"Okay! It's done," Saiki said when she held up the other glove. They had gotten up at 7:00 in the morning when Kiryu's alarm went off. She had to make sure there was enough time to finish the glove and test it on the pig carcass. He was sitting at her workbench with her in his lap. They were both dressed in the fluffy robes for now as they planned to shower after eating.
"I have to admit that some parts of my body hurt. But it's from lack of exercise," Kiryu sighed. "I really need to get back into shape."
"I know," she smiled and hopped out of his lap to fix some of the leather stitching to tighten it. Once it was done, she brought the glove over to him. "We have to build you up slowly. If we try going too fast, it will have a negative effect. So, we'll work on your punches. Your stamina. Your overall heart rate. This also includes your breathing. I already told you I printed out a few things. Now come with me to finish off the pig so I can cook breakfast. Okay?"
"I should cook for you," he said and put on both gloves to test them.
"You can cook dinner," she nodded.
"No. I want to cook breakfast. My turn," he smiled.
"Fine. I'll check the rice cooker," she chuckled. "The others will be here in an hour. So we have a bit of time."
"Hmm. I like to take my time cooking…" he frowned.
"It's why I said I'd cook," she winked. That got him laughing softly. "Work on that pig while I start the stove?"
"Right," he nodded. He studied the metal claws and mused. "I have to wonder what you made your scythe out of. It's really light!"
"It actually isn't. You're just strong enough to hold it. I agreed on the weight to confuse the others. It actually weighs…at least fifty pounds. The staff is made of an aluminum base, but I re-enforced it with titanium. The blade is carbonized steel over a main body of titanium. The core is made of tungsten ore to keep it from shattering. I don't mix them together. It's like…layering very delicately with extreme finesse of fine-tuning," she said.
"How do you get it to fold into the pole?" he asked.
"Every single part of the blade fits together like a bunch of robotic puzzle pieces. They are all slivers of each other that can fold in and expand out at the click of a button. That took me five years of intense study in robotic mechanical arts and microtechnology techniques. If that scythe broke…I can only fix it here. I do have a small repair kit on me, but I'd have to know exactly where to fix it. Or I fucked up my own weapon," she sighed and shook her head. "The pole is just wide enough and hollow enough to store everything in it. All the computer components are in the whip to allow me to remove it and replace it as needed like an extra hard drive. It's…complicated."
"How long have you had it?"
"About fifteen years. I had just made the scythe when I was sent out on that mission to remove the Clan. Thus…my tattoo."
"I see. But…wait. Wouldn't your scythe weigh even more if it's compacted like that?! All of that metal combined in such a way?"
"You would think so. I guess I'm just so strong that…I don't notice. Once again…it's very complicated to explain."
"It is definitely complicated," he chuckled again. Then he turned to the carcass to start focusing on where to cut into it with his punches. When he started to increase his tempo, she snapped her fingers to get his attention.
"Remember! Two punches. Pause for five seconds. Punch again. You have to breathe between the punches or you'll hurt yourself," she said and started to make the egg fried rice. She had already diced up chicken, beef and pork pieces to stir into it, and two large eggs were added to the white rice. The wok was already searing everything neatly, and chopped carrots, chives and peppers were thrown into it. A touch of seasoning was added to flavor it further.
"That smells amazing!" Kiryu grinned and put the pork pieces on the counter. "What do I do with the head of this thing?"
"I can boil it. Put it in the freezer?" she asked and began to portion out the food. Then she took out a roll of plastic wrap to start putting away the meat. He removed the gloves after that and sat down to eat with her. "How are you feeling, though? Since the salve was put on?"
"It…feels like I've shed off twenty years! I really do feel rejuvenated. I have no idea what was in that stuff…" he sighed and gazed at her. "You really did save my life. Honestly. You did."
"As you saved mine," she smiled softly.
"We'd better finish eating so we can take that shower," he muttered. That got her laughing with agreement. "Oh. Where's the wheelchair?"
"I'll get it real quick," she chuckled. She moved off into the workshop to pull it out from a small storage area behind it. It was unfolded, tested and wheeled in. He nodded at the sight of it and finished eating with her. "I'll move it into the bedroom after we finish eating."
"Hmm…" he seemed to nod.
"Curious on how Kasuga is going to react?" she grinned.
"Have cameras recording," he smirked to get her snickering. He caught her mildly glancing at him after they finished off their breakfast. "Is something wrong? Aika?"
"Just…amazed…how I ended up with you like this," she said softly. "I honestly had no idea what was in store for me."
"What did you think would happen?"
"That…you'd tell me you wanted no part of me. You'd tell me to leave you and your friends alone. I was…half expecting that…"
"You never knew me as well as you thought."
"Oh, I'm sure of it. But I was hoping that our past conversation would have been remembered. I'm glad…some of it was…" she nodded.
"Okay. A question. Is that conversation recorded?" he asked on a whim. She worried her lower lip. "I need to watch that. Right now."
"But…"
"Fine. When the others get here. We'll watch it together. Let's take a shower," he nodded. Now he saw she was nervous. "What's wrong?"
"It might…open a wound…" she winced.
"For you?"
"For us…"
"Hmm…" he frowned. Then he got his phone. "Call Kasuga. Tell him we need an extra thirty minutes."
"Very well…" she nodded and called the number.
"Hey! Everything okay?" Kasuga asked.
"We need some extra time. About thirty minutes. Kazuma is having a bit of a rough morning and I need to help him shower," she said.
"Oh! Okay. I'll tell the others. And, hey, take all the time you need. Just text when you're ready for us. We get it," Kasuga said confidently. The call disconnected, and Saiki was lifted into her husband's arms to get taken to the karaoke chamber.
"I need to get the video ready. Security room?" she said to get moved into there. She was set down, and she pulled up the folder that was isolated in an encrypted format. She ran the code to allow it to be viewed and nodded that it was ready. She got carried back to the karaoke chamber and set in his lap. She pulled up the remote and only activated the main screen. He pressed a kiss to her mouth and sat back to watch the clip with her.
It showed Kiryu walking into the main lounge to sit on a couch to reflect on things. He was in his late thirties and had just finished a board meeting. He took in a deep breath and tried to figure out what he just learned on some interesting news from a rival Clan that was starting to really get on everyone's nerves. He never noticed Saiki walking up behind him a bit cautiously.
"Hello…" she said softly. He turned and paused at the sight of a hooded figure around four and a half feet tall. He could tell that the figure was female, but the dark green cardigan that was buttoned up to conceal her was hard to make out her full features. He did see that she had locks of blond hair that came down past her shoulders from the hood, and he could barely see her dark blue eyes.
"Oh! Hello there. Are you new?" he asked and rose up to acknowledge her. "I don't think I've seen you around before."
"You haven't. I've been…hidden. But I wanted to say hello to you when I knew I could. A key was left in a lock. I took advantage of it. I don't have much time…so…would you like to talk?" she asked.
"Sure. I have nothing on my agenda. What would you like to talk about?" he nodded. She walked over to sit with him and sigh. He sat with her and was highly curious about her.
"It's nice…to be out now and then," she admitted.
"It is good to stretch your legs. I can agree with that! But…who are you?" he asked. "Can you tell me?"
"I wish I could say. Maybe...if we meet next time...I can tell you. But…there really is no time. I saw you were in deep thought. Rough day?" she asked.
"You could say that. Just a big mess that's going on."
"I see."
"And your day?"
"As I said. It's nice to walk around in other places. Rather than confined to a single spot. I have heard about a Clan causing problems. I hope they don't get too out of hand."
"Not the only one! I'll likely have to go in to help with crowd control."
