Chapter 13
House of Pleasure, House of Horrors
Akira twiddled his thumbs as he sat in uncomfortable silence in the car. Seated next to Ann in the back seat as Iwai drove along the road, once again in the cool early morning, with Ryuji in his passenger seat to his left, Akira gazed up to the dark, murky gray sky above as the billowing clouds rolled along the firmament. It was as if Mother Nature herself was aiding in establishing the mood he felt about the whole business he had gotten himself into: bleak, depressing, anxious, and as gray morally as the clouds above.
To his right, Ann was gazing out the window, watching the buildings go by in a haze. Twenty minutes ago, they had met up in the lobby of LeBlanc, and except for the briefest of pleasantries, Ann had been completely silent. She also looked like she may not have slept at all the previous night, which seemed to go for Ryuji as well. Akira had slept only two hours himself.
He could only imagine what Ann was feeling right now. The anxiety Akira was experiencing was likely compounded exponentially for her, but few would know that given how emotionless she appeared. Every few seconds, she would lower the window about an inch, letting the cool wind flow through her hair, then raise it back up. She looked more like a bored child on a long car trip than a prospect vengeful assassin.
Ryuji on the other hand was simply glaring into nothingness, likely mulling over the thousand different ways he wished to take Kamoshida's life. Not that Akira blamed him, but simply took notice of much more outwardly expressive Ryuji was compared to Ann. His hands were folded in front of him, his fingers tapping against each other impatiently. His eyes moved between the windshield in front of him and the window to his left. No one said a word, and the silence was deafening. Iwai had not even turned on the radio. Akira had an inclination to incredibly politely ask for a bit of music, but even he did not possess the guts for such a thing.
They soon drove off the main thoroughfare of Kamurocho and on to the highway, passing by office buildings and apartments in droves. Everything blurred together for Akira, and time itself seemed to do the same. He was so tired that his eyes stung, and he had to pry his eyelids back open whenever he blinked. Maybe if I fall asleep, I'll just wake up back in bed in my home, and all this would have been a dream. That'd be the happiest call to the psychologist's office ever. I just hope they would diagnose me as insane or something. But I guess even that would be better than this.
Ten sickening minutes later, they came on their destination. The building was about a mile off the highway, and well away from the city. "Tekashi Real Estate" read a faded, decrepit sign near the top of the brick and mortar building. It looked like the place was ready to collapse, it was so old and run down. Vines and ivy grew up the rust colored brick, weaving into the broken windows along the three stories. Graffiti was splayed across the walls, most of the art appearing to be emblems of local gangs. All around the property was garbage, overgrown and dying grass, and broken bits of the crumbling building.
Ann leaned over toward Akira to get a better look at their destination. "Whoa," she muttered, leaning close to Akira, "I know they're a bunch of fiends, but this place looks like it could collapse at any moment."
"What a shithole," remarked Ryuji. Iwai said nothing as he pulled up to the building.
A group of eight yakuza were set up outside the entrance, standing around casually despite the guns each one held in hand. Five of them brandished basic nine millimeters, while the other three had far more imposing rifles in hand. As Iwai parked his car, the yakuza walked up to them as if to relay urgent information.
"Iwai-san," said one yakuza wielding a rifle as Iwai exited the car, "the scumbags got a bit cocky earlier this morning and tried to make a break for it. Their guns were crap, but they landed a couple shots on our guys."
"Anyone killed?" asked Iwai almost plainly, but with a distinct hint of worry in his usually bored voice.
"On our side? No, none. Just a couple surface wounds, nothing serious. On their side though…" As Ryuji exited the car, he overheard the conversation, and a strange mix of relief and worry welled within him. Some of the degenerates may have been dead, and that was excellent. He just hoped Kamoshida was still alive somewhere…
"They took some casualties, and serious wounds," the yakuza continued, "but their boss wasn't one of them. We think he's hiding underground while he lets his mooks do all the dirty work. God knows what he's up to down there."
