"That…fucking honey…!" Saiki gasped awake at the feel of her husband's tongue on her skin.
"Making sure I got it all…" he said with a growling chuckle.
"Bullshit…" she sighed. She looked over at the digital clock that was purchased on their way home at his insistence. "It's not even 3:00 in the morning?! Seriously?"
"Honey makes you taste so much better…" he mumbled and kissed her in a ravenous, hungry way. At her muffled cry at what he did next, he found himself chuckling again. "I really hope we don't need to leave the bed today…"
"Sure…" she whispered and panted against him. He closed his eyes to rest with her pulled against him. They both started to fall asleep, but his phone suddenly started to buzz. He blinked with irritated shock.
"Seriously?!" he growled and took up his phone to check it. "It's from Tsuruno…need help…The Castle…great…"
"Hmm?" Saiki frowned.
"He's begging for us to not delay in this. Apologizing for the wakeup call. Fine. I'll call him now and find out what's up," Kiryu sighed with a bit of dismay. "Hey. I'm with my wife. We were busy. I'll put it like that. What the hell is going on?"
"Do you want to own The Castle as another home?" Tsuruno asked.
"Ah…why…?" he asked.
"If you do, we need to move now. It's unclaimed. The fighters are in complete disarray on things. I know it's early. But now is the time to strike. I even have Akame ready. You remember her, right?" Tsuruno asked.
"Wow. I haven't heard that name in a while. She's still running that homeless information network?" Kiryu asked. Saiki listened in to silently piece things together. Her husband continued, "Eh…can this wait until daylight…?"
"I wish it could. I got a call from her that something big is happening. One of the main fighters came on land to gloat over finding new challengers. We need you there. It was a bit cryptic, but it's a big deal when one of them comes ashore," Tsuruno said. "I'm not sure which one it was…"
"I can only assume it would be the clown one. Dan…Brody? And didn't that group help us after they were taken down before by me?" Kiryu asked in a puzzled way. "This makes no sense."
"Well, with no one taking over The Castle, it's possible that they're trying again. Akame said they still want to help with the network, but they still want to rule something, too. I mean, The Castle is their home, so, I don't think they'd up and leave it right away.
"Or it's a new set of fighters causing problems and it's the original team asking for some backup. It's all unclear to me. But, if you beat them before, then you can do it again, right?" Tsuruno asked with a small chuckle. Now Saiki rose up to put the phone on speaker.
"My husband was diagnosed with cancer. It's all through his internal organs," she said. That had Tsuruno pause with complete shock at this news. "If he goes in, so do I. And nothing will live if his health is in danger. Is this a responsibility you are prepared to take?"
"I…didn't know he had cancer…" Tsuruno admitted.
"Well, he does. He was given something to help, but we don't know how effective it is right now. If he goes through a lot of stress, then two things will happen that we know of. He gets headaches of intense nausea and throws up. If he can't fight and gets a beat down, I lop off the head of the one that fucking touched him. I won't allow him to be touched, and you saw what I use just yesterday. So, I ask again. Are you ready to take that responsibility?!" she snapped out.
"Well…weapons are usually not allowed…"
"Fuck that. Not going. Goodbye," she said curtly and hung up the call. Kiryu looked at her with a raised brow. "What? No weapons. We don't go. I will not relinquish my weapons. Ever."
The phone rang again, and Kiryu put the call on speaker. "You heard my wife. As much as what she has is hidden, it won't work."
"I know! I just…maybe she can keep them hidden…" Tsuruno sighed loudly. "I don't even know if the rules apply now. We would have to see and just not say anything. I only know we have to make our move now."
"I really don't want to go anywhere today. Let me make some calls. I may have others that can register as fighters to join up. If it comes to it. Give me twenty minutes," Kiryu muttered and disconnected the call. He called Daigo first.
"Kiryu? What…?" Daigo said on answering to show he was woken up.
"Sorry. Our new friend, Tsuruno, wants me to go to The Castle with Saiki. That ship you wanted to do before. He also woke me up to show that this is urgent. And quite important. Listen to this…" Kiryu said and gave the rundown. The former Tojo Clan chairman mused over it now.
"Let me call Goro and Taiga. You'll have a solid fighting team. Kasuga might be able to join up, too, but we'll have to see. Oh! What of Saiki?" Daigo asked. "What does she think?"
"I'm joining the fighting team to be tagged in last. Because if I go in, then the fight is over. As well as the opponent," she snorted out. "We were told to go there now. What city is it in?"
"It's in Sotenbori. So…" Kiryu seemed to groan with disbelief.
"Not too far away. About thirty minutes for a drive. We'll meet you at the main entrance to the city," Daigo said and disconnected the call.
"I just want…one…solid day…of no interruptions…!" Kiryu growled with full irritation at the disturbance.
"Then let's plan for that in Hawaii. We still need to book the tickets. And there is a job from Rabten, too. Gelek confirmed it. So, I'll take care of it when we get there. I'm sure we'll go places, but that second day? We stay in the hotel. I will bitch-slap anyone that dares to think that we can't," Saiki sighed with her own form of understanding despair. "I'll go through the fridge before we leave for Hawaii, though. I don't want anything to go bad while we are out for a week. This place will be fully locked down like before when I left it."
"That's fine. When we get back from Hawaii…we should start building," he mused and pulled her close. "Hmm…"
"What?" she asked and gasped at the hungry nip to her neck.
"I missed a spot…" he grinned wickedly.
"I'll need to make a fighting costume. Maybe I can use the red string-!" she found herself kissed hard to shut her up.
"Absolutely. Not. No. Don't even think of it!" he growled. Then he blinked at something he remembered. "Shit…"
"What?" she looked at him with concern.
"No phones allowed. But…that was with the prior ruling…" he frowned.
"I have an idea, but I'd have to work on it now," she mused.
"What's that?"
"I take two spare tracking devices, remove the kill code in them and make them attracters to each other instead," she grinned.
"So…they would pull us together…but how?" he asked.
"I can make them vibrate stronger the closer they are together," she nodded. "I'll need to test if they can go through metal, but if they're like the car tracers…"
"Let's get that done now. Quick," he nodded.
"Want to watch? Or make us something to eat?" she chuckled.
"I can cook something up," he smiled and kissed her gently. "We'll take a quick shower and see where everyone's at after."
"Okay," she nodded. She ran her hand up his chest to hear him growl with appreciation. "Maybe…in ten minutes…"
"We were told we couldn't waste time…"
"Whoever said that fucking was a waste of time?" she muttered to get him laughing at it. "And we're still newlyweds. Who the fuck cares what they think?"
"Well, I absolutely love how you think," he grinned and pulled her close to run his mouth over her neck. "But…I think you're a bad influence on me."
"You are the one that asked me to marry you," she reminded him.
"And you said yes. Just like me…you can't see yourself with anyone else. And I can't, either. As I have said time and time again…I have absolutely no regrets," he muttered against her throat and squeezed her to him. "I knew what I was getting myself into. And I have…absolutely…no…regrets…"
"Kazuma…" she groaned out and let him claim her. He held her to him with harsh gasps of air to recover. And he ignored his phone when it buzzed again. He was completely relishing her warmth and scent. When his phone buzzed again, he ground his teeth at the intrusion.
"Aika…" he muttered.
"What?"
"Answer that damned thing for me. Because I'm so pissed that I can't think straight from the intrusion!" he growled out. She managed to reach over and take up the phone to check it.
"Looks like Ebina is asking to join the party," she told him. "Maybe we can use him as bait…"
"Hmm? Eh. Maybe…" he muttered and kept his face pressed against her neck. She set a confirming reply, set the phone aside near her and ran her hands through his hair.
"What's on your mind, Kazuma?" she whispered and kissed his forehead.
"I don't want to do anything tomorrow. Nothing at all. I want a solid day of just…doing nothing with you…" he sighed. "Maybe have meals premade and ready to have. Less to do. More time to just…be together…"
"I see."
"Also…" he said with a small growl of protection. "I don't want you to join in any fights."
"Why?"
"You might be pregnant. I can't put you through that. And no one outside of our circle of friends, and those I know I can trust, know about this. I can't let anything happen to you, Aika. You're also my bride. Less than a week! I mean…I know you can fight. I've seen it. I just…" he trembled.
"Kazuma. My lovable, idiot husband," she smiled and tilted his face to let him gaze into her eyes. "Do you honestly think I'll let anyone touch me? Other than you? Seriously?"
"Aika…" he groaned and finally sat up with her in his lap. "Don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you?!"
"I know what you're telling me. But did you already forget that I stormed a warehouse single-handedly and murdered over fifty men on my own? While you were bound down and turned into punching bag?" she asked and lightly pressed a finger into his chest. "I know how to fight and keep myself alive. As do you. And if those fighters are just giant meat lugs with heads, then you know they've got nothing on me at all."