"Heh. Just kill them all. Problem solved."
"Not everything can be handled with killing."
"Really?"
"That's right. Sometimes delicate negotiation is needed. So, I'll provide that. If they decline, though, then your way of thought might be needed. I hate thinking about that! We'll just have to see what happens. No choice in it."
"True…" she mused. Then she turned her head sharply with a small sigh to look over her shoulder. "My time is up. Thank you. For talking to me. I vow…that if I need to seek you out again…I won't kill anyone around you."
"What?" he asked her with confusion. Then he paused when she kissed his cheek. Now he looked at her with shock. It clearly looked like he realized who she was now, and intense recognition started to set in.
"Thank you again. Decent conversation…is hard to come by. And I am…very impressed that it can be done," she said with a complete nod of respect to him. "I hope…you don't forget me…Dragon of Dojima. Because I know I will never forget you. Until we meet again…hopefully…"
"Wait!" he said, but she was already gone. The scene faded out when he got up to run after her…
"I can't believe it! I…I remember that now…" he gasped and hugged her tight. "This happened before you took out that Clan…"
"Before my tattoo…" she winced.
"It was after you left…that was when I realized who you were. The camera even shows I started to realize your identity. I was speechless! Completely speechless! And you had left so swiftly! I asked about you for over a month. That was when Dog Catcher came up to me to warn me to stay away. To gloat. And he ran off like a coward when I threatened to punch him into oblivion. I should have punched him! Forced him to talk! But I was thwarted at every attempt after that."
"Yeah. I was in my early twenties when we met…"
"I figured that much. You…actually sounded cute to me!"
"Oh…" she chuckled.
"Where did you go after that, though?"
"I got back…to my place here…and I burst into tears…" she whispered.
"Why?" he asked and squeezed her.
"Because I felt normal for the first time in my life! Not ridiculed! Treated with equal respect! Every time I was talked to…I was insulted. Looked down on. Disregarded. Mostly by Dog Catcher. But also by everyone else from what he said about me. That I was stupid and weak minded. Just tell me what to do and it gets done. He never saw me as a person. Just a tool…"
"He's dead. You have me now. And if anyone treats you like that, they go through me first. As well as everyone that knows you now," he said with a stern nod. "No more of that treatment. You're my wife. You're a cold-blooded killer when you need to be. But you'll never be treated lower than what you are anymore. I won't allow that."
"It's why I said this video would open wounds. I'm sure we can show the others now, but…"
"We had to see it first. I know."
"Yeah."
"I love you so much, Aika. I will never leave you behind or forget about you. And I would expect nothing less if you seek me out if I go missing. I'll always insist on that."
"You know I would," she murmured and let him kiss her softly. "After that day…I always tried to escape…but I never could…"
"I forgot…that you kissed my cheek…" he muttered and kissed her again.
"I don't know what prompted me to do it…"
"That may have been when I fell in love without realizing it."
"I wouldn't be surprised. Because…"
"You fell in love with me when it happened?"
"It's possible…"
"With how you searched for me after," he grunted, kissed her again and rose up with her. "And you found me…"
"And you claimed me…"
"With all I have and still will," he mumbled out and managed to just barely get her into the shower with how he kept kissing her while talking. The robes were nearly ripped off each other, and they shouted at their peak of passion in the heated water. All he could do was cradle and rock her trembling body against his. Nothing else needed to be said. There was nothing else that had to be done in a verbal way. All they did was touch each other gently with light caresses of comfort. He kept her cradled against him in his own protective way.
"We really should…scrub down…" she murmured.
"I know…" he finally muttered. "Maybe we need a month of just being alone. No interruptions. Phones turned off…"
"Your form of bliss?" she mused.
"As long as you're with me. Yeah," he nodded and kissed her heavily.
"We do have a trip to Tokyo to do. I was hoping to find some intricate meat for us," she chuckled. Then she gasped when he nipped at her neck.
"I have all the meat you need," he growled to get her laughing softly.
"Oh, I know that…" she grinned and traced a finger down his neck. He growled again and kissed her in his hungry way. He pressed a hand against her belly to rub fondly. Then she asked, "If I am pregnant…do you hope for a son?"
"Honestly…I don't care…" he admitted. "I'll be happy with either."
"Good to know," she smiled and let him kiss her again. They were able to mildly separate enough to wash each other down. He scrubbed her back and was still in silent shock of what she had to go through for her tattoo. He saw no scarring at all, and she felt him lightly trace over it with a soapy sponge.
"I still can't believe they knocked you out for this. How did that happen?" he asked while rinsing her off.
"Well…they told me I was worthy of getting a back tattoo. I told them I wasn't ready for it. That I didn't want one just yet. It was argued that it was a high honor and that all Clan members should have one. I said I never agreed to being a Tojo Clan member. Or even a member of the Yakuza society. That my recruitment was forced.
"Then the Dog Catcher said I was just being rowdy and unruly. That it will be done and the best way was to knock me out. I screamed at him that no one cared about what I wanted. He said no one was supposed to. I made sure to lock my bedroom door, but…" she frowned.
"He had a skeleton key," Kiryu growled.
"Yeah. When I woke up…my back was on fire! I was on the tattoo table and strapped down to it in case I woke up. He had to have drugged me in sleep to transport me. I screamed and got knocked out again. The second time I woke up…I was back in my room. Three days had passed according to my calendar! Three whole days! I had to drag myself around to eat and use the bathroom. When the pain didn't let up after a week…I was given painkillers to help. The next morning I woke up…and found the pain elsewhere after. That was when I knew he touched me…" she shivered.
"Only me now," he muttered and hugged her.
"There was mild infection…but I was able to treat myself by rigging the shower to spray some medication on with water. That was likely what kept me from getting in really bad shape. It took two months for my back to heal. When I was told they wanted to see it…I said no. I didn't agree to it. I was using my hair to cover it up. So…Dog Catcher made the suggestion to remove my hair so it wouldn't be covered…"
"Again it was his idea?!"
"Yes."
"I should have punched him with the others!"
"I know. I'm just glad that they decided to leave my hair out at the sides. I'm sure the surgeon made that decision. My head…took another month to heal. That was when I started to wear the cardigans. Yeah…Dog Catcher was pissed. But they refused to do anything more to me from how lethal I was becoming. When someone came to collect me to remove the rest of my hair…I sent that one's head back in a box. And left a note that I was fucking done."
"Interesting. And I think…I recall that, now that I am thinking about it. That the 'weapon' was getting out of hand. They sent someone down and got his head back in a cardboard box. It was a unanimous vote to stop anything further from doing things with you in a surgical way. I was actually disgusted with the whole thing. I wasn't part of the board then. I think I even remember Dog Catcher trying to appeal the decision. Then it was stated to have him try and talk reason into you. He cowed out and said no need," he mused at the memory.
"I would have skewered him and confronted him about touching me. That may have been when he tried to do it again. After that one man I skewered into the wall and took his dick off. Dog Catcher tried to sneak into my bed thinking I was knocked out from the painkillers. He found a knife at his throat. He didn't dare do it again, and the little 'gift' I gave him cemented it," she grumbled.
"Absolutely disgusting…" he sighed and set the sponge down.
"I never mentioned this…but there are still times…that my back pinches with pain…" she shivered. Now Kiryu froze up and she felt him staring at her.
"Where?!" he said.
"Between the shoulders…" she muttered. He lightly touched around before she told him to stop in a particular area. "I know. It's right on my spine below my neck. I have a feeling I was drugged there with a syringe for my scalp. Or something with how the tattoo was healing. I honestly don't know."
