Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Black Hawke ❯ Truth and Trust ( Chapter 13 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

My heart and love goes out to everyone who came to support me in my time of need and grief. Thank you to every single one of you. I have never felt such an overwhelming wave of support and love as I have the last month/especially the last 2 weeks. I really don't even know what to say. It just goes to show that there are so many wonderful and priceless people in this world. I am honored and humbled to call each of you my friend...and I consider myself blessed beyond what I deserve. God bless... Belle, Tameka, Eien ni Kawaii, AngelAngel, Caskas Lyrik, and to all of those who sent e-mails and personal letters. It is surprising at times to find out how much one is loved.

Mangetsu
aka
Kanzen ne Tsuki



Chapter 13
Truth and Trust


His sharp eyes spotted them when they got out of the sleek black sports car and he knew if they played their cards right, this was the mark that could get them off the streets and send Nina back to school. The guy was tall, good-looking, and loaded. It was obvious by the car he drove, the way he dressed, the way he moved, and the beautiful ebon-haired woman he escorted inside. A wallet like that would be full of ‘petty cash' numbering in the thousands–enough to hold them while he found a real job and a place to live.

He couldn't let this one pass by. It was too sweet, too perfect–it was meant to be.

Of course, Nina didn't like it. She never did.

"They look like nice people, Sou." Her eyes were worried as she watched the smiling couple disappear inside the restaurant. "They don't look the type that would be gypping their employees and taking kick-backs..."

"Nina, you can't tell that stuff just by looking as someone, come on. Besides, the insurance payment on his car is more money than we've ever seen in one place at a time anyway... it's not like he's going to miss it, so get over it, will ya? We aren't stealing from a poor man, here. He can afford it."

"I suppose, but this is the last time, right? You said it was."

"I know I said it was, why do you think I picked such a sweet mark?" His look was pointed and he cupped her face. "You stay here. I don't want you involved this time. I can do this alone, okay?"

"Soujiro..." Nina tried to protest, but he shook his head and stuffed her back behind the bushes.

"I said ‘no', sis. I got it all figured out, and I don't want you in it. This has to go off a little different ‘cause this guy is young, so I don't want you around just in case it does go south, understand?"

"Fine, but if something happens, I'm not leaving you."

"Nina..."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Fine, but you stay right here and don't you move, got it?"

"Got it." He turned to leave and she grabbed his coat sleeve. "Be careful, Sou. I got a bad feeling about this."

"Hey, I'll be fine." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "It's me... remember." Then he jogged off toward the valet's booth, disappearing inside.

OooooOooooOooooOooooOooooO


It was the first time Kaoru was inside a fancy restaurant and she was as wide-eyed as a small child. The chandeliers and rich brocade carpet left her speechless, and when they were seated at a table with a white silk table cloth, silver candlesticks with vanilla tapers and burgundy linen napkins folded into swans her hands started to shake. She wasn't sure she was supposed to touch anything.

"What's the matter?" Aoshi asked, his eyes sparkling and a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You look like a kid in a candy store with Grandma... excited beyond belief but too scared to touch anything."

"Umm," she nibbled a fingernail for a fast second, and then nodded. "Yup, that about covers it." Her glowing eyes scanned his face with anticipation and trepidation. "What do you do with the swan-things?"

"They're napkins, Kay. You put them in your lap when the food comes."

"You mean you mess them up?" She looked horrified. "But they're so pretty and somebody went to so much trouble to make them look like that."

"That's their job, silly. And, yes, you're supposed to mess them up. That's what they're here for." He couldn't help but chuckle. Being with her was like learning to live life all over again, only it was fun this time. "You don't want to get crumbs and stuff on that gorgeous dress, do you?"

"Well, no, but don't they have paper napkins for that?"

"No," he said and laughed, kissing her cheek. "The linen ones work better anyway."

"They're linen? Real linen?"

"Yup. No cheap cotton for my girl." He tweaked her nose and watched her eyes get rounder. "Maybe I'll pay to have someone come feed you as well."

"They do that?" She looked like her mouth was going to take up residence in her lap. "You are kidding...aren't you?"

He looked at her for a long minute, enjoying the indecision that fluttered across her face. He knew she was too smart to really fall for his joke, but he was reveling in the fact that he was making her question what she knew to be true because she was so far out of her element, she didn't know what went one in this outrageous world of over-spending and lavish comfort.

"Aoshi?" She was starting to sound desperate.

"No, Angel," he gave in, smiling and tweaking her nose again. "They don't really do that, but it was fun to watch you try and decide if they might or not."

"Ewww, you rotten... I can't believe you did that!" Her words were angry but her eyes were laughing. "That was mean, Mr. Shinomori, and I'm not going to forget you did that."

"Really? Should I be worried?" He asked, running his finger down the length of her arm.

"Yes, you should. I can be very vindictive when I want to be."

"I see...but do you really want to be? Vindictive, that is?" Pale blue eyes met and locked with shimmering dark blue and sparks ignited as they both smiled and leaned together. "There are so many other ways to use that energy of yours besides pouring it into vindictiveness–wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely," she replied, letting her breath fan across his lips. "But you know how much I hate letting you win."

"Yes, I know." He smiled, crocking his finger under her chin. "We need to work on your attitude."

"Ahem..." A nervous voice interrupted them and Aoshi turned to meet the equally nervous eyes of their young waiter. "Are y-you ready to order, sir?"

