2:30 am and the city streets of Tokyo are dark, Hara walks alone; he has his head down and is listening to music. He wears a normal black hoodie, jeans and a pair of black Chuck Taylor’s. He ducks in and out of the darkness of the alley. The shadows are his friend; he seems to disappear and reappear simultaneously; occasionally, looking up to write notes in his book. As he walks along, a light rain begins to fall. It was a welcoming site as the dreaded Tokyo heat rose most of the day.
From the corner of his eye, he spots a flashing neon sign and walks towards the building. He finds an empty table and sits down; an older lady walks over with a pen and notepad in hand. She speaks softly to him, writing down everything he says. Within moments, the woman returns with a bowl of noodles and a coke.
While eating, he pulls out his phone, flips it open, hitting a couple of buttons and sets it down on the edge of the table. A few tables over sit two large men talking amongst themselves as they eat. He keeps his eyes down, eating slowly as the two men continue to talk. Roughly thirty minutes later, both men get up and leave. Hara grabs the phone and hits a button, listening to the conversation he had just recorded. Smiling, he gets up, dropping a yen on the table and leaves the restaurant smiling.
As he walks, he starts typing a text message. “Hey Sunshine, that amplifier ap you added to my phone works great. I am sending you a file of a little talk two of the Asian Pro Wrestlers had. See if you can clean it up a bit. Maybe make it louder? Thanks.
The rain continues to fall as Hara takes to the dark alley once again. There, he sees three men leaning against a dirty brick wall; they turn and face him as he tries to walk by. The three men begin to position themselves around Hara, as the younger of them begins to step up. He is maybe in his late twenties, wearing a black T-shirt, leather jacket and a pair of dusty old blue jeans. He has a long scar down his right cheek and facial features of a beat-up old dog. “Where do you think you are going, little man?” Hara cracks a smile as he looks to the man. “Oh me? I am just running to the store. See, your mom asked me to grab some more condoms and ice cream, but she did not give me enough money. Can you spot me twenty?” Anger flashes on the man’s face as he goes to pull out a knife, pointing it in Hara’s face, who is standing there smiling at the man. “You know a wise man once told me, knives are a good tool. They have a lot of uses, but one major drawback.” Hara reaches behind his back, pulling out a retractable baton, hitting the man across the face. “You have to be really close for the knife to work.” The man stumbles and falls to the ground; Hara then spins and connects to the side of the next man’s head, who stands behind his fallen friend, also knocking him out cold.
Out from the side, Hara is caught with a straight right hook to the eye. He spins and catches the last guy with three big hits; one to his forearm, breaking it, the next his is to the man’s shin and as the man goes down, he connects to the side of his head. Hara looks down at the guy. “I know a little blonde girl back in Texas that hits three times harder than you, you big puss.” Hara feels a sharp pain in his lower back, he spins, seeing the first guy standing with a sadistic grin upon his face. Hara looks down to the side and notices blood dripping off the blade in which the guy is holding. He swings the baton straight into the right temple of the man, dropping him like a rock. “That hurt, you little bitch.” He looks down at all three men laying on the ground. “Spoils of War.” He now bends and checks the pockets of the three fallen men, taking their money. He pulls out his phone from his back pocket, snapping pictures of each man’s IDs as he slings their empty wallets to the ground. He sees that there is blood on his hand, and he sighs. “At least there is not that much blood.” As he walks away, he kicks the guy with the knife directly in the ribs. “You put a hole in my hoodie. I like this hoodie. Mrs. Hurst gave me this hoodie.” He kicks him again as he walks down the alleyway.
Quickly, he turns back, snapping a picture of all the fallen men, He sends a text message as he walks. “Hey, you, it is me again. I am sending you some pics. Can you get some info on them please? and thank you. Also do you have a first aid kit?”
