~*Aisha's Home, 2401 S. Homan, S. Huntersfield.*~
A week had passed since Kyouki's breakdown, and finally, Aisha understood things about her friend that she had sworn not to tell Gat. Aisha didn't like keeping secrets from him, but with what Gat was planning, wanting to do, which she understood. The things they went through before. She had to be the one Ky could trust completely. Aside from Johnny.
'Tell him after I am in my new place, at least a week. Should take me that long to move things.'
Echoes in the back of Aisha's mind. Only then did the former singer agree to be the holder of Li's secrets. She may hold it longer. The truth Ky spoke, she could understand her episode that day.
Ky was much more agitated with Gat. Aisha could see it. Kyouki kept telling Aisha that it was taking longer for the apartment to be ready, but as far as Aisha was concerned, it was alright.
~
Now was the time to leave the nest for good. Kyouki hip bumped the door, Johnny opened with a frown. "Hell you ain't use your… key? Oh." Seeing her hands was full.
Kyouki pushed passed him to come in, she was still not speaking to Gat, with newly processed information she did more observing of him, remembering the way he acts around her, she was heading to the kitchen, as she set her load on the counter. "I'm cooking tonight."
"You've been cooking. What makes tonight special?" Aisha came from the laundry room to help put things away.
"I'm leaving tomorrow for my new place!" Kyouki grinned excitedly. "Just got the ok for living in, but it's just me, so it's fine." She threw some vegetables in the sink to be washed.
Gat poked his head around the corner. "Where at? We have things to do, you know?"
Ky rolled her eyes. Turned to Johnny. "On a street where my new room is." She curtly answered.
Aisha laughed. Johnny just looked at her; then went through the bags. At least she was answering him. Finding a few snacks, he confiscated one. Kyouki whipped around and threw a cucumber at him. "Put. That. Down." She warned.
Unflinching watching the offending vegetable bounce off of him, he opened the bag. "Make me, since you are speaking to me now."
Ky whined. "Gat, that's my favorite!"
"I know, that's why I'm taking it." Shoving his hand in, popped a few in his mouth and munched, heading back into the livingroom. "Hmm, these are still good."
"Ish, he took my snack!" Ky pouted.
Aisha chuckled and continued to help prep the food, shaking her head. "About time you spoke to him."
"You will rue the day Johnathan!" Kyouki shouted, huffed, and went back to cooking.
Aisha quietly asked. "So, where are you staying?"
"Prawn Court, it's a small room really, nothing fancy. I just need to be alone right now." Kyouki shrugged a shoulder as she was slicing vegetables and adding them to the hot skillet.
"I understand but, you always have a home here." Aisha coaxed.
Kyouki stopped, the sound of the sizzling juices from the sweating vegetables, the tv and rustling of the snack bag Johnny had. She leaned in closer. "You think it's a good idea if what you said about Gat is true… That's ok with you?"
Aisha nodded. "I get what you mean, but you can't help who you care about. I saw the aftermath."
Kyouki turned back to the pan, stirred the vegetables again, adding some spices. "I had Troy. Johnny has you. Maybe I should be alone for a bit. Especially after that fiasco of a relationship."
Aisha shrugged, she said what she said. "Whatever you decided, I'm here for you."
It was Kyouki's turn to nod, as she added the meat and covered it, letting it cook. She went to her room and gathered a few things. Going to her car, Aisha heard.
"Where are you going?"
"Damnit man, nowhere!"
Aisha laughed from her spot in the kitchen. "Ah, mother hen, henning." She went to set the table.
~*~*~*~
It was pleasantly quiet during dinner. As usual was tasty, they sat just chatting about nothing until Kyouki and Gat's phones chimed. They pulled their phones out, looking at the screen, then at each other. Race night.
Kyouki texted the others instantly. "Ish you coming with us?" Without looking up, she was making sure she had a head count.
Aisha sipped on her wine. With a sound of no, she politely refused. "Not tonight, you two go. I want to get a few things done here."
