Fair Kyoto
Chapter One: The Boss
A sickly ray of light filtered through the blinds, landing on the face of a young woman. Lying on the futon, one would assume that she should be asleep, however sleep had refused to claim her. Glassy blue eyes squinted as the unwelcome light temporarily blinded her vision. Kamiya Kaoru struggled out of the heavy blankets and rose to her feet.
Too late for rest now, there's work to be done. Kaoru sighed, stretching out her sourly abused muscles, last night had been unusually rough.
She hobbled out of the bedroom, one hand clutching her lower back. For once Kaoru was glad of her small apartment; it meant she had less to walk to make it to her kitchen. After riffling through her bare cabinets, she managed to locate a box of Kellogg's. Cereal was good, she couldn't mess up cereal.
She was about to indulge in a hearty bowl of milk-drenched wheat, when a load knock reverberated from the door. Kaoru scowled; she was in no mood to entertain guests, and she certainly wasn't moving from her seat, at least that's what her back had informed her. But, the knocking persisted.
"Miss Kamiya?" a faint voice queried.
"What do you want?" Kaoru growled at the door.
"Madame Tokio asks for your presence at 7:50." the voice said apprehensively.
"Fine." She said, lightening the tone in her voice. It would be no good to arrive at her boss' office in a foul mood. She would need all of the patience and courage she could muster after last night's incident.
7:51
Kaoru was let into the spacious office of Hajime Tokio. Everything shined like polished glass; the wooden floor, the big mahogany desk, the walls lined with books, and especially the small spectacles that rested on Madame Tokio's dainty nose. She was a small woman, not so much in height as in width. Her long hair was tied back from her unusually smooth and pretty face. For a woman so fragile and elegant in appearance, she was extremely intimidating.
Before Kaoru could take a step towards the desk that her boss sat behind, Tokio spoke.
"You're late." She said in a voice that was both angry and annoyed.
"I'm sor.." Kaoru started
"I don't care if you're sorry. Next time show up on time." Tokio said sharply, setting down her reading glasses. "I am the leader of the Hajime yakuza, am I not?"
"Hai.." Kaoru said hesitantly, knowing where this led.
"And you are one of my bodyguards, correct?"
"Hai.."
"Then why is it that you delegated not to follow a direct order from your leader?" Tokio asked with growing annoyance and a bit of interest.
Kaoru looked at her feet. This would be bad. Last night Tokio had directed a mission, one that involved stealth, possible violence, and of course some illegal activities. Kaoru had thoroughly botched it.
"Well?" Tokio asked impatiently
"I'm sorry"
Tokio let out an exasperated sigh. Annoyed? Yes. Angry? Not really. She couldn't be mad at Kaoru. The girl had been with her for four years, she was a reliable bodyguard and as close to a friend as Tokio's cold nature would allow. But something had happened last night and she was determined to discover why.
"Last night," Tokio began, "You, twelve men, and myself clandestinely entered a warehouse. The plan was simple; the men dispersed to claim good vantage points for the robbery, and we were to approach the goods and claim what is ours."
"However," Tokio continued, "that is not what happened."
Kaoru remembered quite well. The warehouse had minimal guards, and they went down without trouble. The twelve Hajime men moved out to secure the facilities and Kaoru carefully guarded Tokio as they approached a diamond shipment from Sierra Lione. Then that bumbling police officer had shown up. The presence of another person didn't surprise Kaoru, she had heard his footsteps, but rather his uniform was the upset. She hadn't been expecting the police.
"It was a police warehouse." Kaoru said, trying to keep the insolence from her voice.
"I am well aware of that." Tokio sigh once again, massaging her temples. Kaoru had never encountered the police before on a mission. She had been kept in the dark about the details on last night's target. Did the girl honestly think that all of the other missions had been legal? Tokio asked her with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Well.no.I knew it was unlawful. But, I've never directly tangled with the police before." Kaoru said meekly
"Child, I know your history with the police.." At that Kaoru grimaced, so Tokio decided not to go into detail. "But you allowed that officer to escape, thus foiling the entire operation. As it is, we're lucky that we weren't arrested."
"I'm sorry"
"I know!" Tokio growled. Kaoru flinched.
"I know," she said more gently, "It's okay, just don't do it again. Clear?"
"Hai."
"Good. Now go get some rest."
Kaoru hurried out of Madame Tokio's shining office and into the dingy hallway. She was sincerely relieved that the encounter had ended without eminent danger to her wellbeing.