The club was ecstatic, the legendary Shinjuku bar at Golden Gai provided some of the best nightlife there is, at 3am. The Golden Gai bar was jam-packed down a narrow alley. Most of the themed Tokyo establishments are small, only accommodating a handful of patrons at one time. Kami sits alone on a stool at the back end of the bar. Loud Rock music plays as she finds herself content with her surroundings. The sign hovering over the mirror behind the counter flashes neon Japanese symbols which translate to “Deathmatch in Hell” in the English language. Deathmatch in Hell is a Tokyo rock bar in Golden Gai; one of the best places for tourists to visit, but it was home for Kami.
Sitting with her back to the crowd wearing a short, shoulder-less black dress with a gray bow in the middle of the back, she sips on a greenish Japanese cocktail. Her hair is pulled up and into her traditional pig tail design and her lips are of a ruby red color; Sitting quietly, she catches the eye of the young man behind the counter. “Another Ginger Highball, Princess Nakada?” The man stands close by as he wipes the counter with a woven rag.
With a nod, she slides her glass down the counter. While the music continues to play and the neon lights strobe vastly, an older man is seen walking up to the bar. He is dressed in a light gray business suit and black boots, a little overdressed for the scene. He begins to take a seat on the empty stool beside Kami, eyeing her like a precious gem. The man behind the counter steps over, placing a fresh drink in front of her, bowing his head, backing away slowly. The man sitting next to her smiles yet shakes his head. “The Emperess would not approve of this behavior, Princess.”
She turns her head to the right, eyeing the man from head to toe; with a disgusted look upon her face, she holds the glass to her mouth, inserting the straw into her lips and takes a drink. “And I am to presume that it is why you are here, and she is not.?” She slides the stool back, standing to her feet, back against the bar, drink in hand. She feels a vibration coming from under her dress, she begins to slide her hand slowly up her outer thigh, lifting her skirt and releasing her phone from the black leather holster strapped securely around her leg. She takes notice of the images from Hara’s text, one man in particular, stood out from the rest. She continued to read the rest of the message, saving the audio file to a folder on her phone. She sighs, opening her location ap, sending a ping to Hara’s phone. Taking another sip, the man next to her, now stands along side of her. “The Emperess has requested your presence at the Imperial Palace, Princess.”
Kami stands, ignoring the man, while looking towards the front entrance, she gazes down upon her phone smiling. Loud screams drown out the sound of music as the front door swings open with Hara stumbling inside. He is joined inside by the man who guards the front door. The crowded room divides to the side as he wobbles throughout the club. Kami, with a wave of her hand, orders another drink. Hara takes notice of Kami as he tries to make his way over to her. The man standing to the side, reaches for Kami’s arm desperately seeking her attention. “I must insist you come with me, Princess. This is not a debatable request.” Hara takes notice of the man’s hand on Kami’s arm. He turns his attention to her, as she seems unbothered, yet stares directly down at his hand. “Hey, I think you need to take your hands off my friend.” Hara steps up to the man, with his back turned to Kami. She notices his stance, he was leaning a bit forward, stretching the muscles of his back. The man begins to laugh, as Hara struggles to be firm with his message. Kami looks down, noticing small droplets of blood dripping down from the bottom of his hoodie. She snatches her arm away from the man, grabs Hara by his arm, spinning him in her direction. “Who did this to you?” She reaches for his blood-stained hand, holding it up to his face. “Ha! One of the three men laying in the alley outside. It is ok, I am o…” Hara’s knees buckle as Kami reaches out to grab his fallen body. She looks to the man standing beside her. “Don’t just stand there, grab him, let’s take him to the back.” The two manage to walk Hara to the small room in the back of the club. It is a tiny room with a small desk, one chair and a dimly lit light that hangs from a rope on the ceiling. The man sits Hara in the chair, with the front of his body resting against the back of the seat. Kami steps in behind him, lifting his hoodie up and over his neck.
