A/N: Depictions of violence and Kaoruko being well, Kaoruko.

Enjoy!


4.- Blood-colored swan


Despite what Kaoruko made others believe, Maya could handle her liquor way better than expected, and a few bottles of sake and several plates of food later, the heiress still looked fine, unlike Kaoruko that was leaning on Futaba with heavy-lidded eyes.

Suddenly, the door of the restaurant slid open loudly, and the three women turned to look at the entrance alerted by the loud voices of the new patrons.

Futaba and Maya exchanged glances, and Kaoruko sat straight now and, out of reflex, her right hand rested between her short sword and her Mini Uzi.

Noticing how Kaoruko suddenly sobered up and was now observing the three women like a hawk, Maya decided on grabbing her coat from the back of the chair and putting it on to conceal her twin pistols and throwing knives. Futaba was less subtle and just placed her gun on the table while slowly sipping on her beer.

"I apologize but we are having a private party," the owner of the restaurant told the newcomers.

"We just want something warm to eat," the shortest of the three women added in a thick Japanese accent while closing her dark umbrella "as soon as the rain stops, we will leave"

"I am sorry-"

"We can pay you handsomely," the short blonde snapped her fingers, and the one with purple hair by her right withdrew a wad of bills and handed it to the owner "see? We have enough money and, honestly, we don't want to go back to the rain"

"Let them in, it's pouring outside" Maya stated in a serious tone that left no room for discussion and the owner stepped aside to let the three women enter the restaurant. The heiress was also curious about the three foreign girls as this area was not frequented by tourists.

The tallest of the three had amber eyes and purple hair while the other two were blonde. The shorter one had light brown eyes and short straight hair that didn't reach her shoulders while the slightly taller blonde had wavy hair and gentle blue eyes.

This last one, however, caught Maya's attention as she had this feeling of seeing her somewhere before, but she could not just recall where exactly that was. The three carried small purses and shopping bags so they could be easily mistaken for lost tourists, and looking at the inebriated state of two of them, it was easy to conclude that they were from abroad.

"I thank you for your kindness," a soft voice of a young blonde with a sweet smile and a deep bow added the moment she stood in front of Maya, and Kaoruko observed her with a raised eyebrow; she could tell that the innocent looking blonde had set her eyes on the heiress.

"You are very welcome," Maya smiled and replied with a smaller bow of her head "now go and warm up"

"Thanks, I will," the blonde replied with a beaming smile before turning on her heel and joining the other two on the table across from Maya's.

"You definitely can't resist a cute face, huh Tendo?" Futaba teased and the heiress turned to look at the pink-haired woman with an amused smile and a tilted head.

"Maya-han has a soft spot for blondes, which makes me wonder" Kaoruko raised her head and tapped her chin "why she is with that Tomoe-han who is not blonde at all"

"I enjo-"

"I can't believe that the Französischer Müll hasn't noticed it yet," the shortest blonde stated rather loudly, and Maya stopped talking at the mention of something in a language she had learned during her time studying abroad with Kaoruko.

French trash? I wonder who that might be, Maya mused before clearing her throat and resuming her reply to Kaoruko "as I was saying, I enjoy Tomoe-san's company as she's a nice distraction from all the bloody mess our lives can be at times"

"That's cold even for you, Tendo," Futaba added with a shake of her head and a chuckle.

"A nice distraction, she says" Kaoruko air quoted with a bitter laugh "so she's like a pet"

"It's not-"

"It's funny how she believes she will rule over Europe and us with that little gang of hers," the one with purple hair added with a laugh, and the blonde that thanked Maya was trying hard to calm them down because they were being too loud as they thought nobody would understand them speaking in German.

"I know for sure that it's just a matter of time until we take over this little gang in the middle of nowhere," the short blonde added before finishing her sake and ordering a refill "she won't see it coming until it's too late"

"Schwarzer Schwan will be making her move sooner than later," the short blonde added "and it won't take long for us to rule this part of the world and that Französischer Müll will be too distracted to try anything against us," she shook glasses with the one with purple hair and under the mortified gaze of the taller blonde.

Black swan? Now, this sounds familiar somehow. I should ask Kagura-san to see if she has an inkling about this.

Maya mulled over before withdrawing her phone "I will ask Kagura-san about this, so please don't cause any trouble while I am gone" Maya looked at Kaoruko who raised her arms and nodded with a small smile.