"Have you infiltrated the compound?"
"We have, and even managed to save some captives while eliminating a few of the mooks. I have one team disposing of the bodies and another escorting the captives back to the city."
"Does that mean there's no more danger?" Ryuji butted in. "Can we head inside."
"Hold your horses, kid," said Iwai without looking at him. "What's the situation now?"
"They got their leader holed up in there, possibly armed, and it's possible he could have a couple goons still kicking around somewhere, but most of the opposition is already incapacitated or dead."
"Doing most of our job for us," Iwai nodded. "At least you saved the fun part for the new kids."
"As we were ordered," the yakuza bowed. "Will you be taking over, sir?"
Iwai looked to the entrance. "I'll scout around with them a bit, but then I'll let the kids have some freedom. You got any prisoners?"
"Two, sir, but they're too drugged up to talk yet. Seems like the goons all drugged themselves to high heaven before fighting us. Maybe they thought it would help them fight."
"I wouldn't put something that stupid past these degenerates." Iwai looked back at the patiently and awkwardly waiting teens. "They've done the hard work for us already. You should be grateful." He then walked past them to the back of the car and popped open the trunk. C'mere," he ordered. Iwai pulled out a metal case from under an assortment of unidentifiable junk and unlocked it with a dial lock. Opening the case revealed three gray handguns with complimentary ammo clips at their sides. Akira's stomach churned at the implication, as did Ann's. Ryuji however only appeared slightly confused. "I didn't want you playing with them in the car, even if they weren't loaded." Iwai picked one up, inspecting it briefly then looked down the barrel, holding it in front of him like a police officer. "You three ever shot one of these?"
"I have," said Ryuji. "Got plenty of training a few months ago."
Iwai nodded. "And you two?" he addressed Akira and Ann.
Ann, to the surprise of all involved, then said, "I was trained with small arms when I hit eighteen. I'm not a great shot, but I can operate a gun."
"Good to hear, less I gotta explain. And you, Akira?"
Akira's mother had trained him extensively in martial arts his whole life, claiming to be with the purpose of never having to use a gun. However, when he reached eighteen years old, she had let him handle a gun for the first time. "One day, your body may not be enough, Akira," she had said. "If that time ever comes, and you've chosen to carry a weapon with you, I want to make sure you know how to use it safely, and only as an absolute last resort. There's never a reason to use a weapon unless everything is on the line."
That was something she had drilled into him over and over for the week she had trained him. His mother had likely spent more time lecturing him on how to respect firearms than actually letting him practice. When Iwai addressed him, Akira nodded and spoke plainly. "Yes, I can use it. I got training when I turned eighteen as well."
"Well, ain't it my lucky morning?" Iwai smirked. "I've gotten way too used to kids coming in off the streets who want to kick ass and take names but don't even know what 'nine millimeter' refers to." Iwai handed out the guns one by one. Akira was given his last, and felt the weight of the gun in his hand. It was of far better quality than the peashooter he had been trained with. Heavy, sturdy, and with a full clip; he could tell just by the feel. "Remember," Iwai spoke up, "these are only an absolute last resort. Not only because they're worth as much as you, but because this isn't like the movies you've seen. Most of the fiends are taken or dead, but we can't be a hundred percent sure on what you're going to find in there." Iwai looked down at them coldly, but with the slightest hint of caring in his eyes. "Do not give them any chances. Be smart, be safe, and only pull those out when there's no other options."
Just like mom used to say. The trio nodded respectfully, and Iwai motioned them toward the building. "We'll be monitoring everything from outside. Keep your cool, don't try anything flashy, and you'll be able to have your… talk with Kamoshida. And if anyone gets in your way…" he trailed off, looking the trio up and down as his face darkened. "… prisoners are encouraged, but not required."
Ryuji whistled awkwardly. "Talk about hard-ass, Iwai," he shrugged dispassionately. "We're not here for war, just a bit of payback. We won't make a mess of the place, promise."
