Chapter 24
Night of Fire
Meanwhile…
It was a warm night in Shimonosuke, with crickets chirping among the chattering of people coming and going outside the quiet bar Anri was currently drinking in. Before her on the bar was a rum and coke, though more like a "rum with coke", as there was significantly more rum in the glass than soda. Only a hint of the taste of the Coca Cola graced her tongue as she took another sip, staring off into space as the mama of the bar, her long-time friend Kiyomi Kasahara, cleaned the glasses of the last party that was leaving, and thus now leaving Anri alone in the bar.
Kiyomi was a gorgeous woman in her forties, only a few years older than Anri, who was approaching forty-two years of age. Kiyomi had short-cut dark hair and a soft, youthful face that won her many tips and fans when working as a hostess in Tokyo despite her more reserved personality before moving out to Shimonosuke to avoid the increasingly complicated life she had inadvertently created for herself, racking up debt, falling in with the wrong crowd, and attracting more than one stalker. Even in the small, close-knit town she now lived in, Anri was one of the only people to know so much about her past.
Kiyomi looked up from the glasses she was cleaning, noticing Anri was lost in thought. "Is everything alright, Anri?" she asked.
"Just the same as always," she replied flatly. "Takuto is stuck at work for at least another hour in a conference meeting with the other doctors, and I didn't feel like drinking alone."
"Everything weighing on you more than usual tonight?" Kiyomi asked, her voice tempered with that soft, genuine caring tone that made her such a popular shoulder to cry on.
Anri looked down at her drink and nodded slowly. "You haven't told anyone else about what happened, right?" she asked. "I'm sure Akira's friends have tried to ask you at least once about what happened."
"They have, but all I told them was that he was okay." Her expression then became more concerned. "He is still okay, right?"
"Far as I know. No news is good news." Anri took another slow sip of her glass, emptying the rest of the contents. She placed it on the table and pointed to it, indicating she wanted another round. Kiyomi picked it up and started preparing the cocktail.
"Have you tried calling him again?"
"Once. Sakura's men picked up instead, told me he was okay, and that he should be able to come home soon. But with everything I'm hearing on the news, I've still been worried."
"Have you done anything else?"
"I reached out to an old friend instead of Sakura after that. They'll look into it for me."
"That's good, I guess." Kiyomi placed the refilled glass on the counter, and Anri took a long swig of it, letting out a slow breath as the buzz enveloped her. "I've been worried about him too, honestly. Everyone around here has. I think fewer and fewer people are believing that he's away for some new job."
"It's not exactly untrue though."
"Yes, but the circumstances of his disappearance aren't exactly cut and dry. I hope your friend can provide us all with a bit of peace of mind."
"So do I," Anri nodded, her voice darkening into that deeper, raspy tone she naturally adopted when she was feeling more serious or perturbed. "That boy better be alright," she muttered. "If he's not, well, I'll just take down the whole Clan myself."
Kiyomi smiled at her genuine determination. "Now that would be some breaking news. Seeing one lone woman dismantling an entire Sakura Clan; you'd be an inspiration to young women for generations."
Anri obviously did not adhere to the attempted levity Kiyomi had put on. "It wouldn't be pretty, and I don't want to do it. But anything that happens to my son is my fault. I got sloppy, complacent. I won't forgive myself or anyone else if he gets hurt."
"Anri, it wasn't all your fault—"
"Just don't, Kiyomi," Anri interrupted her, staring her down with a fiery scowl that quickly softened as she heard her own more aggressive tone. "Just please… don't."
Kiyomi nodded and went back to cleaning her dishes. "I understand. Sorry."
Anri shook her head and took another swig of her drink. "No, I am. That was uncalled for."
"But not unsympathetic," said Kiyomi. "I can't imagine what you're going through."
Anri looked down at her drink. "You don't want to," she whispered before finishing her glass in a long drink. You better be alright, honey.
The bell at the door then rang loudly as the door was thrown open. Kiyomi yelped and jumped, but Anri just slowly looked over her shoulder to see four young men in trendy street clothing sauntering in, making vulgar jokes and comments about some schoolgirls who apparently had run away from them at their advances. "Shame," said the one in front, seemingly the leader – a stocky, tall man in his early twenties with a scruffy short beard and short, dark hair -, "the shorter girl had such a fine ass."
