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Post by PJ on Oct 4, 2005 1:10:31 GMT -5
The final chapter of Volume One has arrived! It might seem a bit clumsy, cos I just couldn't seem to get the massacre-scene right. Oh well. Enjoy, it's the longest yet.
Chapter Four: Showdown at House of Blue Leaves
When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that, not only does God exist, you’re doing his will. At a time when Antenora knew nothing of her enemies, one name shone like a beacon of light in the darkness. Celinra “Alecto” Hanakane. After speaking to a few people, the Bride had discovered that Celinra had managed to become the queen of the Tokyo underworld.
At the age of twenty, Dante backed his young, but skilled, student both financially and philosophically in her shakespearian-in-magnitude power struggle with the other Yakuza clans, over who would rule vice in the city of Tokyo. When all the blood had been spilt, and the last sword had been sheathed, it was the geisha-regaled Celinra Hanakane that proved the victor.
In case you are wondering how a half-breed Japananese-Chinese-American had become the queen of the Tokyo underworld, I will tell you. The subject of Celinra’s blood and nationality came up before the council only once, on the night that Celinra assumed power over the crime council.
Celinra had just become the official leader of crime in the city of Tokyo, and the six Yakuza bosses were all drinking and laughing, all save one, Boss Tanaka. Boss Tanaka, after an evening spent sitting moodily in the corner, has had enough. He smashed his fist onto the plate before him, crushing it. Everything instantly quietened down, and all eyes turned to Boss Tanaka. “Tanaka!” One of the crime lords shouted, his face red. “What is the meaning for this outburst? This is a time for celebration!” Tanaka glared at his peers. “What should I be celebrating?” He asked. “The perversion of this illustrious council?”
The crime-lords all roared in outrage, but Celinra’s face remained impassive. “Gentlemen, Boss Tanaka obviously has something on his mind. Allow him to express it.” She said, her face a mask. Tanaka sat back, and growled “My father,” he pointed to another crime-lord, “and your father,” and then to another, “along with yours started this council. And while you drink like fish and laugh like donkeys, they weep in the afterlife over the perversion committed today.”
The bosses yelled again, but Celinra barked “Silence!” and everyone quietened down. “Of what perversion do you speak, Tanaka?” She asked, almost sweetly. Boss Tanaka sneered at her and said “I speak, Mistress Hanakane, of the perversion done to this council – which I love more than my own children – by making a half Chinese American its leader.” There was a moment of deadly silence, when suddenly Celinra leapt onto the table, approached Boss Tanaka, and with a single swipe of her blade, cut his head off. The dead Boss keeled over sideways and landed with a thump on the floor; all the remaining Bosses stared at Celinra, horror on their faces.
“As your leader,” Celinra started, still holding Tanaka’s head, “I encourage you - from time to time, and always in a respectful manner, and with complete knowledge that my decision is final – to question my logic. If you’re unconvinced a particular plan of action I’ve decided is the wisest, tell me so. But allow me to convince you. And I will promise you, right here and now, no subject will be taboo…except the subject that was just under discussion.” She lifted Tanaka’s head up so that all could see, and continued. “The price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative, is that I collect your potato ing head.” Utter silence. “Now if ANY of you son-of-a-mageees got ANYTHING to say, NOW’s the potato ING time.” She yelled, staring at each of the council members. After a moment of silence, she added: “I didn’t think so. Meeting adjourned.”
House of Blue Leaves, Tokyo, Japan.
Antenora sat, disguised in a kimono, at the bar, and observed Mistress Hanakane as she and her troup walked up the stairs and entered a private parlour. There was Celinra herself, and then seven young men from her personal army, known as the Crazy 88, followed shortly by Char, a young schoolgirl who was Celinra’s personal bodyguard, and Pandora Fatale, Celinra’s best friend, second-in-command, and lawyer. Once the last of them had gone through the parlour door, Antenora crept up the stairs, and listened to their conversation.
They didn’t seem nervous, or tense, so she assumed word of her escape from the hospital hadn’t spread far. Either that, or Celinra Hanakane didn’t deem Antenora much of a threat. Either way worked to the Bride’s advantage. As she contemplated this, Celinra suddenly withdrew a sharp metal dart from her robe, and hurled it straight towards Antenora. It passed through the paper wall as if it wasn’t there, and hit the wooden wall, milimeters from the Bride’s nose. All noise from the private parlour ceased instantly. “Char.” Mistress Hanakane whispered, and her bodyguard stood, and approached the door.