"Then quit you're slacking and get packing." Iwai reached into his jacket and pulled out a… tiny lollipop, which he then put in his mouth as he leaned against his car. With callous, determined glares, Ryuji and Ann put their guns in their jackets and started off toward the building. Akira was too stressed to notice until they were already a few yards away, and he ran to catch up with them.
Iwai watched the trio out of the corner of his gray eyes, listening to the footsteps on the gravel get fainter and fainter as they walked away. "Poor kids," he muttered. "They all ought to be home right now, not doing this kind of work with us." He took the lollipop out of his mouth and sighed, looking up to the billowing rainclouds above. "Goddammit."
Being watched all the way by the yakuza in Iwai's employ, Akira and company walked along the gravel path toward the imposing three story real estate building. Akira felt the weight of the pistol bob up and down in jacket as he walked, a constant reminder of the dire circumstances he found himself in. But he and his friends were resolute on pushing through the anxiety they were all experiencing, and then came up to the entrance.
The door was old, gray, and rotting near the base. Insects crawled up the frame from large holes in the wood, and it emanated a dreadful stench that made the whole trio's faces curl. Ryuji looked up to the top of the building and then back down to the door in front of them and sighed. "You guys ready?" he asked.
"I am," said Ann in a surprisingly stable and confident voice.
"Yeah," Akira continued, "let's go."
Ryuji put his hand on the door, feeling the damp, rotting wood and what he could have sworn was a few ants crawling under his hand. "Alright, let's rock."
With a fiery glare masking the anxiety he was experiencing, Ryuji took hold of the doorknob and twisted it lightly, though it still nearly fell off in his hand. The door creaked painfully on its hinges as he pushed it open, and more bugs came scurrying out from underneath the frame. Ann yelped and jumped back as a large bug crawled over her shoe, and only then realized she had taken hold of Akira's arm. Their eyes met awkwardly and Ann returned her hands to her side while Akira let out a forced cough that only made things more awkward.
The doorway then revealed a mostly empty foyer, old desks and chairs scattered about and covered completely in dust and cobwebs. The damp stench of rotting wood was far more prevalent inside, causing Ann to gag in her throat and Akira's eyes to sting.
Ryuji waved his hand in front of his nose, coughing at the stench. "Jesus, it smells worse than the Shujin men's room after track."
"Okay, not the image I needed right now," said Ann. "God, you'd really have to be drugged up to ever be fine staying here."
Akira caught himself as he nearly tripped over an overturned chair. "I don't think these people were too concerned with comfort," he muttered. "Good thing most of them are dead now though."
"You got that right, man," Ryuji replied as he examined the foyer, deciding on a way forward. "I'm not one for killing, despite what some people may think with how I talk about Kamoshida, but the stuff these people do ain't just… killing. It's not for any purpose but because they enjoy it. It's fucking sick."
"Animals like that don't deserve to steal our oxygen," Ann said with a scornful tone. Akira noticed her grab the side of her jacket, obviously feeling for her gun.
"Damn right, Takamaki," said Ryuji. "I'll be sure to let you get a few hits in when he find—Oh, shit." Ryuji's sudden expletive caught his friend's attention, prompting them to look over to him. To their left, Ryuji was standing stone still, looking down on something behind what must have once been the reception desk.
Ann walked up behind him briskly. "What did you find—" Her voice caught, and Akira did not even have time to ask for clarification when he saw what they had found: a dead body of a man, dried blood splattered all over his body. "Oh my god," Ann muttered, backing away to Akira's side slowly.
"One of Kamoshida's men," Ryuji said with a dark tone. "Must have never been found by Iwai's guys."
"How would that happen?" asked Akira whilst trying not to vomit. "They combed this place top to bottom, right? Look," he pointed to the man's chest, "the blood's dry but it still bright red. It must be fresh then, huh?"
"Yeah, but what would have done him in then? If he was taking the coward's way out, he would have a wound in the head, not one, two, three, four holes in his chest."
