TWO WEEKS LATER

Since the Chairwoman and Ryuko Mishima's funeral, two unusual weeks that Ayame would much rather forget had passed her by in a flash. Thankfully, they were devoid of too much drama outside of the Tokugawa household; the yakuza families seemed to all be in a period of mourning, if only out of obligation, and that suited her just fine. The less work the better, in Ayame's mind. But when it came to home, life had definitely been strange over this past short while; mostly because with every step she took lately, her mind had really shown no mercy in haunting her.

So many bad decisions. So many moments of closing her eyes in exasperation at remembering the things she's done. This was nothing new, admittedly; but when it came to matters of sex and intimacy, it certainly was.

“Ayame-chan? Will you be coming with us tomorrow? I even have a famous singer coming in from China to my restaurant afterwards! It'll be a fantastic time, especially together. Right?”

Feeling a twitch of irritation in her temples, Ayame closed her eyes and continued to sit at the bar.

“No,” she replied flatly, and the source of the voice let out a demure chuckle over the phone.

“I'm flattered you have so much faith in me to get the job done without you...you really must like me a lot. I knew you'd come around.”

“We're not in a relationship, you know.”

“Aren't we? Even if you say that...”

Currently, in this moment, Ayame finds herself sat at the Blue Canary alone; occupied by a glass of whiskey as a twinge of regret courses through her body. Thoughts of Owner flashed through her mind, just as intrusively as she behaved; flashes of moments where her tongue would be hungrily slipped into Ayame's mouth as they became entangled in the bedsheets all over again, and the moments that followed where Ayame would wake up afterwards, dressed in nothing but her bare skin, bitemarks and regret.

Of course, this was made ten times worse when Chinami had shown up again in the household as though nothing had happened; as though she hadn't disappeared and disappointed Ayame with such an action. Ayame could hardly bear to look at her when the thought of someone else holding her was beginning to become a reality. Chinami, sharp as a tack with perception and not wanting to overstep her boundaries, didn't initiate a conversation. Ayame wasn't sure if Chinami knew that she was deliberately avoiding her, or if she just didn't care.

She frowned; and took another sip of her whiskey with a small grunt of disgust. Ayame never liked whiskey much, though it was incredibly good for when she didn't want to think even moreso than usual.

“Want another, Ayame?”

A different voice came from behind the bar; a maternal, familiar one that belonged to Riza, and one that often filled Ayame with a sense of relief, even if she didn't hear it quite as often as she probably would have liked. In times of trouble, Ayame would often love to come here. It was just that usually, her exhaustion never allowed it.

She shook her head quietly, and held up a dismissive hand as Riza stood with a concerned look in her eyes, before someone further down asked for a refill. Even if she went weeks or months without seeing Riza, it always warmed her heart to see her all over again.

“Alright...give me a shout if you need anything, okay?”

Ayame nodded without a word. She heard Owner giggle quietly on the other end of the phone.

“Are you with someone?” she asked. “I've placed a tracking device on your phone, so I know where you are.”

“You're so fucking creepy. And no, I'm not.”

“Oh, Ayame-chan...that bluntness always goes away when I've got you in my arms these days.”

Ayame pinched the bridge of her nose. How did it even come to this, anyway...?

For all intents and purposes, Ayame had all but absconded from the Tokugawa household in the daytime; even if she did go back there at night. Something about being there right now was just too much...though even with that, Owner had unfortunately held the foresight after the repeated incident of late-night sex occurring over the past few days and bought Ayame a phone.

You'd better always keep that on you, Owner had said after placing her hands on Ayame's shoulders with a wry smile on her face. Or I'll never be able to contact you, and I just can't have that.

“Well, I suppose I had better let you go...” Owner continued over the phone. “I'll be thinking of you until you get home.”

“Whatever.”

Owner scoffed. Ayame could tell that she was going to start an argument. She sighed heavily as Owner continued talking.

“Whatever? You don't need to sound so nonchalant, you know. You've been quite besides yourself with passion these past f-”

Ayame hung up.

Placing the phone back in her pocket and her head in her hands, she leant against the bar with a groan of disbelief - both at herself, and the fact that she even had a phone for the express purpose of her unintented lover's constant need for contact.

