This chapter is a wee bit violent, but what would a Gokusen story be without a brawl?

They all dispersed, and Kumiko joined her team, heading out to the gaming district. If the situation was at its worst, that's where Aiko would be. Each and every member of her group took up a street corner and began pressing passersby for information. No one seemed to know anything, and that gave Kumiko hope for Hisao's sister. At around eleven, when she had exhausted every street and still nothing had come up, a call came from her henchmen near the docks.

"Ojou!" His voice was as loud as a whisper could be. "I think we found her, she's lying in a warehouse. There are some large men around her, you said not to do anything before calling. We don't think she's in danger right now, but it doesn't look good." Kumiko was already mapping the fastest way, but it would still be a good ten to twenty minutes before she could get there.

"We are on our way, but if the situation gets dangerous for her, step in. Just don't let them know who you are." The latter detail was extremely important, Kumiko didn't know the status of every gang war in Tokyo, nor who was holding Aiko, nor if their involvement would reflect poorly on her grandfather. Kumiko hoped they were just thugs, but the docks were the next worst place to be finding her.

They arrived by bus, and there was still a mile or so to go. Kumiko ran so fast she could barely breathe. The warehouse was situated on a lower dock, and it seemed directly attached to a shipping port. Her henchmen were waiting around a corner, one standing on another's shoulder to look through the high window. She dropped down onto the concrete below, avoiding the stairs, and jogged up to them, still panting slightly.

"Okay… what's going… on?" She leaned down, catching her breath. The man hopped off the larger mans shoulders and bowed deeply before her.

"Ojou!" They all bowed deeply to match the smaller man. "She's been laying there for awhile. The men just stand around. Maybe they're waiting for others, or for her to wake up. We don't know, but nothins happened since we called you." He stood up, and avoided eye contact with their princess.

She grabbed a hold of the larger mans hand, and hoisted herself to standing on his shoulders. He had to stand on his toes so Ojou could see, and even then she only barely made it over the sill. Inside, Aiko was lying on the concrete as Waseda had said. Around her were a few men, all not particularly large, but all clearly Yakuza. She had no way of knowing what clan they were from, but she guessed it wasn't one her grandfather associated with in a friendly manner. Aiko was in this warehouse to be shipped into slavery in America or Europe. Her grandfather didn't deal in that particular trade. A respectable man, her grandfather believed, did not sell women.

Aiko was stirring a little, almost still, but slightly twitching in her fingers. The men hadn't noticed yet, but it wouldn't be long before she awoke to an unpleasant circumstance. Kumiko hoped off her bases shoulder, and thought for a moment. She didn't want to burst in, but that was looking like the only option. "Alright, henchmen. I'm going into the warehouse alone. These men won't attack a woman, but if you hear gunfire, or Aiko wakes up, get in there as quickly as possible. I want you back on Toriyamas shoulders, Waseda. No guns. Period." They bowed deeply, and Waseda climbed back up. Kumiko trotted around the side of the building, testing a few of the doors, and judging their distance from Aiko and the men surrounding her.

She came to a door that felt closest, and tried to lift the hatch. It was locked, but the men inside had clearly heard the sound. Their chatter had turned from inane topics to the strange noises outside. Kumiko really didn't feel like kicking in the door tonight, it was getting really difficult to do things like that, despite her strength. Their voices got closer, one asking if it might be the second party arriving. One put his ear to the metal, and listened. She rapped her knuckle against the surface, and one asked for a password or some sort of confirmation. Having none, she just decided to turn to the latter option. With full force she kicked the metal. In shook violently, and the men inside, particularly the one with his ear against the door, took a few steps back in slight panic. It took a few more kicks before the metal started to buckle. Inside all the men were preparing themselves, and Waseda did not like the look of it, they all had fairly large guns, and didn't look like the forgiving sort.

Eventually Kumiko breached the door, and stepped through the collapsed metal. Inside the men almost collectively rubbed their eyes, trying to confirm the young woman stepping through the wreckage. "You did that little lady?" One dropped his gun to his side, and looked behind her. Kumiko took a wide stance and took note of each man, considering the best strategy. They had all walked away from Aiko, who was beginning to shift more.

"Yup. Easy to do when you've got something to protect." The men all chuckled in that cocky way every one did before she beat them into submission.

The man who had first spoken took a step toward her. "Is that so? Well you've got an awful lot to get through before you can reach that one over there." He casually waved at Aiko with his gun. "And why do you care about the little girl anyway? You're not her mother… or sister… and you're certainly too old to be her friend." He strutted around in front of the other men, "Unless you LIKE the younger crowd." The vague insinuation left a bad taste in Kumiko's mouth.

Her ponytails were already down, but she shook her head, turning on the bad ass switch. "That 'little girl' is the sister of one of my students." Her eyes turned slowly toward the man who seemed to be garnering the most of her attention. "And she's just a girl. You should consider not harming the innocent. Her father may have offended you, but that girl could not have truly harmed any of you." She advanced slowly, attempting to disarm them with words. "Go after the man who has done you wrong, not his daughter who cannot defend herself." They all laughed, enjoying the young woman who wanted to instill values on them.

"Yes, of course that sounds like something we would do." He looked around at the others; all enjoying the same amount of amusement. Obviously it wasn't working, and Kumiko didn't expect it to this time. Instead, she kept her steady pace toward the group. The nearer she got, the easier it would be to reach Aiko, and the easier it would be to take down the men. But that also meant the easier to shoot her. She might be strong, but her skin was not bullet proof.

