Gaijin 37

Carrotglace

Well-Known Member
#1
Gaijin

Part 37

War Zone

OooOOooOO

Carrot stood on a pier looking out at the water. Crews were still cleaning up the mess on the docks all around him. He was wearing a suit, a long black coat, and a pair of sunglasses. The boy had his hands in his pockets, and his hair was neat and slicked back. It had taken a month to get everything in order, and he'd been rather busy in that time. The city was quiet, and little had gone on, aside from a few random Youma attacks that the Senshi had taken care of.

He was flanked by two beautiful girls, Kei on his right, wearing a business suit skirt, and a taller Aqua haired woman dressed in the same manner on his right. He looked over his shoulder at the pair.

Michiru was glaring at the workers moving freight about in the undamaged area of the docks. There were fishing boats as well, huge cargo ships, and smaller freight carriers. She had her fist balled up, and a cold frown on her face.

The boy now owned about a fourth of the real estate on the docks, several shipping warehouses, and now owned three shipping companies. Kei put her hand on his shoulder and spoke in a cheerful but calm tone. ôThis was expensive.ö

He just nodded. ôI know. It will cost even more to fix the mess, at least a month more of work. However, within a month, we'll have pulled in more than we spent. It will also bring down shipping costs on the overseas exports for the companies I've invested in already.ö He had quite a bit tied up in consumer electronics, auto manufacturing, local freight and shipping firms, and now owned a military level research facility. Yoshi was running the Cybertech labs facility, and it, along with the other assets he now owned were now renamed Stark Enterprises. He also had a lot of money in real estate, and was the landlord for about twenty apartment complexes in the city a few retail complexes, and assorted other properties.

Michiru gave a rough snort. ôYes. It's a mess though.ö

Uranus had fought another stalemate battle with her rival Nine. The pair had ripped up the docks, destroyed a crane, several trucks, and a lot of products waiting to be trucked off the docks. It was a real mess.

Carrot gave a small sigh. He was being a bit underhanded, swooping in and taking things over and getting a good deal on the properties and businesses in the area due to the destruction. He'd not had a hand in it. While he'd become quite wealthy, he only had about ten percent of his wealth in liquid assets. The rest was tied up in the businesses he owned, and stocks in other companies. Technically, it was Kei's assets. She now sat on the board for several companies, not counting the ones she owned outright. They had their fingers in a lot of pies in Japan now.

He looked over his shoulder at his wife as she hung off his arm. The truth was, his investments had gotten a bit out of hand. He'd been growing worried he'd lose control of all of it. He'd been putting modest amount of moneys in companies that had done well in his past life on his home world. The returns had exceeded his expectations, and it was getting hard to hide his presence with brokers and his agent. Thanks to her, he could show his face and work in the open without risking anything. He'd taken advantage of that right away.

Michiru stayed close by his side and didn't seem to notice Kei almost dry humping his back. The truth was, she wasn't that bad, but the aqua haired girl wasn't quite as liberal. ôSo? Now what?ö

Kei glanced at her. ôDon't look so down. You're the one who wanted to get out.ö

The girl nodded. ôYes. I'm not complaining.ö She looked annoyed, and kept glancing off at the workers unloading things nearby. They were standing on the damaged area of the docks, but on the other side of a yellow tape barrier, things were going as if nothing had happened.

Tony gave a sigh. ôPlease stop glaring at the drug smugglers. You'll make them nervous.ö

The girl turned her eyes towards him and her frowned deepened. They all piled into the back of a limo and relaxed on the expensive leather. The boy hung his head and loosened his tie a bit.

His green haired companion looked a little upset. ôYou're not going to do anything? Even though you know?ö

He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. ôNo. I'm not a vigilante. I'm not planning on being one.ö He lowered his glasses and returned her frown. ôYou know. If you go AWOL on me, I can't help you anymore. You'll be on your own.ö

The girl flushed a little and lowered her eyes. ôI know. Still...I wish I had my rifle and a few grenades...ö

Tony gave a small sigh. ôWell, I've got no interest in starting a war with a Yakuza faction that isn't bothering me. Those Hisami jerks have been quiet. I'm not so sure the old man has much control over them. He's still dead.ö