"I'm just being the protective husband. Now that I can say it," he smiled.
"And I can be the nagging wife?" she grinned and laughed at his warm squeeze. She ran a hand over his cheek and blushed when he kissed her palm. "I know, Kazuma. I'm as protective of you as you are of me. I'm actually scared of what would happen if you're thrown into a fight. Because if anything happens to you in any situation…"
"Yeah. I know," he nodded and kissed her forehead.
"No. You don't," she swallowed. Now he looked at her. "You really don't. You saw a glimmer of it at the warehouse. I was a hurricane of death with that Clan! Bodies were shredded! Pools of blood everywhere! I was blacked out when it happened, so I don't even recall being told to go in to do what I did!
"I didn't snap out of it until the last man died. Not until my scythe was set down to show the job was done. I recall absolutely nothing of the mission. It was like…I was on auto-pilot. I…actually fell to my knees…and cried my eyes out…because I was so scared of myself with what I was actually trained to do…"
"Aika…!" he whispered with shock.
"It's why…I take that medicine now. To keep from blacking out. To remember what is going on around me. And fucking Dog Catcher was so fucking proud of himself. I even looked away when he pat me on the head with that fucking smirk! I was covered with blood, too, but that was before I knew how to avoid it. And I was so close…to gutting him open right there…"
"Hey. Eyes and thoughts on me," he whispered and ran his thumb over her cheek. "I'm right here. That guy? Burned up and missing a head."
"Right," she nodded and snuggled into him. She started to relax, and he ran his hands over her. "I really don't want to go anywhere. Can we call in sick?"
"I want to. But…damn. Now I'm curious about something…"
"What?"
"I want to see what the main bedroom in that place is like…"
"Oh?"
"Of course, if it's all still from Nishitani…"
"We'll hose the place down with bleach."
"Good," he nodded and kissed her again. "Better get on those trackers."
"And you the food," she chuckled. He finally let her go to slip a robe on with her. "I could make myself a fighting costume. Unless I go with my training getup. What do you think?"
"Go with training. Less exposure," he nodded.
"Oh…then I should do exposure for distraction…" she mused.
"Aika…"
"It works. You know it works."
"My wife should not flaunt herself at others."
"I'll be kissing you after each fight."
"Come on…"
"Jealousy blinds all male fighters. Females that don't look as good as me get ignored and slighted. That pisses them off and they lose focus."
"Hmm…I don't know…"
"I studied this and tested it."
"With who?!"
"I'll tell you on the way there," she grinned. He scowled lightly and took up his phone when Tsuruno called again.
"Hey. We're running late. Saiki wanted to set up something for us to track each other. This is in case we can't take our phones with us. If we're lucky, we'll get out of here at the top of the hour," Kiryu said.
"I figured that was the case. I'll give Akame your number. If that's fine?" Tsuruno asked. "It may be best to get details from her."
"Fine. But warn her that I am married now. I know she tried to flirt before. I ignored it and still will. But my wife won't," Kiryu said gravely. "You saw what my wife can do. And will do without a second thought."
"Yes! Yes, I do recall that. I'll…warn ahead now," Tsuruno agreed and disconnected the call. Saiki gave a side-glance at her husband now.
"Akame is about your age. Yes, she offered herself to me at one point. I ignored her and went to bed," Kiryu said calmly.
"And…if I offered myself right now…?" she mused. Now he looked at her and tensed with a heavy intake of breath. "Ah! But you have to cook now…"
"You…are terrible…"
"I know."
"Absolutely terrible."
"You married me. No regrets, right?"
"Damn it…" he growled and rushed at her to pull her into his arms.
"We have a place to be…"
"I don't care…" he grunted and kissed her heavily. "You…are the only one that has my complete…undivided attention…"
"As you have mine," she whispered and kissed him back. When his phone buzzed, he grimaced. "Go cook us up something. I need to tinker with some parts. Then we'll eat and take a shower…"
"Yeah…" he mumbled and kissed her again before setting her down. When she walked towards her workshop, he finally answered his phone. "Hello?"
"Kiryu-san! It's been ages!" a hyped-up young woman said.
"Ah. Akame. Good to know you're well," Kiryu said while walking into the kitchen. "I need to make something for my wife and I, so you'll be on speaker. I hope you don't mind?"
"Not at all. She'll be tagging along, so it's cool with me," Akame said. "When did you get married?"
"A few days ago. I've known Saiki off and on for fifteen years. So we have history. Then, with my health going down…I realized I didn't want to wait when she came back into my life. I'm sure you were told that I have cancer? If not, well, now you know. Anyways, we talked about getting married. She agreed to my proposal," he chuckled and started cracking open eggs.
"So cool! And…wow. Cancer?! That's horrible! No, I wasn't told, so I'll help make sure nothing too bad happens around you if I can help it. Anyways, I was able to get in touch with Ugajin. You remember him, right? The leader of the former kings group?"
"Oh. Yes. I do. What did he say?"
"He said they are actually looking for replacements so they can go into a form of retirement. They wanted to know if you would like to do it. So, they set up the fighting arena to judge the best fighters. I mean…if you showed up, I'm sure they would wave everything aside. But…there's a lot of people showing up. And a few of them are already causing problems. I mean, hey! If you own The Castle, you can let me in to explore!"
"Akame, I have cancer. My wife is incredibly protective of me. And I don't want to live on The Castle for long periods of time. That's not how I am."
"What all does your wife do?"
"She is the Headhunter of the Yakuza. She kills her opponents. She does not stun them. She does not cripple them. She rarely knocks them out, but only if I half-beg her to do it. She kills practically all of her opponents in cold, murdering blood. I watched her do it, too. That's how she was trained," he said carefully. "And her favorite thing to do is to cut off the heads of those she hunts and leaves them for others to find. Thus her title as 'Headhunter'. Get it now?"
"Ah…"
"Right. So, if anyone hurts me at all…"
"I think I need to make a call. When do you think you'll both arrive?"
"I'll be with some extremely strong friends that want to help. Practically my level of fighting. We may be there in an hour or so," Kiryu confirmed.
"Can I give your number to someone else?" she asked.
"As long as it won't be abused," he said. The call disconnected, he set her as a contact on the phone and he got back to cooking a batch of egg fried rice. Five minutes later his phone buzzed for him to answer it and put on speaker to keep cooking. "Hello?"
"Hi. It's Ugajin. I'm in a secure area of The Castle where a call can be done. We still don't want phones in there, but this was too important," the deep voice said on the other side. "Akame gave me your number."
"Right. Well, my wife hates that policy. And if anyone tries to find us, she'll kill them outright. She can't afford to be without her phone right now, and no one has her number except for very close friends. We'll discuss it later. What do you want to know?" Kiryu asked and added in pork slivers.
"Do you really have cancer?"
"I do. It's suppressed, but we don't know for how long. I have another treatment in three months."
"I see."
"I need to go. I'll talk to you in person soon."
"Wait. I know you're married. I heard how your wife is with her temperament. How is that possible?"
"It's a long fucking story, and we have no time!" Saiki said when she walked up to her husband to help him out. "I don't play games. I don't dawdle in a fight. Someone fucks up, I kill them. No bribes or gloating. I just kill the problem. So, if someone touches my husband, they die. And if you want proof, I'll send you a picture of the latest job I did. You want that?"
"Ah…I guess…?" the man said with indecision. She went to her phone, sent the photo to Kiryu's phone of Ishida's head and sent it to Ugajin that way. Only dead silence was given for a full five minutes.
"Satisfied?" she asked.
"Yes…"
"Good. See you soon. And don't fuck up meeting me for the first time. I take first impressions incredibly seriously. So warn your friends," she growled and hung up the call. Then she looked at Kiryu's laughing face.
"Thanks," he grinned.
"You're welcome, love. Oh, I touched up the gloves a bit more for testing. You'll squeeze the palms twice to release the claws and once to draw them in. Just in case you don't want to reveal them right away. Reset the mechanism by stretching out your hands. Also, I put one tracker in your wallet pocket. I have the other in a belt pouch," she said. He nodded at that and made a mental note. Then he moved the finished rice off the stove and turned to face her.
"I was thinking you could wear what you had on yesterday. The red with black lace," he said. "I think that can work. I know you mentioned your original training guise, but…I want to keep that for us only. So we'll go with the red and black outfit you have."
"Or should I go full 'jungle headhunter' guise and wear vines, leaves and war paint?" she grinned wickedly at him. He gave her an amused glare.
"No," he said to make her snicker. "The red outfit you have almost gives a…pirate look to you. In a way."