"Yes, but I don't think what I want is on your menu, young man."

"Aoshi!" Kaoru's voice was low and embarrassed as she slammed her fist into his thigh. He didn't even flinch.

"Ex-excuse me, sir?" The waiter cast a confused look between the handsome couple afraid to acknowledge the comment in fear that he would escalate some sort of deviant behavior that might cost him his job.

"Nothing, young man." Aoshi grinned, and picked up the menu. "May I order for you, sweetheart?" He asked Kaoru in the most innocent voice he could muster.

"Please," she responded, trying to hide her blush behind a cough.

"Very good," He pursed his lips and choked down a laugh, turned to the waiter, and ordered their dinner. Kaoru just sat playing with the swan napkin and refused to meet the waiter's eyes. The rest of dinner was spent trying to field Aoshi's outrageous sense of humor, his veiled sexual advances, and dealing with the culture shock of her life.

She was still licking the fudge syrup from her dessert off her fingers when they walked out the front doors. Aoshi laughed as he signaled for the valet. It had all been worth it just to see her face when the waiter brought her that huge sundae. She looked like the cat that ate the canary and then got caviar as a reward. He ordered coffee, leaned back and watched the show.

"You know I'm gonna have to work out for a month just to burn off all these calories, don't you?" She giggled, sucking on her thumb.

"No you won't, ragdoll." His eyes grazed a hot path down her back and over her rearend. "I'll work it off you in no time. No worries."

"Aoshi, geez... cut it out." The blush staining her cheeks spread across her chest as she ducked into his shoulder. "Somebody is going to hear you."

"So," he replied, wrapping a possessive arm around her waist and nuzzling her. "They'll just be jealous it's me and not them." He felt her shiver against him and he kissed her forehead. "Stop it," he chided, rubbing her back. "Nobody heard anything, and even if they did, what does it matter. You said you loved me, right?"

"Right."

"Well?" He gently butted her head, making her look up at him. "We're allowed then, yes?"

"Allowed?"

"To tease each other in public." His smile was devastating and she laughed, letting him brush his lips across hers. "Mellow out, girl. Your spunk and bravery are two of the things I like about you the most."

"Really?" Her eyes were wide as she stroked his cheek. "I didn't know that."

"Well, now you do. Don't get a big head."

"Ummm, excuse me, sir? Ticket?"

Aoshi turned and looked into the young face of the valet who had quietly approached them. He was a young man, maybe eighteen to twenty with bluish eyes and an open smile. "I haven't seen you here before," he said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out the pink ticket. "I thought I knew all the valets."

"Just started." The youth said with a grin. "Be right back." And he bounded off toward the parking lot.

"Hmm," Aoshi rubbed his chin and pulled Kaoru's coat closer around her shoulders as he led her over to a bench to wait.

"What?" she asked, sitting down and crossing her legs. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." he said. "Maybe nothing. Don't worry about it." He gave her a reassuring smile and buttoned his trench. That was uncharacteristic for him and he could tell she was confused. "Just do what I tell you and everything will be fine, alright?"

"Okay."

In a few minutes, Aoshi's car came screeching around the corner and stopped in front of the restaurant. The youth stepped out, the grin still on his face. He made sure the pink tickets matched and then walked over to the couple sitting on the bench.

"Here ya go," he said, offering Aoshi the keys to the car. "She sure is a beauty, Mister. Drives like a well bred woman." He winked and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "A pleasure to return her to you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed driving her, young man." Aoshi stood up and carefully accepted the keys. It was the boy's third mistake, handing the keys to the customer instead of escorting him back to his running vehicle. His first mistake was asking for the ticket. The customer was supposed to go the Valets booth and present his ticket for the redemption of his vehicle. His second mistake was in not introducing himself to Aoshi after he made it known he was frequent enough to the restaurant that he knew the valets. His fourth mistake was in the over all handling of the customer and the customer's vehicle as well as his speech. Perhaps someone who was not as familiar with the world of service as Aoshi wouldn't have picked up on all of the mistakes, but to him they were glaring. This boy was no valet. He was very likely a thief and Aoshi and Kaoru had been marked for fleecing when they arrived. The boy had then procured a loose jacket from the booth, the ticket to his car, and simply waited for them to leave the restaurant. Nice plan, the kid just picked a bad mark.

"Yes, sir. One day I'm going to own me a car like this." The boy followed Aoshi to the car as he escorted Kaoru to the passenger door. "Yup, I've got plans to make more of myself than just being a valet forever."

"Great aspirations, eh?" Aoshi looked over his shoulder and gauged the kids movements and could see him trying to figure out how to get past the buttoned trench. He hadn't counted on that. The open gapping flaps of a loose trench would have been much easier to get past, but he could tell the kid wasn't giving up yet. That made him curious, and so he kept the conversation going. "Just what do you plan to do? Go to college?"

"Yes, sir. I'm going to be a Graphics Artist."

"Really? That's very interesting. There's getting to be quite a market for those these days with all the computer graphics technology out there. Is that what you're planning?" His eyes caught Kaoru's and he saw the questions in her gaze, but he merely shook his head and shut the door behind her, turning back to the valet. "I know of a great program at the technical college if you're interested?"

"I-ah... I'll look into it, thanks." The smile wavered slightly. "Have a good night."