“Oh, God.”

It was exhausting to feel like a puppet all the time. Controlled by stupid decisions and higher powers, Ayame Tokugawa's mind was occupied with only one thought - there was no escape from this life, was there?

“Rough day?”

A third and even more relieving voice than Riza's reached her ears over the loud chatter of the other patrons; to which Ayame slowly raised her head, and saw just who it was that had pulled up a stool besides her.

“Kuro...” she said in surprise, with a warm smile that easily reached her eyes as well. It was a relief to see a friendly face; and one that certainly, without a shadow of a doubt, had gotten plenty of life experience with just about anything Ayame could think of.

“Well?” Kuro asked; smiling beneath her eyepatch, and extending her arms. “Where's my hug?”

Ayame blinked. It had been a long time since anyone had asked her for a hug out of good nature or simple circumstance. She almost felt out of practice.

“...Alright...” she replied shyly. Kuro laughed.

“Haha! You're still such a funny kid. Who replies like that to being offered a hug?”

“Sh-shut up...!”

Kuro chuckled as Ayame felt a childish blush on her cheeks; and as Kuro and herself wrapped their arms around each other, Ayame felt her tired eyes close in relief - there really was nothing like a good, strong hug from someone you loved.

To Ayame, Kuro used to be quite the rolemodel when her and Teru were growing up. Riza was always the more gentle soul of the two; but Kuro was just so cool, and so capable, and someone that both of them knew would protect them. Akira never did get along very well with her; which was probably a blessing in disguise, given that she now spent twenty-four hours of her time right here in The Blue Canary.

“You're gettin' skinnier. Ain't they feedin' you right back at home?”

Ayame couldn't restrain a smile as she remained locked in a hug.

“...It's fine.”

Kuro squeezed Ayame tight, before stepping back and placing her hands on her shoulders; allowing her vision to settle at a particular spot on Ayame's neck.

“Well, how about that? You've got hickeys.”

“Don't look at those!” Ayame indignantly protested. Kuro chuckled again, and the two women stepped back to sit down on their respective stools.

The bar was loud and chaotic, but still a lovely place to be in times of respite. The people here often kept to themselves; nobody wanted to cause trouble when they were trying to relax, and that was an unspoken rule here that was never to be broken. Riza's fury alone when someone threatened to disrupt the flow of her bar was more than enough to contend with - let alone the rain of punches courtesy of the other yakuza women who frequented the bar.

Kuro sparked up a cigarette as she sat beside Ayame; placing the paper in her mouth delicately, and looked at the girl by her side.

“...Who is she? Is she cute?”

“She's Owner.”

Kuro spluttered as she inhaled.

“What?!”

“Keep your voice down...”

“Are you kiddin'?! You're sleepin' with her?!” Kuro asked in sheer disbelief, and Ayame grimaced in embarrassment. “Oh my God, Aya! What the hell are you thinkin'? That woman is nothin' but a monster!”

“...I dunno.”

“Jesus Christ, kid...”

“What's going on?” Riza asked; floating back over from behind the bar, and placing the cleaning cloth she held in her hands over her shoulder. “Is Ayame in trouble?”

Kuro and Ayame exchanged a glance, before Kuro took a real inhale of her cigarette and laced her words with smoke.

“You could say that.”

“Hey, stop buggin' me, alright?” Ayame replied; though she couldn't entirely beat back the disapproval. “I had an opportunity, and I took it.”

“Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.”

“Quit it!”

“Alright, alright...” Riza interjected, before pointing her finger at both of them. “Ayame, calm down. And stop winding her up, Kuro.”

“I gotta sometimes, right?” Kuro replied with a cheeky grin, and ruffled Ayame's hair. “I mean, this is one of our kids we're talkin' about.”

Riza giggled affectionately, and Ayame couldn't help but smile a little. Amidst all the gloom, she'd forgotten about how much she loved these two being around.

“Well, whatever Ayame has gotten herself into...I'm sure that a woman as capable as her can get herself out. Right?”

Ayame turned her gaze to look at Riza's warm expression.

“You think so?”

“Why wouldn't I?” Riza asked. “You're strong, clever, and capable. So is Teru, even if she's a little lazier than you!”