"Ahh. Hmm. I can see that…" she mused. "But I don't need to alter it. Maybe I can wear a hooded cardigan and reveal myself when ready. Of course, this would mean I show off the tattoo when it comes off. But only if you do yours. My belt would be hidden, but I can alter it if I have to."
"We'll see if it gets to that point," he nodded.
"I don't want to show off what I look like until it's really needed. They can see my face and a bit of my figure. Not the full thing until it's called for," she smiled. He found himself nodding with full agreement.
"I think I prefer that," he admitted. "Let's eat."
"Of course," she smiled and got lifted up to be kissed.
"I love you, Aika," he mumbled in her ear.
"I love you, too, Kazuma," she sighed and ran her hand over a shoulder and up his neck in a gentle caress. Another kiss was shared between them before he set her down to let her eat with him. It took them a good ten minutes to finish their meal before cleaning up. Then she laughed when he carried her back into the bedroom to shower. As much as they wanted to rush through it, they simply couldn't when it was time to scrub down.
"Have to make sure all the honey is gone," he grinned.
"Damn it, Kazuma!" she scowled and gasped at his advances.
"It was your idea," he growled and kissed her hard. "I'm showing how much I love it…"
"Then we should…get various flavors…right?" she panted and clung to him.
"Definitely," he chuckled and kissed gently. Five minutes later had them drying each other off and dressing up. She showed him a new suit she hand stitched for him. He was incredibly impressed on studying the long-sleeved jacket. She went with dyed dark blue silk with a wool interior lining for warmth and comfort. White satin covered it on the inside, and his pants were the same dark blue silk color with the lining along the belt rim. She showed him an off-white, long-sleeve, button down shirt with a stiff color to wear under the jacket. "This…is quality…"
"You think so?" she chuckled.
"How did you have time to make this?" he frowned.
"There were a few times you were dead asleep in our month of just…being together. I had put this together during that time. I just…didn't know when to show it to you, so…" she said with a soft blush. "You know there were a few nights that I couldn't sleep…"
"Unless we were together."
"Yes. And I couldn't leave the bed from you. You always held me close and woke up if I did."
"True," he nodded and started to dress in the new suit. "This is remarkably comfortable! I can definitely get used to this."
"Good! I'll make you a few more when we get back," she nodded.
"Hmm. I remembered something else," he muttered and took up the false glasses to wear. The gloves were put on next, and he tested them to ensure the claws responded at the second squeeze.
"And that is?"
"In Hawaii, there is a band of vagrants called The Barracudas. They can be a problem if we let them get out of hand," he frowned. "The leader of them was killed, but I don't know if they voted in another. Or if they are still in power."
"I heard about them on my search for you. They are not a threat to me. They show up? I send their heads at their doorstep with funny faces of terror all over them. We'll be fine," she chuckled and started to dress. He watched her lace up the front of her corset-like halter top with a small growl. "I know you said you liked this quite a bit…"
"Yes, I do."
"But the red strings are too much?"
"Only when we are alone here."
"Well, you know what I like in return now."
"Oh, I definitely do," he chuckled and went silent when she purposely bent over in front of him with her thong on. "That's cheating."
"I was only stretching," she grinned a bit wickedly. He watched her slip on the pants and tensed when she bent over again.
"Stop it."
"I'll just bend over in front of everyone to gauge their reaction."
"No!"
"Aww. It's distraction, you know…"
"Shut up. Come on," he grunted.
"You can always get even with me," she mused.
"I want to, but then we'll never get out the door," he grunted out again. He saw her put on her necklaces and finally a rather long, red velvet cardigan with a hood. She clasped the whole thing shut and pulled the hood over her face. He saw the outline of the weapons belt, but he also realized there was a lot of space around her hips to hide what came out of the belt. He nodded, pocketed their phones and lifted her in his arms to carry her out.
"I was…thinking of experimenting with fake elf ears…" she chuckled in his ear. Now he stopped and looked at her with disbelief.
"And with how your hair is…shit…" he growled out.
"I'm guessing…maybe?" she grinned.
"We will experiment later," he muttered and continued to walk through the karaoke chamber to the elevator.
"You think I'd look cute?"
"Damned cute! And drop dead sexy. As if you aren't now, but…"
"Enhanced?"
"Horribly. We'll look into it when we get back."
"Okay," she giggled and kicked her feet a bit with her weaponized shoes on. He pressed a kiss to her mouth in the elevator and let her lock it up after they got out. He called a cab and found himself kissing her again to pass the time. They got into the cab, and he made the destination known.
"Not how I was expecting my morning…" he sighed and pressed his head into her neck. "Not even daylight yet! Maybe we can take a nap during the ride."
"May as well, hmm?" she smiled and snuggled into him. He yawned and sent a text that he was on his way.
"Yeah…" he mumbled and put the phone away. She hummed softly in his ears to soothe him. She knew he needed a bit more rest for the encounter. She was too active to sleep, but she did rest lightly in his embrace. The ride was uneventful, to her relief, though. It took them forty-five minutes to get there, but she gently woke up her husband when they arrived.
"Kazuma…" she whispered and kissed him awake.
"Hmm…?" he blinked his eyes open.
"We're here."
"Ah. Right…" he sighed. He kissed her forehead, paid the fare and got out with her. He saw Daigo, Taiga, Goro, Kasuga, Tsuruno and Ebina waiting for them. Saiki gave Ebina a glance of mistrust, but she got scooped up by her husband to carry around to keep calm.
"Should Seonhee be here?" she asked.
"I did text her. She plans to be by later with Joongi and Zhao. Tomi, Chi-chan and Sa-chan had to work, but they said to let us know if we need them. Adachi-san and Nanba-san wanted to be here, but they have to check on a few things. They may show up with Seonhee later on. It's just us at this point. So, what are we to expect?" Kasuga asked.
"I know where to go. Follow me," Kiryu nodded. Just as he started to lead them off, a homeless Japanese man ran up to them.
"You're here! Good! I'll let Akame know!" he said.
"Thanks," Kiryu nodded and watched him run off.
"You should put me down," Saiki muttered.
"No," he said to her and began to lead the small group off.
"This has got to be the most action I've had in a long time," Goro chuckled.
"Should I comment on the adventure or getting laid?" Taiga grinned.
"Fuck off!" Goro snorted at him. Daigo shook his head at them both and kept a close eye on Ebina.
"Never a dull moment with them," Saiki sighed and yawned.
"Did you nap?" her husband asked her.
"Nope. So, as you won't put me down…I'll nap while you carry me," she smiled and pressed her face into his neck. He smiled and continued to walk with her in his arms. He started to recognize key locations, and he paused when two thugs walked out of the shadows to confront the small group. The only problem was that Kasuga and Goro were alerted right away and easily took them out.
"What the hell, man?!" one thug grimaced on getting up from the ground.
"Just…take it easy!" the other thug pleaded.
"You were going to rob us. You're fucking dead!" Goro sneered at the retreating thugs. Kiryu was ensuring that Saiki was kept asleep through the whole thing. When he got to the area where Akame was known to be, he saw the metal security door open. The short, dark red haired girl waved at them. He saw she still wore the red blazer and somewhat loose black jeans with white sneakers.
"Kiryu-san! Over here! Ah! So many you brought! Um…hmm. I don't know if I have enough space, but…" she frowned. Then Saiki stirred and turned her dark blue gaze onto the young woman's face.
"Hmm…" Saiki thought aloud.
"She is an ally," Kiryu whispered and kissed her forehead.
"If you say so," she said with indecision.
"You should see her computer set up! Actually…I would love to see if we can get her network to our home. We can share a lot of information that way," Kiryu said with a small smile at her.
"Really? Well…let's see what's all there. If it's allowed?" Saiki asked.
"Akame, this is my wife. She is incredibly technical and is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades like you are. She may even teach you a couple things," he chuckled.
"Oh! Um…okay," Akame nodded. Kiryu set Saiki on her feet to walk in with her. The others were able to follow and find seating around the room they were led to, and Akame added them to the security system as allies. Saiki blinked at the sight of all the technology and even began to name off quite a bit of the equipment being used. Akame was impressed.
"I know my way around technology, as my husband said just a bit ago," Saiki smiled softly. "You have a very intricate setup."
"I can tell! Ah! This is glitching again!" Akame growled and started to type on the keys. Saiki walked over to study what it was and gently moved her aside. She sat down, ran a newly downloaded program and fixed the problem. "How…?! I've been trying to fix that for a week!"
"You had a corrupted data file that was attempting to override one of the main programs in your network. What I installed will seek out the problem, find the fix and correct it," she nodded. Akame was shocked.
"That's my wife," Kiryu chuckled.
