Author: Good to see that my work is getting the recognition it deserves, I appreciate that very much. Well, just going to let you know if you think this chapter will have action and drama like you see in the movies (i.e. The Godfather, Goodfellas, Heat, etc.). Please enjoy the chapter.

*

At Hinata, Tsuruko was soaking in the hot spring, thinking about the things her, Amara and Keitaro could do in Liberty. From what she had read in Keitaro's letters, work was plentiful in the city, offering different kinds of work for them, then another thought entered her mind—her sister and Amara's sister. They would be shocked about their actions of doing criminal activities; Tsuruko brushed it off. "Maybe it would help me get over the things like Keitaro-san has been through."

She got out of the hot spring and went to change, then went to see if the girls were doing their chores like she had told them to. Over the past few weeks, she had whipped the girls into shape like a drill sergeant—being tough and commanding at the same time. She had seen it on a television show from America, about how kids were sent to boot camps where the people there were as tough as nails on them, making them break down to tears... if she was to be like that when she was in charge of Hinata when Keitaro had left, that's the way it had to be.

Most of the time when I came here to Hinata when Keitaro had left, I knew how to whip those girls into shape, being a high-class warrior of my school, but ever since things had happened between me and my husband, I was looking for a new phase in life... one I could be able to forget about the past of my former husband and get on with my life.

Keitaro-san had left Japan because of some reason I do not know... he did not tell me about it. He just asked me to be manager of Hinata Sou from now on. The way he told me, I could sense that something was troubling him on the inside, but I did not ask. As two months had passed and then a year, I was able to show the girls that they should do Keitaro's chores instead of having Keitaro-san do them, from what he had told me.

The letters that he had sent me were some of the most astounding I ever read. In America, Liberty City, he was an errand boy for organized crime. Most women would be shocked at this, but I, for some bizarre reason, found it appealing. Not because of the work, but because of the money he was making doing different jobs for his employers. Now, he wants me to join in... That's where Amara, Su's sister, comes in.

Amara is a genius like Su, meaning she would be able to understand electronics, like security cameras and such, but she was hesitant because she would have to leave her country and Lamba Lu, her brother, behind... so I gave her some time to think about the decision. For myself, I'm also having a hard time deciding on the factor of joining Keitaro's role in criminal activity. When I had spoke to him about joining him, I wasn't hesitant, but now I think I am.

I know I'm going to be going against my code of honor to the Shinmeiryu but, you see, when my husband passed away, I felt empty on the inside and no matter how much I trained, I could never get over his death... I felt like I was in an abyss of sorrow and guilt with no way out of it.

Now with this proposition to come to Liberty City, it might help me forget about the old and look at the new things. There might be some good from this.

Tsuruko went to the living area to relax before going to the girls to start their daily chores—the ring of the phone stopped her. She wondered if it was Amara calling about her answer to come to Liberty City with her, and if it was and she said yes, she had to ask her a few things before they were to hang up. Picking up the receiver and putting it to her ear, she spoke, "Yes?"

"It's me," that was Amara's voice.

"So, what's it going to be... yes or no?"

"After thinking, yes, I'll go."

"What about Lamba?"

"I know it's going to be hard leaving him, my people, and my home, but I'm willing to take those chances."

"As am I with my kind of predicament, but I already have someone looking over when I head to Liberty City."

"Who is it?"

"Haruka Urashima, Keitaro's aunt."

"Sounds iffy... you think she can pull it off?"

"I've seen her before; she's not to be taken lightly."

"But what about Motoko and Su?"

"That will come later on... hopefully when we get settled in at Liberty City."

"When do you want to go?"

"Tonight... I've put this on for two days now, and I want to get there as soon as possible. Besides, I always wanted to see what America was like."

"As did I... alright, I'll get my stuff ready..."

"No, we leave with the clothes on our backs, plain and simple."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Tonight, we'll leave around nine or eleven, once the girls are asleep. I'll meet you are your apartment and then we'll head over to the airport and get tickets."