“It is not a big wound, but it is a deep one. Get me a bottle of 90 proof, and some towels. He’s lost quite a bit of blood.” The man looks to Kami. “The Emperess..? Princess.” Kami looks up from Hara’s body and into the man’s eyes. “You can tell my grandmother later that I have nothing to say to her. She forced me to renounce my status of the Imperial House. I am no longer a princess, and I will only answer the emperor. Now go get me that bottle!” Hara fades in and out but manages to stay awake. He mumbles as the word “Princess?” escapes his lips. Kami looks around the small room, looking for anything to use to stop the bleeding. She opens a drawer on the desk and sees a small sewing needle. She sighs, holding it in her fingers. “This will have to do.” She takes a strand of her hair and begins to thread the needle. The man walks back in with the bottle and hands it over to Kami. She opens the bottle, takes a huge drink and pours the liquid down Hara’s lower back. He wails out a monstrous yell.
“Calm down, Toad. I am only helping you.” She hands the man back the bottle and motions for him to give Hara a drink, which he refuses. “Can you sit still? Wrap your arms around the back of the chair, squeeze tightly, this will hurt.” Hara wraps his arms around the chair, pushing his chest hard against the back. Kami blows the alcohol on his back dry, before sticking him with the needle. Hara yells out once more, jerking in the process.
“This will not work like this. I have an idea, but you are not going to like it.” She leans back up, walking to the front of Hara’s body. She rips a huge strand off her dress and looks him in the eye. “Do you trust me?” He looks up confused. She lightly slaps his face on both sides. “Hara, do you trust me?” He finally nods. Kami shows him the strand of fabric from her dress. And begins to tie his wrists to the bars of the chair. “I need you to be very still, Toad. This will hurt me more than it will you.” She leans up taking her thumb and two fingers and presses them tightly into the soft spot of his left shoulder. She holds the pressure tightly for about 3 minutes, never loosening her grip. Hara’s head finally falls forward and he is rendered unconscious.
She bends down, cradling his head in her arms. She motions for the man to stitch Hara’s wound. “Why not take him to the hospital, princess?” Kami looks up from Hara’s body. “And what then? Answer questions from the Keisatsu on what happened? No, I know what happened and I will deal with it. This will get us home, and I can fix him up there.”
The man finishes the job, and Hara’s wound was temporarily sealed. Kami unties Hara’s wrists as she remains bent down in front of him. His eyes, still closed, but aware of what was going on. “I am sorry, Hara. I will deal with my brother later.” She runs her fingers up and through his black hair smiling softly as she tries to wake him. The man looks over to Kami as he watches her reaction to Hara. “This is the commoner, you renounced your crown for, Princess?” Kami looks up to the man and sighs. “No, he is not, but he may as well be. Take him to the dojo; I must handle my brother.” Kami helps Hara stand to his feet and helps escort him out of the club and into the limo, outside. Hara looks confused but doesn’t have the strength to move. He rolls down the window, calling out to Kami. “What are you doing?” Kami turns, “Taking care of family business. Go rest, I will be home shortly.” Kami nods. “Don’t get blood on my furniture either.” She smiles as the window rolls up and they drive away.
The dawn was about to break, Kami walks among the allies; several peasants lay in a drunken stupor against a dumpster, minutes away from the club. Stepping over one of the bodies, Kami comes to the door of a rundown building. Standing in front, she opens it, walking inside. “Where is he?” She stood with her arms folded to her chest. She steps closer; both men, beat up and bruised, point to the rear of the building. She walks slowly, determined and without a care in the world. Standing in front of a mirror that hangs above the bathroom sink, the man from earlier is splashing water upon his face, washing off the dried blood from early on. As his face is lowered, Kami reaches for his hair, shoving his face onto the porcelain rim. The man struggles as she lowers his face into the bowl of running water. “You are a disgrace to the Nakada name. Next in line to the crown, and you act like the city scum.” Kami yanks the man’s face from the water, shoving him into the wall in front of him. “You are lucky my friend did not kill you but come after him again and I won’t hesitate to put you down. You want to act like Yakuza, you will die like one.” Kami turns, walking out of the room, the man just stands spitting blood from his mouth, while wiping the water that drips from his face. She stands with her hand on the front door, turning her head once again as the man now stands close by. “Omae wa ore ni shin da.” She turns and walks out of the door.