"Ah! Well, I figured she was your wife with how you carried her around before you told me she was. Very cool! Okay, so when did you want to head over to The Castle?" Akame asked. "And I'll definitely see if I can branch my network to your database in your home. It would be nice to get information from areas outside the city here. I'm sure there's homeless where you are that can help out."
"I'm sure we can both benefit," Saiki nodded and rose up to walk over to her husband. He was quick to lift her up and hold her in his arms again. Then she frowned and said, "You're still recovering your muscle mass, Kazuma. You have to tell me if you start to feel your limit."
"I will," he promised her.
"What's this about?" Ebina frowned.
"If you recall, I never stopped training. I am helping my husband rebuild stamina and muscle mass safely. When the next treatment for his cancer is done in three months, I'll train him harder until his next treatment in six months. It's what he wants, and I won't let him overdo it. Then it's once a year until he's either cured or…whenever the cancer is reported as gone. I won't let him overexert himself until his three month treatment is done," Saiki said sternly.
"So…you can teach others how to fight?" Akame mused.
"I can. Easily," Saiki said with confident ease. "And I make my own weapons, too. Even training rooms to make things more intense. There is quite a bit that I can do with no issues."
"You make weapons?" Tsuruno blinked.
"Where do you think I got my current one?" she smirked at him.
"Can I see your weapon?" Akame asked.
"No. Not here. She'll tear apart the systems with how large it is. And it would involve her removing her cardigan. She wants to wait until necessary to do that. So, if we go to The Castle and see what's up…" Kiryu said to drop the hint.
"And I can watch in the crowds!" Akame beamed. "Okay! Let's go!"
"Hmm…" Kiryu frowned lightly, but he carried his wife out. The others followed him easily out of the hidden base, and he nodded to Akame to lead the way. She nodded back and led them to the dock where a helicopter was waiting.
"I think we'll need to make a few trips back and forth to get everyone," she sighed. "Who wants to go first?"
"We'll go last," Kiryu said. Akame frowned at that, but she wasn't about to argue. Then she gasped at the sight of another homeless man hobbling up to her.
"Oh! What happened?!" she asked with complete concern.
"It's those…gangs again…" he winced. Goro looked at Taiga and Daigo with a knowing look in his eye. Kasuga grimaced and turned to see four thugs walking over with pipes and a heavy wrench.
"Darling. Do I ensure they stop after today? For good?" Saiki asked.
"Eh…" Kiryu sighed.
"It could be warm up practice," Tsuruno smirked and readied to fight.
"If you all don't take them out…I really don't want my wife to reveal herself just yet," Kiryu sighed again. "We'll sit this one out."
"Oh? You think a little girl is gonna do anything?" a thug sneered.
"And now he's playing with fire…" Ebina muttered.
"Darling…" Saiki said in a soft, dangerous tone.
"He's baiting. Don't listen to him," Kiryu muttered.
"I won't have to if he loses his head. Not like he needs it, anyways," she said with a soft chuckle. The insulting thug hissed at that and charged at her. "Swing me around, please. My shoes should still work."
"Ah. Right," Kiryu nodded and swung her around in a circle. She kicked her feet out to activate the blades and sliced the thug's neck open. He fell dead in front of them all. Akame's jaw dropped. Ebina had no words on how to explain what he just saw. The three remaining thugs froze in their tracks and were completely unsure on what to do.
"Who's next?" she grinned wickedly.
"You…killed him…!" Tsuruno gaped.
"Of course, I did. I warned you. I don't take prisoners in this type of work. And ones like him? May as well take him out. And it was faster than the usual slow torture to let him think about what happened. Much like what Ebina wanted," Saiki said with a shrug. Ebina blinked and found himself backing away from her small glare. Then she turned her gaze to the other remaining thugs. "Now, you three have a choice. Become like your friend. Or stop all of this bullshit nonsense and live better lives. What's it going to be? Because if you revert back to this bullshit nonsense, I can easily find you all again to finish the job."
"Ah…we'll change!" a thug said with a cringe at what he just witnessed.
"Yeah…no more of this…" another said.
"It's…not worth it…I think…" the last one said. They dropped their weapons and fled in sheer terror.
"They deserved it! For weeks, those four have been terrorizing us! And there's others out there, too! It's hard enough doing what we can as it is," the homeless man shivered.
"We'll keep an eye out. Of course, after I reveal myself, I can hunt them all down within an hour," Saiki mused. "We'll see if it comes to that."
"I honestly thought you'd slice a limb off," Kiryu grumbled.
"Maybe…just by killing one…may keep a headache from happening…?" she whispered in her singing tone. Now he paused and looked at her.
"I see…ugh. Okay. Try not to do that anymore. And…your cardigan is hiding your belt, right?"
"It is. It's why I said to swing me around," she nodded. "I want to save the real sense of surprise. If talk really does happen fast, I want only the bare minimum to be known about me."
"I know it," Kiryu agreed. "But can you put a few of those needles in your outer pocket? I think it will help if you want to keep other things hidden. And you won't kill anyone right away. It will only help prove a point at how fast you are."
"Hmm. True. Okay," she agreed and was able to pull out a small container of needles with a pop-lid. She showed him how she pulled back the lid for a needle to pop right up to show it was ready for use much like a pez candy dispenser. He chuckled and nodded that it would definitely work. She now had it in an outer side pocket of her cardigan and hidden away.
"Where do we go now?" Kasuga asked.
"I can lead the way. I want this guy moved, though," Akame said to the body on the ground. The homeless man had already called over a few others to show they would handle it. The group started again to get to the port where a helicopter was waiting. Kiryu sat on a bench with his wife in his lap to show he would be the last to go.
"I'll travel with you," Kasuga nodded.
"I'll hang back, too," Daigo said and gestured to the others to go to evenly split the group.
"I'll be back in twenty minutes to collect you," Akame said and boarded the helicopter. Ebina, Tsuruno, Goro and Taiga joined this round.
"And now we wait," Daigo muttered and sat down on another bench with Kasuga. Saiki yawned and snuggled into her husband's arms again. He hummed softly to calm her down even further until he felt her give in to some much needed sleep. He nodded at this and caught Kasuga watching him.
"What?" Kiryu asked.
"I just find it amazing that you can…keep her so calm. I'm glad that she has you for that. Honestly," Kasuga admitted.
"Yeah. Me too," he nodded. "And with what happened back there…she wanted to test a theory."
"What's that?" Daigo asked.
"If she doesn't kill someone and does a 'job' so to speak, she gets a massive headache when she snaps out of the killing mood. When I pull her out of it. At the Survive Bar, she killed someone. But she didn't get the headache when she snapped out of it. I told her I think it's because she killed someone before I had her come back to her senses.
"She has it in her mind that she could kill someone like she just did. Then she can get pulled out of her killing mood later to see if the headache won't be there. That's if I need to snap her out of it. Then she'd just fight off the aftermath of fighting off the instinct to kill," Kiryu tried to explain. "Less painful that way."
"Like with that woman! You said she had a headache," Kasuga blinked.
"She didn't kill anyone. They killed each other. Wait. She did kill the woman! The headache she had was incredibly intense, but I think she was too deep in her killing mindset to pull her out of it properly. She wasn't focused like she is now, and she kept insisting that the job wasn't done. I wouldn't let her go in to finish off the survivors, so she didn't actually kill anyone else. She also told me…hmm. Daigo. You remember what happened with that rogue Clan, right?"
"I was there to walk in to inspect what happened. She was long gone, though. I didn't even know that it was her that did it. She was kept from us. And you were away on a business meeting for peace negotiations with another Clan. So you were part of the board, but you only got the details when you got back," Daigo said on recalling what he could.
"Right. I told her I wasn't part of that vote on what to do, but I would have voted against her getting a tattoo. I mean…what let that go through?" Kiryu frowned. "Do you know?"
"I agreed that she should get a tattoo, but only if she wanted one. Of course, I didn't know that Saiki was the Headhunter. Just 'the weapon'. That guy…Dog Catcher…he told us he talked to the weapon and it was agreed to. If I knew he lied to us…was lying to us on so many things going on…" Daigo growled. "Glad we fucked him up when we did!"
"She told me she was completely blacked out when it happened. She withheld the mental medicine to see what would happen. She doesn't remember being given the order. She doesn't remember how it happened at all. She woke up only after it was done, and she was in tears of horror over what she could do," Kiryu frowned hard. Kasuga was shocked on hearing this.
"The medicine helps her remember?" Kasuga asked.
"It does. It lets her be rational. She just took it again after I got into the base with her. She's good for another five years. I'm just worried about one thing now," Kiryu admitted. Daigo and Kasuga both looked at him. "If anyone says any form of negative remark to her…"
"Yeah. They won't live to have another fighting round. Like we just witnessed. She won't negotiate. She gets rid of the issue. And I remember that head sent back in the box a month after the mission was done. Did she tell you about that at all?" Daigo asked.
