Wh-what is this?! A new chapter?! ...Does anyone even remember this story, because I don't think I do either.
Chapter 26: When life gives you lemons...“Yay! I wanted to come back here someday!” Aika shouted, grabbing Sayu’s hand and dragging her to the door, the con laughing wildly at her enthusiasm.
“Alright, alright!” Sayumi chuckled, unlocking the door and letting her inside, the rest of the gang piled out of the van, Jun pausing to help Koharu down as though she were some sort of nobility, though the younger girl didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she seemed pleased, Reina noticed, clinging to Jun’s arm once they were on solid ground.
It seemed like it had been so long since they had been here, the cop thought, letting memories wash over her. This had even been before she’d developed any real feelings for Sayu beyond scorn. Now, Reina thought, watching her lover be dragged into the cottage by Aika, she couldn’t imagine letting her go off on a mission where she pretended to be Jun’s girlfriend.
Shaking away the jealousy that those memories caused her, Reina headed inside, but instead of following all the other’s into the room with the costumes, she began to explore the rest of the place. There wasn’t much else, since most of the cottage was converted into closet, but there was a small kitchen, bathroom and living room.
The living room seemed quite bare, the only thing on the low coffee table was a photo album. There wasn’t even a television, only a couch and the table. Curiously, Reina seated herself and picked up the album, flipping it open gently. A large family portrait greeted her, a severe looking older man, a pretty older woman and what must have been an eight or nine year old Sayumi and her teenaged sister. The resemblance between the three females was quite uncanny, they had the same eyes and lips and nose, even their postures were the same.
Flipping quickly through the book, Reina noticed that every picture was meticulously placed, as though telling a story without words. Deciding to pay more attention, she returned to the beginning and went through it more slowly. The first page were pictures of the man and woman shaking hands, apparently meeting for the fist time. The second page was of their wedding.
Blinking, Reina checked the dates penned in neatly beneath each picture, only a week between the two pages. Was it an arranged marriage? Another flip took her about nine months in the future. The woman was swollen in the late stages of her pregnancy. Eyebrows shooting up, Reina studied the photos of the hospital room, they sure didn’t waste any time.
There were a few pictures of the baby as she grew up till about the age of four. At that time, the woman began to take on the appearance of being pregnant again. Sayumi, Reina guessed, glancing through the hospital pictures until she got to the first glimpse of the new baby. She felt a soft smile spread across her face at those big, innocent eyes stared up at the camera.
She flipped a few more pages, watching the girls grow before her eyes. Finally, she reached the last page where a picture of Sayu at fourteen and a young man who seemed only a few years older were photographed shaking hands. The next picture was their wedding.
Frowning, Reina studied the picture; they seemed very professional in their official shots, but it still made the cop feel jealous. “You’re so expressive.” A voice from her left startled her, “It’s amusing to watch.”
The mistress of the cottage came over to sit next to her, peering over into the book. Reina grumbled at bit, “I had forgotten, in all that’s happened, that you are technically married.”
“You know, I only have to be married until I’m 24. Then I can get divorced and get a nice chunk of change. And since he and I don’t love each other, we’ve agreed that it’s alright to see other people.”
“I don’t really like the idea of being ‘other people,’ Sayu.” Reina grunted, closing the book and putting it back on the coffee table.
“Aww, don’t be like that. You know how I feel about you.” the con whispered the last part.
Reina nodded slowly, she knew, she didn’t need to hear the words. “Still, you’re mine. I don’t like to share, even symbolically. Besides, you don’t even need the money.”
“I know, but I’ve invested too much time in this to just quit now. I’ve been married since I was fourteen, only four more years to go!” Sayumi curled up close to Reina, wrapping her arms around her tightly and placing her chin on the cop’s shoulder. In the other room, a raucous burst of laughter followed by a bit of whooping and an angry sounding Ai shouting at Jun Jun floated out to them.
Surrounded by Sayu’s comforting embrace and the joyful sounds of the others, Reina couldn’t help but relax, allowing the con to pull the album from her hands and put it on the other end of the coffee table. “The marriage didn’t bother me, you know? I’ve never had a problem with it. Until now.” Sayumi confessed quietly, “It was always expected that I would have an arranged marriage that would benefit the company. Even if we had to go out of country to do it.”
