Kick in the Ass Needed (Hassled at the gate)

Mako was having a normal day at home as she laid in her bed. Today was a bit of an odd day though. Mostly because it was already noon and she was still staring at the ceiling. She hadn’t been drinking, either…she was just…sad. The reason, she found a tank top. One that might as well have been a sports bra. One that she loved seeing Akane wearing. The same Akane who had basically crushed her shockingly fragile heart in the park.

…so yes Mako was feeling pretty bummed out...



The shark thought she got over it. Mako had been acting like none of it ever happened for a while. But honest she didn’t in the slightest. Mako was still upset about ruining their friendship, but she was also too scared to fix it. That pissed her off. That she was such a coward about simply talking to the red headed, hot headed beauty. What if Akane refused to talk to her? What if she did talk to her only not in a good way? Mako didn’t have it in her to be torn apart like that again. At least not yet. Mako was starting to feel more and more determined about meeting with Akane. She just needed a little push…just a kick in the ass to get her moving in Akane's general direction...

“Ugh…Why do these types of day always have to be so warm AND humid?”

The bright, blazing sun shined a beautiful light on the oddly abandoned street Drake marched down with his poor attitude. The heat was slowly starting to get to him, likely due to his outfit consisting of almost entirely black clothes. He had expected poor weather, like the morning report had said, but in the end, it seems that he couldn’t even trust that anymore. A shame.

He gently fanned himself as discreetly as he could, walking in the buildings shade to keep from the suns burning rays as he trudged along for what felt like hours. He was on an errand for his former gang boss, Akane Akyama, which was the only reason he was in this part of town in the first place. It wasn’t as if it was a bad place to live. Far from it! The streets and surrounding buildings were all clean, there were a decent number of stores within walking distance, and Drake had seen a police car patrolling two times since he made his journey here. The reason why all that was the case was actually really simple, and exemplified as he finally made it to the address owned by his subject of the day…Mako Adachi.

The home was nice, and clean as all of the other buildings. The incredibly small yard looked as though it needed tending, but otherwise it seemed like a decent place…if you didn’t account for the two bodyguards resting against the door. One look at the guy, and suddenly it made sense why everything was so clean and tidy, accompanied with a decent amount police presence.

Yakuza. Both of them. The tattoos on their arms and even one of their faces were a dead giveaway. Drake had done business with a couple of lower level grunts, and he had learned that it was better to work with the lower rungs of such a cruel, heartless gang. He despised the idea of losing a finger if a shipment was late, and so tried to stay away from their side of down. They did their business, he did his. But now he was smack in the middle of their territory, and it appeared little Miss Adachi had some serious ties with them, to have a pair guarding her door.

The man in the black suit audibly grumbled to himself. He cursed his own idea of going alone as a way to appear non-threatening, and sat wondering if he should call and wait for some form of backup before walking into the lion’s den. Just because there were two sitting at the front door didn’t mean there were not others inside or hiding elsewhere.

In the end, Drake decided against it, and simply chose to get it over with as soon as he could. Walking out of the corner he was taking shelter from the sun under, he strolled up to the walkway that led to Mako’s home. The two body guards made sure he didn’t get far, blocking his path almost immediately.

“Well, will you look at this fucker? Hey pal, the anime convention is the other way.”

“Yeah, why don’t you run on home to your 2D girlfriend. You aren’t supposed to be here. Get out before we slaughter your sorry ass!”

Drake…actually took the threats in stride. This wasn’t the first time he had received such a vulgar way of greeting, and probably would not be the last. At the very least, they didn’t draw any weapons on him. He was thankful for that. Normally he would have complied and left well enough alone, but business is business, and he always upheld his end of the bargain…well, most of the time.

“*Ahem…Yes, I’m here to speak with a Ms. Mako Adachi. I wasn’t aware of any way to schedule anything, so I thought I would just come and speak with her face to face.”