"She did. Dog Catcher gave the idea to mess her head up to show off the tattoo. And this was her hair growth," Kiryu muttered. Daigo hissed at this. "She told him she didn't want the tattoo and that no one cared about her choices. He said she had no choices. When they sent someone to get the rest of her hair removed, she sent back the head of the guy in retaliation. That was when it was decided to no longer do confrontations with the weapon and to leave things be."
"Fuck…" Daigo winced.
"When I got back, I remember being told about the vote when Dog Catcher was asked to go and find out what happened. Of course, as he was a coward, he didn't," Kiryu grunted. "And everyone voted that enough was enough."
"Oh, yeah. I remember that. We all told him that if he wanted it done so badly that he should see it through. After that stunt, though? He cowed down. I think…that was the last time we ever heard about it. She was just too lethal and only used for extreme covert missions. Missions even I never even knew of," Daigo frowned and sighed.
"None of us," Kiryu nodded.
"And he was using her as a power trip and a bank roll!" Kasuga snorted with disgust. He paused when Kiryu motioned for silence. Saiki was starting to stir, but her husband whispered softly in her ear to settle her back down. He even stroked a lock of her hair to further comfort her down into a deep sleep.
"I want her to sleep as much as she can," he said. "Also, Daigo…"
"What?"
"Keep this to yourself for now. Same with you, Kasuga, even though you might already know. Saiki might be pregnant. We won't know for sure until she checks at some point next week. I really don't want her to go into a fight. At all. I know she knows how to keep from getting attacked. It's been proven at the warehouse. I just…I worry now…" he frowned hard.
"I can get that!" Daigo said with complete surprise.
"Yeah, you told me and a few others," Kasuga nodded.
"I also want to go to Hawaii for a honeymoon next week. So, after this? No disturbances. No requests. Nothing of the sort. I don't want her under any more attack. And those jobs from Rabten?! Pisses me off…" he growled.
"How many are left?" Daigo asked.
"Three. One is in Hawaii, too. So, after that's done, she and I want a solid day of no interruptions. Probably the second day. Maybe even third. Hell, even all week! And if it goes through the whole week, then that's fine, too. It's my honeymoon. My time with her. Don't call us unless something really bad is going down," Kiryu grunted out. "So, after the job is done, we are fully relaxing with a lot of room service. Just her and me."
"Darling?" Saiki asked and stretched a bit. "Why in the hell are you talking about me like that?"
"You know why," he muttered.
"Do I need to take pictures of everyone I kill?"
"No."
"Do I have constantly prove to you that I'll be fine?"
"No…"
"Do you want me to fuck up everyone on that boat if they touch you?"
"It won't come to that," Kiryu said calmly. Kasuga and Daigo were wisely staying quiet through the whole thing now.
"I get it. The only time I ever really got hurt was when I was doing my training on how to do things right. I had no one but myself, too. But I started off with wooden weapons first. Then I moved to sharp plastic. Next step was aluminum to show that I could hurt myself if I fucked up. Then it was the real deal. And I made damned sure that I knew how to handle myself before even going that far," she muttered. "Of course, Dog Catcher didn't question any of that since it was all stuff for training on how to fight."
"Wait a minute," Daigo said and looked at her. "You're telling me that no one offered to help you with proper instruction or guidance?! When you first started out?!"
"Nope. It was all me. If anything, Dog Catcher did show me how to properly hold a gun and shoot a target. Maybe show how to throw a dagger at a stationary target. That was all he knew how to do. Anything else with martial arts or handheld weapons of other kinds? Even a parkour playground to scale buildings as fast as I do? Any form of technical knowledge with computers? Not a single bit of what to do to and completely clueless.
"But it was the encyclopedia set that really got me going. That happened when I was ten years old after learning how to read. Just enough for me to know what I had to do, too. But the training with my scythe? A whip? My sickles? Even throwing a dagger at a real moving target? That was all me and building practice targets," she nodded. "You saw my training room!"
"Yes. That I did," Daigo nodded.
"I will admit that my writing could use a bit of work, though. Maybe I can perfect it a bit more after Hawaii," she sighed.
"I'll help you with that," Kiryu said. "There are lots of books for writing critique now. Although, I do have to wonder…"
"What?" she smiled.
"Do you…speak other languages?" he asked with a small grin.
"I do. Maybe, if all goes well here, you'll learn which ones," she chuckled.
"Is English one of them?" Kasuga asked.
"First one learned," she laughed softly with a nod.
"Good! I don't know English very well. So that will be useful in Hawaii," Kasuga pointed out. "It's part of the United States, so it's good to know."
"That's right, huh," she mused. They looked up at the helicopter returning, and Kiryu rose up to stand with her in his arms. Akame nodded to the group and waved at them to board up.
"They're waiting at the ship dock. We might have enough room to bring us all back together, now that I think about it. But I wasn't sure about the space. So, on the way back from there, we can all go together," Akame nodded. Kiryu sighed at this news, but he found a space to sit with his wife in his lap. Saiki just chuckled at this and snuggled into her husband again.
"I really…don't like flying…" she muttered when they took off.
"Why?" he asked.
"It's like…a mission. At least I don't have to be hidden in a crate…" she sighed with a touch of relief. He tensed with a form of anger at this. "And there were times it would be for a full eight hours at a time. I was given a bucket for bathroom needs and a small bottle of water with a protein bar! To last for eight hours?! The first time it happened…I was shocked that I lived through it…"
"Dog Catcher…!" he growled with fury. Daigo took in a deep breath on what he was hearing now.
"I'm going to need to tell the others about this," Daigo said.
"That's fine. But this is why I won't put up with any bullshit said about me. I can't deal with it. I never could. It was done to me my entire life. And now you know most of what I've gone through. If not all of it," Saiki muttered.
"Easy…" Kiryu whispered and kissed her forehead.
"You have got to be joking!" Akame frowned.
"She's not. We met Dog Catcher. He had a name, but we don't think he's worthy of having a name after what was discovered. We didn't even bother to bury any of his remains, as he was planning to ensure no one even knew about my wife. He was using her as a power trip. And he was stealing her paycheck," Kiryu grunted out. "He murdered her parents and stole her from an orphanage at only three years old."
"What?!" Akame gaped.
"It's all true," Kasuga nodded.
"Now you know why I can't do second chances. It's rare if it happens," Saiki said softly. "Kazuma and I met for only ten minutes fifteen years ago. And he still treats me with the same respect that was done then. He was my salvation to keep living and doing what I had to do to survive. And it was all for the hope to meet with him again."
"We have a bit of flight time. Fill me in?" Akame asked.
"I can," Kiryu nodded. Saiki found herself snuggled into her husband's arms once more and slipping into a light sleep from the sound of his voice. He ran a hand through a lock of her hair to further calm her down. It was when the helicopter landed that she was roused gently and set down to leave the helicopter. They got into the main greeting area past the massive doors to The Castle, and the other four of their party waved at them.
"Hey! We were just making some new friends," Goro said and gestured to the four strong fighters in their midst.
"Hmm…" Saiki frowned and got lifted into her husband's arms. "I can walk. You don't have to keep doing that."
"Protective habit," he muttered at her. She sighed and laughed softly.
"What's so special about her?" a heavy man dressed up like a clown mused.
"Shut up!" a tall, overly muscled man shoulder-length black hair tipped with orange growled at him. The other two listened in curiously. One resembled a man in a black exosuit of armor with a glass mask, and the other was wearing a completely immaculate dress suit of a slightly western style including a vest. He even had a set of handguns on his belt. They were clearly puzzled, but they didn't argue. "I showed you a picture that was sent to me. She did it."
"What? She cut off someone's head?!" the clown grunted.
"She did, Brody," Kiryu growled out. "And if you insult her again, I won't stop her from cutting off yours."
"Hmm…" the man in armor mused. Then he paused at what he sensed from Saiki's mental frame. "What…the hell…are you…?!"
"Me? Your worst fucking nightmare made flesh!" she growled dangerously.
"Don't fuck with her…" he said to the others quickly.
"I already don't like you," she said to him.
"Shit…" Kiryu grimaced and quickly carried her out of the main receiving area. He turned away from them all to softly whisper to her.
"The fuck is her problem?" Brody asked. Then he found himself flat on his back in a dead sleep from the acupuncture needle in his forehead. She had jumped out of Kiryu's arms, landed on her feet and struck out with a needle that she had ready to go in the pocket of her cardigan. Ebina was still in shock that she didn't even think of what to do once again.
"I'm fucking killing him!" she spat out.
"Fuck!" the man in the dress suit gaped.
"Saiki! No!" Kiryu shouted and quickly hauled her back into his arms. "Akame! Take us out of here! Now!"