"You could have just grabbed her, you know," said a lankier young man to his left. "She must have been only half your size."
"I could have but it was too much trouble for what they were worth." The leader then looked Anri and Kiyomi's way, and he immediately licked his lips with a stupid grin. "Well, well, guess this town isn't a worthless shithole after all," he remarked, his eyes darting between the two older women. "This your bar, momma?" he asked Kiyomi.
"Yes," she responded strongly. "And given your attitude, I, as the owner of this bar, am going to ask you to vacate my property. I don't want you troubling my customers."
The leader laughed, and his subordinates did as well. "Customers? What customers? You've only got one, lady!" He pointed to Anri, who was only glaring at him over her shoulder. He approached her, sitting beside her at the bar, and the woman did not move a muscle. "And as sweet as you look, momma, I think my boys can handle you tonight, if you wanna close up shop. Your friend here is a bit more my type." His eyes travelled downward to Anri's endowed bust, but yet she still did not move. "What's your name, baby?" he asked her, spreading his legs in his seat. "Or does a woman as mature as you prefer 'mommy'?"
Anri's nose crinkled in disgust at his comments. She held up her left hand, showing off her wedding ring. "Even someone like you isn't so dumb as to not know what this is. Get lost," she commanded.
"Ah, c'mon, mommy, don't be like that!" His three other friends then leaned over the bar, eyeing Kiyomi up and down hungrily. "Whatever your man back home has got, I promise I can do so much better for ya. I'll bet he's got no idea how to really please these big tits you've got." He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away with her still raised left hand. He looked to her with indignant surprise.
"Get. Lost," she commanded once again.
The leader's eyes widened in anger, and he leaned over the counter and spat into her drink. Anri maintained her hot but stable glare. "I don't let old cunts like you talk to me like that, you hear!?" he shouted in her face. "Not to me or my boys!" They cheered him on in unison.
Anri's upper lips curled slightly as Kiyomi got more and more afraid. "Last chance," she said, her glare sharpening. "Leave now, or you will regret it."
The leader threw his head back in laughter, though none of his friends followed suit. "Or what, you old hag!? You gonna put us in timeout or something?"
Anri shot to her feet, and the room fell silent. She stood over him, showing off her strong and toned figure, evident even in her casual wear. "Kiyomi, call Dojima," she ordered, her eyes never leaving the suddenly more concerned leader. "Tell him he's going to need to make a late night trash run. And all of you," she addressed the delinquents, "outside. Now. We're not going to mess up my friend's bar over this."
"You're going to fight us?" the leader asked, flabbergasted. "Like, all of us?"
"That's right," Anri nodded. "Now move your asses outside."
The leader stood up, staring into Anri's eyes. "You think this is smart, cunt? I got lots of friends other than these guys, and they're gonna kick that big ass of yours worse than daddy ever did."
Quicker than he could even see, Anri shoved him backward into his friends. As they all tried to regain their footing, she was already at the door, holding it open for them. "Move it," she commanded. "Now."
The leader stood back up, rolled his shoulders, and walked over to her. "You're gonna regret this, bitch," he muttered to her, baring his teeth as he and his friends exited the bar.
"Just be thankful I've already had a few drinks tonight," Anri replied as they stepped out into the warm night air.
"Oh yeah? And why is that."
Anri cracked her neck to the left, then to the right. "Because I won't hit you quite as hard as I normally would," she said in a low, menacing tone. "Now, bring me everything you got," she beckoned them forward. "I guarantee it won't be enough."
…
As Akira and his friends exited the beef bowl restaurant and made their way onto Theater Square, the giant screen overlooking the main square, which normally showed news, movie trailers, and local advertisements, cut to a middle-aged male newscaster with a "special report". Beside him was an image of the Okumuras and the young man who was apparently Haru's fiancé trying to escape the paparazzi outside of a conference building. "What happened with them?" asked Ryuji.
