"Come to the office. I have something for you."
First thing in the morning and already being summoned. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out what she needed to go back to Ultor for. Then again, she wanted to deliver a package personally to Shogo. So any excuse to go out was fine by her.
Shooting out a text in the morning is commonplace. One to Rene. What greater joy than paying someone back.
-XiXi want to come out with me today to visit your old boss? I got something for him. Figure you might want a laugh.
Yeah, time?-
-Gimmie 2hrs or less, I have to drop by someplace else first.
ok, ttyl.-
Ky got dressed, she had some good fortune, and money came in early. It was a shock, but then again, who turns down money? Sending out another text to those who were on funds pick up were out the door the second the text chimed on their phones.
"Morning Wifey, Johnny about?" Ky asked as she snuck a piece of bacon from the plate Aisha had prepared.
"Morning Wifey. Yeah, lifting. You heading out early today?"
"Yup, my man texted me. He has something for me."
Aisha hummed her response and whisked up some eggs as Ky headed down to inform Gat.
"Gat- sama? You down here? ~" Ky called on her way down in singsong.
"Yeah." He just changed the weight out to something heavier.
"Oh, I wish I had time to workout."
Giving Ky the side eye, Gat sneered. "You didn't get enough when you dipped?" He sat on the bench, adjusting his gloves.
Ky went to say something, then opted to play nice. "Oh haha, I told you before, when you're ready to talk, I'll listen. Who I fuck with now, no concern of yours. But that was cardio b. . I meant weights." Ky came to stand before him. "But I came to say, dinner at Mimi's, we are all expected. Now I gotta go."
When she turned, Gat reached out for her, then stopped himself, balling his hands. Letting out a breath, a nonchalant. "Alright." Gat laid back on the bench and gripped the weight bar. "Where you off to?"
"Cardio." Ky stated glibly, her voice trailing off.
Johnny shook his head and benched to vent his frustration.
Gat pushed reps until it burned. He was in thought. Johnny wasn't that guy. He wasn't the one to pour his feelings out like some loser. Gat was better than that.
'When you tell me, I will listen.'
He was fooling no one. Ish had been all in his ear about it until she just stopped speaking regularly about it recently. What could he do, buy Ky a new knife? A new gun? Give her another car?
Johnny got fussed at because of taking Aisha out to Freckle Bitches. Nothing wrong with that, he saw. But both of them are not Freckle Bitches material. They are way classier than that. Ish was a Homegrown steak, with twice-baked potato and superb holiday silverware. And Ky was home cooked Asian cuisine and chopsticks. But Gat wouldn't know the first thing about it, the romantic shit. Once puberty hit, he was used to girls coming to him. He could pull girls with a look. He never had to work for it. Until he met Kyouki, then slowly things changed.
Kyouki tried to force him to do better by Aisha with actions. Setting the platform for him. Aisha was trying to force him to verbalize that he cares about Kyouki.
"Shit." Gat sat up on the bench. Grabbing a towel, he wiped his face. Has he even said it aloud before? Has he even told Ish how he felt about her? Johnny grabbed a dumbbell and did a few curls. More burn would put it out of his mind for now. Though the thought wouldn't end, it wasn't shutting down. The burning sensation and tightness of his workout were not pushing those words aside.
'No concern of yours.'
Just like back then, she was unobtainable. He understood then; they had a fuckton of shit to deal with at the end of that year. Dex up and vanished. He himself was still recovering from that knee injury cause he wouldn't listen to the girls or the doctors. Julius went missing before Dex, leaving Ky and him to keep the crew in line and on track. Then that call came in.
'Ky is gone.'
Kyouki 'Li' James died in that explosion. Troy called him; her then-boyfriend. He should have died with her, but he was alive. Alive to tell him he had fucked up royally.
That night, that ill-fated night, he starkly realized. 'I'm in love with both of them.'
With that thought, he dropped the weight in his hand. The dull-sounding thud hit the mat-covered floor, walking off the burn around the room. He was out of breath, pushed further than he intended.