"You too." Aoshi turned and walked around the car to open his door, unbuttoning his trench. He watched the kid circle the car in the opposite direction, as if he were going to help the people in the vehicle next to him, and as it happened, he opened the passenger door a little too soon, thumping Aoshi in the back just before he was able to get in. The blow pushed him against the frame of his car just enough to knock him off balance. The kid was right there to help. Just as Aoshi knew he would be.

"Oh, wow! I'm sorry, Mister. I didn't think the cars were that close together. Are you okay?" He actually sounded concerned. Nice touch.

"I'm fine, thank you." He looked down into the contrite face and smiled coldly. "I appreciate your concern. Now, if you'd give me back my wallet, we'll call it even."

"Wh-what?" The boy turned a pale shade of gray.

"It was a good lift. I'll give you that. I almost didn't feel a thing, but your set up was piss-poor and I knew it was coming."

"I-I don't know..."

"Suck it up, brat!" Aoshi hissed in the boys suddenly frightened face. "You're small time to me, got it? I saw you coming a mile away, I just wanted to see if you could really pull it off. You get full marks for going all the way, but you suck, puppy! Now cough up the wallet and get in the back seat... Now!" A terrified ‘gulp' followed his words and a trembling hand dropped his black leather wallet into his outstretched hand. "Good. At least you aren't as stupid as you are inept. Now get in the car."

"Wha-what are you going to do? Turn me in?"

The boy started to back up, but Aoshi grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back with a snarl. "No, worse. I'm gonna take you home with me." He turned and shoved the boy into the back seat and flipped his seat back before getting in. "You don't know who you're messing with, puppy, but you will."

"Hey, you can't do this, Mister. It's kidnapping!"

"Okay, then we'll go to the Police Station... you're choice." Aoshi stared hard into the blue- gray eyes reflected in his rearview mirror. "What's is gonna be?"

"We gotta go get my sister." Was the mumbled reply. "I can't leave her behind."

"You were stupid enough to get your sister involved in this?" Aoshi slammed the door of the car and turned the key. "What kind of idiot puppy are you anyway?"

"Hey!" The boy finally got mad. "We're all each others got, okay. This is the only way I can take care of her. I can't leave her behind." His face was turning red and his fists were clenched in his lap.

"Stupid fucking kids." Aoshi muttered and turned to look at Kaoru. "Sorry baby. Looks like the rest of ‘dessert' just got cancelled."

"It's okay." She said and touched his face, and then she turned and glared at the boy in the back seat. "Where's your sister?"

"In the bushes on the side of the restaurant. She's probably freaking out about now."

"Great." Kaoru got out of the car and traded looks with Aoshi. "I'll go get her. You better move the car before people start wondering what the hell is going on."

"Good idea. I'll meet you over there."

She nodded and pulled her jacket around her neck before turning toward the side of the building. There were a cluster of trees and bushes at the corner and beyond. The girl was probably over there. It didn't take but a minute for her to get there, but walking through the grass and twigs in her heels was interesting. ‘Damn,' she thought. ‘I forgot to ask what her name was.'

"Hello?" That sounded stupid, but it was the only thing she could think of. "I know you're over here. Your brother said you were. I'm not here to hurt you, I want to talk to you." She stopped and listened, waited, heard nothing so kept moving. "We're going to try and help you. We aren't taking you to the police if that's what you're afraid of, so come out, okay. There is no reason for you to stay hiding. Besides it's cold out here, and these shoes are killing me."

"If you aren't taking us to the Police, where are we going?" The voice was close and almost scared Kaoru out of her stilettos.

"To a safe place. Somewhere where we can talk about what you and your brother do with your spare time."

"We don't steal because we like it, you know. It's the only way we can live."

"No, there are always ways to live besides stealing. Even if you have to work in a stinky, greasy diner, there are other ways. Trust me."

"Why should I? You don't know what it's like to be poor."

"Yes, I do." Kaoru tried to home in on the voice and walked toward the sound. "I'm not rich even if my boyfriend is. I worked in a stinky, greasy diner for almost five years and I live in an old run down house that has crappy pluming and thin walls, and I grew up in the slums and ghettos, so don't tell me I don't understand."

"Then what are you doing in a place like this?"

"Because," she said, as she found the dark-haired girl curled up on the ground with her knees tucked under her chin. "Aoshi thinks taking me places I've never been is fun because he likes to watch my reaction. It makes it fun for him because he feels like he's seeing everything all over again through my eyes."

"Really?" The girl sat up and looked at Kaoru. "He knows your poor?"

"Yes, he knows. We met that way. He pulled me out of the diner. He wanted to make my life better and he gave me a better job because he thinks I'm smart. He hates it when I say I'm not good enough for him because of where I come from. He says it doesn't matter... and to him, it doesn't seem to. So, come on. It'll be okay. I promise."

"I..." She stood up and tentatively took Kaoru's outstretched hand. "I'm scared."

"I know. I would be too."

"My name is Nina."

"I'm Kaoru, but everyone calls me Kay."

"It's nice to meet you, Kay."

"You too, Nina."

**********

"You killed him, didn't you? Karl? You killed him?" Yumi's eyes were flat and despondent as she watched her boyfriend going through invoices from the latest shipments. His face was impassive and cold. It was the same look he got before they torched the warehouse.

"What's that you said, baby?"