Ayame chuckled, as did Kuro.

“I...thank you.”

“Oh, Ayame, really...you don't need to be so formal with me. Aren't you the one always saying that, actually?”

Before Riza could continue, the sound of a glass shattering on the floor filled the room, along with the awkward moments of silence that often came from an accident of such calibre. Riza closed her eyes in exasperation, before turning towards the sheepish group of yakuzas up at the other end of the bar.

“Which one of you did that?!” she barked angrily. Nobody confessed. “Ugh! You bunch of fucking babies!”

“Riza is scary when she wants to be, huh...?” Ayame asked. Kuro nodded.

“She sure is. What a woman.”

Riza turned around quickly. Ayame and Kuro sat bolt upright.

“Kuro, help me clean up this glass.”

Kuro groaned.

“Aw, do I hav-”

“Yes, you do.”

Riza's words were serious, to which Kuro sighed out a smile. Heaving herself up from the bar, Ayame couldn't help but smile wryly along with her.

“I got questions for you, kiddo. So if you leave before we're done with this mess tonight, I'll still track you down and squeeze it outta you.”

Ayame chuckled quietly. “Like what?”

“Like who's the girl you really like? 'Cause I sure as shit know it ain't that slimeball Owner.”

Surprisingly sharp as always, Ayame never ceased to be amazed at just how well Kuro and Riza could both read her like a book.

“...I dunno what you mean.”

“I know you damn well do,” Kuro replied with a knowing smirk; before lifting up the bartop's entrance to slip underneath. “Ayame, seriously. Quit doin' that. You know I ain't one to tell you how to live your life...but Owner really is nothin' but trouble.”

Ayame remained silent, but replied with an understanding nod as Kuro began to help Riza gather up the remaining glasses. It must be a bad decision if even Kuro is telling me not to do it...

As she looked around the bar, Ayame found herself lost in memories. The past two weeks had been tumultuous at best, and awkward at their worst; and as far as the weeks went in Ayame's life, they honestly hadn't been that bad. Not really, anyway. On paper, at least, she seemed like she had it all.

She'd been paid by Akira for her good work; she'd been having regular - and good - sex; there were hardly any whispers of anyone wanting to attack the Tokugawas directly, which meant far less work for everyone; and on top of that, it sounded like Mirai Mishima had made her move with wanting to take over every family, because the Oshiros were now being driven into a corner by the Mishima clan bulldozing them at every turn. Period of mourning or otherwise, it seemed as though the Mishimas were not to be put off from the allure of power.

The one moment of terror that Ayame could remember over these past couple of weeks was giving Mirai her answer - the answer of just whether or not she would actually join the Mishima clan.

Of course, the answer was a resounding no. There was no way that she could leave her family behind, if only because it was all she had ever known. That had been a nervewracking day. Afraid that Mirai would kill her on the spot, Ayame found her fear was unfounded; as Mirai instead simply opted for an understanding smile and a curt dismissal from her car. Meeting within Mirai Mishima's expensive and lavish car was one thing, but telling her no inside it was something else altogether.

Regardless, the last point over these past two weeks had been from Teru and Chinami. Teru had been quickly embroiled in a so-called 'relationship' with Hazuki Mishima, who, to Ayame's understanding, was incredibly overbearing and surprisingly clingy. Chinami, on the other hand...

Well, Ayame hadn't said a word to her, and Chinami hadn't really spoken much, either. The latter was not that surprising; the former, very much so.

Ayame sighed. Though their words were few and far between, she still found herself actually missing her.

And then there was Owner. Or by her real name, Xiuying, as she now preferred Ayame to call her, which was certainly quite the step considering she never allowed anyone to do such a thing. It seemed as though her affection was genuine, but her desire to cause trouble outweighed any sense of actual moral decency. Even just two days ago, she had come home with flecks of blood along her pretty face, and that was something that made even Ayame feel a slight chill over just what she could have done.

But the hypocrisy was not lost on Ayame; because if they were spending each night tangled up together and arguing the following day, there was a very great risk that this was how it would always be until one of them ended up dead.

“Well, look who it is. It's a small world after all.”

A fourth voice. This seemed to be a pattern today.