Talon raises his voice. “What choice do we have? They have people in their pockets everywhere! You’ve seen what they’ve done to our friends. They pretended like they were there to help, but all they did was just make them disappear, just like they did to our parents.”
“How is it any better than coddling up to criminals?” Leah objects. “You don’t know what they’ll put you up to!”
Mr. Takami leans back against the chair. “I don’t expect you to make a decision now. I’ll admit, it’s a lot to take in in such a short time.”
Talon stares back at Leah, a look of worry in his eyes. “I can’t risk putting you through that again.”
Leah sees his anguish, and turns her head away from him. A few moments of silence, and she gives a weary sigh. “Fine. I trust you...” She suddenly stands up from her seat and yells at Talon. “...but you better promise me you won’t do anything stupid, or get us into any more trouble than we already are! We just want their protection. Nothing else, you hear!?”
Talon nearly falls out of his chair as she scolds him. “I got it, I got it! I promise, I won’t get us into any trouble.”
“About that…” Mr. Takami interrupts. “...the Minami family will expect you to reciprocate their kindness in exchange for providing you protection.”
“Reciprocate?” Talon asks.
“That’s just another way of saying they own us, isn’t it?” says Leah.
“Nothing is ever free, Miss Leah. If you want something, you have to give something in return. The Minami family has ruled over Kubozaki for hundreds of years, and only the most loyal followers may serve in their presence. As Outsiders, you will be viewed with doubt and suspicion, and until you’ve proven your worth, their protection will mean little. Fortunately for you, I still have a few favors I can call for.”
“Then, we won’t need to do anything crazy for them, right?” Talon asks.
“I won’t make any such promises. But I can ask them to go easy on you.”
“You hear that, Leah? I think we can make this work!”
“This still doesn’t sit right with me...” Leah replies, arms crossed.
“It’ll be fine Leah! Whatever comes our way, I’ll make sure we come out unscathed. Even if it is the most powerful crime family in town! We got each other’s back.” Talon proclaims.
Leah lets out a heavy sigh. “Mr. Takami. If you don’t mind me asking, why go through all this trouble for us? We’ve only met a day and you’re willing to do all these favors for us. What’s in it for you? And don’t give such a crappy excuse as us being your tenants.”
Mr. Takami chuckles. “You’ve cleaned the apartment up for me, no? I’d say that’s as good a repayment as I’ll need for today.” He then looked at his wristwatch. “Ah, it’s getting late. I’ll stop by to pick you two up in the morning.”
“Where exactly are we going?” asks Talon.
The old man smiles back. “Why, to the Minami Mansion, of course.”
The next day, Talon and Leah arrive at the massive Minami Mansion, which appears more like a medieval castle than anything. Situated within a lush mountain enclosure, the high white walls and elegant rock gardens astonish the two siblings as Mr. Takami and a handful of men in suits escort them through the paper-thin hallways. Talon and Leah could see shadows moving along the frames, and hear hushed voices behind beautifully-painted dividers.
Then, they arrived at a sliding door. Mr. Takami kneels down along with the men in suits. Just as Mr. Takami told them during the ride over, they were to follow his every move, and so they too knelt down with their legs tucked under.
One of the men in suits pulls open the sliding door, revealing a large room with low tables. Several men and women in a mix of traditional and business attire seated around them, some with strikingly-elaborate tattoos, and at the center of the room, a large symbol consisting of three aqua-green diamonds in a white circle.
A large mustached man at the head of the table before them urges them in. Mr. Takami walks in with Leah and Talon in tow, gets on his knees, and bows with his head down low to the large man.
“Thank you for accepting my request, Boss,” Mr. Takami says.
“The pleasure is mine, Endo,” the Boss answers. He then looks to Leah and Talon, who promptly bows.
“Thank you for accepting us!” the siblings say.
The Boss laughs. “Are these two pups the reason you’ve come out of retirement? I’ve known you for many things, but kids are not one of them.”
“Boss, if I may, I’ve come to call upon my favor,” says Mr. Takami. “I ask that you provide your blessings and protection for the two young souls before you, Leah and Talon.”
The Boss then gives a haughty smile. “Outsiders? Of all the things you could’ve asked, it’s for me to protect two foreign kids? Do you know how stupid that looks on me if I do so?”
The room begins to laugh with the Boss.
“This is my one and only favor. I won’t ask for anything else,” Mr. Takami begs him. He kow-tows even further.
The Boss then drops his smile. “Oh… you’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Boss. You’ve known me for a long time. I’ve never asked anything of you, other than to have served you faithfully for so long. You promised me when I left that if I had anything I needed from you, I could call upon it and you would answer. Here is that promise.”
The Boss gave a loud scoff. He rubs the back of his head, and then curses the gods for this misfortune. He could feel the anticipation from the rest of the room for his decision.
He clicks his tongue, and then stands up.
“Very well, Endo. I will grant you this one favor. But in return, I ask that you come out of retirement to serve the Minami family once more.”
Leah and Talon eye one another. Just how far is Mr. Takami willing to go for them?
“I am honored to serve you again, Boss,” Mr. Takami replies.
The Boss nods his head in satisfaction before sitting back down. He then gestures to the servers, who bring Leah, Talon and Mr. Takami cups filled with a clear liquid that smelt of alcohol.
“Is this alcohol?” Leah asks.
“You must drink the Sake and thank the Boss. It is a sign of respect as they accept you into their family,” Mr. Takami explains.
“I don’t do well with drinks…” says Leah.
“She’s underage,” Talon explains. “And she gets tipsy real easy.”
“You must drink it,” Mr. Takami insists.
Leah gives Talon an irksome look, though Talon knows there’s nothing he can do. He tells her to drink the cup as they ask, and as the room raises their cups, they all yell in unison.
“Cheers!”
In one fell swoop, Talon and Leah gulp down the sake. Talon exhales from the strong drink, but when he turns to Leah, he could see her turning red instantly.
“T-Thank you, Boss,” Leah blurts out, almost kneeling over.
“Keep upright,” Mr. Takami says. “You don’t want to disrespect the Boss by fainting.”
Talon nearly stops to help her, but turns to see the Boss anticipating his thanks. He bows his head and does so.
“There you have it!” the Boss declares. “We welcome two new fledglings into our family: Leah and Talon! As with anyone in the Minami family, anyone that brings harm upon one shall evoke the wrath of the whole. They may be Outsiders, but if one of our own is willing to go through such lengths to protect them, then we shall do so as well.”
“I thank you, Boss!” Mr. Takami cries out, kow-towing once more.
The Boss sees Leah wading from one side to another. He whispers into one of his men’s ears, who promptly gets up to escort Leah out of the room.
“A light drinker, isn’t she?” the Boss jokes to Talon.
“Not a drinker at all, actually,” Talon responds.
“She’s a strong one, for sure. She drank the whole cup!” he cackled. “I would fear a woman that’s willing to put up with what she hates. Now Mr. Talon… what do you have to offer me?”
Talon blinked. “What?”
“No one gets on this island without the Minami family knowing. Everything about you, we know. Where you like to go, what’s your favorite meals. who do you spend time with, everything. But you see there’s one problem… you’re clean. Clear as water. No one is that clean.”
“Boss…” Mr. Takami interjects.
“I’m asking Mr. Talon here. What is it that you’re running away from? And why is it so important that Endo is willing to come out of retirement?”
Topic: Project Serentedia - Week 7 (Read 1447 times)