With that, Kyouki clear her place from the table. When the young woman was in the kitchen, Aisha waited a moment longer until the water stopped running and Kyouki closed the door to her room. "Johnny, keep her safe tonight."
Gat was still eating. He looked puzzled. "What you mean?" Seeing Aisha shake her head, he got up, clearing his spot before going to get dressed himself.
Aisha sat a few minutes more, sipping white wine in thought. She needs Johnny to talk to Kyouki. Thoughts trailed off when she heard the woman emerge from her bedroom. "Be safe tonight." Aisha called after her best friend.
Kyouki smiled. "Always. See you tomorrow. Night, get some sleep."
"I will." She watched as she left out of the front door. Hearing Johnny come down, she met him at the bottom of the stairs.
Gat stopped in front of Aisha, buttoning his shirt. He quickly kissed Aisha on top of her head. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to a stop when he went to go around her. "Sup?" Gat questioned the petite woman.
Aisha didn't know how to say it still. She just knows that the two of them need to talk. "Keep an eye on her. She's really going through a lot right now."
Gat's eyebrow twitched, then he frowned. "What you mean?" This was the second time that Aisha said anything about Kyouki's welfare, in the same night. It wasn't something Ish would really worry about. Whatever happened, the day he heard Kyouki losing her shit, it must have worried Aisha to this point.
Shaking her head. "Both of you be safe. I'll see you later." She pushed Gat to the door and locked up. Hearing the cars drive off, peaking out the window, she turning off the lights, sat, and watched a movie.
~*Sunken Hotel, Underground, Bavogian Plaza.*~
"Wooooh, like taking candy from a baby, Brian, you were amazing!" Ky gushed, as they sat in the cleaned up former hotel lobby counting the money.
Carlos put the two stacks he had counted down, reaching for another stack to count. Shaundi was in awe. "How the hell do you do it?" Shaundi asked.
"I like the competition." Ky laughed as there were hundred-dollar bills in her pile. "It's another 40k. What else do we need for the supposed HQ?" She was mentally thinking about what they had left to get, handing Brian a portion of the profits.
Gat stood up, walking over to the bar they had installed recently, pouring himself a glass. "I got someone else who wants to be with the crew."
Kyouki looked up from her sorting. "Yeah, who?" She continued to count the money in her hands.
"Guy named Pierce. He is a piece of work, but he just texted me not too long ago. He wants to meet up tomorrow."
Ky pursed her lips. "Alright. Pierce." Having made a mental note. After setting the new money stack down, she got up, brushing her pants off. "Ok I'm out. I need to get up, got things to do. Oh, there are a few spare cots if you want to sleep here tonight." Pointing to Carlos, Brian, and Shaundi.
Ky was already up the stairs, waving goodnight to everyone else on her way out.
Gat watched her leave. He put his glass down, following behind her. "I need to get back too. I'll catch ya'll later." Gat climbed the mission house stairs up. Johnny hurried up the stairs, through the former kitchen of the mission, heard the door click open and then close. Skipping steps, he quietly opening the door, poked his head out to look left, then right, seeing Kyouki walk around the corner into the alley.
His long stride got him to the corner just in time to peer around in the shadows, watching her cross the street. He hurried and kept his head down as he watched her walk past rows of abandoned boarded up brownstones. Johnny kept to the left side of the street, stopping to stand under a broken streetlight, watching her from the opposite side of the street. He saw her go around another corner of a three floor building. "She ain't look back. Who does that?" Johnny hurried across the street and to the building that she headed. Checking the other side of the building, he looked up the street.
He didn't see her anywhere around. "The fuck she go?" He stood at the corner, turning around, looked at the building she must have gone in. Johnny walked to the front, looking up at the three-floor apartment, a set of steps that lead to a lower level door that stood next to a main entrance up a small flight of stairs. He waited for her to come out, as he stood for a few minutes more. Leaning on the railing, he turned to the main door when he heard someone walking out. "Aye, I'm looking for someone who live here."
Gat questioned the man and showed a picture of the woman in question. The man recognized her and pointed to the lower level door.