That night will haunt him still. Like he was in it himself.
Aisha came down with a bottle of water. He had been spending a few hours a day pushing himself til he was tired. Shogo irritated the hell out of him. He had reports on the inside, so he was on who was who that came in the city.
"You still upset about Shogo?"
Johnny breathed heavily through his nose. "Nah." Grunting cause it hurt.
Ren told Aisha when she came by the other day what happened at Purgatory. The loud screaming match that the two of them had. "Oh. So when are you going to tell her? After she marries Vogel?" Aisha teased.
Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. "She ain't fucking marrying him." He panted. Taking the bottle from Aisha, he gulped it down. That thought pissed him off.
"I was joking, but seriously, you cannot keep doing this to yourself. You are going to injure yourself." Aisha patted him, then quickly wiped the sweat off her hands. "You need a shower, come breakfast is done."
They went up and Aisha brought up the fact that there could be a time when Ky marries. "You can't keep your feelings bottled up like that. She will get married one day."
This wasn't a conversation that he wanted to have. He knew that there was a simple fact about Kyouki: she is Li and Li is a workaholic. "She's married to work. And the Saints." Gat retorted.
Aisha sighed as she fixed his plate. "Yeah, oh so true. So hypothetically. What if she comes here and says that she is going to get married? She already has my blessing."
That did it, the infamous blessing of marriage. Gat got up from the table. Hearing that there could be a possibility for her to slip completely through his fingers infuriated him. "She's not marrying anyone!" He stormed off to take a shower.
He thought he lost her a few times before, but he would lose her on another level. Her heart.
He can't lose her heart.
Ky picked up a generous gift from Dane. He sighting that she talks in her sleep, handed her a check for a quarter of a million and his gold card. A pleased smile splayed across his face. "In case you need anything."
"This is too much. The check is way more than enough." She was handing him back the card.
Dane would have none of it, pressing the card back into her hands. "After the past few weeks, you deserve more. Let me do this for you." Caressing her cheek.
Kyouki wasn't sure how to take that. "Are you insinuating that I am a… what's the word… a whore?"
Dane's face fell whiter than a bleached sheet, bright in the sunlight drying. If he could retract the words, just said with a wave of his hand, he would in an instant. "No! No, no, never that. That thought never came to mind. I just didn't know what to get you. You deserve everything. Allow me this. Blow my entire bank account. I don't care."
Kyouki already stepped back, tentative to continue and accept the check in her hands. She wanted to rip it. Dane assured her that the meaning of what he is doing is harmless.
"Go, buy anything, do anything you wish today. I have a busy week and I would not be around much. Take your girlfriend out? Yes, a spa day. Here is the place that I use. They are excellent. I will make a reservation."
Watching Dane go to make the call, she sauntered over to him, coming around the desk. Dane's mouth went dry, swallowing thickly to coat his parched esophagus as Kyouki hung the phone up without looking away from him. Dane backed into his seat, falling on the plush leather chair.
Kyouki took the receiver from his hand, hanging the phone up. She then leaned in close to touch her cheek to his. The look on her face caused his heart to race. Between arousal and fear of what was to come, he wanted whatever was to happen next to happen. Her cheek grazed his as she whispered into his ear.
"I do not want what I can have. Choose your words wisely next time."
So close he smelled her fruity scent, long after she left him, the heat of her body gone left him cold, a bulge in his trousers. He closed his eyes and let out a long ragged breath. A wicked smile appeared on his lips.
"She deserves more." He unzipped his pants and made a call to his secretary. "Jamie. Hold my calls for an hour."
"Yes, ."
'Ky, he is fine. He wasn't calling you loose. It's a gift. Treat yourself.' Ky thought to herself, especially about gifts.
'Johnny gifted you his car. Like the same thing.' Not the same thing. I never slept with Johnny. Why would I think that?" Ky formed the thought because of the gift total. Hell, King gave her the keys to his truck and apartment along with the control of the city after she took out the rogue Vice Kings.
