The Purple Gem

A Story by Red

Two mysterious men journey to Japan to pick up a valuable item. The meeting and events following put them on a collision course with a troubled young girl and her sister. *Really s****y at descripti

The warehouse sat on the northern edge of Tokyo, one of many to have been tossed away and abandoned. It was secluded and somewhat hard to find, one of the several reasons it had been condemned. However, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The warehouse’s seclusion made it ideal for activities of a sensitive nature. This sensitive nature was currently coming in hand.

The six men stood in the centre of the sizeable building, acting like statues in fancy Armani suits. All but one had automatic firearms of various makes and models. All were lethal.

The lead man was significantly older than his gun-toting counterparts and it showed. His belly bulged underneath his jacket, another sign of good food and wealth. Yet he was no less intimidating. Grey hairs peppered his head, further adding to his authoritative air.The snout of a dragon peaked out from underneath the man’s tailored suit; a sign of leadership that most learned to respect. Or else.

The group tensed as a door created a resounding creek that echoed across the decrypted facility. Before long, two men appeared. The obvious leader of the pair had quite the noticeable appearance. His bright red hair was well-kept yet messy; his red eyes felt like they could kill if concentrated enough. His trenchcoat billowed behind him dramatically, which would have been humourous had it not revealed twin holsters with their accompanying pistols. He was well-dressed in slacks and a collared shirt, reinforcing the image of an old-time gangster that the man embodied.

The second individual was a stark contrast to his compatriot. A low mohawk sat on his head, surrounded by stubble. A large scar ran across his left eye and a South Pacific Islander-style tattoo sleeve ran down his right arm. Like his partner, he was armed with a handgun in addition to a large machete strapped to the back of his black leather jacket.

“Mr. Florian! I’m happy that you could arrive! I was beginning to think that you would be a no show!” the elderly man said, extending his hand.

“This is an important deal, Mr. Fujikawa. I wouldn't miss it for the world,” Florian smiled as he reciprocated Fujikawa’s gesture.

“This is my partner and friend, Raz Mataki.” Florian introduced the man beside him, who gave Fujikawa a firm shake but said nothing.

“Now, were you able to obtain what I requested?” Florian’s demeanor hardened as the air became business-like.

“Of course! The Yakuza never turns away a prospective customer!” The elderly man snapped his fingers and, as if out of thin air, one of his subordinates materialized with a briefcase. Fujikawa took the case from his peon and handed it over to the red-haired young man.

Mr. Florian opened the case while Fujikawa watched, amused that such a childish look of amazement and wonder could be elicited from such a stoic and serious man. The man also noticed the light smile creeping onto the face of Florian’s companion, the only real sign of emotion from the man so far.

“Everything is to your liking?” Fujikawa asked hopefully; to be honest, he had started getting bad vibes the moment he’d laid eyes on the two.

Florian stood there for a moment silently, much to Fujikawa’s confusion. Before the elderly man could ask if anything was wrong, Florian shot one of the guards dead center in the forehead.

“Do you take me for a fool, Fujikawa? I know that what is in that briefcase is a fake. I’ve been collecting all my life so I know a fake when I see one.”

The Yakuza boss and his men took several seconds to process what had just happened before something finally clicked.

“This is what i get for dealing with some gaijin. Very well, no use hiding it from you seeing as how I can’t leave.

Fujikawa slowly reached into his suit pocket, closely watching the movements of the two men in front of him. The elderly Japanese flashed a wicked grin, drawing plenty of amusement from the faces of Florian and his partner Raz. In an instant, the world erupted around them.

Rin Masao jolted awake, panting and gasping for air. She was cover in enough sweat to soak both her clothes and blankets. Yet another byproduct of the dream that had kept her awake the past few nights. More like nightmare, she thought as she slowly edged herself out of bed, careful not to wake the small form beside her.

