Chapter Two: Welcome to Your Life
Flashes of pain rang throughout Yajirobe's head before he fully realized that he was regaining consciousness. The light bulb above him made it worse.
Oh, no…
He tried to recall what circumstances led him into this situation. He remembered being attacked by two people from SCIN, who seemed to want to take Edie. She and Mia were in trouble, and he failed them. He even failed to save himself from being captured.
A sense of panic arose within him when he registered the fact that he had no idea where he was. He sat up on the tiny bed and took stock of the room. It was small, and there were heavy iron bars across from the bed. His surroundings had a metallic and sterile smell to them.
Another wave of panic washed over him – was he arrested? If so, what for? Edie and Mia's disappearance? But he realized that his hands were not cuffed together. Another realization: his belongings were missing, which made him fume.
Footsteps approached. Three pairs. Faced with yet another unknown quantity, Yajirobe inhaled sharply and assumed a fighting stance.
The three pairs of footsteps got closer and louder until their owners stopped in front of the bars. The two people that kidnapped Yajirobe and his friends, and a short, middle-aged man: Noah. His looks were not much to write home about; there was something just a bit too thin about him, but without the strength of the thin man. Noah had short gray hair cut into choppy bangs in front. Yajirobe looked at him suspiciously, but he looked unimpressed.
"So you're the one, huh?"
"The one who…" said Yajirobe, "what?"
Hoshi jabbed a thumb at the two kidnappers. "The one that gave them some trouble.
Yajirobe just glared at them.
"Then the question becomes what to do with you," said Noah. "They say you can fight. Is that true?"
Yajirobe's heart hammered in his chest. "Y-yeah…"
Noah's mouth skewed. "I guess, if you survived an encounter with these two. All right, then. To The Pit with you."
Hoshi started to walk away with the two kidnappers.
"W-wait," said Yajirobe. "What's The Pit?"
"It's our underground fighting arena," said Noah impatiently.
"Who are you people?"
"We're members of the biggest gang around," said Noah with a cocky smirk. "Welcome to The Family."
"What about Edie?"
It was Noah's turn to give Yajirobe a confused look.
"The girl you tried to kidnap along with me!"
Noah's eyebrows raised. "Oh, she's fine, as is her mother."
Yajirobe clenched a fist.
"But whether they stay that way depends on you," said Noah.
Another wave of panic crashed over Yajirobe, as the woman looked down. The samurai wondered how she had the audacity to appear sad when this mess was partially her fault to begin with.
"For now," said Noah, "just fight. And make it entertaining."
That was something Yajirobe believed he could do. He relaxed a little.
"Lunch is in a couple hours," said Noah, smirking. "Big boy's gotta eat, after all."
Yajirobe glared at Noah as he walked away with the thin man. However, the woman gave Yajirobe a strange look; apologetic. Guilty, even. He just glared at her until she left. Then, he flopped onto the ever-so-slightly uncomfortable bed and sighed.
He considered the fact that he was expected to fight someone soon. That was not a task that fell under being good, like Edie asked him to be. But the world was more complicated than the sheltered child knew. The needs of her and her mother were more pressing. Nonetheless, he planned to end the fight as cleanly and quickly as possible.
The idea of fighting either the woman or the thin man burned him up. What if one of them was his opponent?
Time passed glacially in the cell. Ironically, there were some true crime books in the small shelf, but Yajirobe was not exactly a big reader. He would have preferred some manga. With little else to do, he reluctantly began to train as he awaited lunch.
The atmosphere of the cafeteria was cold, bleak, and oppressive, and the food, while somewhat filling, was stock and loveless. Yajirobe already missed Mia's cooking. The others in the cafeteria were largely just as enthusiastic about their lot as Yajirobe was. He wondered how long they had been there, and if that would reflect how long he would be stuck in this situation. His shoulders slumped. At least he managed to avoid making much eye contact with anyone.
The next day, Noah used his guards to force Yajirobe out into the yard in the morning, despite his insistence that he did not want to go. He knew that he was in no position to make demands as it was.
Just as he figured, the yard had dozens of macho tough guys, most of whom were in their own cliques, and some gym equipment fenced off from the rest of the yard, doubtlessly so that it could not be accessed by people with more ill intent than usual. He tried to slink off into a corner to remain unnoticed; if he was going to train, there was no way in hell he was going to do it in front of other men. But noticed he was. Some punk that he attempted to ignore came up to him.
