The Unceasing Path

Ch 6 : 古惑仔

Young and Dangerous - wherein the realities of Triad life are what they are.

[Mr. Ping's Noodle Stall. The day after the Karaoke Club Shooting...]

Haruka's word was good as gold. She did have something lined up when Makoto called her the next day.

'Its an easy job' Haruka had said – and it was. Collecting protection money from all the small businesses in the neighbourhood market was low level grunt work. The only thing Makoto had to do was stand around and look tough while Haruka did all the talking. The job was easy.

The hardest part was doing nothing.

This was exactly the crap she'd sworn to stop when she became an officer of the law. "To Serve and Protect". Well, this served the greater good - hopefully.

True or not, it felt still awful seeing the mix of fear and respect on people's faces wherever they went.

Still, better than the alternative. Makoto prayed that no one would try to fight back.

They'd already made multiple stops this afternoon. An electronics shop, an herbalist, a dried seafood shop, several butcher shops and a noodle stand. Luckily, there was no trouble – no one tried to resist. The noodle stand even dished up two steaming bowls. On the house of course.

She was there now, seated on a of flimsy stool at one of the flimsy tables out on the street, slurping away on her ill-gotten gains. Haruka was seated across table looking at her noodles with thinly veiled disgust.

"Bleh. You know I hate this shit?" Haruka poked at a cube of blood tofu in her soup. "Give me a nice salad any day."

"Hey, if you don't like it, don't take it? Food is food." Makoto finished off her bowl. "The wontons were pretty good at least."

Haruka reached across the table and dumped her noodles, toppings and all, into Makoto's bowl before she answered.

"Can't say no. When people offer us stuff, we accept. It's good that they respect us. We've got appearances to keep up. Why do you think I wanted to bring you along? "

"Thanks." Makoto was too full to eat more, but apparently, saying no was a bad idea. "Actually, I was curious about that. You seemed to have everything under control."

"Appearances Mako." Haruka repeated. "It's all about appearances. Today went well because I had a big hardass like you standing next to me. No offense, but you look like trouble. That helped alot. I normally have to do this shit alone. Terrible idea, especially with the butcher shops. They normally try to worm their way out of paying, and then things get messy. No respect for women, even me. Those guys spend too much time with their cleavers. It's annoying as hell but hey, you got to do what you got to do. Boss's orders." Haruka snapped her fingers. "Oh! Before I forget, here's your cut."

Haruka counted out a handful of bills from one of the many envelopes they had collected today and passed it over.

"Shit. I'd feel weird carrying around all that cash. You're right. This is a two person job." Makoto accepted her pay with a smile. "Not that I don't appreciate the work but there really was no one else available to help?"

"I love my boys, but they are all useless shit when it comes to these things. Umino for example, smart as heck, but it looks like you can blow him over with a puff of wind. Motoki is big enough, but he's about as threatening as a turtle. Him being good with running the numbers game doesn't really translate well to other ends of the business. That charming shitweasel actually managed to COST us money promising to help people last time I took him out. Mr. Wei's ceiling is leaking, Old Lady Chu needs a new walker, so on and so forth. Good thing he brings in so much dough normally or else the Boss would have come down hard on him. Then we have...ah, nevermind her. You don't need to know about that just yet. Listen to me go on. I've probably said too much already. I suspect you'll meet them all soon enough."

Gurio Umino - hacker, Furuhata Motoki - bookie. Both were known gangsters running with the Hung Fa Boys. None of this was new information - Makoto remembered those names from the casefiles that Ami had made her study last month.

Was that only a month ago? It felt like a lifetime.

"Well, what are we waiting for? I can't wait to meet everyone."

"You know the drill Mako. I can vouch for you, but you still have to do something to prove yourself."

Makoto quickly brought her bowl up and drained the soup. Hopefully, Haruka wouldn't notice the sudden look of wide-eyed panic. Hopefully, Haruka would attribute that sweat tricking off her forehead as being from the heat of the noodles and not the stress of 'I'm a fucking rat'.