Drake’s business smile made him seem approachable and kind. Like a best friend you could tell a secret or two. That was probably the only reason the two thugs didn’t immediately lay into him, but he could tell they were getting angry and annoyed. That little bit of info made his smile a tiny bit more genuine.

“You got wax in your ears punk? We told you to get out of here!”

“Oh, I can’t do that until after I talk to Mako. You see I have a very important business deal I wish to discuss with her, so if you would kindly-“

“Go home! She doesn’t want anything your selling pal. Besides, she’s out right now…and she won’t be back for a loooong time!”

Drake stared at the men with a dull eye, his smile never fading. It seems they were determined to keep him away. He didn’t even need to read their body language to tell that they were lying. The upstairs bedroom light was on for god sake. While it was possible, she left it on after she went off to go somewhere…it just didn’t seem likely.

“Look, guys…I’m just here to make an offer for my boss. Maybe Mako mentioned her? Akane? Akane Akyama? They were pals for a bit? Soon as I drop off her message, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair, and we can go about our lives.”

It seemed the Yakuza’s patience had worn thin, as one of them stepped in and seized Drake’s jacket, probably getting ready to pound him. He didn’t get very far, because the moment he made a move, Drake threw his knee right in between the thug’s legs. There was a brief pause, before the punk dropped to his knees and started howling in pain. All while Drake smoothed out his precious jacket.

Unaware of what was going on outside, Mako just wallowed in her bed. Soon enough she heard some shouting from outside her window. Honestly, she expected they were hassling another pizza guy or something. Mako just ignored it, though. Then again, it could be another crazed fan. It'd be real bad if another one of those tried to get in. After all, the guards had already sent two people to the hospital for trying. Cops were getting sick of their brand of justice. So Mako let out a moan, got up, and opened her window.

There she found all her guards surrounding a pinkish looking guy. She had no clue how this happened. All ten or so guys were holding him against a car and screaming stuff. Normally only two were out front, the others were far away, though. The majority hung out at a bar, which they actually worked at. If they got the call, a whole group of thugs would sprint right over. Welp...she should probably stop them before they started the finger cutting thing. And considering they hand his hands pinned flat on the hood, she should stop it now.

"HEEEEEEEEEEY!" Mako roared out in her native tongue, causing them to stop and look up at her. "...what...are you doing?" she asked in a somewhat casual tone but clearly annoyed. The guys then shoved a newer thug forward so he'd speak up. Poor guy. He then started telling Mako that this punk not only refused to leave, but he kneed patchy's privates. (Patchy was called that because he used to have an eye patch. Even though he wore a glass eye now, Mako didn't want to call him something else.)

"Eh!? Hey fuck face! Why'd you do that? Are you fucking stupid?" the shark barked down at him. The younger thug then added he was sent by Akane, and asked if they should send a piece of him to her. Now Mako would have yelled at him for even suggesting that. However, the shark was stunned to silence when he said Akane. It didn't matter if it was a different Akane. Mako was already thinking there was no other Akane.

"...Let him in..." she said coldly, causing the thugs to all tilt their heads like a group of comedy idiots. "I SAID LET HIM IN YOU FUCKS! OR SO HELP ME I WILL..." Mako screamed so fast in Japanese that not even her guards could fully understand her curses and threats. They were clearly scared of Mako, so they let the guy up and kinda backed away from him before the shark made good on her threat to bend a 'thing' that should not bend. "Ok...you...just walk in! I never lock the front door! You mean that Akane right!? I'll be right down!" she rambled before shutting the window and hurrying downstairs to greet Drake. All the shark had on was a tank top and panties, though. So on her way down she would put on some jean shorts while reaching the door to greet the messenger. She'd probably open it for him before he did, while struggling to button her shorts due to her excitement.

Drake didn’t understand why he kicked the thug in the junk… he just kind of did it. Years of muscle memory, and his own distain of others touching him simply caused him to desire nothing more than to break free of this low-level punk’s grasp, and make him pay for even thinking he could assault someone as influential in the dark world like Drake.