"Karl? You killed him when you and Osui went out to the boat, didn't you? That's why Terry's name is all over the new invoices." She really didn't want to know, but some insane power of curiosity made her ask. She just kept hoping he would tell her it was Osui that killed the Mexican.

"He was getting ready to rat us out to the Coast Guard, Yumi, or the DEA. Anyway, he was making a deal with somebody for my head and he was jeopardizing everything. That made him too big a liability to leave hanging around. I had to get rid of him. You understand, don't you?" His big vermilion eyes looked into her shocked face and he smiled. "I feel much more confident about our safety than I have for quite awhile, so you can relax. The only thing we have to worry about is your boss, and I think I have things figured out to deal with him."

"What?" A cold shiver passed over her skin leaving gooseflesh in its wake. "What are you going to do?"

"The same thing I do with all liabilities, baby. Eliminate them."

"What does that mean, Shishio? Are you going to kill him?"

"Of course. It seems the logical thing to do. Don't you think?" He laughed when she stood up and ran to the window of their motel room. "Don't be so dramatic, Yumi. I know you didn't think he was going to make it out of this unmarked? He has to go, and his red-headed friend too. They both represent way too much danger for us. If I don't get rid of them, we could all go to jail, including you. Have you thought of that?"

"No," her voice was shaking and she felt like she was going puke. "I guess I didn't think about that really. But I didn't think you'd kill them either. You said no one was going to get hurt, remember?"

"Yeah, well, that was before. Things change, baby, and plans have to change with them. I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"No, you're not." She turned on him and snarled through the tears spilling down her face. "You're trying to save your own ass. I don't figure into this except I'm one of your liabilities. What happens next, Shish? Are you going to kill me too?"

"Hadn't planned on it, Yumi." He looked at her from beneath heavy lashes. "Don't give me any reasons and you're perfectly safe."

"That makes me feel so much better."

"It should." He stood up and moved to put his hands on her shoulders. "I love you, baby. If I didn't, I wouldn't have brought you with me." Shishio tried to kiss her but she pulled away and turned back to the window. "I don't do that very often, you know."

"Well, maybe I wish you hadn't." He voice grated. "I was doing good before you started all this shit with the drugs and money hiding. Why couldn't you have just left me alone? Why?" Hoarse sobs shook her body and her hands rose to cover her face. "I worked so hard to clean myself up. Why did you do this to me?"

"You knew what you were doing, bitch." Rough hands grabbed her and Yumi was yanked against Shishio's hard chest. "So don't try and play the wounded kitten with me. I told you I'd protect you, and I will."

"By killing people?" She screamed. "You never said you were going to kill people."

"Do you want to go to jail, Yumi?" He snarled into her face. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life in the slammer for trafficking in a controlled substance with the intent to sell?"

"But... but I never..."

"You're an accessory because you helped me, you stupid bitch. You kept my books. You knew what I was hiding I the warehouse, you knew everything." He grabbed her by the arm and threw her across the confined space, watching as she bounced precariously across the unmade bed. "You had the choice of turning me in a long time ago, and you didn't. You chose to keep my dirty little secret and let me hide behind your skirt. That makes you just as fucking guilty as I am."

"But I loved you," her voice was raw with pain and the fist sized lump growing in her throat threatened to cut off her ability to breath. "You said you loved me too. Was that just so I'd hide your damned money?" She stared at the hard lines of his face, the glowing vermilion eyes, the thin pressed lips, and began to cry in earnest. "That's all it was, wasn't it? You never really cared about me at all, did you? It was just because I sat at that desk and had access to all of those files and the bank notes... and because I was an easy target." Shisho looked away and glared out the window.

"You don't understand," he gritted out between his teeth."

"Sure I do," she whispered. "Girls like me are a dime a dozen to a guy like you. Except maybe I was a little better in bed than some. I played your ego better...God, I'm so stupid. I thought... I thought you really cared about me."

"I do." The admission was made in a vicious hiss of air. "But make no mistakes. If you push me too far..." He turned and locked gazes with her, his words trailing off as a warped sense of passion flared between them. Leaving her behind had never been an option. He just wasn't prepared to let her know that.

Yumi gasped as Shisho crossed the room, climbed onto the bed with her, and pulled her roughly into his arms. His shoulder length pale, brown hair brushed her face as he buried his mouth in her throat and grazed his teeth across the tender flesh. Shuddering with heat and cold together, she laced her arms around his torso and curled her hands over his shoulders, pulling him against her body. Already she could feel the hard rod of his penis pressing into one of her thighs and desire, raw and primitive, quaked through her, shoving her hips upward into his pelvis.

"Butterfly..." he groaned into the heat of her throat as his tongue darted out to taste the sweetness of her, his hands reaching beneath her to palm her ass. "I do care, Yumi." He rasped, raising up to look down into her flushed face. The brilliance of her turquoise eyes took his breath away. They always did, and whatever else he'd planned on saying was lost as he dipped into her and seized her trembling mouth in a hungry kiss. The fullness of her bottom lip quivered between his teeth and he nipped and licked at it's swollen length over and over until she moaned.

