The Unceasing Path
Ch 16 : 談判專家
Expert Negotiation - wherein many words are exchanged, and everyone has their own agenda
[Outside Red Flower Auto Detailing]
Haruka checked her watch. 1:55am. Makoto should be here any minute to take over guard duty. Thank goodness. She had been waiting outside for about 10 minutes now. Any excuse was a good excuse to get out of the stuffy autobody shop. She was dead tired. 8 hours stuck in a tiny room with someone who hated her guts was rather draining. She had tried talking to Aino again, but that was useless. Aino had yapped non stop all day, but she didn't let a single bit of useful information slip about the missing diamonds. As annoying as Minako was, Haruka did have to give her Yuet To Tong counterpart her due respect.
A conveniently abandoned milk crate provided a chair of opportunity. Haruka plopped down, nursing a can of herbal tea she had picked up from a nearby 7-11. The fresh air and cool drink helped to take the edge off her aggravation. The street was deserted at this time of night. The only other living souls were a delivery driver at the far end of the street, and a stray dog who had come by scavenging for food. She tossed over some of the jerky she had been saving for later. The golden brown mutt accepted the treat with a happy tail wag and came up to lick her hand. She scratched the dog's ears unconsciously. It was nice to finally meet someone who didn't second-guess everything she did.
A motorcycle rumbled in the distance. The dog yelped and scurried off. Haruka watched her new friend run off into the night. It sounded like Makoto's motorcycle with the crappy muffler. Haruka made a little bet with herself regarding her engine identification skills. A few seconds later, she congratulated herself for being right. Makoto turned the corner and pulled up in front of the autobody shop.
"Holy shit!" Makoto's eyes bugged out the second she hopped off her bike. "Are you ok? What happened?"
"What? This?" Haruka looked down at the giant red stain on her shirt. "It's just tomato sauce. Aino threw her dinner at me. Ready for 8 hours of crap upon crap?"
"That bad huh? Did she tell you anything?"
"Nope. Just lots of ranting and raving about how we killed Mizuno for the first few while, then personal insults after that." Haruka pursed her lips, remembering just how creative some of Aino's comments had been. "There was a brief 20 minutes of the silent treatment around 7 o clock but that didn't last. Amazing how many ways she came up with to tell me to go fuck myself."
Makoto leaned on the wall next to Haruka.
"So Ami's dead. Was that really just a mistake?"
"No freaking clue. I doubt it. I made that up on the spot to try to get on Aino's good side. Rei's a professional. She only does what she's paid to do, no more, no less. Either way, good riddance to bad rubbish." Haruka took a big swig of her tea and then poured the rest out on the ground. "To hell with her."
"Hey! Dead is dead! What more do you want? Leave her alone." Haruka tilted her head at Makoto's for her touchiness. "Sorry. I don't like to speak ill of the dead." Makoto said quickly. "It's bad luck."
It took her a moment, but then she realized that Makoto was scared and trying to hide it - probably for the same reason that Haruka herself was. The prospect of violence between the two of the biggest triad sets in the city was an unnerving thought. The number of connections and favours that her Boss, and his rival, Luna Miao Xing, held essentially divided the Hong Kong underworld down the middle. If the Yuet To Tong and the Hung Fa Boys did declare war, there would be chaos in the streets.
Haruka took a deep breath, dismissing her personal feelings for the sake of not throwing more fuel into the fire.
"Eh, sorry. No disrespect meant. This one is personal. Mizuno and I have a history."
"Oh? What'd she do to you?"
"She took Michiru. It's her fault that Michiru is in the triads these days. I never wanted that for her."
Makoto looked over sharply. "Ami and Michiru? They're together?"
"Who knows? Probably. I wouldn't be surprised if they were. You know how much of a player Mizuno was. All I know is that the the two of them met in jail. Next I know, she's a full fledged member of the Yuet To Tong. Mizuno must have roped her in when she was all alone and scared. Michiru wasn't a criminal before she went to jail. She was innocent." Haruka spat on the ground. Stress making her more bitter about life than normal. "Fucking dog...business were never this brutal until that one showed up on the scene. I swear, everything Mizuno touches goes bad. She can't even die without starting a shitstorm. Mark my words Makoto. We're on the brink of a full fledged gang war here. If we can't get Aino to co-operate soon, there's going to be blood on the streets. The longer we keep her here, the worse this gets. This whole situation is a ticking time bomb. "
"All this because Aino's keeping the diamonds from us? What's so important about them anyways?!"
"No idea. The Boss isn't willing to let this go though. Believe me, I tried. I've been on and off the phone with him all day. He really wants them back. That's not up to negotiation."
