I slammed him into the wall. The impact forced all the air out of his lungs and he fell onto all fours, wheezing for air. Not letting him recover, I kicked him in the side. His whole body lifted off the floor, and he flipped onto his back. I sneered and slammed by knee onto his chest. My fist hit his face over and over.

All I could think was how much I hated him. Osagawa deserved to die, and what better way than to be beaten to death by the daughter of the very woman he nearly killed a decade ago. My right hand began to tire, so I started switching off with my left. The screams of his family were only distant voices troubling the back of my mind.

He suddenly grabbed me. Shit, he got used to my punches; they were too rhythmic.

"Bitch!" he shouted and slammed his fist into my face.

Damn that hurt. He managed to force me off his body. Jumping back, he grabbed a frying pan. It was an unusual, but effective weapon. Osagawa smirked and swung it widely, leaving himself open to attack. I seized the opportunity and kicked him in the side, hard. He keeled over in pain, dropping the pan. Bunching up both fists, I slammed it down on the back of his neck, which forced him to collapse on the floor. Then I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He struggled to no avail, so began to yell various obscenities in anger.

"How does it feel to be helpless?" I asked. It was nice to see him stuck in a submissive hold.

He sneered in response. "Fuck you." His body wriggled some more under me.

"Payback's a bitch," I commented.

During the fight I forgot about Mai and Osagawa's family. Movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Osagawa's wife rushed towards the dropped frying pan. My eyes widened in surprise as she grabbed it and lunged at me.

I jumped off of Osagawa. She slammed the metal down in front of me, barely missing my head. Why did she attack me, didn't I save her? The pan connected with her husband's head. A sickening crack echoed in the room. I realized she wasn't aiming for me at all; I just happened to be in the way. She raised the pan again to hit him again.

Mai screamed, "Stop!" She grabbed the lady from behind. In turn, I swiftly moved to hold the woman's arms to prevent her from continuing her assault. Mrs. Osagawa shouldn't have to live with the crime of murdering her husband. She didn't need to be marked forever. It was a scarlet letter that would always be present in the eyes of others. Besides, if anyone was going to kill him, it was me.

I looked down at his unconscious body. Fuck it; there was little fun in hurting a man who couldn't feel anything. I would never feel the full satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain or beg for his life in this state. Blood was seeping into the floor. Right, his skull did crack. At this rate he'd be lucky to wake up.

We called the police. With all the yelling that happened, I was surprised they didn't arrive earlier from a neighbor's calls. They were probably too used to the noise, or really didn't want unnecessary attention. Given the condition of the local area, I wasn't surprised.

The wife and daughter didn't say anything to us. It was like they weren't sure whether to thank us or be angry at us. I wasn't particularly shocked at their reaction. Battered women need a little time to get used to their new circumstances. It was something I saw among the female homeless wandering the streets at night. Mai and I had gotten rid of her abusive husband, but he was also the sole breadwinner in the family. I'm sure Mrs. Osagawa was concerned for her future now.

The cops wondered what we were doing in the neighborhood. I didn't know how to answer. My talents for deceit lay solely in luring men, not coming up with excuses. Luckily Mai had one prepared.

"We were searching for apartments in an affordable area." She said without blinking an eye. I nodded like an idiot.

The cop raised an eyebrow. "Kind of late isn't it?"

Mai managed to ramble on, "Well sir, I work late shifts at a diner, and we wanted to view the apartment together." It was surprising to see those lies roll off her tongue with such ease. Mai, what forced you to be so good? It's not in your nature to be so devious.

The officer left satisfied with our answers. Osagawa was treated for a concussion. The paramedics said he would be fine. He was rolled out, handcuffed to a gurney. It was a little satisfying to see his head bandaged up. As a bonus, his nose was broken when his wife hit him with the frying pan. The crack I heard was apparently his nose connecting with the floor as the pan slammed down on the back of his head. Well, maybe a part of it really was his skull.

--

We walked home together. "Are you satisfied now?" Mai asked me.

I thought about it. "Not really." The rat bastard deserved so much more than the pathetic beating I was able to give him. I was still missing his scream of pain and plea for mercy.

"Do you still want to kill him?" she questioned further.

"Nope, I have something more interesting in mind." I smiled at the thought. Fucker would never escape the hell I planned for him.

Mai looked at me questioningly. "Please don't do anything you'll regret."

"Don't worry." I laughed. "You can come with if you want."

Mai stopped and looked at me as if asking what I was planning to do.

Unfortunately, Mai had work the next day. She would have seen what I planned to do if she didn't have work. Oh well, it was better that she didn't find out. I'm sure that Mai would disapprove of what I planned. I imagine that few would approve.

I walked into the gentlemen's club owned by the local Yakuza. The hostesses there stared at me as I waltzed up to the bar.