"Hey," said the punk, "a new guy. What's with that outfit?"
A much larger and wider mountain of a man approached. "I think this samurai is lookin' for a showdown."
Yajirobe tried even harder to ignore them, but the large man grabbed him by his collar and punched him across the face. He did not fall to the ground. He glared at the large man, who brought his fists down upon him. He fell, despite an attempt to block the blow. Even this mountain of a man was strong. What the hell was going on anymore?
The punk joined in as the mountain of a man kicked and punched at Yajirobe, hunched over on the ground. He really did not want to retaliate for a strata of reasons, but…
"Ok, but you gotta be a good boy, too."
There was only so much that could be taken. It was not really an issue of physical pain; if these fools wanted to mistake passiveness for weakness, they needed to be corrected.
Yajirobe jerked up and kicked the punk off to the side; he yelped as he launched into the nearby fence. Yajirobe stomped on his gut and then kicked him away.
The mountain of a man did not seem quite as big then. He was stunned at this sudden counterattack, and even more stunned when Yajirobe kicked him in the crotch. The samurai followed it up with a punch to the gut, and then he threw him to the ground on top of the other punk. Finally, Yajirobe stomped the side of the large man's face.
The rest of the men in the yard were stunned into silence. They parted like insects when Yajirobe glared at them. He had earned his desired isolation, and he would find that dinner tasted better that night than lunch did.
Unbeknownst to him, Noah and Richie were watching. Noah looked displeased, while Richie's brow furrowed with assessment.
The next morning, Noah woke him up. Noah said it was time for the to be medically assessed by their doctor, Zill.
"This will help us determine who your opponent will be," said Noah, smirking.
"Great," said Yajirobe.
When he entered the infirmary, he noticed a few things about Dr Zill. He was friendly but nervous, and he had a black eye.
To Yajirobe's great reluctance, his measurements were taken, including his reach.
"Age?" asked Zill.
"Eighteen."
Zill then measured Yajirobe's height: five-foot-five.
"Almost five-foot-six," said Yajirobe.
"Now all we need is your weight," said Zill, who gestured at the scale in the corner of the room.
Yajirobe glared at the scale. "Is there any way I can not do that? Do you really need this information?"
Zill was unsettled. "The Family needs this info to help people decide who they're going to bet on." His forehead broke out in a little sweat, and Yajirobe felt a twinge in his chest. He sighed and allowed himself to be weighed.
"May I suggest some changes in your diet?" asked Zill.
"You may," said Yajirobe.
"Ok, now that we have this info, you can leave."
It was not until after lunch that Yajirobe was summoned to… a makeshift press room used to hype up fights on what he would never know was the "dark web". Noah was there, and Yajirobe's opponent would soon arrive: Richie. Yajirobe almost reached for the katana that he no longer possessed.
"Come on," said Noah. "Strike a pose, you two. Like you wanna kill each other."
They obliged, but Yajirobe was far more reluctant, unlike Richie who actually got into the 's personal space.
"Ooh", said Noah, "that's good.
The fight is in two days. Seven PM."
Yajirobe's heartbeat increased. Was two days enough time to train effectively? Richie did not seem worried.
Yajirobe was escorted to a locker room, where someone waited for him. The female kidnapper. She handed an envelope to the guards that escorted Yajirobe, and then they left.
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Yajirobe. As if he did not have enough things to worry about.
"Noah really moved up the timetable for this fight," she said.
"Not an answer."
The woman sighed. "I apologize for the other day." She held her hand out. "My name is Mizu."
Yajirobe just glared at her.
"I know you have no reason to believe me," continued Mizu, "but this is the beginning of making things right. I can't do it alone." Her eyes were low but intense.
"Why do you wanna make things right?" asked Yajirobe. "Ain't you on the take?"
Mizu took a deep breath. "In a way, I suppose I am. But not for long." Her brow knit.
Yajirobe rubbed his face. "What can you tell me about him?" he asked with reluctance.
Mizu nodded. "He's a thug, a brute. He likes to fight, to hurt people – to have his strength acknowledged. Most of the people that work with him hate him."
How many more reasons do I need to kick someone's ass?
"Who's stronger," asked Yajirobe, "him, or you?"