Yumi could feel herself losing whatever control over her thoughts and emotions she had left as Shishio kissed her. It was always like this. Ever since the first time he laid lips to her. It was like trying to stop a tidal wave from crashing onto the beach. She couldn't help herself. He was the Master and she was his violin. He played her strings and she sang whatever song he asked of her. She knew she was in love with him, but to what end would it lead her? She didn't know. And as he thrust his cock deep inside of her willing body, she knew she didn't care. As long as there was this small part of heaven to be had with him, she would follow him to the farthest reaches of hell if he asked her to.

Yumi screamed and clawed Shishio's back as her orgasm exploded, leaving her limp and panting. He followed soon behind her, grabbing her ass in his hands and slamming into her like a hammer until the shudders of his own climax raged through his body. Together they collapsed on the bed and drifted into a fitful, almost drugged sleep.

Hours later, held snugly inside the strength of his arms, Yumi realized that even though she would follow Shishio into hell, she couldn't let him kill anyone else. Especially not Mr. Shinomori and Mr. Himura. Those were two things she absolutely couldn't let him do, no matter what it cost her. Even him.

************

"Wow! You live here?" Soujiro looked around the huge apartment with wide eyes. He had only seen places like this when it involved a mark. He'd never been inside one as a guest. "This is sweet."

"I'm so pleased you approve." Aoshi exchanged half smiles with Kaoru as the two watched the awe struck young man wander through ‘Hawke's' downtown pad. The same brownstone he'd taken Kaoru to the first time. "It's my home away from home...you could say."

"You mean, this isn't your only place?"

"No, this is just my southside place." Aoshi took off his trench and helped Kaoru off with her coat. "My house is on the eastside in a much quieter neighborhood. But I don't go up there very often. I prefer the mixed company I find down here." He moved to hang the coats up and then turned to the youth standing in the middle of the room. "Where do you live...at the moment?"

"Live?" Soujiro was caught off guard by the question. "Ah..."

"We don't live anywhere at the moment." Nina stepped up beside her brother and took his arm. "We're just street people, I guess you could say."

"Nina... for God's sake!" Soujiro's eyes took on an angry glint.

"Well, it's true. I don't see any reason to lie to this man. Obviously he's going to know if you are anyway, so why make the effort?"

"She's got a point there, kid." Aoshi chuckled and walked into the room. "You are one of the better thieves and liars I've come across in quite a while, but you're way out of your league with me...so don't waste your time. All you're going to do is get me pissed off, and all that does is upset my girl. So, let's not go there, hmm?"

"Yeah, whatever." Soujiro turned a mutinous face toward the stairs and became silent. Asohi grinned. Stubborn. Spirited. Arrogant. Excellent.

"So, I take it you don't have a steady hang-out to sleep in?"

"No."

"No job... real job, to speak of?"

"No."

"Anybody looking for you... like parents or police?"

"No."

"No parents?" Aoshi looked hard at the fine-boned profile.

"No, no parents."

"Our mom died a couple years ago." Nina provided when she saw her brother wasn't going to. "She got pneumonia and... and..."

"I understand," Aoshi suddenly had the feeling he wasn't talking to a couple of runaways. Something was not quite right. "Would you like to sit down?" He asked, quietly and received an odd look from the boy he'd estimated to be about eighteen. "I'll get us all something to drink."

"Sure, thanks."

Aoshi motioned Kaoru to join him in the kitchen. "How old do you think those two are?" He asked as he reached in the fridge for some soda.

"I don't know. I guess sixteen, eighteen or so. Why do you ask?"

"That's what I thought to, but now I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean? You think their younger?"

"No," he locked gazes with her. "Older."

"Older?" she looked incredulous. "Did you look at their faces, Aoshi? Their babies."

"I don't think so. I think they can pass themselves off as ‘babies', but I think that young man out there is a lot older than that. In fact, I'd almost bet he's in his twenties. Her too, possibly."

"How can you say that? They don't even act..."

"Don't they?" He raised an eyebrow at her. You ever see a kid get that pissed for having to admit he lives on the street? Most kids are proud to say they can make it on their own on the streets." He cocked his head. "And how many kids would be willing to admit they don't have anyone looking for them–unless their runaways and don't want anyone looking for them? And if you were a street kid, would you tell me you did or didn't have a job if I asked you?"

"Hmm," Kaoru thought about it. When she was a kid after her folks died, it was imperative that everyone thought she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself so she didn't end up in some shitty foster home. If these two were caught doing what they were doing at the age she thought they were, their biggest concern besides Juvy would be getting split up. Neither mentioned a word about that. Not one word. "I think I see what you're getting at. What are you going to do?"

"Just a little experiment."

Kaoru nodded and followed him back to the couch. The boy and his sister were sitting close, whispering something to each other when they approached, but immediately stopped, watching Aoshi with wary eyes.

"Thought you might like some soda." He said innocently, offering each a glass with ice and Pepsi. "It's been a rough night for everybody, ne?"

"Guess so," Soujiro took a drink and then sat with a brooding look on his face, staring at the glass coffee table with it's odd collection of magazines and Japanese coasters. "Should we use those so we don't get rings on the table?"

"I'd appreciate it. Water rings are a little unsightly on glass."

"Okay. Here sis," Sou slid one of the decorated coasters her direction. She carefully leaned forward and set her glass on it while perching like a parakeet on the edge of the velour couch. "Thanks," Sou darted a quick glance at his host. "The drinks good."

"Not a problem. Do you guys want something to eat? I have a full fridge too."

"Nah, we're fine, thanks."

