Gangster Cinderella

Chapter Forty Five: Rain Bringer

As a child I never really had a home; in Vietnam we had places that sheltered us from the elements but I never felt safe and whatever fleeting moments of joy we did have were quickly overshadowed by another tragedy. Even when I first lived in Japan I didn't feel at home. My aunt and uncle only saw my brother and I as a fast paycheck and nothing more. But I suppose the closest I ever got to feeling at home was with Akira. The way he held me made me feel safe, the way he looked at me made me feel wanted and the way he spoke to me made me almost forget all of my worries. He was more than a home, he was everything.

The taxi driver interrupts my thoughts, "Hey lady, we're here."

I hand him cash and mutter a small 'thank you' before getting out of the taxi. Before me stands row after row of grave headstones. I just had to visit Akira before I do anything else. A gentle shower of rain comes down but I won't let it stop me from seeing him and telling him the things I could never say aloud. I walks down row after row of headstones until I finally come upon the one I am looking for; Akira Hori 1974-2003. 

"Oh Aki..." I murmur to myself before kneeling before the grave. "Aki I've come back...I'm sorry I didn't come see you right away, I was...still sort of am ashamed of myself for what I did to Chieko. She's so much like you, she has so much of your strength, you would be so proud of her."

I silently stare at Akira's gravestone for a moment before I hear a gunshot.

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To be perfectly honest, I have no fucking idea why I felt the sudden need to visit my friends' graves in the middle of the night. I just had this nagging feeling that I need to be there right now. As I'm climbing off my bike I notice what seems to be a member of the Black Dragons and the infamous step sow coming down the steps. The fact that those two are here is bad news. I sprint up the steps towards Akira's gravestone; I feared that they might've vandalized it to get back at Chieko, but what I find is far worse. There slumped against his grave is a woman with a bullet wound in her stomach who greatly resembles Chieko. I lean in close to her and I can still hear her ragged breathing. She's still alive.

I pull out my phone and call the emergency number, "Hey a woman has been shot at the gravesite near Musashi Shrine...yes she's still breathing, what should I do?...ok I'll try that, meet us in the parking lot."

I gently pick the woman up and notice her stir a little in my arms. "C-Chieko...sir...please call my daughter. I-I need to tell her I'm sorry..."

"Hey, don't go talking like you're dying! Chieko needs you...the very least you could do for her is stay alive. Please don't leave her again!"

Her eyes widen as she finally looks at me, "You know her?"

I continue to walk down the stairs cradling the young woman in my arms, "Yeah...I'm the guy who looked after her when the step sow kicked her out."

She's quiet for a moment; I almost shout at her again before she says, "Thank you."

We reach the parking lot where I find a bench for her to lay on. I rest her head on my lap and cover her with my jacket. "You can thank me by staying alive and talking...so did you guys win?"

She blinks her eyes a couple of times, fighting off the lull of death. "Yes...we did. Can I assume that you're one of the Akashi?"

"Yeah, I'm Takeomi, I met your husband and daughter a long time ago. She's very close with my younger sister Senju." I see bright lights in the distance and the wailing siren of the ambulance. "I mean it, you better stay alive for your daughter's sake. I'm going to bring her to the hospital and you better put up your best fight. That girl doesn't deserve to have her heart broken again."

She coughs up blood and says, "I'll try...I swear I'll try for her."

I gently move to get up and wave down the ambulance. I silently watch as they place Chieko's mom on a stretcher. She looks back at me and mouthes, Go to her. I get on my motorcycle and peel out towards the one place I know she would be at to celebrate her step sow's defeat: her boyfriend's house.

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I walk inside of the Sano residence without knocking and find Chieko helping with cooking a hot pot. "Chieko!"

She startles and turns toward me, "Takeomi, what're you doing here?"

"Your mom...she's been shot. We need to go to the hospit-"

A plate crashes to the ground into a million pieces and Chieko is on her knees. "Who...who did this?" She looks up at me, her eyes are near murderous, "Was it that fucking step sow!?"

Tears are streaming down her cheeks but it doesn't diminish the red hot rage I can see in her eyes. She has the look of someone who wants vengeance...no death. "...yes it was her and a member of the Black Dragons."

She stands up and runs towards her motorcycle; I chase after her, "Chieko! Don't go after them! They're fucking dangerous! I promised your mom I would bring you to the hospital, she needs you right now..." she freezes at the last part I said; the rain is still going strong and is dampening her clothing. Tension finally leaves her body as she turns to look at me.

"Take me to her then."

"Climb on, I'll be the one doing the driving."

"No." A voice suddenly calls out. "I'll do the driving." Standing in the doorway is none other than Manjirou Sano. He walks over to Shinichiro's old bike, "I'll follow you to the hospital, Chieko get on."

Chieko puts on her helmet and silently gets on the back of Mikey's bike. He looks at me expectantly. I climb on my own motorcycle and peel out of the driveway with Mikey and Chieko following close behind me.