"Maybe it wasn't him," Ann added, her eyes still wide and dazed.
"What do ya mean?" asked Ryuji.
"If the wounds are fresh, maybe he was killed by one of Kamoshida's other guys. No honor among thieves, right? Or maybe it was Kamoshida himself."
Akira and Ryuji looked at each other concerningly. "Getting rid of the fuck-up, maybe," said Akira. "Or didn't want the guy to talk."
"You might be right," Ryuji nodded. "Shit, we gotta end this thing fast."
"Let's look for any staircases," said Ann as she turned on her heel. "If Kamoshida is here, he'd be in hiding. We'll check every floor until we find him."
The boys were confused by Ann's sudden resolute attitude, but nonetheless felt better for it. "Yes, ma'am," Akira mumbled.
Proceeding throughout the foyer enlightened them to little of importance. There was left over garbage likely from the fiends who had resided there until that morning, including evidence of serious drug usage, just as syringes and what Akira's still somewhat innocent mind surmised to be a bong. After a couple minutes of anxious examination of the scene, Akira came upon a long, dusty hallway far behind the reception desk. At the end of the hall seemed to be an elevator that would be moronic to utilize, and a utility stairwell.
Akira indicated for his companions to follow him, and they tentatively did so. "Into the belly of the beast," remarked Ryuji.
"Keep your eyes and ears open," Ann said as she purposely positioned herself in between the boys.
Akira coughed and sneezed from the abundance of dust in the hall, cursing his luck as they approached the door. Metal, scratched up, and covered in some kind of orange-brown residue that the trio decided was best not to guess at the nature of. Akira tried to move the door handle, but it would not budge no matter how hard he tried.
"Shit, it's locked," he muttered, then felt Ryuji's hand on his shoulder ushering him out of the way.
"Gotta think a bit more creatively, man," Ryuji smirked. "Observe." Ryuji pulled out his pistol and aimed it directly at the door handle, his self-satisfied grin growing more prominent, until he fired and all of their ears began to ring excruciatingly. The sound of the gunshot was amplified exponentially in the metal corridor, prompting all three friends to cry out in pain.
"Holy shit, man!" screamed Akira as he cupped his ears.
"What the hell, Ryuji!?" Ann screamed in turn.
"Hey, hey! It sounded like a good idea at the time, dammit! I'm just trying to get us movin', ya know!?"
Ann scowled at him while rubbing her ears under her air. "We know, but you don't have to be so stupid about it!"
"Okay, calm down, guys!" Akira interrupted. "The door should be unlocked now, so let's just move on. None of us wanna be here any longer than we have to, so let's hurry and get this over with before any of us does something really stupid."
Ann and Ryuji nodded after a moment. "Right, sorry, guys," she said sheepishly.
"No, you're right," Ryuji added. "I should've warned you guys. I'm sorry too."
"Great, we're all sorry and made up," Akira snided with a shrug. "Now can we please move on?"
And so they did.
Akira slowly pushed the metal door open, gritting his teeth at the uncomfortable metallic scratching and grinding noise it produced as it slid along its hinges. A descending metal staircase was revealed to them, surprisingly illuminated by two dirty, ancient looking lightbulbs hanging overhead.
"They must have a generator running somewhere down here," said Akira.
"Gotta power their equipment somehow," Ann remarked darkly.
Ryuji scowled at her statement. "Just another reason to take them down."
"Damn right," replied Ann, feeling her pistol through her jacket again.
Their footsteps echoed through the stairwell, reverberating through the hall loudly. With every step, they all felt more pensive and nervous. When they came to the bottom of the stairwell, they were greeted by a large, mostly empty room with concrete flooring and exposed water-damaged drywall. Along the floor, wires and electronic equipment were strewn about in far apart dirty piles.
Akira knelt down beside the first pile to examine it. "These are way newer than the building itself," he remarked, then felt the plug of a wire with his fingers. "It's not hot, which hopefully means they haven't gotten to use it in a while."
