I stand outside a parking garage watching people go in and out. You can hear cheering from inside. It's probably close to midnight. Most people will have had a few drinks by now, so not many people will be hard to interrogate to find Hakari.
I walk up to the burly body guard who stops me as I approach.
"Whadda ya want squirt?" He asks smugly.
I smirk and grab him quickly paralyzing him for only a few seconds. Enough to spin him around and let him fall into my chest. I have his left hand's fingers firmly in my grasp ready to make the light twist it needs to hear the familiar crunch of his digits. I hold my spear head in my other hand to his neck and chuckle.
"Listen here punk. I'm gonna walk in there now. And you're gonna let me. Unless you want me to paint the walls with you and your buddies blood." Won't be quick neither." I say in a low angry tone.
"N-no! Go on ahead! Just was keeping up the tough guy act to keep the riff raff away, that's all!" He says nervously.
"Good. Don't fuck with me, and I won't fuck with you yeah?" I say.
"Yeah, yeah, you got it lady." He says.
I let him go and push him away from me. He cowers away to his friend as I walk by him. I walk into this huge underground room with a cage in the middle lower than the floor. An underground fight club. Fitting for Hakari.
I look around as I move silently through the crowd but don't spot Hakari anywhere. He must be in some sort of office or VIP lounge. I decide to stop by the bar and grab a drink.
"Two shots." I tell the bartender.
"What kind?" He asks with a gruff voice.
"Surprise me." I say as I turn back looking around in the crowd again, leaning on the counter with my right elbow.
"Well hey there." I hear a mans voice say beside me.
I don't acknowledge him and keep my eye in the crowd watching everyone's every move.
"Hey gorgeous, not gonna talk to me?" He asks.
I look over at him and he's a greying haired man with a matching trimmed beard. He's muscular and has one of those deceiving charming type smiles. One that makes my skin crawl.
"I'm married." I tell him.
"Awe c'mon, where's the fun in that beautiful? I don't see him around. Don't be a party pooper." He says.
My eyes grow cold and hard. I clench my right fist and grab his neck with the other discreetly paralyzing him for a second and slamming his head against the bar. I punch him hard in the face and get close to him as I try to contain my rage. I can't fuck up this recon mission.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Chill!" I hear a man behind me say.
"Say it again." I say menacingly.
"Say what?" The man sputters through blood.
"Say anything about my husband again! Say it!" I say with a heart full of sorrow and rage.
"I won't! I'm sorry! I swear!" He says.
"Let him go." I hear a familiar voice behind me say.
I grit my teeth and push against his head. It'd be easy to pop it. My strength is unmatched in Jujutsu society. All I'd have to do is...
"Dammit, Naomi!" I hear a different female voice say.
I let the man go reluctantly and he walks away quickly. The bartender scoffs and sets the shots down in front of me. He looks at the man with disgust.
"Local creep. Sorry bout that." He says.
I drink the first shot quickly and then the second.
"Whiskey and Jaeger, nice choices." I say. Jaeger went down like motor oil but it gets the job done.
"Looked like you needed em'." He says as he grabs the glasses.
"Yup, two more if you don't mind." I say casually.
"On it boss." He says walking away.
I sit on the bar stool in front of me and lean on the bar. The man with the familiar voice sits on one side, and the woman on the other.
"You sure know how to make an entrance Sensei." Hakari says.
I scoff, "yeah well, if it makes a difference I was supposed to silently make my way to you."
He chuckles, "looks like you failed that one. Seriously though, why are you here? Haven't seen you in months." He asks.
"Yeah Sensei? They put you back on recon work?" Hashi, the other third year student who was suspended says. Of course they're here together.
"Nah, Gojo wouldn't allow that." Hakari says shaking his head and leaning back in his chair crossing his arms.
"Yeah well he isn't here to make that call." I tell them.
"What?!" They both say in unison.
The bartender returns with the shots and an extra one.
"I ordered two." I say.
"Third's on the house." He says walking away.
I nod and take all three breathing out slowly on the last one as the whiskey burns going down.
"Why uh, why don't we go upstairs yeah? This ain't exactly makin' me feel so hot." Hakari says.
"Ugh, I hate when you don't feel hot." Hashi says.
She walks over to him and he smiles smugly as she feels his arms.
I groan, "you two are insufferable." I say rolling my eyes.
We walk upstairs to the roof and into a small room where they've set up cameras of the fights.
"I take it this is your office?" I ask as I look around the room. There's a couch on the back wall with a table in front of it full of empty beer cans and trash. Microphones and sound equipment are all around and in front are all the TV's.
"Yup! Watch all the fights in here. Only special clients are allowed in here." He says plopping down on the couch as Hashi cuddles up next to him.
"Gee, I feel so special." I say sarcastically kicking an empty can away from me.
"Sit Sensei." Hashi says with a devious smile.
