Yu and Chie walked inside the local pub. It was an antique, spacious, saloon type pub. There was a den with a fireplace at the western side, with animal heads and trophies mounted at the wall. On the eastern side, was a dartboard and a pool table, with pictures of the regulars there. There was a photo of Chie, Yosuke, Kanji, Lee and Quan smiling while holding pool sticks. Another was the Chie, Leah, Quan and Lee toasting sake, with Dojima winking at the background with Nanako.

On the northern part, was a bar, with several hundred types of liquors, wines, whiskey, rye and vodka. Unmistakably, they were from the Konishi Liquors. And finally, mounted on the mantle in an elaborate piece was an antique Tanegashima Rifle, with two Katanas crossed underneath, and a solid suit of Samurai Armor on the display window.

"That looks valuable. Tamegashima." Yu noted as they took their seats. "Its probably just a deactivated piece."

"Nope. Naoki-kun said its active." Chie said, taking off her jacket and setting it on the chair.

"Naoki-kun?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot..." Chie winced, "This is Naoki's bar, the Drunken Samurai."

"I see." Yu said as he looked around.

"What will you be having?" Chie asked.

"I'll just have a Cranberry Juice. Don't forget to add an umbrella." Yu said.

Chie raised an eyebrow, "What do you think this is, a Spring Harvest? This is a goddamned bar. Order a real drink!"

"Um, okay, I'll have a pint of Lager." Yu said nervously as Chie smiled and walked toward the counter.

Yu was fiddling with his phone, when a dark-haired vixen of a woman took a seat. Her eyes were mismatched and she was pale as the moon.

"Yu-kun." She said solemnly, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Marie-chan!" Yu said in surprise, "Your hair... looks fantastic!" He noted her hair, which looked exciting.

"Mmm. Not the only exciting thing tonight." She winked, "Imagine my surprise when my teenage crush comes back to town... And I couldn't come meet him."

"Ehehe..." Yu laughed nervously, "Well, you see-"

"No, its fine. I was too busy at the station, I apologize." She said, "But really, I'm here on official business."

"Er... Official business?" Yu said quizzically.

"Official what-now?" Chie said, as she returned from the counter holding two pints, "Hey Mariko-chan!""

"Oh, Chie-san, greetings." Marie said, "And its just Marie."

"Sorry I didn't see you. Should I order you something?" Chie asked.

"I'm on official business." She said strictly, "But a Bloody Mary would be terrific." She winked.

Suddenly, Aika Nakamura arrived out of nowhere, holding a small notebook, "One Blood Mary?"

"Yikes! Where did she come from...?!" Yu cried.

"Yes, please." Marie said.

"Aika? You work here as well?!" Yu cried. Aika gave a curt nod and left. She reappared a moment later and handed Marie her drink.

"Many thanks," Marie said and took a sip.

"So, what's this 'official business' deal?" Yu questioned.

"Hmhm, with regards to two police officers busting a smuggling truck." Marie said, "I'd like to get some insider information. Channel 7 News."

"We'e not at a liberty to share police secrets1" Yu began.

"Okay, here's how it went-" Chie said, ignoring Yu, as she embarked on a long, detailed retelling about their arrest.

"I think that's all I need, for now." Marie said as she stood up, "Thank you for sharing your time. I can see it now... Yu Narukami, the Sheriff of Inaba and his partner, Chie Satonaka, the Enforcer of Inaba."

"Hey, don't forget to add the part where I blew up two tires with one bullet."

"Come on, Chie, that's just impossible." Yu sighed.

"I'll make sure to add all the details, and-" Marie began, but was interrupted.

"What is this?!" A shriek from the door made the three look back, "Mariko-chan... What are you trying to do?!" The redhead demanded. It was Rise, surrounded by her PA's and entourage.

"I'm just interviewing the officers responsible for arresting a group of smugglers-"

"A likely story." Rise scoffed, "I know you're here just to steal Yu-kun from me."

Marie fumed, "You really think that?"

"I know it." Rise cried.

"Tch, whatever Rise. I got better things to do than to appeal to a spoiled starlet-"

"Didn't you audition a movie?" Inoue-san, Rise's Manager, asked suddenly, "We still didn't get your reply, Mariko-chan. You would be perfect for the role we offered."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Marie said, "I'm not much of an actress."

"Oh, you can learn! Its easier to teach a beautiful girl to act than to find someone who can." Inoue insisted.