"They've hopefully been too busy getting shot up to make any more films," said Ryuji.
"You're not entirely wrong," said a smarmy, familiar voice over an intercom they were not aware of. Ryuji and Ann's hands went to their jacket pockets immediately. "My boys and I haven't gotten much fun in the last couple days."
"Kamoshida," Ryuji growled. "Come out and show your ugly mug, asshole!" he shouted.
"Why the hell would I? I know you were a complete fucking moron, Sakamato, but it's three on one. I thought you at least had a grasp of basic arithmetic."
Before Ryuji was able to unleash his verbal wrath, Ann interjected, "Come say that to his face instead of hiding like a cornered rat!"
"I'll admit, it's a bit of a foxhole situation, but that doesn't mean I'm entirely lost yet. If you really wanna come chat with your old teach for old time's sake, then you'll just have to come through that door over there."
Looking around, they spied a double door at the back of the room, concealed almost entirely by a lack of light at that end of the room. To say the situation was ominous would be a massive understatement. "This smells like bullshit," Ryuji muttered.
"Just don't take too long," Kamoshida said in a disturbingly plain and casual tone. "We're already getting bored."
Ann gulped in her throat. "We?"
There was a click over the intercom, and then earie, painful silence. "I have a really bad feeling about this," said Akira.
Ryuji pulled his gun back out, running his fingers along the handle. "Alright," he said in a near whisper, "time to kick some ass."
Ann did the same, her fear turning to burning determination. "This one's for Shiho, you bastard," she muttered.
In turn, Akira pulled out his pistol and held it in front of him as he was drilled to do so. His finger was not on the trigger, but he felt his fingertips being pulled toward the slick, cold metal in preparation for his meeting with the monster. "It's showtime."
They walked briskly into the darkness and to the doors, but stopped in their tracks when they were able to make out large, faded red lettering scrawled across them. Ann began reading aloud, "Do not open… when filming."
"Oh, shit," said Ryuji.
Akira leaned up against the door, his finger millimeters from the trigger of his pistol. "Clear your corners, and don't get cocky," he said.
"Right on," said Ryuji, taking the same position against the other door. Ann got behind Akira, her fingers trembling and her breathing shallow.
"Ready?" asked Akira with a quiver in his voice. His friends nodded uneasily. "Alright. One, two…"
Akira turned the door handle and pushed it open with lightning speed. The trio blasted through the doorway with guns outstretched and a fire in their souls. The adrenaline was getting to them, to the point that it took them a moment to take in what was in front of them: a small, empty storage room, one lightbulb over hanging from the ceiling, and directly underneath it was a chair.
And in that chair was a girl with long, scraggly red hair, a thin frame, and a red ball gag in her mouth. The girl tried to scream as the doors flung open, but any sound she made was muffled by the gag. But her expression was that of complete, abject terror.
"Whoa, whoa!" Akira shouted to defuse his friends as he realized what he was looking at. He tried to force his breathing and heartrate to calm as he continued. "Guys, look," he indicated to the girl, who was still squirming in her seat in a panic, mewling through her gag and tears streaming down her gaunt face.
"Oh my god," Ann gasped.
"Holy fuck," said Ryuji.
Akira rushed over to the girl, who tried her best to struggle against her bonds to escape him. "Hey, hey, it's okay!" he grabbed her shoulders to keep from toppling over. "We're not with them, okay? You're safe now!" The girl shook her head no, as if calling Akira a liar. He could tell by her frantic expression that she was likely entering shock, which was only gonna make things more difficult.
Ann then came to her side as Ryuji stayed at the entrance of the room, guarding his friends and starting to examine their surroundings while keeping an eye on the mysterious girl. Ann put a hand on the girl's shoulder gently to get her attention while minimizing the chance of scaring her more. "Hey, hon?" she asked in an incredibly compassionate voice. The girl looked to her as more tears fell down her face. Under her eyes was dark to the point of looking like bruises. "It's okay, I promise," she kept the girl's eyes focused on her. "We're going to get you out of here, okay? I swear, you are going to be alright."