"That should get looked into," he frowned.
"And who would look at me? I mean…Seonhee might know someone. But I don't know anything further than that. It's also why I kept training. The pinching pain would stiffen my back up. Training helps to flex it out again. I've learned to cope with it."
"When was the last time it happened? That you felt this?"
"About a day or so ago. It comes and goes when it likes," she shrugged. Then she blinked when he pressed down lightly.
"I feel something hard there…" he frowned. "Hold on…is that…shiny…?"
"What?" she blinked. "I can't see back there, so…"
"Apparently, when I scrubbed your back it revealed something. I wonder if you have a piece of a needle stuck there…" he muttered on closer inspection. "It looks a bit deep, though…"
"Ah! I think you're right!" she blinked. "I remember…the tattoo artist was pissed that I jerked around somehow! A needle was broken!"
"And it got lodged right there…"
"I think…they said they couldn't take it out from where it was stuck. That it might damage my spine! I was so drugged out…I didn't even think about it…"
"I'm talking to Seonhee to see what can be done. I don't like thinking of you being in pain this way. Okay. You're doing fine right now, but we'll still mention it to the others. If anything goes wrong, you have to tell me. Like I do for you. Got it?"
"Right," she nodded and finally turned to look at him.
"It's just slightly poking out of your skin, too. All this time! And you never felt it?" he frowned and turned off the water to help dry her off.
"No. I'm sure I would have if I had hair around there. Even my clothing ended just above it, but the fabric never caught on it. I don't know…" she sighed.
"We'll figure it out. Okay, let's get dressed and text Kasuga…" he muttered. He did kiss her again, though, and squeeze her close. "If anything goes wrong…and I go missing…find me. Fast. I don't know what all will happen in Tokyo, but we never know."
"Trust me. I'm well aware," she nodded. "I think I'll wear my leopard print cardigan with my black lace halter and pants…"
"That…huh…yeah…" he found himself grinning. He had to glance at her moving to dress. He still found himself growling with appreciation at her figure.
"What?" she asked after slipping on the black thong.
"I think a month trapped here with you won't be enough…" he muttered. She was about to put on the top, but he moved to lightly pounce on her.
"Kazuma! I have a job to do! After it's done we can see what else we can do. Okay? I would like to visit a high-class karaoke restaurant to see what they have. I may want to redecorate our room here," she smiled.
"Oh! Huh. Okay. Maybe see what new songs are out there, too…" he mused. "That would be something…"
"See? I have a list of things to do after the job is done. So hurry up and get dressed. It's high time that we texted Kasuga. And I need to see how you'll be in the wheelchair," she grinned. He kissed her and sighed while letting her go. When his phone buzzed, he frowned at the number calling in. She grabbed it to answer it. "Hello, Ebina. I am getting ready to leave to go somewhere with my husband. I have not yet received any information of the meeting tomorrow."
"Ah…" he replied with surprise. "You guessed why I called."
"I did. And I told you I would text you when I got information. If I don't get information by this afternoon, I will request it. Worry not. You're not forgotten. As much as I'd love to forget about you," she rolled her eyes. Kiryu cracked a grin at that.
"What?" Ebina asked.
"I need to go. I'm late for a job appointment. Bye," she said and hung up on him. Her husband was laughing softly at the whole thing.
"He is not used to being the one waiting," he grinned.
"Good. He will learn how to wait. If he doesn't like it, well, tough shit. Not my concern," she scoffed and finally finished dressing. He could only agree and got back in his out dated suit. "I really need to make you a better suit…"
"I like this one. It's comfortable," he said.
"It's old. And getting holes in various places. Maybe we'll go clothes shopping for you…" she mused. He looked at her oddly to see her grin. "I will admit, though. I am curious about that ship that they talked about before the wedding. The illegal one…"
"It's called The Castle. I heard it was…mildly compromised by now. But it's still in operation. I'm not sure who all runs it now, but it's where a lot of things can happen that are not allowed anywhere on land. I honestly don't know how you'd be there. And the prior owner was forced to work for the Daidoji. Another reason why I didn't want them to know about you," he muttered.
"I will admit. I was curious about it. I think, as long as you're with me…I should be okay," she smiled. He sighed.
"I'll think about it. Because if you get mad, you just slaughter the ones around you. And I don't want to get thrown into the ring, either. They find out that I may be cured of the cancer there…" he grimaced. She nodded at that thought. "That is one place that will challenge me. And if you stand up for me, they may see that as a weakness. I'd have to fight my own battles."
"Maybe I should just plant a bunch of bombs through the place…" she mused. He gave her a wry smirk and shook his head. "Very well. We'll think about it. Anyways…Kasuga?"
"Yes. Where's the wheelchair?" he asked. She brought it out for him to sit in. Then she brought him a small table bell to set on one of arms of the chair.
"Ring that for me. As much as you want to piss off anyone around you with the sound," she grinned. That got him laughing and nodding with agreement. He tapped on it to test it before showing he was ready. She texted Kasuga, and moved to the security room to program the elevator. Then she set the camera in the karaoke chamber to record after a specific time. At the constant bell sounds, she found herself laughing like crazy. She walked back over and said, "Testing how it works? That bell is quite loud. Just so you know."
"Yes. It works very well," he grinned at her and got a kiss. He rang it again for another kiss. "Oh, yes. It works incredibly well…"
"I will take the damned thing away from you if you abuse it like that," she warned. He laughed at all of it and kissed her again. "Let me get those glasses."
"Yes. Please. And I won't press the bell anymore," he said. She shook her head at him and fetched the glasses. Right as she put them on him, the elevator showed it was active. "Leave me in the kitchen."
"Of course, dear," she smiled and planted a loving kiss on his mouth. He almost blew his cover when he let the kiss last a bit longer.
"We're here!" Goro shouted out when he piled in with the others. Saiki moved out of the kitchen to meet them in the karaoke chamber.
"Good. Let me get Kazuma. We have a place for a wheelchair, right?" she asked. Now they all looked at him. Seonhee, Joongi, Sa-chan, Adachi and Nanba pretended to act surprised. Tomi, Chi-chan and Zhao were caught by complete surprise. But Kasuga gave the best reaction by standing and staring with complete, full blown shock at it all. Saiki knew the camera was recording, but she kept her face neutral and concerned over her husband's health.
"What?!" Kasuga freaked. "Kiryu-san?! I mean…what happened?!"
"It's just a small side effect from the medicine. It may take a week for him to start walking again," Saiki sighed and moved to wheel in Kazuma. He was hitting the bell for her, and she pursed her lips at how he made himself look as feeble as possible. "You really do…look like…a sick old man…"
"Hmm…" Kiryu nodded slightly at her. Those that didn't know of the ploy were just speechless at him. It almost fooled the others that knew, too.
"Let me get your rag. I know you tend to drool a bit…" Saiki muttered out.
"Kiryu-san! Oh no! I mean…! Can I do something?!" Kasuga asked.
"He turned into a vegetable…?" Taiga asked with shock.
"I'm gonna stick a knife in Rabten…" Goro growled.
"Don't bother. I said it is a side effect," Saiki said while gently wiping up her husband's mouth. "He's still quite alert and knows everything around him. It's his body that's crapped out right now. We need to take the wheelchair. Are you sure we have space for it?"
"Um…I think there might be room in the back of the van. I'll go check now," Tomi said. Zhao whistled softly and went to help him.
"Saiki…" Kiryu muttered in a low tone.
"Yes?" she asked and leaned down to hear his whisper. "Ah. One moment. I'll get them."