In the backseat of the car Hara starts to come to his senses. He looks around, trying to get figure out where he was. Looking outside he can tell he is out of the city and driving down a wooded street. He looks at the man driving. Cocking his head sideways and staring at the man driving. Hara thinks to himself. "He looks kind of familiar. Colton always told me that if I find myself in a situation like this, is to get the hell out of there." Hara quietly slides behind the driver. He quickly reaches up and grabs the top of the seatbelt and wraps it around the man neck. Hara starts to bounce his head off the steering wheel. The car goes off the road and into a ditch. Hara jumps out the back door and starts to run into the woods. Running till he has enough distance between he and the car. He pulls out his phone and sends a message to Kami. "In the woods... Someone had me, but I got away.... Meet at the hideout. One hour...Be Safe.."
It was early morning; Kami walks back to her bike and checks her wrist for a message, when she sighs. "That damn Toad." She straddles the seat in her ripped black dress and places her helmet upon her head. The three men come walking up slowly behind her as one reaches for the seat of her motor bike. "doko ka heya iku , oujo?" The three circle her bike as she lifts her helmet. Kami pushes the side of her watch, which pings Hara's phone with a video message. She leans back as all three men and her are in view. "watashi kara anata no te wa hanashi te kudasai yakuza no kuzu." The three men all turn to each other smiling. The one from earlier steps up placing his nose into Kami's face. She smiles evilly and headbutts him, breaking his nose. As the guy jumps back, the other two grab her, pulling her off the motorbike. They take turns swinging and landing every other punch while the other holds Kami by the back of both arms. In struggle, Kami's dress rips more but she manages to make a quick getaway. Her face is cut, one eye is swelling, but she leaves with a smile on her face. She drives down the backroads of the Shikoku Island pulling in slowly to the small hut in the woods. She sits for several moments, spitting blood and holding the right side of her ribs. Sliding off the black helmet, she dismounts the bike, limping to the inside of hut; she is greeted upon entering by Hara.
He helps her to the couch. He moves her hair behind her ear. He looks at her face and kind has a small smirk on his face. "I guess we don't have to train for our match. Seems like the streets will help with that. You know what we have to now? I think it is time to bring the New Breed mentality here. We use those three as messages to others." Hara stands up and walks to the fridge and grabs two bottles of water. He hands one to Kami. "Seems like I can't let you go anywhere without me."
Kami smiles reaching for the bottle. She begins to twist the top, taking a small drink, swishing it around and makes her way to the door, spitting the bloody fluid out on the ground. She takes the remaining water, leaning over and pours it onto her black hair. Shaking her head from side to side, she walks back in taking a seat back down on the couch. "It is you who cannot go anywhere alone. I was simply cleaning up the mess you made." She sits rubbing her side. "Nice handy work by the way. You will fit right in with the wrestling." She reaches out for Hara trying to turn his body around. She uses his hoodie to pull herself up from the couch and lifts the backup, looking carefully at his wound. "My brother did a number on you. Let's get you taken care of properly."
He closes his eyes. "Shit Kami, I did not know he was your brother. If I had known, then I would not have done that." He turns his head to look at her. "If you want to, we can let it slide if you want. I do not want to do anything that will hurt your family. Family is the most important thing we have. I would never hurt a member of your family on purpose." He gives her a quick wink.
Kami stands to her feet; she walks past Hara and into a small room which is hidden by a bookshelf on an opposing wall. She pulls on a book and the shelf opens revealing a tiny shrine-like area. Hara looks on but pretends not to notice. Kami turns holding a picture in her hand. "You see this woman standing by the emperor? This is my grandmother. Mai Ling Nakada. The empress of the Imperial Palace. My brother had her slaughtered like a farm animal to prove he was worthy of Yakuza. He is no family to me." She takes the photo and places it back into the tiny shrine as Hara takes notice of everything inside.
Hara looks at the pictures and small items placed around the makeshift shrine. He takes a step towards the room and then thinks better. He turns and walks back to the couch and sits down. "Hey cuz, do you think there is anyone here that could help us? I know Mr. Hurst wanted us to keep everything hidden for a while, but with your brother and with what you did to those two girls, we might want to get some help on our side. Colton and Cassie can only do some much from Texas."
