Chapter 1: Sawada Shin
"Oi, Sawada!"
The dyed redhead looked up from the cardboard box he was taping up, towards the sounds of a familiar voice accompanied by impatient pounding coming from his front door. Getting up, he made the short trek and greeted his recently turned former teacher. "What?"
"I just got a call from the school telling me you denied your admission from your university." She paused and looked around, noticing the half packed boxes and the items of furniture and clothes strewn across the floor, "What's all this?"
"I'm moving," he answered. Shin moved back to let her in, closing the door behind her back after she entered.
"What's going on? And why didn't you discuss this with me?" Yamaguchi demanded, eyeing her former pupil with some irritation.
"There wasn't much to say," he said with a shrug. "I'm not going to university and I found an employer willing to hire me."
"Doing what?"
"Errands and stuff. Someone I knew gave me an introduction with this well to do businessman. I hear he's pretty old and needs help with his business."
Yamaguchi frowned in displeasure, "You're going to be a lackey when you could be going to one of the top colleges in Japan?"
"It doesn't matter," Shin replied. "I never wanted to go to university anyways. I'll learn a trade or something."
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" she asked.
"Yeah," he glanced at her, "Don't try to talk me out of it."
Resting her arms behind her head she shrugged, "Wasn't planning on it. It's your life and I'm not your teacher anymore. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing or there wasn't some kind of misfiled paperwork."
Shin looked fairly surprised, "That's a pretty easy going attitude coming from you."
"University isn't for everyone," she retorted. "Besides, you're the type of person that will do well in life, whatever you do. I should save my worries for Uchi and the others. Anyways," she pointed at his head, "when were you going to tell your beloved teacher you were moving?"
"I thought you just said you weren't my teacher anymore?" he muttered under his breath while walking back to the box he had been working on. "I haven't told anyone yet," he said, hunting for the duck tape and wondering where he had left it, he looked up when he saw Yamaguchi's proffered hand.
"Here, I'll help you." She unrolled a long strip and began to tape down the edges.
Briefly he looked hard at her bobbing pigtails, opening his mouth to say something before thinking better of it and leaning in to help her.
"Hey, don't accidentally break anything with your ox-like strength," he retorted as they worked in tandem to clear his things into the empty boxes.
Looking up from her pile to glare at him, her frown turned into a wicked grin as she held up a magazine in the air for Shin's viewing pleasure. "Something like this?" she teased.
To his horror, he blushed when he realized she had discovered one of those magazines. "Give that to me," he spluttered, trying to pluck it from her nimble fingers.
"Wahahahahaha, get it if you can," she laughed, easily sidestepping him as he tried to reclaim some dignity. Yamaguchi decided it was fun to see her normally apathetic student squirm with embarrassment and continued her game of cat and mouse. "Too slow!" she hollered after another evaded lunge.
After many more tries and misses, all to the triumphant cackling of Yamaguchi, Shin plopped down on the floor, leaning his back against the wall and tilted his head up to shoot a baleful look at the woman waving around his dirty magazine like a flag. "You're too lively," he accused her.
"Hah," Yamaguchi stopped prancing to point his magazine at him, evoking a slight wince from Shin every time she shook it at him, "brat, you're five years too slow. Get in shape."
"I am in shape," he muttered, "you've just got some monster stamina."
"What was that?" Yamaguchi asked, "I couldn't hear you against the sound of victory."
She had a very specific way of raising his ire. Determined, he got back up and eyed the small woman.
Standing in front of him with her hands resting on her hips, Yamaguchi smirked. "You ready to play with the big boys?" she asked.
He lunged again in answer, this time missing her by a few inches before landing against the opposite wall. Spinning around, his eyes caught her moving into one of her various fighting stances he had grown accustomed to, over the past year.
"Prepare yourself!" she challenged.
Shin grinned.
"Oi, I thought you were supposed to help me pack," he breathed heavily, lying in a pile of disarrayed clothing on the floor.
"Fool, I'm training you for the future," Yamaguchi answered, a little less winded and resting on her elbows with her legs sprawled out before her.
With much effort, Shin dropped his head to the left side and took in his studio. Several boxes had body indents while any clothes that might have been folded neatly and awaiting their turn in the suitcase were now scattered in every corner of the room. "I'm never letting you help me move again," he concluded.