The girl tried to respond while fighting her gag, but the plastic in her mouth seemed to only make her panic more. Akira looked behind her head, seeing a tight leather strap wrapped around her head and held together with a metal fasten. He remembered the knife he had been given by Ma, and now it would finally come in use. But pulling a knife on a panicked kidnapping victim would likely only make things worse for them.
"Ann, keep her focused on you for a sec," he said as he reached into the other side of his coat to get the knife. She looked confused, but he responded with a knowing smile. "Trust me," he nodded to her. Ann responded in kind.
Gently squeezing the girl's shoulder, Ann gave her a warm smile that completely masked the crippling fear she was experiencing. The girl continued to cry and whimper against her gag, but at least was no longer thrashing about in her chair. "You understand what we've been saying, right?" Ann asked her in a soft voice. The girl nodded slowly, weakly. "Then you can trust us, we will get you out of here. You will be safe, hon, I swear."
As Akira unsheathed the knife behind her, the red-haired girl seemed to relax slightly more at Ann's words. While her eyes still welled with tears, they seemed to no longer be those of shock, but of hope, an uncertain relief she was clinging to against all odds. Akira pulled on the leather strap quickly, and in one smooth motion, the knife cleaved through the leather like hot butter to both his and Ann's surprise. The red-haired girl whirled around in her seat, once again scared nearly out of her skin, but became still as stone when the ball gag tumbled out of her mouth and to the floor.
She gasped for air, titling her head upwards to the light above her before sputtering out saliva on herself. Drool trailed down her mouth as coughed, with Ann rubbing her back as the girl tried to collect herself. "It's okay," Ann tried to sooth her. "You're okay, you're alright. Just get it all out."
The girl let out one more long, hard cough that nearly made her vomit, but she swallowed it back down her throat with a loud gulp. She inhaled deeply as Ann continued to rub her back. "Th-thank you," the girl gasped out in a shaky voice, trying her best not to break down crying again. "Thank you so much…"
"Just a second, and you'll be out of those restraints," Akira said as he got to work cutting into the leather straps around her. The restraints were fastened around her bust, her waist, her ankles, and another strap was around her hands behind the wooden chair. The leather was dirty, appearing to be molding, and reeked of horrid, unthinkable scents and substances. It only took a couple saws for Akira to cut through the straps, and the girl immediately wrapped her arms around herself. She began to seemingly zone out, getting lost within herself as her gaze became long and unfocused, staring off into nothingness.
Behind the three of them, Ryuji was inspecting a small table of dirty, muck-covered metal. On the table were, strangely, a collection of medical instruments, such as surgical knives, scalpels, and needles. All these instruments were just as unsanitary as the table they were on and the room around them. On another shelf to his left, Ryuji spied an assortment of instruments of depravity – foul and debased perversions of what would normally be referred to as "adult toys", many connected to worker's tools such as electric drills and other such things one would normally find in a garage and not the bedroom. I really hope they didn't get to use any of this shit on her, Ryuji thought, glancing back to the girl.
He spied Akira and Ann trying to console the girl as she curled up into herself. She breathed shallowly, shivering occasionally despite the humid heat of the room they were in. A stray tear fell down her face every few seconds.
"Hey," Akira whispered to her, lightly rubbing her shoulder. Eyes wide and bloodshot, she looked over to him with fear and sickness in her gaze. "What's your name?"
The girl looked between himself and Ann, whom she seemed to be more comfortable interacting with. "It's okay," Ann nodded, "you can tell us. Just start with your name, okay?"