Mina was Rin’s younger sister, although anyone would have a hard time trying to make a connection through just physical traits alone. For one thing, Mina’s hair was snow white and long enough to reach her lower back while Rin’s hair was short and black with a stripe of green. For another, her eyes were two different colours: one pale green and the other light blue.

Rin wasn’t entirely perfect either. She shared her sister’s unusual eye colour, although her’s were green on the left and blue on the right while Mina’s was the opposite. She also happened to have the Japanese kanji for beauty on her neck, the result of a drunken night with some guy she’d met at a party who she later slept with.

“Eh, could be worse. We could’ve been born with no arms or something,” she mumbled to no one in particular as she got into the shower.

The air glowed a bright orange as if hell itself had come calling. Explosions rocked the warehouse and the surrounding area. The two foreigners were knocked off their feet by the shockwaves while the Yakuza men had already hit the deck seconds before. As they recovered, Fujikawa had already leapt up and rushed towards the door. Florian and his friend leapt up to give chase before they were stopped by the remaining gangsters.

Florian began reaching for his weapons before he felt a hand stop him. Raz shook his head and motioned for the door Fujikawa had taken. Realizing what he meant, Florian barreled his way through the guard’s human blockade and resumed the chase.

The Yakuza began aiming their weapons until they were interrupted by a gunshot near their feet. They turned to find Raz pointing a rather large handgun at them. The man looked at his gun and then to them before holstering his gun, much to the guard’s astonishment.

“You know what? Guns aren’t actually that fun. You know what is though?”, he asked as he withdrew the machete from his back, “Knives and blades. Now those are great! Come on, you guys are Yakuza! I’m sure you’ve got some sort of sharp implement on you.”

To Raz’s delight, they answered his call. Each man dropped their guns before they withdrew their own blades, traditional tantos; they couldn’t resist the opportunity of besting a gaijin in hand-to-hand combat.

The scarred man grinned wide at the four Yakuza members in front of him, excitement radiating out of him like sunrays.

“This is gonna be awesome!”

Thanks to Fujikawa’s liberal use of explosives, his car had ended up a heap of steel and fused electronics. An unfortunate side-effect however he had at least managed to escape Florian and his man. He’d heard rumours about those two, how dangerous and vicious they truly were. That reputation was not something he wished to discover tonight.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard a sharp hiss pass by his ear. Fujikawa looked back and found the enraged face of Lucius Florian, also known as the Red Angel of Death, glaring back at him.

“Give me what I want, old man! You have no idea what a dangerous game you’re playing!” Lucius yelled angrily as he holstered his gun to focus solely on running.

“If its so important to someone like you, that means its worth more than I thought!” Fujikawa yelled back as he made a beeline for a nearby waterfall and its cliffs.

Realizing what the elderly Yakuza had in mind, Lucius began to rapidly increase his speed in order to catch up to the man.

Fujikawa arrived at the cliff’s edge, powerful water pouring over the side. The man retrieved what the Red Angel wanted most and held it over the cliff. The Angel stopped dead in his tracks. Fujikawa looked on gleefully as the man stood stock still, who appeared to be trying to come up with a plan. What surprised the Yakuza boss was that the Red Angel decided to aim a pistol at him.

“Wha...what are you doing? I’ll drop this if you fire!” Fujikawa yelled desperately. Panicked confusion crossed the Yakuza’s face when the Angel offer up a knowing smile in reply.

“I know”

With that, the Red Angel fired thrice; each bullet found its mark in the center of Fujikawa’s forehead. A look of pure shock crossed his face as he tumbled over the side while his world went black.

Florian watched the man fall into the dark water below. He turned to find his friend walking towards him, a blood-soaked machete in one hand and a tanto in the other.

“Did you get it?”

“Nope”

“What? After all this trouble? Did the fat old geezer get away?”

“No, I shot him in the face and he went over the side with it”

Raz stared at him slack jawed, trying to comprehend what he’d just heard.

“WHAT?! Goddamit, Lucius! You’re the one that came all the way out here to get it and you just decide to send it over the side!?”

