Post by Mayhem on Jul 17, 2023 19:11:58 GMT -6
Off-Camera
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Patient Treatment Room
Private Clinic
Osaka, Japan
4:12 PM Local Time
Seven days…
A rescue no one inside the building ever thought was really coming. A rescue none of the rescued truly understood, nor did they have any real idea of what had happened or who had done what due to the overwhelming intoxication involved for them. A rescue none of the captors saw coming or were even remotely concerned about.
Now it had been seven days and the two surviving victims that had been brought to this facility overseen by a woman from the Osaka Charter of the Shieldmaidens MC, Yumi "Yokai" Fukudome, were starting to awaken and come out of their respective drug-induced fogs. For Tsuki Kusanagi and Moriko Shimazu, the world was changing. Yokai stands between their beds and nods to herself.
Yokai: (Good, the drugs are leaving your system.)
Moriko looks up and blinks, confusion setting in.
Moriko: (Where am I?)
She looks around, her eyes wide and wild as she starts to momentarily panic.
Moriko: (Where is Tsuki?)
Yokai steps back and waves a hand over the not quite awake form of Tsuki.
Yokai: (We are helping her as well. You are free.)
Moriko frowns.
Moriko: (Free?)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (They are gone. They will never menace you again.)
Moriko: (Is it true?)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (They are all gone. Everyone else who there with you has been taken home. They are all being helped. You are here because you have family connections to us.)
She points to the kutte she wears under a lab coat.
Yokai: (Your fears and problems have abated. You are free and now we help you be able to enjoy that freedom.)
A smile graces the doctor’s face.
Yokai: (You accomplished your goal. You saved her.)
Moriko’s hands cover her eyes as she starts sobbing.
Moriko: (I thought this day would never come. If I dream, let me forever sleep. If I am awake, let this be reality.)
Just then, with the tears still streaming down Moriko’s face, Tsuki awakens. Hearing this, Moriko looks to Yokai.
Moriko (Can I comfort her? She will not understand and will be afraid.) [/font]
Yokai nods and Moiko quickly heads over to Tsuki’s bed, cradling her head lovingly against her own chest as if holding a small infant. When she speaks, her voice is calm and soothing.
Moriko: (It is alright. I am here. We are safe, Little One. The Bad Ones are gone.)
Tsuki’s eyes focus on Moriko and she quickly grabs onto her, clinging on for dear life.
Moriko: (It is alright. We are safe.)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (You have visitors. There are three. Will you see them?)
Moriko looks up in confusion.
Moriko: (Are they family?)
Yokai: (Yes.)
Moriko manages an astonished nod. Yokai makes her way to the door and motions in the three women standing there. Moriko watches as Tsuki’s mother and twin sister walk in along with Moriko’s own sister.
Moriko: (Little One… look, a miracle comes forth to us.)
Tsuki shyly lifts her head to the three women entering the room. A soft gasp escapes her.
Tsuki: (M–m–Mama…?!)
Her mother, Fumiko, covers her mouth with her hands, stifling a loud sob as tears stream down her face.
Fumiko: (Baby?!)
Only then does Tsuki carefully slip from Moriko’s arms and crawl to the edge of the bed, her eyes on the two familiar faces as if she’s unsure if she’s seeing them or not. Fumiko stands in place, anxiously shifting. She wants to rush forward but even after all these years, she remembers her daughter’s ticks. Tsuki sits back on her knees with a little whimper and reaches her arms out, though and Fumiko’s there in a second, pulling her into a tight hug, sobbing into her daughter’s shoulder. Standing in the doorway, the nearly spitting image of Tsuki stands in utter shock at the sight before her. She looks over to Yokai.
Yukiko: (...How? When? …Why?)
Yokai walks over to her.
Yokai: (The problem has been eradicated. All of the difficulties are dissipated. It was completed a week ago and they…)
She nods to Tsuki and Moriko.
Yokai: (They were given to us for treatment. This is the first day they are lucid. It is my job to complete the treatment.)
Yukiko listens, her eyes shifting to Moriko and her sister as their mother cradles her tight, muttering thankful prayers under her breath. She looks back to Yokai.
Yukiko: (Treatment?)
Yokai: (They were kept drugged.)
There’s a flash in her eyes. A switch being flipped as Yukiko starts to look away but snaps right back to Yokai when she hears those words.
Yukiko: (Drugged…?)
Fumiko: (Yuki-chan.)
Before Yukiko can get an answer, she turns to the sound of her mother’s voice to find Tsuki sitting beside her, arms out towards her sister with an exhausted smile on her face. Yukiko shoots Yokai a look - we must talk soon - then back to Tsuki. She approaches her sister and the two share an embrace for the first time in almost fifteen years. That’s when it all hits Yukiko and she exhales. The tears hit her and she starts to tremble, crying silently. Tsuki hears this and pulls back, tilting her head.