The heiress didn't look convinced, but she really wanted to know about the strange yet threatening words the three foreign women used just to be sure that they were not directed to her family, so she stood and walked to the second floor of the restaurant to get some privacy.

"I still don't understand why you hate Kuro-san so much, Otori-senpai," the taller blonde asked before taking a sip of her warm sake "she's hard-working and considerate with everyone."

"You just say that because you two have that hideous fishing habit," the shorter blonde spat before slamming her glass against the table and never reverting from German as she noticed how the blue and pink-haired women were overhearing them "she's weak and I hate weak"

"But still she's quite respected by the major bosses in Europe," the taller blonde replied in the same language.

"That will end soon, do not fret" the shorter blonde added before laughing evilly "my dream of supporting our boss to become the head of the biggest gang in the world is getting so close that I can almost feel all that power coursing through my veins"

"That's quite an interesting dream you have, don't you think, Futaba-han?" Kaoruko added in perfect German and loud enough for the three foreigners to hear her, but she was with her eyes set on Futaba when she talked "the bad thing about dreams is that when you wake up, you realize that everything was just a figment of your imagination."

"So damn true," Futaba chuckled before accidentally spilling her beer all over her gun. Both women were as drunk as two of the three foreigners, so the clash was inevitable.

"Why are you prying on our conversation, you midgets?" the purple-haired one spat at Futaba that suddenly stood up and pointed her dripping gun to the face of the one that called her something that she loathed.

"What did you just call me?" Futaba took a step forward towards the one that offended her and stopped the moment the purple-haired woman pointed the tip of a thick stun baton to Futaba's face.

"We don't want any trouble" the taller blonde raised from her seat and tried to mediate to no avail.

"Sorry little blonde-han, but you are ten seconds too late" Kaoruko added before stabbing the table with her short sword and standing with her head held high "it's better if you leave before this ends tragically, because, let me tell you" Kaoruko now waved her mini Uzi as if it was her beloved fan "last time someone crossed us, Kinomoto-han here had to close for months when we repainted the place in dripping magenta and blood is not that easy to get rid of, right, Kinomoto-han?"

"Y-yes Hanayagi-sama," the poor man bowed deeply before hiding behind the bar and pressing an emergency button under the counter. The police would never dare to enter and arrest anyone in his restaurant, but he knew that Kagura Hikari will deal with anything, especially if the heiress of the hakuchu-gumi might be in danger.

"I should pay attention to her if I were you, guys," Futaba added before placing her finger on the trigger right after making sure the safety was off "we don't take well when foreigners come to our turf to disrespect us"

"Shut up, dwarf" the purple-haired was now on her feet followed by the shorter blonde that also withdrew a semi-automatic handgun and cocked it before pointing it at Kaoruko.

"Sorry, Kinomoto-han, but I think we might start redecorating your bar again, so start choosing the color you want your walls repainted," the blue-haired woman stated darkly before shooting a warning round to the feet of the women that winced at the gun's loud sound that made their ears ring "nobody offends Futaba-han in my presence, understood?"

Hearing the shots that Maya recognized as coming from Kaoruko's gun, made her cut the call with Hikari short and rush down the stairs to see what was happening with her twin pistols at the ready.

What is that idiot doing?

"Do you think we would get intimidated by that toy gun of yours?" the short blonde mocked and withdrew her own Heckler&Koch USP "this is a real weapon" she shouted before aiming at a watercolor painting of Furano's flower fields and shooting three times making Kaoruko blink, but her eyes grew wide when she heard how a body slumped behind the wall where the painting was hanged.

Maya-han!

Kaoruko exchanged a quick glance with Futaba before tossing her mini-Uzi to her protegee that caught it midair while throwing her weapon to her superior. The pink-haired woman then, opened fire immediately while the blue-haired woman rushed to see if Maya was okay.

The three foreigners flipped a table, hid behind it, and started shooting against them. Futaba then hid behind their own flipped table before taking her secondary gun from her waist and firing two shots at the purple-haired woman that staggered and fell, clutching her forearm that sported a clean hole that started gushing blood almost immediately. This gave Futaba precious time to reload Kaoruko's submachine gun.