"We're screwed aren't we?"
Haruka crushed the empty can in her hands. "FUCK! This isn't right!" She tossed it aside, adding more litter to the already dirty streets. "Between you and me, I don't give two shits about the diamonds. I just want everyone to get home safe at the end of the day.".
"I agree. This isn't right...There's something we can do about that isn't there?"
"What did you say?" Haruka wasn't sure if she heard correctly. Makoto's face was turned away, watching the can skitter down the road. "Are you suggesting we...?" She trailed off, not really sure what Makoto was suggesting, if anything at all.
"Let me try again! I think I can get Aino to talk."
Haruka sighed. Must have been a shadow. Makoto's eyes were as honest and trusting as ever. She was overreacting to nothing. "Don't bother. We're not going to beat anything out of her."
"I never said I was going to hit her."
"Oh? What do you have in mind?"
Makoto hefted the plastic bag she was holding.
"I've got my ways. Let's just say I'm glad she threw her dinner at you."
[Inside Red Flower Auto Detailing]
"Hey. I got you some food." Makoto set a plate on the table and started untying Minako from the chair. "Sorry about earlier. Uh...did you get your tooth back ok?" Minako didn't say anything, but Makoto could tell that the smell of food was having it's desired effect. "It serves you right you know." Makoto continued lightly. "I heard you threw your dinner at Haruka."
That got a laugh out of Minako.
"Go fuck yourself, that was so freaking worth it." Minako rolled her now-free wrists "You're not afraid I'll escape? I bet I could take you down."
"If you manage that in your condition, you deserve it." Makoto undid the ropes around Minako's feet. "Now eat. Your food's getting cold. I made it extra soft just for you."
"Screw you bitch. I could totally take you." Minako stared at the steaming egg and rice dish. "What is this shit?"
"It's an omelette, with rice inside. There's some tomato sauce on top."
"I can fucking see that." Minako kept eyeing the food weirdly. Makoto was about to ask if she was allergic to something when Minako spoke again. "Where did you get this?"
"I made it myself." Makoto said fake-cheerfully, trying not to flash back to the time Ami had asked her the exact same question. "It might surprise you to know that I'm a pretty good chef."
Why she had made this particular dish, she couldn't say. Makoto had gone straight home after feeding the birds on Ami's roof. She spent the rest of her evening cooking for no reason at all. It wasn't until after she was done, when she as done clanging around and the kitchen was a mess, that she thought of bringing the food to Minako. Food was always a good way of connecting with people.
Minako took one bite of the omelette and broke out in hysterical laughter.
Makoto wasn't sure what she was expecting when she decided to bring food, but this wasn't it. Makoto floundered, wondering if she made some kind of weird mistake. It took a few minutes to things settle down
"Egg and rice? Seriously? Fuck me. Ami would be laughing so hard if she were here right now." Minako paused, a slight smile on her lips and a faraway look in her eyes. "I can just hear her bullshit now: 'Hey Minako! I told you there were plenty of fish in the sea!'" She took another bite of the egg, and then started crying.
"I'm very sorry for your loss." Makoto struggled to remain appropriately detached from the sense of loss she wasn't supposed to have. "What was she like?"
It was hard to resist the question. She had never met someone who considered Ami as a friend.
Minako looked down, pushing food around her plate with her plastic fork. "Ami was...complicated. I don't know. I don't think anyone knew, not even Ami." She clenched her teeth and glared at Makoto suddenly. "Look, I don't know what you've heard about her, but she wasn't an animal! She's better than that ok?!"
"I know." Makoto said simply. She didn't trust herself to say more without breaking down herself.
"What the fuck do you know?" Minako huffed. "You never even met her."
The silence was punctuated only with the clink of Minako's chewing. After a time, Makoto force herself to speak again. She had a job to do.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just meant that I could tell just by the way you talk about her. Ami was special to you wasn't she?"
"Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter if that's what you're insinuating."
"Dammit!" Makoto snapped. "Stop taking everything I say the wrong way! You're not the only one who's ever lost someone you know."
"Why do you care?"
"Because it's the right thing to do. I know what you're going through and it sucks. I don't like seeing people suffer alone like this, not when I could do something about it ok?"
"That's sweet. Funny. You of remind me of Ami in some ways." Minako looked away. "You ever heard of the Bo Foy Ice Factory massacre?"
Makoto was puzzled by the sudden change of topic, but she went with it anyways.