"I can tell." Marie sniffed, looking at Rise, "But I'm going to have to decline, for now."

"But-"

"No, Inoue-san. I think we just dodged a bullet. I mean, what does that journalist know about acting?" Rise whispered, but Marie read her lips.

"You want a war, Kujikawa? You know, you seem to be legitimately pissed at me. You got something to say?"

"Hmph. We'll see." Rise said, "Let the war begin!"

"Ohoho, you want a war? Well, tough news baby- You're already in one!" Marie said, and turned towards Yu and Chie, "I'm leaving now. Goodbye."

After saying goodbye, Marie left, and Rise and her entourage begged for a retelling. Yu initially spoke, but Chie's story began to alter slightly as they went on.

At first, she gave what seemed to be the real story. It matched Yu's account, which was them getting ice cream, chatting with the Detectives, catching the smugglers and pursuing them. Then, as the onlookers increased, she was now telling a thrilling gun chase, interspersed with gunfighting, and RPGs, and included Chie singlehandedly shooting the tires of the truck, and jumping onboard while they were moving a hundred miles per hour. She then went on about smashing the windows open, jumping in the cab and beating the driver and passengers, which were quadrupled their original numbers, into submission before combat rolling out of the truck and walking away as the truck exploded.

"I've always been more of a "Kick first, ask questions while kicking" type of gal." Chie reiterated several times.

"Weren't there, like, sixteen guys on board?" One onlooker asked, "Didn't they shoot you?"

"Oh, yes, lots. They were shooting AK's, but I dodged 'em!" Chie insisted.

Yu shook his head, but Chie kept on going, so he stood up and went to the bar to grab a drink.

"More lager, Narukami-san?" A tired, world-weary voice asked. The barkeep was lean, pale and had curly light-brown hair.

"Naoki-kun? You work here?" Yu said in surprise.

"Yeah, kinda." Naoki sighed, "I own this place. What's your poison?"

"Just a refill, please." Yu said. Naoki nodded and took his glass.

Then, out of nowhere, a woman accidentally tripped and spilled her daiquiri and hot clamfish chowder all over Yu.

"Ack! MOTHER OF YOSUKE!" Yu howled in pain and jumped, "ARGH! HOT!"

"Oh my!" The lady squeaked, "Um...! I'm so sorry! 100% my fault!"

"Just... get... me...a... towel!" Yu winced in pain.

She grabbed a napkin from her purse and wiped off the scalding hot chowder off Yu's pants. She looked at him. Yu was so stunned, he forgot about the 2nd degree burn on his groin.

She was a beauty, for starters. Her raven black hair shone in the dark light. Her skin was creamy white, like the color of milk. Her eyes were pale blue, a bit grayish, even. All these pointed out she was highborn and had noble blood.

"You're Dojima-san's nephew!" She said immediately, "Sergeant Narukami!"

Yu was stunned for a moment, mainly since he never met her before, "Yes, I am." And he was still tongue tied, "A-And you are-"

"Oh, forgive me!" She cried, "I'm Nagi Takeda. I'm Shen Takeda's Daughter."

"Who?" Yu said weakly.

"Um... Y'know... Lord Shen."

"Lord Shen!?" Yu cried in surprise.

"I see my father's reputation precedes him." She said dryly, "Regardless, I'm glad to meet you-"

Then, Nathan Azai swings by and puts his arm around Nagi, which made her uncomfortable.

"Darling, there you are! You mustn't flit away from the bar so quickly!" Nathan said chidingly.

"Well, if you didn't stopped to jaw around with people and offering them discounts at Aprils, I could perhaps say the same for you," Nagi replied annoyedly.

Nathan smiled at her, then looks at Yu, "Ah, Sergeant Narukami. It seems you're acquainted with my girlfriend." Nathan said with a cocky smile as Nagi rolled her eyes, "Again, I'm so sorry for the incident today. Rest assured, I will do my all to regain your trust. Nagi, go back to our table, I think I see another potential partner-" Nathan said as he scrambles away. Nagi shook her head, and waved at Yu before leaving.

Naoki returned and was surprised, "Here's your drink- Merciful Christ, Yu-san, what happened to your pants?"

"Don't worry. I can still work with this." Yu insisted.

"To hell with work," Naoki said, and hands him a drink, "Tonight, its a party. And it seems Nagi Takeda took an interest in you-"

"She spilled a daiquiri and a bowl of clamfish chowder all over my johnson-"

"It could be your chance to save her from a life of boredom." Naoki said, jutting his chin at Nathan, "So, relax. Have a drink."

