[24th October] [SD/TeniPuri] -- Mafia Gang Wars: Wheels in motion
Title: Mafia Gang Wars
Day/Theme: 24th October -- The pavilions of love and the tents of war
Series: SlamDunk | Prince of tennis
Character/Pairing: ..All [AU, yakuza style.]
Rating: PG15 (for use of language)
Authors: rei_kurasaki, hemlocke and yasminm
Notes: Writing this cannot be healthy. Theird in a series; 01. An alliance | 02. Adjustments
Dan beamed up at the orange-haired man before bowing smartly, “Nice to meet you!”
Sengoku returned an equally blinding smile, green eyes flashing, “Nice to meet you too ‘kid. Name’s Sengoku Kiyosumi, but everyone calls me Lucky.”
That smile he was giving to his boy irked Akutsu like no other and if Sengoku wasn’t the damn head of the Yamabuki gang, as well as his fucking boss, he would’ve pumped him full of lead.
“Nice to meet you, Dan Tachi at’cha service!”
Another reason he didn’t want Dan to meet his boss was because Sengoku was a legendary pervert; women, men, he loved them all, girls, boys, he chased after them endlessly. It wasn’t as if Akutsu was possessive over Dan, of course not, he just didn’t like the thought of someone else touching something that was his. That wasn’t possessiveness, no that was just…territorial.
“Service indeed…” Sengoku laughed, white teeth glinting in the sun.
Still that didn’t stop the snarl from coming out when Dan bowed again and Sengoku took a step back to admire those fine slender legs.
--
There was a reason why Uozumi Jun had no lost love for new recruits, they were usually clumsy, stupid and had the insane idea that just because they were in a gang, they could do what ever it was that they wanted. And if he could get his hands on a certain dumbass newbie he would be dead twice over. And he would use his bones to pick his goddamn teeth.
“Where is he?” Uozumi barked out as they headed for the black BMW parked outside.
“At the hospital sir,” Hikoichi Aida quickly checked his information again, “apparently one of the newbie picked the wrong fight with Kainan, Sendoh tried to break it up but someone took out a gun and they starting shooting,” he paused to take another breath before continuing, “Yamabuki was there as well, but they suffered no injuries, Akutsu and Sengoku took down at least four from Kainan. And Sendoh was hit in the shoulder sir, the bullet passed cleanly through his muscle; doctors say that he should be back to normal in a week.”
“And the newbie who caused all this?”
“Dead sir,” Hikoichi adjusted his tie and slid into the cool interior of the car together with Uozumi, “Kainan hit him four times, in the back, legs and chest.”
It was times like this that Uozumi was glad for his Intel; they weren’t as street-savvy as the ones in Shohoku, but they were smart as hell and that was good enough for him.
“Family?”
“A sister, parents dead, lives in America now.”
“Send her a damn flower basket; call Koshino and the rest, I want a meeting in two hours and put everyone on standby.”
--
Yukimura Seiichi was as mysterious as he was influential in the growth and control of the infamous Rikkai Dai. Not much can be gathered about him, but what is known on the streets is that his top people includes his second-in-command, a stern foreboding man called Sanada Geni’chirou, his Intel specialist, a certain Yanagi Renji and his two infamous spies, Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi. There were others though, like his young protégé Kirihara Ayaka, and his top henchmen, Jackal Kuwahara and Marui Bunta.
Mysterious but not invincible, was the phrase as Youhei smirked and gave out the orders: find their weakness, find their intentions, report.
--
“BWAHAHAHA! Tensai in the-” Sakuragi stopped, mouth open and no words coming out as he stared at the empty sofa in front of him, usually occupied by a certain black-haired man who was always napping.
“Rukawa went out, if that’s what you were wondering,” Miyagi looked up from the mini compact bomb he was currently assembling, “left ‘bout an hour ago.”
“HAH. He probably knew the tensai was coming which was why he scurried away like a rat with its tail between its legs! BWAHAHAHAH!”
