March 2nd, 2012

Osaka, Japan

Funaki's Arcade

Ruby and Seth play air hockey, with Ruby up by two, and the game going to three. She dragged him here, hoping to ease his mind after the past few days of work. Safeguarding a boat load of exotic animal skins. Stealing a truck full of booze. Easy business. The last few deliveries they watched over went pretty smooth with little interference. Definitely not as bad as the first. A situation that Kenny was still looking into. Ruby slams the puck, claiming her winning goal.

"Yes! Best two out of three?"

Seth tosses the puck down and lazily walks away. Ruby runs over to jump on his back.

"Come on, you leaving already?"

"Get OFF!"

Ruby lets go and folds her arms.

"Why are you being such an ass?"

Seth grabbed her arm, dragging her to the wall, away from everyone else.

"Let me explain something to you, we are working in organized crime here. I work for the government. I can't afford to get caught or killed. I need to focus, meaning I don't have time to play fucking games. We're so close from being square with Nakamura. Then, are you listening, then, I go back to America and forget all of this happened. Only I wish it was that simple."

"You worried they're not going to keep thier word?"

"Pretty much. Why would they just let me walk? A government agent who knows about the inner workings of the biggest crime boss in Osaka? I think Kenny might end up doing it for them."

"He wouldn't do that."

"What makes you sure?"

"The guy's your best friend. Even though you two aren't seeing eye to eye, he's all you have. Besides, wouldn't that be too obvious? If I told someone to kill you, I'd ask someone you don't recognize. Bet you didn't think of that?"

"Actually I did. You'll see that in a minute."

Ruby scratched her head as Seth turned away, heading for the exit. She chases after, catching up just as he goes outside. It was starting to get dark, so she almost lost him among the crowd. Seth pulls her over toward a street light, bringing them close to each other. Close enough to hear each other breathe. Seth leaned in for what seemed to be a kiss, but stopped just short of tier lips touching.

"Ruby, I need you to do exactly as I say. There's a dark green utility van parked across the street. I've noticed it the past few days. Someone's been watching us."

Seth moves his hand down her back. She could then feel his hand gripping her bottom.

"Watch the hands." She whispered.

"I just put my car keys in your back pocket. I'm gonna walk the opposite way and find out who this is. You go to the car and get out of here."

"And just leave you!"
"There's nothing you can do right now. Please, trust me on this."

Ruby slowly nods and breaks away. Seth zippers his jacket walks on. It was a Saturday night. People were enjoying a brisk night. Smells of food from street vendors wafted along the air. Fried donuts, curry french fries, teriyaki sticks. It was so pleasant. Seth stopped to buy a few mochi. A delicious ice cream ball wrapped in dough. While waiting, Seth could feel a hand touch his shoulder. His body grew tense, unaware of who was behind him.

"Shinpaishinaide kudasai. Messeji ga kimasu. (Don't be alarmed. I come bearing a message.)" Said a deep voice.

"Shinakereba naranai koto o ii, ugoki tsudzukemasu. Kore ga boryoku-teki ni naritakunai. (Say what you have to and keep moving. I don't want this to get violent.)" Seth replied.

Doi suru. Watashi wa sorehodo faitade wa arimasen. (I agree. I'm not much of a fighter.)"

Seth is handed a small plastic cup with his multi colored mochi. The hand reaches over, plucking one for himself as Seth stands like a statue. The hand slips something in Seth's pocket.

"Kore wa, Asuka-san kara no tokubetsuna rikuesutodesu. Anata wa kore no sewa o shi, anata no shakkin wa yurusa rerudeshou. Sayonara. (This is a special request from Lady Asuka. You take care of this, and your debt will be forgiven. Goodbye.)"

At least fifty seconds pass before Seth turns around. The van was gone. Seth clutched his pocket, feeling an envelope. Back home, Seth reads over the contents in his room. It was an assassination contract. He read it multiple times, making sure to verify every detail.

Mr. Rollins,

I have been keeping up with you and Kenneth's work. I'm very impressed. Your knowledge of our culture and language is very resourceful. Which is why I need to you to dispose of an underling. Ropaki Haru is a very sick man. His lust for young children has taken over his mind to make proper decisions. He's also the owner of a few dive bars where we run gambling. Too many know who he is, and his connections to my association. The idiot has a warrant out for his arrest, as he's violated probation multiple times. Tonight, he'll be in his home on Tren Rd. Third house on the right. End Haru's life and not only will your debt be forgiven, but a great reward will be offered. This letter is for your eyes only.

-Asuka

Seth pulls a lighter from his dresser and burns the letter. With nothing but ashes left, Seth gets dressed in his ninja outfit. If this was his way to freedom and his mother's safety, it had to be done. Besides, no one will complain about getting rid of a child predator. Ruby knocks, then cracks the door.

