sae commanded to him. He turned around and saw her pointing her revolver directly at his chest, the confident annoyance of her demeanor fading to that of angry determination. "We just endured a terrorist attack, kid! A whole city block nearly got blown up. And before that, there was a shootout on the highway! I can't even tell you how many near-fatalities there were the past few days. You care about your people so much, then help us fight, dammit! We need all the help we can get! And rest assured, I'm doing everything I can to help my city and my people as well. And if that means taking you in, then so be it." Her glare lowered behind her gun, but Akira stood fast. Sae's finger applied pressure on the trigger as she contemplated the effectiveness of a warning shot, but the young man before her did not let their locked gazes break for even a moment, catching her attention once again.

"I'm not selling out my friends to you, Niijima," Akira proclaimed. "We may be fighting the same war, but from what I've seen, we're not on the same side. I won't let fear compromise my ability to help those I care about. I'm sorry." Akira took a step back, then another. Sae's hands did not lower, but neither did they make their warning shot.

"Don't do anything stupid, kid," she said, her eyes narrowing on Akira's chest beyond the reach of the revolver's barrel.

"I'm fighting for those that need me," he replied resolutely, taking another step back. "This is all I will ever do. I'm sure you can understand that."

Sae scowled at him, held up her revolver with one hand as the light of the city continued to illuminate her in a powerful glow from behind. And in the shadows in front of her was this young man who spoke with conviction determination unlike what she had expected, for from her perspective, no such traits existed within Kamurocho. Their eyes locked as they stood still in front of each other, tension rising in the air so thick that one could cut it with a blade. "I'm fighting for what's right," Sae declared. "On the side of justice, and only on that side. You stand there preaching about your own justice while throwing in your lot with liars, thieves, and killers. The police have been too forgiving of your kind for too long, Kurusu. I will not let them rule this city in the law's stead anymore."

Akira nodded, standing perfectly in place as Sae's grip tightened on her gun. "Then don't remove one of the only people in the city fighting for that same justice."

Sae began breathing sharply, contemplating the best way to end this exchange. "The yakuza see you as a hero because you butchered someone. I have every right to arrest you or end you right now. I can't let them rally behind something so terrible at a time like this."

Akira bared his teeth, realizing that time was about to run out. "Then make your choice. Try to arrest me, try to kill me, let me go; just know that I won't go down without a fight."

"Cut your bullshit. I'm ending this now."

Akira was ready to sprint away in the event that this woman chose not to shoot him. His fingers twitched as the moment of truth encroached upon them. He hoped his words found their way to her, or all that talk of his mission would be for naught. Whatever was going through Sae's head was a mystery to him as the muscles in his legs tensed, and the world seemed to go silent save for the stressed ringing in his ears. Sae's eyes went wide with what seemed like wrath before him…

And a gunshot rang out.

Akira stepped back, taking a terrified glance down at his torso, afraid of what he might see. However, he was untouched, and he realized he felt no pain at all. His eyes shot up to see Sae, staring at him with confusion with fear. "What just happened?" Akira asked slowly.

"That wasn't me." Slowly, she turned around and peered over the side of the building. Below them, up the street, was a crowd of people running away from a small restaurant as a group of yakuza barged through the doorway, revealing the body of an employee laying face down on the ground. He was young, early twenties, seemed like, with a thin build that was now producing a puddle of blood on the pavement. "What the hell?" Sae remarked.

"I gotta go," added Akira, turning to go back down the stairway.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Already breaking into a run, Akira called back, "Stay and watch for all I care, but I'm not letting them just get away with that!"

Sae's eyes darted between the restaurant and the kid that just made a break to take down a group of yakuza. Shaking her head as she accepted what was happening, she exclaimed "Shit!" and ran off after Akira.

After running down the stairs as fast as they could, Sae met up with Akira on the street level. Just before entering the restaurant, he noticed her following in tow. "This is police business, kid," she told him. "I'm not letting this crap slide either."

Akira nodded. "Thank you," he muttered. Before Sae could quite register how surprised she was at his response, he ran for the door, nearly breaking it from its hinges as he threw it open and bolted through.

The two new acquaintances came upon the scene of a group of six yakuza standing with their backs to them. To the left was a chef cowering behind the counter, and in front of the yakuza, Akira recognized a man in a purple suit with a confident, cocky aura about him.