Tsuki: (Sissy? Why are you crying? You are not happy?)
Yukiko quickly wipes the tears away and shakes her head.
Yukiko: (No, baby. No, I am happy. These are happy tears.)
Tsuki taps her chin and nods.
Tsuki: (Ooooh, like Mama?)
Yukiko: (Yes. Like Mama.)
Yukiko sniffles and laughs softly, touching her sister’s face.
Yukiko: (We missed you, so much.)
Tsuki: (I missed you!)
She beams, poking her sister on the tip of her nose. Her smile wavers and she looks at the door again.
Tsuki: (Where is Yujiro? He did not want to come?)
Yukiko and Fumiko exchange a quick look. While Yukiko searches for a truth that Tsuki might understand, their mother rubs Tsuki’s back.
Fumiko: (We have not told him yet. It’s a surprise.)
Tsuki’s tired eyes light up suddenly and her voice drops to a whisper.
Tsuki: (Like a secret?)
Fumiko nods, laughing.
Fumiko: (Yes, honey. A surprise.)
Tsuki: (Are we surprising Papa, too?)
Fumiko pauses, looks to Yukiko then to Tsuki again.
Fumiko: (Yes… Him too.)
Tsuki smiles, clapping her hands then something dawns on her and she turns in place towards Moriko, bouncing where she sits.
Tsuki: (Moriko! Mama and Sissy are here!)
Moriko nods to her happily.
Moriko: (They have brought my sister with them. Would you like to meet her?)
Tsuki: (I get to meet your sister?)
Tsuki bounces happily in her spot, waving her hands excitedly. Moriko nods to the other person who had recently entered the room. The younger woman wearing a leather biker kutte comes walking over.
Moriko: (Tsuki, this is my younger sister, Rila. Rila, this is Tsuki.)
The twin to Yukiko turns towards the woman in biker leathers and smiles happily.
Tsuki: (Hello, Rila! My name is Tsuki! Are you Moriko’s sister?)
Rila bows to them.
Rila: (I am. Hi Tsuki.)
Tsuki bows on her knees on the bed then reaches her arms out for a hug from RIla, making grabby hands. Moriko nods ro Rila and Rila moves in, embracing Tsuki. Tsuki hugs her tight, rocking side to side, happily, before letting go and clapping her hands.
Tsuki: (Rila! You are my friend? Like Moriko is my friend?)
Rila looks ro Moriko and Moriko nods as if to tell her sister it’s ok to say this. Rila looks to Tsuki.
Rila: (Yes, I am.)
Tsuki giggles, bouncing again and turns to Fumiko and Yukiko.
Tsuki: (Mama! Sissy! I have new friend!)
She points to Rila. Yukiko smiles slowly. Fumiko laughs adoringly, squeezing Tsuki’s hand.
Fumiko: (You love making friends. You always have.)
Fumiko turns her attention to Moriko then and her eyes grow softer, almost sympathetic.
Fumiko: (You were with her? During…?)
Moriko nods.
Moriko: (I was.)
Fumiko nods, offering a smile.
Fumiko: (Thank you, Moriko. I…hope you are alright. At least you are safe. Like her.)
Tsuki sits there now, seemingly off in her own world as she starts tapping the little picture prints on her hospital gown, mumbling under her breath as everyone else talks. Fumiko and Yukiko watch her for a moment. Yukiko slides closer to her but remembers not to interrupt her as Fumiko looks up to Yokai.
Fumiko: (Thank you Doctor. Can…will she be able to come home soon?)
Yokai: (We will test her regularly to see how she is doing coming off the things but then, when that has passed, she will be able to return home. I cannot say for certain how long that will last but she seems to be doing well so far. It should not be more than a few weeks at most.)
Tsuki’s head whips around to the Doctor, jaw agape, eyes wide as saucers.
Tsuki: (I cannot go home with Mama and Sissy?!)
Fumiko: (Shhh. It is alright, honey! We will come see you every day. I promise!)
Tsuki: (No! I want to go home! The lady said I could go home!)
She pounds her fists in her lap then presses them to the sides of her head, whining.
Tsuki: (Liar… Liar. Liar! Liar! Liar! LIAR!! LIAR!!!)
Fumiko looks to Yokai apologetically and wraps her arms around her daughter, rocking her, starting to soothe her quietly. Yukiko takes a deep breath as she thinks for a moment.
Yukiko: (Hey. Tsuki baby. What if Mama stays here with you while the Doctor makes sure you are all better?)
Fumiko kisses Tsuki’s head and looks up at Yokai, silently waiting for her reaction.
Yokai: (If another bed is required, It can be here in an hour.)
Tsuki lifts her head, pouting and wipes a tear with her sleeve.
Tsuki: (Mama can stay here? And Sissy?)
Yukiko touches her arm gently.