"That was respect. Does Dane respect me? I guess he does." Looking at the check in her hands, signed and waiting for the deposit, she thought it over. "I'm in the wrong line of work if it's this simple to make money." She chuckled.
When she started the car, she laughed so hard and loud she thought she'd scare people on the streets. 'Get Money.' was playing on the radio.
First to the bank, second to pick up Ren. A call to the home of Maiyin & 'Ren' letting them know she's on her way. After with giddy haste to the towers where Shogo lives.
"Morning!" Kyouki greets the girl she plucked from the Ronin.
Ren yawned her good mornings after getting in the car.
"You up all night now that school is out?"
"Not really. I was helping Carlos." Another yawn, she finished.
Ky nodded. She figured the two of them would be either fixing cars or gaming. Ky glanced over at her. "Too young for that. At least wait a year."
Ren's head snapped to Kyouki, and she felt a blush raging on her face. "We haven't!"
"Better not, the only Saints babies I want are from Noel."
"God, can you not? And I was helping Ramon with the CPU in the cars." Ren cringed. Causing the older woman to laugh.
"Fine, fine. But let me ask you something."
Ren wasn't sure if she wanted to ask. Curiosity took over. "Sure."
"How did you join the Ronin? Honestly. Do you know anyone, like who bought you in, or trained you?"
The teen thought about it for a few minutes. "It was the fourth or fifth night I was on the streets. I was getting a slice, and the whips stopped in front of the place."
"Really? You are that into cars?"
Ren lit up. "I love the colors, and the designs and the booming systems."
Ky smiled. "Yeah, same. It's magnetic." Ky pulled up to a stoplight. "That doesn't explain how you joined up. Have you met their leader?"
"No. They just did their own things. I guess they were just filling more of their ranks." Ren confessed to Kyouki that she would have joined the Saints first, but no one was around to lead, and no one was around, period. The whole time that Kyouki had been asleep, the Saints were no more. Without her, it was like they never existed. Just stories of the war wrack streets and the infamous Saints sweeping in to clean it all up. "I was with them maybe a year or less. But not once had I met the leader."
"Typical. He has never done what he is supposed to." Ky scoffed.
"What?"
Ky's eyebrows went up. "What?"
At the tower at the edge of Chinatown, they hopped out of the car, and Ky handed the box to Ren to hold. It was fairly heavy. Ky asked if there was anyone at all that she knew, or was the jerks that died were all she knew from her former crew.
"One other girl, Gunner. I met. But we never came here."
Ky shook her head. "What's with you kids and your bugged-out nicknames?"
Ren shrugged as two men standing guarding the doors opened for the ladies without a word. Straight to the front desk, someone immediately greeted them. "Lady Ane, welcome." The concierge answered with a smile.
With a suck of her teeth, Kyouki sighed. "Are either one of them here?"
"Yes, just take the elevator, please." The woman gestured in the elevator's direction.
Ren was slowly becoming confused. What was playing out before her was odd. They greeted differently Kyouki, 'Maybe a different name of hers?' Ren thought to herself. When they reached the elevator, one of the Ronin was before them as the doors opened. The man inside jumped at seeing the Saints' leader. If out of his skin were a literal thing, he did so. Knocking into the wall of the lift.
"Ane-Sama? M-my a-apologies." He stuttered out, regaining some composure.
Ky's eyes narrowed. "Mm."
Ren stood looking between them both. Her confusion heightened. The man let them in and escorted them up.
"So glad you have learned some manners, keeping your hands to yourself." Kyouki said.
Ren watched as he visibly jumped again. The man sputtered again for not knowing who she was and also apologizing for his rudeness. Walking past the jittery man, the hall was empty.
"Yes! We are here. Please enjoy your day." With a bow, the doors shushed closed.
Kyouki growled and Ren just held tight to the neatly wrapped box.
"I told him, James. Stupid." Kyouki continues to grumble as they walk up the hall.