"Suit yourselves. I always keep an over stock of food for company. I never know how many ‘kids' I'm going to have in here, so I like to be prepared."

"You-you keep kids?" Nina's aqua eyes grew round in her pretty face as she stared at the tall man who was lowering himself onto the opposite couch. "Why would you have kids in here?"

Aoshi smiled and beckoned Kaoru to set with him. "I collect them." He said smoothly and watched both faces across from him pale. "Runaways mostly. I pick them up off the street and put them to work for me."

"You run...sweatshops full of kids?" Soujiro was choking on his drink. "What sort of animal are you and what kind of business do you run? Jesus! They're just kids for God's sake. How could you take advantage like that? Somebodies going to report you to the police one of these days."

"No, I doubt it. The police know exactly what I'm doing. Sometimes, they even send me kids they get. We have an...arrangement."

"You own the cops too?? Are you the fucking Mafia?" Soujiro leapt to his feet, grabbed Nina's hand, pulling her to her feet. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, Mister, but you aren't getting your meat hooks into me or my sister. We might be thieves, but at least we aren't dishonorable. I'd never force a kid to do my dirty work. That's just wrong, man, and you know it, so I say that makes you way worse than me. I never take anything from anyone who can't afford it, and I never take more than what can get us by. You think I like doing this? You think I like being a pick-pocket? Well, I don't, but I can't let my sister starve..."

"So get a real job." Aoshi took a slow drink and watched carefully. "Be respectable and stop stealing if you hate it so much."

"Coming from a low-life like you, that's rich. What do you know about it?"

"Plenty. Do you always judge people by what you see of them? Is that what being a pick-pocket has taught you?"

"What?" The question threw Soujiro and he stumbled in his angry tirade. "I don't judge people at all. My father taught me to give people a chance before I decide what they have to offer to my life...and what I have to offer theirs."

"Hmm, your father sounds like a smart man. Too bad he isn't here now, ne? I wonder what he would think of your chosen profession?"

"Shut-up! You don't have the right to talk about my father. He was a descent, hard-working man who gave everything for his family...including his life."

"Okay, fine. I have no right to talk about your father, but do you really believe you have the right defend him and what he taught you considering what you've done to your life... and your sisters?" Aoshi watched as the color drained completely from the youth's face. "Is this what he wanted for you, or her? Yes, no?"

"No."

"What are you supposed to be doing?"

"I..."

"Would you be out of college by now if he were still alive?" It was a gamble, but Aoshi had a feeling he was looking at a young man in his mid twenties, not a teenager.

"Yes," Soujiro sank back into the cushions of the couch, elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. "Two years ago."

"And what would you have been?" He prodded gently.

"A computer graphics designer."

"And your sister..."

"Nina has three years left to finish her law degree."

"When did your father die? Sounds like awhile ago."

"Five years ago. He was killed in an industrial accident."

"What kind?" Aoshi put his glass on the table and leaned forward to listen better. "What kind of work did he do?"

"Construction... high steel." Nina began to cry softly. "There was an accident when one of the cables on the crane snapped and the load it was carrying got dumped across the I-beam he and a couple of the other guys were standing on. It jarred it so violently, all three of them fell off. It was twenty-five stories straight down. He never had a chance. None of them did."

"Oh my God," Kaoru gasped and covered her mouth as the image flashed through her mind. "Oh, that's horrible. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"Was that here in town?" Aoshi asked, something in the back of his mind tickling uncomfortably. Five years ago. He'd been back from Paris for about a year and was neck-deep in his father's business affairs trying to sort out what was what. One of Dutch's close competitors suffered a terrible industrial accident on one of their building sites causing the deaths of several workers. The owner had immediately filed bankruptcy to avoid any court actions, and then put the building and business up for sale. All of his employees were left without jobs or benefits; including bereavement supplements, retirement pensions, and catastrophic insurance policies to cover families of workers who died on the job. Aoshi bought the company and the building, put all the people back to work, but there was nothing he could do for the families who lost spouses that day. There had fifteen. Three steel workers, eleven ground crew, and one crane operator. He wasn't even allowed to see the files.

"Yes, it was the Penington Business Park building up on 21st and Orange street." Soujiro's voice was gruff with emotion. "Of course, it was called the Roxbury Complex then, but after the accident the how site got sold so somebody else."

"Yes, I know that."

"What do you mean, you know that? How could you know that?" Confused, angry grey eyes locked with Aoshi's icy blue-green. "Just who the hell are you anyway?"

"Depends, kid." Aoshi looked at Kaoru's face and found her watching him with compassion and encouragement.

"On whether you really think I'm a low-life?"

"I... ah... No, I guess I really don't, but you are one of the strangest guys I've ever met."

"I can live with that." A sad smile curved Asohi's lips for a moment and then he clasped his hands between his knees and stared at his glass. "I'm Aoshi Shinomori, I bought the Roxbury after the accident. I made sure that everyone who'd lost their jobs got them back, but, unfortunately, when I tried to make compensation to the families who lost loved ones, the lawyers wouldn't allow it."

"W-why?" Nina looked horrified. "Dad had the insurance. It was supposed to take care of us if anything happened to him."