Yukiko: (I cannot stay. I have to go to work. But I will come see you as much as I can. I promise.)
Tsuki: (You will come visit?)
Yukiko: (I promise, I will.)
Tsuki: (Sissy has to go to work?)
Yukiko smiles and pets her face, nodding.
Yukiko: (Yes. If you are nice, maybe the Doctor will let you watch on the television.)
Tsuki: (You work on the television?)
Fumiko: (Sweetheart, your sister is a wrestler now. Like Uncle Jubei. Do you remember him? Uncle JuJu?)
Tsuki’s face lights up and she bounces again.
Tsuki: (Uncle JuJu is a wrestler! He beats people up! Sissy, do you beat people up?)
Yukiko laughs.
Yukiko: (Only inside the ring.)
Tsuki: (Like Uncle JuJu?)
Yukiko: (Yes, like Uncle JuJu.)
Tsuki turns around to Moriko.
Tsuki: (Moriko! My sissy beats people up in a ring! Do you want to watch with me?)
Moriko smiles.
Moriko: (Of course! I used to watch when I was little. I think Rila might watch some now..)
Rila nods.
Rila: (Many of the Shieldmaidens do this. They might train me soon and let me wrestle like the others, like your sister and the others in America.)
Tsuki: (You are going to be a wrestler too?! Can I watch you beat people up?!)
Rila smiles.
Rila: (I will make sure you get to if I have a match.)
Tsuki: (Yay! I will watch you wrestle!)
Tsuki claps her hands, stopping when Yukiko puts a hand on her shoulder.
Yukiko: (Tsuki, please sit here with Mama and your friends. I’m going to talk to the Doctor in the other room.)
Tsuki: (Yuki? Are you going to talk to the Doctor?)
Yukiko nods, smiling and kisses Tsuki on the forehead.
Yukiko: (Yes. I’m doing to talk to the Doctor. We will be right back.)
On that note, Yukiko looked briefly to Yokai and stepped out of the room and into the other room she, her mother and Rila had come through to see Tsuki and Moriko. She leaned back against the wall and stuck a cigarette in her mouth, lighting it. She stared at Yokai for a moment in silence, letting the smoke trail from her lips before speaking.
Yukiko: (I want to know everything.)
Yokai nods slowly.
Yokai: (I know some things. I know they are safe. The Family is gone.)
Yukiko sighed, realizing the Doctor was probably kept out of the loop on certain things.
Yukiko: (What all *do* you know? Who lead the rescue? Where did they find her? You say the Family is gone. You mean to tell me the entire Yamamoto Kai of the Yakuza are wiped out? A family of almost one thousand members?)
Yukiko watched Yokai, idly rotating her cigarette in her fingers.
Yokai: (A call was made. You have met the Shieldmaidens in New Orleans?)
Yukiko: (I know their President. Bullet. She has helped my family before. In America.)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (There is a member in that charter called Shadow. She has a sister in San Clemente with Chi Chi called Yukari. Shadow is named Kimiko. Kimiko and Yukari have an elder sister. Her name is Sariel. They called her. She heard of things and it angered her. She led a group and made it look like another Family hit them. She made an example of the top ones. The police accepted that it was another Family and consider the case closed because they are happy that Family is gone. She dropped off Tsuki and Moriko here. They were both still drugged out of their minds so I have had them under surveillance here for seven days. They do not know how or what happened. They do not need to know aside from they are safe and have nothing to worry about. I know when they brought them here, Tsuki would not let go of Moriko so we have kept them together. Before this, I know very little of the specifics of what happened to them. I know from what Moriko was able to say in her fog, she did things to keep Tsuki safer than she should have been. What that actually means, she keeps to herself.)
Yukiko looked towards the door where she could hear genuine laughter now. Tsuki was happy in the company of their mother, Moriko and Rila. She shook her head.
Yukiko: (I do not need to know.)
She looked down, dragging on her cigarette again as she let the rest of Yokai’s words sink in. Familiar individuals that she had some face to face with flashed through her mind. Suzuki. Sasaki. Yoshida. Tanaka. Boss Yamamoto. Ueda… So they were all dead? She swallowed hard and hit her cigarette again with a flash of regret on her face now. Regret that she could not be there to witness or deal part of the justice herself. Then there was the thought of the woman Yokai said lead the operation. She lifted her eyes and only those to Yokai.
Yukiko: (Sariel. That is not a Japanese name.)
Yokai: (Their family name is Kojima. The three daughters were born in the United States, I think.)
Yukiko nodded, chuckling with a look of intrigue on her face.
Yukiko: (So they gave Japanese names to their two youngest and named their eldest out of Judeo Christianity.)
Yukiko thought for a moment and shrugged. Hell of a name.
Yukiko: (A guardian angel.)
She paused again and looked at the door again, then to Yokai once more.