“Yep”

“Don’t give me one word answers! What are we gonna do now?!”

Lucius looked towards the brightly light metropolis of Tokyo, smiling to himself as he did so.

“We’ll find it, don’t worry” he said as he began walking down the slope.

Lucius’s answer didn’t help; Raz simply got more enraged. He began to open his mouth to yell more but decided against it, admitting defeat. He too looked out towards the bright lights in the distance before turning to join Lucius.

“Well s**t”

“That was close”

Rin ducked quickly into one of Tokyo’s many alleyways, her feet splashing through puddles. She’d managed to steal several goods from one of the city’s stores and had stopped after a brief chase with the store’s rather unhappy proprietors.

She began inspecting her spoils, careful to make sure that no one found her hiding spot. Satisfied that everything seemed in order, Rin collected her food and took off towards her favorite part of the city.

The garden was one of the last remnant of old Tokyo, the pre-metropolitan Tokyo. Besides that, Rin didn’t really know much else about the spot. She’d heard various rumours and legends surrounding who built it and why, but she could honestly care less. As long as the garden was still standing at the end of the day, thats all that mattered.

She flipped open her (also stolen) cell phone and texted her sister. Despite neither of them ever going to school, Mina managed to not only teach herself but become pretty good at it too. She’d even managed to teach the usually aloof Rin a thing or two.

Probably reading or something, she thought as she helped herself to a pre-wrapped sandwich. Rin began admiring her special spot, especially the massive cherry blossom that stood as the garden’s centerpiece.

She continued to space out some more until Rin noticed something glint in one of the garden’s streams. Reaching into the cool water, she found it to be what looked like a small glass box. What sat inside made her eyes widen.

Staring back at her was a brilliant purple diamond. The gem sparkled, perfect in every way. It sat suspended between two small glass pillars but was otherwise alone in the cube. Rin’s eyes nearly burst out of their sockets as she continued to take in the magnificent sight before her.

“H...holy s**t”

The teen began turning it over in her hands, furiously trying to find a way to open the container. Rin sighed angrily as she found nothing and, deciding to give it another shot later, delicately placed the object in her bag.

I gotta tell Mina about this!, she thought excitedly as she withdrew her phone and began typing furiously. She mashed ‘Send’ and shoved the phone in her pocket before taking off.

A black van sat outside one of the entrances to the garden, blending into the shadows. Lucius Florian sat in the passenger seat, binoculars trained on the girl. Raz sat on the driver’s side, his conspicuous mohawk covered by a beanie.

“Well, we found what we came here for but now its in the hand of some slum kid. Great” Raz scoffed at the thought, irritated that they’d have to chase Lucius’s precious diamond some more.

He shifted a device from under his seat and flipped the switch. The machine booted up and began ringing softly as Raz grinned.

“Thank god those Yakuza decided to attach a tracker to that thing otherwise we’d be screwed. Guess they were planning on retrieving their ‘property’. Greedy b******s. Lucky for us though, huh?”

“Yep” Lucius said, a hint of cracking in his voice.

Raz cocked an eyebrow at his friend. This diamond had been all he’d talked about for weeks yet here he was all mopey.

“Hells wrong with you? We’re in sight of the diamond you’ve always wanted and you’re not showing any enthusiasm whatsoever”

“That girl….” Lucius half-mumbled, half-choked under his breath as he slowly lowered his binoculars.

“What about her?” Looks like shes some street kid with sticky fingers”

Raz was taken by surprise when his friend, usually so calm and collected, turned to face him with tears in his eyes.

“She looks like her”

“Mina! Mina, come here! I gotta show you something!”

Rin barreled into the house, extremely excited about both her discovery and what it would mean for her and her sister. She found Mina in their sparse living room, nose deep into a book. Rin had to pause and smile at the sight. Her sister loved books and was always looking for more. To be honest, Rin didn’t really know why she loved them so much. However, she was happy as long as Mina was.