"I know, Nina. But when that asshole, Ramsey, filed bankruptcy and liquidated his assets, no one could touch him. There were ten multi-million dollar lawsuits against him from those families because of the unsafe work conditions, including the crane operator's wife. Apparently, there was proof he had been trying to get Ramsey to replace the crane for months because of faulty, out-dated equipment. But the old man just kept jerry-rigging everything instead of spending the money to make it safe. He stood to lose everything if all that came to light. So, he took the cowards way out, and left all those people high and dry. I was never even allowed to see the files on those families...if I had, I would have done something. But I kept getting the ‘liability-clause' bullshit thrown in my face, and I never got to do a damn thing."

"They made you let us..."

"Yes, they made me let you suffer."

"Oh God, Mamma... She died because we couldn't afford to take her to the doctor. We had to quite school to take care of her...."

"I'm sorry, Nina. I wish there was something I could do to tell you how sorry I am." Aoshi hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I knew there would be horrible things happen to those families. But with 800 workers on one project, and the threat of litigation from a pack of snakes who call themselves Lawyers, no one would talk to me about them either. It was a keg of dynamite I had to sit on, and when the building was finished, every single one of those workers asked me for a letter of recommendation and left. They wanted distance between themselves and the whole mess. Not me...just the whole thing. I couldn't blame them, but I did try."

"I don't understand any of this." Soujiro's voice slipped into the conversation after being quiet for so long. "I heard on the street that some gangster guy and his gang picked up the Rox and turned it into the Park. Which is true? Does he own it or do you?"

"Both, I guess."

"What?" Soujiro and Nina exclaimed in unison.

"I am that gangster; if you want to call him that." He said in a bland voice. "The name's ‘Black Hawke'. Nice to meet you."

"Holy shit," Soujiro's jaw dropped as he looked at the well dressed businessman. "You're the ‘Hawke'? You're shittin' me?"

"Nope, sorry. I'm also Aoshi Shinomori, and I own ‘Shinomori Enterprises', so if you're interested in getting off the street and becoming respectable, I'm in a position to help you...if you want the help, Mr. ...."

"Seta, Soujiro Seta."

"Hmm, nice to meet you Soujiro. How would you like to work for me?"

"Work for you?"

"Yes, and not in a sweat-shop." Aoshi's eyes twinkled. "I don't own any of those, but I do have several youth rehab programs to help teens get off the streets. At your age, I don't think you'd qualify for any of them, but you'd make a heck of a pack leader."

"Pack leader?" Soujiro had never felt so confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Are you interested?"

"What about my sister?"

"Kaoru could use an assistant, couldn't you, Ragdoll?"

"Definately. Especially if you don't want me to screw up your books."

"You won't screw up my books, Baby, but you also can't be everywhere at once. Two pairs of hands would work much more efficiently than one."

"That's the truth. Would you help me, Nina? I could really use somebody who had some brains to help me with all this computer stuff Aoshi wants me to learn."

"I... computer stuff?"

"Yeah, you know? Financial spread sheets, bank books, accounts received and payable...that kind of stuff. I can do it, but it would be a lot easier if I had somebody who knew something about computers. I know zilch."

"It's not that hard, Kaoru." Nina smiled. "I could teach you."

"That would be so totally cool."

"Hey," Soujiro interrupted with a glare. "I haven't said we were going to do this."

"Give it up, Sou." Nina returned his look with a glare of her own. "This is the best opportunity we've had in ages and you know it. Mr. Shinomori is offering you the chance to be honest and legit. I suggest you get off your high horse and take it. Mom would want you to."

"Don't you dare throw mom at me." He growled. "That's hitting below the belt."

"I don't care." She turned to look him full in the face, her eyes flashing. "I'm tired of living the way we do. I'm tired of you stealing and skulking around. I want a chance at a real life again, Sou. I want to go back to school, and I want you to finish your degree too. Maybe if we do this, we can have the chance to do those things. Stop being so stubborn and accept what's being given to you for a change. It's the chance we've been waiting for."

"I..." He lowered his eyes and clenched his teeth. He knew she was right, but it was so damn hard to accept. "I don't like charity." He mumbled.

"You'll steal and beg, but you won't accept something offered to you in good faith?" Aoshi was incredulous. "There is something wrong with that picture." A harsh sigh escaped him as he stood up. "I don't make my offers more than once, Mr. Seta. This is the only chance from me you'll be getting. As a Pack Leader, you would be in charge of about thirty kids ranging in age from 13 to eighteen. You would be responsible for their behavior, their health and welfare, their education, and their means of income. You would be, in short, their psuedo-parent. All family disputes would be handled by you unless something escalated beyond your control, and then I would step in to deal with it. You receive a monthly allotment of petty cash for emergencies, but everything else is generated by the business you and your Pack run."

"And that would be?" Soujiro bit out, staring at the floor.

"Coffee carts."

"Excuse me?" He looked up and caught Aoshi's glaze, his own filled with deep confusion. He had not expected that answer. "Did you say ‘Coffee Carts'?"

"I did." Turning toward the bar, Aoshi picked up his and Soujiro's glasses. "Want a real drink?" He asked.

"I think I need one."

"Fine, I have Scotch, Brandy, or straight Whiskey. Name your poison."

"Brandy, thanks."

"So you like the smooth stuff, nice choice." The clink of icecubes was followed by the faint splashing of liquid. "Soda?"

"Sure, don't want to lose my grip on what brain cells I have left."

"Smart kid."

"I'm not a kid, you know."