Yukiko: (That is everything you can tell me? I would have to speak with Bullet or these sisters to know more?)
Yokai: (Yes, this is the truth.)
Yukiko: (I believe you.)
Yukiko shook her head gently as she finished her cigarette, twisting the cherry and last bit of tobacco out before snuffing it with her boot and sticking the butt into her pocket. She stepped forward then, smirking a little and lifted the Doctor’s chin with two fingers. Gently.
Yukiko: (If I thought you were lying, you would know.)
She pushed a loose strand of hair behind Yokai’s ear.
Yukiko: (Thank you, Doctor. For helping my sister, I am in your debt.)
She stepped towards the door to Tsuki and Moriko’s room, letting her fingertip drag underneath Yokai’s chin until it came away and stepped back into the room.
Yokai: (Your family is debtless.)
Yukiko stopped in her tracks and shot Yokai a look over her shoulder. A little smirk that said “suit yourself.” When she stepped back into the room, Tsuki squealed with excitement just at seeing her sister again and reached out for a hug. Yukiko smiled and happily returned it, squeezing her tight.
Yukiko: (Tsuki baby, I have to go for now, but I will be back tomorrow to see you before I fly back to America.)
Tsuki: (Awwwwww. You have to leave?)
Yukiko held her in her arms, rubbing her back.
Yukiko: (Yes. I have to leave but I will be back tomorrow.)
Tsuki: (You will be back tomorrow?!)
Yukiko: (I will be back tomorrow, yes. I want you to do me a favor. Listen to everything the Doctor says, will you? She is going to make sure you get better and can come home soon.)
Tsuki: (I can come home soon?!)
Yukiko: (After you are better, yes. I missed you. I love you. I will see you tomorrow.)
Tsuki: (Before you fly back to America?!)
Yukiko laughed and nodded.
Yukiko: (Yes.)
Tsuki: (Okay, Sissy! I missed you and I love you! I will see you tomorrow!)
Yukiko kissed her on the forehead. Fumiko looked up at Yukiko as her daughter stood but Yukiko put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
Yukiko: (You stay here with her as long as you like, Mom. I will call a ride.)
Fumiko nodded but didn’t ask questions even though she felt something was off about her daughter’s demeanor. With that, Yukiko lifted the hood to her jacket and stepped out of the room, making her way to the front entrance of the building. Yokai follows her out.
Yokai: (You are alright?)
Yukiko: (I am fine. A lot to do is all. Packing to return home.)
She stopped and turned, smirking at the Doctor. She started stepping back towards her with her hands in her pockets.
Yukiko: (You are concerned about *me*, now?)
Yokai: (It is my job. I know in this case, I am not just treating Tsuki and Moriko, I am treating whatever family they have as well. I know Moriko and Rila have only each other and Rila is part of my club. You just received information and started to leave and your mother looked concerned for you. How concerned should she be?)
Yukiko chuckles, nodding a little at her words.
Yukiko: (I have always been the rebellious one of her children. The “trouble maker.” She knows that. She is probably afraid I am going off to the Yamamoto Kai to find more information. She knows that I know where they operate…or used to. But she does not know what I know now, does she? She also knows that while my sister has her own medical conditions, I have my own. Though, not nearly as obvious as Tsukiko. Either way, she is most likely concerned that I am off to do something she would deem foolish.)
Yukiko paused, looked at Yokai and shrugged.
Yukiko: (I simply need to go to my hotel and pack for tomorrow.)
She fell silent, watching Yokai some more. Yokai scans her over and then nods slowly. .
Yokai: (Your condition… it is sexual in nature? You are going to feed it? Is it safe to assume this is something you need to not leave Osaka?)
Yukiko laughed. More heartily and louder than she had inside with her family. She looked back at Yokai, chuckling as she gathered her composure.
Yukiko: (You catch on quick. You must be a very good Doctor. I am not carrier, if that is what you are asking. Give me more credit than that. But…in nature, yes. I have been living with it since I was younger.)
She craned her head to the side, watching the Doctor like a curious animal.
Yukiko: (I could remain a few days longer before work demands I do return. I do have a booking to meet. You think I should stay another day or so?)
Yokai: (You wish me to treat this condition?)
Yukiko shrugged her shoulders and craned her head to the other side.
Yukiko: (Who better than a Doctor? I have my own ways. They are not nearly as effective.)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (There is a hotel across the street. Wait for me there. I have a relief watch coming here in ten minutes. We can take care of this for you properly then.)
Yukiko smirks, nodding as she steps up to Yokai and watches her. She leans in close to her ear, speaking in a low whisper.
Yukiko: (You are too kind. I will see you soon, Doctor.)
She gave a sudden nip to Yokai’s ear before turning and heading off across the street with a playful pep to her step. Yokai shakes her head to herself.
Yokai: (What did I just get myself into?)