"This ain't that hard to understand, jackass," said the yakuza at the front, who happened to have a very tall head. "Give us your fuckin' money or we repaint the whole place in your blood!"

"You guys don't even have an appointment," said the confident man. "Sorry, but I'm off the clock for the day. You can contact my receptionist and I may be able to squeeze you in this week though for a consultation."

"Cut the bullshit and give us all your goddamn money!" the leader exclaimed.

"Akiyama-san!" called out Akira.

The yakuza and Akiyama noticed Akira and Sae at that moment, with the cocky loan shark smirking and nodding to the younger man. "Hey there, Mr. Hero!" he greeted him casually with a wave. "You out on another date tonight?"

"Just in the neighborhood, heard some crap going down. Seems I was right to look into it."

Akiyama's eyes then went wide as he internalized the person standing next to him. "Whoa, and a Ms. Hero as well! You've got a pretty crazy circle of friends, Kurusu!"

"That's one way of putting it," Akira muttered.

"You know him?" asked Sae, just growing more confused.

"Uh, kinda?"

The leader of the yakuza thugs was growing only angrier himself. "The fuck is going on here!?" he exclaimed.

Finally getting a good look at the group of assailants, Akira then recognized exactly who he was most likely about to trade blows with. "Just couldn't take a hint, could you, Hayashi?" He then recognized three of the other men at either side of him. "Hey, you're the guys from the cabaret, yeah? And the ones I beat the shit out of again on the streets the other day ago. God, none of you know when to quit, huh?"

"Shove it, kid!" Hayashi exclaimed. "The last couple times were flukes! And you don't got all your little friends backing you up this time!"

"Yeah!" added the leader Akira had run into twice previously. "We're gonna grind all of you into bloody pulp tonight!"

"You know them!?" Sae shouted in growing disbelief.

"Long story!"

Akiyama clicked his tongue as if six murderous thugs were not threatening the three of them. "Well, now that everyone is reintroduced, can we just get this thing over with? I need to get a good night's rest before collections tomorrow."

"Fuck you and your 'I don't give two shits' attitude, Akiyama!" Hayashi spat back. "All that money you got is ours, even if we gotta kill every person in this room! And don't think for a second," he turned around, glaring directly at Sae, "that we got a problem killing cops."

"Fine by me," Sae glared back.

Hayashi bared his yellow, chain smoker's teeth in frustration. "The hell did you say?"

"Look," rolled her neck to the left, producing an audible pop, "I've had a crazy past few days in this city." She rolled her neck to the other side, popping the muscles. "And it's put me in a real shitty mood. Just your bad luck," she cracked her knuckles without a hint of fear, "to have run into me."

Akira nodded, adopting his "Dragon Stance" with confidence. "I like the sound of that," he muttered with a smirk.

Hayashi and his goons chuckled to themselves devilishly low in their throats. "Then at least you'll accomplish something for the force, Niijima-san: dying a fuckin' martyr. But don't you worry, all your friends on the force will join you in due time, because all three of you are going straight to Hell," his face contorted into a deadly grin.

"If you're all so confident this won't end exactly like every other time," Akira said, rolling his own neck, "then step right up." Everyone got into lower, battle-ready stances as their blood boiled and their minds became razor focused on the task ahead. Even Akiyama seemed more than ready to throw down with the thugs. Akira exhaled slowly, clearing his mind of all but the situation at hand and his mother's teachings. He did not feel the strange power that he experienced in his previous fight with Hayashi, but the "heat" his mother taught him about his whole life was definitely rising within him, and that feeling turned his expression into that of a prize-winning fighter on the cusp of a great victory. "LET'S GO!"

The three thugs he had fought before rushed Akira and Sae first, and the woman immediately demonstrated an aptitude for fighting akin to that of her sister. She deftly stepped out of the way of the coming attack as Akira blocked the one coming his way, pushing his opponent away as Sae was then directly at his back. With mighty cries, they both pulled their arms back in retaliation, their position granting them guaranteed first contact.

HAYATO HAYASHI

OMI ALLIANCE

Akira's punch knocked the assailant off balance, allowing him to sucker punch him in the gut thrice before backhanding him in the face. Sae, meanwhile, did not get quite the opening Akira had, the force of her punch not being able to put her opponent off balance. He prepared a wile counter attack, which Sae shifted her body away from, allowing her to grab his arm and drive her elbow into the joint of his own, breaking his arm. As he cried out in pain, she reversed her hold so his arm was over her head, and she brought the other side of the joint down on her shoulder, tearing the rest of the tendons in his elbow. He recoiled, letting out an agonized screech as tears began stinging his eyes. He was so dazed by the pain that he was not able to react to Sae spinning into a wild roundhouse kick directly into his temple. "GO DOWN!" she exclaimed as the side of her heel made contact with his head, sending him careening to the ground in a heap.