"Yeah, but not too much, or I might get drunk. So no drinking binge tonight."

"What, no drinking binge? Then I'm out of here." Lee said.

"Now the party's started!" Naoki said with a slight smile, "Anyway, what's wrong with Nagi?"

"Lord Shen's her dad." Yu said mindlessly.

Everyone in the immediate vicinity turned around to glare at Yu.

"Shhhhh! Not so loud!" Naoki hissed.

"What's going on here?" Lee said as Quan looked around nervously, "Yu? Are ya crazy? Why are you saying Lord Shen's name willy nilly?! I know you Fucking New Guys are careless, but I didn't know you're morons to boot."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yu said, "Its just a name. You know, you fear a name so much, you'd increase the fear of the thing itself."

"Yeah, but that name you actually have you thrown at the bottom of the Samegawa with a millstone on your neck..."

Quan seemed impressed, "You know, he's got a point. I met Lord Shen once at the Chinese festival. He's half-Chinese, after all. Real stand-up, nice guy. Very polite."

"Fool, that doesn't matter if he's a bloodthirsty kingpin!" Lee cried, "He may look like an old man, but that guy's a maniac! Besides, I'm not talking about that old man. I'm talking about HIM." Lee said, eyeballing a tall, handsome, heavily tattooed Caucasian man with cropped brown hair. He seemed stoic and well toned. His eyes steely grey, were hard and cold. The eyes of a killer. The man was quietly drinking a pint of beer as he waited his turn at the pool table.

"Who is he?" Yu asked.

"Oh, him? Yeah, I know him. That's Meisner, Shen's strongman, the Enforcer of Shen's Yakuza." Naoki said with fear as he sets out drinks for the three.

"Enforcer?" Yu cried, "Let's arrest that guy! He could tell us what we know about Shen!"

"Don't be stupid." Quan said mirthlessly, "There's a reason why the force hasn't caught him yet. That guy is a freaking madman. You know Takeshi, Chie's old classmate?"

"The informant guy? Yeah, I remember that snitch." Yu said, "He ratted Chie out to a bunch of thugs when we were still in high school."

"Yeah. Let's just say that after Meisner paid him a visit, he had to rebuild his house, fix his dental work and had intestinal problems." Naoki murmured.

"Intestinal problems?" Yu said with a raised eyebrow.

Lee chuckled, "Let's just say his IN-testines became his OUT-testines."

"And he survived?!" Yu cried incredulously.

"You really have no experience with highly organized crime?" Quan said in wonder.

"In a sense, yeah. I've been involved in gang shootouts, car chases, drug raids, inter-city rioting, assassinations and counter-terrorism but I've been kept to public disturbances, arresting drunks and molestors and helping out lost children find their mothers." Yu said.

"Well, let me give you a lowdown..." Lee said, after looking around. Naoki cranes his neck at them discreetly while Lee begins, "In Organized crime, they have a code: Don't hurt women, don't steal from anyone, do not kill, associate or injure the honorable such as police officers and noblemen unless necessary, and their golden rule: never snitch."

"Well, yes, that's the rule of the street. Never inform." Yu said, "It doesn't matter who you are. You snitch, you're already dead."

"Exactly. Retaliation is fair game to them." Quan said.

"But he failed, didn't he? That's why Takeshi's still alive right now." Naoki interjected suddenly.

Lee chuckled, "You don't get it, do you? He didn't fail to kill Takeshi. He left him as a warning."

"Warning?" Yu said quizzically.

"You guys know what hara-kiri is? Seppuku?" Lee inquired.

"Well, yeah, of course. My great-uncle Harunobu committed Seppuku when his battalion was overrun at Guadalcanal." Naoki said.

Yu pursed his lips, "My dad's grandfather committed Seppuku as well when he was shot at Okinawa."

"My great-grandfather was a kamikaze pilot back in World War 2, does that count?" Quan asked.

"Close enough. Anyway, you guys already know what they do it for. To restore lost honor. But there is nothing more dishonorable than a FAILED Seppuku attempt. Shit, to them, if you can't even kill yourself properly, you might as well be a street dog for all they care. And that long, jagged scar across Takeshi's waist? That's a warning for him and the other informants. That's why we couldn't arrest Shen. Everyone's too scared to tell us what we want."