She turns and goes to get things ready for the next watch to take over and prepare herself for what is to come.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Patient Treatment Room
Private Clinic
Osaka, Japan
4:12 PM Local Time
Seven days…
A rescue no one inside the building ever thought was really coming. A rescue none of the rescued truly understood, nor did they have any real idea of what had happened or who had done what due to the overwhelming intoxication involved for them. A rescue none of the captors saw coming or were even remotely concerned about.
Now it had been seven days and the two surviving victims that had been brought to this facility overseen by a woman from the Osaka Charter of the Shieldmaidens MC, Yumi "Yokai" Fukudome, were starting to awaken and come out of their respective drug-induced fogs. For Tsuki Kusanagi and Moriko Shimazu, the world was changing. Yokai stands between their beds and nods to herself.
Yokai: (Good, the drugs are leaving your system.)
Moriko looks up and blinks, confusion setting in.
Moriko: (Where am I?)
She looks around, her eyes wide and wild as she starts to momentarily panic.
Moriko: (Where is Tsuki?)
Yokai steps back and waves a hand over the not quite awake form of Tsuki.
Yokai: (We are helping her as well. You are free.)
Moriko frowns.
Moriko: (Free?)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (They are gone. They will never menace you again.)
Moriko: (Is it true?)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (They are all gone. Everyone else who there with you has been taken home. They are all being helped. You are here because you have family connections to us.)
She points to the kutte she wears under a lab coat.
Yokai: (Your fears and problems have abated. You are free and now we help you be able to enjoy that freedom.)
A smile graces the doctor’s face.
Yokai: (You accomplished your goal. You saved her.)
Moriko’s hands cover her eyes as she starts sobbing.
Moriko: (I thought this day would never come. If I dream, let me forever sleep. If I am awake, let this be reality.)
Just then, with the tears still streaming down Moriko’s face, Tsuki awakens. Hearing this, Moriko looks to Yokai.
Moriko (Can I comfort her? She will not understand and will be afraid.) [/font]
Yokai nods and Moiko quickly heads over to Tsuki’s bed, cradling her head lovingly against her own chest as if holding a small infant. When she speaks, her voice is calm and soothing.
Moriko: (It is alright. I am here. We are safe, Little One. The Bad Ones are gone.)
Tsuki’s eyes focus on Moriko and she quickly grabs onto her, clinging on for dear life.
Moriko: (It is alright. We are safe.)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (You have visitors. There are three. Will you see them?)
Moriko looks up in confusion.
Moriko: (Are they family?)
Yokai: (Yes.)
Moriko manages an astonished nod. Yokai makes her way to the door and motions in the three women standing there. Moriko watches as Tsuki’s mother and twin sister walk in along with Moriko’s own sister.
Moriko: (Little One… look, a miracle comes forth to us.)
Tsuki shyly lifts her head to the three women entering the room. A soft gasp escapes her.
Tsuki: (M–m–Mama…?!)
Her mother, Fumiko, covers her mouth with her hands, stifling a loud sob as tears stream down her face.
Fumiko: (Baby?!)
Only then does Tsuki carefully slip from Moriko’s arms and crawl to the edge of the bed, her eyes on the two familiar faces as if she’s unsure if she’s seeing them or not. Fumiko stands in place, anxiously shifting. She wants to rush forward but even after all these years, she remembers her daughter’s ticks. Tsuki sits back on her knees with a little whimper and reaches her arms out, though and Fumiko’s there in a second, pulling her into a tight hug, sobbing into her daughter’s shoulder. Standing in the doorway, the nearly spitting image of Tsuki stands in utter shock at the sight before her. She looks over to Yokai.
Yukiko: (...How? When? …Why?)
Yokai walks over to her.
Yokai: (The problem has been eradicated. All of the difficulties are dissipated. It was completed a week ago and they…)
She nods to Tsuki and Moriko.
Yokai: (They were given to us for treatment. This is the first day they are lucid. It is my job to complete the treatment.)
Yukiko listens, her eyes shifting to Moriko and her sister as their mother cradles her tight, muttering thankful prayers under her breath. She looks back to Yokai.
Yukiko: (Treatment?)
Yokai: (They were kept drugged.)
There’s a flash in her eyes. A switch being flipped as Yukiko starts to look away but snaps right back to Yokai when she hears those words.
Yukiko: (Drugged…?)
Fumiko: (Yuki-chan.)
Before Yukiko can get an answer, she turns to the sound of her mother’s voice to find Tsuki sitting beside her, arms out towards her sister with an exhausted smile on her face. Yukiko shoots Yokai a look - we must talk soon - then back to Tsuki. She approaches her sister and the two share an embrace for the first time in almost fifteen years. That’s when it all hits Yukiko and she exhales. The tears hit her and she starts to tremble, crying silently. Tsuki hears this and pulls back, tilting her head.
Tsuki: (Sissy? Why are you crying? You are not happy?)