"We've never fought," said Mizu. "But I know that my discipline and technique are superior."
"Do you think I can beat him?" Normally, Yajirobe would never ask this, but he was uncomfortable being in this vulnerable position.
"You can probably out-muscle him. He's strong, but wiry. However… you usually end fights early, don't you?"
Yeah, but not recently…
"He has more stamina than you," said Mizu.
"Gee," said Yajirobe, "thanks."
Mizu waved her hand. "We can't do much about that in two days. I suggest you save your strength until then. Oh, and one more thing: try not to let him under your skin."
Yajirobe shrugged. "I ain't fightin' Noah."
"Yes, you are. Try to give them as little of yourself as possible." There was a look in her eyes that Yajirobe could not identify.
Mizu left, and Yajirobe was escorted back to his cell, where he pondered why Mizu reared her head again. He came to the idea that she had a grudge against the Family, too. But if so, why work for them?
As he tried to digest all of the info he received, he heard a man grunting in the hall. He looked to the right and saw Richie curb-stomping some poor man. Even with what Yajirobe had heard about Richie, he could scarcely believe his eyes. He clenched the bars of the cell tightly.
As Richie stepped on the other man's ribs, Yajirobe snapped, "Hey!"
Richie's head whirled around. "What, you got a better way of makin' an example of someone who don't pay their debts?!"
Yajirobe just glowered at Richie.
"You wanna go now, you fat bastard? I'll open this cell right now!"
Yajirobe maintained his glower, even though in truth, Richie's fiery darkness rattled him.
"Just you wait," said Richie, before he stormed off.
The poor man got himself to his feet. "You… stopped him." His voice was pained.
"Not yet," said Yajirobe. "You hurt too bad?" He knew that he could have healed the man with a Senzu Bean – if he still had any.
The man clutched his ribs. "I… don't think so. Thanks…"
The man shuffled away, leaving Yajirobe alone again.
He did not get a lot of sleep the night before the fight.
As he walked to the arena, he briefly saw Mizu in the crowd, who nodded.
Noah played the role of announcer.
What an attention whore.
"Good evening," began Noah, "you bloodthirsty animals." He smirked. "Tonight, we present to you another fight with Richie, a legend in the Pit!" The crowd roared, though to Yajirobe, it felt like a drone.
"However," continued Noah, "in stark contrast, his opponent is a newcomer – the enigmatic (and overweight) Yajirobe!"
I'll kick your ass too, little man…
Noah looked smugly at him while the most of the audience booed. Apparently, Richie's brand of brutality was to their tastes.
"Let's hope he has some room for fire in that considerable belly," finished Noah, who hurriedly said to the combatants off-mic, "Now you two fight until someone drops. No killing or dismembering allowed – we don't like lawsuits. Got it? Good." Noah scurried out of the ring and dove behind a desk.
The bell rang, and Yajirobe pounded his fist into his palm. "You sure you wanna wear such a nice suit for this?"
Richie shrugged. "Why not? Even if you touch me – which you ain't – I can afford a new one."
He rushed at the samurai and swung at his face, but he dodged to the side. He felt the air diverted by Richie's fist – nothing he wanted to be hit by.
Right – how can I finish this, ASAP?
Yajirobe smashed his knee into Richie's ribs, which took him off guard. Richie grunted, but delivered an uppercut to the ronin and punched him alongside the face. Richie whirled around for a kick, but Yajirobe caught his foot and flipped him upside down. He spun his legs around to trip Yajirobe, and he fell onto his side. Richie punched down at Yajirobe, but he grabbed the gangster's wrist and squeezed.
Something gave.
Richie winced, but he still seemed more angry than hurt.
"Give it up," said Yajirobe.
Instead, Richie threw another punch, which the samurai caught again. However, he was yanked to his feet and kicked in his right knee.
It hurt more than it had any right to.
Yajirobe hit Richie in the face again, but he still stood.
Yajirobe grimaced. He launched another fist at Richie, who jumped high into the air and kicked the samurai in the back before he could turn around. He swung out, but his hand was met by Richie's in a moment of equilibrium.
They began to trade blows, to no avail. Yajirobe knew that it could not continue; he started to lose stamina. Did Richie have a plan all along? Was he capable of that much strategy?