“What the hell man, I think you meant dog,” Miyagi didn’t bother looking up from his pet project as nimble fingers put multiple parts together, “’sides, he said he had some business to settle that’s it. Said he might be gone for a while too.”
“Business?” Sakuragi narrowed his eyes just as Mitsui walked in, holding three guns, a white rag and a bottle of polish.
“Must be serious business,” Mitsui dumped the weapons on the table, sending little screws skittering all over the table and Miyagi swore long and loud as he scrambled to collect them all, “he took his sniper gun with him, along with all the sniper bullets he had, thank god the new batch of bullets just came in yesterday.”
“Sniper gun?”
“Eh, whatever it is, that man’s on a serious trip I tell ya.”
--
Fukuda idly twirled his gun in his hands, quietly watching over Sendoh as the Ryonan second-in-command slept. He was a battle-hardened veteran but he still shook inside as he recalled how close Sendoh came to death earlier that day. It had been pure luck that Fukuda had managed to push Sendoh out of Kiyota’s way. That and the fact that Jin’s interference had caused Kiyota’s shot to go wide.
“Fukuda,” Fukuda turned his head sharply at the sound of Sendoh’s voice. His colleague had finally awoken. “Get me a drink will you?”
Sendoh struggled to a sitting position whilst Fukuda poured a glass of water for him.
“You should be resting.” Fukuda admonished his superior gruffly. “Uozumi’ll kill me if you strain yourself.”
Sendoh waved his uninjured hand in a dismissive gesture as he tried to find a comfortable position to rest. “I will later. Blasted medications are making me really sleepy, anyway. How’s everybody?”
It was so typical of Sendoh, to be worried about everybody else’s welfare when he was the only one amongst them to have been hospitalized.
“We’re good. Just a few bruises here and there. You’re the only one with a major injury.”
Sendoh snickered, still able to find amusement in the situation. “I lucked out, huh?”
“You could say that.”
“Jin was there, wasn’t he?” Sendoh asked suddenly. Fukuda’s back stiffened at the mention of his friend.
“Aaa.”
Sendoh smiled sleepily. “I saw him trying to maneuver Kiyota out of our path. Too bad those idiots from Kantoh got in the way. He tried hard though.”
Fukuda nodded.
“Must be hard for the two of you, being on different sides,” Sendoh mumbled, “all that secrecy and hiding.”
Fukuda’s eyes glanced suspiciously at Sendoh. For a man so warm and friendly, Sendoh was notoriously tight-lipped about his own personal life, though Fukuda had his own suspicions about what Sendoh did in his free time and who he spent it with.
“It gets tiring, at times.” he conceded cautiously. Sendoh knew the vague details about his relationship with Jin and was highly sympathetic about his predicament.
“Tell me about it.” Sendoh remarked. He yawned, the medications finally getting the better of him. “Say hi to Jin for me, won’t you?”
Fukuda nodded briefly in acknowledgement but Sendoh was already asleep.
----
Jin woke up to the sound of his cell-phone ringing incessantly at 4 am in the morning. He fumbled around as he tried to find the offending item.
“Hello?” He responded, voice rough from sleep.
“It’s me.”
Jin sat up, all traces of drowsiness falling from him at the sound of Fukuda’s voice.
“Fukky?”
“…”
“Fukky?” Jin asked, cringing as he realized just how needy he sounded.
“Just wanted to make sure you’re OK.” Fukuda finally responded.
“Oh. I’m fine.”
“Sendoh says thank you for trying to help us just now.”
It was Jin’s turn to keep quiet.
“Jinjin?” Fukuda asked, concerned at the prolonged silence. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes I did.” Jin swallowed hard. “Fukky?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry about Kiyota.” Guilt dripped from each word that Jin uttered.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
”And I’m so sorry about us.”
The unspoken words hung heavily in the air.
“You should sleep.” Fukuda said abruptly. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”
“No, no, it’s OK. I’m glad you called.” Jin hastened to assure his friend.