The newscaster said, "Haru Okumura's radical views and call to action from the police this evening has prompted additional public protests around Tokyo, with more acts of protest and even alleged act of violence against police officers being reported as we speak. The heiress to the Okumura corporate empire was escorted away with her father and fiancé after being forcibly removed from the stage, and the already volatile public opinion regarding the increasing gang violence in the city has been thrown into an uproar." They then showed a replay of some Haru's comments before she was taken from the stage.
"What the hell?" Makoto muttered as they all watched on.
"We advise all pedestrians currently out in the city to exercise extreme caution, and consider returning to your home at the earliest opportunity. Public transportation is already seeing backups as major influxes of citizens attempt to get home in case of any more incidents."
Ann asked, "She really spoke out against the police? What was she thinking?"
"I guess," Akira added, "that she was thinking the police isn't doing enough to stop the Omi. Can't say I disagree with her, but that was still reckless."
"Would this be considered obstruction of justice?" asked Yusuke.
Makoto replied, "It's a PR nightmare at the very least. She just poured gas on a wildfire. Can't imagine what got into her."
"We should probably head back, guys," said Ryuji darkly. "We need to lay low for the night while this blows over."
"Good thinking, man," said Akira. "Let's call it a night, everyone."
Ann mustered a soft smile. "At least it was a good night," she said.
Yusuke nodded, smiling to himself. "Yes, it was." There was almost a wistful tremble in his voice, like he felt some tragic relief from something. With that, they made their way back to Tenkaichi Street, and sure enough, all the citizens around them seemed much more on edge, stealing sideways glances at the group of young people who may have been running with a bad crowd, by the look of them. An air of suspicion hung over Kamurocho, palpable and thick enough that it could be cut with a knife. The wind blew westward, cold and biting for the season, like an ill omen. The group walked a slight bit faster than normal back to the hotel…
…
Konikazu Okumura watched the telephone before him intently, nervously. He had nearly forgotten what nervousness felt like at this point, given that every problem he ever faced could be simply bought by himself or he could pay someone else to do it. But this problem, his own daughter's public betrayal of his campaign, had no such price tag on it. He was unable to do… anything about it, really. At least on his own. There was only one person who could solve this fiasco, and they—
The phone began to ring, and Okumura nearly jumped from his seat. His hand hesitated as it rang again, and again. Slowly, he picked it up and held it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Good evening, Okumura-san," said the raspy, deep voice on the other end. "We have been made aware of your predicament, and felt it appropriate to inform you that we are already arranging for its solution."
"And what will that entail?"
"Are you asking if your daughter will be harmed?"
Okumura felt the slightest inclination to hang up at that, but he knew the consequences would be dire if he did. "Yes," he said slowly. "Regardless of her reckless behavior, I wish to see no harm come to her."
"We will uphold that condition, Okumura-san. All we require is that you remain in your room until morning. Everything will be taken care of by the end of the night."
"What do you intend to do?" he asked, an embarrassing shakiness permeating his normally stalwart voice.
"Inform the public that their crisis of faith is foolish. That is all."
"And what of your boss, may I ask? Has he commented on the night's events yet?"
"He has elected to forestall any judgment until after our solution is executed. Should he require anything else from you, or your arrangement with him is to be altered, he will contact you tomorrow."
"I understand," Okumura nodded. "Just… please do not harm Haru. She doesn't deserve that."
"There is nothing to worry about, Okumura-san. Simply remain in your room until morning. We will call you if we require anything else. Have a good evening." The man hung up, and Okumura slumped into his seat, rubbing his eyes.
"This is all for my utopia," he muttered to himself. "A nation made perfect, bleached clean and pure. And to do that…" he thought of his daughter, of her speech, of her rebellious anger, "…then all black marks must be cleansed. Haru, my love," he looked up to the ceiling, letting her impassioned words replay in his mind, "you have disappointed me."
…
Haru stared out her window after being locked in her suite by the security guards. A hundred times already had she second guessed her speech, how she threw caution and the pre-written speech prepared for her to the wind, and simply spoke her mind for the first time in… No, finishing that sentence only made her more depressed.