“Rin! I got your text! Did you really find a diamond?” Mina’s face lit up at the image, so much so the Rin had to snap her back into reality.

“Hey, earth to Mina! You there? Yes, I did find one. Although why it was in one of the garden’s streams I have no idea” Rin gently lifted the object out of her bag and placed it between them.

Her little sister’s eyes sparkled, in awe of such a beautiful item. Her admiration was interrupted by a knock at the door. Rin and Mina looked at each other, their faces covered in curiosity. As the knocking continued, Rin slowly rose from her seat as she motioned Mina to stay still. Nearing the door, she silently withdrew the butterfly knife she carried. Reaching for the knob, she swung the door open. Standing in the doorway were the two most imposing men she’d ever seen.

“Hello, miss. May we come in?”

“So let me get this straight, this diamond is YOURS?”

Rin had been shocked to find a flawless purple diamond in a stream beside her. She was even more shocked that a red-haired man and his crazy looking friend showed up at her house claiming the jewel was theirs.

“Yes, it is. I’ve been looking for it for quite sometime. I was happy when I discovered that someone had found it.” the red-haired man, who’d introduced himself as Lucius, said. Rin was taken by surprise at the statement. Did someone see me grab it back at the garden? I couldn’t see anyone. I didn’t tell anyone else about this thing besides Mina and she definitely wouldn’t tell anyone about something like this. No, there must be something else going on, Rin thought. She always made sure that she was never followed to her garden and kept an eye out for anything suspicious; she never let her guard down.

“If I may ask, how did you come across a diamond like this?” Rin asked. She knew that it was obvious that she wanted information. Lucius seemed like a smart guy, there was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn’t give her the truth.

“I was carrying it with me but it fell out of my pocket and ended up in one of the city’s water systems.” Rin stared at him, dumbfounded. Really? Thats the lie you’re gonna give me? God, anyone could see through that, she mused. The two men looked dangerous (especially the guy with the mohawk) and to have a diamond like the one in the cube didn’t seem overly legitimate. So where’d they actually get it?

“Um, Mr. Lucius sir? Are you really gonna take your jewel back?” Rin, Lucius and Mohawk turned to stare at Mina, who was clutching the small glass item close to her chest. Rin was heartbroken when she saw her sister’s eyes begin to well up in tears. Rin saw Lucius get up and move towards her sister, kneeling down to meet her at eye level. She noticed a bright smile on the man’s face, like one a father might give to their child.

“I’m sorry sweetie, but I do. I’ve been looking for this gem for quite some time and I’d really like to have it back” Lucius reached out for the cube but Mina pulled it closer, refusing to let it go. The man recoiled at the gesture and sat in silence more several seconds, a blank expression on his face. Finally, he looked back up at Mina, the same smile on his face.

“Tell you what, I have some business that I need to wrap up here in Tokyo that will take a few days. I’ll let you hang on to the diamond for me while I’m doing that. But you have to promise to give it back once I’m done, ok?”

Mina’s eyes widen happily at Lucius’s proposition. This in turn gave the man an even wider smile. “I promise! I’ll keep it safe for you Mr. Lucius, you can count on me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Mina jumped on the man, embracing him in a big hug. Rin could have sworn that she saw tears start to form in the red-haired man’s eyes.

“I’m happy to hear that. We should get going. Remember Mina, I’m leaving my property in your care.”

Mina gave Lucius a salute with a serious face, eliciting a hearty laugh from the man. Rin silently said Thank you to Lucius, who responded with a courteous nod. As the two men shut the door, the sisters wrapped each other in a hug and began laughing uncontrollably.

Lucius and Raz continued towards their van and edged themselves in. As Raz started up the vehicle, he turned to Lucius with a questioning look on his face.

“You really sure it was a good idea to leave something like that in the hands of that kid? Considering where we got it and how much you wanted it, it doesn’t seem like the best idea.” Raz knew that the older girl looked like her and the younger one acted like her, which could have been the reason. Still, to Raz it seemed incredibly dangerous to pull something like this on two young girls.

