It's A Miracle You've Survived This Long

Mika wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling the gritty texture of gunpowder digging into her pores. It was over, she had successfully landed twenty headshots. She gently tucked the snub nose revolver into her skirt, fastening it tightly to prevent any slips. The small girl watched as Charlotte whispered softly into Kazuya's ear, occasionally glancing over at Mika with malevolent eyes. Whatever she was discussing, she knew it wasn't pleasant. Kazuya approached, cautiously placing his hand on Mika's stomach. She began to panic.
"W-what are you doing?! Don't touch me!"

The large man quickly slid her revolver to a more concealed position on her waist, using his authoritative glare to silence her.
"You proved yourself to the boss. Congratulations, you're officially a member of the Bara-gumi... Not sure if it's worth celebrating, but you can begin by sweeping the dining hall."

"The dining hall? But, it's a fucking pigsty!"
Mika retaliated by stepping back, her hand hovering over her bottom; just in case she needed her tanto blade. She wasn't quite sure if she was being tested, but she definitely didn't want to clean up after the messy breakfast she had witnessed earlier that morning. Her hand gripped the wooden handle of the small sword.

"Watch your mouth, kid! Look, I'm not asking, I'm demanding. Either you clean the dining hall or I take one of your fingers off your hand. Choose wisely, puppy."
Kazuya scraped the end of a match against his boot, bringing the flame to the cigarette hanging loosely between his lips.

Mika lowered her guard, letting her hand slip from the blade handle tucked in her skirt. She truly knew nothing about Kazuya, only that it would be in her best interest to oblige. She rolled her sleeves up and took a step closer to Kazuya.
"Where... are the brooms?"

"Same room as your cage. You'll find all sorts of cleaning supplies and chemicals down in the basement. Don't snoop around too much, though. You might stumble upon something you wish you hadn't."
He exited the practice room, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake. Mika followed shortly after, navigating her way to the basement where she had spent a sleepless night. 

She peeked around for a bucket and a mop, stuffing her arms full of miscellaneous bottles and rags. Her eyes landed on a pill cabinet filled to the brim with nonprescription narcotics. Quickly, Mika stuffed a pill bottle in her skirt pocket, thinking it would be wise to potentially use them as a sort of poison if the opportunity ever arose. Climbing her way up the basement steps, she headed for the dining hall, a long day of cleaning taunting her as she surveyed the messy floors.

Mika doused the surfaces with a lemon scented cleaning spray, thoroughly wiping with all the strength she had left from her injured body. The strong odor coming from mixing various chemicals was making her dizzy, but she simply chalked it up to being fatigued; not having the basic knowledge that most people had regarding ammonia and bleach. She struggled to breathe, gasping for oxygen in a desperate attempt to save herself. Something was definitely wrong. Her eyes quickly locked on the door ahead as she crawled, her consciousness fading. Once she made her way outside, the rose clip attached to her black tie began to shriek. The monotone beeping, sounding much like a rape whistle, pierced through her eardrums and rattled her brain. Mika coughed, panting heavily as her foggy mind regained control of itself.

"What's this? Is my filthy mutt trying to escape? Kazuya, take her to her cell without-"
Charlotte stopped mid sentence, frantically sniffing the air of the dining hall. She brought a handkerchief to her nose, blocking the lethal scent from her lungs.
"Puppy, did you use ammonia?"

Mika stood up with shaky limbs, running a hand through her sweaty hair.
"Am...onya? Ammonia... I don't know what that is."

"Jesus, kid. Are you trying to kill the entire Bara-gumi? It's a miracle you've survived this long without knowing how dangerous it is to mix these two chemicals."
Charlotte's face seemed rather maternal as she opened the barred windows around the room; a stark contrast to her usual wicked glare. Mika bowed her head in apology, feeling a bit foolish at her lack of knowledge.
"I'm sorry, Master. Growing up in the streets, I didn't learn that kind of stuff."

"Save me the pity party, loser dog. If you think I give a rat's ass about losing you, you're gravely mistaken."
Charlotte motioned for Kazuya to come closer, whispering just softly enough to keep Mika in anticipation.

Kazuya stepped forward, extending a hand to Mika with stern eyes.
"That's enough cleaning for today. I'm going to teach you about which chemicals to avoid mixing."

Mika immediately pulled away, frightened that she had made a grave mistake that would cost her a meal or maybe even a finger.
"W-wait! I promise I'll be careful! I... I need to eat!"