She ripped it open, and looked around; she saw nothing suspicious. She yanked the dart from the wall, took one last look around, and went back into the parlour, slamming the door behind her. Antenora, who had wedged herself into the rafters above, dropped silently down, and crept back down the stairs, waiting for her opportunity. It came roughly twenty minutes later, in the form of Pandora Fatale going to the ladies’.
Antenora followed her inside, and in the bathroom, she tapped Pandora on the shoulder. “Excuse me,” she said, and Pandora turned. “I’m looking for the attorney of Celinra Hanakane, Pandora Fatale. Would that be you?” “I’m Mistress Hanakane’s attorney. How may I help you?” Antenora smiled and hit her hard in the face.
Meanwhile, in Celinra’s private parlour, she and her bodyguards were drinking, laughing, singing, and hassling the restaurant owners. Suddenly, from outside the parlour, a single voice cut through the karaoke band singing below. “Celinra Hanakane! You and I have unfinished business!” The parlour went instantly quiet alongside the rest of the restaurant, and suddenly the bodyguards leapt up, and scrambled out of the room, one even cutting through the paper wall. They clustered on the balcony, staring down onto the dance floor, searching for the person who had addressed their mistress in such a way.
Celinra’s eyes widened as she saw Pandora Fatale standing helpless in front of Antenora, who held her Sam-Sword at her side, and had changed from her kimono to a yellow jumpsuit. “Antenora.” The Crime-Queen whispered. Having caught their attention, the Bride lifted her sword, and sliced Pandora’s right arm clean off. The attorney screamed and fell to the floor, blood spurting everywhere. Everything went quiet. Antenora raised her sword, and slashed it, so that the blood splattered in a neat line across the dance-floor. One of the patrons screamed, and then everyone stampeded towards the exit, eager to get out.
When everyone had left, Celinra said “Miki.” And one of the Crazy 88 leapt from the balcony, screaming a battle-cry, and rushed towards Antenora, his blade unsheathed. The Bride calmly impaled the screaming bodyguard, and lifted him straight up into the air with her sword. Miki was screaming and writhing, and then Antenora hurled him into one of the Koi ponds that stood in the restaurant.
Celinra, recovering quickly, and yelled “Tear the magee apart!” Her remaining 6 of her bodyguard ran down to her, screaming hysterically. The Bride impaled one, and decapitated another, before they could even raise their swords to stop her. The remaining four surrounded her, and eyed her warily. Without any indication, Antenora whipped around, cut one of them in the leg, and sliced another deep in the chest. The two fell, screaming and bleeding. The remaining two attacked simultaneously, and Antenora parried their blows easily, before she dispatched them.
She turned back to the balcony, where Celinra stood, expressionless. “Got any more subordinates for me to kill?” She asked. Mistress Hanakane nodded towards Char, who was descending the stairs, holding a chain attached to a very large spiked metal ball.
“Hi.” Char said, with a giggle. Antenora had heard about this one. She was completely crazy, they said. Char swung the ball up, and then began whirling it above her head, faster and faster. She took a step forwards. Antenora held her blade steadily in front of her, but it seemed quite small and thin in comparison with the huge iron ball.
The Chain-and-ball was an uncommon weapon, and Antenora hadn’t trained much with it, so she was at a disadvantage in this fight. This didn’t deter her in the slightest. With a whoosh of air, Char let chain slide through her hands, so that the giant ball flew straight at Antenora, who barely sidestepped in time. Char yanked the ball back a moment later, and resumed swinging it about her head in one graceful motion. She smiled strangely at the Bride, and twirled the ball around in a complicated way, using her arms and legs to divert the chain and swing the ball in a different direction.
She whirled it back above her head, and struck again. The iron ball flew forwards, striking the surprised Antenora square in the chest, and she flew backwards, onto one of the restaurant tables with a yell. Char flailed her weapon again, and the Bride rolled off the table just as the iron ball came thundering down, and split the table in half.
The Bride stood, and the deadly iron ball came flying at her again, but this time it wrapped itself around her sword, and the deadliest blade on earth was yanked out of her hands, and flew across the room. Char, giggling hysterically, advanced, swirling the ball above her head ominously.