Kei frowned at him. ôI wouldn't bet on that.ö

Her husband nodded. ôNeither would I, still, don't ruin my fantasies.ö

Michiru rolled her eyes. ôWe're not going to do anything?ö

He glanced at her. ôNot really. I'm not going to allow it on my property, but I'm not going to run around stepping on some Oyabun's toes for no good reason either.ö

The aqua haired girl nodded. ôI see.ö

He sat back and put his arm around Kei. ôI'll deal with it in my own way. It's going to take time and planning. We've already got this mess with the Negaverse, plus Hisami, and those things from that lab I bought. My plate is full, dealing with a little drug smuggling is kind of out of the question right now. Besides, that's what the police are for.ö

The girl looked a bit ashamed and nodded. ôYeah. I know, sorry.ö

Tony chuckled. ôDon't worry about it. I'm not planning on becoming a Yakuza boss myself. I don't care for that sort of work. Relax, we're going to be the good guys. That doesn't mean we can go around blasting any asshole that does something we don't like.ö

The girl nodded. ôThere are guns in those shipments, drugs, and...ö

Her boss shrugged and sipped on a soda he'd pulled from a cooler as he tossed one over to her. ôYes. Well, we've got to pick our battles. I can't save every innocent person in the city. I'm not a superhero.ö

Michiru looked surprised. ôYou're not?ö

Stark shook his head. ôWell, no. Not really. I don't swing about stopping muggings and pulling people out of fires. I'm not running about patrolling the city for crime. I'll fight when I need to, when I think I've got too, but no. I'm not a superhero.ö

The aqua haired girl nodded. ôWhat are you then?ö

He looked out the window. ôI'm worried about the planet. The Senshi aren't running about fighting street crime you know. This is a global threat we're dealing with, something that can and will destroy all life on this world if it gets the opportunity.ö

Kei shook his shoulder as she sipped on a beer. ôWhat? That Goblin monster was a global threat?ö

The boy kept his eyes on the street outside, watching people walk by. ôHe was a solider, a drone. We're fighting a war. I'm not about to start another one over a little smuggling. Yeah, it hurts innocent people, but we can't afford to fight every asshole in the city at once. Even if we kill them all, others will just replace them, and they may be worse than the ones we got rid of.ö

Michiru sipped at her drink. ôI think evil should be punished.ö

Tony nodded. ôYes, but only a fool would think they can destroy it. It has a nasty habit of coming back stronger than before. You'd do well to remember that.ö

The aqua haired girl seemed to think about it. ôStill, it doesn't seem right to sit back and let it happen. Just ignore it as if it isn't there.ö

Stark glanced at her. ôYes. We've got to be careful though. There would be a backlash, even if we just report it to the police and do nothing more. We need to pick our battles carefully. Not lash out at every injustice we come across.ö He seemed to relax a bit more. ôIt would only wear us out and destroy us if we did.ö

Kei glanced at the woman and nodded. ôHe's right. Taking care of things like that used to be my job.ö She put her head on his shoulder and looked out the window across his chest. ôI worked for Hisami, but the other Oyabun had their own ways of dealing with that sort of problem. If you step on a serpent's tail, it will turn back and strike your leg.ö

Michiru nodded and her frown deepened a little more. ôThen you should crush the head.ö

Tony nodded. ôYes. We're already surrounded by snakes though. I'm not going to fund a group of vigilantes. It's bad enough dealing with that Negaverse crap, never mind Hisami, and those two monsters. Uranus can deal with Nine. That one is beyond us. She's the only one strong enough to handle it. Whether we like it or not.ö

Kei nodded. ôYou trust her?ö

Her husband seemed to think about that. ôI trust her with that. I'm not sure how much I trust her otherwise. I'm pretty sure she's not our enemy. I've got nothing against her. Even if she did take it upon herself to conquer the world, she'd take better care of it than Metallia would. It's not our concern.ö

Michiru growled as her eyes became hard. ôI do.ö

Tony looked over at her. ôI won't hold that against you. Don't expect me to move against her. I'm in no position to help you with that. There are more important matters.ö

The aqua haired girl glanced at him. ôWhat do you know of it?ö It was a genuine question.

