Whose Side Are You On?

Mika opened her eyes, slowly focusing her vision on multiple men in various styles of suits, pointing their guns at Ninagawa Charlotte, who was calmly puffing the end of her pipe. As soon as Mika opened her mouth to speak, the cold, harsh metal of a pistol invaded her mouth. She gasped, tasting the flavor of gunpowder against her small tongue. Confusion and fear were written all over her face, but it didn't surprise her to the point of reacting. She trusted her instincts, trusted Charlotte, and remained completely calm.

"Ninagawa Charlotte, you've broken ties with half the yakuza in Japan. You will pay for your mistakes one way or another. We'll give you a chance to explain yourself, but if we don't like your answer, you and your little girl here are taking a swim with the fishes."
The same man who had been drinking and snorting powder with Charlotte the night before, the man known as Tetsu, held his golden pistol against Charlotte's head.

Charlotte remained stoic, blowing clouds of smoke as her eyes closed indifferently to the threat that held no meaning to her.
"What's up, Tetsu? Getting all sentimental over some pedophilic trash? Daisuke was a thorn in my side from day one."

Tetsu cocked the hammer of his pistol, seemingly unfazed by Charlotte's harsh, yet truthful words.
"It doesn't matter what kind of man he was; he controlled most of the drug trade. It's in your best interest to comply. Now, get your little puppy dressed in something other than a blanket and meet us upstairs. You have ten minutes before one of my men comes to hunt you down."

The men dispersed, allowing Mika to finally take a breath of fresh, non-metallic air. She quickly scoured the closet, slipping into the first outfit she could find: a beautiful, rose-patterned kimono that belonged to Charlotte. It was quite loose on her, slipping off her shoulders with each step.
"What's your plan, Charlotte? If I die because of you, I'll be sure to torture your soul in hell for all of eternity."

Charlotte snapped the neck of her pipe clean in half, clenching her teeth so hard that her enamel began to crack.
"They picked the wrong woman to fuck with. Grab your revolver and tanto blade, puppy. I'm going to need backup for what I'm about to do."

Mika's eyes widened as she immediately slapped Charlotte across her cheek. She had no plans to fight the yakuza today, and she rationally saw no way to defeat the sheer amount of numbers that had been in the bedroom just moments ago.
"Are you insane?! They'll pump us full of holes before we can even draw our guns! Think, Charlotte! How the hell are you going to convince them to spare us?!"

Charlotte rubbed her cheek, noticing the sincere look on Mika's frightened face. She quickly grabbed a bottle of pills from her dress pocket, gulping down a few capsules with a bottle of shōchū.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right. Sorry, puppy, I got ahead of myself. I have a plan that will keep us alive... probably."

Mika nodded her head, taking Charlotte's "probably" as best as she could. She quickly stuffed her weapons into the much-too-big kimono she was wearing and took a large swig of shōchū, letting the alcohol burn its way to her stomach. She let out a loud grunt, slapping her cheeks with her palms.
"This is insane... I can't believe you roped me into even more of your bullshit!"

Charlotte slipped half of her kimono off her body, bearing her rose tattoos proudly. She stood like an angel, delving into a gruesome battle with the devil himself.
"It's not too late to switch sides, puppy. If you want, I'll ensure you have a good home with the Aka-gumi or the Doku-gumi. I just need to know, whose side are you really on? The side that wants me dead, or the side that wants to kill me from the inside?"

Mika extended her fist toward Charlotte, her eyes filled with a burning resolve.
"I'm on the Bara-gumi's side... now, until I kill you myself."

Charlotte's eyes shone as she smiled, bumping her wrist against Mika's.
"That's my puppy. Let's raise some hell. After this, let's look into getting you some tattoos, yeah?"

Mika nodded her head, stepping in line next to Charlotte as they exited the room. Mika's mind was full of intrusive thoughts of sweet murder, mentally preparing herself to defend the woman whom she hated so deeply with her every fiber of her being.

The pair stepped onto the dock of the yacht, watching as the clouds above swirled into a raging storm. Lightning struck the mountains standing against the shore, creating a tense atmosphere as the yakuza members sat like kings in their thrones. The yacht shook with the violent winds of the storm, causing Charlotte's long, silky hair to flutter around her like a ghost.

"You have ten seconds to explain yourself, Ninagawa Charlotte. Speak now or forever hold your peace."
Tetsu stood like a tiger, carefully stalking its prey with hungry eyes.

Charlotte released a lustful chuckle, twirling her pistol between her fingers.
"What is this, a wedding? What's with your choice of words, Tetsu? You'll give me more than ten seconds because you respect me. Don't forget who you're dealing with."

Tetsu pulled his own pistol from his suit, aiming it directly between the unwavering Charlotte's eyes.
"Five seconds. You lost my respect when you decided to destroy the drug trade. You're nothing but a has-been."

Mika gulped from the sidelines, watching as Charlotte continued to spin her gun by the trigger. She could feel the tension in the air, wondering what exactly was about to occur. One thing was for certain: she knew she had to protect Charlotte.

"A has-been? You wound me, Tetsu. And here I thought you saw me as a daughter. I suppose women like me always enjoy a little rebellious phase, huh?"
Charlotte continued to spin her gun, flashing a hand sign behind her back at Mika. She made a finger-gun motion with her index and thumb, implying she wanted Mika to prepare to shoot.

Mika understood perfectly. Charlotte was using her spinning gun to distract the yakuza's attention away from Mika, giving her optimal time to land a bullet in Tetsu's head. Mika kept her hands hidden by the oversized kimono she was wearing, ultimately concealing the fact that she had her revolver sights aimed directly at Tetsu's forehead from her hip. The odds were slim to none, yet Charlotte had put immense faith in her. Mika didn't believe in things such as miracles, but in this moment, she felt unstoppable.

"Two seconds, Charlotte! I'm not messing arou-"
Two silver bullets collided with Tetsu's skull, blasting hot chunks of brain and flesh all over the men standing behind him. The moment of distraction was just enough for Charlotte to unload four bullets into the remaining front line, sending their bodies over the dock and into the ocean.

"The rest of you, freeze! Unless you want to become fish food, I suggest you hear me out!"
Charlotte stood close to Mika's side, each of them setting their sights on the remaining five yakuza bosses who were frozen in place.

"Jesus Christ! You just killed Tetsu and Ren! You're fucking sick in the head, Charlotte! Do you realize what you've just done?!"
One of the men shouted from the back, remaining completely still as his mind raced with thoughts of the grim future.

"Oh, trust me... I'm aware. I hereby declare the Bara-gumi's merger with the Naraku-gumi, the Aka-gumi, the Doku-gumi and the Kairi-gumi! I will handle the drug trades, the debt collections, the politics; all of it! You think I'm crazy? I dare you to try to kill me! There's only one girl in the entire world who can take me down, isn't that right... Umeda Mika?"
Charlotte smirked down at Mika, giving her a full glimpse of her joyful face.

Mika's breath caught in her throat. For the first time since they met, Charlotte had used her real name. Mika's hands began to tremble with excitement; she couldn't believe the level of respect she felt emanating from the woman who had caused her so much pain.
"Right, Ninagawa Charlotte! Let's expand the Bara-gumi's influence all over Japan!"