She believed every word she had said wholeheartedly, and knew that the consequences of going against her father's wishes could be severe, but she cared not in the moment. As she cried out against the police's incompetence, she had never felt more empowered, alive even. She felt like a great agent of change at the precipice of history in that moment, saying what all others were fearful to even whisper.
And now she was locked in her room like a child in timeout. Truly not the embodiment of freedom and justice she had felt herself to be for that moment.
Below her was the city she had begun to truly revile. Its people were put in danger every day from the yakuza's inane conflicts, and now she hoped that at least one person would be rallied to justice and change by her words. Her access to the television was denied as well, so she could only imagine the public's reactions, if enough people saw it at all to impact anything. The speech was broadcast live, so someone had to see it. Maybe someone in a position of authority resonated with her words, and would enact the justice she was unable to on her own? Or perhaps, more humbly, one mother afraid to send her child to school had seen that someone out there spoke through the red tape and political expectations, and told it like it is, and she would feel a bit better about herself and her child being out in the world. Haru could only hope.
There was then a knocking at her door, and her heart nearly stopped when she heard her fiancé's voice from behind it. "Haru?" Sugiwara called out. "Are you alright? Your presence has been requested for a meeting regarding your… outburst."
"If my presence is 'requested'," she answered back, "then I believe I am within my right to decline? I do not feel up to anymore politicking tonight, Sugiwara."
"Unfortunately, your attendance has been strongly requested, dear, and so I must insist." The door was unlocked, and Haru's eyes shot open wide in fear as Sugiwara opened it, standing in the doorway with two bodyguards twice her size. And there it was. That smile. That devious grin he wore when he was feeling truly apathetic toward her own autonomy. "Come with us, Haru," he said, his grin becoming more snake-like. "I'm afraid there are consequences you must face for attempting to undermine your father's campaign."
"I did no such thing," she stood to her feet defiantly. "I simply made known my convictions regarding the safety of Tokyo and her people. I have done no wrong!"
"You spoke out of turn, and defied all our wishes for you," his smile disappeared, turning into a scowl. "But then again, you women never were the best at critical thinking, now, were you? Come. I will not ask again."
Haru stepped back toward the wall but had nowhere else to go. She breathed deeply, preparing for whatever was about to come next. If there truly are such "consequences" to my actions, she thought, then why not double down? Just this once? She glared at her fiancé, lowering her gaze. "Go to hell, Daigo," she sneered.
"You fucking bitch!" Daigo charged her faster than she could relent. She tried to struggle under his grip, but he was barely too strong. He was a weakling by most men's standards, but still stronger than her.
"Let me GO!" she cried, trying to wrestle away from him, then kicking his legs in an attempt to escape.
"Just shut up and move!" He dragged her backward, the bodyguards moving in to assist Daigo. They covered her mouth to repress her screams as they led Haru down a private elevator to the underground parking lot, normally only available to high-ranking employees, celebrities and public officials who wished to enter and exit the hotel without harassment from civilians and the press. Haru continued to resist as she was shoved into a black limousine, her mouth being gagged and her hands tied behind her.
Immediately after the vehicle started up, she headbutted Daigo in the nose, causing him to bleed. He looked to her with scorn before slapping her across the face once, then again. "You stupid bitch!" he shouted, slapping her again, bruising her cheek. "One of these days, you're going to have to learn some fucking respect!" Daigo slapped her one more time, harder than ever, causing her to double over to the side as the car sped out of the parking lot and onto the street. Tears welling in her eyes, Haru looked to her fiancé with fiery resentment, even growling in frustration against the cloth gag.
She then noticed that said gag had been loosened…
…
Akia and his friends were finally approaching Tenkaichi Street, and coming up on the front of LeBlanc. The sidewalk was less busy then normal for this time of night, with many people seeming to head back to the famous Tenkaichi Tori Gate to get to the Kamurocho Metro Station than there were people entering the pleasure district for a night on the town. As they approached LeBlanc, they saw a beautiful steel gray Honda Prelude sport car coming up to park in front of the hotel, and as it parked, out came Kawakami from the passenger's seat, dolled up in a short but classy dress. Even her normally frizzy bedhead was freshly styled, all coming together to give her a truly gorgeous image.
"Oh boy," Ryuji muttered. "You think she's turning a trick now?"