Greeted with bows of heads, Ky and Ren carried up the hall. A tall bald man standing in front of a door at the end of a hall once they turned the corner shifted positions and greeted the woman.
Before he could speak, Ky nicely let him have it. Ren was absorbing it all. Watching Kyouki gesture about something the girl didn't understand. Though she made out James, Ky was speaking so fast and increasingly more agitated it made her head swim. Then the door opened. Ky and the bald man's heads snapped to look at the intruder.
"I thought about it. I think if you call home, it will put everything to bed."
Ren peeked around the door frame, spiky yellow dyed tip on his hair, smug looking. Ren's mouth dropped open.
"No time soon." She heard Kyouki say. The box was out of her hands and shoved into the others.
"Sh-sh…" Ren couldn't believe it, hardly could she get the name out. There before her was the leader. Her former boss, talking to her boss. The actual man she heard about.
Shogo stepped into the hall in his partly undone robe. Kyouki fussed at him, shoving him back into the room.
"Decency, you ass! Come in. Jiro-san lunch for us four, please?" Kyouki asked what Ren wanted or tried, seeing Ren was stunned ordered for her.
Jiro-san left, and Shogo got dressed. Ren tapped Ky's arm.
"Yeah?"
"We in… are…. Ronin?"
"English, what now?" Kyouki opened the curtains to let in more light.
Ren began pointing to the room they stood in. Dragons lined the walls, gold, and black. Swords are neatly on a holder in the room's corner.
"Ronin?"
Ky looked around, saw nothing out of place. "Yeah, what about it?" She took a seat at the table, inviting Ren to join her.
"But the Sai-"
"Saaay-ing goes… You catch more flies with honey." With a warning glace, Ren nodded in agreement.
"Why are we here?"
"I told you already. And lunch. And the box. Gogo, come on hurry up will you!" Calling after him to play host.
Ren blinked. 'Gogo?'
"Why are you here? Again?" Shogo was irritable at being up so early.
"I brought you a gift."
Shogo looked at Ren and raised his eyebrow.
"Not her stupid. The box. She's under age and seeing someone already."
Shogo opened the box and sighed. "Fucking really? Kyo-san, why?"
"After that shit, you're lucky it was this. It could have been glitter! Besides, it's multi-functional, you can suck it and or shove up your ass." Kyouki smugly shrugged. "But seriously, call her here."
"Call home." Shogo retorted.
Ren has always been smart, not bright sometimes, but right this moment she pieced it together. The name, the respect, fear, the nicknames. They knew each other. Ren watched. She saw Jiro-san come in with a food cart behind him.
Kyouki thought about it. She needed to call, wanted to, though a big part knew if she did, she would have to leave Stilwater for a while. Now would be a good time for her to leave. The Samedi are out of the way; the Brotherhood is leaderless. Maybe she could.
"Fine. If you do as I asked, bring your little girlfriend here now."
Shogo shook his head. He knew she would beat the girl up. But a deal is a deal. He called her, telling her to come alone. Ky, Jiro-san, Ren, and Shogo had a pleasant but tense lunch.
A knock on the door, Shogo went to answer.
"Sho baby, hey. You wanted me?"
"Always. I'm not the one who wanted to see you. She is." Shogo ushered her into the room.
"Why is this bitch here?" The young woman asked.
Shogo silenced her. "Do not disrespect her or yourself."
"But what's she here for?"
"I do not want to know. She's all yours. Please don't kill her, whatever you do."
Kyouki turned to face the girl and looked her up and down. "How is she in bed?" Kyouki asked, causing Ren and Jyunichi to spit their drinks and choke.
"WHAT!" the girl shrieked in offense.
"Mina is fine. Claudia, she's good too." Shogo knew where this was going. "Please don't."
"Why shouldn't I? We made a deal and I need money. She put her nasty hands on me."
"Ugh. Fine." Shogo called Claudia and the last Victoria.
"Sho, baby, what are you doing?" Mina asked, taking glances back at Kyouki.