The girl looked back down to the floor, rocking herself back and forth in the chair slowly. Her fingers tapped on her shoulders, her jaw was clenched tightly. Her feet, only in damp, dirty socks, shuffled on the floor under her. "M… my name i-is… Yoshizawa… K-Kasumi Yoshizawa…"
"Okay, Kasumi," Ann tried to smile for her, "you can come with us and we'll get you to safety, alright? You're going to be just fine—"
"But he's still here!" Kasumi whirled around in her seat, shouting into Ann's face with an expression as if she had just been in a car accident. "How can we escape if he's still he-he-heeere…!?" Kasumi began to cry again, growing more frantic and panicking again.
"We got to get her out of here," Akira said imperatively. "She needs to get to a hospital or something."
Ryuji then put a hand on Akira's shoulder. "The Doc can look at her when we get back. She'll be able to help her out."
"'She'?"
"Yeah, she's a woman. Might be a bit more comfortable for Yoshizawa here, in that case."
"You're right," said Ann. She then tried to help Kasumi to her feet, but the girl was resistant. "Come on, Kasumi, you don't need to spend any more time here."
"But he's still here!"
"But you won't be," Ann looked her dead in the eyes, as if trying to instill her own strength into Kasumi. Whatever she was doing must have worked, because the girl then slowly, shakily rose to her feet with Ann's help. "Wh-who are you people?" Kasumi asked as she fought to maintain her balance.
"The good guys," said Ann. "We're gonna help you and anyone else here get away from him."
Ryuji nodded resolutely. "We're not leaving anyone behind. We won't let anyone else be hurt by him. Including you."
Kasumi did not exhibit much reaction, but Ann felt her relax a little more on her shoulder. Ann was surprised at how light the girl was even when most of her bodyweight was resting on her, and this only concerned her more. She wanted to ask Kasumi how long she had been here, how did she get here, and what all had happened to her, but Ann knew there would be a better time for the conversation.
"A-a phone…" Kasumi mumbled tearfully. "Could you please get me to a phone? I… I need to call my family…" Her voice trailed off as she began to cry more.
"We'll get you to a phone as soon as we can," Ann said as they started to walk. "Just walk slowly with me, okay?" Kasumi nodded.
Not wanting the poor girl to hear him, Akira stepped closer to Ryuji and spoke quietly to him. "Hey, what about Kamoshida? If you want to stay and look for him, I can take Kasumi outside and you guys can go on ahead. This is your fight far more than it is mine."
Ryuji looked away from his friend. "As much as I'd like to hunt the bastard down right now, I think saving a life is a lot more important than our personal vendetta. That bastard isn't going anywhere without getting shot to hell. We'll make sure she's okay then come back, all three of us." He held out his fist to Akira with a grin, who bumped it in kind. "Besides, I think Kasumi could use some female attention for a little bit. You and I might just scare her more."
"I was thinking that too," Akira nodded. "At least you're not going to be kicking all the ass around here."
"I'll save a couple scraps for you."
They smirked at each other confidently as they walked behind Ann, who was trying her best to keep Kasumi calm. She whispered comforting things to her, and despite the panic still assaulting her, Kasumi made a hard and genuine effort to hone in on her savior's words. She nodded at Ann's soft voice, walked at a slow and steady pace, and kept her gaze forward and focused on their exit.
Then there was a shrill, throaty scream from behind them.
"What the fuck?" Ryuji whirled around on his heel, bringing his hand to his gun again. Kasumi screamed and wrapped her arms around Ann with all her might, which confirmed to the blond that she at least had some strength in her.
There was another similar shriek, and the sound of bounding, heavy footsteps rushing from far away to their right, back near the room they had found Kasumi in. Whatever it was, it was sprinting right for them.
"Ann, go," Akira commanded.
"What is that…?" Ann asked as she then held Kasumi tighter.
"Just run, we'll take care of this."
"P-please," Kasumi whispered, eyes as wide as plates.
There was a loud crashing noise, like something metal was just toppled over, and then in the doorway appeared a man, hunched over in ratty jeans and no shirt. He was scratching himself all over, drawing blood that smeared his arms and torso. He breathed heavily, erratically and let out grunts and groans in the same way.