"It's easy enough to clean." She answered. "I'd help you but," making a point to look at her watch she sat up and bounced up to her feet. "I'm missing The Wife of Yakuza. Those two better be taping it for me," she muttered ominously, cracking her knuckles as she thought of her 'brothers'.
"Only you would be watching that lame TV series," Shin mouthed from the floor, staring up at his ceiling.
Walking towards him, she hovered over his prone body, "Drop me a line sometime, when you're not too busy and take care of yourself." Heading towards the door, she opened it and paused, turning to grin at him. "Beat me someday and then called my tastes lame," she retorted, lopping the magazine in the air and watching it land next to Shin's head.
Shin smiled a little and watched Yamaguchi raise her hand behind her as she walked out of the door.
5 years later in the Osaka prefecture
"I heard she's undefeated. 23 matches in 7 years and no one's been able to take her down," he chuckled. "I'd love to see that little hellcat in action but I heard she beat Yoshi from the Tsubatsu gang last January. And even in my heyday I wasn't no Yoshi."
"That gorilla?"
"Yeah, tell me about it. So far as I know he's the only one who managed to get a few hits on her before she KO'ed him. She's damn strong. I don't see why that little missy doesn't take the boss's position herself."
"She has her reasons."
"Whatever they are, it's going to take a monster of a man to inherit that name."
"Thanks," his companion responded wryly. "Did you set it up?"
"Yeah, but they haven't answered back yet. Probably screening. With the family legacy on the line, they ain't going to take just any request from some low life hoodlums. And with the old man at the hospital now, she ain't got the time to piss around with all the dumb ass punks who think they can become a leader by beating a girl." Reaching in a pocket, he slid a cigarette out of a carton, putting it to his lips and leaning forward to the offered light, "I was surprised when boss told me you wanted a match. Thought you were going to stay here, become the second hand man with the way things were going."
"The boss knew I was going to challenge her, sooner or later."
"He did?" he scratched his head, "So wait, you met her or something? Or you just want to become the head of a family?"
"Something like that."
"Which one… heh, not that it matters so much. I doubt the Kuroda clan will let you fight her. You're a good kid but you're just too damn young and you haven't been in the business long enough. Give it a few years." He took a long drag on his cigarette, tilting his head thoughtfully as he exhaled. "It'd sure be sweet if you could beat her," he eyed the man in front of him, calculating his strength. "Adding the Kuroda clan to our list of friendlies wouldn't hurt none. Although it's going to take a hell of a miracle for you to win."
"Have you met her?"
"Once or twice, recently. She's been representing the Kuroda's lately, I guess since there's no one else to do the job. Her and that fancy lawyer they got over there. I'll tell you one thing though, that lady," his voice was filled with admiration, "I've seen prettier mugs but I ain't never met a woman like her before. There's not much a man couldn't do, with a woman like that beside him."
The redhead smiled. "I feel the same way." Getting up to leave, he patted the man on the back. "Give me a call to tell me the date for the meeting."
"Hey, what makes you so sure they'll take it?" he called after him a little too late.
"Kid's these days," he muttered to himself, flicking his cigarette butt on the ground and grinding it beneath his heel. "Who's going to accept a challenge from a kid like him? Just too damn young I tell yah," he said to the room.
"Shit," he muttered to himself when he heard his cell phone ring, patting down his pockets he searched through his jacket and pulled out his phone, flipping it open. "Yeah?" Listening to the other line for a few seconds, he snapped the phone shut and looked towards where the other man had departed. "I'll be damned…"
"Oi, Minoru."
Minoru looked up from the phone, "Ooshima Chief!"
"Was that Arai's Ryozo you were talking to?"
"Yeah. I set up the date for the challenge like you wanted."
"Good job, Minoru," Ooshima answered.
"Uh, chief?" Minoru ventured, "Why'd you want to accept this match for ojou, anyways? The challenger is six years her junior and I haven't heard that much about him."
"You questioning my judgment?" Ooshima challenged. "You think ojou's not good enough for a young man?"
Minoru started sweating, "I think its time to start dinner." Edging towards the hallway he made his escape.
Chuckling to himself, Ooshima lit his cigarette and let the smoke fill his lungs, breathing it out with satisfaction. "It's about time, Young Red Lion Master."