In hindsight, that wasn’t the best idea. Before the thug even dropped, his pal grabbed a handful of Drake’s suit and threw him against the wall of the building he was trying to enter. More Yakuza thugs began to emerge from various places, some of which Drake had actually eyed. By the time they had all emerged, he spied around ten goons all together. An impressive number of guards for who he thought was just a slightly above average wrestler. It would have piqued his interest, were it not for the grunt he kicked in the balls holding a knife to his throat, while his pal placed Drake’s hand on the hood of a nearby car. Drake tried to remained calm in the situation, an apologetic expression settled on his face while he cursed himself for not bringing at least one of his bodyguards with him. Had he known that dear Ms. Mako was so very entrenched in Yakuza territory, and apparently royalty to the sea of thugs, he would have brought someone with him!

Drake had no idea how or where they came from, but a pair of wire cutters suddenly appeared in a thug’s hand…and that tool was slowly clamping around one of his gloved fingers. They really were going to cut it off! God, he knew this might happen someday, but he really wished it was due to something more memorable. Losing his fingers because his boss was missing a gal pal was such a depressing story, he might just have to become a shut in and never leave his home again.

Before he could finish condemning himself for the stupidest move in his career, a loud, almost monotone shout caught the attention of every person down below, Drake included.

The woman in the window must have been Mako Adachi…He had seen her in fights and different matches at AFW, but truth be told he never bothered to look at any casual photos of her. The shark of AFW must have been having a bad day, because the woman looked as though she had only just gotten out of bed, despite the late time of day. What transpired next was so…alien, to a businessman like Drake. Mako seemed so disinterested, yet the thugs clung to her every word, even acting afraid of her.

Maybe this was all some sick, weird dream? And Drake would wake up any minute now…or something cool would happen…

Somehow, after Mako finished talking with the Yakuza, Drake found himself being shoved to the door in a rough manner. The dirty drunks rustled his suit out of place, after he tried his best to look good for Akane’s current heart throb. The one-eyed man adjusted his clothes as best as he could, sending a scowl towards the one they called Patchy.

Thought they were talking to me at first. Why the hell is he called Patchy anyways?

Things continued to get weird as Mako opened the door just as Drake was reaching for the handle. Nothing was going the way he had planned, and now he was standing in front of a barely clothed Mako Adachi. Drake didn’t need to look over his shoulder to feel the piercing glares of the yakuza stab into his back. It’s like she was all of those guys queen or daughter, and he was just some guy picking her up for a sleazy date. Drake had to mentally slow down just so he could get a grasp on the situation.

With a smile, Drake stepped into the surprisingly clean home of Mako Adachi, extending the hand that she had saved from a grizzly fate moments ago in a professional greeting.

“Ms. Adachi? So nice to finally meet you. Thank you for your…intervention. I wouldn’t want to return to Akane with news of failure and a couple fingers short. Honestly though, if she had found out I didn’t even see you, my lack of fingers would be the least of my issues.”

Drake smiled kind enough, he kept his tone cheery but professional, and he maintained an aura of a long-lost friend. His eye was calculating and a bit cold, but that was to be expected from someone who worked with such dangerous members of the community.

“I would have called, but Akane didn’t want me to have your number. She said you two had a fight some time ago? Something in the park, I think?”

"Yeah that's me..." Mako said as she greeted Drake at the door and shook his hand. However, she was clearly very anxious. She didn't care for the long formal explanation, at all. The shark just wanted to know what this was about, and if Akane still liked her. "Yeah yeah...that would've sucked, does Akane still like me?" Mako would say, clearly growing impatient as she was tapping her foot. Drake then brought up why he didn't call and how they had a fight in the park. Mako nearly grabbed him and tried to shake the info out of him right then and there. Instead, though, Mako let out a sigh and nodded.