"You may not call me by my name. It is Akuji-san." The phone to his ear "Get Vikki and come right over."
Ren was speechless, beyond speechless. Never had she heard of anyone so blatantly traded and disregarded.
She was pleading for Shogo to listen to her, to what they had together. Kyouki finished her drink as Jyunichi poured her another cup of tea. "Listen, all that blubbering you are doing. Zip it now. You are now my property and you will work, or you will die." Ky sipped another small cup of tea without looking up at the weeping girl.
Mina's eyes held fear at the calm words spoken to her. She continued her plea well after the other two got there. Shaken. Ky showed no kindness.
"Gogo. Before I forget, do you know anyone named Gunner?"
"No."
"Of course, you don't. Jiro-san, girl about her age?" Pointing to Ren.
Jyunichi made a call, finding the girl was located at the casino, Poseidon's Palace. Kyouki nodded, getting up to leave. Ren behind her. "Thank you. I'm going to collect her too. Later peoples." Kyouki snapped, and the three young women followed begrudgingly.
Once in the truck, Ren was uncomfortable. The sounds of their weeping, way the two heads just pass people around. It was unsettling. The three women sat rejected, cast aside, and weeping harder. Ren tried to block them out. If this went on within the Saints, admitting to herself she was glad to be free from the Ronin, she wanted no part.
Until she nearly had a near heart attack from the conversation going on around her.
The girl whipped her head so hard to look at Kyouki that she hurt herself.
Ky heard Ren moan in pain. "You ok?"
"Yeah. What do you mean, thank you?" Ren rubbed her neck.
"XiXi meet The Brides. They are some of my previous co-workers from Technical Legal. They have been keeping an eye on Shogo for me." Kyouki smiled.
"Imma miss him." Claudia said Victoria agreed. Mina did not mind being able to Shogo sit. Part of her would miss him, too?
"I'll drop you off when we pick up her friend."
"I'll plead with him in a week, then we'll go back." Mina said.
Victoria chuckled. "I knew you had a soft spot for him."
"Shut up!" Mina announced blushing, trying to hide her smile.
Kyouki shook her head. Kyouki help aspires to their dream of becoming actresses. Working in the popular strip club was to pay for school. Kyouki did not mind. There were others who were in the club who held side activities that would benefit from Kyouki and her brothel. They approached Kyouki, young women who needed help away from their Jons, one of whom was the same man who approached her when she was just in her early teens.
Ren wasn't sure she was awake, having had to pinch herself. "You… you know them?"
"Had them watch Johnny when I started back racing."
In the back of Kyouki's mind, she worried about the attachment they have for him. If she carries through, which she will. Making that visit to her family over in Japan would break her heart to fight with her childhood playmate. Territory and shootouts, innocents involved, so she doesn't want Ren in it, much less her friends. One wrong calculated move and it can all blow up once more.
Ky shuddered internally at the thought, a chill so cold it rattled her bones, forcing her to grip the steering wheel tight.
On the other side of town, Gat shuddered; he had this sudden acute awareness that came from left field. A shift that closely felt like paranoia, but leaned more toward nervous energy. Gat-senses were tingling.
He was overthinking he knew it. Johnny would not keep Ky from marrying. He was just going to break the dude's arms and legs.
Johnny chuckled to himself. 'She can marry and I can still be there for her. Still, she might know I did it.' He mused. "Babe, heading out. Be back later." Hearing Aisha acknowledge him, Gat headed to Technically Legal.
As he pulled up to the strip joint, he tried to have a singular focus, ass, and titties. And it mattered. He was picky. Though tonight his mind was a mess. Solely focused on what both of his girls said, he kept hearing them on loop. As the Saints held control of this establishment, by grateful thanks to Kyouki. All the Saints now found out about the beauties that grace the stages. Usually, this would be recreational. Tonight it was a business jaunt. Gat had one girl here who he patrons if he is in the club.
"Hey, Boss. You good?" She asked.
Johnny smirked at the irony of it. "Of course. Anything new?"