"This isn't a good place to be little lady." The bartender told me.

"Save it, I have business with Matsumoto." I glared at him to show him I was serious. He shrugged in return and gestured a bouncer to escort me to the back.

I mentally thanked Natsuki for setting up this meeting. I don't know how she had this connection, and she didn't seem inclined to share. Mai assured her that my intentions weren't in any way supposed to directly cause the death of Osagawa. I thought it strange that Natsuki was so desperate to keep my hands clean of his blood. Why would an admitted killer hate murder so much?

The V.I.P. room of the club was on the dim side. It wasn't particularly dark per say, but somehow the place felt rather shady. The bouncer, who escorted me, bowed at a gentleman sitting between two very pretty working ladies. The women giggled at something the boss whispered, and poured him some old fashioned sake.

He took a gulp and gestured for me to sit down. I obliged. "You have business?" Matsumoto heartily said. There were two other men in the room. They were obviously bodyguards of some sort, but this guy didn't look like he needed them. The Yakuza boss was a big man, and very muscular. The scar on his hand and jaw bone showed he had seen a fair share of action.

"Yes, I'd like to get some revenge on a man in jail." I stated.

"Oh, and what did this man do?" he asked casually. It seemed that he didn't really care. He probably asked out of courtesy. Well, at least he was trying to be somewhat polite.

"He raped my mother." His eyes roamed my body, but not out of lust. He was evaluating me, looking for any indication of a lie. It reminded me of something Mama told me when I was young. Mouths lie easily, bodies cannot.

"Why bother? He's already in jail isn't he?" He looked away uninterested, though the women at his side seemed to feel moved. As expected, men didn't really understand the implications of rape. They didn't have to fear it as much as women.

"Yes, but he's in jail for beating up his wife and kid." I smiled to see Matsumoto stiffen. Natsuki had told me this guy probably had a family. I knew this would get him, maybe he wouldn't even charge me for the job.

"A man who betrays his family isn't a man." He frowned and sneered. It was interesting. Yakuza were known to traffic drugs and sex slaves. They hurt those who didn't pay back their loan sharks, and threatened those who didn't pay protection money. Yet there were two things they cared about, manhood and family.

"So," I said, "will you help me out?"

"Sure, we can have him taken care of in three days." He offered.

I shook my head. "You misunderstand, I don't want him dead."

Matsumoto leaned towards me in curiosity. "Then what?" he paused. His hand went up to scratch his chin as he leaned back into his seat. "I see." He said as he realized my intention.

I nodded my head and smiled.

"Fifty-thousand yen," he demanded.

"Deal," I agreed. My mother's urn would have to wait. It was more than reasonable. The amount was downright unbelievable given that this was the Yakuza. I probably could have gotten my wish for free, but this way I was guaranteed that no one would protect him from pain, not if the mafia was out to get him.

--

I went home after explaining the necessary details and paying them for their services. Unfortunately, I was now short on cash, so had to skip dinner for the night. I didn't have the pocket money to buy anything from the supermarket and I didn't know how to cook properly. We were out of ramen, because Mikoto ate it all. Mai used her usual shopping night to accompany me to Osagawa's house. At first I tried my best to fill up on water, but it could only do so much. Now I found myself lying on the bed with my stomach growling for food.

Earlier in the evening, Mikoto heard my belly's pleas and took off after mentioning something about getting me some food. If her past was any indication, she likely ran off to find some sort of edible beast in the city. Unfortunately, the closest things we had to wild game were raccoons and rats. I didn't quite feel like eating either, and hoped the girl wouldn't come back successful.

Waiting for Mai was an option, but I didn't want to burden her any more. Mai had done much for me in the past few days, and forcing her to cook for me after a long day at work seemed unfair. I checked the cabinets once more for any type of junk food. I sighed in disappointment as no food magically appeared since the last time I looked.

The refrigerator contained some eggs, vegetables, a small amount of milk and a bottle of mayonnaise. As I was getting somewhat desperate, I decided that perhaps Natsuki's preferred condiment may make things taste better. I grabbed some lettuce and squeezed half a bottle of mayo over it. This was my invention, the mayonnaise salad.

I took a bite. It was good, too good. I gobbled it down quickly, but as the bites increased, the worse it tasted. I guess I was just really hungry. After the seventh mouthful, I couldn't eat anymore. Nothing in the world seemed more disgusting than my pathetic attempt at a salad. In the end, I just left it on the table and went to bed. On the plus side, I wasn't hungry anymore. Downside was that I was likely going to have a stomachache in a few hours. I kind of wished that Mikoto did successfully catch a rat.