He glanced at her. ôI remember enough to realize that she's lucky the queen is gone. I also get why you're upset with her. There's nothing I can do about it though. We've got enough to worry about as it is.ö

Michiru nodded. ôYeah. You're right.ö

The car came to a stop. Tony looked surprised. ôHey.ö He looked out the front window over the driver's shoulder. ôOh, you've got to be kidding me.ö A black car had pulled out in front of them. Several men had gotten out of another limo, and were moving up to the window.

The boy rolled it down and looked out at a large muscular man with a radio transmitter in his ear. ôYeah?ö

The man had a stony expression, and was flanked by two men of a similar build. ôMr. Stark. Mr. Kashimoto would like a word with you.ö

OooOOooOO

The old man nodded at Kei as he settled into a seat across from the boy. They were riding in the old man's limo with his own car following just behind them. His kunoichi wife had informed him of just who was sitting across from him. They were moving towards the old man's office, about six blocks away. He was the owner of a large portion of the docks next to his new property. He was also the leader of one of the major Yakuza families in the city.

He was a slim man with a serious frown that kept his hands propped up on top of a walking cane. He was half bald and his hair was stark white. ôSo, you've become interested in shipping. Mr. Stark, was it?ö He had two of his hoods sitting on either side of him. Both of them were glaring at the pair across from them and staying silent.

The boy nodded, the girl beside him seemed calm and relaxed. ôI'm interested in a lot of things. Having a few ports will help me in other ventures. It's cheaper to export electronics on docks you own, and storing them on your own property helps as well.ö

The man nodded. ôI see. I've not heard of you. I know your associate. It's been a while, Kei.ö

Tony didn't seem pleased or upset. ôWell, let's just say some of my investments have paid off over the past few years.ö

Kashimoto nodded. ôWell, Mr. Stark. I'm sure you're aware of who I am. You're new to this industry.ö

The young businessman shook his head. ôWe're not in the same business. I've no interest in disrupting yours, so long as it stays out of mine.ö

The Oyabun narrowed his eyes. ôI'm not sure what you're talking about.ö

Tony shrugged. ôI'm sure you do. I'm not really interested in details. I don't mind your business really. I also don't want it in my ports. I'm aware of how it works. I start letting you run shipments through my properties, and soon you'll start putting your own workers into place, telling me when your shipments arrive, and when and where I can run my own. No thanks. I can handle my own scheduling, and your business would disrupt my legitimate operations. I've no intention of letting you disrupt my own scheduling and start taking over my docks for your convenience. I've got my own problems, and I'm not interested in sharing yours.ö

The old man glared at him and gripped the top of his cane. ôI see.ö

The young man gave him a smile. ôI know what you want from me. I'm not interested, I'm not Yakuza, and I've no interest in the lifestyle. You've got your place, and I've got mine. I see no reason to get in each other's way.ö

Kashimoto gave a small sigh. ôMy business is quite lucrative.ö

Tony gave a nod. ôSo is mine. We're not competing, you've got your market, and I've got mine. Both of us benefit from having our little piece of the shipping industry. Each of us uses it in our own way. There's no reason for us to step on each other's toes.ö

The Oyabun nodded. ôI see. You're quite intelligent.ö He noticed the boy had a scar on his face and he appeared very serious. ôNot what I expected from someone so young.ö

The boy was relaxed and kept his eyes on the old man. ôI'm older than I look. I'm not someone who's going to be scared or bullied. Those two idiots can stop flashing their guns under their coats. I'm not impressed.ö His two bodyguards both looked a bit upset.

Kashimoto chuckled. ôYes. Well, I do hope we can come to some sort of agreement.ö

Tony arched his eyebrow. ôThe only one I'm willing to make is simple. You stay on your side of the fence, and I stay on mine. As I said, I've no interest in bothering your operations. I've also got my own to worry about, and I don't have time to deal with the inconvenience yours would present. I've dealt with men like you before, and I know if I give you an inch, you'll try to take a mile. It's the only way anyone can survive in your business. I won't hold it against you, but I'm not willing to play along and get caught up in it either. Don't let my youth fool you. I'm not looking for a mentor, and I'm not naive, or inexperienced. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I've got no time to get sidetracked by the allure of easy money or high profit margins with high risks. I don't really need anyone to help me out or look after me.ö

The old man nodded. ôI see. You're a shrewd man. Very forward, and I don't see any fear in your eyes. I do have to wonder, if you would be so confident without your friend at your side. We've met before. ö

Kei gave a small chuckle. ôI'm with him, because he's stronger than me.ö

Tony's eyes never flinched, he didn't look aggressive or angry. ôI married well. I've got my whole family backing me. I don't really want to upset anyone, but I'm less than concerned if I'm a little annoying because I'm not willing to misbehave with everyone else.ö

Kashimoto nodded. ôYes. I see. Well, I thank you for your time. It's been interesting. I'm sure we'll meet again.ö

The young man nodded. ôI look forward to it.ö He exited the car and walked back to his limo.

