CrowsXGokusen FF – 2,604 words (about)
Everything happens for a reason
Part 7: An Unexpected Meeting
"Most of the complaints have been coming from businesses in the East District," Kyo explained as they walked. "What we're going to do is patrol the general area and keep on the look-out for more disturbances. Assuming we run into these thugs, we'll try to find out more about them first before engaging in a fight, unless of course they're putting others in danger. In that case, we'll move in at once and ask questions later, understand?"
"Got it," Kumiko affirmed, zippering up against the dropping temperature. Tonight she was wearing loose pants, sneakers, and a red t-shirt beneath her navy jacket. Given the opportunity, she preferred to keep her recently lopped-off hair secure in a half pony-tail when anticipating a fight, and with her hair pulled up she truly looked like the girl she was, instead of the boy she imitated at school. Kyo was dressed in his usual, distinctively Yakuza attire, but both were comfortable.
As they strolled into the East District, an area most populated with eateries and host/hostess clubs, they were enthusiastically greeted by most of the business owners they passed. Merely the presence of the Oedo family's young master and Ojou in the vicinity was enough to make the unusually tense shopkeepers relax.
"Kyo-san! Kyo-san!" several girls called from a nearby club, "Will you be stopping by tonight?"
"Not this evening, ladies," he answered them gruffly. "I'm working now." They looked slightly crestfallen, but wasted no time in swarming around Kumiko excitedly.
"Ojou! Kumi-chan! You look so cute with your short hair, should we cut ours too?" the chorused sweetly. "Ne, Kumi-chan. You have to stop by more often! We miss seeing our favorite little sister!" The gangster granddaughter smiled proudly and waved at the girls as Kyo pulled her out of the mob with a pained look on his face.
"I promise to visit again soon!" she called to them as she hurried to catch up with Kyo who was rounding a bend ahead. Leaving the hostesses behind them, the two meandered past some of the smaller restaurants, keeping their eyes peeled for trouble. They hadn't gotten far before the sound of breaking glass and raised voices coming from within a tiny sandwich shop made them pause. With a nod from Kyo, Kumiko approached the storefront cautiously and peered inside.
Through the grimy windows, she could just barely make out the shapes of several men clumped together inside the shop. Fortunately, none of them were facing the front and, giving Kyo the signal for safe entry, she slid open the door with a forceful push. The smacking sound it made as it reached the end of its track caused the men inside to jump and spin around in alarm. Now that she could see clearly, Kumiko eyed up each dark clothed man apprehensively, visually checking for weapons. Although she could see none on them, she knew that meant nothing.
"Is there a problem here gentlemen?" Kyo asked menacingly as he slid up beside Kumiko, arms crossed and feet spread apart in a barring stance. Glancing behind the men, Kumiko caught a quick glimpse of the shop's keeper being shielded by a large male worker who held a chopping knife defensively in front of him.
"Been harassing women?" she asked angrily, indicating the owner, "Or do you just enjoy ruining the livelihood of honest, hardworking people?" A few of the men cracked their knuckles threateningly and one lashed out, kicking a nearby table across the small room.
"What is it to you, bitch?" the one who appeared to be the leader challenged, stepping forward. Beside her, Kumiko felt rather than heard Kyo growl furiously.
"Watch your mouth punk!" he snapped. "It looks to us as though you might be the ones we've heard rumors about, messin' up the nice people who run the East District shops. Most people 'round here know this area is on Oedo Family turf, meaning you're either from out of town, or you're just stupid and looking for a beating."
"Seems like the latter to me…" Kumiko muttered, just loud enough for them to hear.
"Why don't you shut the hell up, you're outnumbered!" one of the men yelled, rushing towards the pair still standing in the doorway. Kumiko reacted before he could move more than a few feet, shoving a table into his path so that he toppled over it and onto the floor. That's when things really got started.
Kumiko knew from experience to pay close attention to her unknown attackers' hands. Though she and Kyo were not armed with knives tonight, they still couldn't be sure who the men were and therefore had no guarantee against getting cut in close combat. Sure enough, it was only a few punches into the fight when Kumiko saw a flash of silver leave one man's pocket and come racing towards her. Jumping backwards on reflex, she avoided being pierced by the blade, but was not fast enough to prevent the front of her jacket from being sliced open across the middle.