The foreigners didn't have time to react when a second shot grazed the short blonde's cheek, and a third one, courtesy of Maya's twin pistols, impacted on her calf the moment, she was trying to flip the closest table to the exit to take cover.

Just when Futaba was about to start spraying bullets at them, the taller blonde threw a knife at her, but the pink-haired woman was able to take cover behind the table once more, and the knife stabbed the wooden surface instead. It was more a distraction that the three foreign women took and rushed out of the bar and into the rainy night.

"Serves you right, you cowards," Futaba shouted before rushing to where Kaoruko went and her purple eyes widened at the blood gushing from Maya's right shoulder.

"Oh, fuck, Aoi-sama is going to kill us," the pink-haired woman stated before facepalming "tomorrow is the kendo match and now you are wounded."

"It's not as bad as it looks, Futaba-san" Maya added in a strangely calm tone despite her pale face and her hands full of her blood.

"You were lucky that the only bullet that hit you went right through you, Maya-han" Kaoruko commented with a hint of worry before turning to Futaba "go get the car while I help Maya-han"

"I will call the doctor first," Futaba replied before fishing her phone from her pants pocket.

"There's no need, I have already called her and she will be waiting for us in my apartment" Maya replied before wincing when Kaoruko added more pressure to stop the bleeding.

Suddenly, the bar filled with women in dark suits and blue ties carrying rifles, not a second later, a dark-haired woman entered the bar with a frown before bowing deeply when she saw Maya "Tendo-sama, a car is ready to take you to the doctor" Hikari's blue eyes then narrowed when she glared at Futaba and Kaoruko that averted their gazes "I will personally escort you"

"There's no need, Kagura-san"

"I insist" Hikari pressed.

"Fine, you girls please take care of your injuries, I will see you tomorrow in the banquet," a lightheaded Maya added when she passed by both Futaba and Kaoruko before walking to the dark car waiting for her at the entrance of the bar.

"Sorry for the mess, Kinomoto-han," Kaoruko added before walking towards the exit of the tavern "I will send one of our construction companies tomorrow to fix the place, again" the man just bowed deeply and, when all the women left, he sat down on a stool and drank from the bottle of the strongest liquor he had.

It was the fourth time in the last two months that the blue devil had smashed his bar, but, at least, she always fixed his place afterward unlike Hikari that last time just left him behind with several mutilated bodies, some empty trash bags, and a sticky note that said 'put them in the trash bags, and I will pick them up later'.


"Do you have any idea how lucky you are, Maya-sama?" the doctor asked while stitching the heiress' shoulder who bit her lower lip, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath when she felt the needle puncturing her skin.

"People have told me that before, yes" Maya replied in a calm tone while trying not to punch someone for not accepting any painkillers or anesthesia.

Inane traditions of resisting pain.

Such a bothersome custom.

"The bullet went right through your shoulder and didn't injure the subclavian artery nor the brachial plexus or I would be performing your autopsy instead" the doctor scolded while wrapping Maya's arm in clean bandages "it also didn't leave any shrapnel behind and didn't hit any bone; you are so lucky indeed"

"Thank you, sensei" Maya jumped from the gurney and flexed her fingers of her injured arm, and winced when pain shot down her limb.

"You must not do anything that would strain your arm at risk of tearing your stitches and bleeding to death," the doctor warned and Maya stiffened.

The kendo match is in around twelve hours.

Oh, no.

"Have these" the doctor gave the heiress a bottle with strong painkillers "take one every eight hours" Maya hummed before opening the plastic container, and taking one pill that she immediately swallowed "these pills are strong and will make you sleepy, so you'd better rest."

"Thank you, sensei" the heiress added with a slight bow that the medic mirrored before picking up the bloody bandages and discarding them in the trash can in the kitchen. Once done, she was escorted to the door by Hikari.

Maya slumped on her couch and looked up before releasing a long sigh. She knew that she had to participate in the kendo match the next day and give her all despite the injury she now had.

"Maya-sama," Hikari spoke slowly when she saw the brunette yawning; she was indeed exhausted; it had been such a long and eventful day.

"Kagura-san, not a word about this to okaa-sama, understood? And that is an order" Maya stated with her eyes closed.

"As you wish, Maya-sama," Hikari replied and bowed. When she looked up once more, her azure orbs locked with incensed amethyst.