Sae whirled around, silvery hair falling in her face, giving her the appearance of some sort of rabid witch as the fire in her eyes intensified. "Who's up next!?"

Akiyama was handedly dealing with his own opponent, exhibiting a lightning-fast kick-centric style that the fatter thug could not keep up with. Akiyama gave him a series of light kicks to either side of the head before jumping into the air and spinning into a powerful ax kick that slammed the thug's head into the floor. He was not yet knocked out, but the move was so stylish that he was barely able to comprehend what had happened, much less counter it.

Hayashi spat at the feet of Akira and Sae as his last goon, the other leader, charged Sae, leaving Akira with Hayashi. "This one's for last time, punk!"

"Shut up and fight!"

Hayashi obliged, unleashing a combo of precise and fast attacks more similar to kung fu than traditional karate. The sheer force of the attacks was enough to break Akira's guard, allowing Hayashi to strike him right in the mouth, breaking his lower-left canine tooth and filling his mouth with blood. The second punch struck him in the chest, directly on his bruise. Akira's ears began to ring with the searing pain before he was knocked to the ground by his opponent. But before Hayashi could take full advantage of the situation, Akira regained his senses just enough to kick him in the shins from the ground. Hayashi was stunned, and Akira pulled him to the ground, getting on top of him before striking him in his left eye. As the tables had been turned, Akira regained his footing, resisting the pain and focusing on the "heat" within him.

Breathing heavily, Akira said, "I gave you that one," as he returned to his stance.

"Just die already, asshole!" Hayashi retorted.

Akira turtled up to block the oncoming assault, quickstepping back out of range before lunging forward with another strike. Hayashi took the hit but did not falter, trying to grab Akira in the interim. They struggled as Hayashi grabbed Akira by the throat, trying with all his might to strangle the younger man. They both snarled like animals as Akira tried to pry Hayashi's hands off his throat, made more difficult as the yakuza slammed him into a wall, shaking and wringing his neck. "Just a taste," Hayashi growled, "of what my clan will do to yours very soon."

Akira could not retort as his windpipe continued to be restricted more, and the colors of the world around him became washed out. Even his arms and legs began losing strength as the light of the room grew darker… until he heard glass shattering against something hard, and he could suddenly breathe again.

Hayashi was dazed, his head starting to bleed as Sae cast a broken beer bottle to the side, pulling the man off Akira, who then collapsed to the ground. Hayashi was too stunned to react as Sae threw him against the wall before grabbing his head, and with growling cry, slammed it into a pillar of drywall next to them, breaking a large chunk of the pillar off that fell to the floor with the man. Hayashi then laid there in a crumpled heap amidst the dust and fragments of drywall and glass as Sae caught her breath, making sure Akira was still alive.

He got himself to his feet, rubbing his throat but seemed mostly unharmed by Sae's account. He turned to her with reddening eyes and croaked out, "Thank you." Sae only nodded in response.

And with that, all their assailants had been routed, now reduced to groaning, bruised and bleeding bodies strewn about the floor, which was an absolute mess, for that matter. The chef stepped out from his hiding spot and bowed to his saviors deeply. "Thank you so, so, so much!" he exclaimed, shouting it from the top of his lungs in gratification. "I thought for sure I was a goner!"

"Are you injured at all?" Sae asked.

"Luckily, no. Though…" he trailed off, looking to the door, "I wish I could say the same for Mashita. Such a good kid, one of the best hosts I've ever had here, and so young too. He tried to get them to leave, you know," he continued mournfully. "He knew those guys were bad news, and did everything he could to deescalate the situation and get them to leave before things got messy. You… already say what good that did. At least he died protecting my other employees."

Sae replied, "If you can provide me his information, the police will get in contact with family and make sure everything proceeds as painlessly as possible. It's a small consolation, but I'll personally make sure his death is honored."

"Thank you so much, Niijima-san," he bowed again. "I'll give the police anything they need. You really are the hero they said you are."