"Poor woman," Ann said, putting her hand over her heart. "Sakura shouldn't be taking advantage of her like that! She shouldn't have to sell herself just to make ends meet when she's already working so hard!"
Kawakami then stepped back onto the sidewalk as the driver's door opened. And then, exiting the vehicle, was Iwai.
"HUH?!" Ann exclaimed.
"What is this?" asked Makoto.
"THE FUCK!?" Ryuji shouted.
"I'll be damned," muttered Akira, crossing his arms.
"Hmm," Yusuke nodded. "Good for her."
Kawakami and Iwai then embraced tenderly before kissing each other. There was little lust or illicit intentions behind their actions, but instead, genuine affection and love. They then snapped out of their revelry, and Kawakami's hands covered her mouth in embarrassment as she noticed the young adults watching them with varying levels of dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
Iwai simply sighed, slouching his shoulders. "It's not what you think, kids," he said flatly. "We're dating."
"Wow, really!?" Ann beamed, rushing over to them. Out of obligation and mutual curiosity, her friends followed suit. "Congratulations, Kawakami-san!" she exclaimed as her former teacher continued to blush bright pink.
"Um, thank you, Ann," she giggled with girlish embarrassment. "Though, it's only been for a little while. There's nothing to get too excited about."
"And please keep your voice down," Iwai added in a low, gravelly voice. "Given the nature of our work, we're trying to keep this one the down low for now."
"Oh, right, sorry," Ann said sheepishly.
Ryuji then stepped up beside her. "Never thought I'd see the day, Iwai," he smirked. "I thought you'd just be a lonely, grumpy old man for your whole life."
"I'm not old, jackass," Iwai lowered his eyes at Ryuji. "We just got talking, hit it off well, and decided to try things out. You know, like adults tend to do things. Maybe you'll learn that one day, or you'll be the lonely, grumpy old man you were just talking about."
"Pfft, not on your life," Ryuji said confidently. "I just haven't found the right woman to settle down with yet."
Ann then snided, "I'm sure your previous attempts were quite a show, at least. Though they don't seem to have worked out well."
"And who asked you?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow at Ann. "Because it wasn't me, that's for sure."
Akira added, "Are you sure this is the best time though, Iwai-san? I mean, with everything being so crazy lately, is it dangerous to be out on the town like that?"
"Not at all. Everyone who matters around here knows me. And the main reason I took her out was because we both needed a break. There was no trouble at all; actually a pretty quiet night, all things considered."
"Well, that's good," Akira nodded, turning to Kawakami. "Congratulations, anyway, Kawakami-san. I hope you guys can get some rest after—" A metal crash, the screech of tires, and the screams of frightened pedestrians sounded off from the next street over. "Fuck," Akira deadpanned, baring his teeth.
A limousine came peeling out around the corner, nearly plowing into a family as they tried to cross the street. The engine roared as it slid into the curb, causing it to slow down for just a moment. The group watched on, Kawakami clinging to Iwai, as they saw, to their shock, a familiar young woman pressing against the glass of the window as the limo tried to speed back up again.
"HEEELP!" she cried out, the fearful plea made audible even behind the window. "HELP ME!" As the limo passed them, they caught a better glimpse of the young woman as she was pulled backward by someone in the back seat with her.
"Haru Okumura?" asked Makoto. "That was Haru!"
"She's in trouble," Akira clenched his fists. "Is there anything we can do?"
Ryuji quickly turned back to look at Iwai, who saw in his determined expression exactly what the younger man meant even before he spoke a word. "You sure?" Iwai asked.
"Of course, I'm sure," Ryuji lowered his gaze.
Iwai hesitated for a second as another family was nearly hit by the careening limo, but then handed Ryuji his keys. "You break it, you buy it."
Ryuji nodded and started getting in the car, with Akira being the first to notice. "Whoa, what are you doing, man!?"
"Something very cool, and very stupid!"
"Should we come with you?" Makoto asked.
"Trust me," he met all their gazes, a confident smirk appearing on his face, "you don't want to."