"Damn." Yu sighed, thinking about the pain Takeshi went through.

"So, will you make a move on Nagi, or not?" Lee asked, "Cause if you're chicken-shit, I'll do it for you."

"No need." Yu said, taking a long drink, "I'll try," he said and walks over to her. Nagi, who was chatting with a friend, looked up in surprise.

"Yes?" Nagi asked sweetly.

"Uh... Um... I'm not sure if you-"

Nagi chuckled, "Come sit with me. I do owe you for spilling hot clam chowder all over you."

"Okay!" Yu said quickly. Yu glances at the European man. Meisner then looks directly into Yu's eyes, his ardent gaze piercing through Yu's soul.

Meisner scoffed at the Policeman who was talking to Nagi. There was one cop telling a tall tale about how she stopped Lord Shen's delivery. Meisner sighed as he felt the need to slap some sense into her. Another was two detectives who has raided their warehouse a month ago. And another one was talking to Nagi. The same cop who was partners with the Loudmouth cop. It must be cop night, he thought. Shaking his head, he turns around and plays billiards.

"Who's the guy talking to Lady Nagi, Meisner-san?" A gang member asked.

"Beats the living shit out of me." Meisner mumbled, not quite accustomed to his Japanese name, even if he spend nearly his entire life being called that name, "He's just some sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot by me."

"Whoa there." Another gangmember laughs, "You're pretty funny. Why don't you joke around often?"

"Because I talk talk much." Meisner raised his hand, revealing his little finger's tip to be cut off, "You're making that same mistake today."

The gangsters looked terrified as Meisner stoically continued to play, not minding that Yu was talking to his ward. Biding his time, he hoped Yu would transgress by touching Nagi. If he did... God help him. The steel of Meisner's wakizashi and his tanto knife was screaming for blood.

"So, what do you need, Narukami-san? Did you come here specifically to flirt with me?" Nagi said teasingly.

"That depends." Yu said, carefully eyed at Meisner, who sporadically looked back at him, "Er... Nagi-san, is that guy your boyfriend?"

Nagi looked and laughed, "Who, Meisner? Hahaha, no. He's my bodyguard."

"He looks like a one-man army." Yu said nervously, noting Meisner's dragon sleeve-tattoo on his left arm, signifying his role as a guardian, and a tattoo of a phoenix on his right triceps, signifying rebirth, and from his biceps going down is a tattoo of a wicked Oni wielding a bloodied steel club, signifying extreme violence.

"Meisner?" Nagi giggled, "He's a real sweetheart if you get to know him..."

"If I live long enough to."

"Oh, come now, Yu." Nagi laughed, "I get that a lot. Meisner's really protective of me. After all, he grew up in my household. He once considered on killing one of my boyfriends before, but I threatened never to talk to him if he did it."

"D-Did he? Seriously?"

"Of course not!" Nagi cried and giggled, "I'm the only one allowed to bully him. He's my emotional punching bag sometimes."

"Oh, uh, hehe." Yu laughed nervously, then suddenly blurting out, "So, um... Can I ask... About your Dad..."

"My Dad? Lord Shen?" Nagi said innocently, "Well, as far as I know, my father's been raising me since I was young. My mother died long ago, when she was gunned down by my father's rivals."

Yu took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for your loss."

She smiled kindly, "Think nothing of it. It was a long time ago. Now, my father's zaibatsu has grown exponentially, thanks to the peace."

"Is it true that your dad-"

Suddenly, a firm hand grasped Yu's shoulder. It was Meisner. His big hands covered Yu's entire shoulder, inhibiting the blood flow to his arm. He went closer to Yu's ears, "Word of advice... Don't go there." He then looks sharply at Nagi, "Come along, Nagi-sama. We leave."

Nagi sighs and stands up, "Give me a call."

Yu nods. Nagi and her entourage exits the building.

Lee, Chie, Quan and Naoki rushed to their side, "What... Happened?"

"It looked like he was about to tear your head off with his bare hands."

"She, uh, needed to go home." Yu said, massaging his arm.

"We need to go now. Its getting late." Lee said, "And we got things to do tomorrow. Leggo."

"Alright. So, as I was saying, I jumped up the cab, and nearly 30 of them were shooting-" Chie began.

"Wahahaha! That story gets more ridiculous every time you say it, Chie!" Lee guffawed.

"Hey, its true!" Chie cried, "Tell him, Narukami, you were there!"

Yu smiled. Tonight was good.