Yukiko quickly wipes the tears away and shakes her head.
Yukiko: (No, baby. No, I am happy. These are happy tears.)
Tsuki taps her chin and nods.
Tsuki: (Ooooh, like Mama?)
Yukiko: (Yes. Like Mama.)
Yukiko sniffles and laughs softly, touching her sister’s face.
Yukiko: (We missed you, so much.)
Tsuki: (I missed you!)
She beams, poking her sister on the tip of her nose. Her smile wavers and she looks at the door again.
Tsuki: (Where is Yujiro? He did not want to come?)
Yukiko and Fumiko exchange a quick look. While Yukiko searches for a truth that Tsuki might understand, their mother rubs Tsuki’s back.
Fumiko: (We have not told him yet. It’s a surprise.)
Tsuki’s tired eyes light up suddenly and her voice drops to a whisper.
Tsuki: (Like a secret?)
Fumiko nods, laughing.
Fumiko: (Yes, honey. A surprise.)
Tsuki: (Are we surprising Papa, too?)
Fumiko pauses, looks to Yukiko then to Tsuki again.
Fumiko: (Yes… Him too.)
Tsuki smiles, clapping her hands then something dawns on her and she turns in place towards Moriko, bouncing where she sits.
Tsuki: (Moriko! Mama and Sissy are here!)
Moriko nods to her happily.
Moriko: (They have brought my sister with them. Would you like to meet her?)
Tsuki: (I get to meet your sister?)
Tsuki bounces happily in her spot, waving her hands excitedly. Moriko nods to the other person who had recently entered the room. The younger woman wearing a leather biker kutte comes walking over.
Moriko: (Tsuki, this is my younger sister, Rila. Rila, this is Tsuki.)
The twin to Yukiko turns towards the woman in biker leathers and smiles happily.
Tsuki: (Hello, Rila! My name is Tsuki! Are you Moriko’s sister?)
Rila bows to them.
Rila: (I am. Hi Tsuki.)
Tsuki bows on her knees on the bed then reaches her arms out for a hug from RIla, making grabby hands. Moriko nods ro Rila and Rila moves in, embracing Tsuki. Tsuki hugs her tight, rocking side to side, happily, before letting go and clapping her hands.
Tsuki: (Rila! You are my friend? Like Moriko is my friend?)
Rila looks ro Moriko and Moriko nods as if to tell her sister it’s ok to say this. Rila looks to Tsuki.
Rila: (Yes, I am.)
Tsuki giggles, bouncing again and turns to Fumiko and Yukiko.
Tsuki: (Mama! Sissy! I have new friend!)
She points to Rila. Yukiko smiles slowly. Fumiko laughs adoringly, squeezing Tsuki’s hand.
Fumiko: (You love making friends. You always have.)
Fumiko turns her attention to Moriko then and her eyes grow softer, almost sympathetic.
Fumiko: (You were with her? During…?)
Moriko nods.
Moriko: (I was.)
Fumiko nods, offering a smile.
Fumiko: (Thank you, Moriko. I…hope you are alright. At least you are safe. Like her.)
Tsuki sits there now, seemingly off in her own world as she starts tapping the little picture prints on her hospital gown, mumbling under her breath as everyone else talks. Fumiko and Yukiko watch her for a moment. Yukiko slides closer to her but remembers not to interrupt her as Fumiko looks up to Yokai.
Fumiko: (Thank you Doctor. Can…will she be able to come home soon?)
Yokai: (We will test her regularly to see how she is doing coming off the things but then, when that has passed, she will be able to return home. I cannot say for certain how long that will last but she seems to be doing well so far. It should not be more than a few weeks at most.)
Tsuki’s head whips around to the Doctor, jaw agape, eyes wide as saucers.
Tsuki: (I cannot go home with Mama and Sissy?!)
Fumiko: (Shhh. It is alright, honey! We will come see you every day. I promise!)
Tsuki: (No! I want to go home! The lady said I could go home!)
She pounds her fists in her lap then presses them to the sides of her head, whining.
Tsuki: (Liar… Liar. Liar! Liar! Liar! LIAR!! LIAR!!!)
Fumiko looks to Yokai apologetically and wraps her arms around her daughter, rocking her, starting to soothe her quietly. Yukiko takes a deep breath as she thinks for a moment.
Yukiko: (Hey. Tsuki baby. What if Mama stays here with you while the Doctor makes sure you are all better?)
Fumiko kisses Tsuki’s head and looks up at Yokai, silently waiting for her reaction.
Yokai: (If another bed is required, It can be here in an hour.)
Tsuki lifts her head, pouting and wipes a tear with her sleeve.
Tsuki: (Mama can stay here? And Sissy?)
Yukiko touches her arm gently.
Yukiko: (I cannot stay. I have to go to work. But I will come see you as much as I can. I promise.)