Reina remembered her file, she had been on her honeymoon when her father had decided to kill himself. Her file also indicated that she’d gone to live with cousins in Tokyo until she’d popped back on the radar as a perp rather than a victim. “So what exactly happened to get you into a life like this?”
“Well it certainly wasn’t easy!” Sayu began in that confident tone Reina had realized she took when she really felt anything but. “I got pretty lucky, though, since I learned the trade from my Aunt Emi and managed to push myself into her business after her death.”
They settled back to into the couch, facing each other from opposite ends, their legs entwining in the middle. “Uncle Ryo was a pimp and the only woman in his life he hadn’t sold was Emina Tachibana, a woman who was her own pimp, in a way. When I went to live with them, Aunt Emi protected me, took me under her wing, taught me the best ways to manipulate everyone around me.” A slightly sad smile tugged at the corner of her lips, “As with most things, the good times have to end somewhere.”
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Sayumi wasn’t sure what it was that had awoken her, but it startled her enough that she quickly dove for the hidden trap door in her wall, dropping into a tiny crawlspace beside her bed. Concealed behind wallpaper, it was invisible to those who didn’t already know about it. Once in the safety of this hideaway, Sayu paused, shaking her grogginess away and listening to what was happening inside the house.
Bloodcurdling screams issued from the various rooms in the brothel she called her home, a few punctuated by crashing and rifle bursts. Now awake enough to realize what was going on, the bunny found herself too frightened to move. She could only listen to the terror that was going on in the house, hearing her family being literally torn apart.
Just as a bit of courage kicked in and she decided to crawl out of her hiding place to try and help, she heard the door to her room getting kicked open and angry male voices enter loudly. Shortly thereafter there was crashing and scraping of heavy furniture and Sayu felt her breathing quicken in the beginnings of panic. Escape was the only thing on her mind now and she turned as quickly as the small space would allow, reaching for an already packed bag.
The brothel was once an old hotel previously owned by an eccentric who had secret passages installed in the whole complex. Living the life they did, Emi and Ryo had drilled the evacuation plan into her head until her body could traverse the route without any input from her adrenaline ridden brain. As she ran on autopilot, her mind began to process what was happening; they were under attack. The who and how were still a mystery, but there were any number of reasons for the why.
The young bunny slipped through cramped passages, sometimes crawling, sometimes barely able to squeeze past the walls, but moving instinctively until she was pushing open a hidden panel and darting into a nearby bush to survey her surroundings. The grounds were silent, the peace of the night offset by the terrifying screaming coming from the now obviously burning brothel.
She saw a few lucky shadows creeping out of similar panels along the side of the house; all of the working girls knew the escape route as well, so anyone who was able to get out, surely would. For a moment, Sayu was at a loss, getting out was the easy part, but without Emi, she had no idea what to do next. Obviously waiting for them to find her would soon be out of the question, but where would she go? The only things she had in her emergency bag were four changes of clothes and 10,000 yen.
Above her, a window suddenly burst, sending glass spewing across the yard and flames belching towards the sky. The noise startled her into action and Sayu sprinted away from her home as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn’t stop until she hit the end of the pier, 6km away.
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Reina watched Sayumi with rapt attention as she recounted the harrowing tale like it was a rumor she heard about someone else. She could have never been so calm about something so traumatic, but the con seemed almost unaffected, at least to those who didn’t know her well. To outsiders, she was anyone they wanted her to be; to friends, she was a girl touched with insanity; to Reina and those who understood her story, she was simply coping with a horrible childhood.
The cop felt a new respect for her lover wash over her at these revelations. She was silent for a moment, then asked, “So what happened exactly?”
“Kusumi.” Sayu hissed, “I wouldn’t find this out until much later, but Kusumi always felt that Uncle Ryo was a threat. He was this upstart from Yamaguchi, trying to muscle in on his territory. At first, they had a tentative agreement; Uncle could run his business if he shared a hefty percentage of his profits. Of course Uncle agreed, then kept half of the money a secret. Or tried to, it’s hard to keep anything away from Kusumi, though, he even had eyes among some of our girls.”