"P-prove myself?"

"Don't worry! It's not a big deal. If you want to join the family, you have to prove that you're worthy. You gotta do something that shows you're brave, loyal and willing to whatever is necessary."

The bowl slammed down.

"I'm ready. What do I have to do?"

"Whoa! Easy there champ." Haurka laughed "It's nothing major. Normally, I just ask newbies to get a tattoo or something stupid like that...but I've been thinking. We need to send a message. The fucker who shot up my bike is one of the Yuet To Tong crew. We need to hit them back."

Makoto knew the answer expected of her.

"Hells yes! No one fucks with us and gets away with it. So, how does this work? Do I just go find her and beat her down?"

"Well...no. I was just thinking we go and smash up a few windows on their turf or something." Haruka looked slightly embarrassed. "I want to send a message, but a beatdown might be a bit much. The nutcase that came after us the other day, her name is Mizuno Ami. She's Aino Minako's second in command – Aino Minako is the undisputed field leader of all the Yuet To Tong by the way. So, as I was saying, Mizuno is Aino's second in command but she's really more like her mad dog on a leash. Mizuno is the Yuet To Tong's lead enforcer. Hate to say it, but Mizuno's pretty tough and she's is kind of high up on their end. I wouldn't expect you to take her on alone. This kind of action, I should probably run by the Boss first..." Suddenly, Haruka slammed her fist on the table. "Fuck that! Listen to me prattling on about protocols here when you're all raring to go. It is SO nice to have you on board. I needed that. Some fresh blood will be good for everybody. I'll be right back. Got to make a call first, but I guarantee The Boss would be on board. This is going to be awesome!"

It was a good thing that Haruka left the table. Makoto had so many questions right now that she didn't trust herself to keep quiet the way she should.

This was either the best case scenario, or the worst. Makoto had no idea which as she watched Haruka walk off and pull out her cell phone.

At least she'll get to see Ami again.

[Ami's apartment. Later that evening...]

If Ami were the laughing sort, she would have laughed at the coincidence. The sheer messed up poetry of the situation was worth at least a chuckle.

So...Makoto's initiation task into the Hung Fa Boys was to beat the shit out of the person who trashed Haruka's bike? Should have seen that coming. At least no one innocent would be hurt by this clusterfuck. All in all, Ami supposed it was a good thing. She let her mind wander as she pounded on the punching bag in her apartment. The exercise felt good and gave her a precious few minutes to think and review today's situation report. There were three things of note:

First, there was a shipment of liquid ketamine disguised as fabric dye coming in on a freighter from Goa tomorrow evening. A tailorshop on her turf was the receiving point of contact for this batch. Second, Minako was planning a heist on an armoured truck set for next week...and finally, there was Makoto.

Chief Chiba had briefed her on Makoto's situation earlier today. Makoto had apparently called him, upset and freaking out over what she had to do. Chief Chiba had managed to calm her down by promising to at least pass on a warning. Ami had been annoyed. She hated it when Chief Chiba called unexpectedly. it was a risk that she preferred that he wouldn't take so lightly, but the warning was duly received.

Received and dismissed.

Ami sighed. There was nothing they could do about it. She had more practical concerns to deal with.

Left jab. Right cross, jab-jab-cross-uppercut.

She had her own report to the chief to deliver. These reports were arguably the most stressful part of her life as an undercover police agent in the Yuet To Tong. Ami wanted to get them over with before dealing with the next situation. She preferred her headaches to come one at a time.

Report too much, and the presence of a mole in the gang was obvious. Not enough, and she became a part of the corruption she'd vowed to stand against.

Her life and sanity depended on balancing that equation.

Her sprained wrist was starting to hurt again. Ami ignored it and kept punching.

It was merely numbers at this point. What would serve the greater good? Who could be sacrificed towards that end? It was easier to think in numbers and statistics than human lives.