"She lives here?" Gat said, almost disgusted by the residence of choice. "She could'a just stayed with us." As he stepped down below street level, he faintly heard running water shut off. Ish asked that he watch her, to keep his word, and her from worrying he would. He knocked.
~
The knocking on the door startled Kyouki. She was not expecting anyone, and no one knew she was there. Almost refusing to open it, she took a chance and peeked out, opened it in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"You don't watch your back now? What if someone was following you?" Gat pushed the door open, pushing her back into the small room, closing the door behind him, locking it.
"Like you? Ain't no one out. What are you here for?" Ky didn't feel comfortable, did not dress for company. She found an oversized shirt on one of the top boxes, going to slip it on over her head. Gat grabbed it and tossed it on the bed.
Kyouki bristled with her hands on her hips. "Ok. One, don't do that. And two, get the fuck out." She pointed to the door. "Now." She demanded.
Gat took her by the wrist and led her to the small chair at her small desk. Taking off his jacket before he sat down, took off his glasses, laying them behind him on the desk. Ky grew more uncomfortable when he grabbed her hips, pulling her to him, pushing his hands away. Gat grunted, popped her hand, and forced her to be still.
"Gat leave." She hit him back.
Brushing her hands away, swatted her hard. "No, there's something I need to see."
Ky swallowed hard, her hip stung. She was confused. There was nothing on her body had that Gat needed to see. There was nothing in the small room that he needed to see, either.
Johnny lifted her shirt, pressing the cloth into her rib. It was wise for her to hold it in place. She did as he wanted. While he ran his fingers over the discolored flesh of healed scars.
Carefully looking at her past wounds. He remembered each of them like they were his. "The gunshot wound from Sharpe." He sighed hard; That night had him scared. He was feeling her, even though she was with Troy. Looking up at her, he saw she confirmed what he knew. He scanned the largest of the three scars. "These from the yacht." He traced the small and long wounds. Turning her with her right side facing him. He could see the shrapnel that was once embedded in her cinnamon skin. Continued to turn her around so her back was facing him. "Clean through to the other side, and yet you lived," Johnny said. His mouth was dry. He licked his lips. That helped none. He struggles to believe it. None could survive an explosion. Yet here she is, right in front of him. "Un-fucking-believable."
Kyouki shivered. He was warm to the touch, but she felt cold, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah." She felt the fabric move on her shorts as he turned her so her hip was facing him again.
"This from the explosion, too?"
With a sigh. "Yeah." Kyouki answered quietly. Ky knew why he was here now.
Gat placed the palm of his hand on the discolored skin, pulled her into his arms, turning her stomach to face him, and rested his forehead on her tight stomach, hugging her legs.
Kyouki felt her face get hot. Tears were forming. "Don't do this." She pulled back a bit to cover her stomach. She did not want Johnny to see her scars. Why, she felt like he didn't need to see them. She had no answer. They used to patch each other up. Him more than her. Though now she felt like he would lock her away. Was she worried Gat would keep Li in a glass box? Was that the reason he didn't want her moving out?
Gat grunted again. "Are there anymore?"
' Fuck.' She sniffled, yeah. He would lock her up with Aisha once he saw the worse scar she had. "Y-yeah." Ky took a step back, facing her back to him. She sat on the rug that covered the cement floor. Gat figured what she was going to show him, the tapes that one of the Saints members passed along back to him, haunted his dreams. His vision blurred.
She reached up and felt his warm hands on hers. He moved her hands out of the way, pulling the scrunchy loose undoing the bun. Her hair cascaded all over his hands and lap. Kyouki reached back and felt for a second. Parting her hair, Gat helped her, and he saw a slightly raised gash that was four inches long at the back of her head, hidden in her hair.
Kyouki heard him shift in the chair, his hands on the side of her head tilted her head further down to get a better look; she felt his lips on the back of her head, and she closed her eyes, her teardrops splashing on balled up hands. Her eyes flew open when she heard Johnny whisper.
"I'm sorry."
