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The Black Hawke--NEW FEB 1	By : Lin Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 19280 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
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.

God Bless to all the AFF reviewers that have stayed with me despite the
long wait. None of you really knew what was going on. My dear old Cat
(19 years old) got very sick and I had to put her to sleep two weeks
ago. I have been in a very dark state of grief. Plus, my life has been
filled with the busy work of getting my 16 year old son ready to go to
Japan this Summer as an exhange student (he'll be gone for a year :'( )
And my step-son is going to be shipped out to Iraq in August. He is
barely 20 years old and has been in the Army for only a little over a
year. Also, my brother-in-law, who has already been to Iraq for 18mo.
may get sent back over. Our house is in an uproar for the last 2-3
months and my writing has suffered dramatically. I am sorry it has been
so long. My seizures have gotten worse with the stress and I have not
been doing so well. Things are starting to settle as acceptance comes,
but it is still very hard. Gomen, for not telling you what was going on
as I did MM.org.

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
- 13
- 14
- 15
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The Black Hawke--NEW FEB 1