The two large and silent men growled and looked mad at him as he left. The one who had spoken to Tony looked at his boss. ôThat Gaijin punk.ö

The old man raised his hand. ôYes. He's no concern to us.ö

Both men looked shocked. ôWha? B-boss?ö

Kashimoto chuckled. ôIt seems the rumors I've heard are true. Hisami's assassins have gone rouge. Our largest rival has been weakened, and has become vulnerable. Now is the time to strike. He cannot even show his face, after faking his own death, he cannot be exposed. We will take back what we lost twenty years ago, and restore order and balance to the five families.ö

His bodyguards looked at each other, the leader nodded and bowed his head as he spoke up. ôWe go to war then?ö

The old man nodded. ôYes. The time has come. For too long, Hisami has grown fat and greedy, overreaching his bounds and crushing the other families under the heels of that power. It is time to show him that those days are over.ö

OooOOooOO

A month had gone by and Carrot was in his office again. He spent a lot of time there during the day. Yoshi was working on solutions to his problems, and they'd hit a couple of small snags. Changing Venom's programing wasn't the difficult part, getting the unit to accept it, and reversing the damage that wearing it caused to Usagi was a tall order.

He was holding a newspaper, and had a glass of burbon on ice cubes sitting in front of his desk. The murders in the slums were steady, rumors of monsters ran rampant, but still stayed in small back page editorials that most of the city didn't take very serious. He growled as he looked over the slum murders.

Carnage was a major problem, but his cloaking abilities made him near impossible to keep track of. Usagi was a subject of rumor, and was just as difficult to find. Even Mamoru had a few scattered articles about his vigilante activities. He was beating the shit out of muggers and drug dealers on a regular basis. Usagi seemed to be helping him out.

He turned the page and scanned the Kanji, his reading skills had improved a great deal, but he still had trouble with a few of them. ôGreat.ö The subject of a major editorial, still not on the front page, was the local gang wars. Tokyo was getting worse, Kashimoto was stepping on Hisami's toes. It was starting to get messy, a few businesses had been burned down, and there were shoot outs happening in back streets and lewd establishments such as strip clubs and bars. They'd kept off the main streets so far, aside from a few high profile assassinations.

The Senshi were out of the papers. No one was writing anything about them. It was good in his mind, and teaming them up with their shinobi helpers seemed like a good idea. He had eyes and ears all over the city now, the village Shinobi ran almost every business he owned.

He took a sip of his drink and settled into the high backed leather chair behind his desk. He flipped the page again towards the back of the paper. Another article about the Octopus monster. He knew he'd have to deal with Hisami at some point in the future, but the man had gone underground. He was still dead to the public and seemed to be laying low. Some of the Yakuza gang wars reported that some of the victims in the fights had been torn apart by something other than gunfire. It seemed he was otherwise occupied. That was good for him.

He gave a heavy sigh and put the paper down as the door to his office opened. He turned and frowned as a group of men in suits entered and stood at the sides of the doorway. ôHello.ö He stood up and straightened out his jacket.

An old man he recognized from the papers walked in. ôPrime Minister, Governor.ö Two men he'd seen a great deal of walked into the room. They were both older men with thin balding heads and short stature in business suits.

The pair looked very serious and bowed to him in a slight manner. ôI am Yashuhiro Nakasone.ö The Prime Minister introduced himself.

ôI am Shunichi Suzuki.ö The Governor of Tokyo nodded his head a little.

The boy walked around his desk and gave a small bow to them both. ôI'm Tony Stark. What can I do for you?ö

The men took the seats he offered and looked very serious as they watched him take his own.