Antenora, thinking quickly, leapt up onto one of the tables, and eyed Char warily. The girl grinned maniacally, and caught her iron ball with her left hand. She pressed a tiny button on the top of it, and a blade slid out of the midsection, going around the entire ball. Char then hurled the ball into the air, and continued swinging it. Her weapon had just gotten a whole lot more deadlier.
The ball came at the Bride again, but this time she was prepared, and she leapt backwards, onto the next table, whilst the table she had stood on before splintered under the force of the chain-ball. Char swung her ball again, but this time Antenora beat it straight back at her with one of the ruined table’s legs. Her eyes widened as the iron ball struck a wooden column, bounced off, and hit her in the back of the head with a loud thud. It had struck with so much force that she almost somersaulted in the air, and landed hard on a broken table. Without a noise, she stood, and began to swing the ball again.
She struck again, like a viper, and the ball whistled past Antenora’ head, and embedded itself into a wooden pole. Quick as a flash, Char leapt forward, and wrapped the chain around her enemy’s neck, pulling her off the table. Antenora fell hard, and Char pulled the chain some more, crushing the Bride’s windpipe.
Antenora’s face turned red, and her eyes bulged. She punched Char’s arm weakly, but the strange girl just stared at her with a strange secretive smile on her face. The Bride’s arm searched along the floor for a weapon, for anything…there. She grabbed the table leg she had dropped and clubbed Char on the foot with it. Luckily for Antenora, some nails stuck out of the front of the board, and they pierced Char’s foot. The strange bodyguard shrieked and stepped back, her white sneakers soaking in blood.
She dropped the chain, and Antenora stood and swung her club at Char. It collided with a thud against her head, and Char’s eyes went blank as the nails pierced her brain. She fell to the floor, dead. Antenora breathed deeply and quickly ran forward and grabbed her sword. Recovering, she stared up to the balcony where Celinra Hanakane had stood silently, watching the fight. Celinra stared down, emotionless. Then, suddenly, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and Antenora heard a faint roar.
Antenora’s heart sank, and she looked back up to the balcony, where Celinra smiled back down to her. “You didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?” She asked. Antenora sighed, and answered: “For a second there…yeah, I did.” Then the door to the restaurant sprung open, and Betsy Mo, leader of Celinra’s personal army, the Crazy 88, ran in, sword held ready. And behind the leader of Mistress Hanakane’s personal army was the rest of the personal army itself, some thirty warriors.
They swarmed in, yelling wildly, and surrounded the Bride. Thirty swords were directed straight at her. Betsy leaned against the post, and watched, a bemused smile on her face. Antenora raised her sword, so that she could see the warriors behind her in its reflection. Thirty yakuza warriors, each dressed in a black suit, tie, and wore a kato mask. It was Go-time.
Antenora leapt forwards suddenly, and before anyone could gasp, she impaled one of the soldiers with her Sam-Sword. By the time he realised he was dead, the Bride had already pulled the sword free, and kicked the poor fellow backwards, knocking three of the boy’s comrades over as well. By kicking him, she also propelled herself forwards, and slashed ahead of her, wounding two warriors, and killing a third.
With inhuman speed, she pushed past the dead warrior, and was outside the circle of swordsmen. Five swordsmen charged at her, the rest behind them, and she cut the sword in half of one of them, sent another flying away with a kick, and buried her sword in the chest of a third. She let go of her sword and punched the remaining two guys back, and pulled her sword free, and the fight continued.
Antenora was a slashing whirlwind of death. She danced about – always out of reach – and slaughtered the Crazy 88 with as much as ease as a broom sweeps a pile of dust away. Pretty soon most of Celinra’s personal army lay either dead or wounded on the restaurant floor, and a mere five remained, bunched together so tight that the Bride was having trouble getting at them. She was just about to strike when she heard something behind her, and leapt aside just in time to avoid Betsy Mo’s sweeping blade. The vicious warrior charged at the assassin, slashing wildly, so that the Bride had to go on the defensive.
The five remaining bodyguards then surged forwards, and Antenora was trapped between the two attacks. She turned to fend off the remains of the Crazy 88, when Betsy drew a hand-axe and threw it at her. It was by mere chance – she saw the blade’s reflection in one of her enemies swords – that she survived. She ducked down low and the axe whirled past her, striking an unwary bodyguard in the head with a sick thud. Antenora slashed at the legs of the soldiers, hamstringing them, and finishing off the last of the Crazy 88.