"Ah…okay…" she said with shock at what she was witnessing. She was actually paralyzed with fear and couldn't move.
"Everyone… on this floating pile of junk…should die!" Saiki hissed with rage. The man with the glass mask was frozen with complete, solid fear at the thoughts of how this short woman was planning to kill everyone around her. He was starting to hyperventilate. He now knew that hiding from her wouldn't work.
"We shouldn't have come here," Kiryu said and glared at Tsuruno's speechless form. "She warned you. I warned you. We're done."
"Wait! Please!" the tall, muscular man said. "I was the one you spoke to on the phone call. I am Ugajin, and I did warn them about this. Brody is just…how he is. No one believed me."
"Is he dead?" the man in the dress suit asked and nudged the knocked out clown with his polished dress shoe.
"No. He's asleep," Kasuga said. "Pull the needle out to wake him up. Carefully. And back away to keep from spooking him."
"Shit…" the armored man managed to breathe out.
"I mean…we just got here! Can we have a do-over on introductions?" Akame asked hopefully after regaining herself. "We really need your help here."
"I don't give second chances…" Saiki growled.
"For me. Please…" Kiryu whispered. "If they piss you off again, then we go. No questions asked."
"Okay. Then don't put me down. At all. Because I will slaughter the fat fuck first!" she grounded out with a hard shiver.
"Any headaches?" he whispered and kissed her forehead.
"Not yet. Just intense disappointment that I can't disembowel him," she muttered out. He nodded and turned to face the others with her securely in his arms. He made no move to step towards them for safety. He shook his head at the clown when the fat man got up with disorientation from what just happened after Taiga pulled the needle out. This was returned to Kiryu to give to Saiki.
"Be glad she only put you to sleep. Next time…it might be permanent," Kiryu muttered. He felt her adjust his glasses and he glanced at her. "Not yet."
"I know. Making sure they're on," she murmured.
"Okay. Let's try this again, please," Kiryu said and regarded the four fighters before them all. "Introductions. This is my wife, Saiki. She is known as the Headhunter of the Yakuza. She doesn't think on how to kill. She just does it. It's how she's trained since a very early age. Be very glad that I talked her out of killing all four of you where you stand."
"I am Ugajin. The former leader of the four kings here. Even though we disbanded, we still sort of…protect this place. We are still challenged, but it's not like it used to be," the tall, muscular man said. "Not since you beat us fairly, of course. We still have rules, but not as strictly done."
"I am known as JUSTICE1975," the man in the armored exosuit said.
"You may call me Samejima," the man in the dress suit said.
"I'm Brody…" the clown muttered and looked away.
"Okay. Good. What the fuck do I have to do with my husband?" Saiki asked. "At first, we were told there was a hostile takeover. Now we hear it's to help a retirement club. What's the deal?"
"It's a bit of both," Ugajin confirmed. "We want to step aside, but we don't want just anyone to take over our spots. It's…complicated to explain."
"You are chained, yet not chained," Saiki said.
"You are quite correct in your assumption," Samejima agreed.
"What's the new chain holding you here?" Kasuga asked.
"It's finding the right set of people. We don't have anyone else with our skills. We patrol this place as freelance guards. I mean…it's not a bad life. We still get a paycheck to show we're doing some form of a job. It just has no real meaning anymore," Ugajin admitted. "So, either we are given a new sense of purpose here, or we see if we can find replacements for ourselves. Even then…we aren't too sure of where to go."
"It's not like we know how to do anything else. And if I go back to the States? I'm in jail! I'm screwed no matter what," Brody sulked.
"Okay. I know what to do," Saiki said.
"How will that work?" JUSTICE1975 muttered. Then he paused and stared at her with shock at her amused grin.
"I didn't even say anything…and you already know…?" she said with complete amusement. "Are you saying…you can read thoughts now…?"
"Ah…not necessarily," he said quickly.
"A lie," she said to call him out on it. Now the others there that didn't know were caught by full surprise. "This explains how you are part of this little circle. So, let's make it interesting. From what I was told before, this place was a contest. You four were the best of the best. Make it to the top, you become the new leader, in a sense. Or get a fat prize. I get it. Fine. Anyways, if I won, I was gifted a million yen by a faction I don't give a shit about, and I was thinking of doing a prize for the best fighter with a small amount from it.
"I was also asked to appear here to lay claim and own this entire ship with my husband to show a form of order again. Of course, I'll need someone to run it in my absence. It would be a slightly higher paid job, too. But, to make it fair, I was thinking of being a contender in the contest with my husband to see if I would be able to lay claim to this ship in full. And, as none of you want to fight me, I win by default. So…technically…I don't need four people to run this place…"
"Ah…" Ugajin paused at this news. Tsuruno was hiding his grin. Ebina was unable to say anything. Kiryu kept holding her and nodding slightly to everything she was saying with agreement. He even bit back a laugh at her comment that no one wanted to fight her. Even Daigo, Taiga, Goro and Kasuga were completely on board with the decision.
"I want each of you to fight each other in one on one combat. Winner gets to rule this place while I'm not here. And order the others on what to do. If I show up to kill the problem, literally, then there would be words with why order wasn't kept. Or, we can make it even more interesting with the winner…" she grinned.
"I am not fighting you!" the armored man said with a shake of his glass-faced mask. "I don't care if I'll be teased or insulted! You can have the ship! I'll keep my life and do whatever I'm told!"
"Is that so…?" she mused and thought of what her scythe looked like.
"Yes! That's right!" he said with complete panic. Then he sent the image to his other friends. They had no words at all.
"I play for keeps. Permanently. So, is it agreed that I will be the one to own this place with my husband as of now?" she asked sweetly.
"Let me talk to the ship staff," Ugajin said. "I only ask that…well…you don't kill anyone if you do lay claim."
"Only if deserved. I keep my vow. As long as I am treated with due respect, there will be no issues," she agreed.
"She definitely keeps her vows," Kiryu nodded.
"So…we're just gonna hand her the keys?" Brody frowned.
"Do you really want to fight her after she just kicked your ass with a needle?" Goro countered with a grin.
"Ah…oh. Point made…I guess…" the clown frowned hard.
"I'll gladly fight anyone that tries to challenge me. While I'm here, that is. Ugajin would, clearly, be the one to lead here while I am not here. My husband and I would lead fairly. Not as a Clan. But as owners of a business establishment. I will need to see all the records, billing data…all of it," Saiki said.
"I need to talk to the main staff. Here. It's a guest pass under me for all of you to enjoy the luxuries of the ship with no questions asked. We'll meet up in the Fighter's Lounge. I need at least an hour," Ugajin nodded to them all.
"Done," Saiki nodded back. Now Kiryu walked into the ship again with her, and the remaining three fighters led the group. Ugajin was actually a nervous wreck now. Just the fact that she took out Brody as quickly as she did told him exactly what he needed to know about her.
"Want to gamble?" Kiryu asked.
"A little," she smiled. "But first, I think I need to eat."
"Fighter's Lounge has that," Brody said.
"No. That is for the lesser folks. I know Ugajin mentioned it, but I will suggest otherwise. You can eat there, though. We shall go to the VIP Lounge. The food quality is far better for ones of our statures," Samejima said with complete dismissal at the clown. "I will inform Ugajin of the new place to meet up with us."
"Then let's go," Saiki nodded.
"Do I get to come along?" Akame asked with hopefulness.
"Of course. I plan to hire you as the personal escort here. So, by all means," Saiki nodded. Samejima was about to protest, but she cut a cold, icy glare at him that penetrated to his core. "Questions about this?"
"Ah…none…" he coughed out.
"Good. Let's move," she growled. On their way to the elevator, a disgruntled staff member ran out to block them.
"I won't allow this! This is unfair! It should be done properly in a balanced fight!" the man in the tux shouted at them.
"Are you going to fight me right now?" Saiki grinned wickedly.
"Don't do it," Kiryu warned him.
"I can take her spot," Taiga grinned.
"No! If anyone has to keep mutiny under control…it will be me!" the man said and braced himself to fight. "I'll willingly give up my life for this!"
"Darling…" Saiki said softly.
"Ugh…well…I suppose it was inevitable. We have others here to clean up a mess, right? And I'm not talking about a small puddle," Kiryu asked JUSTICE1975. Goro cleared his throat with Taiga before wisely backing away. Just that move alone showed something bad was clearly going to happen.
"Yeah. We do," the fighter nodded and made the call for the cleanup crew.
"Okay. Show them what you can do," Kiryu said and got kissed passionately. Saiki nodded, got set down, and the cardigan was stripped off to reveal what she wore underneath.