The Prime Minister looked over his shoulder and nodded at his bodyguards. They stepped out of the room and left him and the Governor alone with the boy. ôMr. Stark. You've been quite busy.ö

Tony nodded. ôSo I have. Can I offer you a drink?ö

The pair looked at each other as an attractive girl walked into the room and stood next to the man. They both looked at her.

Nakasone shook his head. ôNo. Thank you. We've come to discuss some, business with you.ö

The young looking gaijin nodded. ôI see.ö They were implying they wanted privacy. ôWell, she owns the assets, I just keep things running. I'm glad to listen to anything you've got to say.ö

The men looked at each other and back at him again. ôWe've been watching you for some time now Mr. Stark.ö The Prime Minister opened the briefcase he'd brought into the room with him. He put a folder on his desk.

The Governor nodded. ôYes. You've been quite active since you arrived in Japan.ö

The boy chuckled. ôNever set foot on any other country on this planet. I might not look it, but I'm local.ö He opened the folder and frowned. ôI see.ö There were documents about the senshi. They didn't contain the girl's identity, but his clan of shinobi was mentioned as well. Gia and Spike were mentioned, as well as Jiro. He flipped through them, and found no mention of Mei Lin. Yoshi, and his dealings with Cybertech labs were contained within the folder. He gave a small sigh and put the folder down. ôWell. It seems you're not interested in arresting me. I've not really broken any laws. What do you want?ö

The Prime Minister gave a humorless chuckle. ôNo. Not at all. We are aware of the Negaverse, and the threat it poses. We've lost several good men, and wasted a lot of time and energy setting up a task force to deal with it. The JSDF has proven rather...ineffective, as well as the local law enforcement.ö

Tony said nothing and gave a nod. ôI see.ö

The Governor nodded. ôI hate to say it, but we view you as...a necessary evil.ö

The boy snorted and took a sip of his drink. ôEvil? Hardly. I reported those disasters from that laboratory to the Government officials. I don't want them coming back to bite me in the ass later on.ö

The Prime Minister nodded. ôYes. I am to understand that you're working on a solution to that problem?ö

Stark nodded. ôYes. I'm also aware that you were funding it until about six months ago. That's not a real concern of mine.ö

The man stiffened up and looked at the Governor. ôYes. Cybertech labs has dealt with our people in the past. We made a few contracts with them for some of our...hardware.ö

The boy nodded. ôI've looked over those reports. I see no real problems. I doubt that's what you've come to speak about. It's something none of us wants public.ö

The Prime Minister gave a grave nod. ôYes. I'll be sending a representative to speak with you about the solutions of those monsters that lab has set loose upon Tokyo. Officially, they are a part of the Negaverse issue.ö

Tony gave a nod. ôActually, one of them is viable. It got onto a young girl, and she's essential to solving that issue. You don't need to know the details, but she's associated with the Senshi, getting rid of her isn't an option. The one that calls itself Venom, she's not killed anyone. It's not tame by any means, but it was made for law enforcement, it's less lethal, and still doing what it's supposed to do. It's following it's programing quite well, though, I don't recommend trying to make a police force out of it. It's still very unstable. It's the other one, the one the military was interested in is the real problem. I've got people working on a way to deal with it. I've also had people in talks with your people about keeping things moving as they should. I understand my lead scientist has a grant from the government partially funding the operation now. I'm very grateful.ö

Nakasone nodded. ôYes. We've put up funding for that project. We want our hands clean, the Japanese Government would be shamed if the truth of it came out. Our intention was honorable, but the connections to that Yakuza boss Hisami tainted and twisted that trust. We were unaware of that connection, and it corrupted and destroyed a legal and viable project.ö It was an obvious lie.

Suzuki looked at the man and turned towards Stark. ôYes. We are quite impressed with the way you've been handling your affairs.ö

ôWhat do you want?ö Tony continued to flip through the folder. Kei was still standing beside him, looking over his shoulder. ôI'm not interested in becoming anyone's pawn. My businesses are legal, and while I employ quite a few people, I'm hardly as much of a threat as the Yakuza thugs you mentioned. The Negaverse is something that only a certain kind of power can deal with. You could drop a nuclear device on it and it wouldn't solve the problem. Fortunately for myself, I'm in control of that power.ö

Nakasone cocked his head and seemed less than concerned. ôYes. Magic, we are aware of it. Those Sailor Senshi are quite something. We employ people with similar abilities, though they are rare. I have a Miko on my staff, though that is not her official title. She is the reason we have come to you. She speaks quite highly of you.ö