"I know, but you fucking look like one. How old are you anyway?" He handed Soujiro his glass. "Twenty-four? Twenty-five?"

"Twenty-five." He hissed as the heat of the alcohol burned down his throat. "Nice."

"Glad you like it." Aoshi smiled and took a drink. "One of my better labels."

"Thanks."

"Anytime, now back to the Coffee Carts. Each Pack has between two to four carts that they manage. The coffee grounds and equipment are donated from several of the gourmet houses around the city. It makes a nice tax right off for them at the end of the year. Charitable donations etc. The carts themselves we make. That's one of the other programs I have...."

"Jesus, how many kids do you have?"

"Over three hundred at the moment. It fluxuates depending on how many decide to return to normal life and go home or get a real job and move out on their own."

"What's your success rate with these kids?"

"Ninety-two percent. It's not perfect, but it's better than letting them fall through the cracks and losing them all."

"So they don't all rehab?"

"No, I wish I could say that they did, but not even I can make a kid want to change. That's not what I'm here for."

"What are you here for, Mr. Shinomori? Are you the friggen tooth fairy or just a really strange looking Fairy God Mother?" The sneer was unmistakable.

"Neither." Aoshi's voice turned hard and cold as he set his glass on the table. One look at Kaoru and she stood up, grabbing Nina by the hand and leading her out of the room. The girls didn't need to hear this. He waited until they were upstairs behind a closed door before he continued. "You have a real issue here, don't you Soujiro?" He asked, standing up to walk back over to the bar. "Why don't you tell me what it is, kid? Is it the authority thing, or is it just that I have the means to offer you something you can't seem to get on your own?"

"Maybe I just don't like you. Maybe I think you're just a pretty rich boy who wants to pretend he's Robin Hood to make him feel better, or maybe I just think you're an asshole who gets off on playing ‘God' with other peoples lives because you got so much money it means you can."

A blur of black and white moving at such a high speed that he couldn't track streaked across the room and swarmed over him. A gasp of surprise barely escaped his throat before it was grabbed in a grip that cut off the rest of his air, and then Soujiro felt his body lifted off the couch, arched through space, and slammed into the wall with the force of a pile-driver. The teeth in his head rattled and the vertebra in his back popped and screamed in pain.

"You think I'm playing ‘God'?" Aoshi roared into the pale face. "You think I do this because it gets me off in some twisted sick way? Is that what you think?"

"I...coughcough...I... you..."

"You don't know anything about me, you arrogant little fuck. You don't have the first clue why I do what I do, you don't know what it means to be one of the ‘forgotten' and ‘left behind'. At least you had a father who gave a shit what happened to you. At least you had someone in your life who took the time to teach you what it meant not to judge others–even though it doesn't appear you learned that from him very well–he still took the time to teach you something."

"L-let go...cough...I c-can't br-breath..."

"You think I give a fucking damn? Should I give a damn, Soujiro? Should I care if you breath ever again? If I like to play God so much, what does it matter if I let you die? Wouldn't that be the ultimate act of being God? Wouldn't it??" He could see the pale skin turning a dusky blue-gray and knew he needed to let go soon, but not until he made his point. "I'm not God, you slimy, arrogant brat! I've never professed to be anything more than what I am... a kid who never had a father that gave shit. A kid who grew into a man that didn't want to see other kids grow up the way I did... without somebody trying to show them that they're worth more than the world says they are." He let go and Soujiro slid to the floor gasping for air. "I'm into second chances, Soujiro. I'm not God, and I'm not the toothfairy. I'm a hard ass who tries to give the kids no one else wants a chance at a decent life. Some of them take it and run with it... some don't. The ones who don't are the ones I beat myself up over. Why? Because I couldn't find a way inside their head to convince them they were valuable. Those were the kids I lost, and I have a picture and a file on every one of them upstairs in my office. If you don't believe me, I'll show them to you."

"Why should I c-care?" Soujiro struggled to his feet, his eyes glowing fiercely.

"Because, if I lose you and your sister... you're going to be one of those kids."

"Big deal. I'm not your problem, neither is she."

"But you are. They all are. Don't you get it?" Aoshi grabbed the front of Sou's shirt. "You're better than the life you're making for yourself. You deserve the chance to take back what should have been yours."

"Why? Why do I deserve it more than somebody else?"

"Because... your father wanted it that way, and if that's the only reason I help, just for him because he was a good father, then it's worth everything I do for you. Everything. If I'd been allowed to reinstate his casualty insurance five years ago, you wouldn't have had to quit school and you would have gotten everything he wanted for you. I want to give it back to you... for him."

"Why?"

"Because... my father never gave me anything. Except a dead mother and a business I never wanted. I never meant anything to him except the means to continue his bloodline and someone to pass his fucking company to. I was his pawn... I was never his son. I never meant any more to him than that. None of what I wanted for myself ever mattered. Only his dreams and his wants factored into my life. Otherwise, I was nothing. I don't want that to happen to these kids... to you." Aoshi turned away and pulled a shaking hand through his hair. "I want them all to know someone cares about what they want, about who they are, and where they want to go. I want them to know they are important and what they feel matters. They matter. The world is better off with them in it just the way they are."

"Mr. Shinomori?" Soujiro's voice was suddenly quiet and distant.

"Yes?" Aoshi remained turned away.

"I'd be honored to work for you, sir. When can I start?"

TBC








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