“When he found out Uncle was making more money than he was admitting to, he decided to destroy everything out of spite, even though he could have just absorbed the brothel and used it himself. He somehow managed to fill the brothel up with his people that night and then, when everyone was asleep, they attacked.” Here she hummed and tapped her chin, adopting an informative tone, “I guess I should describe the brothel a bit more.”
“It was once a five story hotel, about a dozen rooms on each floor. Now, the reason Uncle got away with this is because he advertised it as a love hotel and he gave hearty discounts to any interested officials. It was really popular, too. He managed to fill almost every room with a working girl and some guys would even rent out rooms for months at a time. Usually until they went bankrupt.” Now her tone changed to a dangerous growl. “Somehow, Kusumi managed to get a man into every single room one the first through fourth floors. Four dozen men.”
Reina let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, “So, how did you survive from then until you got into trouble the first time?”
“Well, Aunt Emi taught me some valuable skills while we were all together. See, at first, Uncle Ryo really hated me, he didn’t like kids and he definitely didn’t want to be saddled with his older brother’s brat, but Auntie had always been kind to be as a child and she was the one that convinced Uncle to take me in. When I asked her how she did it, she told me something I’ve never forgotten, ‘Men are easy to manipulate. All you have to do is find out what they like and use it against them.’ Then she taught me how.”
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’Some men like meek women, others like dizty girls. Some like party animals, and some like to be dominated. Finding out who likes what is easy, once you recognize the personality types.’Emi’s words echoed in her head as Sayumi watched the man at the end of the coffee bar. She noticed his slouch, the way his hair shined with thick gel, his numerous rings and necklaces and that predatory look in his eyes. This man thought highly of himself, but he was deluded; he was perfect for her first test.
’Now, his stance and attire is the first thing to notice. How much confidence does he have in himself? That will determine how to approach him.’She made her way to his end of the bar and sat with one seat between them, crossing her legs demurely as she ordered a hot tea and took out her phone to pretend to type on. This kind of man would either make the first move or leave an opening for her to. As he eyed her up and down, Sayu realized quickly that it would be the first option.
He put on a suave smile and cleared his throat, “Hello there, I don’t think I’ve seen you around this shop before and I know I’d remember such a pretty face.”
The bunny giggled, meeting his eyes with a carefully calculated slightly embarrassed, yet pleased smile, watching his eyes darken a bit as he thought he had her right where he wanted her. ‘Bingo.’ she thought, beginning to reel him in.
’After the first words are spoken, the rest in child’s play. If you say the right thing or smile at the right moment, you can get a man to do anything you want. Anything as simple as buying your meal to buying your car.’“My name?” Sayumi repeated the inquiry, faltering for a split second as her natural inclination to introduce herself normally rose within her.
’Above all else, though, never ever tell him your real information.’Remembering those words, that serious warning from her otherwise easygoing aunt, jolted her back into her character.
’You are merely playing a part. Make sure you have your story straight before you lay down your cards.’ Smiling brilliantly, Sayu answered with a false name, the lies only becoming easier from there.
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“She told me that every time you do something like that, you need to be prepared to live the part, not just act it. That’s how I ended up with my closet that way it is, it’s why at my peak I had thirty different cell phones and ten different apartments. I’ve been every profession under the sun, from librarian to physicist and I understand at least the basics of each one.” She wasn’t bragging, Reina realized, Sayumi was simply stating facts. “In a way, jail was a blessing, it had been so long since I had been myself, I almost forgot who I was.”
“So, how did you get into credit card fraud and such? Doesn’t seem like your cup of tea.” The kitten inquired curiously.
“Well, one day I got too cocky and my mark bit back. He saw right through me at the end and I had no choice but to abandon my plans and run away. Somehow, he kept finding me, though, he stalked me for months until he finally caught up to me. I think he was going to kill me, probably, but I got luck enough to be caught in the open where a concerned citizen came to my aid with the cops. My mark was sent to jail and I was knocked down a peg.” Sayu shrugged like it was no big deal.
“After that, I decided to take it easy, but I had to make a living somehow. I knew a few hackers who taught me how to steal personal information without even having to be computer savvy, though they did hook me up with a few card readers and micro cameras to get pin numbers and the like. It was pretty fun to go on shopping sprees or take out loans and credit cards in other peoples names. Usually I just used it to pay my bills and stock my fridge, but sometimes, when I was bored, I would just ruin someone’s credit.” The con said this nonchalantly, no remorse in her voice. Before Reina could think of anything to say to scold, her, though, Sayu continued.