The ceiling seemed to be immensely interesting tonight. A few colors swirled around in the dimness of my room. Everything seemed to glow with a navy blue outline. How long was that mayo in the fridge? The front door opened and shut. A dark orange figure walked along the wall. Its arm stuck out in search for the light switch. Did I turn off the lights earlier? I can't remember.

It turned on the lights. Oh look, it was Mai. She inspected the food I made on the table and shook her head. Her eyes glanced at me. Seeing that I was awake, she came over and sat down on the bed.

"That mayonnaise was left over from work." Well, that explained a little bit.

"I hope I'm not going to die." I laughed. A feeling of euphoria came over me. It occurred to me that spoiled mayonnaise shouldn't make me feel like this. Maybe it was spiked with something. Maybe I was just very tired.

She hit me on the shoulder for the comment. "Of course not," she replied. "Don't be stupid."

It didn't hurt. I didn't feel like hitting her back. The ceiling seemed very interesting once more.

"So," she spoke.

"So," I replied. My eyes closed. I was tired.

"What did you do about that man?" There was a hint of disdain in her voice. Strange, Mai loved everyone. Well, it's hard to like a rapist and wife beater.

"I went to the Yakuza." I felt the sheets stretched under her tightened fists. What a worry wart. I sighed. "Don't worry, they won't kill him."

"Is that so?" She relaxed.

My eyes opened to see her smile. It was nice to see her smile. A smile was prettier than a frown. It was certainly nicer than that grimace of pain I remember on the night I cut her arm. I grinned at her. "He just won't feel his ass for the rest of his life. On the plus side, he'll never have a problem with shitting."

She gasped at me. "That's horrible. How-" She paused to rethink the situation. "I suppose he deserves it." A sigh of resignation emanated from her mouth. No, I didn't want her to be disappointed in me again.

Without thinking I wrapped my arms around her. I was hugging her. I've never hugged anyone besides Mama. Well, Mai had earned it. "Thanks for putting up with me Mai." The words slipped from my mouth.

Her body stiffened at the initial contact, then relaxed as it grew accustomed to my hold. She patted me on the back. "That's what friends do."

We mutually pulled back. Why did I feel so awkward now? It's perfectly normal to hug a friend in thanks. She was my friend and I was happy.

"Are you done yet?" she asked.

"No, I have to talk to Fuji." Before she could interfere, I said, "I just want to talk, I swear." I raised my hands in the air in a gesture of surrender.

She nodded in acceptance. "Alright," she said, "time for bed."

"I'm not Mikoto," I growled.

"Where is Mikoto?" she wondered.

"She said something about food and took off. Don't worry, she brought her sword." I replied.

"I see." Faint lines of worry formed on her face. Those wrinkles would catch up with her later in life.

"Mikoto can take care of herself. Don't worry."

--

There was a large truck outside of the new Fuji Keitaro house. Men walked in and out carrying various furniture and boxes. The kids were now playing on the front lawn, since there was constant traffic inside the building itself. His wife was talking to some woman in the local neighborhood while keeping an eye on her children. I strolled up to one of the men and asked where I could find their employer. He was inside in his new office. Boxes were stacked high in once corner, and half the shelves were now gone. He looked up to see me and almost fell off his chair.

"Nice house." I commented. It was far too enjoyable to taunt him. A part of me was glad that Mai and Natsuki stopped me that night.

"What-" he stuttered, "what are you doing here?"

"I just came by to say thanks for handing my friend those files." I sat on top of his desk, making sure he could see the blade attached to my lower back.

"I was surprised to see that she was a private investigator. I thought she did-" He paused in his sentence and continued, "other things."

"She does," I replied nonchalantly.

He swallowed unconsciously. His fists tightened in fear. "Is that all?"

"No." I smiled and grabbed his tie. Leaning in close, I whispered into his ear, "Listen, I will never forgive you for what you did."

"Please, just let me move on," he begged. He moved two hundred miles hoping he would get rid of me. It was a long train ride to get here, but completely worth it.

"Never," I stated. "I will never let you forget, because I can't forget." I pulled out my knife and held it very closely to his neck. "No matter where you are, where you run or where you move, know that I can follow you and take care of you at any time."

His eyes were wide with terror. He even pissed his pants. Of all the men in the world, why was this gutless asshole the one who took away Mama?

I jumped off the table and sheathed my blade. "Just remember that I have connections." I winked and left his office. The wife saw me leave and immediately ran inside screaming for her husband. He was fine, if a little shaken up. Now they would live in fear forever. Revenge was sweet.

A/N: I was going to write a double chapter for missing you last week, but I still have to leave something to write up later. Plus, this was a good ending for a chapter. Now we will draw Mai into Nao's life.

Apologies for missing last week. Please excuse me for my lack of proper grammar. I promise to edit it someday.

Looking foward to reviews. :)