“Aaa. Good night, then.” Fukuda ended the conversation abruptly.
Jin closed his cell-phone and burrowed beneath the covers. As he tried to will himself back to sleep, he found himself wistfully wishing for the umpteenth time that this whole shit was over so that he could have Fukuda for longer than just a measly phone call.
--
“So Rikkai’s moving? How do we know, are they reliable? By they I mean the source of course, who knows, maybe they’re not; I’ve seen lots of self-proclaimed spies and all that. Are self-proclaimed spies the same as self-proclaimed geniuses? I’ve seen a couple of those myself, like that Shohoku redhead, what’s his name again? Oh, Sakuragi Hanamichi, what an odd name, who would name their kid such a name? His hair’s really red do you think he dyed it? I think he dyed it. At least I know my hair colour’s natural, what’s so fascinating about dyed hair? It’ll hurt your roots I heard-”
“Shinji,” Kamio placed a hand on his partner’s arm and flashed a fanged smile; “we’re here to collect information, not wonder about hair colour and the like.”
--
Sendoh Akira was bored to death in the hospital; he couldn’t leave yet, recuperating was vital fretted the four doctors assigned to him. He suspected that Uozumi must’ve placed some sort of pressure on them, besides it was only a muscle wound, it wasn’t as if he was dead or anything. Maybe if the gun had aimed a little lower, and he had moved slightly faster, the bullet would’ve gone through his chest, hitting lungs or his heart. Wow, that was a really depressing thought wasn’t it?
His cell-phone by his bedside beeped softly; thank goodness for technology, Sendoh sighed as he flipped it open.
“Hai~ Sendoh Akira speaking.”
“You’re really stupid aren’t you?” The voice, flat and monotonous as it was, amused the Ryonan second-in-command to no end.
“Aw, were you worried about me?”
“…”
Sendoh smiled as he plucked at his bed-sheets, “your intel’s real good aren’t they? I’m surprised you got the news so fast.”
“…”
“Anyway, it looks like I’m going to be cooped up here for a while, so I won’t be able to join you at the beach, will you miss me?” Sendoh laughed, listening to the even breathing on the other end, “If you do miss me, you could always come visit me in hospital y’know.”
“You are stupid.”
“And you’re real mean, I’m injured, shouldn’t you have sympathy for the weak?”
“You’re not weak.”
“I’m in the hospital,” Sendoh reminded the voice at the other end, lips curved up in a silent smile.
“Have to go.”
“…Don’t go do anything stupid, Kitsune,” Sendoh’s calm voice carried over the phone as he drew random patterns on his bed-sheet with his finger.
“…”
Sendoh opened his mouth to repeat his words but the soft voice on the other end cut him off smoothly.
“I’ll be the one who kills you,” And then the phone went dead. Sendoh stared at his cell-phone for a moment before closing it and placing it back on his bed stand; it sure was shaping up to be an interesting week.
--
If it was one thing Akutsu lived for, it was danger. The adrenaline rush that runs through your veins when you’re this close to death, feeling the wind from the bullets go whizzing over your skin. Akutsu Jin was no suicidal freak of course; he merely lived for the thrill of living.
And yet he couldn’t fully explain the twisting of his gut when Kainan opened fire on them. He told himself it was only because Dan was in the way and had no goddamn experience, which was why when the fight started; the first one he grabbed was Dan. Grabbed him and pulled him underneath his jacket, snarling a “stay down” while he and Sengoku emptied bullet after bullet into the opposing gang.
Akutsu told himself that he didn’t think that the feeling of Dan grabbing his newly pressed Raoul shirt was more tangible than the weight of his gun in his hand, because that thought itself was ridiculous. And when the shooting stopped, he told himself that it wasn’t relief he felt when Dan looked up at him with wide round eyes and asked “Akutsu-san, are you okay?”
--
“Whaaaaaaaaat?!” Mitsui Hisashi choked on his beer and coughed, looking at Ayako incredulously, “are you shitting me?”