"You bet. Your privet room awaits." She offered, escorting him towards the doors.
This club has private booths like most clubs, normally four, but this one had a fifth, to attend to four customers for longer periods of time, separated by a large glass pane to protect the girls. What was special about Gat's room was that it was the VIP information hub. They can lower the window for two people only, Gat and Kyouki. Most of the girls in the club knew what was going on that many others wouldn't have known. There were a select few who fed the information and others who triple-checked if said information was indeed true, then passed it to the tops.
As Johnny sat down, the curtain parted, the glass wall slid down and Gat found the Ronin was acting odd. The group was less frequent in the area and the night Shogo attacked Kyouki was the night it started. As if suddenly Shogo cared about where his people were.
"That little shit wouldn't know how to organize people. It might be the Oyabun making the calls. Thanks, tell your uncle I said, hey."
"Not sure, but if I hear anything else, I'll send you a text. And I will. Thanks!" She said, counting the sizeable sum Gat placed in her hands.
The glass went up and Gat fed a few dollars in the machine so she could have a proper count on her hours. Gat sat on his phone checking messages. While the dancer did her performance.
The Ronin acting brand new, almost as if they were under new management. Gat knew that was highly impossible. The Kid is a poser. There's no way that he would be the least bit interested in his crew unless he was scared or provoked.
Though anyone dumb enough to fuck with Kyouki was both stupid and courted death.
Kyouki dropped Ren and the others off at their respective areas. Gunner - named Grace Alise, stayed at Ren's. The girl had been through a lot. Another runaway, Kyouki, would have to find a place for her another time. Pressing matters that needed her immediate attention came first. And Aisha was the one who needed to know.
"Ish!" Ky called from the doorway when she arrived at the house. Keys jangling as she was trying to rush and lock the door. She didn't need to see Gat and have him interrupt the conversation the two women needed.
"Here in the bedroom, you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm coming up." Kyouki bound up the stairs. "Gat here?"
"No, he went out hours ago. What's wrong?" Aisha muted the television as she sat up on the large bed.
"I'm going to Japan." Kyouki said once she hit the doorway.
"What?" Aisha stared dumbfounded at Kyouki. "What do you mean, all of a sudden?"
Kyouki's face went through several transitions before she could nod, shake her head and shrug all at the same time. "Yes…"
Waiting for her friend to expand on her what seemed like a hesitant yes. "Why?"
"I told you. They have brought it to my attention, and realization that I cannot hide. I have to contact my family. The James' are one thing. But them…" Kyouki sighed. She came to sit next to Aisha. "I was thinking about it all day. Thinking hard about it. I weighed the pros and cons and… If I don't, it could be worse that if I do. I don't know what will happen, and I know they don't know I am alive. If they do then, I would have heard something by now, ya know?"
Aisha agreed. You cannot know who knows what, or anything like that. Kyouki wasn't one to hide what she does, but she has been exceptionally cautious. She had a seminormal life that she didn't have before, now thrust back into the proverbial spotlight. Her low profile is anything but. Gat reunited her with her family. Now Kyouki needs to reunite the other half. Aisha nodded, taking in everything that Kyouki said, remembering what she said last year.
"When are you leaving?"
"I want to go as soon as possible. It's quiet now. That moron for all his stupid suggested it as a small truce. But soon." Kyouki stared off at the screen that played, not seeing the show, just hearing the electric hum that filled the room.
Still, she sat in thought about what their reactions would be. To them, she had been dead for nearly seven years. God help her, she was nervous about it. And she still needed to let Gat know what was up.
"Come with me." Kyouki said finally, in her musings. Staring at the screen still, she repeated herself.
"I heard you the first time. What about Johnny?"
"I'll talk to him tomorrow. Just me and him." Kyouki admitted.
"You gonna be good?" Aisha's head tilted to look at her friend's face.
Kyouki nodded faster. Kissing Aisha's cheek, she excused herself and stated she would crash there for the night. Once in her room, she sent a text to Dane, letting him know of her trip. He called a second later.