"Yeah, of course. That was big news back in the day. What was it? Like 5 years ago?" Makoto lied. She knew for a fact it was 4 years ago. She knew the details like the back of her hand. She had studied it in police academy. The murders were so vicious that preventing future occurrences like that was a part of the reason why she had wanted to take on anti-triad assignments in the first place. Makoto recited the details off the top of her head. "Four dead, all high ranking members of the Yuet To Tong. They were handcuffed and bludgeoned to death except for the one guy who was shot execution style. No witnesses, no suspects, no arrests. Brutal, but typical Triad hit job. Why are you bringing that up?"
"That was Ami."
Makoto reeled back "That's impossible!" Bile rose in her throat just thinking about the crime scene photos. "No way one person did all that."
Minako went on quietly, as if Makoto hadn't interrupted.
"Ami did, and she did it for me. We were in the middle of an internal gang war at the time. Those four kidnapped me in an attempt to destabilize Luna's power base. They were going to kill me, but Ami got to them first. She hijacked their limo, gassed them then dragged them into that factory. She beat three of them to death before the last one gave up where I was. That was the one she shot."
It took everything Makoto had to keep her breathing even and her voice steady.
Ami. Her sergeant, her mentor, her partner. The woman who unexpectedly loved her. The woman that Makoto didn't want to admit that she might have loved back...
That woman was a cold blooded killer?
No. That wasn't possible. Ami was a cop. She was one of the good guys. She had to be.
"Bullshit. I heard that rumour years ago. It's just a story you guys made up to sound tough and scare people."
"Why would I lie about it now? Ami's dead."
It was bitter irony that she was learning more about Ami today, than she ever had before when Ami was alive. What else had she been hiding?
"I wish it was just a rumour. I was there. I saw the aftermath. Ami called Michiru and told her where I was. Michiru got to me just in time. After she saved my ass, we went straight to the factory to get Ami. It was horrible. Ami was just sitting there." She shuddered. "That's what I meant when I said you remind me of Ami. You both seem to have this obsession with doing the right thing. That's all well and good, except that sometimes, the right thing is batshit crazy and horrible. Ami was the nicest person you'll ever meet when she's not beating the shit out of you. I kind of see that in you too." Minako sighed sadly. "Ami was never the same after that night. I haven't seen her relax since."
"How could anyone? I think she scared herself." Makoto closed her eyes. That sounded exactly like the Ami she knew. The pieces all fit, in a terribly obvious sort of way.
"Yeah. You get it." Minako sniffled. "Dammit. I told myself I wouldn't cry. Not for real..." She looked around the room and gave a subdued chuckle "Last time, it was a storage locker. This time, it's a carwash. Same shit, different pile. Gods. Nothing ever changes does it? I'm almost glad Ami isn't around to see this. If she were, she'd be tearing a bloody swath through your Hung Fa Boys right now. I don't think she'd be able to live with herself if she ever lost control like that ever again. Letting my girls do all the dirty work – great leader I turned out to be eh?"
Makoto chose to focus on the living rather than the dead. There was no point in thinking about Ami any more.
"Minako. That's not your fault. People make their own choices. Ami made hers."
"I'm not looking for forgiveness, especially not from you. I don't believe in that shit. My point was that I fucked up. If I hadn't gotten cocky and gotten myself captured...It should be me at the bottom of that harbour right now. Not Ami. I owed her more than this. We can't even have a proper funeral."
A funeral. Makoto hadn't even thought about that. Funerals were for people who had lives. Ami didn't seem the type. It wasn't the first time Makoto had wondered, but it was the first time she felt able to ask.
"Did she have any family? Anyone we need to make restitution to?"
"No. Not that I knew of. It's just us. We're her family."
"You really mean that don't you. The being a family thing I mean."
"Of course, that's what being in the Yuet To Tong is about. We look out for each other. Not that-" Minako closed her mouth with a snap. "I mean, I appreciate that you asked."
"I wanted to know."
Minako sighed and closed her eyes a moment. When she looked up, she was all business again. "Dead is dead. There's nothing more I can do for Ami except to avenge her - but not if it gets all my girls killed. Ami would come back and haunt my ass if I started a war on her behalf. Alright chief. Let's talk, why not."
"You're willing to talk to me? Why?"
"Why not. You're alright Big Girl. You're less of a douche than I thought you were. I'm sure we can work something out. I mean, I still hate all you Hung Fa bastards but that's only personal. I'm responsible for my people first and foremost. Make no mistake: Boss Luna is in charge here. I don't want to put her in a position where she'll be forced into action, but we should at least explore all our options first. What do you need from my end?"
"Well...I need those diamonds back. That's the only thing my boss cares about right now. What do you need?"