The dark-haired woman shook her head, lips flattened into a thin line, “I shit you not Mitsui, its true, Kainan, Ryonan and Yamabuki were pulled into a gunfight.”
“Shit,” Miyagi mumbled under his breath as he fiddled with his complete bomb and proceeded to dismantle it again, “what happened?”
“Details are scarce but it seems that one of the newbies in Ryonan picked the wrong fight with Kainan. Sendoh Akira tried to break it up but someone drew a gun and well, everything went off from there,” Ayako shrugged, “info came from Youhei, he called just a few hours ago.”
“Oh, and Sendoh got shot, shoulder injury I heard, should be back on the streets by tomorrow.”
Sakuragi stopped his incessant pacing and plunked himself on the leather chair by the window, “so what are the plans now?”
“Akagi says we wait and see, if any one moves, we’ll move too.”
--
Hanamura Aoi was a strange sight on the quiet, sleepy lane. Fringed on both sides by slightly rundown, old-fashioned family homes, the street under her high-heeled feet was more accustomed to the tread of discount store trainers and grandmotherly slippers than a pair of custom-made Manolo Blahniks.
She felt slightly uneasy here, which was probably the very effect intended by that old bitch. Smart is sexy, they'd laughed together once, but Ryuzaki Sumire didn't survive this long by using her brain like a dress. No, it was a weapon, like everything else.
The doorbell had a cat painted on it. Hanamura looked at it askance, then vaulted over the gate onto the small path that lead to the house. Courtesies were for enemies who wanted to make a point, not an old "friend" who knew that the person she was visiting was already aware of her presence.
Besides, she wasn't above showing off.
Hanamura found Ryuzaki at the back of the house, sipping tea on the porch. A plate of tiny, brightly-decorated cakes sat beside a second mug. She silenced an automatic noise of annoyance, knowing that it would only amuse Ryuzaki.
"Ryuzaki-sensei."
"Hello, Hanamura-sensei." Sumire's puckish smile hadn't changed -- this one, at least, was genuine. "Please, join me."
She took a seat. The tea was perfect, neither too cool nor too hot.
"Aren't you going to say you were expecting me?" Hanamura couldn't resist biting out.
"No, I was expecting you to say it for me."
Touché. Hanamura took a cake for lack of an immediate riposte, studying Ryuzaki over her mug. The woman had on a yukata, for god's sakes, in a forgettable shade of violet-blue. All Ryuzaki needed for the grandmotherly disguise to be perfect was a pair of geta. Her long hair was swept back in a bun, not a strand out of place.
Hanamura remembered when Ryuzaki Sumire wore her hair free and loose, a few shades lighter than her red dress. It hid the bloodstains, people had muttered. The truth was that Sumire's favourite colour was anything red, from pink roses to the crimson lipstick she'd used to write "beautiful" on Hanamura's back.
Those were the days, when there was a difference between assassination (their territory) and murder (done by young punks who didn't know any better). They'd been mentor and protégé, and something more Hanamura refused to think about while Ryuzaki was looking at her like a well-fed cat.
"I expect you know why I'm here, then," Hanamura said.
"The shooting between Kainan and Ryonan," Ryuzaki murmured. "Though I don't see how it would concern me."
"Don't play the fool. It doesn't suit you." The cake crumbled between Hanamura's fingers, dotting her silk suit. "You know damn well that independent agents will tilt the balance of power. I need to know where you stand."
A glare, the expression close to the Ryuzaki she'd known. "Why?"
"I need to know. Will you stand with Seigaku?"
"I'm an old woman, Aoi." Ryuzaki put down her tea, her dark eyes fierce and proud. The shift of her yukata revealed at least two hidden weapons, invisible to those without the training to see. "I am past caring about my survival. If they ask, I will put my personal loyalties first."
"I see." Hanamura swept the crumbs off her skirt. "If you were truly bored with life, you could've asked me to kill you."
