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A Handful of Slayers - Akiko
Set some months after Chosen, it's a fic inspired by
something I said when pointing out possible consequences with the activation of all the Slayers and in consequence is not a very happy fic.
A rating of 15 for swearing and violence.
Disclaimer. All familiar characters are owned by JW and ME.
Many thanks to Sho for pointing out all my mistakes. :)
Watching Akiko ascend the thirty foot wall as if she was walking down the
street Ichiro had to admit that he was worried. Never before had they
tried something so risky. Shoplifting, picking pockets and the odd car
jacking were their usual scores. They weren't going get rich doing it but
they weren't going to get any of them killed either.
This madness, he could think of no other word for it, was likely to do
just that. Not only was the warehouse patrolled by gun carrying security
guards but it was slap bang in the middle of the Turquoise Dragon's turf.
And those guys were among the meanest mother fuckers around.
Ichiro looked sidelong at the other four members of their small gang
knowing that only his cousin Goro shared any of his reservations and even
he thought the pay off was worth the risk. He shook his head, this was
going to end badly he knew it.
Having reached the top of the wall Akiko disappeared on to the roof and
the group had to endure an anxious wait until she reappeared several
minutes later from a ground floor doorway. "Come on," she urged
them.
Last to enter Ichiro stopped in the doorway. "You know this is a
mistake Akiko," he told her.
Akiko gave him a hard look. "Fucking hell Ichiro we've been through
this before and this is neither the time nor the place." She took a
deep breath. "I've had enough of this. In or out Ichiro it's your
decision?"
He so wanted to say out but Goro had already disappeared down the corridor
and there was no way he would leave without him. He stepped forward.
"In," he said reluctantly.
Akiko closed the door then with speed that was barely credible she grabbed
Ichiro's shirt and slammed him up against the wall. "Let's get one
thing straight, any more of this mistake rubbish and I'm going to beat the
crap out of you. Do you understand?"
Six foot tall and nearly fourteen stone Ichiro dwarfed Akiko but looking
down at her determined face he believed that she was more than capable of
carrying out her threat. He nodded. "I understand, I won't say
another word."
Akiko let him go. "Ok then," she said and then hurried to rejoin
the others. Ichiro followed slowly, rubbing his sore chest. God how he
wished that he knew what had happened to the girl. It wasn't all that long
go that Akiko was just an annoying teenager runaway their small gang had
somehow managed to pick up. She'd been ok then, a bit of a pain maybe,
always wanting what she couldn't have but Kazuma had liked her, more than
liked her actually, so she had stayed.
That had all changed about a month or so ago. Ichiro, Goro and Kimiko had
had a nice little scam going on the docks, steeling cigarettes and selling
them to the workers at knock down prices. So Kazuma and Akiko along with
the remaining to members of the gang, Kenji and Yoshi, had gone off on
some scam of their own, what it had been Ichiro had no idea. The first he
knew about it was when they all returned to the squat and told him that
Kazuma was dead, mangled beneath the wheels of a truck.
Shocked he could hardly believe it, Kazuma had been like a big brother to
Ichiro, taking him under his wing and showing him the ropes when he first
turned up on the streets. It was no exaggeration to say that if it hadn't
been for Kazuma he would have been dead within a week.
Feeling somehow that it was his responsibility Ichiro had tried to find
out what exactly had happened but Akiko had been decidedly tight lipped
about the whole incident. With tears in her eyes she told him it was too
distressing. Kenji and Yoshi had proven to be just as silent as well and
he began to suspect that events hadn't unfolded quite as he had been told.
With no proof though he could do nothing but let it drop.
As the next longest serving member Ichiro had assumed leadership of the
group but over the next couple of weeks his position was gradually
undermined by Akiko. She just gave suggestions at first, small things, but
it wasn't long before they became more forceful, more like commands. And
with Kenji and Yoshi backing her up this continued until finally he had to
admit that he was no longer in charge.
"Ok Goro, Kimiko you'll be our eyes and ears," Akiko was saying
when Ichiro joined the others, "it'll be your job to warn us if
anyone comes. There are only two guards, both lazy and fat, so you
shouldn't have any problems. The rest of us," she continued,
"are on collection duty. Everyone understand what they've got to
do?" They all nodded. "Let's getting moving them."
Akiko led the small group further down the corridor stopping at an
unremarkable white door no different from any of the others passed.
Cautiously opening it she looked out. "It's all clear," she said
and went through. The others followed and found themselves in a large open
area. Ichiro didn't like it in the least, there was no cover and the
chances of them being seen seemed very high indeed.
Akiko though didn't seem to care and with barely a pause led them across
the open space to a blue door on the other side. Pulling it open she
looked at Goro and Kimiko. "You two stay here and keep out of
sight," she told them and went inside.