Ryuji got in the car, started the engine with a roar, and absolutely gunned the gas, peeling out of the parking spot with a screech of the tires that sent smoke billowing into the air before shooting down the street. While the limousine barely managed to avoid the terrified pedestrians, Ryuji in his Honda deftly avoided any and all potential collateral damage, driving like a man possessed with a ferocious grace.
"This is crazy!" Ann exclaimed, looking to Iwai. "Why did you just let him go?"
"Because, kid," Iwai shook his head, "he's just that good. Come on, we'll follow him in one of the vans." Iwai turned to Kawakami and gave her one last kiss. "I'll be back soon, promise," he whispered.
"You better," she nodded. "Good luck, all of you," and she went back into the hotel.
Yusuke shook his head as they made their way to the private parking lot of the hotel. "I've heard about his racing career a while ago," he said. "If what they've told me is true, we may not even need to catch up to him."
"But we're not leaving him to fight alone," Akira replied resolutely.
"I agree, I'm just saying that I have confidence Okumura-san is in good hands. Let's just hope his racing skills have not waned since last he hit the track…"
…
Haru screamed and wrestled away from Daigo as he tried to gag her once more, the driver finally pulling the limo out of Kamurocho and onto the main road going toward the highways. "Where's that backup!?" Daigo shouted.
"They'll rendezvous with us on the highway," said the driver.
"Good, because—Ahg! You bitch!" Haru had kicked him in the knee hard enough to make it difficult to move for a second before Daigo tackled her in her seat, laying on top of her to hold her down. "We really did not need to be this forceful, you know, Haru." She only could groan and scream into her gag in response. "We wanted this to be easy, painless. But you're too fucking stupid to see even that! You didn't even give me the chance to explain myself. All of this is your fault, Haru!" She screamed and cried into her gag as she tried to wrestle herself free.
No, this isn't my fault! Nothing about this or our relationship is my fault! You're just a worthless monster!
She was pulled back to reality in fearful disgust as she felt Daigo start to grind himself against her rear lightly, his breathing getting heavier against her ear. Tears welled in Haru's eyes as she screeched the best she could while being gagged, turning into an angry, muffled wail as she felt violated by her captor.
Daigo shouted, "Do you have anything to shut this bitch up!?"
"Once we reach the drop-off, we will—" The driver looked into his rear-view mirror, and saw two headlights rapidly approaching as they exited onto the highway. "What the…?" he muttered.
"What is that?" asked the other bodyguard. "That one of our boys?"
"No, I don't think so. All of our boy's drive black cars!"
"Then it could be the cops, you idiots!" shouted Daigo. "Or some dumbass hero. Whoever it is, ram them off the fucking road!"
"Yes, sir." The limo slowed to let the pursuing vehicle come up on its back end, then slammed the breaks and plowed into the Honda's backside, causing it to spin out backwards, throwing the tail of the car out.
"Nice one!" Daigo exclaimed, with Haru trying to peer out the window to see just what the hell was going on.
But then, the driver gasped as he looked into the mirror. "Look!"
"What now!?" Daigo yelled, getting off Haru to look behind the car. Everyone in the limo looked behind them, and saw the same silver Honda Prelude still coming up on them, but…
Driving backwards.
"WHAT!?" shouted the driver.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" the other bodyguard exclaimed.
Daigo screeched, "NANIIIIIEH!?"
Ryuji was gritting his teeth as his engine roared down the highway, avoiding every car by him as he drove backwards through the lanes. He slammed the brakes and adjusted the gear shift and clutch, spinning the car around to point forward toward the limo and the car roared as it was put back into drive and Ryuji floored the gas pedal. Into the higher gears, the car powered on, and he quickly came up on the limo.
"Can't hit them too hard," Ryuji said to himself. "Don't wanna hurt Haru… Just gotta make sure they don't escape!"
He pulled up beside the limo, which tried to sideswipe him, but he slammed the brakes and narrowly avoided the strike, pulling around the other side and clipping the driver's side mirror with his vehicle, breaking it off. Ryuji caught the driver's awestruck attention, gave him a nasty smile and flipped him off.
More cars came up from the nearby exit, all in black like the limo. "Must be reinforcements," said Ryuji. "Alright then, you guys wanna race?" He eased off the gas, letting the cars approach him. "Then let's fucking race! THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR!"