"Don't be stupid. I'd never do that to you."
Day/Theme: 24th October -- The pavilions of love and the tents of war
Series: SlamDunk | Prince of tennis
Character/Pairing: ..All [AU, yakuza style.]
Rating: PG15 (for use of language)
Authors: rei_kurasaki, hemlocke and yasminm
Notes: Writing this cannot be healthy. Theird in a series; 01. An alliance | 02. Adjustments
Dan beamed up at the orange-haired man before bowing smartly, “Nice to meet you!”
Sengoku returned an equally blinding smile, green eyes flashing, “Nice to meet you too ‘kid. Name’s Sengoku Kiyosumi, but everyone calls me Lucky.”
That smile he was giving to his boy irked Akutsu like no other and if Sengoku wasn’t the damn head of the Yamabuki gang, as well as his fucking boss, he would’ve pumped him full of lead.
“Nice to meet you, Dan Tachi at’cha service!”
Another reason he didn’t want Dan to meet his boss was because Sengoku was a legendary pervert; women, men, he loved them all, girls, boys, he chased after them endlessly. It wasn’t as if Akutsu was possessive over Dan, of course not, he just didn’t like the thought of someone else touching something that was his. That wasn’t possessiveness, no that was just…territorial.
“Service indeed…” Sengoku laughed, white teeth glinting in the sun.
Still that didn’t stop the snarl from coming out when Dan bowed again and Sengoku took a step back to admire those fine slender legs.
--
There was a reason why Uozumi Jun had no lost love for new recruits, they were usually clumsy, stupid and had the insane idea that just because they were in a gang, they could do what ever it was that they wanted. And if he could get his hands on a certain dumbass newbie he would be dead twice over. And he would use his bones to pick his goddamn teeth.
“Where is he?” Uozumi barked out as they headed for the black BMW parked outside.
“At the hospital sir,” Hikoichi Aida quickly checked his information again, “apparently one of the newbie picked the wrong fight with Kainan, Sendoh tried to break it up but someone took out a gun and they starting shooting,” he paused to take another breath before continuing, “Yamabuki was there as well, but they suffered no injuries, Akutsu and Sengoku took down at least four from Kainan. And Sendoh was hit in the shoulder sir, the bullet passed cleanly through his muscle; doctors say that he should be back to normal in a week.”
“And the newbie who caused all this?”
“Dead sir,” Hikoichi adjusted his tie and slid into the cool interior of the car together with Uozumi, “Kainan hit him four times, in the back, legs and chest.”
It was times like this that Uozumi was glad for his Intel; they weren’t as street-savvy as the ones in Shohoku, but they were smart as hell and that was good enough for him.
“Family?”
“A sister, parents dead, lives in America now.”
“Send her a damn flower basket; call Koshino and the rest, I want a meeting in two hours and put everyone on standby.”
--
Yukimura Seiichi was as mysterious as he was influential in the growth and control of the infamous Rikkai Dai. Not much can be gathered about him, but what is known on the streets is that his top people includes his second-in-command, a stern foreboding man called Sanada Geni’chirou, his Intel specialist, a certain Yanagi Renji and his two infamous spies, Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi. There were others though, like his young protégé Kirihara Ayaka, and his top henchmen, Jackal Kuwahara and Marui Bunta.
Mysterious but not invincible, was the phrase as Youhei smirked and gave out the orders: find their weakness, find their intentions, report.
--
“BWAHAHAHA! Tensai in the-” Sakuragi stopped, mouth open and no words coming out as he stared at the empty sofa in front of him, usually occupied by a certain black-haired man who was always napping.
“Rukawa went out, if that’s what you were wondering,” Miyagi looked up from the mini compact bomb he was currently assembling, “left ‘bout an hour ago.”
“HAH. He probably knew the tensai was coming which was why he scurried away like a rat with its tail between its legs! BWAHAHAHAH!”