“Yes, I believe it was. That girl, Rin, certainly looked and felt like she could handle herself. Did you not notice the knife she was carrying when she answered the door?” The older girl had done a good job on concealing the weapon, but Lucius had been around long enough to know when someone was hiding a knife or gun.

“No, I’m surprised you noticed it,” Raz said as he pulled out of his parking spot. “I guess there's that. Plus how protective she seemed of her younger sister. I DID notice her tense up when you got up and walked towards the younger one. Thought she was about to pounce.”

“As did I. Don’t worry, I have faith. Now, should we go take care of that business I mentioned?” Lucius said as he brought out one of his guns and switched off the safety, emphasizing his point. Raz smirked widely; this was the kind of stuff he loved. “Yes, lets.”

As the two men drove off, they failed to notice the two black cars pull up in their place. Nor did they notice the grim-faced men inside and the device that one of them held.

Why does my head hurt so much?

Rin struggled to open her eyes, as painful as it was. She was met by darkness. Rin began to panic before the image slowly cleared up. Forgot my eyes had to adjust, she thought, irritated that she’d forgot. Inspecting her surroundings, she found it to be an apartment albeit a rather disused looking one. How did I get here? Rin struggled to remember, her brain throbbing with the effort. Thats right! Mina and I were celebrating before a bunch of guys kicked in our door and knocked us out! Rin finally remembered everything. Her and Mina laughing on the ground, men with guns kicking in the door, Rin trying to fight before getting knocked out, Mina crying. Mina! Rin began struggling to get up, desperate to look for her sister. She tried to fight against the restraints on her hands and feet but they were too tight. She was interrupted by the sudden flash of light that blinded her.

“Well, well, well. Look whos up! No use trying to escape. We made sure you wouldn’t.” the gruff voice was filled with glee and contempt at the young girl’s struggles. Once Rin’s vision cleared, she found a hulking brute of a man staring back at her. The man’s sneer particularly unnerved her. She’d seen enough bad men in her short life to know the type of person who’d wear that sneer.

“What gives?! Why the hell did you kidnap us? WHERES MY SISTER!?” The brute just laughed, which only made Rin angrier. “Aren’t you a feisty one? Considering we just barged in, might as well indulge you.” The man lifted himself up and grabbed a whiskey from the mini fridge near the back of the room. His aloofness only made Rin angrier.

“To answer your first question, we kidnapped you because you and your sister had a very valuable object that we wanted back. Don’t worry, we know you didn’t take it from us. However, the person who gave it to you did. We figure that if we kidnap the two young girls who he gave said item to in addition to the item in question, then he’ll come back to retrieve his property at which time we can kill him. To answer your second question,” he sneered and snapped his fingers. Two men appeared carrying a small form and unceremoniously tossed it to the floor. “Shes right here.”

Rin stared wide-eyed in horror at her sister, who laid motionless on the floor. Tears of anger and fear began welling up in her eyes. “YOU B*****D! I’LL KILL YOU!” Rin leapt up towards the man, before tripping over her restraints and slamming back down. The man began laughing sadistically at the ‘entertainment’. “Relax kid! Shes not dead. She gave up a fight the diamond, slapped one of my guys. If you don’t respect your elders, you need to be taught a lesson.”

The man resumed his sadistic laughter as he watched Rin worm her way over to her sister’s body. She curled up beside her, wishing that this would just end. Rin was knocked out of her dreams by a swift kick to the gut, courtesy of one of the man’s subordinates. “Get up” he demanded. When Rin didn’t budge, he yanked her up and slapped her. Tears of pain streamed down her face as she cursed the men who’d taken Mina and her.

She was shoved towards the entrance leading to the adjacent room. Unlike the previous space, this one was dark save for a lamp glowing on a desk. The light illuminated a man standing with his back turned, staring out at the city of Tokyo. “So, you’re Rin Masao? I apologize for the rough treatment. My lieutenant can be...overzealous in his work.”