Tsuki: (You will come visit?)
Yukiko: (I promise, I will.)
Tsuki: (Sissy has to go to work?)
Yukiko smiles and pets her face, nodding.
Yukiko: (Yes. If you are nice, maybe the Doctor will let you watch on the television.)
Tsuki: (You work on the television?)
Fumiko: (Sweetheart, your sister is a wrestler now. Like Uncle Jubei. Do you remember him? Uncle JuJu?)
Tsuki’s face lights up and she bounces again.
Tsuki: (Uncle JuJu is a wrestler! He beats people up! Sissy, do you beat people up?)
Yukiko laughs.
Yukiko: (Only inside the ring.)
Tsuki: (Like Uncle JuJu?)
Yukiko: (Yes, like Uncle JuJu.)
Tsuki turns around to Moriko.
Tsuki: (Moriko! My sissy beats people up in a ring! Do you want to watch with me?)
Moriko smiles.
Moriko: (Of course! I used to watch when I was little. I think Rila might watch some now..)
Rila nods.
Rila: (Many of the Shieldmaidens do this. They might train me soon and let me wrestle like the others, like your sister and the others in America.)
Tsuki: (You are going to be a wrestler too?! Can I watch you beat people up?!)
Rila smiles.
Rila: (I will make sure you get to if I have a match.)
Tsuki: (Yay! I will watch you wrestle!)
Tsuki claps her hands, stopping when Yukiko puts a hand on her shoulder.
Yukiko: (Tsuki, please sit here with Mama and your friends. I’m going to talk to the Doctor in the other room.)
Tsuki: (Yuki? Are you going to talk to the Doctor?)
Yukiko nods, smiling and kisses Tsuki on the forehead.
Yukiko: (Yes. I’m doing to talk to the Doctor. We will be right back.)
On that note, Yukiko looked briefly to Yokai and stepped out of the room and into the other room she, her mother and Rila had come through to see Tsuki and Moriko. She leaned back against the wall and stuck a cigarette in her mouth, lighting it. She stared at Yokai for a moment in silence, letting the smoke trail from her lips before speaking.
Yukiko: (I want to know everything.)
Yokai nods slowly.
Yokai: (I know some things. I know they are safe. The Family is gone.)
Yukiko sighed, realizing the Doctor was probably kept out of the loop on certain things.
Yukiko: (What all *do* you know? Who lead the rescue? Where did they find her? You say the Family is gone. You mean to tell me the entire Yamamoto Kai of the Yakuza are wiped out? A family of almost one thousand members?)
Yukiko watched Yokai, idly rotating her cigarette in her fingers.
Yokai: (A call was made. You have met the Shieldmaidens in New Orleans?)
Yukiko: (I know their President. Bullet. She has helped my family before. In America.)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (There is a member in that charter called Shadow. She has a sister in San Clemente with Chi Chi called Yukari. Shadow is named Kimiko. Kimiko and Yukari have an elder sister. Her name is Sariel. They called her. She heard of things and it angered her. She led a group and made it look like another Family hit them. She made an example of the top ones. The police accepted that it was another Family and consider the case closed because they are happy that Family is gone. She dropped off Tsuki and Moriko here. They were both still drugged out of their minds so I have had them under surveillance here for seven days. They do not know how or what happened. They do not need to know aside from they are safe and have nothing to worry about. I know when they brought them here, Tsuki would not let go of Moriko so we have kept them together. Before this, I know very little of the specifics of what happened to them. I know from what Moriko was able to say in her fog, she did things to keep Tsuki safer than she should have been. What that actually means, she keeps to herself.)
Yukiko looked towards the door where she could hear genuine laughter now. Tsuki was happy in the company of their mother, Moriko and Rila. She shook her head.
Yukiko: (I do not need to know.)
She looked down, dragging on her cigarette again as she let the rest of Yokai’s words sink in. Familiar individuals that she had some face to face with flashed through her mind. Suzuki. Sasaki. Yoshida. Tanaka. Boss Yamamoto. Ueda… So they were all dead? She swallowed hard and hit her cigarette again with a flash of regret on her face now. Regret that she could not be there to witness or deal part of the justice herself. Then there was the thought of the woman Yokai said lead the operation. She lifted her eyes and only those to Yokai.
Yukiko: (Sariel. That is not a Japanese name.)
Yokai: (Their family name is Kojima. The three daughters were born in the United States, I think.)
Yukiko nodded, chuckling with a look of intrigue on her face.
Yukiko: (So they gave Japanese names to their two youngest and named their eldest out of Judeo Christianity.)
Yukiko thought for a moment and shrugged. Hell of a name.
Yukiko: (A guardian angel.)
She paused again and looked at the door again, then to Yokai once more.
Yukiko: (That is everything you can tell me? I would have to speak with Bullet or these sisters to know more?)