"Yes...we sorta...I sorta made a mess of things..." the shark groaned, clearly saddened while growing anxious. "Look...I appreciate the formality...well no I don't I hate that stuff...BUT I really wanna hear what Akane is doing...is she still mad? Does she miss me? Can I fix this? I'll do anything! Just tell me!" Mako would say growing desperate for more info. Without realizing, she'd actually grabbed Drake's coat and got rather close. Once she noticed it, Mako let him go feeling kinda awkward. "Sorry...it's just...I miss her..." the shark said looking rather solemn.

Drake was a bit busy eyeing Mako’s stuff. He had never been in a yakuza-affiliates home, and while he couldn’t say there was anything in particular that stood out or anything he wanted, he looked and eyed some piece of furniture as though he were. It was hard to tell, but it almost looked like Mako had her own personal ring in the corner, but there was something blocking the view of the room. Could simply be a workout area that he was misinterpreting.

Comically, neither party was listening to the other. Drake spoke, but he did so in a manner that was scripted. It came out genuine enough, but to Drake, it was like reading out a list of groceries. He was a man born in business, so keeping formal and talking small talk was as natural to him as taking a breath. Mako’s responses were so short and empty, they only registered as dead air, with Drake unaware that she had even said a word since he walked in.

But Mako was quickly able to rip his attention back to her when she moved in and grabbed the collar of his suit jacket. It took all the will power and self-restraint he had to keep his body from shooting off a knee to the groin like he did that yakuza thug. The way the shark looked at him was…kind of gross. She was far and away from his type, and her being so close made it hard for him to keep playing nice. Honestly, he had no idea what anyone could see in her, male or female. Maybe it was the body? Either way, he was thankful when she finally realized how close she had gotten to him and released his jacket. Drake smoothed it out, just as he did before as his false smile faded away.

“Yeah, sure you do.”

He leaned against the door, purposefully making her wait a minute before he responded to any of her questions or remarks.

“Look, Akane is in a bit of a tough spot right now. She has responsibilities she needs to get rid of and priorities to get in order. You two’s little fling has pretty much screwed her, and in turn, everyone who works with her up! She I completely in the air about everything because she is constantly thinking of you even when she shouldn’t be. Its starting to affect business.”

Drake’s red and gold orb seemed to be growing annoyed, even as his face remained blank, and his voice a cool, business tone.

“A few weeks ago, we arranged a fight with a boxer…one of AFW’s best, supposedly. We thought it would be a decent enough test to make sure she was still the leader we needed…What should have been an easy fight ended in a draw…double knockout.”

Drake practically spat the word out. It was clear he had never seen the woman he grew up with so weak before, so pitiful and pathetic, and all due to some woman who, in his mind, would jump at the chance to get into any girls pants so long as they looked good in a swimsuit.

“She’s losing her edge. Everyone that was once a part of her gang still looks up to her as their leader, and when they lose their respect for her, what will she have? This has become a problem that has festered far too long.”

Drake placed his hands in his pockets, his eye calculating and uncaring for whatever Mako felt at the moment. To him, she was a problem. One that could be dealt with in a number of ways, but out of some respect for Akane, he chose to start in a somewhat civil manner.

“Akane sent me to set up some kind of meeting with you. To help you guys try to talk things out. I came to ask you to break this off. Your screwing around with her, which screws around with me and everyone else she is involved with. I don’t even need to dig into your history to see you aren’t the type that sticks with one person at any time. You were probably screwing around with someone in the ring when you two were dating!”

Drake realized his voice was starting to get a bit heated…strange. He took a step back, and decided to make his point clear as day…so simple, even Mako could get it.

“Please break this farce off. Stop letting her hold onto a hope of an kind of future with you, so we can all start to move on and she can grow up!”