"Well... okay, sure. See you then."

*

Back in Liberty City, Keitaro rode around the sights of Broker, taking in the views of the city. But more importantly, he was heading to the Superstar Café in Algonquin where Shion was probably waiting for him. Finding the restaurant, he parked his NRG-900 next to the sidewalk and removed his helmet, passing a newspaper vendor—it had sparked his interest about what was on front page.

One thing was for sure, Lucy was right... Shion is a nut. Going up to the machine, he dropped the change in and took a newspaper and read it while he went inside the café. One of the bartenders looked at him. "Hey buddy, can I help you with anything?"

Keitaro looked away from his reading and to the bartender. "Is there a Shion Sonozaki here? She asked me to meet her."

"You mean that green-haired psycho? Yeah, I seen here... she's upstairs."

"Thanks."

Folding his paper under his arm, he ascended the spiral staircase and found the girl at one of the tables at the corner of the room; he waved to her as he went to the chair and took a seat. "Been waiting long?" he asked.

"Not likely."

One of the waiters came by, asking for what they would like; Keitaro told asked for a coffee while Shion asked for the same. Keitaro took a sip of his coffee when it came and laid the newspaper down in front of Shion, pointing at the headline. "I couldn't help myself... he had to go."

"What happened to him?"

Bringing her coffee to her lips, she took a sip and set it down; a smile grazed her lips. "Let's just say that Liberty City's going to have him on their dinner plate."

Keitaro shook his head, "You crazy fuck."

Shion chuckled. "Thanks for noticing. So tell me, why do this kind of work... what's the motive?"

"The motive, is because I want to forget about my past life."

"Did something bad happen?"

"You could say that. When I saw your grandmother, it made me think of my own... something that I stopped doing a long time ago."

"My grandmother," Shion started, "was a person of stone, if you could call her that. When we lived in Hinamizawa, she ruled with an iron fist, but deep down inside, she does have a heart... somewhere in there, I just don't know where it is. June 1983 all the way to 2008, don't ask how she lived that long. All I can say is her endurance surprises me."

Keitaro and Shion both looked at each for a second. "My grandmother, at first glance was a good person, she left me this place to play manager of while she was out around the world soaking in hot water. But what she didn't tell me was that it was filled with six crazy girls, add two more to the collection, and they saw me as a walking punching bag."

Shion nodded. "So that's the reason you left that life?"

"Among other things. I had dreams of attending Tokyo University under some stupid promise I made years ago... bullshit, all of it... happily ever after my ass. In a way, coming to Liberty City was the right thing to do."

"Even if that means working for the wrong people?"

"Even that. When I came here, a friend of mine told me about the opportunities here at a different place and were started working there till we got wind of more work here in Liberty City."

Shion looked at Keitaro, pausing, and looked away before looking back at him. "Somebody once told me... don't let yourself get too attached to anybody in here because there's rats in the city, that'll mangle you to no end till they leave nothing but the bones."

"That's an interesting point. I've learned that lesson before I came here to Liberty... learned it the hard way, and it molded me into somebody new. I did some time back in that other city... seven months on the inside... that also helped me understand that the world isn't always rose tinted."

"Amen to that, friend," Shion said. "What made you change your outlook on your grandmother?"

Keitaro sighed, looking down at his coffee. "I guess it was just the way she only cared about going on that stupid hot springs vacation. She didn't care that I was being beaten day and night, same for my aunt. I was on the verge of going to kill myself if I didn't leave."

"And this call from your friend, it was your way of salvation?"

"It was. Now, I feel like a new man after going through the tough parts that I went through."

"You know that things are still going to be rough in this world," said Shion.

"Like I said, the world isn't always rose-tinted."