"Her tattoo…she revealed it…!" Ebina gaped. Now the scythe came out to play and she let her haunting tune infiltrate into the man's mind. He started screaming with horror and put his hands over his ears to try to shut the sound out. Of course, he failed miserably.
"Time…to make…a bread crumb…!" she sang out and spun herself around with the scythe out. People screamed and found themselves hit with sprays of the man's blood. Then she hooked the man on her scythe and lifted him up into the air to cut him to pieces. Right after that, she used her scythe to let it form the multiple blades to be a bit of an umbrella when spun to keep the blood off of her and Kiryu when the red liquid fell from the sky.
"Raining blood? Interesting. And not a drop on us! Anyways…anyone else want to challenge my wife?" Kiryu asked and looked at the three shocked fighters. She jumped onto the scythe to rock it and show she was ready to attack again. Ugajin was staring at what he witnessed from a balcony. Even the head staff members were watching with shock at what just happened.
"Your verdict?" Ugajin asked one of the main staff.
"We'll follow her orders…" the man swallowed.
"I'll have things prepared for our new proprietress to view," the man in charge of the ship's financials said with a shaky breath.
"Better get on it now. Before she comes up here to inspect things personally," Ugajin muttered to get them all moving.
"I think the point was made…" Daigo said softly.
"I'm all for more killing…" Saiki grinned and looked at Brody with a savage grin of delight. She extracted the whip to snap it with a wild, twisted look in her eyes. "Want to play with me?"
"Ah…" Brody backed away slowly.
"Saiki. The job is done now. Come to me and put away the weapon, please," Kiryu said. When she didn't listen, he walked up to her on the scythe to make eye contact with her. That made her realize he was close to getting hurt and quickly snap out of it. The whip was put away, and the instinct to protect her husband was quick to overrule everything else.
"Ugh…!" she grimaced and shook her head after jumping off the scythe.
"It's okay…come back to me…" he soothed and helped regain her thoughts.
"I almost…blacked out again…" she winced and let the scythe melt back into the pole. She still had it out to show she was on edge, though. "I didn't hurt you, though? You walked up to me…"
"I know. And you shielded me from blood. I wasn't hurt," he soothed again and took up her discarded cardigan. He draped it over his shoulder and noticed how others around them were staring at his wife. "And I will beat the living shit out of anyone that stares at my wife for too long."
That got quick flurries of movement to start cleaning the floor of body parts and blood. They made it up to the VIP Lounge to finally relax. Saiki put her pole back on her hip and sighed with irritation. Kiryu pulled her into his lap to kiss her and keep her calm. He whispered in her ear to make her laugh and shake her head at him. A menu was handed over, and orders were placed.
"I trust things are well?" Ugajin asked when he walked over to join them.
"For now," Saiki muttered.
"It's okay," Kiryu mumbled softly in her ear. After a bit, she sat up in his lap and regarded Ugajin directly.
"So, it's been confirmed that I will own this place?" she asked.
"Everyone is in full agreement," the muscular man nodded.
"Good. I'll want a contract done up in full with signatures. Also, I will appoint you in charge of here when I am not here. You can arrange a team to help delegate things as you've been doing. If anyone wants to challenge you, then it's up to you. Also, if I need you elsewhere, you are to come to my side and leave another in your place while you are absent," she said with a nod.
"You would have me leave the ship?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Of course! Or you can send another in your stead of your choosing. Just not the fat fuck," she said with a growl. "I can already tell that he will be incompetent and lack the decency to get procedures done."
"I am aware…" Ugajin said with his own small smile of knowing. He heard Brody grumble at that, and she didn't even care if she was heard.
"I also have a high tech security system at my main home. Various files will also be transferred from here to there. I know how to do all of that. But…I could use your help in the future…" she mused aloud. Kiryu blinked at her curiously.
"Whatever for?" he asked.
"Same with the others, but maybe just two of you. I really don't want fat fuck to run this place unless you appoint another to run in your stead. You know of the Tojo Clan? How the building burned down?" she asked.
"It was destroyed?" Ugajin blinked.
"It was. Saiki, what are you thinking of?" Kiryu frowned.
"He can help screen truly out of control former yakuza if all hell breaks loose. I know the others could, but they wouldn't expect an outsider to kick their ass, now would they?" she grinned. Kiryu blinked at that and found himself musing at the idea. "That and he can be an inspiration to children if we do get an orphanage going. Some children need to recognize role models and get ideas on how they want to live their lives. As well as proper fitness, dietary needs and even a possible way to learn how to defend themselves."
"You want to help children in need?" Ugajin asked with awe.
"It was my idea. Mainly because my wife's parents were murdered to force her into an orphanage at three years old," Kiryu muttered. Now the muscular man stared at them with shock. "Okay. History lesson about my wife while we wait for food. Whoever wants to listen…pull up a chair."
"I'm in," Samejima said and sat at the table.
"That is agreeable," JUSTICE1975 said while pulling up a chair.
"Um…sure…" Brody mumbled and pulled up his own chair.
"Yes, please!" Akame said quickly. Tsuruno also pulled up his chair.
"I need to know this, too," Ebina said.
"Just don't fuck up. You already lost one chance with me," Saiki growled in warning at him. Ebina nodded and noticed the others found spots to sit around them close by to listen in. Ten minutes into the discussion of her past had appetizers appear to quickly get dispersed. There was a small break when the brunch meal happened as it wasn't truly lunch yet. A man that handled the main entryway came over to announce that Seonhee, Zhao, Joongi, Adachi and Nanba had arrived to ask for her directly.
"Bring them up," Kiryu nodded. Saiki nodded at that to let it be done.
"Taiga, please have them come in quietly if Kazuma is talking?" Saiki asked him. Taiga gave a small salute on that. "Thanks."
"This is good takoyaki," her husband chuckled on sharing one of the decadently fried balls of squid and beef with her. A kiss was pressed to her cheek to make her blush softly. When the others walked in, they were waved at to sit down. Kiryu cleared his throat and continued his discussion about Saiki's past. When it was done, he looked at the others that wanted to know.
"I have never felt so pissed off before…" Ugajin growled.
"It does explain your personality trait. You do have my utmost condolences," JUSTICE1975 said softly from under his glass mask.
"Is there any part of that asshole left?" Samejima asked.
"I already checked. Just a few charred bones that I crushed flat with the heel of my boot," Goro snorted. "Feel free to do even more to what I left behind."
"I just might have to," Samejima nodded.
"I honestly thought I had it rough," Brody frowned.
"Exactly," Kiryu nodded. "It's why I won't let her go. And it's also why I refused to let her out of my sight when she came back into my life. She saved my life just as I saved hers. And we got married just a few days ago."
"Any other news about her condition?" Seonhee asked from where she sat.
"Condition?" Ugajin frowned.
"I was hoping to mildly avoid that," Kiryu muttered. Seonhee laughed and gave a small shrug. "We still don't know if my wife is pregnant. She's been feeling very odd signs."
"Oh!" Ugajin blinked.
"Gonna be a messed up kid," Brody snickered. Then he paled under his white clown makeup at the glare both Kiryu and Saiki gave him.
"Do us all a favor and keep your fat mouth shut," Saiki growled. The clown swallowed and went back to eating the mound of food on his plate. Ugajin glanced at the other two fighters to see them softly snickering.
"I'm proud of you," Kiryu whispered to her and kissed her forehead.
"I should…gut him open…right now…!" she hissed in her singing voice in his ears. He looked at her sternly at first, but then he sighed and rested a hand on her belly to show he understood.
"If he opens his mouth again, put him to sleep so we can have some peace and quiet," he muttered. She nodded slightly at this. Then she closed her eyes and winced at a spark of pain that shot through her head. Then she felt a sickening, numbing tingle shoot down her spine before it vanished away. "Saiki?!"
"Bathroom…!" she grimaced. He rose up with her without even needing an explanation to rush her over to where the nearest restroom was. He took her to a stall, but she only clung to him.
"Headache?" he asked.
"Yeah…" she trembled.
"I think it's because you want to kill him and you can't," he sighed.
"Possibly."
"Okay. We'll hang out here for a little bit. Then we'll go back out and get whatever files and contracts needed done. We'll go straight home after."
"Yeah. We can do that," she nodded. "I'm not nauseous or anything. Just the pain of that headache…"
"You know what? We'll tell them you got sick from the possible pregnancy. I don't want them to know you got a headache. Hmm. You'd be testing yourself in Hawaii…" he mused. She looked at him and found herself laughing.
"I'm sure they have some good pregnancy tests out there," she sighed and snuggled into him. She cringed again at another spiking headache before gasping.
"Saiki?!" he hissed.
"My back…!" she tensed up. "It did this…a bit ago…but then it fixed itself again like it did before! Now…something's wrong!"