"One more thing" Maya stated in an icy tone "find those three foreigners but don't kill them, I will do that myself."

"I have two squads looking for them as we speak," Hikari replied in a serious tone "we won't rest until we found them."

"Good" Maya tried to stand up but the meds were starting to take effect so she decided to stay where she was, at least, until Hikari left "you are dismissed."

"Good night, Maya-sama" the dark-haired woman bowed before turning on her heel and left the apartment.

"Good night, Kagura-san," Maya replied quietly and didn't move from the couch until she heard Hikari closing the front door. Then, the heiress tried to stand up to fall back on the sofa; it was as if all her strength had abandoned her.

Maya took several deep breaths and tried again. She was finally able to stand and walk to her bed, the medication already kicking in. The dizzy brunette stripped the rest of her clothes and decided to take a warm bath to relax.

When she realized that she had fallen asleep in the tub and the bandages were soaked, Maya removed them and changed into a loose white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue shorts before getting under the covers and falling asleep in a matter of seconds.


"Maya-sama," a soft voice called and the heiress mumbled something in her sleep, but didn't move an inch "the Sakura banquet will begin in four hours" that last sentence made Maya open her eyes and stare at the one waking her up.

The moment the brunette tried to sit on the mattress, her vision blurred, and her right arm failed her which made her lean to her right side almost falling from the bed.

This will certainly be a problem.

"Good morning, Tomoe-sa-"

"Is that blood?" the blue-haired woman interrupted and Maya stiffened before, out of reflex, covering her right shoulder with her left hand.

"What are you talking about, Tomoe-san?" Maya asked in a neutral tone that made Tamao roll her eyes. Not a second later, she was glaring at Maya with such intensity that the heiress released a long sigh and removed her left hand from her right shoulder "I just had a small accident last night"

"So small that you are bleeding," Tamao then proceeded to lift Maya's T-shirt that complied while stifling a yawn "such a small accident that you have a bleeding shoulder."

"It is nothing serious, I assure you," Maya added in the most calming tone she was able to muster despite the growing headache she was experiencing.

"Then, you won't mind that I take a closer look, right?" the shamisen player asked and the heiress, that was in no mood to argue, just nodded. Tamao removed the t-shirt and shook her head at the stitched wound "the skin is very red and swollen"

"Oh"

"Oh? Is that all you have to say?" Tamao then tried to grab Maya's phone from the nightstand "I should call Aoi-sama to let her know you are in no condition to take part in the match."

"You cannot do that!" Maya exclaimed before slapping Tamao's hand that withdrew it at once "it would mean an automatic loss for us, and we would have to face hefty penalties"

"But your arm is not in good shape," Tamao tried to reason with the heiress to no avail.

"As I said, it is not as bad as it looks, and nobody can know about this, especially not my mother" Maya added in a warning tone "do I make myself clear, Tomoe-san?"

"Su-sure, M-Maya-sama" Tamao bowed deeply and lowered her gaze "I am just worried about-"

I don't need anyone.

"I didn't ask you to worry about me, Tomoe-san" Maya snapped coldly before getting off of the bed and heading to her bathroom.

When she reached the door, the heiress turned her head slightly and pretended not to notice how tears escaped Tamao's eyes "your services won't be needed today," Maya stated loud enough for the blue-haired woman to raise her gaze and nod softly before the heiress disappeared behind the bathroom's door.


Right in the middle between the Tokyo Central Station and the Imperial Palace, the OMY district, Otemachi-Marunouchi-Yurakucho, was located. The vibrant and lively hub attracted people even during weekends with its wide array of shops, cafes, restaurants, museums, fitness clubs mixed with the main offices of the legal businesses of both the Hakuchu and Kitsune-gumi among branches of important multinational companies. So, there was no better place to hold the Sakura banquet than the very center of Tokyo and Japan.

At the top of an imposing and exquisitely designed tower, was the 3 Michelin stars HK restaurant. A sophisticated place with modern decoration that included a private aquarium and the most breathtaking views of Tokyo.

Today, however, was not open to the public as both of its owners would have a private gathering; the Sakura banquet that had not been celebrated for the last five years when both bosses decided to stop and wait for their heiresses to be old enough to become the new bosses and carry on with the tradition.

"Himari-san, I haven't seen you in a while," Tendo Aoi commented the moment she sat in front of her counterpart.