ôOdd for a Gaijin.ö Suzuki grumbled. ôStill, I have also been told by reliable sources that you can offer us a solution to this problem. One that will take care of our issues at a minimal cost.ö

Tony looked up from the folder. ôWell, I'm already dealing with the Negaverse. Adding police and soldiers to the mess wouldn't do me any good. You're not planting government supervision in my clan. I can run it quite effectively myself, you'd just get in my way. So what is it you want? You've still not actually told me.ö

Suzuki narrowed his eyes. ôWho exactly are you Mr. Stark?ö

The boy shrugged. ôI'm a reincarnated Prince. Why?ö He put the folder down and leaned onto his desk with his hands folded in front of him. ôThe power I control is my birthright. I'm useful to the Government, loyal to Japan, and I've got several active defense contracts thanks to my acquisition of Cybertech labs and a few other investments. I'm good for you, the citizens of Japan. So, what's this about?ö

Nakasone frowned at his companion, the man turned his eyes away and said nothing. ôWe've got problems. Problems we can't deal with.ö

Tony nodded. ôYes. The city is a mess, I'm working against the Negaverse, and we're making excellent progress on that front. Uranus can deal with that Nine monster. She's not one of mine anyway. I've got Hisami breathing down my neck, even though he's a bit occupied right now, and a mass murdering cyborg that's somehow become my responsibility. Not to mention a very aggressive vigilante cyborg who's barely walking the line to reign in and bring under control. My plate is rather full.ö

Suzuki gasped. ôHisami is dead.ö

Nakasone glanced at him. ôNo. He isn't.ö He looked over at Tony. ôI've read the report of what happened to him. Interesting problem.ö

Stark took another sip from his glass. ôYeah. He's already dead, so, if he dies, I guess there's no problem.ö

The man nodded. ôIt won't be an issue.ö

Tony scratched at his neck and seemed to relax a little more. ôWhat do you need from me?ö He was getting a little sick of asking, but the topic was making the men nervous. They were reluctant to speak about whatever it was.

The Prime Minister sat back in his chair a little. ôKashimoto and Hisami are making a mess of the city. The Yakuza are an infection that this city cannot be rid of. A cancer that degrades the moral core of Japan from it's heart.ö

Stark arched his eyebrow. ôThough, they can be sometimes useful. I get what you mean.ö

ôYou will help with this problem?ö The Governor folded his hands and looked the boy in his eye.

Tony looked surprised. ôWell, I've got someone who would be very interested in something like that. Eliminate enough of the down side, and they'll be glad to take care of it for you.ö

Kei glanced down at him and furrowed her brow a bit. ôYou don't mean...?ö

Her husband nodded. ôWhy not?ö He smiled at the men. ôAs long as my operative is given...well, I know you can't give official immunity, but...ö

Nakasone gave a serious nod. ôThey will not be investigated, and we'll intervene as best we can in the event of an arrest. They must be unaware of our involvement. I don't want you setting some lunatic mercenary loose on the city. Innocent people cannot be harmed. Perhaps a few deaths can be overlooked if need be, but, collateral damage is unacceptable.ö

Tony nodded. ôWell, I've got just the person for the job. There will be a little property damage, but...nothing major. You don't have to worry about bombs going off in the city, or businesses burning to the ground like you do now.ö He had his pen working on a small sheet of paper.

Suzuki glared at the Prime Minister. ôI'm not certain I'm entirely comfortable with this.ö

Nakasone glanced at him. ôNeither am I. Officially, we know nothing of this, and we will speak out against it. We are walking dangerous waters.ö

Stark nodded. ôWell, I don't know anything about this person either if you catch my drift.ö He tossed a small stylized drawing of a skull onto the middle of his desk. ôI can arrange it so that the Yakuza will be punished. Once it gets started, it will be out of my hands. I'm not talking about someone who will be on my payroll. This is an off the books operation, I'll be funding it, but I won't have any control over it once it gets started. I'd rather not be associated with this any more than you would. It's not an option for the kind of thing I'm talking about.ö

ôHisami and Kashimoto will be dealt with?ö The Governor gave an almost relieved, and half worried sigh.