"Goddamn bastard!" she yelled, upset that her favorite hoodie was now damaged and probably beyond repair. The dangling fabric weighed distractingly against her front so she whipped the garment off and quickly discarded it. In her peripheral vision, Kumiko could see Kyo engaged in a battle against two of the men who wielded weapons similar to the butterfly knife now being brandished in her direction. "Are you such a coward that you can't even make a hit w'thout havin' some shit metal in your hand?" she screamed at her attacker, disarming him with a single bone-breaking blow to the wrist.
As the knife fell, Kumiko kicked it out into the street through the still open door and then spun around and landed a kick on the hooded figure that sent him flying backwards and over the counter. Loud crashes could be heard as glass items toppled off of shelves and shattered on the floor. Taking a moment to look around her, Kumiko registered that the shop owner seemed to have taken refuge in the storage room, but the worker was calmly walking towards one of the remaining men. She watched as he tossed aside his chopping knife and took a barehanded swing at his target. The guy ducked in time but failed to see the knee rushing upwards at him until it had connected with his face.
There was a sickening crunch and the man collapsed. Unperturbed, the employee turned to look at her and it was then that Kumiko realized how massive the man was. Actually, the closer she looked, the more he resembled a boy rather than a man, and a familiar boy at that… Have I seen him before? she wondered briefly, before snapping her attention back to the delinquent who was about to charge her head on.
As they exchanged punches and kicks at frightening speed, Kumiko noted that this one was a much better fighter than the others. Concentrating on the moves that Kyo had taught her, she tried to create an opening so that she could easily incapacitate him with a hit to the solar plexus. Unfortunately, the man seemed aware of her plan and skillfully avoided giving her the time or opportunity to amass a full-force blow. Growling in frustration, Kumiko feinted a jab at her attacker's left side and then smashed a sneakered foot into his right shin, causing him to stumble backwards.
His reeling body halted suddenly as it smacked into a much larger one, the owner of which promptly grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and held him up to Kumiko. Pulling back her fist, the Oedo Family's Ojou slammed a direct hit into the offender's middle and he was immediately unconscious. With a grunt, the powerful worker heaved the man up off of the floor and threw him bodily from the shop. Kumiko quickly looked to Kyo who had just ended his own fight with a sharp kick to the head, propelling his remaining opponent through one of the front windows with a crash.
With a sigh, the two faced each other and smiled weakly. Now that the dirty work was done, the silently began dragging the immobile men from the building and piled them up outside. For the time being, they could lie there out of the way until Kyo called home and requested a clean-up crew. As they trekked back and forth with their task, Kumiko subtly watched the large and silent worker as he righted some of the tables and chairs that had been toppled in the fight, still trying to piece together why he looked so familiar to her.
Tossing the final body on the top of the pile, Kumiko brushed off her hands and spat on the ground in disgust.
"Damn poachers…" she muttered.
"Something tells me these weren't the only ones either," Kyo sighed resignedly. "The way they fought as a group rather than just individuals makes it seem like they might be some sort of wannabe gang. In any case, we'll continue patrolling in the evenings until we can be certain they were the only threats. Call the family and let them know what's happened, would ya?" He handed her his phone.
Kumiko nodded her understanding and watched as Kyo walked back into the store to speak with the shopkeeper, who had finally abandoned her hiding place and was beginning to sweep up the broken glass behind the counter. Leaning against the doorframe, she quickly dialed headquarters and waited inattentively as the line began ringing. Finally, Wakamatsu's voice crackled to life on the other end and she stepped out into the street so they could speak.
"Gonna need to send some cleaners down here tonight," she informed him as she wrapped up her report, idly kicking the unconscious thugs as she paced around them. "No, that shouldn't be necessary." Pause. "I think we'll be heading back soon. We made too much racket tonight, Kyo thinks if there're more they'll sit quiet for awhile." Another pause as Wakamatsu speaks. "Wakata. See you at home in a bit." She hit the End button and turned back towards the store. Stepping inside, Kumiko heard Kyo telling the shopkeeper that somebody would be sent by in the morning to replace the shattered front window.