"Aoi-chan, didn't we see each other last month? You know, when your troublemaker Hanayagi-san set one of my warehouses on fire" Himari commented with a shake of her head.

"Ah, yes," Aoi replied with a polite smile "right after, your own troublemaker Aijo-san almost ruined our business with the Triad"

"Karen-chan is too impulsive," Himari chuckled and Aoi rubbed her right temple "luckily she's learning under Mahiru-chan now"

"That's-"

"Unexpected?"

"Not really, but they will become an interesting pair," Aoi added with a polite smile and took a sip of her freshly brewed tea.

"They will" Himari hummed in agreement "but we are not here to talk about our members and their future bonds"

"We are not" Aoi replied in a calm tone before locking her azure orbs with Himari's magenta "Claudine-san, huh."

"Well, she has earned it by her own right," Himari shrugged "but still some don't like her as an heiress"

"That same thing happens to Maya, as well" Aoi added with a nod "they will have time to prove their worth, however"

"Do you think they will-"

"It's their duty, the same one we fulfilled decades ago, the same as our mothers and grandmothers" Aoi stated in a serious tone "and Maya's current situation is far from it"

"Ah, yes, the same is happening with Kuro-chan" Himari nodded "her current arrangement is not satisfactory"

"It's time for both of them to grow out of that fooling around stage," Aoi replied before pinching the bridge of her nose "the sooner, the better"

"I agree, but" the brunette boss added with a raised eyebrow "do you think that they will-"

"Everything in life is about timing and opportunity" Aoi interrupted with a tilted head and half-smile "and they will have both soon"

"Just promise me that you won't meddle" Himari warned with an amused smile that widened when Aoi rolled her eyes.

"I should be the one saying that," the current boss of the hakuchu-gumi said with a glare eliciting a hearty laugh from the maroon-eyed woman in front of her "since I was not the one that decided on using the parchments yet."

"Touché" Himari added amusedly "but hey, you are stricter about traditions"

"Well, that is true" Aoi giggled, something that she rarely did.

"To be honest, I think the match will be interesting" Himari chuckled "knowing how stubborn Kuro-chan is"

"That can be said about Maya, as well" Aoi added proudly before turning to her indifferent façade the moment the main accountants of each family approached their table and placed a pair of folders on the table before bowing and leaving as quietly as they approached "now then, let's revise this before the match"

"You're always 'work and no fun' Aoi-chan," Himari sighed before opening the folder her accountant left for her "I am so glad that Nana and Fumi-chan are so good at their jobs, I mean just look at how the books are cooked, it is like witnessing magic"

"The same applies to Hoshimi-san and her team, and how she launders and hides the money with such ease" Aoi added with a proud smile. This new generation of women in organized crime was so talented that the blue-eyed boss could easily retire with no regrets.

"We are surrounded with talented women, even better than their mothers which is saying a lot about them" Himari commented before closing her folder "Fumi and Shiori-chan's mother was a terrific accountant, but her older daughter is just in a league of her own" Himari snorted "and I am not even mentioning Nana-san's mother that designed the training for the different squads of our forces"

"Well, Hanayagi-san was a deadly assassin and Kaoruko-san might not look like it, but she's quite effective, now more after she took Futaba-san as her protegee," Aoi commented before finishing her tea and placing the cup back on the saucer.

"I remember seeing Futaba-chan around Claudine when both were studying at the Sorbonne" Himari commented before having a sip of her warm sake "they became good friends"

"They haven't seen each other in a while, right?" Aoi asked with a tilted head.

"Yes, because Kuro-chan has been traveling a lot, and Futaba-chan has been busy being Kaoruko-san's pet" Himari chuckled and Aoi glared at her.

"Hanayagi and Isurugi-san are-"

"Come on, Aoi-chan," Himari interrupted before rolling her eyes "you have seen them grow up and being Maya-chan's playmates since they learned how to walk, why don't you just use a term of endearment with them? We are alone here, so you won't lose face at all."

Before Aoi replied, Hikari approached them, and whispered something by her ear; the blue-eyed boss raised from her chair and turned to look at her maroon-eyed counterpart.

"The time has come, let's go, Saijo-san," hearing this, Himari hummed before standing up and following Aoi to the elevators as the kendo match would be held two floors down.


A/N: My poor baby is wounded!