"No thanks are needed. I was just doing what was right. Now please stay put, sir. The police will want to get your account of events when they arrive."

The chef nodded. "I already tripped the silent alarm. Shouldn't be long now."

Sae took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves after the fight. "Oh my god," she sighed quietly.

"Wow," Akira said from behind her. "You're a real badass, Niijima-san. You too, Akiyama-san. You both could go pro if you wanted, I'd say."

"Trust me, kid," Akiyama gave his famous smirk, "the streets of Kamurocho offer all the fighting I need. Sure Ms. Hero here could say the same."

"Something like that," Sae muttered with far less enthusiasm than the men at either side of her. "I need you both to remain here as well," she added. "On account of your… performance, we will not be arresting either of you tonight."

"Really?" asked Akira.

Sae turned to face him, her expression appearing far dourer and threatening than Akira had anticipated. "Don't get too excited yet, Kurusu. This night's not over for you."

A few minutes later, a group of police arrived, expediently making their arrests and taking their statements. Akira and Akiyama waited patiently for their turn as they leaned against the side of the building, sharing a smoke. Akira had half a mind to bolt back to LeBlanc and crash in bed, but he knew he was already treading on thin ice with the force, even after his assistance. Any wrong move could cause a domino effect he was not mentally or physically prepared to deal with, and he certainly did not want to incite an incident between the police and the Sakura Clan.

That was then they were approached by a man with frizzy, teased hair, an athletic build, and a leather jacket brandishing a police badge. "You two helped Niijima-san, yeah?" he asked plainly, before squinting at Akira's companion. "Oh, I'm not exactly surprised to see you here, Akiyama-san. Business getting rough these days?"

"More than usual, at least, Yagami-san," Akiyama greeted him with a nod. "And what about you? Still making up the other half of Niijma's dynamic yakuza-hunting duo?"

"Just doing my job, smartass, that's it," Yagami seemed entirely unimpressed with Akiyama's banter. He then caught a glimpse of Akira behind Akiyama, seeming to take greater interest. "I heard the other guy was young, but didn't expect quite this young," he remarked. "Sakura pick you up out of high school, buddy? Wouldn't be the first time, lemme tell ya."

"This, Yagami-san," Sae added, coming up behind him, "is, if you can believe it, the kingslayer."

Yagami's interest increased greatly at that. "No kidding," he muttered. "You're the hero, kid?"

"Depends on who you talk to," Akira replied quickly, looking away to the other end of the street.

"Heard that the Sakura Clan seem to think so. And boy, would I like to hear the story of how they came to give you that title. I mean, I've heard the rumors, but hearing it straight from you would definitely be worth working a double shift."

"You and I can discuss it later," Sae said. "I already got his statement on that subject tonight."

"Wait, you did?"

"Correct. Now, take Akiyama-san's statement regarding the fight. I will take care of our little butcher," she glared at Akira icily.

Yagami shrugged, getting the hint immediately. "You're the boss. This way, Akiyama-san. This shouldn't take long."

"Certainly hope not," Akiyama shook his head. "My secretary is gonna hang me from the ceiling fan for getting back so late already."

They walked off, leaving Sae and Akira alone once again. "So, you're not taking me to the precinct?" asked Akira. "Why's that? Did I make that good an impression?"

"Not entirely," Sae replied. After she did, she quickly got in his face and pushed him against the wall, digging her elbow into his still sore throat.

"Gah-! What the hell!?"

"You fight well, I'll give you that," Sae sneered at him. "But don't fight back with me and listen, or I will drag your ass all the way to Tokyo P.D. headquarters and give you a proper interrogation." Akira did not struggle further. "I don't know if that has gotten through to you yet, but you are famous. Even the top brass at Kamuro P.D. knows about you and has for a while. That kind of reputation is something I despise. Another innocent just died for your little yakuza war – a civilian! I know it was those Kansai bastards, but still. You yakuza are destroying this city, and I will not stand by and let this war go on any further."

"Then… w-what do you want with me?"

"I'm not taking you downtown," Sae continued, "because Kamurocho is now your prison. Your cage. You say you're fighting for the greater good, then you're gonna show me exactly that until this shit is over. Whatever the Sakura Clan is doing, whatever happens next, you'll be my in until the police, the law, regains control of this shithole city, got it? If I need info, you drop everything and give it to me. If the yakuza target the police, you turn yourself in and tell me, regardless of your involvement in it or not. You are my prisoner, Kurusu, and Kamurocho is your cell.