“I would find a few cheating husbands and make them pay for their misdeeds, or abusive parents and separate them from their kids. Amazing how easy it is to tip a custody battle one way or another when one party is up to their ears in debt. I’ve broken up marriages and households like some kind of vengeful lover or something.” The cop had to shake her head at her lover’s brand of justice.
Over the course of their talk, they had moved closer so that now they cuddled on the couch, Sayu tucked in the corner with Reina on top of her. It was a surprisingly tender scene that neither would normally be caught dead partaking in in public. Luckily, the only person who saw them that way was an eavesdropping Risa, who had come to the corner in search of the conspicuously absent couple.
She stayed out of sight as Sayu explained her childhood, listening sympathetically to her hardships. No wonder she was the way she was, no one could have come out of that unscathed. “I’ve never told anyone this.” She heard Sayu confess quietly, “I’ve never trusted anyone with this.” When she peeked at them again, she noticed they had locked lips, their kiss steadily growing deeper.
Taking this as her cue to interrupt, Risa cleared her throat and made herself known, “Sorry to break up the love fest, guys, but we’re having a bit of trouble finding some suitable clothes for all of us.” The two quickly untangled themselves from each other and stood, heading towards Risa with matching red cheeks. The gunner couldn’t help but grin at them teasingly, earning some grumbling threats from Reina in the process.
About an hour later, Sayu was examining the other girls critically, taking in their new outfits with a practiced gaze. “It look like what he usually brings in, girls with no money, girls who’ve been roughed up, girls who’ve been kidnapped outright. All a little dirty from the ride over.”
“He transports them over in cars,” Koharu piped up, “That’s his cover business, so when he imports cars, he hides the girls inside them. We need to be there to intercept his next shipment and take their places. I’ve already got most of the men in my pocket, but there’s still going to be a fight. Nothing I think you guys can’t handle, though.”
“We’ll take care of it. Do you know the lay of the land and the work detail?” Risa responded as Sayu held a different shirt up to her torso, apparently unsatisfied with the current one.
“Yes, the shipments are received at the docks, our docks are number 9, the very last one on the right. There are usually about 70 workers total, 35 of my father’s men, 30 regular dock workers and five customs officers. All except for 15 of my father’s men are now in my pocket.” Koharu obediently recited off the information.
Risa nodded, pleased, “Good, we’ll do a quick scouting of the area before we head in, but I don’t foresee any problems, as long as no one was tipped off. Of course, we always have to plan for that eventuality.”
“Well, I’m ready to get this done.” Reina huffed, “That slimy bastard is going down for what he did to my men.”
Risa noticed Sayu go uncharacteristically stiff, hands beginning to tremble with, what the gunner quickly realized was, fury. She reached out to touch the younger girl’s shoulder, “Soon.” she promised when their eyes met. Sayumi gave her a dangerous grin.
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Risa surveyed the dock from her high perch through her scope; the girls were all gathered at the top of a shipping crane some kilometers away from their target. On her left was Sayu, eyes glued to a pair of binoculars and on her right was Ai, chatting quietly with Lin Lin about her place in the upcoming battle.
The gunner was trying to keep focused on their mission, but she couldn’t help but lament how things were turning out for the girls themselves. It hadn’t been all that long ago that the majority of them were all no-lethal criminals, and now even the sweet hacker was totally comfortable handling a pistol and shooting people. There really was no turning back for them…
Shaking out of her depressing thoughts, Risa forced herself to think about assault and escape strategies that were provided by the dock’s landscape. It was filled with a maze of shipping containers, forklifts and people flitting back and forth unloading cargo and such. The cars weren’t the only thing being offloaded here, many crates were brought out from the hold and large metal containers were being lifted off deck. The cars were some of the last things driven off and they were all lined up neatly for an ‘inspection’.
Before she could process any more about the scene, though, a gasp from her left turned her attention to Sayu, “What is it?” The gunner questioned, seeing the con’s pale bloodless complexion.
“That girl down there in the suit? That’s my sister…”
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Topic: Black and Blue (Ch 34 6/4 The End!) (Read 154108 times)