He nodded and coughed with a feigned gasp for air. She brought out the gloves and set them in his lap. He nodded at her and sighed hard. Then he mumbled something unintelligible when she ran her hand through his hair. He rested his head against her chest with a pleased sound. The look she gave him had Seonhee turning away to hide her laugh.
"What do you see in him if he's a fucking cripple?" Goro asked.
"The same thing I see in you as you are still an asshole," Saiki said evenly to get Taiga and Daigo dying with laughter. "This man is still my husband. The effects are temporary. So go shove your pity party up your ass and fuck yourself sideways. Got it?"
"Wow…" Nanba said and cleared his throat. Adachi slapped a hand on his leg to bark out his own laughter. When Tomi and Zhao returned, Kasuga was showing he could help with the wheelchair.
"He wants me to wheel him around. It's fine," Saiki said.
"I just…Kiryu-san!" Kasuga grimaced.
"As she said, the effects are temporary," Kiryu said and rose up from the chair with his gloves carefully taken up. "And if this getup worked on all of you, then it will work in the public eye."
"You son of a bitch! You're fine?!" Taiga gaped. That got Saiki barking out laughter at all of it.
"You recorded this, right?" Kiryu asked his wife. She nodded at him while still snickering hard at it all.
"So…you feel better…?" Kasuga asked warily.
"I do. And I feel like I did before I got hit with the cancer. I'm still rebuilding my strength, but I don't feel like I ran a marathon after walking ten steps. So, the sick man disguise will work while we are out. Then I'll catch people by surprise. Also, before we go…I want all of you to watch something. Saiki recorded my meeting with her. For ten minutes. I just watched it with her a bit ago. It's…something else," Kiryu sighed. They all found seats, and Saiki pressed the remote to replay the video. After it was watched, they were all a bit speechless at it.
"Who did you hear?" Joongi asked Saiki.
"I heard Dog Catcher's footsteps. He was looking for me. I didn't want him to see me with Kazuma. I wanted to meet with him again…but Dog Catcher put precautions in place after that. And I met Kazuma before my tattoo was given," Saiki frowned softly. Kiryu had her in his lap and was comforting her.
"Yeah. But that was our exact meeting fifteen years ago. For only ten minutes. I did forget that she kissed my cheek," he chuckled. Saiki blushed softly and got kissed passionately before being lifted up. "Anyways, it's time for Tokyo. Two cars, right?"
"I'm the second vehicle with my car," Joongi said.
"Yep. Oh! So you know, the monks are at the Survive Bar for now. They're feeling a bit of jet lag right now. They actually planned to be here for the first three months to evaluate you, Kiryu-san. After the next dose to ensure it goes well, they'll go back to Tibet," Kasuga said.
"Good to know. Also, I'm going to let you all know. Tomorrow is a lunch appointment with the Daidoji. However, there is going to a mild party crasher. In a neutral way," Saiki said slowly to get their attention. "One by the name of…Ebina…reached Kazuma's phone last night. He knows I exist now. He's heard of me. He's scared shitless of me. He wants to help with the reforming of anyone leftover from the Yakuza Organization. I gave him a challenge to meet up tomorrow for the lunch. The Daidoji have no idea about this."
"You're joking!" Seonhee growled.
"She's not," Kiryu muttered. "So, if any of you want to sit and hide in case things go down…"
"We'll be there," Daigo nodded.
"Ooh…Ebina's an itch I'd love to scratch off this planet…" Goro grinned.
"Hmm. Yeah. I'll hide out," Taiga nodded.
"We can play lookout," Adachi and Nanba agreed.
"I can hang back with the boys," Seonhee nodded. Joongi was already sending out a text blast to expect it. "Also, the new ones that wanted Kiryu-san as their leader. They are…surprisingly efficient. So they are definitely doing a trial run with the Geomijul. We'll see how it goes."
"Nice to know they can listen to orders," Saiki mused.
"Oh! Um…can we watch you train?" Sa-chan asked with a smile.
"Ah! I said you could, didn't I? Okay. It will be quick, so I know it can be done. It will be standing room only, though. I don't think any of the chairs here can be moved for safety. I need to change real quick. Then I'll be back out. Kazuma? Can you show them to the training room?" Saiki asked. He nodded, pressed a kiss to her mouth and watched her move off.
"She's going to show us how she trains?" Joongi blinked.
"Yes! I asked. This is going to be awesome!" Sa-chan grinned.
"Sweet!" Kasuga said with eagerness.
"Okay. I am very curious," Daigo mused.
"Definitely has my attention," Goro grinned lightly. Taiga followed Kiryu to where the training room was. Tomi and Zhao were being ushered along by Seonhee and Sa-chan. Nanba, Adachi and Chi-chan were able to find places to stand aside to spectate. When they saw Saiki walk out in her original dress, they found themselves highly confused.
"Like I told Kazuma, this is actually what I wear to train in. Just stay where you are. Do not come to help me. A sheet of acrylic will even come up to keep you all here. The entire training lasts less than a minute. Just stay put," she warned them all. She made sure they were all back behind a specific seam in the floor. Then she used her pole to hit the ceiling panel again. They all watched with awed amazement at the room transforming.
"Yeah. I'm still shocked at this, too," Kiryu said.
"GO!" Saiki shouted to start the training. They all watched her leap, dodge traps, and maneuver around bullets. She used her scythe to leap over the electrical floor. Now Kiryu realized that the training was slightly different.
"The training shifts with each attempt?! That's…" he said with stunned amazement. Now Daigo looked at him with confusion. "There was only one flamethrower before! Now there's three!"
"Wow…" Tomi said. When Saiki hit the kill switch, the room shifted back to how it was before. She had the scythe over her shoulders and chuckled at Kiryu when he came over to rest a hand on her back.
"You didn't tell me the training room changes tactics," he said.
"Ah. It does. It would get boring if it was the same sequence! And I have it rotate at random so I have no clue what training type it will be. I have six different sequences so far. I may be able to do a seventh, but it will take time to put together. We'll have to see. Anyways, I'm going to change back into what I had on before," she smiled. He nodded to watch her dart off to do just that.
"Not a fucking scratch on her…" Goro said with disbelief.
"I could barely watch what she was doing!" Chi-chan said.
"I wonder if she could do something to help me," Kasuga mused aloud.
"She'll be helping me train, so I'm sure she could teach anyone. As long as you have the strength and speed required," Kiryu said. Saiki walked over to him in her leopard cardigan and black lace outfit. He picked her up to hug her and walk her back over to the wheelchair.
"Okay! That felt really good," Saiki mused. "I tend to do that once a week, but maybe I should do this twice a week. I'll have to see. Anyways, let's get going. We've spent too much time here. I have a job to do."
"Yep!" Kasuga nodded and moved with the others. They all left through the elevator and Saiki locked it into hiding again.
"Seonhee," Kiryu said to her.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Saiki may have a stuck tattoo needle at the base of her neck. It gives her pain and numbness sometimes. I want one of your doctors to look at it and see if it can be removed safely. Can that happen?" he asked.
"What?! Yes! Definitely! When we get back. We can discuss it then," Seonhee agreed without any hesitation. He showed her where it was and she took a picture of the spot to send to the man who helped treat the Geomijul staff for analysis and possible removal.
"Thank you," Saiki nodded to her.
"What are those gloves? The ones Saiki gave you?" Adachi asked Kiryu.
"Oh. My new weapons," he nodded.
"Weapons?" Goro asked. Kiryu put them on and activated the blades. "That's pretty fucking cool!"
"Thanks. I made them for him to help with his punching," Saiki mused.
"Very nice. You have that chair?" Seonhee asked Joongi.