Shion smiled at him. She liked this guy; he seemed like the kind she could get along well with in her world of business. Besides, with everything laid out—the true facts about her and her sister, the things that should have gone the way they were supposed to—it would be good for family as well as herself. Keitaro looked at her. "I also tried to look for love before I came to this city."

"How's that been going? Any bites?"

"Nothing yet, but I'm not the kind to give up."

They talked for about thirty minutes when their coffees were finished and they had nothing else to say. Keitaro got on his bike, put on his helmet and sped off to wherever it was he was going. Shion's chauffeur opened her door for as she climbed and drove her back to her estate in Meadow Hills. The older sister had a million thoughts swimming through her head now that she was revealed as the one who should have gotten the rights to be the next head. She thought about if her grandmother would be okay with this, knowing as how they didn't get along back in Hinamizawa... but that was the past, she would have been cool by now, now that she was in a city brimming with people.

The sedan came into the driveway as the man got out and opened the door for Shion. She thanked him as she got out and went inside her house. Seeing her sister standing in the hall meant something important to her—her grandmother. "What is it?" she asked.

"Grandma, she wants to talk with you," said Mion.

"I already spoke with her this morning about where I was going... I don't need to talk to her again."

"It's important. She says it should only be about you and her."

Shion looked at Mion. Maybe the old hag was coming to her senses about the 'forgotten one' known as her self and wanted to take back everything she had done to her. With this, she sighed and nodded, going to the living room where Oryo was seated on the couch, gently sipping her hot tea before setting her cup down when he eyes met with Shion. "Sit," she commanded coolly.

The woman sat down on the other couch across from her grandmother. Both of them looked at each other before Oryo broke the silence. "I assume your meeting with that man did well?"

"It's just business. Somebody's got to run things while you're gone. Speaking of which, what did you want to tell me?"

"It's about that night when Mion told me everything."

"What about it?"

"Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"What difference would it have made? If I had told you, our roles would be switched since it's not right to have twins as heirs in the Sonozaki family. I would've been treated well and Mion would've been casted out with no one to help."

Oryo nodded at this, "You do make a good point, but..." she coughed, covering her mouth while Shion went to help her, but Oryo held out her hand as saying, 'No, don't' to her. After composing herself of her chest coughing, she straightened out. "I'm sorry," she did another cough before clearing her throat. "As I was saying, you do have a point about that... but the reason the way I was back in Hinamizawa was because of my own mother, who taught me everything to be like her."

"But... this is different now. We're here in a different place, not that old village!"

"I understand that now, but I can't let it go, ever!"

"Judging by the way you're health is, you don't have much of a choice," said Shion.

"Maybe you're right." Oryo grabbed her cane and walked over to one of the windows, looking outside the bustling city of the afternoon. "This place is different with some things I was never used to when we first came here. I never got to see a city like this before, and when we came here, things were all complicated."

"You get used to it," said Shion.

"Maybe your right, but I feel that this family would be better off with someone who should know how to do things... that being you."

"What about Mion?"

"She can stay in the family, I won't be pushing her away like I did you back in Hinamizawa, that's in the past. You're right about it. My time is coming short and I need someone who would be able to take control of this family as the next head."

"Any sort of catch to this, granny?"

The elderly woman shook her head, "None. Don't worry about that, child."

Their conversation was finished as Shion left the room and went out onto the patio deck, lying along one of the chairs. She was in deep thought about her being the next head, something that she knew from her talks with her sister, but this scenario was different—they were in a city, not a village. On the inside, Mion looked and watched her sister from the glass door, deciding on wether or not to go and talk to her.

'I might as well,' she thought to herself. Stepping foot on the patio, she went up to the other chair and sat down. "Onee, how'd it go?"

"It went well... better than I had anticipated."

"You sure you can handle this kind of thing, Shion? You know I can help you if you want me to."

Shion smiled, "I appreciate the offer, sis, but I think I've got everything under control."

*

Keitaro drove around the corner of one of the streets, stopping in an alleyway, grabbed the package that Lucy had given him and went up to the man. "You the one she told me about?" he asked Keitaro.