Tried as all the cars might, they were unable to even touch Ryuji. He avoided every attempted rear-ender, sideswipe, everything they could possibly throw at him all while staying right on the tail of the limo holding Haru. He even managed to cause two other cars to crash into each other, blocking the path of the other four. Ryuji baited the first car into following him up just ahead of the second, threw the back end of his Honda out, crushing the wheel of the car on his left and causing it to spin out into the other car behind it with a sickening clanging of metal.
"WOOOO-YEAAAH!" Ryuji pumped his fist in the air. "I'VE FUCKING MISSED THIS!"
The limo came upon an exit and quickly slammed its breaks, which Ryuji reacted to quickly enough to avoid a hit, but only barely. He nearly lost control as the limo nearly flew through the barrier of the exit but managed to stay on the road, but Ryuji was still trying to regain traction on his own car. God, I hope I remember how to do this, he thought as he remembered his training, his races…
His drift events.
Ryuji floored the brakes as he came upon the exit ramp and turned the steering wheel as hard as it could go. The tires screeched like a banshee and the engine roared in protest, but Ryuji leaned his entire body into the turn with a great battle cry as the tail end of the sport car avoided hitting the barrier by only a couple inches. With continuous screeching of the tires, he powerslid into the exit ramp and down the road, burning the pavement with the sheer force of the friction. He continued to cry out as it felt like the axels were about to snap, but Ryuji knew in his gut, in his instincts, that he could make this drift and catch up to them.
Daigo, Haru, and the bodyguards watched on in awe as the Honda Prelude flew down the road in a drift before the wheels turned and it straightened back out, the engine revving up into a power charge once again. "That's not possible!" shouted Daigo. "That's fucking impossible!"
"Who is this guy—" the driver asked aloud before realizing he was about to crash into a tree. Everyone in the car screamed as he tried to turn the vehicle away, but it was too large and the downforce too great, and it started careening uncontrollably into the side of the road. That was until something nudged them on the side, and they slowed down as something else crashed into the tree behind them. The Honda's passenger side made full contact at nearly seventy kilometers an hour, and the limo screeched to a halt before much more lightly hitting the wall of the underpass.
Haru's ears were ringing as they finally came to a stop. Daigo held her in his arms tightly, and she had not the strength anymore to fight him, but simply to hope that whoever was trying to stop her captors had not died in the crash.
"Get going," the driver said to the other guard. "Make sure that mother fucker died in the crash. If he didn't, then repaint that nice car in his brains."
"You got it, boss," the bodyguard took out a pistol and exited the car, walking to the Honda. The windows were cracked, the body was dented and scratched, and the engine was smoking. "Sorry sight for such a pretty car," said the guard. "If you're not dead in there, then sound off so I won't have to look for you, asshole!" There was no response. The guard walked over the driver's door, and saw it was empty. Only a small spot of blood was left on the seat. "What the…?" The door beside him then flung open, smashing his hand and causing him to cry out.
Ryuji dove out of the back seat and grabbed the larger bodyguard before slamming his head into the hood of the car three times, denting it and staining it with blood. He then threw the guard's head onto the driver's seat, let his body slide back just a bit, and slammed the door on the man's bleeding head with a kick. He toppled to the ground, groaning as he lost consciousness, and Ryuji was left standing. "I'll be back for your wallet, asshole," he said, breathing heavily. "I'm not paying for every bit of this shitshow."
Ryuji picked up the gun the bodyguard had been holding, checked to make sure it was loaded, and made his way over to the limo, holding the pistol in front of him. "Bring out the girl!" he commanded. "Bring her to me and you'll live to see morning!" Just to make sure there would be no escape attempts, he then shot the tire of the limo, causing it to rapidly deflate. "Now you got nowhere to run, pal! Just bring her out and we can handle this easily!"
The driver's door and the rear passenger's door opened, and another tough looking bodyguard walked out with a younger man with red hair, holding Haru up by her fluffy hair, seemingly still in a daze. "That was some fancy driving, sir!" said the younger man, Daigo, with a smile. "Have you ever considered growing pro? My family is a partnered owner in a car manufacturing company, and your skills could be put to great use on the track as our brand representative!"