Antenora then ran up the stairs and waited for Betsy to come up to her, which she did a moment later. The two warriors faced each other, and then Betsy leapt onto the railing and stared silently at Antenora to come up, too. A challenge. The assassin leapt up, and balanced herself, and then she and her enemy slowly began to approach each other. When they met in the middle, Betsy went on the offensive again, slashing furiously at the Bride, so that she had to retreat backwards, whilst fending off the blows.
For a time the two stood there, duelling on the railing of the balcony, whilst the defeated below moaned in pain, until Antenora ducked a blade-sweep and cut deeply into Betsy’s leg, so that she fell, shrieking, into one of the koi pools below. They had turned a sickening red colour. The Bride, battered, bruised and bloody, turned back to the battlefield before her. “Those of you lucky enough to still have your lives, may take them with you.” Antenora shouted. “But leave the limbs you have lost. They belong to me, now.”
She entered the private parlour to find it empty. The backdoor, however, was open. Warily, she went through it, and into the snowy garden out back. Celinra Hanakane silently waited there for her. Antenora approached her with a faint smile on her face. “Your instrument is very impressive.” Celinra said, impassively. “Where was it made?” “Tasmania.” “Whom in Tasmania made you this steel?” Antenora smiled. “Sam Boddy.” “You lie.” Celinra said staring at her. Antenora flipped her sword up, and showed her the sigil imprinted on the side.
“I hope you’ve saved your energy. If you haven’t, you might not last even five minutes.” Celinra suddenly pulled her sword from its scabbard, and held both tightly, and approached her enemy. She attacked, and their blades clashed. Mistress Hanakane swung her sheath, and cut Antenora’s cheek with it, slightly. Antenora sliced it in half.
They danced, exchanging blow after blow, circling each other like lionesses, then striking swifter than the eye could see. Celinra somersaulted over Antenora’s head and slashed her back, not cutting deep, but leaving a long wound that ran all the way down the Bride’s back. Blood soaked into Antenora’s yellow jumpsuit. She shouted in pain, and backed off. “Silly American girl likes to play with samurai swords. Dante may have humoured you, but you will find neither humour nor mercy at my blade.” She lifted her blade threateningly. “You may not fight like a samurai, but you can certainly die like one.”
They clashed again, this time more furiously than before. The sound of steel hitting steel echoed through the garden and beyond, mingled with the war-cries and grunts of the two women. Antenora moved fast, faster than ever before, and struck the Yakuza crime queen in the leg, so that blood dribbled down and soaked into her white kimono. Celinra stepped back, newfound respect in her eyes. “I apologize for ridiculing you before.” She said, and raised her sword again.
They met again, and fought, long and hard. In reality, it was only a minute or two, but it felt like years to the combatants. Finally, they retreated back, breathing hard, recuperating. After a moment, both women straightened, and lifted their swords again. “Ready?” Antenora asked. Celinra nodded. The two ran silently towards each other, and the Bride swung with all her might, beating her opponents blade right down to the floor. She then disengaged, her blade a blur, and stabbed Mistress Hanakane deep in the chest. Celinra Hanakane, Queen of the Tokyo Underworld, fell to her knees, bleeding hard. “That really was a Sam-Sword…” she whispered, and died.
Antenora opened the trunk of her yellow car, and glared down at Pandora Fatale, who lay curled up in her trunk. “I’ve kept you alive for one reason. Information. I want all the information on Dante’s Infernos, what they’ve been doing, where I can find them.” Pandora swore at her, and yelled “Never!” “Then give me your other arm.” Pandora screamed.
She sat quietly in the hospital, looking distraught. He stood behind her. “Pandora, Pandora, Pandora…I’m so sorry.” “Please forgive my betrayal-” “no more of that. Antenora was always…persuasive. I just regret what she’s done to my brilliant and beautiful Pandora.” He paused. “If you had to guess why she left you alive, what would you guess?” “Guessing won’t be necessary. She told me.”
“I’m allowing you to keep your wicked life for one reason, and one reason only. So you can tell him, in person, everything that happened here tonight. I want him to witness the extent of my mercy…., by witnessing your deformed body. I want you to tell him, all the information you just told me. I want him to know. I want him to know. I want all of them to know, they’ll all soon be as dead as Celinra.” She pulled Pandora from the trunk, and rolled her down the hills, were the paramedics found her sobbing, five minutes later.
“One more thing, Pandora.” Pandora whimpered slightly, but nodded. “Is she aware that her daughter is alive?”
END OF VOLUME ONE
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