"Relax, puppy. You'll still get your dinner. I just need to teach you how to not kill yourself by accident."
Kazuya's eyes softened as he grabbed her wrist, gently guiding her to the basement.

Charlotte stepped outside for a smoke, watching as a familiar black Lexus pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. Her smirk returned to her face as she waited by the doorframe. Stepping out of the car was a woman in her late twenties, with long silver hair, wearing a very wrinkled black suit.
"You miss me, honey?"

Charlotte blew a cloud of smoke to the overcast sky, watching as her wife, Kawaguchi Harumi, twirled a bloody tanto blade between her slender fingers.
"Your suit is a mess. I should have you locked in the basement with my new puppy for your lack of professionalism, Harumi."

Harumi gave a mischievous grin, wrapping her arms around Charlotte from behind; inhaling the scent of her hair.
"You smell good. I think I need to let off a little steam in the bedroom. I wonder what color panties you're wearing."

Charlotte arched herself into her wife's embrace, seductively pressing her hips closer to Harumi's groin.
"Black, as always. As much as I would love to have some fun, I have a new dog to train. I'm just taking a break."

"A puppy, huh? Is she cute?"
Harumi nibbled on Charlotte's ear from behind, flicking her tongue to get a taste.

"She's... pretty. If she had been a little older, she would have made an excellent prostitute."
Charlotte stepped away from her wife's teasing, emptying the bowl of her pipe on the grass below.

"Lame. Maybe, I'll just sleep with one of the rookies to make you jealous. Hmph!"
Harumi walked away, wearing a pout on her face.

"You wouldn't dare! I'll punish you severely if I find you cheating on me!"
Charlotte tilted her head over her shoulder, her eyes were filled with rage and disgust. She had a scowl on her lips.

Harumi shivered, feeling an eerie chill run down her spine.
"H-hey, I was just joking. I know you don't like sharing, baby."

Charlotte stormed into the apartment, grumbling curses under her breath at the unfunny teasing. She knew that Harumi had a history of using her art of seduction to have her way during missions, but actually seeing it in person was a different story. Her adrenaline was skyrocketing, and she could feel herself losing control of her mind. 

Stepping into the basement, it was clear that Charlotte was in a foul mood. Unfortunate enough to be in her line of sight, Mika received a brutal slap to her cheek, causing her to yelp in pain.
"Useless dog! You don't know anything about survival! You were trying to poison us by creating chloramine gas! I'll fucking kill you!"

Mika sobbed in distress, enduring multiple kicks to her body and face. Kazuya intervened, using his muscular body to pull Charlotte away from the tiny girl, who was now bleeding from her nose and mouth.
"Boss, enough! You're going to kill her!"

Charlotte pulled her tanto blade from her kimono, holding the sleek metal deadly close to Kazuya's throat.
"I'll kill you, too! Don't ever get in my way again!"

Kazuya grabbed the sharp blade with his palm, clenching so hard that blood pooled onto the floor below.
"Take your medication, now!"

Charlotte's eyes snapped back to reality, realizing how close she was to killing her comrade. With shaky hands, she quickly pulled a pill bottle from her kimono, gulping down a few white capsules.
"My bad, Kazuya. I'm cool now."

Mika coughed a blood clot from her mouth, weakly propping herself up on her elbow. She hadn't realized it before, but Charlotte was on a heavy dose of antidepressants; the same ones she had seen in the basement pill cabinet, next to the muscle relaxers she had stolen hours prior.
The two girls locked eyes, studying each other with deep antagonism. Charlotte snagged the cigarette hanging between Kazuya's lips, taking a deep drag before speaking directly to Mika.
"You look pathetic with all that blood on your face. Go take a bath, upstairs. Dinner will be ready soon."

Mika narrowed her eyes.
"You're the reason I'm covered in blood."

Charlotte retaliated with a sharp scoff, snapping the tobacco stick between her fingers.
"What did you say, loser dog?!"

"I said... yes, Master. I'll go take a bath."
Mika stumbled to her feet, using the wall to keep herself upright as she exited the basement. She arrived at the bathroom door, letting her clothes fall to her ankles. After crawling into the steaming water, she watched as the clear liquid turned red from her open wounds. She sat in silence, cupping her mouth tightly to prevent her sobs from being heard by anyone passing.