"You gotta be kidding me," Akira muttered as he felt his body go nearly numb from fear.
The fiend bounded forward like an animal. The four young adults screamed. Neither Akira or Ryuji had time to pull out their guns before he made contact with Akira, nearly tackling him to the ground. He would have been flattened under the thin man if not for Ryuji grabbing his arm at the last possible instant. The fiend pushed against Akira, breathing heavily and slobbering into his face. Akira roared and kneed the man in the gut before Ryuji punched him to the ground.
Kasumi and Ann recoiled away from the fight, the redhead clinging to Ann for dear life. "Come on!" Ann shouted to her, turning toward the exit. Kasumi summoned all the strength in her body to run with Ann as Akira and Ryuji tried to subdue the fiend.
"Errrgh, stay down, you bastard!" Akira shouted as they pinned him down.
"The hell is this guy on!?" Ryuji shouted. The fiend thrashed about, shouting incoherently and gurgling in his throat. Foam erupted from his mouth as he tried to kick at Ryuji and Akira. "I said SHUT UP!" Ryuji brought down a powerful punch to the fiend's mouth, breaking two teeth and filling his mouth with blood. This only made him angrier, and he was about to break free from their grasp.
That same feeling from the interrogation welled in Akira. That same foggy adrenaline, indeterminate and all-encompassing. All he knew was this man, this abomination, must be subdued.
The world once again, for the briefest moment, seemed to quiet as he grabbed the man's elbow and cocked it upward. There was a snapping noise, the fiend screamed, and blood began to pour out of the new wound like a flowing river. The bone had broken the skin. The pain caused the man to stop thrashing for a moment, and Akira and Ryuji took advantage of the brief calm. Ryuji punched him again, this time in his temple. His head bounced hard against the cold, metal flooring. He did not scream, only groaned. Akira got to his feet and grabbed the man's straggly hair. He shouted a battle cry and punched the fiend in the temple again.
Another hard bounce off the floor, and there was silence.
Breathing heavily, Akira and Ryuji rose to their feet. They looked down over their opponent, the reality of the situation only then hitting them.
"Holy shit," Ryuji whispered.
Fearing the worst, Akira asked, "He still alive?"
Ryuji rubbed his eyes and looked the man again. He nodded. "Still breathing, but barely. God, what kinda drugs was this guy on?"
"We're safe, that's what matters," said Akira.
"Don't be so confident," Kamoshida's voice came over the intercom again.
"Oh, you gotta be shitting me!" said Ryuji.
"I'm afraid I'm not, Sakamoto. But I am impressed you were able to take down my boy there so easily. And I got it all on tape too," he said proudly. "Though we never got to the main event, you guys could have a future in this business if you were a little more adventurous."
"Fuck this guy, Ryuji," Akira said. "Let's just make sure the girls are alright."
"Don't have to tell me twice."
"Aw, you're gonna just leave me high and dry?"
"Oh, we'll be back for you," Ryuji scowled. "There's just other people here who's lives actually have worth."
"You know, that may be the best comeback I've ever heard from you, Ryuji. Go on then, get your friends, be the knights in shining armor saving the princess from the goddamn castle guarded by a fucking dragon! It won't make any difference! I am not the dragon in this story, idiots! I am the king! And I will make sure you all know that better than you know your own names!"
Akira decided to simply walk away, with Ryuji in tow, to find the girls. "I wanna say it's pathetic," he began. "I want to insult the guy, bring him down a peg. But after that guy he sent after us…"
"He really is dangerous," said Ryuji. "Keep your guard up from now on. Oh, and Akira…" Ryuji grabbed his arm, stopping him dead in his tracks. Akira looked to him with a puzzled expression, but Ryuji was that of abject rage, and fear. "Don't you dare hold back. If you've got to fight, then fight like hell, man."
Akira lowered his head as Ryuji let go of his arm. "We may be with yakuza, but we're doing the right thing. We're heroes, Ryuji… Right?"
The moment of silence was long. "I don't know…"