The jewel heist threatened only about 5 people – her gang's 3 man crew, and the 2 employees in the armoured truck. Insurance should cover most of the estimated 3.2 million HKD damages and her own presence should further reduce the potential for violence. The effects here were finite and quantifiable.

Minako wanted her on point for that job anyways. There was no saying no to Minako whenever she had her mind set on something. The drugs on the other hand, had the potential to spiral out and affect countless numbers of lives over god knows how long.

So the decision was made. The drugs she would report, but the jewel heist would go ahead as planned.

Tomorrow evening, HKPD would raid the docks and seize the drugs. Come morning, there would be a nice press conference those Narcotics Squad pricks would preen over the inflated street value of their haul. They would pat themselves on the back on a job well done and stroke their dicks until the next time she had a lead for them. Meanwhile, she would listen to Minako curse and bitch about their bad luck. What were the odds that the police would search that exact freighter? Then she would worry as Minako went to see Big Boss Luna in person to report their gang's failure. She would pray that Minako wouldn't be the one who was punished for the loss. Minako didn't deserve that.

Ami growled. The punches on the bag flew harder and faster. This was the way it always was. This was the way it was going to be. She would go on as she had done for the past 3 years. Balancing her equation and convincing herself it was all worth while. She should be used to this by now. Things had been like this since the day she agreed to go undercover. She had only Chief Chiba's word she was doing more good than harm. Overtime, that had come to mean less and less. If she had any different sort of life before this, Ami tried not to remember. She let it slide further and further into distant memory. It was easier that way.

This was who she was now, so why was she getting all worked up? Why was she angry? What had changed?

Ami stopped her assault on the punching bag with one last punch and a half-choked scream. Makoto. It had to be Makoto. Makoto with her hopeful green eyes and unwavering commitment to "doing the right thing". Ami couldn't stand the thought of dragging her into this hell, but somehow, the idea denying her seemed worse. Makoto was strong. That idiot still believed in serving the greater good, and Ami had no right to stop her.

For the greater good. Makoto believed in that. Maybe...

Maybe it was better for everyone if they got this over with as soon as possible. Ami grabbed the still-swaying punching bag and brought it to a stop. Right now, Makoto needed to prove herself worthy. Loyal, capable, and willing to shed blood. That's what the Hung Fa Boys were looking for.

The first time was the hardest.

Thankfully, Makoto's path into the underworld looked to be an cleaner road than her own had been. All Makoto had to do was beat the shit out of someone who actually deserved it. If hers was the only blood spilled, then this operation could be considered a solid win. The numbers worked out. According to Chiba, Makoto and Haruka would be out hunting for her tonight so she might as well make this easy for them. If she had to guess, Haruka would think to look for her outside the usual Yuet To Tong hangouts...if Haruka were smart, she'd be looking outside Club Elysian knowing that 'Mad Dog Mizuno' had a taste for backroom poker games and reputation for keeping company with the ladies there.

It was a plan then. Ami undid her hand wrappings and headed for the door. On second thought, she stopped, showered and changed into something clean – a white collared shirt and a black blazer. Club Elysian wasn't the fanciest place, but they had some standards. If she was going to be out on the town tonight, she had to look the part. She briefly considered wearing her leather jacket instead. The thick material might provide some protection, but she decided not to bother. This was going to hurt no matter what.

Hell, the mood she was in, she downright looked forward to it.

Ami sent a quick text to the Chief regarding the drug shipment, then, with a final check around the apartment, left to go face the night.

[Outside Club Elysian. 1:15am]

Makoto sat in the passenger seat and held on tight. Outside the car windows, her life flashed before her eyes. Quickly. Haruka speed-demon driving, combined with her Ferrari F-150, made for one hell of a ride. Makoto wasn't complaining however. Time was of the essence. Haruka had heard from one of her people that someone, not naming names, was at Club Elysian right now. Someone making a killing at the poker tables and burning cash like there was no tomorrow. Haruka had known right away who that meant and off they went.