Yokai: (Yes, this is the truth.)
Yukiko: (I believe you.)
Yukiko shook her head gently as she finished her cigarette, twisting the cherry and last bit of tobacco out before snuffing it with her boot and sticking the butt into her pocket. She stepped forward then, smirking a little and lifted the Doctor’s chin with two fingers. Gently.
Yukiko: (If I thought you were lying, you would know.)
She pushed a loose strand of hair behind Yokai’s ear.
Yukiko: (Thank you, Doctor. For helping my sister, I am in your debt.)
She stepped towards the door to Tsuki and Moriko’s room, letting her fingertip drag underneath Yokai’s chin until it came away and stepped back into the room.
Yokai: (Your family is debtless.)
Yukiko stopped in her tracks and shot Yokai a look over her shoulder. A little smirk that said “suit yourself.” When she stepped back into the room, Tsuki squealed with excitement just at seeing her sister again and reached out for a hug. Yukiko smiled and happily returned it, squeezing her tight.
Yukiko: (Tsuki baby, I have to go for now, but I will be back tomorrow to see you before I fly back to America.)
Tsuki: (Awwwwww. You have to leave?)
Yukiko held her in her arms, rubbing her back.
Yukiko: (Yes. I have to leave but I will be back tomorrow.)
Tsuki: (You will be back tomorrow?!)
Yukiko: (I will be back tomorrow, yes. I want you to do me a favor. Listen to everything the Doctor says, will you? She is going to make sure you get better and can come home soon.)
Tsuki: (I can come home soon?!)
Yukiko: (After you are better, yes. I missed you. I love you. I will see you tomorrow.)
Tsuki: (Before you fly back to America?!)
Yukiko laughed and nodded.
Yukiko: (Yes.)
Tsuki: (Okay, Sissy! I missed you and I love you! I will see you tomorrow!)
Yukiko kissed her on the forehead. Fumiko looked up at Yukiko as her daughter stood but Yukiko put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
Yukiko: (You stay here with her as long as you like, Mom. I will call a ride.)
Fumiko nodded but didn’t ask questions even though she felt something was off about her daughter’s demeanor. With that, Yukiko lifted the hood to her jacket and stepped out of the room, making her way to the front entrance of the building. Yokai follows her out.
Yokai: (You are alright?)
Yukiko: (I am fine. A lot to do is all. Packing to return home.)
She stopped and turned, smirking at the Doctor. She started stepping back towards her with her hands in her pockets.
Yukiko: (You are concerned about *me*, now?)
Yokai: (It is my job. I know in this case, I am not just treating Tsuki and Moriko, I am treating whatever family they have as well. I know Moriko and Rila have only each other and Rila is part of my club. You just received information and started to leave and your mother looked concerned for you. How concerned should she be?)
Yukiko chuckles, nodding a little at her words.
Yukiko: (I have always been the rebellious one of her children. The “trouble maker.” She knows that. She is probably afraid I am going off to the Yamamoto Kai to find more information. She knows that I know where they operate…or used to. But she does not know what I know now, does she? She also knows that while my sister has her own medical conditions, I have my own. Though, not nearly as obvious as Tsukiko. Either way, she is most likely concerned that I am off to do something she would deem foolish.)
Yukiko paused, looked at Yokai and shrugged.
Yukiko: (I simply need to go to my hotel and pack for tomorrow.)
She fell silent, watching Yokai some more. Yokai scans her over and then nods slowly. .
Yokai: (Your condition… it is sexual in nature? You are going to feed it? Is it safe to assume this is something you need to not leave Osaka?)
Yukiko laughed. More heartily and louder than she had inside with her family. She looked back at Yokai, chuckling as she gathered her composure.
Yukiko: (You catch on quick. You must be a very good Doctor. I am not carrier, if that is what you are asking. Give me more credit than that. But…in nature, yes. I have been living with it since I was younger.)
She craned her head to the side, watching the Doctor like a curious animal.
Yukiko: (I could remain a few days longer before work demands I do return. I do have a booking to meet. You think I should stay another day or so?)
Yokai: (You wish me to treat this condition?)
Yukiko shrugged her shoulders and craned her head to the other side.
Yukiko: (Who better than a Doctor? I have my own ways. They are not nearly as effective.)
Yokai nods.
Yokai: (There is a hotel across the street. Wait for me there. I have a relief watch coming here in ten minutes. We can take care of this for you properly then.)
Yukiko smirks, nodding as she steps up to Yokai and watches her. She leans in close to her ear, speaking in a low whisper.
Yukiko: (You are too kind. I will see you soon, Doctor.)
She gave a sudden nip to Yokai’s ear before turning and heading off across the street with a playful pep to her step. Yokai shakes her head to herself.
Yokai: (What did I just get myself into?)
She turns and goes to get things ready for the next watch to take over and prepare herself for what is to come.