Chapter One: The Boss
A sickly ray of light filtered through the blinds, landing on the face of a young woman. Lying on the futon, one would assume that she should be asleep, however sleep had refused to claim her. Glassy blue eyes squinted as the unwelcome light temporarily blinded her vision. Kamiya Kaoru struggled out of the heavy blankets and rose to her feet.
Too late for rest now, there's work to be done. Kaoru sighed, stretching out her sourly abused muscles, last night had been unusually rough.
She hobbled out of the bedroom, one hand clutching her lower back. For once Kaoru was glad of her small apartment; it meant she had less to walk to make it to her kitchen. After riffling through her bare cabinets, she managed to locate a box of Kellogg's. Cereal was good, she couldn't mess up cereal.
She was about to indulge in a hearty bowl of milk-drenched wheat, when a load knock reverberated from the door. Kaoru scowled; she was in no mood to entertain guests, and she certainly wasn't moving from her seat, at least that's what her back had informed her. But, the knocking persisted.
"Miss Kamiya?" a faint voice queried.
"What do you want?" Kaoru growled at the door.
"Madame Tokio asks for your presence at 7:50." the voice said apprehensively.
"Fine." She said, lightening the tone in her voice. It would be no good to arrive at her boss' office in a foul mood. She would need all of the patience and courage she could muster after last night's incident.
7:51
Kaoru was let into the spacious office of Hajime Tokio. Everything shined like polished glass; the wooden floor, the big mahogany desk, the walls lined with books, and especially the small spectacles that rested on Madame Tokio's dainty nose. She was a small woman, not so much in height as in width. Her long hair was tied back from her unusually smooth and pretty face. For a woman so fragile and elegant in appearance, she was extremely intimidating.
Before Kaoru could take a step towards the desk that her boss sat behind, Tokio spoke.
"You're late." She said in a voice that was both angry and annoyed.
"I'm sor.." Kaoru started
"I don't care if you're sorry. Next time show up on time." Tokio said sharply, setting down her reading glasses. "I am the leader of the Hajime yakuza, am I not?"
"Hai.." Kaoru said hesitantly, knowing where this led.
"And you are one of my bodyguards, correct?"
"Hai.."
"Then why is it that you delegated not to follow a direct order from your leader?" Tokio asked with growing annoyance and a bit of interest.
Kaoru looked at her feet. This would be bad. Last night Tokio had directed a mission, one that involved stealth, possible violence, and of course some illegal activities. Kaoru had thoroughly botched it.
"Well?" Tokio asked impatiently
"I'm sorry"
Tokio let out an exasperated sigh. Annoyed? Yes. Angry? Not really. She couldn't be mad at Kaoru. The girl had been with her for four years, she was a reliable bodyguard and as close to a friend as Tokio's cold nature would allow. But something had happened last night and she was determined to discover why.
"Last night," Tokio began, "You, twelve men, and myself clandestinely entered a warehouse. The plan was simple; the men dispersed to claim good vantage points for the robbery, and we were to approach the goods and claim what is ours."
"However," Tokio continued, "that is not what happened."
Kaoru remembered quite well. The warehouse had minimal guards, and they went down without trouble. The twelve Hajime men moved out to secure the facilities and Kaoru carefully guarded Tokio as they approached a diamond shipment from Sierra Lione. Then that bumbling police officer had shown up. The presence of another person didn't surprise Kaoru, she had heard his footsteps, but rather his uniform was the upset. She hadn't been expecting the police.
"It was a police warehouse." Kaoru said, trying to keep the insolence from her voice.
"I am well aware of that." Tokio sigh once again, massaging her temples. Kaoru had never encountered the police before on a mission. She had been kept in the dark about the details on last night's target. Did the girl honestly think that all of the other missions had been legal? Tokio asked her with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Well.no.I knew it was unlawful. But, I've never directly tangled with the police before." Kaoru said meekly
"Child, I know your history with the police.." At that Kaoru grimaced, so Tokio decided not to go into detail. "But you allowed that officer to escape, thus foiling the entire operation. As it is, we're lucky that we weren't arrested."
"I'm sorry"
"I know!" Tokio growled. Kaoru flinched.
"I know," she said more gently, "It's okay, just don't do it again. Clear?"
"Hai."
"Good. Now go get some rest."
Kaoru hurried out of Madame Tokio's shining office and into the dingy hallway. She was sincerely relieved that the encounter had ended without eminent danger to her wellbeing.