"That's me... I believe this belongs to you," he said, holding the blue duffel bag.

"It's all there? She told me she put everything in it, but I have my doubts with that woman."

"She's someone you can trust, she never tried to sell me out or anything."

"I find that hard to believe," said the man. He unzipped the bag, seeing white square packages wrapped in tape, there were about five of ten kilos of it. Seeing the man smile didn't surprise Keitaro, nor did the fact that Lucy was in the drug trade business. Ever since he came to this city, nothing was called normal in the underworld.

"Hey partner... you okay?" the man asked.

Coming out of his daze, Keitaro looked at him. "Oh, yeah, fine. So is that all of what you wanted?"

"Sure it, it'll last me and my guys for a while. Thanks, partner." The man returned back to his car, leaving Keitaro to tell the news to Lucy that the trade was a success, she was pleased. He went by her house to pick up his payment and then went down to the strip club in Bohan; that made him feel a little uneasy. If Motoko and Naru were with him, and he was back to the way he used to be, he'd be in for a Naru Punch or a sword attack in an instant. "What the hell can they do, they ain't here," he said to himself.

Driving to Bohan, he thought to himself why only one of the islands in Liberty City had a strip club and rest didn't have one, like Algonquin, which was the best part of Liberty, but they already had a comedy club, so he couldn't complain about that, and the comedy club was also broadcasted on the tube.

Parking his bike, he took off his helmet and casually went inside the joint. He saw one of the strippers going up to him; she had long blond hair and a cute smile, wearing an erotic white star-designed outfit. "Hey honey, you feeling okay tonight?" she asked.

"I've had better days."

"Well, I can make you feel the best you've ever been. How about it baby?"

Keitaro had to mentally chuckle at this, feeling a sense of nostalgia, remembering how Kitsune was with him to get something she wanted, wether it be rent, money for booze or the races, anything. But this was different, these women were getting money because they needed it to live off of, not to get shit-faced and win races.

"Sure, I'm all for it."

"Then follow me."

She led him to the back like a puppy and he got a good show, even double the fun when another one of the strippers came and joined the girl for a duet lap dance. It was pricey but it was worth it for what he needed to kickback. After another show, he had enough and left the place—he wondered... what was going back on at Hinata, was everything well?

*

In the dead of night, two women walked out of a cab in Tokyo that had stopped in front of the airport. One of them paid the drive and he thanked them and left. Tsuruko and Amara knew that when they got on that plane, it was turning point for their life... no more of the Japanese lifestyle because it was off to another country. Amara felt a little uncomfortable—not because she had to leave, she always wanted to see what America what was like. It was because of the tennis shoes she was wearing.

Amara shifted around in them. "These feel uncomfortable."

"I'm surprised that your sister wears foot wear sometimes and you don't," said Tsuruko.

"I never got to around to wearing them... they feel funny."

"Well you might as well get used to it when we get to America; it's as simple as that."

"I know, but I still feel weird."

The two had gotten their tickets, paid for them and went through the tunnel to the plane. They both knew that when they were seated, it was going to be a new experience for them. Tsuruko was in need of a new beginning and maybe Amara was as well—she still felt uneasy about doing this, but what else was there for her to do? She felt like nothing in her home country was worth staying there. Maybe it was the money that the sword-maiden had told her about, or the action in doing this kind of work.

Whatever the reason, it all went out the window when the plane engine roared to life and began to take off from the runway. Both of them knew that America was going to be a different experience but they would learn to adapt just like everything else.

*

Another chapter for you... hope you like it. I decided to add Shion from Higurashi because, if you remember the movies Casino and Goodfellas, Joe Pesci's characters he played were psychopaths, so I decided to have her play it like that. Also, her age is somewhere in her thirties, if you ever read the manga arc Yoigoshi-hen on manga websites. Anyway, until next time.