"Enough. You, stop moving. Men, knock her out so she may join her… student's sister." Aiko was looking around blearily. The fact that she was in a warehouse with men she didn't know hadn't sunk in yet. Kumiko hoped that meant her men would bust in shortly. Aiko was going to scream if she figured things out, and without a distraction beyond Kumiko, the result could be tragic for Hisao's sister. It was easy to shoot a gun in the heat of a moment.

The two men closest to Kumiko made their advances quickly, one about to punch her in the stomach, the other swinging his gun at her head. She dodged the gun, and spun toward the man, pushing him into the other man's attack. Taking his gun, she clubbed them both over the head. She threw the gun behind her after disarming it. The window no longer had Waseda's eyes peering through it, which must mean they were coming around the side.

Clearly not wanting to give her the same chance, 5 of the men advanced, two holding their guns ready to start shooting. Kumiko stood still, watching those two, and wishing her cavalry would arrive. There were still 3 watching from the sidelines, and Kumiko knew if she attempted to attack this group, she might just get a bullet. Once they were close enough, she circled behind one in a smooth move, dodging a bullet intended for her chest. From the metal remnants of the garage door, the three men that had found Aiko came running through the door, propelled forward by the gun fire. One had picked up a piece from the door; another was carrying an empty barrel. Shortly behind were the group Kumiko had been hunting with.

The room turned into a war zone, guns firing, and Aiko began to scream. Kumiko tripped the guy in front of her, ran toward the head of the group, and quickly dodged around him, his distraction pulled toward the man about to attack his head with a pole. Aiko was trying to get up, but her body hadn't fully regained function yet. Kumiko dashed toward her, and knelt down, trying to get Aiko to calm down slightly. At least three of the men had turned toward the two girls. Toriyama was running towards them, throwing another man to the ground. He crouched down beside them, and Kumiko quickly told him to stay there before launching back into the fray.

Most of the men were occupied with one of Kumiko's henchmen, and they all dropped quickly, having been hit with a metal rod, or in the cases of her men, a gun shot. Kumiko kicked the first man she saw still standing in the stomach, and he fell over, leaving only the boss who had taunted her, who was still holding his gun. Waseda was lying beside him, a small pool of blood swelling underneath. Kumiko signaled to Toriyama to keep Aiko behind him, and try to get to the door. She began circling around the man, he wasn't following her with his gun, but she knew he could change that.

"Well isn't this interesting. Just you and I left." He looked down at his gun, and pointed it towards Kumiko. "You've proven more than enough that you're an equal. Never seen a man take down half of a gang, much less a woman." Suddenly, he flopped onto the floor, Waseda hovering over him with the steel rod, holding his side.

"Hope you didn't mind Ojou. He shot me so I wanted to take him out." Kumiko nearly collapsed out of relief. Facing a gun wasn't something she did often, and Waseda was alive. The blood beneath him hadn't given her hope earlier.

"No… that's fine." Toriyama jogged over to support Waseda. The henchmen were all standing now, some holding various wounds. They circled around the bodies, making sure everyone was knocked out. Kumiko leaned down beside Aiko, who looked in near shock. "Kiyoru, are you okay?" She looked up at Kumiko, but didn't respond. It took a few minutes before she started moving again. When she stood up, Kumiko decided she would be okay, and turned to the henchman. "Okay men. Any of you with gun shot wounds, go to the emergency room we use. Haseda, report everything to your oyabun, and my grandfather. The same for all of you with another oyabun if you are uninjured." They disappeared, after bowing deeply to both the women.

Aiko looked cold, and Kumiko gave her the only jacket she had. "Are you okay?" They walked slowly out of the warehouse, Kumiko keeping an eye on the men still on the ground.

There was silence between the two of them for a few minutes. Aiko couldn't quite find words, but eventually nodded. It was easy to understand her silence. Kumiko didn't know what had happened over the twenty four hours, but she doubted Aiko would be running away again.

"Listen… Kiyoru… I want you to promise me you will never run away from your family again. Your dad has the best intentions for you, even if it's difficult living the way you do." Aiko listened to Yankumi, and nodded a few times. "There are things you and your brother still need to learn from your parents. And you are young, don't try to grow up too quickly."

It was an hour before they got to Kiyoru's neighborhood. In that time, Aiko had finally warmed up, and was looking a little less distraught. Kumiko knew she desperately wanted to be home. They came back through the egg carton apartment buildings. The familiar concrete of her own put a smile back on Aiko's face. The first smile Kumiko had seen from her.

They came to the bottom of the stairs, and Kumiko paused for a moment. "Do you want me to walk you upstairs Kiyoru?" She shook her head, and Kumiko felt a little relief. It was now inevitable that she would have to explain herself to Hisao, but now was not the time. "Listen… Kiyoru… you have to tell your father what happened. There are some things I will explain to you and your brother, but for now, please don't mention my involvement. I'm sure your brother will guess, and I will explain things to the two of you, but for now, just go home. Be happy with your family. The years you have with them are the most important." Not wanting to pour over the day, Aiko nodded, and in a sudden strange expression of thank you, she threw her arms around Yankumi and squeezed.

"I promise Yankumi." Kumiko smiled and returned the hug. Aiko disappeared up the stairs, and Kumiko watched her vanish. There was strange feeling churning in her stomach. She determined it was apprehension and joy. How was she going to explain this to Kiyoru.

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