The figure turned to reveal a middle-aged man with a cigarette. He was well-dressed in a tailored suit, much the same as the other men in the apartment were wearing. He had a sophisticated air around him, but at the same time he exuded ferocity and ruthlessness. He stared at Rin with neutral eyes, who glared back hatefully. The man picked up a file folder on his desk and began flipping through it as he walked around to the other side of the desk.

“Rin Masao. Seventeen. Sister of Mina Masao, daughter of Akiba Masao and Lucy Hamilton. Orphaned at a young age thanks to an accident involving a terrible fire. Both parents were killed and you two were sent to an orphanage, from which you escaped. Now you currently live in a small apartment given to you by a family friend free of charge. Is that about right?”

Reality fell away as Rin remembered that terrible night. Her and Mina had been pulled from the blaze by firemen but they’d been unable to save her parents. Mina had been too young to understand but Rin had been traumatized. The incident had haunted her ever since.

“It was a shame really. Your father was a good man.” Rin snapped back to reality. “You knew my father? How?” The man continued to stare at her, until he finally spoke. “He worked with me and my colleagues. He was quite a popular man. I even attended his wedding. Its a shame he decided to turn.”

Rin shot her head up to meet the man’s eyes, who had a slight smile on his face. “No. Nononono.” Rin began crying once she realized what the man meant. He killed my parents. Why? What’d he ever do?

“Your father was a smart man. He knew what happened if he crossed us yet he chose to anyway. He turned out to be a fool.”

Rin was enraged. She was ready to kill the man in front of her, so great was her rage. Before she could get the chance, however, one of the man’s subordinates interrupted the conversation.

“Sir, he’s here! Him and his buddy just shot through our guys in the lobby!”

As the men in the room withdrew their guns, Rin stopped crying. Lucius? He’s here? The men ran out of the room, guns at the ready. The brute from earlier and his boss stayed behind, readying themselves for Raz and Lucius’s inevitable breakthrough. Rin knelt silently and began edging herself towards the room holding Mina. She was sure the two men noticed but Rin doubted that they cared. They obviously had bigger things to worry about.

As Rin finished her crawl to the still unconscious Mina, she could hear muffled gunfire and screams emanating from the floors below her. She smiled sadistically at the sounds, happy that the men who’d taken her and beat up Mina were getting wiped out. Before long, she could hear the screams and gunfire much more clearly; the noises emanated from outside the door. She took satisfaction in watching the brute sweat profusely, clearly nervous at his impending death. She could hear no noise from the boss, although she doubted that he wasn’t afraid. Silence engulfed the room as the screams and noises ceased. The tension in the apartment filled the air, everyone on edge and thinking about what would happen next. The explosion of glass answered their unspoken question.

Raz’s grandiose entrance didn’t come without a few minor setbacks. For one thing, it had been a pain to get up to the roof so he could rappel down. For another, the glass wasn’t exactly dull. It didn’t really matter to Raz though; he’d had a lot worse happen to him. What mattered was getting what they came here for. Raz had identified two targets, a big guy who looked like he could snap Raz in half and a taller guy who he assumed was the local Yakuza head. Raz had the element of surprise on his side; he used it to deadly effect.

His first target had to be the most dangerous. Raz simultaneously landed and withdrew his gun. He fired at the man in quick succession, careful to not miss. half of the rounds hit, yet it seemed as if the man didn’t feel a thing. The brute laughed, leveling a Desert Eagle on Raz. Well this sucks. Raz barely dodged the massive rounds, which tore apart an armoire behind him. As a split second decision, he drew his machete and charged. The move took the brute by surprise; he clearly didn’t expect someone to charge at him with a giant knife while he held his DE. Raz’s stunt worked to brilliant effect, making the Yakuza so stunned that he had no time to bring his cannon to bear. In one swift motion, the machete glided upward and cut through the man’s meaty wrist which fell away, taking the gun with it. The man screamed in agony, clutching the rapidly bleeding stump. Raz delivered a kick to his sternum, knocking him to the ground. Raz stood over the man holding his bloody Desert Eagle. He stood grim faced as he leveled the gun at the crying brute’s face. “This is what a gaijin can do” Raz said as he discharged three rounds into the man’s skull.