"It's loaded in the van now," Joongi said.
"Good. Let's move," Seonhee said. "Where was this guy you have to take down? Were you given a location?"
"A gym near a popular section of the tourist location. All I have been given on where to find him," Saiki said and got into the minivan. Kiryu was next and had her in his lap. "I may need to sit next to you. We don't want to be stopped."
"Hmm. Fine. But you can keep your legs over mine," Kiryu agreed. With the vehicles loaded up, they were soon on their way. He watched Saiki looking out the windows with intense amusement. "You ever been to Tokyo?"
"Once. Ten years ago," she muttered. He nodded and let her nestle into him. "Wake me up when we get there?"
"Tired?" he frowned and placed his arms around her.
"Bored…" she muttered to get him laughing softly. It was a good two hour drive before they finally got to where they had to be. She was woken up gently, and now she looked around curiously. Tomi was on the phone with Joongi as they looked for a place to park the vehicles.
"I want to park in an area that's patrolled, though. Places like this aren't very car friendly. Ah! A car park! Okay, this can work. Head there," Tomi said. He followed Joongi into the car park and paid the fee for an all-day pass to come and go as they needed to. They all got out, but Kiryu got out last to sit in the wheelchair. Saiki moved to push it calmly and sigh. She clearly did not like the air quality.
"We'll go to the main street the gym is on. That will be the first place to start looking," Saiki said. The group split up lightly to cover both sides of the street. Seonhee, Zhao and Joongi went with Daigo, Taiga and Goro. Sa-chan, Chi-chan, Tomi, Kasuga, Nanba and Adachi walked calmly behind Saiki. Kiryu was completely relaxed and rang the bell every now and then for attention from her. They approached the main gym and Joongi walked in to scope it out.
"He's not here…" he said in his phone call to Seonhee. "What's the name of the guy again?"
"Ishida," Seonhee said from the note on her phone.
"Got it. Give me five more minutes," Joongi said. Seonhee nodded and texted the others. When Joongi walked out, he said, "Apparently there is a recruitment going on to join this guy's gang. I said I was possibly interested with some others. Word will spread. So, let's get a bite to eat while we wait."
"Good. I'm letting the others know. There's an outdoor barbecue place not far that has some really good reviews. Let's go there," Seonhee nodded. "Oh. And Joongi…"
"Yes?" he asked expectantly.
"You're stripping again for me tonight," she mused. He blinked at her and the others coughed to hide laughter.
"Ah…sure…" he swallowed. The group met up together to order a party table setup. Kiryu was seated in his wheelchair next to Saiki at the back. They placed their orders, and they passed the time with idle talk.
"I got the bill," Chi-chan grinned. "I can put this as a business meeting event. Since it technically is."
"Thank you," Saiki smiled and helped Kiryu drink some water with a straw. "Don't get used to this."
"Too late…" her husband chuckled.
"Terrible man…" she grinned.
"What you wear around me in the comfort of our own home makes you an equally terrible woman," he muttered to get her laughing softly. "I wonder if this wheelchair can be used as a weapon…"
"No. It's the only one I have," she muttered back. The food came to get dispersed and enjoyed. Near the end of the meal, the group looked up when a disturbance happened at the front of the restaurant.
"Why am I getting a form of déjà vu?" Zhao frowned.
"Seat us now! You know the drill!" a blond thug shouted out. He had a group of six other men with him to show they clearly did this before.
"I think…that's our guy…" Saiki mused.
"But…sir…you have an outstanding payment…" the owner said on approaching him. He got slapped away hard in front of the innocent tourists.
"Okay, that's enough. He said you had to leave," Kasuga said when he rose up with the others. Kiryu and Saiki remained seated, but they would be ready to intervene if they had to.
"Oooh! You gonna make me?" the man asked.
"Is your name Ishida?" Saiki suddenly asked from the table.
"Maybe…" the man grunted.
"Oh, good. That saves me time from having to find you," she smiled.
"Well! Aren't you the looker?" the man grinned and shoved people aside to approach her. Kasuga stepped aside with the others to keep the other thugs back. "And who's the old man?"
"My husband," she mused. "And he's a lot sexier than you."
"Bullshit!" the man growled.
"But it's true. He's also…the Dragon of Dojima…" she grinned.
"That fuckin' cripple? Hah! I'll kick his ass out of that chair fast!" Ishida sneered. Then he gaped when Kiryu leapt up with his gloved claws out to let them slice up through his chin.
"Go for it," Kiryu growled. The man staggered away holding his jaw and coughing up blood. People screamed and fled the restaurant.
"Good job. Time to finish it…" she grinned. Then she looked at Tomi. "Make sure the wheelchair is safe?"
"Yep!" Tomi nodded. Ishida staggered back into his crew for them to haul him off. Saiki looked at Kiryu with a form of eagerness.
"I might slow you down. Figure…five minutes?" Kiryu asked.
"Easily…" she said in her soft, bubbly tone.
"We'll be fine here," Seonhee nodded.
"Go. Take a picture of the job done. Then come back. Be quick," Kiryu said to show he was giving the order. She grinned wickedly and bolted out of the restaurant. As the cleanup was happening there, she was already scaling the rooftops of the buildings around her. The location was very tourist centered, so there were plenty of buildings for her to run on top of. She located the group of thugs near an abandoned alleyway and at a loss for words.
"Boss! Hang in there!" one of the men said.
"We gotta get him to a hospital! I mean…shit! What the fuck was that guy?! We totally need to mess him up!" another man growled.
"Touch my husband…well…you're all dead…anyways…" Saiki giggled softly and landed with the scythe out. "Ishida…is a job…that I have to finish…"
"What?!" another man gaped.
"There was a monk…he played with. I was told…to play with him back…permanently…" she growled and jumped off the scythe. The men jumped back with awe and intense fear. Ishida could only gape with soundless horror now that no one else was around him. Then the men watched the blond man's head roll along the ground with the same look of horror frozen on his face. She snapped a picture and grinned. "Job…is done…"
"You bitch!" the first man shouted and lunged at her. The other men there stared with absolute shock at the sight of the attacking man lifted into the air on the edge of the scythe. As she did with others before, he was hurled into the air and sliced up into pieces to land all over the place.
"Next?!" she grinned. The men scattered. She kicked aside a leg and used her whip to launch herself to a rooftop. She had just gotten back to the restaurant when she saw men in suits wheeling Kiryu out. They had guns drawn on him to show the others that they couldn't help him if they tried. She growled and watched them force her husband into a dark green car.
"I'm telling you! My wife will not be happy! She'll kill all of you!" Kiryu grounded out. He was pulled out of the wheelchair to leave it on the sidewalk.
"Shut up!" a man scowled and punched him in the jaw. She was about to launch herself, but the car was already peeling away. She set her jaw and bolted after them. Using her whip, she launched herself over various gaps of buildings. She followed them to a warehouse district where he was hauled out and shoved to the ground. Men were still on lookout while they started to drag him into the building. She already saw a weakness to get into, and she kicked open a broken window on leaping into it.
Her scythe was now hoisted onto her shoulders and she strode in. She checked her phone for his location and saw he was two floors under her. Nodding to herself, she kicked down a weakly locked door with a room full of guards and swung the scythe to leave a bloodbath of death behind her. When she reached a flight of stairs, she saw a guard at the base of them. She jumped down and used her bladed shoes to slice open his neck. As she got closer to her destination, she heard her husband getting beaten down from his echoed cries of rage in the old ventilation. Her rage grew to hellish heights.