"You have my card. Let me know when you leave and land. I'll be busy for a while. I will miss you."
"Ditto. Thank you. If I haven't already, you saved me some worry." She said, looking at the card she played with as she spoke with him.
"Anything for you. Safe trip. I have to go." With that, he hung up.
Kyouki sent a text to Gat to let him know they have a date in the morning. Seeing that he agreed, with a sunglasses emoji, she prepared for bed.
Tomorrow was going to be one helluva day.
Early in the morning, Kyouki was up and bushy-tailed. She packed some snacks, fruit, and drinks for Gat and herself, setting aside some for Aisha in the fridge. Last minute, check if she had everything. She dragged the cooler out, then headed back in to wake Gat up.
Gat came in late, overseeing some things himself. Checking where Ronin's members were. None in sight, even for the late hours. He crawled into bed and slept soundly once he got home.
Until a short annoying early riser came in, repeating his name in a pitch that would make cats' ears bleed.
"Gat, Gat, Gat, Gat…."
He had to make it stop. She knew he hated when she used that tone. It would get him to stop immediately. It didn't help when he pulled the covers and pillows over his head. She would just jerk them and tug them from him.
"How cananyonebe so fucking annoying firstthing inthemorning?" Gat grumbled with a yawn.
"Ky, take Gat to date now!" Kyouki started shaking his shoulder violently.
Gat grinned under his arm. He could continue to play asleep while listening and feel her trying to get him up, or he can remember that one time she threw chilled slushy water balloons. Grabbing a hold of her wrist, he yanked her hard into him and rolled her over top of him. Wrapping his arms and legs around her like she was a stuffed animal.
Chuckling, he yawned. "Stupid alarms these days." He pressed into her cheek, rubbing his stubble all over the side of her face. Ky giggled, placed her hand between them, and felt Gat squeeze her tighter before kissing her palm.
"I'm up. You take me to date." He headed to take a shower.
"Yosh Ikuzo! I'll be downstairs." Ky scooted off the bed and skipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Aisha was up watching the weather report for the day. "Where you two heading?"
"The range, then maybe some sparring at the gym. And ice cream."
Aisha laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, I have an idea. This weekend, we should go to the amusement park. There's a new water park I wanted to go to."
"Oh, that would be fun! Everyone could go. Find out how much it will cost. I haven't been on a coaster in a long time."
"Perfect!" Aisha checked the website on her phone.
Gat came trotting down until Kyouki stopped him mid-step. "Oh, bring your gym clothes too. I'll be in the car."
Muffled sounds of gunfire, and several people were there. Gat had a small crowd watching his unorthodox play. Ky sat watching as Gat enjoyed himself, her ears with the dampers and noise-canceling headphones. Couldn't hear anything other than the guns going off at different intervals. Admittedly, she was bored. Gave up after emptying two full clips.
This wasn't about her amusement, it was for Gat. It was something she promised him when the place announced its development some years ago. Also to soften the blow of her leaving town. And maybe knowing Shogo. A nice public setting to do announcements. With many rounds of ammo and other various weaponry. Ky snorted Gat could crush her with his bare hands.
Possibly a good place, so many weapons he wouldn't know what to use first. Kyouki laughed out loud with that thought. With a sigh, she looked to see Johnny approaching.
Freeing one ear, she smiled. "What's up?" She mouthed.
Reading her lips, Johnny had leaned in close to her ear. "You're bored." Johnny stated. He knows, she just covered her ear again, sat back, and smiled, shooing him to go play.
Johnny walked away to the front, presumably to the bathroom. He came back a few moments later with a drink in his hand and a rolled wide leather bag. He held the drink out and Ky took it and sipped. Then handing her the bag. Curious as she handed her drink over, he sat on the bench next to her. He drank, watching her open the roll. Several small daggers lined in neat rows, sharp, shiny.