Thanks to Haruka's Harukaness, they arrived in record time. Haruka parked several blocks away and they walked towards the club together.

Haruka was excited. Makoto was somewhat more reserved. Luckily, Haruka liked to talk when she was excited so she didn't seem to notice Makoto's nervousness. It was either that, or she kept filling the silence as a way of Makoto feel better. Haruka was really supportive like that.

Too bad there wasn't much that anyone could say to make Makoto feel better right now.

"...I mean, Monte Carlo's more well known, but the Guia Ciruit's is just as - WHOA! Look! There she is!" Haruka pointed at the side door of Club Elysian. A familiar blue haired woman stumbled out. She waved off the girl that followed in her wake and wandered around back into a deserted alley. "Shit! This is perfect! We've got her alone! No one around to call the cops or anything. You ready for this Makoto?" Haruka pulled a white domino mask out of her pocket and put it on. Makoto gave her a weird look.

"What? Plausible deniability. You never know who's watching." Haruka answered without Makoto needing to ask. She clapped a friendly arm over Makoto's shoulder. "Come on. Chin up. Never known you to get nervous before a fight before? It'll be ok. I know you, you'll do great. Between the two of us, we got this. Stay on guard. That fucker even gives me a tough fight, and I've got at least 9 inches and 50 pounds on her. Don't let her small size fool you either. Remember, that's Mizuno Ami, the Yuet To Tong's mad dog. If you knew more what she's done, then you'd know she deserves what's coming. Rough her up, but don't kill her. Other than that, anything is fair game. Boss's orders. Remember our plan?"

Makoto nodded. "You distract her. I sneak up behind her, cut off the escape route. I got this."

Haukra shot back a grin as she ran off. "Right on! She's not getting away so easily this time! See ya in a minute!"

Makoto didn't have time to think. She had no choice but to follow along. She hurried around the back of the building. She found Ami alone, doubled over, leaning with one hand on the wall as she puked onto the dirty alley floor. Makoto noticed with a start that her other hand was already bandaged up – probably as a result of that stunt with the motorcycle the night before. Ami was drunk, injured and in no condition for a fight. What the hell? Why wasn't she being more careful? Didn't Chiba warn her that this was going to happen?

The pieces fell into place. Makoto was an idiot. Of course Ami knew what was happening. Why else was she putting herself out here like this?

Makoto crept forward. Her stomach felt like lead she raised her hand to signal to Haruka to action.

"HEY! MIZUNO! " Haruka stepped out of the shadows. "TURN AROUND!"

"What the fuck? Tenoh? Is that you?" Ami staggered back, swaying on her feet as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Looking to get your ass handed to you again?"

"As I recall, you were the one that ran away like a little bitch the other night. Ready to go again? You owe me for that bike."

"Aww? Mad that I broke your trikey?" Ami sang out. Her tone was light at first, but quickly turned dark and threatening. "You seriously want to make something of this? Motherfucker. You play in the big leagues, you got to be able to handle the pressure. Learn to take a loss. Someone needs to teach you a lesson."

Makoto was in position. It was now Haruka's turn to laugh. "I think you could say that again"

Makoto made her move. She flung her jacket over Ami's head and with a practiced flick, wrapped the sleeves around her neck. Pushing though her hesitation, Makoto yanked for all she was worth. Ami fell with a muffled cry, suddenly blinded and unable to resist the sharp pull backward. A quick step got one foot down on the jacket sleeves sealing the snare. Just like that, Ami was pinned the the ground.

It was over before it had begun.

This wasn't the fight that Makoto had been steeling herself for all night. It was just a beating. Mean and vicious. This was schoolyard bullying writ large. Makoto moved on instinct. She kicked at Ami's prone form. Her foot drove again and again into the body lying on the ground. Haruka joined in. Ami struggled but she couldn't break free. Trapped and outnumbered, Ami didn't stand a chance.