With that business done, Raz turned to point his gun at the Yakuza head. The man cowered fearfully, a huge change in attitude compared to the personality he showed before Raz burst in. Raz edged towards the door while still keeping the gun on the cowed figure. “Hey, Lucius. Its all clear. Took care of the gorilla.” The door flew off its hinges, revealing a red-coated figure. As he walked into the room, the atmosphere immediately changed to one of intense rage and hate. Lucius stormed over to the cowering figure and hefted him to his feet. Slamming him against the wall, the man began stammering out whatever Lucius wanted to here. “Y...You're here for the diamond right? Don’t worry, we didn’t damage it! Its in the safe under my desk. The code is six-four-five-three!” The statement only seemed to anger the man further, evident by him slamming his fist into the wall. He glared at him and offered him one simple question.

“Where are the girls?”

Rin observed what she could from the adjacent room, but everything was a complete blur. She was astounded at how quickly Raz had dispatched the gorilla, something that Rin thought would have taken a whole lot longer. She had managed to get her feet free despite what the brute said and had used them to help shield Mina, who had came too during the middle of the fight albeit barely. Seeing Lucius walk into the room had filled her with relief but this had quickly been replaced by doubt. Hes just here for the diamond, not us. We’re just some street kids who got caught up in something we shouldn’t of. He wouldn’t go through all this trouble to rescue us. Rin’s doubt had immediately been erased when she’d heard Lucius’s question.

“Where are the girls?”

Rin couldn’t believe her ears. This man had come for them? Not his diamond? She couldn’t believe the absurdity of the thought. Lucius had just met them. Why would he do this? Rin quickly shook off her questions. She was more concerned with getting out of the apartment. “Hey, Lucius! I’m over here! With Mina!” Rin heard a gentle thump as Lucius rushed over to them. He looked relieved to see that she was alright. The expression quickly turned to worry as he checked on Mina.

“What happened to her?” he asked, concern filling his voice. He began pulling what looked like first-aid medicine out of his pocket. “Those guys roughed her up because she wouldn’t give up your diamond. Said they had to teach her to ‘respect her elders’” Rin answered as Raz untied her hands. Anger flushed into Lucius’s face; the man was ready to kill. “Where is the one responsible?” he asked, barely restraining his rage. Rin simply pointed at the headless brute Raz had shot earlier.

Satisfaction filled the man’s face as he finished administering the last of the first-aid to Mina. Her pain expressions changed to one of comfort and calm. Rin gave Lucius a quick bear hug as thanks. The man gently picked up Mina and started towards the door with Raz and Rin. Before they could reach their destination, Rin halted when she saw the still crouched form of the Yakuza boss. She stared at him for several moments before suddenly punching him in the face. Rin yanked the machete out of Raz’s hands, much to his surprise, and advanced on the floored man. The man, even when faced with a pissed off seventeen year old with a machete and plenty of rage, simply began laughing. “Really, you? You’re seriously going to try and kill me? You don’t have the guts!”

He was quickly proven wrong as Rin leapt at him with the ferocity of a tiger. She began slashing at the man, aiming indiscriminately and screaming. “ YOU KILLED MY PARENTS! YOU B*****D! THEY DIDN’T NEED TO DIE! B*****D B*****D B*****D!” Tears filled Rin’s eyes, yet all she cared about was getting revenge. She felt a hand touch her shoulder which caused her to spin around and slash at its owner. She froze when she saw Lucius’s face staring back at her. She fell to her knees, dropping the machete in the process, and cradled her head in hands. Lucius wrapped her tightly as she sobbed. "He killed my parents...HE KILLED THEM! I hate him....I hate him..." Lucius tried to comfort her the best he could. "Shhh, its ok. Its alright. Just calm down. Its over now."