ôWhat? I'm afraid that once I get this one started, no Yakuza in the city will be safe. This one has a thing against organized criminals. Once they get started, they won't stop until either they or every Yakuza in the city is dead.ö Tony sat back. ôYou need to understand. All I'm doing is pointing them in the right direction, and sending them on their way. I said this person won't be working for me, and I meant it. All I'll be doing is providing a little off the books funding. I'm afraid you won't be able to tie it back to me either. This isn't something any of us can afford to be directly linked too.ö

The two men froze in their seats.

Tony continued. ôThey'll need contacts, access to weapons normal citizens can't carry, and unless you want to start losing undercover agents, or have major busts disrupted they'll need to stay informed. That means law enforcement contacts. This one is quite thorough. I highly recommend it. There's no tolerance for the loss of innocent life with this one, but these Yakuza...all of them will die. What I'm talking about, is almost a force of nature. Just remember one thing.ö

Suzuki swallowed. ôWhat's that?ö

Stark gave a dangerous looking grin. ôWith this one, you're not getting justice, or revenge. To this one, it's punishment. Not even I would cross this one. If I were to become Yakuza, they'd kill me just as fast as anyone else. They can't be bargained with, bought, or deterred. You're dealing with a determined hatred of evil, and a desire only to punish it.ö

Nakasone nodded. ôI see. Very well.ö

The Governor looked at him with wide eyes. ôWhat? Have you gone mad? Who is this person?ö

The Prime Minister frowned. ôWe don't need to know. This conversation never happened.ö

The man lowered his eyes and gave a weak nod.

The two men stood up and bowed as they gave a polite exit.

Tony sat back in his chair and had a dark smile on his face.

Kei put her hand on his shoulder. ôYou're setting her loose?ö

Her husband gave a nod. ôTo be honest, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be long before we lost her anyway. At least now, I won't have to cut ties completely. I'd like to be able to keep limited contact with her. There's nothing I can do to stop her anyway. This way, she'll be a little safer doing what she's going to end up doing anyway.ö

His wife gave a nod. ôYou care for her?ö

He stood up and looked out the window at the sea beyond the city. ôYes. She's a friend. I can't protect her, I can't hold her back forever. It's time to let her go. You've seen the way she looks at them.ö He gave a weak smile as he looked at the setting sun in the distance. ôIt's all I can do for her, make it a bit easier on her. I knew she was lost the moment I saw that carving on the wall at Jiro's bar. I just, couldn't let go.ö

Kei gave a serious nod. ôYes.ö

Carrot stared out at the vanishing sun and frowned. Yoshi was building his bomb as well. He knew it was just a matter of time. He couldn't do anything to stop it either. The best he could hope for, was to soften the blow a little.

That was all he could really do for any of them. Destiny sucked, but he would do his best anyway. It didn't mean he had to like it.

OooOOooOO

A week later...

Michiru sat in a dark alley on top of a closed dumpster. Her eyes were closed, and a long black trench coat hung from her shoulders. She was wearing black pants, and a black shirt with a large white stylized skull on the front of it. A large black duffel bag was behind her back. Around her waist was a heavy belt with ammunition, clips, and a couple of grenades hanging from it. She had about five handguns in holsters at various places on her body, and two very large knives strapped to her shoulder and shin.

The sound of footsteps sounded in the dark alley, there was puddles of water and trash scattered about. She opened her eyes and turned her head towards the sound.

A man wandered into the alley. He was wearing a long brown trenchcoat and a shirt and tie. ôMan. What the hell is this? Meeting in a place like this? Weird.ö He almost stumbled through and glanced around. ôCreepy.ö

A voice sounded behind the man, and he stiffened up. ôYou want something?ö

He looked over his shoulder and smiled. There was a pretty young woman sitting on top of one of the dumpsters dressed in black. ôUm, sort of. It sounds a bit weird. I'm looking for...the Punisher?ö He flushed a bit. He'd gotten several offers from local prostitutes after asking around about it. Particularly ones clad in leather and vinyl, they all seemed very eager when he'd brought it up.