“What the hell man, I think you meant dog,” Miyagi didn’t bother looking up from his pet project as nimble fingers put multiple parts together, “’sides, he said he had some business to settle that’s it. Said he might be gone for a while too.”
“Business?” Sakuragi narrowed his eyes just as Mitsui walked in, holding three guns, a white rag and a bottle of polish.
“Must be serious business,” Mitsui dumped the weapons on the table, sending little screws skittering all over the table and Miyagi swore long and loud as he scrambled to collect them all, “he took his sniper gun with him, along with all the sniper bullets he had, thank god the new batch of bullets just came in yesterday.”
“Sniper gun?”
“Eh, whatever it is, that man’s on a serious trip I tell ya.”
--
Fukuda idly twirled his gun in his hands, quietly watching over Sendoh as the Ryonan second-in-command slept. He was a battle-hardened veteran but he still shook inside as he recalled how close Sendoh came to death earlier that day. It had been pure luck that Fukuda had managed to push Sendoh out of Kiyota’s way. That and the fact that Jin’s interference had caused Kiyota’s shot to go wide.
“Fukuda,” Fukuda turned his head sharply at the sound of Sendoh’s voice. His colleague had finally awoken. “Get me a drink will you?”
Sendoh struggled to a sitting position whilst Fukuda poured a glass of water for him.
“You should be resting.” Fukuda admonished his superior gruffly. “Uozumi’ll kill me if you strain yourself.”
Sendoh waved his uninjured hand in a dismissive gesture as he tried to find a comfortable position to rest. “I will later. Blasted medications are making me really sleepy, anyway. How’s everybody?”
It was so typical of Sendoh, to be worried about everybody else’s welfare when he was the only one amongst them to have been hospitalized.
“We’re good. Just a few bruises here and there. You’re the only one with a major injury.”
Sendoh snickered, still able to find amusement in the situation. “I lucked out, huh?”
“You could say that.”
“Jin was there, wasn’t he?” Sendoh asked suddenly. Fukuda’s back stiffened at the mention of his friend.
“Aaa.”
Sendoh smiled sleepily. “I saw him trying to maneuver Kiyota out of our path. Too bad those idiots from Kantoh got in the way. He tried hard though.”
Fukuda nodded.
“Must be hard for the two of you, being on different sides,” Sendoh mumbled, “all that secrecy and hiding.”
Fukuda’s eyes glanced suspiciously at Sendoh. For a man so warm and friendly, Sendoh was notoriously tight-lipped about his own personal life, though Fukuda had his own suspicions about what Sendoh did in his free time and who he spent it with.
“It gets tiring, at times.” he conceded cautiously. Sendoh knew the vague details about his relationship with Jin and was highly sympathetic about his predicament.
“Tell me about it.” Sendoh remarked. He yawned, the medications finally getting the better of him. “Say hi to Jin for me, won’t you?”
Fukuda nodded briefly in acknowledgement but Sendoh was already asleep.
----
Jin woke up to the sound of his cell-phone ringing incessantly at 4 am in the morning. He fumbled around as he tried to find the offending item.
“Hello?” He responded, voice rough from sleep.
“It’s me.”
Jin sat up, all traces of drowsiness falling from him at the sound of Fukuda’s voice.
“Fukky?”
“…”
“Fukky?” Jin asked, cringing as he realized just how needy he sounded.
“Just wanted to make sure you’re OK.” Fukuda finally responded.
“Oh. I’m fine.”
“Sendoh says thank you for trying to help us just now.”
It was Jin’s turn to keep quiet.
“Jinjin?” Fukuda asked, concerned at the prolonged silence. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes I did.” Jin swallowed hard. “Fukky?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry about Kiyota.” Guilt dripped from each word that Jin uttered.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
”And I’m so sorry about us.”
The unspoken words hung heavily in the air.
“You should sleep.” Fukuda said abruptly. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”
“No, no, it’s OK. I’m glad you called.” Jin hastened to assure his friend.