They pummeled at their target for god knows how long. Makoto lost track in the heat of the moment. She kept moving, kicking and punching until eventually, Haruka held up a hand.

"Hey. Can't kill her. Remember?"

Makoto looked down in shock. Ami was lying curled up at her feet. There was no sign of movement. She reached down, terrified, untangled her jacket as gently as she could. The unconscious groan that escaped Ami's lips when the cool night air hit her face was both the most beautiful and most horrible thing Makoto had ever heard.

Thank gods. Ami was alive. Unconscious, but alive.

"Leave her. Someone will find her soon enough." Haruka said neutrally. "Let's get out of here."

They ran off together, taking a side alley pathway back to where the car was parked. This run was without the joy that had permeated their free run from the other night. Tonight, they were somber. The naked brutality of the evening had even gotten to Haruka.

They got to the car quickly and without incident. Haruka reached out and shook her hand with what Makoto now recognized as false bravado.

"Well, Kino Makoto, you made it. Welcome to the Hung Fa Boys."

[Haruka's Condo, the following evening...]

Makoto was in. After the beating she had given the "Mad Dog" of the hated Yuet To Tong, there was no questioning her fitness or loyalty to the gang. She was finally in a position to be supplying useful information to the police.

Mission fucking accomplished.

Makoto was in no mood to celebrate, but she had to. Haruka finally brought her in to meet the rest of the gang. They had been a party where Makoto spent the night forcing herself to be cheerful. Inside, she had been anything but. Inside, she was dying to know if Ami was alright. Regardless, she laughed and shook hands with all the boys as she was expected to. They played cards, sang karaoke, and shot the shit the way any group of guys would at a get together.

In the midst of all the merriment, Makoto managed to sneak off and risked calling Chief Chiba. She had to know if he had heard from Ami. He hadn't. Chiba said he hadn't heard from her all week.

Goddammit.

Haruka had heard nothing either. No rumour, not even a whisper indicating that anything had even happened between the Yuet To Tong and the Hung Fa Boys the other night. It was strange, the beating of a ranking lieutenant should have made some ripples, but Haruka was happy to let sleeping dogs lie. Makoto couldn't argue with that. The stress of this double life was already eating away at her nerves. Any more of this and she was going to have a heart attack. Worse, the uncertainty of not being able to contact her partner, of not knowing if she was even alive...it was unbearable.

And this was only the beginning...

A series of beeps sounded in the other room.

"Shit!" Ami shot away from the dinner table and ran to get the her work phone. She returned several minutes later with her eyes downcast.

Makoto put her hands up before Ami could try to apologize.

"You have to go. I understand. I got this." Makoto began to clear the dishes from dinner. She smiled reassuringly at Ami. Ami returned the smile half-heartedly.

"I'm sorry Mako. There's been a bus accident on the highway. All hands on deck." Ami was already slinging on her jacket "It was nice getting to have dinner with you tonight though. The rice was delicious."

"Thank you. Do you know when will you be home?"

"No idea. If the situation is as bad as I'm hearing, I probably won't be back til at least tomorrow night. Maybe the day after. We'll see." There as no denying the spring in Ami's step as she headed out the door. "I love you! Don't wait up!"

Makoto's smile fell away as the door slammed. She'd never want to interfere with Ami's work, but she really wasn't looking forward to another lonely night without knowing how many more there were to come. She sighed, not bothering to hide the sound because there was no one around to hear it.

Uncertainty really did suck.

A.N.

Tenoh Haruka: Race track hipster. Nuff said.

You know what? I could really use a bowl of wonton noodles myself. With a side of beef brisket and some vegetables with oyster sauce? That's good eating. Try it sometime.

Regarding the blood tofu? Well...lets just say that's an acquired taste, and I never acquired it.

Cheers,

-Drift.

Up Next

Ch 7 : 第一繭 - The First Layer - wherein cracks form on Ami's surface and Makoto breaks through.