But then, when we do regain control – and rest assured, we will -," Sae stepped back, letting Akira breathe, "then I never want to see you again. That is if, and only if, I don't find a reason to lock you up for life. And know that if a single hair stands up on my neck, if you take a single step out of the Tenkaichi Street gate, then I will make sure you and your entire Clan never see the light of day again. Doesn't matter where you go, to Kansai, Kyoto, even the U.S., wherever. I'll find you," she glowered at him, "and I will make all of you pay for every cop and civilian that's been hurt or killed over your war."

Akira nodded, though his insides did churn in fear of this woman's resolve, something he found both admirable and terrifying. "I told you I never want to come back here. I don't want anything to do with the yakuza, and I mean it. I'll help you end this war before it gets worse, Niijma-san," he said. "I promise."

Sae did not seem in any way moved by his proclamation, only addressing him with a cold distaste, as nothing he could say or do could make her see him as anything more than the scum they were in the process of arresting. "Then go," she said. "Before I change my mind."

Akira nodded, leaving without another word.

Kaz had arrived on the scene as well, and he and Yagami were discussing the night's events when Sae joined them, Akiyama having just been excused from the crime scene after his testimony was recorded.

Sae asked them, "What did that Akiyama guy have to do with any of this?"

"Apparently, the thugs were trying to shake him down for money," Yagami explained. "Akiyama attempted to delay them until the authorities could arrive, which allowed the few customers and employees to escape. Seems like the yakuza weren't interested in robbing them at all, just wanted Akiyama's funding for his loans."

"But if they weren't trying to rob the establishment or clientele," Kaz added, "then why do it out in broad daylight? Did they not know where Akiyama's business was? Everyone in the underworld knows that like they know where every Smile Burger joint is in town."

Sae stroked her chin thoughtfully. "You're right, it doesn't make sense at all. We'll have to press them on it back at the station. Kaz, do you need me to help with that tonight?"

"No, we'll just hold them overnight, work them over in the morning. I can handle the paperwork for Mashita, maybe get Ken to loosen them up before lights out. You two can get some rest before the real work begins."

Yagami then turned to Sae, his usual wry grin fading from his face. "By the way," he asked her, "what exactly were you doing with the kingslayer anyway? How did you find him?"

Sae had to pause to think through her answer before responding. "Turns out we had a contact in the Sakura Clan the whole time. He informed me of the kingslayer's potential location earlier tonight, and I investigated. I found him, asked him some questions about the Kamoshida incident and the ongoing gang war, and that was when we heard the gunshot coming from the curbside at this restaurant."

"Well, this sounds like quite the story," said Yagami.

"One I can tell you tomorrow. I need to discuss some details with the commissioner first though. I trust you understand, Yagami," Sae said with a less politeness in her expression than in her voice.

"I can take a hint, Niijima, don't worry. I know I'll hear about it soon enough." Yagami looked down the street, in the direction Akira had left before turning back to Sae. "Sure you weren't too hard on the kid, Niijima?" he asked Sae slowly. "He didn't seem like the monster some say he is."

"Doesn't matter to me if he grew up feeding the homeless," Sae replied curtly. "He's yakuza, no matter what he tells me or himself. And because of that, everyone's blood in this war is on his hands too. At this point, I don't give a damn if he saved a few women from a madman." She turned her head to the covered body of Mashita being carried away on a stretcher. "They all will pay for this war, Yagami. Every yakuza, even Sakura himself, will pay for the pain they've caused this city." Yagami said nothing. "Even if we have to end this war ourselves, I swear it, if the time comes," she paused, meeting Yagami's eyes, "I'll pull the trigger."

The walk back to LeBlanc was torturous, given his bruising and other pains. Takemi managed to patch him up, much to her dismay, since she had been trying to get to bed early for once, but she obliged him nonetheless. An hour later, he was in his bed, and four minutes later, he was asleep.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Ichiko Ohya received a surprise visit at her favorite bar from her favorite cop. And while the city of decadence finally was found by sleep, the press worked feverishly to report the news of another yakuza murder in the streets.

And so, the war went public the next morning, and a thick, cold fog covered the city and obscured the sunrise. The morning was dark, and a family wept tears of mourning for their murdered son.

[Reviews are always welcome. Thank you for your time and for reading so far.]