Mako felt bad about putting her hands on Drake. She was getting far too anxious about this. Drake seemed nice enough, she bet he could fix...whatever this mess should be called. That's when things took a turn. He kinda sounded...waaaay less friendly. After a pause, he started taking again. Apparently Akane was having a rough time lately, and Drake was blaming the shark. Mako could see that it was a bit her fault. However, the shark was slowly getting a bit angry as her messenger kept talking. He mentioned one of her matches that was a double knock out. Then, he mentioned the shark's history with women. Adding that she was probably being unfaithful with Akane while in the ring, and that she had to end this farce.

Mako's face never changed, though. It remained the same, looking happy in thought as he spoke until the moment he finished speaking. Now it was her turn, and she had a lot to say.

"Ok...you done? Good. Now Akane has a gang, huh? That's good to know since I happen to know a lot of people who'd be pissed if they found out a new gang was moving in. People I'm gonna get to back off so Akane has less to worry about. As for the fact that I'm sleeping with your boss...FUCK OFF!" Mako growled at Drake. "You think this is a farce, huh? I guess we need to work to whatever is between us. You on the other hand...you're going behind her back. YOU'RE acting out of YOUR own interests. I know a fucking snake when I see one, buddy! So if you wanna have her back? Fine. But if you think I'm gonna fall for this shit then you're an idiot. You don't even have a clue about how much you screwed up..." she'd bark out before grabbing his collar again and opening the door.

"Now get out...I'm going to talk to Akane and works things out between us. But if you try messing with me and her...I'll break your legs." Mako said, before shoving him outside and slamming the door. Of course, it wouldn't take long for the shark to realize something. Akane wanted to meet with her. Once that dawned on her, she'd put on her shoes, and then run out with her keys.

"Guys-watch the house-I'll be back later!" Mako shouted at her guards as she passed them and got in her car that was parked on the side of the road. The shark wasn't gonna just wait for Drake to tell Akane some lie. She was going to find Akane right now. First place to check, the woman's apartment. After that...she'd be kinda screwed. If Mako had to, though, she'd wait outside until Akane came back. That was how much she wanted to make things right!

“I don’t think it’s a farce. I know it is! You spend half your life bullshitting people and pulling the rug out from under them, you get good at seeing when someone is doing the same things to you!” Drake snapped back, his own anger finally rising to his face. it felt weird, getting into an argument over something so trivial…what was going on with him?

She went to grab his collar, but such a thing would not happen a third time. His hand snatched her wrist tight! His eye glaring into hers as she claimed he has seriously screwed up…if she only knew! He released her, and walked out the door without so much as a glance back at her.

“I figured you would want to do what’s right by Akane, since you started this shit pile. I suppose fucking teenage boys in the ring and having underground sex fights with masked Italians makes it easy to ignore others as anything more than pleasure sticks!”

He didn’t care about her Yakuza punks that hung around…damn them all! She thought he was powerless? That he was just some errand boy that couldn’t touch her? Fine…if she was going to screw with Akane, to screw with his business, then proper measures would be taken.

As soon as he was out of sight from those annoying Yakuzas, he flipped open a disposable phone and quickly dialed the number he had memorized before even stepping foot in Mako’s territory. It buzzed for only a second before his assistant picked up the phone.

“Rin! Mako didn’t take our suggestion too well… and she is probably going to see Akane soon…” No sooner had he said that then he noticed Mako jump in her car, and pull out into the road. “Tell Akane the meeting went well…that Mako is willing to talk immediately. Have her go out towards the old garage, the one where we stage the street fight…if she needs a ride, let Lukas take care of it.”

“Alright…but what about Mako?”

“Mako is as stupid and single minded as her animal namesake! Drop a bit of blood in the water and she will come running. Have Kaine help you stage at Akane’s apartment…when she arrives…make sure she never comes to see Akane again. Do so at your discretion.”

“If Akane ever learns of this…”

“She never will.”

With that, Drake closed the phone and dropped it onto the concrete. With one good stomp of his shoes, he smashed the portable phone to bits and smiled from his alleyway wall, watching Mako’s taillights fade away.

Never turn your back on a snake, Mako…they tend to be venomous!

To be continued…?