"Give me the girl and fuck off," Ryuji commanded. "Or would you rather not live long enough to tell your Omi bosses how you completely failed in kidnapping one politician?"
"More like 'political inconvenience'," Daigo replied. "Look, buddy, this is far more complicated than you're aware, but I'm willing to forgive all this Speed Racer bullshit if you just toss us the gun and walk on back home, deal?"
"Do you want me to shoot you, man?"
"I'd rather you not, but trust me, every second you spend pointing that gun at me makes your little war a lot more complicated than it already is. Walk away. Now." The driver pulled out a gun of his own and aimed it at Ryuji.
Ryuji looked to the driver, then to the younger man, then to Haru, who still seemed terrified of the situation. He nodded to her, and after a moment, she nodded back. He raised his hands with the gun slowly, and Ryuji, Daigo, and the driver all began to chuckle.
"Have you seen reason?" asked Daigo. "Going to play nice after all that? Or have you perhaps suffered a head injury as a result of your crash."
"Nope," Ryuji smirked. "I just thought that what's going to happen next would be way funnier."
"What?"
The sound of another roaring engine was suddenly coming toward them, distracting everyone except Ryuji who shot out the leg of the driver and charged Daigo and Haru in the confusion. He grabbed Haru and easily wrenched her away from him as she screamed, then dove to the ground as a large black van came barreling toward them, rear-ending the crashed limo. The side door slid open, and there was Akira kneeling in the doorway. "Come with me if you wanna live!" he shouted to Ryuji and Haru. Sure enough, there were more cars following them, but they did not seem to be associated with the Sakura Clan. A whole line of enemy vehicles were coming off the highway exit, and Ryuji and Haru jumped into the van.
"Get us the fuck out of here!" Ryuji shouted at Iwai, who was driving the van.
Iwai spared one last mournful glance at his beloved car before they drove off just as the cars were starting to approach. Instead of driving back onto the highway, they instead veered off into a nearby neighborhood, not stopping until all pursuers had lost them. This took only a couple minutes, but it was only after they stopped that Ryuji and Haru realized how closely they were holding each other, both still breathing heavily. They separated and Ryuji took the cloth gag out of her mouth.
With tears welling in her eyes, she looked around to all of her rescuers and sputtered out, "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Ryuji nodded to her. "All part of the job, Miss. You okay?"
"Well, no. Not at all."
"Right. Dumb question…"
"But I am unharmed," she continued, "if that's what you were asking. A few bruises, but nothing serious."
"On your face," Ann pointed out. "Is that from the crash? Did you hit your head?"
Haru then felt her bruised cheek, looking away shamefully. "No. This was from my fian-… captives," she corrected herself.
"Were they yakuza?" asked Iwai from the driver's seat. "Do you know who captured you? And why?"
"No, they were no such thing! At least, I think." She was none too sure anymore what was going on. "They were my bodyguards and… my fiancé."
"What?" asked Makoto. "Your fiancé kidnapped you?"
Haru hesitated before answering, "Yes," with a slow nod. More tears then fell down her face, no matter how she tried to stop them. "I'm sorry," she whispered, holding her face in her hands as the shock of the situation washed over her. "I'm so sorry, Daddy." She was unable to come up with any coherent thought as she descended into a panicked shock. Ann and Makoto took her into the back seat and held her as she cried, wrapping her arms around herself.
Ryuji and Akira sat in the middle seat, with Yusuke sitting in the passenger seat next to Iwai. Ryuji shook his head as he looked at Haru trying to calm herself down, then waved his hand to Iwai. "Drive, man," he said. "Get us home before anything else happens."
"On it."
"Oh, uh… And sorry about your car."
"We can talk about it later," Iwai replied quickly, looking back at the girls who did not even know Haru, but were still trying their best to help her. "We obviously have bigger things to worry about tonight."
And they drove on, and Haru gradually got more and more quiet.
My life is over. My life is over. I've failed everyone, and even my own family is out to get me. Father… Daddy… I thought you loved me…
[Reviews are always appreciated.]