She rushed through the next floor with an unmatched fury. Doors couldn't stand in her way when her scythe neatly severed the locks out. Normally she'd use a lock pick, but she had no time to spare. Any man she encountered was split open. She was focused on only one thing. To reach her husband and no one was getting in her way. She got to the next stairwell and slid down the banister. Then she ran through the next room and grinned at the room full of armed men. They were shocked at how her scythe looked. That pause of shock was all she needed. And it further added in when she let her haunting tune infiltrate into their heads.
"Yeah, we got him. He'll go into the next match tonight. Don't book him yet, though. We need to make sure he's still able to focus if we want to win," a man grinned on the phone call he was on. Then he looked over when a bladed scythe sliced up the seam of the door to severe the locks. Then the door slammed open from her savage kick. At the sight of a short woman with a massive, six foot long scythe in her hands, he actually started to panic. Then he saw the room of death that was behind her. "Ah…gotta go…!"
"You…dared…to steal…my husband…!" she seethed. Kiryu was bound to a chair and had his head down towards his chest. And he was deliberately keeping his head down to stay safe, but she saw how they were freely beating up on him. She was absolutely livid. And she was trained in how to react to situations when there was no time to improvise or think through things.
"What the fuck…?!" one of the armed men gaped.
"I… am the Headhunter of the Yakuza!" she snapped out. "And I have never been so thoroughly pissed off in my whole life!"
"I…warned you all…idiots…" Kiryu coughed out. When a man moved to pull his head back to show he was going to punch him again, Saiki let loose an acupuncture needle to smack into his forehead. After he fell down into a dead sleep, it further proved that she wasn't there to talk things out. Several men swarmed in front of Kiryu, but they got mowed down by her traps. Then her whip took out several more. When she approached the man with the phone, he was shaking and pale at everything.
"Now…what do you have to say for yourself? Hmm?" she asked and readied the scythe. "Stealing away my husband…without consulting his wife?"
"Ah…well…" he started. She cut off his head before he could say anything else. She looked at the phone he held and decided to take it with her for later inspection. Then she walked over to the man in a dead sleep and shoved her scythe down to severe his head off before reclaiming the needle.
She turned to see a single survivor there vomiting at the carnage before him. She knew he wasn't a threat and left him alone as a witness. She smirked and let the scythe merge back into the pole. The traps were collected, and then she moved to help Kiryu. He was ready for the earful she was likely going to give him.
"I swear. I leave you alone for less than five minutes and you let yourself get kidnapped? For all that, this could have been a date night after my job was done! I was not expecting this at all. At least from you and what you are capable of," she frowned and cut the bonds free with a sickle. He was going to laugh at it, but he decided not to.
"I know…" he mumbled. "I tried to tell them…"
"I can't go out with you to karaoke like this! You look like an absolute mess now! I'm glad I caught everything as it happened when I finished the main job! I saw them pulling you out of the wheelchair and followed you. We may as well go home now," she frowned. "I thought the others had you covered!"
"When guns are in the way with others being lured out with distractions…" he grunted and leaned on her. "I really didn't want to make matters worse."
"I see. They pulled out the heavy hitters and ran in to snag you. Then they threatened your life. I'm sure the others there knew I'd be right on your heels after you. What did these guys want with you?" she asked while leading him out. He was leaning on her a bit from the beating he got. She moved at his pace and made sure to keep things out of the way. He forced himself to ignore the gore and dead bodies everywhere. I warned them she was going to slaughter them all!
"Something about…cage fighting…" he grimaced.
"I see. Well, I'm sure they didn't want to do too much to you. I bet they just wanted to weaken and disorient you just enough. Okay. Take this," she said and handed him a small capsule. "It will numb most of the pain for a while. Enough for us to get you back home."
"I'm not ready to leave yet," he said and took the medicine. They got to the main entrance where a set of floodlights were and she turned to face him. She studied him carefully and was glad that it wasn't fully dark out just yet.
"You still have the glasses on. Good."
"I'm surprised they stayed on…"
"If you can't stand in two minutes, then we are going home. If you can stand, then you'll be fine. Let me take a look at you now that we have a bit more lighting. Hmm. Just some bruising. Let me see how bad…" she muttered and ran a hand gently over his face. "No black eye. Teeth might be rattled. You might need to rest for a day or two to heal up. Anything on your body at all?"
"I got kicked…" he winced. She lifted up his shirt to see the forming bruise.
"Ribs there…none broken. Good. You might still be able to walk. But that shiner on your cheek will raise questions. Fuck!" she growled.
"I'm already feeling better. I'll be fine," he said. She looked over to see another car of men coming out to rush at them at the building entrance. Then she saw he was still wearing the gloves.
"Feel good enough to take out some trash?" she grinned.
"Way ahead of you…" he growled and got into a fighting stance.
"Now why didn't you use the gloves to escape?" she mused and brought out her sickle weapons.
"I'm not one to hurt innocents in a crowded place," he grunted. "Especially with guns drawn at me and others."
"I'll need to teach you how to attack properly in a gun fight."
"You teach me whatever you need to. I already told you that."
"Right…" she murmured and launched herself with her dual sickles out. When a man tried to tag her side, she kicked out and sliced his face open with her bladed shoes. Then she spun herself around and sliced open the man in front of her before slicing upwards to gut him open. Another spinning kick was done to fully sever off another man's head. Kiryu was working on two men that tried to corner him. He normally would have struggled in his weakened state, but the claws he now used made short work of them.
He was panting a bit after ten minutes. She was kicking aside a rolling head and made her way over to him. She was twirling a set of keys around on her finger with a small smile. He looked at her and the car. He gave a nod and said, "Nice. We have a ride. And you still have no blood on you…"
"Nope," she grinned. "If it helps, I studied extensively on how blood would spill in various ways. I learned how to arch the blood away from me and not at me. That's my secret."
"Good to know…" he muttered and winced a bit. "I am not ready for this yet. That kick to my side is starting to set in. It's a bit hard to move. We should tell the others where we are."
"That was our first real fight together! I must say, I'm very impressed. And, as we know, your punches do need work."
"It did feel good fighting alongside you," he chuckled lightly. "Did you reach out to anyone to tell them where we are, though?"
"I already texted Seonhee. She's on her way. We might not need this other car, then. May be best so it's not reported as stolen," she nodded and tossed the keys onto a corpse. He noticed she kept checking him over to see how much he was swelling, and he sat on the hood of the car with her. "The things that happen when we're apart now. Not good."
"Yeah…" he sighed and let her lean into him.
"I used the phone tracker to find you."
"Good."
"There were at least fifty men in there!"
"I figured as much."
"Why are people so stupid?"
"I still find myself trying to answer that."
"Any luck?"
"None…" he managed to chuckle. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, "Again. You saved my life. I think I was recognized in the wheelchair. Only way I would have been singled out. And due to my reputation as a famous fighter…I can think of no other reason why they would have wanted me."
"Cage fighting. Of all things! They would have had you keep going even long after you won anything. Despite your condition. I think I need to find out who made the order to get you. Take that one out…" she mused.
"No. Not yet. Let me make that call. There's no need to pursue any others," he said and kept an arm around her.
"Fine. But if I find out…"
"Yeah. Just have me with you," he muttered.
"So you know, I did take the phone off that guy."
"Did you really?"
"Yep. If someone calls it, I'll be the one answering and tracing the line. So I will find out where they are. And I will murder them all…" she growled.
"As long as I'm with you. They were after me. They still want me? I want them to know who I'm married to," he smirked. She chuckled and nodded with complete agreement. A soft kiss was shared between them, and they both looked over to see yet another car of men getting out. And they paused on seeing the bloody mess all around them.