"No, I'd rather stand." I say standing by the door crossing my arms.
"Suit yourself. So," Hakari says pouring a shot of whiskey as Hashi lights up a cigarette for him.
He holds the bottle to me and I wave my hand, "no, I'm alright."
"You had shots downstairs." Hakari says shooting an eyebrow up.
"I have a limit. And I don't drink with my students." I tell him seriously.
"Man, buzz kill." He says throwing the shot back.
"Yeah, totally not hot." Hashi says disappointed.
"Whatever. Look, I'm on a time crunch." I say impatiently.
"Oh yeah? What for?" Hakari says.
The TV announcer for the fights interrupts suddenly and I turn my head to them.
"Ha! Hold on! This is the fight of the night!" Hakari says excitedly.
I sigh and roll my eyes.
"Welcome to the Gachinko fight club tournament! I'm your announcer John Bobby!" The announcer says as the camera pans around the crowd.
People are going crazy as they crowd the cage. People are smoking and spilling drinks everywhere as they slam the cage.
"And now i'll introduce the fighters! We have a surprise challenger! These assassins just keep on coming!" The announcer says.
The crowd goes wild.
"The dangerous fireball kid, YUUUGI ITADORI!!!!" The announcer says.
"What?!" I say surprised.
"It stands like a panda, sits like a panda, and walks like a panda, IIIT'S PANDA!!!" He says loudly as Panda walks out across from Itadori.
I clench my fists and rush over to Hakari picking him up by the neck without effort and pinning him against the wall. Hashi stands and tries to throw her hands up but I grab them and squeeze as hard as I can. She yelps in pain and bends down as I turn her hands in an awkward position.
"Try your shit Hashi and I'll break your hands to pieces. Or worse." I threaten.
She was my student once. She knows my past and knows my strength and abilities. Just as I know her ability very well. I'm the one who trained it out of her after all. She knows not to test me.
"Yes Sensei." She says.
I look to a nervous Hakari and push him against the wall hard.
"What is this? You in on the higher ups plot? Huh?!" I ask him.
"N-no Sensei. I don't know this kid. I know Panda but.." he says.
"But what?!" I say.
"It's all for show! Just to make money and sell tickets. No fights to the death. Bad for business!" He says.
"Yeah well he's one of mine." I tell him menacingly gritting my teeth.
"W-we didn't know!" Hashi says.
I squeeze her hands harder and she falls down more and I squeeze Hakari's neck.
"Sensei! Chill! We didn't know!" Hakari says.
"Yeah? What about Panda?!" I say.
"Well, I did know about him but-" he says before I cut him off.
I pull him back and slam him into the wall hard.
"I'm sorry Sensei! I'm sorry!" He says desperately.
I squint my eyes at him skeptically and let them both go. Hashi rushes to Hakari and checks him over.
"I'm sorry Sensei." He says.
I scoff.
"Really, we always respected you and Gojo the most. If we knew you knew him…" Hashi says but I cut her off.
"Shut up! Bring them up here." I demand.
"Yes Sensei." Hakari says.
I wait patiently as he scrambles to call the ring master. I cross my arms and watch the TV as Yugi and Panda fight. They've sparred many times before. I can tell when they're going all out. They're throwing the fight. Itadori punches Panda hard and knocks him back on his side.
"Ah, what a punch!" The announcer says.
"I can't move! The animal welfare society won't stand for this!" Panda says dramatically.
I roll my eyes and smirk. Classic Panda.
"And the winner is Itadori!!!" The announcer says.
I look back at Hakari and he looks away.
"Yeah, he's your student alright." He says.
"You bringing him up?" I ask.
He nods, "yes Sensei, he's coming up right now. Told em' to bring him after the fight."
I nod once, "good. Now, I believe you owe me a proper apology. Both of you." I say crossing my arms.
"For what?" He asks.
"For getting suspended you punk! For wasting all the training and time you spent on yourself! For forcing your underclassman to fight! You were a great student, both of you! Now look at you!" I say angrily.
He sighs and looks away, "look I'm sorry. It's just a nice gig is all." He says.
"Nice gig huh? I can't believe this. I taught you better. And you still fuck around like a child. And what do you think Gojo would say to you if he were here?" I ask him.
"Where is Gojo?" Hashi says.
I let out a breath and look away with tears threatening to come to my eyes.
"Sensei?" She says.
Just then a guard with Itadori barges in.
"Sensei!" Itadori says excitedly and runs over wrapping me up in a hug tightly.
I hug him back and sigh in relief.
"It's good to see you Yugi." I tell him.
"I was worried about you." He says.
I nod and sit them all down.
"I know." I say as I sit on the table in front of them. I lean one elbow on my knee and a hand on the other.
"What's happened?" Hakari says seriously.
I sigh and look up at them, "It's a long story."