The door clicked open, causing Mika to jolt from her trance. She quickly wiped her eyes, waiting for her blurry vision to subside. Before her, stood a woman in her late twenties, wearing her long, silver hair in a messy bun. Her eyes widened upon seeing Mika in the bloody bathwater.

"Oh, shit. Didn't realize the bath was occupied. Mind if I join?"

Mika watched as the woman dropped her towel, revealing her voluptuous curves. She drained the red water, turning the faucet to add a fresh batch into the tub.

The silver haired queen began lathering her body in soap, scrubbing herself quickly.
"You're Charlotte's new puppy, right? I'm Harumi."

Mika averted her eyes from the woman's bare chest. There was a cold aura that surrounded the woman known as Harumi, yet Mika sensed something comforting below the surface. She carefully scooted over, making plenty of room for Harumi to join her in the water.
"I'm not a puppy. I'm a human with a name."

Harumi sank into the tub, letting out a loud sigh of relief. She buried herself up to her neck in the water.
"Well, tell me your name."

"Umeda Mika... My name is Umeda Mika."
She shifted, feeling uncomfortable by Harumi's presence; yet, there was a feeling of respect coming from Harumi that made her feel seen.

"Can I call you Mika-chan? You know, because you're a human and all?"
Harumi giggled, sinking further into the bath.

Mika could feel her cheeks heating up rapidly. She lowered her mouth below the surface of the water, whispering to herself.
"Chan? Like, meaning friend?"

Harumi nodded, scooting even closer, despite Mika's uneasy expression.
"Yup, meaning friend. Do you have any friends, Mika-chan?"

The small girl shook her head, hugging her knees close to her chest. She looked away from Harumi, seemingly embarrassed by her upbringing.
"I don't... I'm not exactly normal. I've never even met my real parents."

"Hey, me neither. However, I did have a kind older brother figure in my life. His name is Kazuya."
Harumi wrapped her arm around Mika's shoulder, causing her to flinch.
"Whoa, easy. I'm not going to hurt you."

Mika jumped away, panting heavily from hyperventilation. Something triggered her fight or flight response, and she couldn't understand why. Harumi could see the panicked look in her eyes.
"Mika-chan, calm down! I'm not trying to hurt you, I promise."

"Stay away!.. Don't... touch me! I can't... breathe!"
Mika clutched her hair, yanking on it as she tried to ground herself during her anxiety attack.

Harumi quickly jumped from the water, bringing her forehead to Mika's. She stared sweetly into the frightened girl's eyes.
"Look at me. Focus on my eyes, Mika-chan. Take long, deep breaths."

"I don't... want to die!"
Mika blinked rapidly, staring directly into Harumi's gentle eyes. She could feel her breath returning to her lungs, almost as if Harumi's maternal presence was lulling her into a state of blissful familiarity.

"You're not going to die. Just focus on me... You're doing well, Mika-chan."
She stroked Mika's hair, occasionally playing with her cheeks, as if she were an infant.

"What the hell just happened to me?"
Mika collapsed in Harumi's arms, unable to resist the kind warmth she was offering. She felt as if she had been through something far more traumatic than growing up in the streets of Arakawa-ku.

"It's called an anxiety attack, Mika-chan. When people have to endure traumatic experiences, they often get triggered by things that remind them of their fear."
Harumi wrapped her arms underneath the sweating girl, carrying her bridal style to an unfamiliar room. Mika looked around at the colorful decor, noticing the luxurious furniture and traditional Japanese paintings surrounding the large bed at the center of the floor. Harumi gently slid a large shirt over Mika's naked body, slipping into her own comfortable loungewear shortly after; a pair of tight, cotton shorts and a pink crop top.

"Harumi, wait! I can't go in any room other than my kennel and the dining hall! Charlotte will cut my fingers off!"
Mika shot up from the bed, trying to escape before Charlotte noticed.

"Charlotte won't be laying a hand on you, Mika-chan. Now, stay here while I retrieve your belongings from the bathroom."
Harumi tucked a familiar looking tanto blade between her buttocks, letting the rose painted handle glisten against her exposed backside; though, her blade seemed to have been used far more than the other yakuza members.

"How can you be so sure? If I'm caught here, I'll be tortured, for sure!"
Mika gulped heavily, feeling her throat close as she imagined the vicious punishment she would be facing upon being discovered.

Harumi tilted her head over her shoulder, taking a long look at Mika's worried expression.
"Because, Charlotte is my wife. If she wants to hurt you, she'll have to go through me."
She ended her sentence by sticking her tongue out, playfully.