"Do you want to join them? I can make that happen," Saiki growled. "The inside of the building is also decorated rather nicely…"
"Ah…you…did all this?!" the driver of the call gaped.
"Damned fucking straight I did! I think I even took out your boss, too. Now…how many of you decided to try and beat the shit out of my husband?" she asked and grinned at Joongi's car driving up with Tomi's minivan right behind him. They all got out and quickly got the upper hand in the fight. Kiryu was relieved that he didn't have to do much now.
"Time to go," Kiryu winced.
"Did they really beat you while you were down?" Daigo grimaced.
"They all died," Saiki grumbled out. "I told him that we should head home, but he says not yet."
"Karaoke…" Kiryu muttered out. Now Saiki rolled her eyes.
"I get it. Okay. But I don't like how your face is bruising up now," she frowned. "We'll look for a discreet place."
"No. Most popular. You said we would go," he said. "I'm not missing out on that. We are still going."
"You and your karaoke…" she chuckled.
"Getting hard to focus…" he winced. She noticed his cheek was swelling intensely now and her concern was setting in.
"Kazuma, you can't sing…" she frowned and let him rest his head on her shoulder. "Why do you not want to go home?"
"You sing…for me…at karaoke…" he muttered out.
"Okay…" she said and kissed his forehead. "Do we have an ice pack in here? Anyone?"
"We'll pick one up," Tomi said.
"I mean…what do we tell them if anyone asks?" Sa-chan frowned.
"I suppose the story will be that we were jumped visiting Tokyo. That we beat up the men that tried to ambush us, and my husband took the brunt of it to protect me to keep my lethal tendencies hidden. So, if anyone asks, we were innocent outsiders visiting Tokyo. Which we technically were from those men," Saiki said calmly. They all agreed to it, and she checked the wheelchair in the back of the minivan. "We'll definitely need that if Kazuma can't walk."
"Right," Adachi said. Nanba was looking over Kiryu's bruising and came to the same conclusion that Saiki did. They all drove away from the warehouse and were quick to stop and pick up a couple ice packs. They even got stronger painkillers to help remove the pain further and ease the swelling down. These were now used to help Kiryu slow down most of the swelling while they drove to a karaoke hangout. Just by getting some relief from the pain was helping him feel much better.
"I also wanted to snag some exotic meat," Saiki chuckled.
"I can check into that," Zhao said. "If we're still in the tourist part of Japan, then there will be a few good markets to look at. I can handle that."
"I'll go with you," Daigo said. "We shouldn't separate too much."
"I want to watch the karaoke, though. Think you all can hang out until I get back?" Zhao asked. They all agreed, and Saiki commented that it would give them a chance to check out the song list.
"How are you feeling?" she asked her husband. They had all stopped to refill for gas and to locate where to go next. They were leaning against the vehicles to stretch their legs out.
"Quite good," Kiryu admitted. He still used the ice packs, but the medicine was making it easier to cope. "I can still sing."
"With that lovely coloring on your jaw? Are you crazy?" she asked.
"I've had much worse," he grinned lightly.
"How am I not surprised…" she muttered out with an eye roll.
"The stories I could tell you while I was in prison…" he mused. Now she gave him a look that got Seonhee snickering.
"Hopefully no one hit on you. If they did…I'd have to lop off a dick…" she grumbled out. Now he looked at her in a weird way to get Joongi coughing out laughter at it. Seonhee snickered even more. Taiga and Daigo glanced at each other to keep from laughing outright.
"It never got that far," Kiryu assured her. "Besides, I'm officially off the market now. As are you."
"I suppose you seem to be feeling better," Saiki sighed and snuggled into him gently. He wrapped his arms around her to nod and press a kiss to the top of her head. "You have no idea how thoroughly pissed off I was…"
"I have a genuine idea," he agreed. Then he started laughing.
"What?" she frowned at him.
"The look on their faces when you cut open the lock and kicked the door down…absolutely priceless! I wish I took pictures…" he grinned.
"I would have used a lock pick, but I had no time. So I cut the fucking locks out with my scythe. I'll need to see if I dulled the edge anywhere. Maybe I can get some tiny diamonds and line the edge…" she mused.
"Your scythe is that strong that you can slice open locks?!" Goro asked.
"Damn straight!" she grinned.
"I am still waiting for my whip," Seonhee said.
"I may be able to start it after tomorrow. Depending on the day's events, of course," Saiki smiled. That was readily agreed to.
"Oh, Sai-chan! Did you do that job?" Kasuga asked.
"Ah! Yes. Let me send the picture…" Saiki grinned and sent it to Rabten. "There. One job done. Three left."
"We should honeymoon in Hawaii. After my three month mark. Just a week," Kiryu smiled. "I think it would be nice."
"Hmm. We could…" she mused. "But where would we stay?"
"With the funds we have now, we could do a luxury hotel. Maybe do some hidden gambling," he suggested. "I know a few spots with the right hookups."
"I can check on Akane-san! She's…my mom," Kasuga chuckled. "She works with a group called the Palekana. She might be able to help hook us up with some good hotel stays and such. I can ask her."
"Really? But, just remember, a honeymoon would technically just be me and Kazuma. Especially at night," Saiki said.
"I don't know if I'd be able to go with my responsibilities to the Geomijul," Seonhee sighed. Zhao looked at her with a small grin. "What's that for?"
"I could take over for a week. You could use a vacation," Zhao nodded.
"Hmm. I'll…think about that. Maybe Joongi can join me. Anyways, do we know where to go?" she asked. Sa-chan was already looking on her phone. Chi-Chan was making arrangements to have the event paid for as a private expense before calling ahead to make a reservation. Joongi looked at Seonhee with a blink of surprise, but remained ready for any orders to carry out.
"If we go two miles out, there's a really good place! And, Saiki, I do have some makeup that we can use to lighten up Kiryu-san's face. If you want to do that?" Sa-chan asked. Saiki looked at Kiryu to show him shrugging.
"Maybe enough to keep it from being too obvious. I can apply that," Saiki agreed. Kiryu knelt down just enough to let the makeup be applied. "That does look better. Okay. If you're feeling better, then fine. I'm sure you'll be feeling everything tomorrow, though."
"I know it," Kiryu said. They all got back into the vehicles and drove to the popular karaoke joint. He opted to not go with the wheelchair for now, and he kept Saiki close to his side. Many of the younger men were clearly eyeing her, but she ignored them all. Chi-chan walked in to secure the reservation table, and they found seats in a section close to the stage.
"Let's order some drinks," Adachi grinned.
"I really want to get some quality meat before the marketplaces close up," Zhao frowned. "How long until the singing starts?"
"There's a bit of a crowd. If you head out now, I'm sure you'll get there and back. But…parking may be rough. Maybe you should just wait for a song to be sung. Then we can go out for that errand as something on our way home. I don't want the meat to spoil, so we'll need coolers," Saiki pointed out.
"Ah! Right. The drive back. Okay, I can wait," Zhao agreed.
"Where's the song list?" Kiryu asked. He took Saiki up to the console and plugged in a song to sing with her. "I'll be backup vocal to you."
"If you say so," she chuckled. He nodded and put a false name to keep to a disguise. "The name…Joryu. Okay. Got it."
"It was one of the fake names I was given with an ID. I still have it on me, too. Anyways, let's sit down and wait for the call," he said. He had her sit in his lap, and the group chatted while listening to other singers. It was nearly an hour later when Kiryu was called up. "Let's go!"