"You up?"

"Come on in. I need to talk to you."

"Oh. Did we get another job?"

"No, this one is on me. Before I go, there's a bag in the closet. It's fifteen grand, your payment for what you did here. I don't know what's going to happen after tonight, but it would be best if you left."

"For real? Not telling me why?"

"I can't. I shouldn't. For your own safety."

"Did you even consider that this might be a setup?"

"Yes, but do I have a choice? They have got me by the balls. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Let me help! We work great together."

"ARE YOU DENSE!" He shouted. "This isn't some prank or small time gig. How many times do I have to repeat myself, WE ARE WORK-"

"For organized crime. I KNOW! I do shit like this for fun, but working with you and Kenny has been something else. I'm not afraid to die, which is why I even agreed to this in the first place. It may have started out as a money grab, but we're all great together. I see why you two used to be best friends. "

They locked eyes for a minute. Ruby's looking hopeful and glossy. Seth's looking cold and dim. He lowered his head and gently pushes her to the side.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, but this was never about friendship. Don't take this personally Ruby, but I got enough friends. You're not one of them. Neither is Kenneth. When I get back, I expect you gone. Goodbye."

Ruby listens to the footsteps fade away, then the front door opening and closing. She grabs the bag full of money before watching Seth drive off through the window.

Ropaki Haru's Home

Rain starts coming down heavily. Haru puts on a raincoat to walk down a stone path and grab his package. He lived behind a high gate, connected to a circular brick wall around the home. So anyone coming had to get by that first. Haru carefully checks his surroundings as he picks up the brown box. It started raining harder, so Haru ran back. Upon entering, he quickly closes the door behind him. Peeking through the curtain to make sure no one was around. Nobody, lets keep it that way.

Haru was a middle aged, divorced man. Met his wife through the first bar he ran. Unfortunately he couldn't control himself, and his urges caused their separation after 4 years. As of now he lives alone, barely coming out of the house. Only to collect money and buy food. He hung up the raincoat and carried his box to the living room.

"Shinjirarenai. Tsuini kimashita! (I can't believe it. It's finally here!)"

After turning on the lights, he pokes through the packing peanuts to pull out a bag of authentic Peruvian coffee. He carefully opens it up, taking a huge whiff.

"Ureshidesu! Watashi ga kore o matteita 3-shukan wa, soredake no kachi ga arimashita. (That's delightful! The three weeks I waited for this was well worth it.)"

He goes to smell it again, but feels a stiff poke through his chest. Haru coughs up a bit of blood, staining the coffee.

"Ono. Watashi no kohi (oh no. my coffee.)"

Seth covers up Haru's mouth and digs the blade further. Seth leaned forward, counting the breaths of his target. Getting slower and slower until they stop. Haru drops the coffee, slumping over to signify his death. Seth pulls his blade. Feeling a little remorseful for killing a man he didn't know. Seth walks around to close the eyes of Haru. A hard knock at the door catches Seth off guard.

"Kore wa jimoto no keisatsudesu. Watashitachi wa anata no ie o torikakonde imasu! Heiwa-teki ni detekuru ka, watashitachiha watashitachi no hoho o kyosei shimasu. (This is the local police. We have your home surrounded! Come out peacefully, or we will force our way in.)"

Seth peeks through the window, seeing a flood of police cars just outside the gate.

"Aw, hell."

Seth starts checking every window, seeing at least a few cops in wait. He yanks his mask off in frustration, gripping strands in his hair. This didn't feel right. No way there should be an entire police force for one man.

"Anata wa 10 no kaunto made motte imasu. 1, 2... (you have till the count of ten. one, two...)"

Seth puts the mask back on before running finding a hiding spot. The police stack up against the door. One backs up to kick the door in. They storm inside to only find Haru's dead body.

"Ie o kensaku shimasu. Yojin suru. (Search the home. Be cautious.)

It didn't take long to search the place. Haru's one level abode was as basic as it gets. A cop goes inside the bathroom and decides to pee. With his back turned, Seth sneaks up from out the shower and chokes out the cop. A slight struggle ensues, knocking over a few bottles of medicine over. The cop passes out and Seth lets go. A gang of footsteps close in near the door. Seth charges full force, tackling the door from its hinges. Taking out the few cops on the other side like bowling pins. Seth throws a couple smoke bombs, covering the air.

"Nani ga okotte imasu ka? (what's happening?)"

"Kare wa doko ni imasu ka? (Where is he?)"

Seth weaves through law enforcement, throwing elbows and knees to anyone in his way. Seth darts to the front door, getting hit with a taser before reaching outside. Electricity flows all over his body, slowing him down. Seth pushes on, trying to ignore the pain. The remaining cop outside holler at Seth to stop or they'll shoot. Defying orders, Seth dives behind a police car as shots fly his way. He grits his teeth, pulling the taser dart from his body. Bullets bust out the windows, spreading glass everywhere. Seth reaches in his pocket for a Bumper and a lighter. A Bumper, but no lighter. Must have dropped it.