Looking around, Kumiko saw the huge boy-employee pick up her discarded hoodie from the floor and shake bits of glass and dirt from it. As he held it out to her, their eyes locked and it suddenly occurred to her why he looked so familiar.
"Ah! Rindaman!" It was a moment before she realized that the way she was pointing at him with her arm outstretched and mouth agape might not be the most polite way to approach her sempai. Quickly, she clamped her lips together and took the offered garment as if that was the reason for extending her hand in the first place.
"Yamaguchi," he nodded, looking her over appraisingly. Kumiko winced as she realized there was absolutely no way he still thought she was a boy. Acutely aware of how she looked, she crossed her arms in front of her awkwardly, hugging her jacket to her chest as she did so. As his conversation with the shopkeeper came to a close, Kyo turned and noticed that something was off between his charge and the large youth he remembered helping them during the fight.
"Ojou," he called out questioningly. Kumiko's face flicked towards his briefly, a mixture of panic and insecurity in place of the usual proud expression she wore. He stepped up beside her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder as she turned back to face the boy. "Something wrong here?" He sent a vaguely threatening glance in the giant's direction.
"I'm fine," Kumiko swallowed, thinking fast. "Why don't you head back, Kyo-san?" she suggested calmly. "I'll be along soon." Turning to look at him, she tried to send him a reassuring look. I'll be fine, I just need to work some things out, she thought, hoping he would understand. Something in her eyes must have done the trick because he nodded once and left without another word.
"Can we talk a minute?" she asked the boy slowly. When he nodded, she grabbed a chair nearby and sat straddling it with her elbows resting on the low back. Hayashida took the hint and pulled up a chair as well, his mind reeling.
"What's it gonna take to get you to keep quiet about this at school?" Kumiko asked bluntly, her voice hard. He thought for a moment.
"I guess, I want to know why you did it," Megumi said simply. Without another word, he leaned back in his chair and waited to see what his female classmate would do.
"Why I'm attending Suzuran?" Crap, she thought to herself, anything I say is going to give him power over the situation. She frowned in distaste. Then again, there's nothing to lose at this point…
"I've been thrown out of too many schools," she explained, surprised he hadn't heard the rumors. "My grandfather suggested this school, sort of as a last resort. Most of my family went there as well. That's all."
"Family?" Rindaman grunted. Kumiko gave him a hard look, sizing him up.
"That's right," she told him, not forgetting that he had heard Kyo's talk of the Oedo Family, and had heard Kyo call her Ojou. "My Family," she repeated, this time with emphasis.
Refusing to avert his gaze under her harsh stare, Hayashida turned the facts over in his mind. One: his kouhei and potential rival was a girl. Two: she was the daughter of a powerful local gang. Three: revealing her secrets wouldn't benefit him in the least. Making up his mind, Megumi stood and waited as Yamaguchi did the same, her eyes apprehensive but her jaw rigid.
"You asked me what I wanted in exchange for my silence." She nodded, squaring her shoulders slightly as she straightened to her full height and looked him in the eyes. This is it, Kumiko thought bitterly. Whatever it is, I have to do it because I can't let Grandpa down again. She steeled herself for the worst.
"Call me by my real name. Hayashida Megumi." Kumiko blinked. "See you tomorrow at school." With that, he turned his back on her and walked behind the counter, taking out a broom. She watched as the boy she had previously known as Rindaman ignored her and headed back to the front of the shop where he began sweeping up what was left of the broken window.
Taking that as her signal to leave, the Oedo Family's Ojou exited through the doorway a final time, her thoughts a confused jumble. Hayashida Megumi. She turned the name over in her head as she stepped around the bodies in the street. Turning back around quickly, she hollered a belated reply back to him.
"See you tomorrow, Hayashida-san!"
Without another glance, she turned down a side street and jogged her way back to the house. For now, she decided, she would let things play out on their own terms.
Inside the shop, Hayashida stopped sweeping and stared through the empty window frame with a blank expression. The sound of his boss's disgruntled sighs eventually brought him back to himself and he looked around again sadly at the destruction that girl had caused. Pausing as he noticed something bundled on one of the chairs, he grimaced. She had forgotten her jacket.