"I need to get out of here alive for one. Anything happens to me, Luna will absolutely be forced to act. You let me go, maybe I can diffuse the situation still."
"Think you can do that?"
"I'll try. You can bet on that. Take it or leave it."
Makoto took out her cell phone.
"Good enough for me. One phone call, and I can get you out of here."
"Bullshit. Too good to be true. What's in it for you?"
"You don't know me very well then do you?" Makoto dialed the number before she lost her nerve. 3 beeps. "Hello? Police? I'd like to report a disturbance. I think I heard a woman screaming! 29 Kai Ming St. Please hurry!"
She disconnected the call before the dispatcher could ask more questions and shot Minako a very satisfying 'I told you so' look. Minako looked completely slack-jawed at the turn of events. For the first time all evening, she was silent. No snarky comment for anything.
"Isn't it obvious? Just think about it." Makoto smirked, enjoying Minako's surprised silence more than she thought she would. "You get out of here and I don't get blamed for letting you go. Shit happens. Better if the police find an empty storefront rather than one with a known triad leader tied up and bloody inside. No one's going to argue with that."
"Not going to kick a gift horse in the teeth, but fucking shitballs! Are you crazy? Calling the police?! What kind of gangster are you?"
Makoto shrugged as she pushed back from the table and stood. She gestured for Minako to follow her out the door.
"I'm one that does the right thing. Now come on! Follow me and stay close. Police aren't going to investigate shit, but I still think it's best if we avoid CCTV cameras until we are a few blocks away."
Minako nodded. They ran out into the night together, following the back alleys until they were blocks away from the autobody shop. Makoto set a hard pace, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the soon-to-be-responding police as possible. Getting arrested would just be the cherry on top of the shit sundae that was her life right now.
How did everything turn into such a clusterfuck? Makoto ran hard. She had no idea what she was doing anymore.
She kept running. One foot in front of the other. Sooner or later, she would have to deal with the consequences of what she just did. How was she going to explain this to Haruka? Or the Boss? Fuck. Freeing Minako had been an impulsive move on her part, but it felt like the right thing to do.
All she had wanted to do was be a good cop and protect the city. Now she was running around making deals with gang leaders while the city was on the verge of an all out gang war
And her partner was dead.
Makoto stopped running. They had gone far enough.
"Well, this is where we part ways," Makoto waved at the main road. "You'll be able to find your way from here. Better clean yourself up first though. You look like shit." She fixed the rival gang leader with what she hoped was a hard look. "You better not be lying to me Aino Minako. I don't want to see blood on the streets either. Now go and hold up your end of the deal. Got it?"
Minako hesitated before reaching out a hand. "I'll see what I can do. For what it's worth, I've been lying to Rei all week. We never hid the diamonds anywhere. Truth is, they're with Ami. She was holding them when she got shot." Minako laughed ironically. "They've got to be at the bottom of the sea by now. Probably scattered. Not sure how you boss will take that, but that's not my problem. It's yours. Good luck!"
They shook hands quickly, then Minako walked off into the night.
Makoto pulled her cellphone out, deleted the record of her last call, then dialed Haruka's number as soon as Minako was out of sight. She had a lot of explaining to do. Then, come morning, if all went well, she had to see a man about a computer.
A.N.
*drip drip drip* That's the sound of the Haruka and Michiru B plot trickling into the A plot. It's also the sound of the A plot, slowly winding it's way through a forest of character development, dialogue and scenery porn. It's there if you look for it. Promise.
Hope we're all enjoying the ride!
brycelozier re: Ami's backpedaling. Hah. You just described my writing process on this AU in a nutshell. If I were truly writing a HK Triad AU, it would likely be more violent (esp on Mako's part), there would be more references to SM canon villians (i.e. A Dark K gang would make good antagonists/canon fodder, or a "Hak Yuet clan"/Black Moon Clan offshoot of the Yuet To Tong etc). There was at one point, early in development, an actual draft of this story as it was written by me and not Ami. It had like, actual deaths and violence and criminal stuff in it. What you are reading here now is already the backpedaled version :P. I think, for an in-Drifter-canon explanation for how dark Ami is willing to go in this fic, is that Drifter!Ami is a pretty dark person inside her head. She's got a bit of a giant blind spot/warped perception about who she is and how she affects people. I like to think she was genuinely surprised that she made real!Mako cry with this story. If this chapter is her digging herself out of that hole and trying to reassure Mako...I have to say, well, Ami tried her best.
Cheers,
-Drift.
Up Next:
Ch 17 - 之變節 - Turning Point : wherein decisions are made at the highest levels