A smile formed. Looking at Gat she jerked her head to the side room where the throwing weapons are used for practice. Gat grinned, grabbing her hand and tugging her to the next room.
Two peas in a pod know what the other likes, needs, feels, and thinks. They rial each other up or calm each other down. Such a friendship is not without its difficulties, sometimes it's a perfect medium.
Their day was far from over. They had gunplay, knife play, and physical activity by tossing each other around. Gat's game of chase. It is more like a cardio workout amped 100% times more intense.
So now they eat again. Cool summer breeze as they watch the sun setting.
"I want to go see a movie." Gat said.
That's not what their date called for, Kyouki shrugged. "Know what you want to see?"
"Yeah. I'll drive." Gat went to clean up their area. Kyouki took the cooler, putting it back in the backseat. They pulled off shortly after, destination, local theater.
"Johnny, if I have to go out of town for a while, you be alright looking after everything?"
"You going out of town?"
"I'm asking. Ok, say right now, because nothing is going on. I just skip town for like a week."
"Yeah. If it's a week. Why?"
Kyouki nodded she can make arrangements knowing the crew would be fine. "Because I want to surprise my people and pay respect to my parents."
"When you leaving?" Gat knew she would one day, not so soon, but she's right. Nothing going on that requires her here, and they can handle things if she needed to be absent.
"Sooner the better. I asked Ish if she could come with me if I go. You mad?" They arrived at a theater way out the way near the shore. The salty sea air and the comfortable night were perfect. Gat said he wasn't mad, Ky wasn't so sure.
"How can I be mad? You are always like this. You just take off and not say anything… wait, you finally let me know things? You like like me, don't you?" He gasped and covered his mouth, pretending to be coy.
Ky laughter hard. When she sobered, she wiped her nose. "Yeah, I guess you aight. Oh! One bag of caramel popcorn, please! What you gonna get?" Turning to Johnny, after they ordered, they hurried to get the good seats, right in the middle of the theater.
Both sighed and munched on their snacks. The house lights were still up and something was playing on the screen. Gat stopped mid popcorn toss to realize that they were on a date. All jokes aside, they were out like a couple.
Gat was a touch confused. "You broke up with old boy?"
"Huh? Oh no... I just wanted to hang with you. Also, let you know I was skipping town before I skipped town."
Gat understood. He looked over at her just as the house lights went down. "Would you ever get married?"
She froze, paused, brows knitting together. "Why would you ask me that?"
They looked at each other for a long minute. Gat's eyebrow worked up expecting an answer. "I guess? I don't think I have that option right now." Ky said, turning to face the screen.
"But you would?"
"Are you asking me to ask me?"
Gat sat back watching the screen, people talking, nothing interesting going on. Meanwhile, Kyouki was going over the question. She patted Gat, leaned closer to him.
"Maybe, if someone asks, they really care about me and my insurmountable baggage. Only then."
Gat snorted. "What about Li?"
Ky shook her head. Li, the nickname she gave to keep her private and gang life separate. One her grandfather had given her, who departed the world while she was old enough to remember him.
"Still me, but no… because that means I have become way too busy."
Gat knew it, married to the Saints. He wasn't so worried now. He knew Dane was a p.o.s it would be a matter of time before he slips up. Troy was out of the picture finally. Gat looked down, shifting to a more comfortable position, took Kyouki's left hand, rubbing her ring finger with his thumb. Patted her palm, then interlaced their fingers.
He sighed and relaxed. Giving him the side eye, the gesture of his did not go unnoticed, she looked down at their hands, his hands bigger than hers, warm, no longer feeling like he had a death grip. She lightly scratched the back of his hand.
"Hm?" He was now paying attention to the movie. Her subtle gesture pulled him to lean closer.
Ky whispered something to him that caused a smile. Gat whispered back. "I'll hold you to that."
"I was kidding!" Ky was teasing, her heart erratic.
Gat gave her hand a squeeze and pointed to the screen. "No, you mean it."
Ky took a sip of her drink. Batman Begins turned out to be a pretty good movie indeed.