Tendo Nabiki had a grim look on her face as the black haired young woman stood by the warehouse, the work crews gathered outside milling about aimlessly. The car pulled up and she strode over, clearly saying, "Arisugawa, we've got a problem." Arisugawa Juri slammed the door to her sports car as the orange haired woman stood, her back straight with annoyance. "You said on the phones the crews are refusing to work?" she said crisply, walking with Nabiki over to the waiting teams. "Yeah," Nabiki nodded before dropping her voice, "Representatives of the local yakuza family have made it clear that if they continue working, they'll regret it." Juri swore softly under her breath the sighed, "All right, lets talk to the chief." The older man was quite apologetic but he was firm that his crews were not going to work until they had some assurance that the yakuza wasn't going to injure or kill them. "Do you want me to try calling in other workers?" Nabiki asked. Juri flipped open her phone as she said, "No, I bet word has gotten around by now. Excuse me." She dialed fast as she excused herself, stepping away to make talking easier. "Hello?" a pleasant female voice asked after a moment. "Aoi, it's Juri," she answered with a smile, "how are you?" "I'm fine," Aoi answered with amusement, "and we're still a topic of conversation here at Bokuto police station." "I swear, you police are just a bunch of gossips," Juri chuckled as she ran a hand through her hair. More seriously she said, "I hate to impose but I need to know who the leader of the Yakuza here in Shinjuku is." "I can find out in a moment," Aoi said, adding worriedly "Having some trouble?" "Nothing I can't handle." Juri reassured her friend. "All right," after a moment Aoi said, "the leader is the Ooedo clan, though we don't know who is head right now." "Thanks, I owe you another night out, maybe," Juri said, earning a chuckle from her friend before saying good-bye. "You have friends in the police?" Nabiki asked after Juri rejoined her. "One or two," Juri downplayed it. She started dialing again, "We're going to need some muscle, then we're going to play the Ooedo clan a visit." Only a few minutes later they stared arriving, all of them dressed up for the occasion. Ordinary clothes had been exchanged for leather jackets and jeans, headbands and boots. All in all the band of women looked more like a group of punks than one would have thought possible. "So working on a club is what's been keeping you away from Michiru and I?" Tenoh Haruka asked, sandy blonde hair falling into her eyes. She had been one of the first to answer Juri's call, a old friend from Juri's more wild period. "Don't worry, I plan to invite you both to the grand opening," Juri said calmly as they climbed into the cars. "So what are we planning?" Ryouko asked, the blue haired space pirate hefting a wooden practice sword she had borrowed for effect. "We need to negotiate from a position of strength," Juri said calmly, "so you'll all help me bust in then I'll talk to their Oujo." Over in the other car Minagi casually sat in the passenger seat, Ryouko's twin cracking her knuckles in studded gloves she found somewhere. "When Juri called I wasn't expecting something this fun," she smirked. "You have an interesting definition of fun," Makoto Kino said wryly, the brown haired amazon sitting in the back seat, "though I tend to agree with you." "How did you get drafted into this?" Nabiki asked curiously. Makoto chuckled as she said, "I was over at Haruka's when Juri called and Haruka suggested it might be fun." They stopped up the street from the address Juri had been given, then Juri faced her troops. "Don't go too far," she advised them, "there are mostly just ordinary guys we'll be facing. All I want you to do is delay them so that I can get to the boss." "Awww," Ryouko pouted, tapping the wooden sword against her shoulder. "If anyone's carrying guns Ryouko or Minagi get them," Juri said firmly, "other than that divide the goons as you wish. Ready?" "Lets do this," Nabiki said firmly. Juri lead the way up the street to the traditional home, well aware of the figures who were watching them. As they neared the front a large, heavily muscled figure appeared at the door, staring down at them menacingly. "What do you want?" he asked, the bald young man looking over the group warily. "We're here to see the Ojou," Juri said calmly, "about why work has been stopped on building my nightclub." "Ojou don't see anyone without an appointment..." he started then ooofed as a fist suddenly hammered him in the gut. "Tetso," a blonde haired punk yelled in alarm then roared, "shit, it's a raid!" Juri's people swept in as the gangsters responded, quickly taking on the men as Juri strode forward. They were outnumbered but refused to give ground to the gangsters, striking with speed and force to drive them backwards. "What the hell?" the black haired woman yelled as she raced into the room, hair tied back in twin ponytails. She instantly assessed the situation and spotted Juri as the leader, racing forward with a yell of, "You bitch!" Juri parried the first punch then struck outward, surprised to see the other woman dodge. Back and forth they fought as the sounds of battle slowly stilled, everyone seemingly hypnotized by the two women's combat. After a few moments they stopped, looking into each other's eyes warily. "Sorry to burst in like this," Juri said a bit breathlessly, "but I didn't figure I could see you any other way." "Maybe so," the woman agreed, equally winded. She straightened, looking at Juri with respect, then turned to her men. "What the hell are you standing around here for? Get this mess cleaned up!" "See if you can help," Juri told her own people as she and the other women went off to talk. "Sorry about the gut punch," Ryouko told the big guy apologetically. "I'm good," Tetso wheezed. "Yamaguchi Kumiko," she introduced herself as she offered Juri sake. "Arisugawa Juri," she took the cup as they settled on the mats in the small room. She studied Kumiko thoughtfully, "Ojou, why are you interested in my club?" "Two reasons," Kumiko answered calmly, "first, you didn't clear construction with my people and another club I control in this area is worried about competition." "I most humbly apologize for the first one," Juri bowed her head slightly, "may I ask which club is concerned?" "The Yasuke club," Kumiko answered. "I don't think our clients will cross over," Juri said, well aware of the hostess club, "you see, I'll only be serving lesbians." Kumiko blinked, "You're serious?" Juri nodded, "Yes, Ojou." "That'll reassure her," Kumiko mused. She studied Juri, "I suppose if I asked for a... gratuity to keep your club free of trouble you'd refuse?" "The Ojou is a wise woman," Juri said calmly. Kumiko fought back a smile, "All right, I'll let work continue but I have a condition." "Yes?" Juri asked warily. "You have good people out there," Kumiko said, "I'd like the option to borrow them one time if the need arises." Juri hesitated, "Not for anything illegal?" "Fighting in the streets is illegal, but I know what you mean," Kumiko said seriously, "so, do we have a deal?" "A deal, thank you," Juri nodded. To be continued... Character notes: Yamaguchi and the Ooedo clan are from The Gokusen, a very funny anime. As well, Haruka and Makoto are from Sailor Moon and Aoi is from You're Under Arrest.
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