“Aaa. Good night, then.” Fukuda ended the conversation abruptly.
Jin closed his cell-phone and burrowed beneath the covers. As he tried to will himself back to sleep, he found himself wistfully wishing for the umpteenth time that this whole shit was over so that he could have Fukuda for longer than just a measly phone call.
--
“So Rikkai’s moving? How do we know, are they reliable? By they I mean the source of course, who knows, maybe they’re not; I’ve seen lots of self-proclaimed spies and all that. Are self-proclaimed spies the same as self-proclaimed geniuses? I’ve seen a couple of those myself, like that Shohoku redhead, what’s his name again? Oh, Sakuragi Hanamichi, what an odd name, who would name their kid such a name? His hair’s really red do you think he dyed it? I think he dyed it. At least I know my hair colour’s natural, what’s so fascinating about dyed hair? It’ll hurt your roots I heard-”
“Shinji,” Kamio placed a hand on his partner’s arm and flashed a fanged smile; “we’re here to collect information, not wonder about hair colour and the like.”
--
Sendoh Akira was bored to death in the hospital; he couldn’t leave yet, recuperating was vital fretted the four doctors assigned to him. He suspected that Uozumi must’ve placed some sort of pressure on them, besides it was only a muscle wound, it wasn’t as if he was dead or anything. Maybe if the gun had aimed a little lower, and he had moved slightly faster, the bullet would’ve gone through his chest, hitting lungs or his heart. Wow, that was a really depressing thought wasn’t it?
His cell-phone by his bedside beeped softly; thank goodness for technology, Sendoh sighed as he flipped it open.
“Hai~ Sendoh Akira speaking.”
“You’re really stupid aren’t you?” The voice, flat and monotonous as it was, amused the Ryonan second-in-command to no end.
“Aw, were you worried about me?”
“…”
Sendoh smiled as he plucked at his bed-sheets, “your intel’s real good aren’t they? I’m surprised you got the news so fast.”
“…”
“Anyway, it looks like I’m going to be cooped up here for a while, so I won’t be able to join you at the beach, will you miss me?” Sendoh laughed, listening to the even breathing on the other end, “If you do miss me, you could always come visit me in hospital y’know.”
“You are stupid.”
“And you’re real mean, I’m injured, shouldn’t you have sympathy for the weak?”
“You’re not weak.”
“I’m in the hospital,” Sendoh reminded the voice at the other end, lips curved up in a silent smile.
“Have to go.”
“…Don’t go do anything stupid, Kitsune,” Sendoh’s calm voice carried over the phone as he drew random patterns on his bed-sheet with his finger.
“…”
Sendoh opened his mouth to repeat his words but the soft voice on the other end cut him off smoothly.
“I’ll be the one who kills you,” And then the phone went dead. Sendoh stared at his cell-phone for a moment before closing it and placing it back on his bed stand; it sure was shaping up to be an interesting week.
--
If it was one thing Akutsu lived for, it was danger. The adrenaline rush that runs through your veins when you’re this close to death, feeling the wind from the bullets go whizzing over your skin. Akutsu Jin was no suicidal freak of course; he merely lived for the thrill of living.
And yet he couldn’t fully explain the twisting of his gut when Kainan opened fire on them. He told himself it was only because Dan was in the way and had no goddamn experience, which was why when the fight started; the first one he grabbed was Dan. Grabbed him and pulled him underneath his jacket, snarling a “stay down” while he and Sengoku emptied bullet after bullet into the opposing gang.
Akutsu told himself that he didn’t think that the feeling of Dan grabbing his newly pressed Raoul shirt was more tangible than the weight of his gun in his hand, because that thought itself was ridiculous. And when the shooting stopped, he told himself that it wasn’t relief he felt when Dan looked up at him with wide round eyes and asked “Akutsu-san, are you okay?”
--
“Whaaaaaaaaat?!” Mitsui Hisashi choked on his beer and coughed, looking at Ayako incredulously, “are you shitting me?”