Kami turns looking oddly to Hara. "Cuz? Did I look like I needed help?" She opens the door to the hideout, "Remember, they sent you here, I did not ask for you. If you need help, go get it. I have been on my own before, I can do it again. Those Yakuza spies only got what was coming to them. My Brother will get his." She stands looking out the door and turns back to Hara, as she slams the door shut. She walks over to her desk and begins to click the keyboard. She stops and turns back to Hara. "Follow me." The two step outside walking down the dirt path for what seems two miles further into the woods. They make their way to a dojo style building. Hara looks around. "Cabin in the woods huh? Tenshi, are you a secret Serial Killer? I am not getting in any pit you have in there." He gives her a wink.
Kami stands still a moment, just before opening the door, she turns. "You want help? Step inside." She walks in, taking her shoes off at the door. She motions her hand to Hara, signaling him to follow. He steps inside, looking around. "Pick your ally but choose wisely." Hara stands gazing wall to wall upon swords, knives, numerous kendo sticks, nun chucks and his personal favorite, a baton. He walks over glaring at each one, he stands quietly in front of a baton. The retractable weapon has a black handle with "Hara" spelled out with the rarest of Emeralds on one side. He looks up to Kami with his eyes wide. "You knew?" Kami smirks. "Of course." She steps away walking into another room as Hara picks up the baton, admiring it. Moments pass as she walks in with a large white gift box. She stands in front of him, presenting him with it as she sighs. "Take it." She places the box in his hand as she turns walking towards the door. "A true warrior is not someone who always wins, but a person who is willing to always fight." She opens the door and begins to walk out.
He looks down at the box. He opens it and just stares. He quickly reached out grabbing Kami by the arm. He spins her around to face him. Thanks Tenshi. It is very nice.
Kami, shaking her head, letting out a smirk. "I thought you may want something flashy to go out to the ring in. Don't let this go to your head, Toad." She begins to step away, walking over to the baton that's perched up on the wall. She takes it down from its hook and walks back to Hara. "Your debut will be successful. Believe in yourself and you will not need to seek help. “She places the baton in Hara's hand. "I am always here."
Hara smiles at her. Before she can leave, he grabs her and hugs her. He can tell it is awkward for her. Her arms are straight down by her side. He tightens the hug a bit and then let’s go.
Kami stood still; the small half curl to the left side of her lip was hidden as she dared not to let Hara take notice. With Hara's release, she takes a step back. "You are welcome." Kami lowers her head and nods to him. A ping comes across her wrist, as a text message from Mr. Hurst came across her watch. She looks up and is somewhat confused. "Just received an odd request from her st shi, he wants me to look up an old wrestling match of his. Might be interesting to watch.”
Hara snaps his head. "What did you just call him? He better not hear that
Kami smiles and shakes her head. "Let's go, we are done here for now." Hara picks up his things as Kami slides on her sandals. The make their way through the woods and to Kami's hide out. She notices something is off. Someone had been through there. Hara walks up behind Kami, as she slings her arm out, stopping him from moving further. "Someone has been through here." She looks up to her camera, it has been painted over. She nudges Hara and points to it. "Toss the box." Hara looks at her confused. "Why, I like the..." From behind, Kami's brother, along with the two other guys from earlier, sneak in with a set of brass knuckles and hit Kami in the back of the head, sending her unconscious to the ground.
Hara grabs the baton that Kami gave him and swings her brother across the face. He jumps standing over Kami and hits the other two in the head. As they drop, Hara yells at them. "You guys don't learn, do you?" Hara keeps hitting them as hard as he can switching from guy to guy. He does not stop till they are no longer moving. He leans down and helps Kami to her feet. She is still out so he picks her up and carries her inside. He drops the baton to the ground and lays Kami on the couch. There is a rattle from the handle of the baton. He picks it up and shakes it. He finds a screw on top and opens it. Inside is a small knife. He takes the knife and returns to the porch. "Do not worry Tenshi, they will not bother us again."