"Sure," Saiki chuckled. They started to sing together, and the crowd was listening with rapt attention. Their group cheered and danced with the beat they sang to. The strobe lights were activated by the staff, and the singing couple were clearly the newest hottest set of singers there. The entire room cheered for them when the song was over.
"Can you sing again?!" the DJ asked.
"We can do one more," Kiryu chuckled. The song was selected, and they both sang again in a perfect duet. When that song was done, they knew it was time to leave. He kept an arm around her while leading the group out, and they were stopped by a music producer.
"I have never been so impressed! Never! I would love for you to come by my studio! I know you'll both be going places! Sky high places!" the man gushed out. Saiki narrowed her eyes with complete mistrust, but Kiryu handled it.
"My wife and I were only here on a date night. We don't live in Tokyo. Thank you for the offer, but we must decline," he said calmly.
"Oh. Well…here's my card. In case you change your mind," the man said and gave over his business card.
"Thank you," Kiryu nodded and led Saiki out with the others. As they walked into the parking lot, they were confronted by one of the male singers.
"You think you've got the top voice around here?!" he growled.
"This may be the last time you ever see us. Take your pride and shove it up your ass. Have a nice rest of your life. Goodbye," Saiki said bluntly to get the man staring at her with shock. Kiryu shrugged at the man and let his wife into the minivan. Seonhee was snickering with Joongi when they got into his car. Tomi was already starting up the minivan.
"Yeah…don't worry about it. Go back in and sing more," Zhao chuckled at the bewildered man. Once in the minivan, Joongi's phone was called. "Meat market! We need to get there now."
"I'm sure they'll have coolers there for transport," Kasuga said. The two vehicles got to the marketplace, and Saiki decided to wheel her husband around. She knew he was still recovering from the beating he got, and she didn't want him on his feet too much.
"I could walk…" he muttered.
"Shut up. Go with it. Or I'll make you crawl later," she grinned. Now he looked at her with his brows raised.
"I hope you do," he said with a small grin. She bent down to whisper softly in his ear to get him growling. "Does this thing have a remote control…?"
"Nope. I get to push you around," she chuckled.
"Kasuga! Push us around!" Kiryu said.
"No. Ignore him," she snorted and started to push him into the marketplace.
"I want you to ride in my lap," he pouted.
"And it will look weird. So shut up," she said and started to examine the rows of fish. "Oh! I bet I can cook up that triggerfish…"
"You know how to prepare fish? Wait. You have books," Kiryu chuckled.
"You'd be amazed at the stuff I can make," she grinned.
"Hmm…" he thought aloud. Then he gestured for her to come close to whisper softly and press a kiss on her mouth. She chuckled and approached the fish vendor. Several large fish were purchased and set in transport coolers to keep them alive. It was arranged to get them into Tomi's minivan, and Joongi was there to help with that. The beef section was next, and several choice cuts were purchased. It was the same with the pork, and various sections of chicken.
"I think we barely have enough room for the wheelchair. Unless some of this goes in Joongi's car," Tomi said on judging what he had for space.
"I can hold some of it," Joongi agreed. "How much longer?"
"We can head back now," Saiki chuckled. "Or we can hit up a clothing store for my husband…"
"I like my suit the way it is," Kiryu grunted. That got her snickering. "Besides, you make me clothing just fine. And it fits better."
"Ah. Very well," she agreed. Kiryu finally got up to stretch his legs and he winced at his bruising side. She frowned at that and said, "I won't let you train until that heals up. You'll just make it worse."
"Damn it…" he growled. "Maybe I can just…take it slow…"
"No. You will do nothing for three days. Maybe even a week. When the bruise lightens up would be the time to train again. Until then, though? Absolutely not," Saiki said sternly. He started to pout about it, but he grudgingly got into the minivan. She already saw that his jaw was still swelling, but not as much as it would have been without the medicine. She took up an ice pack to press to his jaw, and he moved it to his side. "See what I mean?"
"Yeah…" he muttered and pressed his face into her neck. She ran her hand through his hair to keep him calm for the ride home. She kept her other hand on the ice pack when he began to relax in sleep, and the others were talking to each other about the events that happened. When they got back to the park with the elevator, there were Geomijul lookouts that ensured no one was around. All of the purchases were transferred in, and everyone took turns to help put things away. The fish containers were opened to have the fish quickly dispatched and prepared for the freezer. Both Zhao and Saiki took care of that rather swiftly and skillfully.
"You made some nice purchases!" Zhao chuckled. "Okay. Next thing is that meeting tomorrow, right?"
"Yes," Kiryu nodded.
"Okay! Let's go to the Survive Bar," Kasuga grinned.
"You all can go. I need to rest up from that beating…" Kiryu frowned.
"Ah. Right. Okay!" Tomi nodded. Goro looked thoughtful on a few things, but Taiga was already forcing him out. Even Daigo ensured their troublesome friend left. The moment the elevator was cleared of the last visitor was when Kiryu coughed and pressed a hand to his side.
"I fucking told you so!" Saiki scowled and moved to quickly make him a hot beverage of herbal remedies. She brought him a steaming mug to drink down. "You didn't get anything broken, but I know you're going to be suffering tomorrow. This will help. Drink it."
"I know it will," he sighed and managed to chug it down. "Ugh! I'll never get over the taste! But I know it works."
She sighed and blinked at an odd ringtone. Then she grinned and took up the confiscated phone. "Hello?"
"Ah…who is this?" a gruff man's voice responded.
"Just the woman who is the wife of the Dragon of Dojima. The same woman who slaughtered over fifty men to get him back before being shoved into an illegal cage fighting gig. Is this the one that ordered my husband's capture?" Saiki asked sweetly. There was dead silence on the other line. "Right. I'm sure it is. I cut off the head of the owner of this phone. I massacred every single man that came after me to keep me from my husband. If you fucking try to pull this shit again…I will find you. And your head will be set on your own doorstep to show what kind of a sick fuck you are. Understood?"
"Sure…" the man swallowed.
"And I'm still so fucking mad that you let your goons beat the shit out of my husband! He might have broken ribs now! Because of your stupidity! And you wanted him to fight tonight?! Are you out of your fucking mind?! I'm going to hold onto this phone and check every single number on it.
"I really hope you change your number. Because as far as I'm concerned…your number is up. You'd better crawl into a dark hole somewhere and hope that I don't get it into my head to find you and shred you to pieces. You still don't know what all I can do? You can go to the warehouse now where you held my husband hostage and see what all I did to it," she chuckled.
The phone disconnected soon after. She was already moving into her security room to track the number down. Kiryu eventually rose up to join her, and he was amazed that she found the number. "That's crazy…"
"Not at all. His name was on the phone number. This number was his main line and tied to several of his accounts for various businesses. He may think I don't know what to do. So, I'll slide this over to the Daidoji tomorrow…" she grinned wickedly. Now he looked at her with complete amusement.
"Let the Daidoji find him…confront him…"
"Yes. He has a nice little cocktail of schemes that they'd just love to look into for us. We stay out of the way. Tell them of your ordeal. Tell them about the warehouse address. We're done," she laughed softly. "And if Ebina wants to join in the fun? Why not? We'll see who finds the prize first…"
"Did I ever tell you how much I love and adore you?" he muttered.
"You remember how I said I would be your girlfriend as long as I got to murder anyone that fucking touched you. Right?" she smiled. "And now as your wife…I will add dismemberment to that comment."
"I think I'm well enough to take you to bed," he grinned lightly.
"I'll make you an outfit tomorrow," she mused. He removed the gloves now to set down on the security room table. Then he lifted her into his arms with a small wince, but he ignored the pain to carry her into their bedroom for the night.