There was only one element that could determine the winner of the fight. Yajirobe broke away to take a step back and perform a somersault kick on Richie, to the astonishment of the crowd and the intense focus of Mizu.
For a few moments that felt like an eternity, Richie flew backwards and landed on his back. He lost track of where everything was in those few seconds.
Yajirobe rushed at Richie and punched at him until he… forfeited. The words almost seemed more painful than anything that Yajirobe did during the fight.
He took a deep breath as the crowd remained stunned. Noah stared wide-eyed until he plainly brought the microphone back up to his mouth. "Well… there you have it, folks. Our first time challenger handed Richie… his first loss."
Yajirobe's eyes widened.
Someone in the crowd began to clap, which encouraged a few more to join him, but the samurai felt embarrassed.
Backstage, Noah told him that he could have a very bright future in the Family.
"What about Edie and Mia?" asked Yajirobe.
"They're fine," said Noah at last.
"Can I see them?"
"Tomorrow, sure, if you want. Escorted, of course."
"What did you do with them?"
Noah tilted his head to the side. "We helped them register with SCIN and get medically cleared. All above board."
"Why didn't Mia want to register with SCIN?"
"Some people don't know if their relatives are cryptids… or not."
"So is Edie a cryptid?"
Noah tucked his hands behind his back. "We don't know."
"How is it that a gang is helping SCIN?"
"Sometimes, gangs contribute to society when official channels fail."
Uh-huh.
"So," began Noah, "the Family rewards success. Food, women, cars… whatever you want, you got it."
Yajirobe took Noah up on his offer, and ordered a feast of his favorite foods, including steamed pork buns, pizza, and ice cream. To his surprise, Mizu soon found him in the cafeteria. She stared at him
"What?" he asked, through a mouth full of food.
She sat across from him and asked, "Do you know what Stockholm Syndrome is?"
"Nope."
"It's when someone thinks they have feelings for their captor."
"I don't have – oh." He rubbed his chin. "You mean that thing Noah said? About the stuff you can get from the Family?"
"Yes," said Mizu firmly. "You can't let them turn you. When someone tells you you're special – it feels good. But usually, it's predatory – insidious."
"...I know they don't really care about me, and I don't really care about them. I got what I want out of 'em already, so all that's left is to get my freedom."
Mizu's eyes widened. "You can't leave. Not until-"
"Until what?"
"Until you help me take the Family down."
Yajirobe was taken aback. "What?!"
"Keep your voice down." She closed her eyes for several moments before she opened them again. "You're the only one that can. I've tried to find others, but they weren't… good enough."
"...And how, pray tell, would I do that?"
"You need to get away from here, or wait until I figure out a way to help you. Then, we can take the next step in the investigation. I'm sorry to say, I don't think that the Family will truly leave you – or your friends – alone until they're taken down."
Yajirobe looked down. He gave himself the vague hope that winning in the Pit would gain him some purchase with the Family. But it was always going to be a gilded cage.
"So what should I do?"
"You have to stay strong and stand by for now. I don't plan on meeting you in here again; there's no way that Noah hasn't sensed our commiserations. He's smug, but he's not that stupid. As such, we shouldn't meet unless it's absolutely necessary."
She stood up and slipped a tiny piece of paper to him.
"My number," she whispered. It was typed on the paper. "If you get away, call it ASAP. No dalliances."
Before she walked out of the cafeteria, she wished him good luck.
Yajirobe did not get to sleep very easily that night. In his head, he kept turning over idea after idea of what to do next. But none of them were quite right, and he felt that none of them deserved faith. He was stuck in the waiting game.
The next morning, Noah wanted to talk to Yajirobe.
"Good morning," said Noah, "champ. Are you ready to meet Edie and Mia again?"
"Yeah," said Yajirobe. "But there's… something I wanna ask."
"Oh?"
"I don't wanna fight in the Pit anymore."
Noah blinked. "And what would you do, if not that?"
"I dunno. I just don't wanna fight anymore."
Noah hissed out a breath. "Well, I know that you can say goodbye to your visit, and hello to a toilet brush."
Noah turned on his heel and started to walk away.
Oh, no-
What had he done? He torpedoed not just his visit with Edie and Mia, but the investigation as well.
"Wait!" he yelled. "I take it back! I'll do anything!"
Noah stared at him icily over his shoulder.
"Perhaps there are different fights you can wage," said Noah.