Kenji and Yoshi followed but Ichiro paused and looked at his cousin.
"Be careful Goro," he urged him and went in after them.
Along another corridor they went then down a set of steel stairs at the
botTom of which a short corridor led to a rather sturdy looking door.
"We want to go in there," Akiko said and Ichiro had to wonder
where she had gotten all her information from.
Kenji tried the handle. "It's locked," he said.
Akiko shoved him to one side. "Here I'll do it." She grasped the
handle and a moment later they heard a snap and the door swung open. She
looked at them with a smile. "See, no problem." The four of them
went in and were stopped in their tracks by what they discovered.
"We've hit the jackpot," Yoshi exclaimed in awe.
Akiko clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "You can say that
again."
Ichiro had to agree as well. Never before had he seen so much electronic
equipment in one room. TVs, videos, dvd players, mobile phones, video
games, the room was jam packed with them. And it wasn't out of date crap
either, it was all state of the art. The newest of the new and in most
cases not even available in the shops yet.
"Ok fellas let's start shopping but only the latest stuff,"
Akiko said. "Mobile phones, watches, hand held computers those type
of things. Leave the big stuff."
For the next quarter of an hour or so they worked in silence packing as
many electronic goodies as possible into the two plastic bags each of them
had brought. Then with their bags bulging and barely light enough to carry
they left.
As they hurried back along the corridor Akiko dropped back until she was
walking at Ichiro's side. "See Ichiro that wasn't so hard was
it?"
Ichiro shook his head, only when they had all gotten out of here would he
be happy. There was still much that could go wrong. And as soon as the
thought entered his head the sound of a single gunshot rang out.
For a second they all froze then Ichiro dropped what he was carrying and
with his heart pounding with fear he began to run. He took the steel steps
two at a time certain that something terrible had happened and when he
arrived at the door where they had left Goro and Kimiko his fears were
confirmed.
On the floor no more than a yard from the door lay Goro face down in an
ever expanding pool of his own blood. Ichiro took a step towards his
cousin but was halted by the unmistakeable click of a gun.
"Don't move punk," a voice shouted.
Ichiro looked up and for the first time noticed the two guards, both with
their guns drawn.
"Don't try anything stupid," one of them warned, "or you'll
end up like your buddy."
"How many of you are there?" the other demanded.
Ichiro shook his head too shocked to speak. What had happened to Kimiko?
The guard wasn't convinced. "I'm sure there's more of them
Hiroshi," he said to is partner, "radio for some police back
up."
"Ok Saburo," Hiroshi agreed but before he could do it something
whistled past Ichiro's head and struck him full in the face.
"What the heck," Saburo exclaimed as Hiroshi fell to the floor
clutching his bloody face. He looked about wildly but seeing nothing he
raised his gun. "What's going on?" he demanded.
Ichiro shrugged but a moment later his eyes widened as he saw Akiko
silently emerge from a door behind the guard. Seeing Ichiro's reaction the
guard turned but he was too late. With a roundhouse kick to the head Akiko
sent the guard reeling, another kick sent the gun spinning from his hand
and third sent him crashing to the floor.
As she pounced on the fallen guard Ichiro hurried forward and knelt beside
his cousin but it took him only a moment to confirm that he was dead. Poor
Goro, why did it have to be him? he asked silently. He'd never done anyone
any harm. With tears in his eyes he looked up and was just in time to see
Akiko pick up Saburo's fallen gone gun and pointed it at the guard.
"No," he screamed but the young woman took no notice and pulled
the trigger. Then while Ichiro watched in horror she turned and shot the
other guard as well before casually tucking the gun into her waist.
Behind him Kenji and Yoshi emerged from the corridor. "We better get
out of here," Kenji said unaffected by what had just happened.
Akiko nodded. "Ok get going, we'll meet back at the squat."
Still in a state of shock Ichiro struggled to his feet and stepped in
front of her. "Are you fucking mad?" he shouted.
"Get a grip of yourself Ichiro, we've just made our biggest
score," she told him and brushed past him.
Ichiro grabbed her arm. "Akiko, Goro is dead and you've just killed
those men. This is a disaster."
"A disaster? I don't think so. Goro knew the risks and those guards
were trying to kill me and you. What would you have had me do play
pat-a-cake with them?"
"Of course not but…" he shook his head. "What is wrong
with you?"
Akiko snorted. "Nothing is wrong with me," she told him.
"Quite the opposite in fact, I feel great. I'm stronger and faster
than ever and I ain't gonna take no crap from anyone anymore. This"
she waved her hand around the warehouse "is just the beginning.
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