"Your back? Wait…the needle…?!" he asked and quickly checked it. "Can you feel anything here?"
"No! It's numb!" she whimpered. "All down my spine!"
"Shit! Can you move?!" he asked.
"Ah…I can…but…"
"Hold on," he muttered and called Ugajin's phone.
"Why did you call me from the bathroom?" the fighter asked.
"Do you have a really good doctor on board? Like right now?" Kiryu asked.
"What happened?!" he asked.
"She…has a broken tattoo needle embedded in her back. I think it's finally causing her problems and it has to get removed. Now," Kiryu said with a touch of worry. "She can still move around, but her spine is numb."
"Shit! I'm coming in there!"
"No! She's still capable of doing things to those around her. You get the doctor ready and tell me where to go with her. Have the path cleared with staff ready to guide us. And if she feels threatened…"
"I get it! I'll have Samejima with me. Meet me in the main hallway. The doctor is below deck," Ugajin urged. Kiryu lifted her in his arms and quickly carried her out. He realized he left her cardigan at the VIP Lounge, and he texted Seonhee to keep it safe. Then he texted her what was going on. She was soon seen rushing over with Joongi to help.
"Don't touch her. Just walk with me," Kiryu warned them both. He noticed that his wife was very still in his arms and almost felt like dead weight. "Saiki?"
"The numbness…I think it's spreading…" she whispered.
"Shit!" Kiryu grimaced and started walking. "How bad?!"
"Pins and needles…" she winced. "Like muscle nerves falling asleep. And it's all through my limbs now…"
"Come on!" Joongi growled and hit the button for the elevator.
"I was going to go to my personal doctor later today! Why did it do this now?" Seonhee asked. "I mean, you told me it was off and on, right?"
"Not like this…" Saiki swallowed. "I think it shifted somehow."
"Don't think about it," Kiryu muttered and took her into the elevator. The floor was pressed and the elevator shaft hummed as it moved swiftly. Ugajin was there when the doors opened to gesture where to go.
"This way," he said and led them into a clinic-like room.
"Let me see her?" the doctor said. A nurse had a tray of various tools ready.
"Saiki, a doctor is going to look. I'm right here with you," Kiryu soothed. She nodded and grimaced at the feel of the gentle prodding around the top of her spine. She felt a needle injected with Novocain pushed in to further numb the area around where the broken tattoo needle was. She didn't even feel the scalpel break into the skin and gently remove the embedded piece of old tattoo needle.
"It was starting to rust. And there was still ink in there after all this time. I think the combination of the two started to affect things. Give her ten minutes, and I'll lightly stitch this up. The needle was a bit deep in there, but she'll heal fine. I may want her to get a tetanus shot, but we'll see if it's necessary. We just need to make sure she gets feeling back first," the doctor said.
She sighed hard, but she slowly started to feel her limbs coming back to life. Now she knew that it had to have been what was in the broken needle that was causing her ailments. Kiryu kept her against him the whole time until he heard her intense sigh of relief. Then she turned to the doctor and said, "As you saved my life, yours shall be spared. No matter what is done, my blade will not touch your neck after this. But my husband might still punch you in the face."
"Ah…thank you!" the doctor said and bowed to her. "May I give you a shot for tetanus? It's for safety from the rust."
"Yes," she nodded and looked away when it was administered. Kiryu was showing intense relief at everything now, but he was worried about her possible pregnancy. He asked the doctor about this for a mild consultation.
"She should be fine. Just monitor her and keep her fluids up to flush out anything else that may be trying to settle in," the doctor confirmed.
"May I see the needle that was imbedded?" she asked. On looking at it in the dish, she saw that parts of the needle were corroding away. Then she saw the hardened ball of ink that was fully exposed in the needle ring to show how everything would have gone down without instant extraction.
"That needle really broke inside your back," Samejima grimaced.
"That it did. I want it destroyed with me watching," she said.
"Why?" Seonhee asked.
"Because that came from Dog Catcher. It had to have. The artist that did my tattoo would never have let a needle do that. I have to wonder if Dog Catcher was going to try and tattoo something personal on me and struck the needle too deep. That's likely why I twisted myself and squirmed so hard to break it the way it did. So I want it destroyed," Saiki said with a glare at it. "I don't know who made my tattoo, but you have to think about it."
"We'll throw it in the furnace here," Ugajin nodded.
"Good. After that, I'll need to get some painkilling salve put on my back with any other medications I'll need. I have stuff back at home to help further. Then I want to get the contract done and set some paychecks in order. Let's move," she said. Seonhee looked at Joongi with relief that this was taken care of. Kiryu was livid at everything that his wife went through for so long.
"Can we build a giant pit where Dog Catcher's body is and have it constantly stay lit up in a bonfire for a month?" Kiryu asked.
"I think we can do that," Seonhee mused. "I think we'd be questioned about the constant fire, though. Maybe…every now and then we light it up whenever we feel like it. I can put in a bid to purchase the plot just for that."
"Do it," Saiki nodded. Kiryu carefully lifted his wife up in his arms to carry her to where the main ship's furnace was. The decomposing tattoo needle was now tossed in to let her watch it melt and burn away to nothing. Then she sighed with relief that it was done. The others nodded at this and led Kiryu to the main finance office. For an hour, she went over new contracts, payroll status and income reports. Only after duplicate files were sent to her security system did she sign off on the new contracts with Kiryu as co-owner. Witness signatures were signed off next, and she looked at Ugajin calmly.
"What are the orders?" he asked.
"First of all, thank you for helping me. You could have scoffed me and figured I was weak enough to attack, but you didn't. I respect that. I'm giving you a bonus of 50,000 yen," she nodded. Ugajin's jaw dropped. "You know how to run most of this ship when it comes to control. I will give you my personal number. If anything starts to go down that you can't handle, let me know immediately. Hopefully nothing will happen next week as I may be in Hawaii."
"It's rare that anything major does happen. And it's very funny to me. I just met you…but I already know that I can count on you if shit really hits the fan," Ugajin sighed with a soft chuckle.
"It's my nature to be a hard-assed bitch. But extremely reliable when I know it's needed," Saiki agreed. Then she got serious. "Just keep a sharper eye on fat fuck. He may not have the mentality of someone to count on, but I know someone who might turncoat if the price is right."
"I'm already aware. It's why we feed him so much," the fighter grinned.
"He is quite correct," Samejima nodded.
"Also, as you assisted and kept your nose out of my business, you will receive a 25,000 yen bonus. And it will be the same with JUSTICE1975. Fat fuck doesn't deserve a name much less a bonus for his actions. Just get him a large chocolate cake," Saiki smirked. "And if anyone wants to smash it in his face, do it. I wouldn't complain about it."
"That might make him suspicious. I know what to do get him happy. Leave that to me," Ugajin nodded. She nodded back and rose up to stretch lightly.
"I think it's time to leave," she sighed.
"Wait," Kiryu smiled lightly. She looked at him. "I know we said we should leave. However, I want to spend the rest of the day here so the doctor can keep an eye on your back. We'll go into the master bedroom…"
"Can we get a hose of bleach ready?" Saiki asked.
"Why?" Samejima asked.
"Because the former owner here was full of shit and may have contaminated the room with perversion, filth and decaying egotistic pride," she muttered. Seonhee coughed out a laugh.
"We can have the cleaning staff thoroughly check through the room," the manager in charge of the cleaning said.
"Good. Please see to it now," Saiki said with a slight nod. Then she regarded the two fighters. "I must admit that I was fairly curious about the coliseum fighting. I've never actually seen one."
"We do have fighters here that were hoping to take us on. So we do have those on hand that are ready to face off the challengers," Ugajin nodded.
"Can we set it up now?" she smiled.
"Just say the word," the tall man nodded again. "Since, obviously, retirement is not an option just yet. I actually feel…rejuvenated again! Filled with a new sense of purpose that I haven't felt in a long time."
"Hmm. I actually feel quite the same!" Samejima blinked.
"Excellent. Then we'll see how far along your rejuvenation has come. Prepare the coliseum. Show me where I may sit with my husband. And feel free to watch the show with as much contempt as you want," she smirked. The fighters laughed at this and moved off to spread the word.
"Well, that's a nice chunk of change you just spent…" Kiryu sighed.
"Darling, when we get the word out that a new fight is coming around, I already ran the figures. We are going to make it back triple. All of those funds will go towards our building projects. And we still need to book our honeymoon tickets. Let's check out the bedroom?" she asked with a small grin.
"Did I ever tell you that I absolutely love how you think?" he grinned.
"You did. And you'll love how I think even more when we start making out in front of the fighters to show we got bored watching them," she snickered. He lifted her up in his arms to kiss her lovingly and carry her out of the small clinic room. Seonhee and Joongi had already texted the others of what to expect.