" Kakoma remashita! (We got you surrounded!)"

As a last ditch effort, Seth runs for the brick wall to hop. As he jumps up, a bullet hit his left calf.

"Arrrghh! Fuck!"

Cops swarm Seth, yanking off the mask and cuffing him. Seth is thrown into the backseat of a car. A few minutes pass, giving Seth time to think. This was the setup. He'd outlived his usefulness. It was either die by police, or what happened now, which was jail. At this point, it was whatever. As long as his mom was left alone, jail time was a cost he was willing to pay. Two cops get in the car. One turns around to Seth.

"Takusan no kotae ga arimasu. (you've got a lot to answer for.)"

Seth kept his head down as they headed to the police station. Thinking about what was next. He'd never see his friends again. His life was over. The worst part is everyone he cared about not knowing where he disappeared to. Falling from existence. This started to anger Seth, wanting to spill the blood of everyone, including Kenny. Until that opportunity arises, he'd have to accept his fate.

Rain continued to pour, as traffic started to back up. The cop driving starts complaining about a three car lane being backed up. Horns start blaring, but no car moves.

"Ne, nani ga okotte iru no ka mi ni ikimasu ka? (Hey, go see what's going on?)"

The passenger cop gets out and walks to the intersection. He sees a body laying in the middle of the intersection, face down. He runs over and kneels down.

"Sumimasen, daijobudesuka? (excuse me, are you okay?)" He asked, turning the body over.

The body sat up, wearing a goblin mask. Then injecting a needle into the cops neck. Seth tried to see what was going on. Instead noticing a ninja sneaking up next to the cop car. The ninja hopped in passenger side, punching out the driver. The cop is pushed out and the ninja takes the wheel. Seth kept his mouth shut. The masked person runs over and hops in passenger side. Traffic goes insane as people freak out due to the incident. This is a perfect time for a getaway. Taking off towards the industrial district.

A few miles off by a factory, the cop car pulls over. Everyone stayed silent for a moment. Until Seth's saviors unmasked. Ruby and Kenny. Seth's face was stone blank. He knew it was them.

"Man, did we save your ass or what?" Said Kenny.

"I guess you did. My question is, what are you doing here?"

"After you told me to fuck off, I called Kenny to verify what was going on." Said Ruby.

"I asked some close associates of mine and they said you were sent a contract. Only thing was, it wasn't from Lady Asuka, it was from Nakamura."
"If he wanted me dead, then he sure took a complicated path."

"He needed to get rid of some competition as well. Now Nakamura can stake a claim for the downtown gambling ring. I also have a confession to make."

Seth rolled his eyes, furious at another twist thrown his way.

"Travis wasn't $235,000 in debt. It was more like $80,000."

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!" Seth screamed.

"Yeah. Nakamura figured you could help make some extra revenue, while boosting his stock in the Rainbow Gang."

"When were you going to tell me?"

"You know damn well I wasn't going to tell you. But when Ruby called and said you were working a solo job, that went against what Nakamura told me. Which was me shooting you."

"You were plotting to kill me! I knew it!"

"He definitely called it." Ruby added.

"I WASN'T killing you. I was gonna let you walk. I'd rather take on the Rainbow Gang myself than off my best friend. Come on, we got to go."

Kenny helped Seth out, breaking the cuffs. He anchors Seth as they head to a nearby boat, leaving Ruby with the car. On the boat, a man waits for them.

"Who's this?" Asked Seth.

"A friend of mine. Just call him 'Doc' alright. He's gonna fix you up."

Seth limps onto the boat as Ruby comes running over to join them.

"What were you doing?"

Ruby smiled as the cop car blows up. Kenny helped her on as Doc drove out to sea. An hour later, the boat sits on waves, far away from town. The rain finally stopped. Seth is patched up below deck, being able to move with a crutch.

"Thanks, uh, Doc. How much do I owe you?"

"He's already paid." Said Kenny coming down, with Ruby following.

Doc nods and washes his hands. Seth sits up as the team gathers together.

"First off, let me say thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. I just need one more thing. I want to take out Nakamura. I had no problem earning his money, leaving, and never coming back. He threatened my mother. That was enough for me to hate him, but with what he just did, he just set up his own funeral. Ruby, I know you're down. Kenny, I'm giving you a choice. Help me, or oppose me and die with Nakamura."

Kenny chuckled a little.

"Seth, I've been looking for a reason to kick Nakamura's ass for year. Say no more. If I die, I die fighting with the two of you."

"Whelp, next step, we end Shinsuke Nakamura."