The woman hopped down and walked up to face him. ôWho are you?ö

The man gave a nervous chuckle. ôUm, I'm Inspector Saboten.ö

The aqua haired girl nodded. ôYou're a cop then?ö

The man fumbled a bit and showed his badge. ôYeah. Um...are you...?ö

The mysterious figure nodded. ôIf you're looking for a dominatrix, you've come to the wrong place.ö

Saboten gave a relieved gasp. ôOh. Thank god! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was trying to find you? What kind of name is that anyway? The Punisher?ö

The girl glanced at him. ôYou'll figure it out. You have something for me?ö

Inspector Saboten fumbled about behind his back under his coat and produced a folder. ôYeah. Um, what's this for anyway?ö

The Punisher opened it up and looked it over. ôI'm going to kill the Kashimoto Yakuza clan. You've got men inside, and I need to know who I need to let live.ö She looked up at the man. He was disheveled, his hair was a bit messy, and his tie was crooked.

He wiped his hand across his hair and looked a little shocked as he gave her a nervous smile. ôYou're gonna go after Kashimoto? He's gonna be hard to...ö

Punisher didn't return his smile. ôYou weren't listening. I'm going to kill the Yakuza in Tokyo. All of them. Every...last...one.ö

His eyes went wide as his hands fell down at his sides. ôHuh?ö

ôMight take a while, you'll be hearing from me.ö She put a lighter under the file and watched it burn in her hand for a moment.

ôYeah. Well, if you live, try to keep in touch. I'm supposed to kind of keep you informed, and let you have access to our records and all. You know, off the record and all.ö He wiped at the side of his face and looked a bit nervous. ôMan, this is...I'm not even sure where this assignment came from. I was just told to meet you and...ö

She looked up at him and then turned her eyes back to the folder. ôYou're my police contact then?ö

The man swallowed. ôUm, yeah. I guess we won't be meeting again since you're going to die soon. What did they do to you anyway?ö

The Aqua haired beauty turned her eyes towards him. ôI'll be in touch when I need to know something.ö

Saboten gave a weak looking nod. ôUm, mind if I ask where you're going? I'm sort of supposed to get assigned to your case, even though there isn't one yet. You know, I'll be the one who does the paperwork after you get killed and all.ö

ôI'm going to go down to the docks, and say hello to the Kashimoto family. I'm sure you'll find out how it went.ö She grabbed her bag and walked out into the street.

The Inspector hung his head and nodded. ôUm, yeah. I'll see you...in the morgue.ö He gave a heavy sigh. ôWow. That's a shame, she was a real babe.ö He stumbled back out of the alley towards his car. ôI was kind of expecting a guy. The Punisher? This is the weirdest assignment I've ever gotten.ö

His instructions came from the Chief of Police, and he wasn't allowed to speak with anyone in the department about it. He wasn't even supposed to bring it up with the man who'd given the assignment to him. Officially, he was going to speak out against it and act like he had no idea. He was supposed to be assigned to stop the woman he'd just met once things got started. Though, he didn't see why he'd need to bother.

Soon enough, he would find out. That night, the underworld of Tokyo was about to change. The hunters would become the hunted, and the worst monsters in the city would find something to fear. That night, the Punishment would begin.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: Crime and Punishment.

Punisher: Warzone got me going, and I've been meaning to get Michiru started for a couple of chapters now. Expect at least one more chapter of Punisment and fun before things get back into motion for the main story.

On a side note, I highly recommend Warzone to Punisher fans. The new guy makes Tomas Jane's version look like a hippie liberal in comparison. Good stuff.
 

DoWnEr

Well-Known Member
#2
He was flanked by two beautiful girls, Kei on his right, wearing a business suit skirt, and a taller Aqua haired woman dressed in the same manner on his right. He looked over his shoulder at the pair.
They are both on his right?

Wow. Really wanted an update to this but i still don't understand how Kei and Michiru got to know each other. Guess it was somewhere in the time skip but still, was kind of surprising.

Even though this chapter was just all set up it was pure win :yay:
 

Japan8

Well-Known Member
#3
Woohoo! Been waiting for this! Your Naruto fic is pretty good, but this one and your HP fic are two that I really love.
 

Crusader

Well-Known Member
#4
Now that's something that makes me smile, a posting a chapter of one of my favourite dark fics with an impressive anti-hero self-insertion. I haven't read this in ages.
Have you ever considered involving spies from North Korea and the PRC in the story, unless you already have and I've been absentminded enough not to notice it.
 
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