Kyokushin Blood

Chapter XXXVIII - The Calm Before... (Part 2)

Shinichi's eyes slowly opened, a soft groan exiting his mouth as he sat upright. He runs his hand through his now messy hair, with strands falling as he keeps one eye closed. A throbbing pain was surrounding the centre of his back and spreading over the rest of his being.

"The hell...happened..." Shinichi groaned out.

"The Crusade Era punk you so thoughtfully challenged," Fuyuto said as he sat beside the now-conscious Delinquent.

After Fuyuto's encounter with Ishida, he dragged the unconscious Shinichi into a nearby alley and used the heavy shadows created by the surrounding buildings as a shield from the sun. The darker complexion officer looked down at the shorter Delinquent. Shinichi's eyes were focused on the drunken people stumbling along the street.

"How strong is he?" Shinichi questioned.

"Who? Ishida?" Fuyuto pushed for further details.

"Is he as strong as Oyabun— I mean...Yamamoto?" The Delinquent finally stared at the former officer.

"Hmmm...The scarred guy, right?" Fuyuto looked upwards, to which Shinichi nodded. "No, I wouldn't say he's as strong as him. He was basically a foot soldier during the Crusade Era. I'd say he's about as strong as that Unit 4."

"Unit 4?!" Shinichi declared, thinking about how he and Takashi couldn't even leave a scratch on the former Soldier when they last encountered him.

"That's just purely going off what I saw a few nights ago." Fuyuto shrugged, "He's probably still weaker than the old man."

"Oh right, you were stalking me." Shinichi sighed.

"Shut up, I was doing my job." Fuyuto groaned as he got to his feet.

"Where too now?" Shinichi asked.

"There's a bar not far. That's where we need to go." Fuyuto simply said as he began walking.

Shinichi groaned heftily as he got to his feet, still rubbing his messy hair, which was locked behind the grey headband.

"Okay, where's the motorcycle?" The Delinquent asked the Former Officer.

Fuyuto's steps halted. He rolls his shoulders before rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Gone. They destroyed it after you fell asleep. Now, let's go; we must make it before Night falls." Fuyuto answered.

The two walked the streets of the Red Light District. They blended in with the crowd around them, with Shinichi's hands resting in his pockets. A whistle echoed through the street as Shinichi's head turned to face it. A group of girls looked shocked, stepping aside to show a middle-aged man wiggling his fingers in their direction. Shinichi gulped with wide eyes, looking at the ground as he continued to follow a chuckling Fuyuto.

"Much of a man-magnet, hm?" Fuyuto teased.

"I have no issues with gays, but I like women, thank you," Shinichi responded as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

It was violently cracked over the screen as Shinichi entered his four-digit passcode, the screen swiping up as he did so. Going into messages, he was flooded with messages by the Koamada Family, with Takashi mainly insulting him as usual. But to his surprise, Emiko had messaged him most.

'You better be coming home safe!'

'It's boring not seeing you and Takashi fight.'

'Come back already, bitch.'

Her messages read. A grin formed over Shinichi's face with his eyes lighting up as both hands being placed on the blackberry device. He began typing away before deleting his response and pondering what to say. After a moment of pondering, he gave a simple message response.

'OK, LOL'.

"Come on, man," Fuyuto told out. "Stop texting your girlfriend, we're here."

"She's not my girlfriend." Shinichi quickly answered with a soft blush, looking up at the bar before them.

The Bar was standard size. It had a seek reek of alcohol, weed and tobacco radiating from inside. A light-up sign reading 'SG Ginza' was turned off. Parts of the concrete exterior were chopped poorly, and dry blood was present in some areas along the walls. The windows were stained glass, mainly purple, green, red and yellow, which made a beautiful photo of Jesus on the cross.

"Is this it? Really?" Shinichi questioned.

"Yeah." Fuyuto simply answered.

"Compared to the Night Club, this looks like a third-world country." Shinichi shook his head as he grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Low-quality lights dimly lighted the interior. Tables had yet to be cleaned during the daytime, with glasses knocked over and half empty with chairs resting on their sides. In the back corner...was that an unconscious person?

"We're close." A woman said, wiping the inside of a glass with a dirty cloth.

"We're not here for a drink," Fuyuto said as he moved towards a bar stool. "We're here for information."

The lady slammed the glass in her hand against the table and dropped the cloth on the bench she worked at. As Shinichi's eyes adjusted, he could make out the bartender's appearance more. She had muscular arms and broad shoulders, and she was built like a strongman competitor. Her grey hair was short, and her black eyes looked almost in disgust at Fuyuto.

"Are you a fuckin' Police Officer?" She spat, "I ain't no rat or informant."

"Ono Kando, the epithet 'Wild Boar', amongst the strongest female members of the Yunonobe Clan during the Crusade Era. Lives as a humble bartender." Fuyuto gave out the information.

Fuyuto remained quiet as Kondo clenched her jaw before squatting down. She rumbled around the lower portion of the bar's bench. She shot up; a pistol pointed at Fuyuto's forehead with a laser scope dotting it.

"You have 15 seconds to leave before I blow your brains out, I'm not telling you shit." She demanded.

"Destruction of property, disorderly conduct, violence against civilians, drug trafficking, suspicion of murder, and now threatening a civilian? If you're like this, then I'll..." Fuyuto was interrupted.

"He's not a Police Officer," Shinichi spoke up, drawing both their attentions. "Please, help us."

"And you are?" Kondo said with a harsh tone.

"Shinichi, member of the Koamada Family in Osaka." Shinichi simply introduced.

Slowly, Kondo lowered her gun with wide eyes. Their eyes locked before the female dropped her weapon entirely and grabbed something else from the bench. She began to walk with a visible limp before turning the corner, revealing a prosthetic leg in place of her left limb, long gone and long forgotten.

"The Koamada Family..." She spoke up in disbelief. "Does that mean...you know Nakamura?" She questions.

"Yes. Tatsuo was the one who recruited me." He explained.

"Tatsuo Yamamoto?" She questions as she pushes Fuyuto out of the way.

"What? No? Is Tatsuo not Nakamura's surname?" Shinichi asked in shock.

Kondo turned to face Fuyuto, looking him up and down carefully. He's not a Police Officer, so there's no need to worry about a concealed weapon. Kondo looked down at her feet before looking back at the Former Officer.

"What do you need to know?" She inquiries.

"I found a lead suggesting that the Yunonobe Family was revived and is currently working closely with the Kijo Family in Osaka. I wanted to see if you knew anything of this." Fuyuto explained.

Kondo sighed, looking away from both men in thought. She reminisced about the past, what occurred, and more recent events before looking down at her leg and turning her gaze towards Shinichi.

"Only because I can trust you." She said, pointing towards a booth to her right. "Sit. I'll prepare some drinks."