Rin continued to cry for for a couple minutes before she finally calmed down. She had exacted revenge on the man who had murdered her parents, yet she felt horrible. She had never killed someone; she kept the knife for protection and as intimidation, nothing more. She realized that she was no better than the man she killed. She curled up closer to Lucius, happy that there was someone there to comfort her.

"Rin, I have a very serious question for you that concerns both you and Mina." Rin looked at Lucius, who had a serious look on his face. "Its clear that it is too dangerous for you to stay here in Tokyo. The Yakuza will come back for you, of that I'm sure. Even if you head somewhere else in Japan, they'll still find you. So," Lucius offered a warm smile. "Will you come with me and Raz? I realize that you probably blame me for what's happened here. I understand your anger. I'm sorry for everything. "

Rin knew that Lucius had a point. She knew how powerful the Yakuza were; they had no qualms about killing anyone who crossed them. However, while she was angry at Lucius for leaving the diamond in their care knowing about the dangers it had, Rin also knew that he had no way of knowing it would end up like this. As to her decision on whether or not to go with Lucius, she couldn't make such a huge decision without asking Mina.

"I need to ask Mina first before I decide anything" Rin answered, finally composing herself. Lucius nodded in response. "Of course. We will head to the place Raz and I are staying at. Its likely that the Yakuza are watching your apartment." Rin agreed with him. As much as she wanted to go back to the comfort of home, she knew that Lucius was right. She hoisted herself up and followed Lucius out the door with Raz, who carried Mina in his arms.

"So, that was fun."

The duo's black van drove away from the brutal apartment, carefully to make sure no one saw them. Raz drove while Lucius sat beside him; the girls slept in the back. Lucius just grunted in response. Raz just laughed and slapped him on the back. "Hey, they don't call you the Red Angel of Death for nothing!"

They drove on in silence for some time before Lucius finally spoke. "Did I do the right thing?" The question took Raz by surprise. "Look I'm your best friend so I'm assuming that I have the right to speak my mind and tell you what I think. Leaving the diamond with them? Incredibly stupid. Charging into a den of Yakuza thugs just to rescue the girls? Makes up for it. Offering to take them with us in order to protect them and raise them? Exactly what I'd expect from you." Raz looked at the girls in the back and smiled. "You were right by the way. They do remind me of her. The little one has her personality and the older one has her looks.” Lucius just stared at Raz, not offering up a response or any real hint of recognition for that matter. “Thats one of the reason why we’re taking them with us, isn’t it? Its because of her.” Lucius looked at the girls, still sleeping soundly, and let loose a small chuckle. “I guess you’re right. I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to them and I had the power to stop it. To be honest, I’d probably snap.” Lucius looked Raz in the eyes, fierce determination plastered on his face. “As a result of my actions, I failed my daughter and she was taken from me. Those girls remind me to much of her, proof that I’m still being condemned for what I did. I want to protect those two as best I can, maybe find some redemption or forgiveness that I already know will never come. Their parents were taken from them by a man who was very much like the old me. Ruthless, cold, uncaring. Traits that I still embody. I may not be the best man to raise a child, God has already proven that much, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try and raise them as best I can.”

Raz smiled at his friend’s small speech. He had known Lucius a long time, since they were teens. He had watched what man Lucius had become yet he had followed him regardless of what he did. When his daughter died, it had devastated him. Changed him. Seeing his reaction to discovering two girls who reminded him so much of his daughter had worried him at first; watching what he’d went through to rescue them, the anger he had felt towards both himself and the men who had kidnapped them, made Raz respect his best friend that much more. He prayed that his friend could find a small measure of peace and quiet in raising the girls. Lucius had faced more than enough bad experiences in his life. It was about time something good happened to him.