The dark-haired woman shook her head, lips flattened into a thin line, “I shit you not Mitsui, its true, Kainan, Ryonan and Yamabuki were pulled into a gunfight.”
“Shit,” Miyagi mumbled under his breath as he fiddled with his complete bomb and proceeded to dismantle it again, “what happened?”
“Details are scarce but it seems that one of the newbies in Ryonan picked the wrong fight with Kainan. Sendoh Akira tried to break it up but someone drew a gun and well, everything went off from there,” Ayako shrugged, “info came from Youhei, he called just a few hours ago.”
“Oh, and Sendoh got shot, shoulder injury I heard, should be back on the streets by tomorrow.”
Sakuragi stopped his incessant pacing and plunked himself on the leather chair by the window, “so what are the plans now?”
“Akagi says we wait and see, if any one moves, we’ll move too.”
--
Hanamura Aoi was a strange sight on the quiet, sleepy lane. Fringed on both sides by slightly rundown, old-fashioned family homes, the street under her high-heeled feet was more accustomed to the tread of discount store trainers and grandmotherly slippers than a pair of custom-made Manolo Blahniks.
She felt slightly uneasy here, which was probably the very effect intended by that old bitch. Smart is sexy, they'd laughed together once, but Ryuzaki Sumire didn't survive this long by using her brain like a dress. No, it was a weapon, like everything else.
The doorbell had a cat painted on it. Hanamura looked at it askance, then vaulted over the gate onto the small path that lead to the house. Courtesies were for enemies who wanted to make a point, not an old "friend" who knew that the person she was visiting was already aware of her presence.
Besides, she wasn't above showing off.
Hanamura found Ryuzaki at the back of the house, sipping tea on the porch. A plate of tiny, brightly-decorated cakes sat beside a second mug. She silenced an automatic noise of annoyance, knowing that it would only amuse Ryuzaki.
"Ryuzaki-sensei."
"Hello, Hanamura-sensei." Sumire's puckish smile hadn't changed -- this one, at least, was genuine. "Please, join me."
She took a seat. The tea was perfect, neither too cool nor too hot.
"Aren't you going to say you were expecting me?" Hanamura couldn't resist biting out.
"No, I was expecting you to say it for me."
Touché. Hanamura took a cake for lack of an immediate riposte, studying Ryuzaki over her mug. The woman had on a yukata, for god's sakes, in a forgettable shade of violet-blue. All Ryuzaki needed for the grandmotherly disguise to be perfect was a pair of geta. Her long hair was swept back in a bun, not a strand out of place.
Hanamura remembered when Ryuzaki Sumire wore her hair free and loose, a few shades lighter than her red dress. It hid the bloodstains, people had muttered. The truth was that Sumire's favourite colour was anything red, from pink roses to the crimson lipstick she'd used to write "beautiful" on Hanamura's back.
Those were the days, when there was a difference between assassination (their territory) and murder (done by young punks who didn't know any better). They'd been mentor and protégé, and something more Hanamura refused to think about while Ryuzaki was looking at her like a well-fed cat.
"I expect you know why I'm here, then," Hanamura said.
"The shooting between Kainan and Ryonan," Ryuzaki murmured. "Though I don't see how it would concern me."
"Don't play the fool. It doesn't suit you." The cake crumbled between Hanamura's fingers, dotting her silk suit. "You know damn well that independent agents will tilt the balance of power. I need to know where you stand."
A glare, the expression close to the Ryuzaki she'd known. "Why?"
"I need to know. Will you stand with Seigaku?"
"I'm an old woman, Aoi." Ryuzaki put down her tea, her dark eyes fierce and proud. The shift of her yukata revealed at least two hidden weapons, invisible to those without the training to see. "I am past caring about my survival. If they ask, I will put my personal loyalties first."
"I see." Hanamura swept the crumbs off her skirt. "If you were truly bored with life, you could've asked me to kill you."
"Don't be stupid. I'd never do that to you."