Ky turned out of Johnny's grasp. "What?"
"I'm sorry." Gat said again, louder.
~*Chinatown, Autumn of 98'*~
"Ish, come on, I gotta go."
"What's that? You're supposed to be on bed rest?" Aisha snapped. "It's bad enough you haven't been. Chill out today. Please?" Aisha felt her throat tighten. She didn't want to forget what went down last night. She needed to think for a minute.
"Look, just get dressed. It's important."
Aisha was half ready. She grabbed her shades, a scarf for her head, car keys and headed out of the door. The Saints who had been keeping watch waved them off. Some followed the pair as they drove from the house to Chinatown.
"Why didn't you just order food instead of coming all the way here?" Aisha looked at Johnny, who looked at her, shaking his head.
"You don't know where we are?" Getting out of the car, the metal brace on his knee made it difficult for him to maneuver, causing him to punch the door in frustration, he was already in a foul mood and what he was doing today was going to put him in a worse mood.
Aisha tried to stop him. He just growled, waving her off. She sighed. Going to the trunk, he tapped it for Aisha to unlock. Hearing the click, he went pulling a large duffle bag from it. He handed it to one of his crew that followed them.
Johnny waited by the driver's side door. "Let's go." He ordered.
Aisha locked the car, following them, knowing where they were. She's been here before; quite a few times. This was what Johnny had planned to do. There were people sending in reports from the time they left the house. The phones had stopped chiming sometime last night. It must have been Johnny's doing.
They came to a building in the center of where the mini fruit markets and stalls lined the walkways. Knocking on the door, they waited. When it opened, a young, tall brown-skinned man greeted them.
"Yo Gat, what up?" holding his fist up.
Gat dapping in return. "Nothing man the fam in?"
"Yeah, yeah, come on in. Hey girl, sup. Ma, we got company. Come in, take a seat." He looked out the door. Forty other purple-clad people stood as armed guards, some with their heads bowed. "Yo Gat, what's with this?" Bobby asked as he pointed out the door.
Aisha came behind, taking a seat on the long couch.
"Bobby, I'm not decent for company." Came from the second-floor.
"It's just us, Aunt Mimi." Gat called up as he stood by the couch. He refused the seat that was offered.
"Oh, hey Johnny baby…" Mimi called on her way down, then paused. The front door was wide open and the people outside were on a bent knee. Johnny stood taller, lifting the duffle bag by his feet, handing it to Bobby - Kyouki's younger cousin.
Johnny unfastened the leg brace, Aisha got up and tried to stop him, Gat grunted, shaking her off of his arm. He placed the brace against the couch. Grunting again, he ground his teeth as he took a knee. It had been more than a year since he had been in the brace. The man refused to listen to the doctors as he kept running with the Saints.
"Johnny." Aisha called softly. "Please take it easy."
Taking a deep breath before he could speak, his heart hammered. He could hear Aisha and Bobby telling him to get up. He refused, swallowing hard, as he tested his voice, "Li…. Kyouki… She was in that explosion last night. I take responsibility. I should have been there."
Aisha's head felt heavy tears filling her eyes. She looked out the door. Seeing the respect the crew had, she covered her mouth with a sob.
Mimi shook her head, "Baby, no, she was just here last night." Her mind drew back to the night she saw her, less than twenty-four hours ago.
Bobby's brow drew together, face scrunched. "Nah, don't play like that."
Gat didn't move his head down. Both Mimi and Bobby looked at the door, and the crew were wiping their eyes.
"No." It sunk in for Bobby, "Stop playin!" Anger burned his chest, "What you mean you take responsibility? Fuck that mean Gat!"
"Bobby, not now!" The older woman barked out, "Johnny, where is Ky?"
Gat raised his head. Tears clouded his vision. "She uh… Kyouki died in last night's explosion, with Mayor Hughes. The news didn't say who else it was, though."
Kyouki's aunt looked at the ceiling of their house. Her head hurt. "God no, not my sister's baby. Are you sure?"
Gat nodded, "Yeah, I talked to her."
Aunt Mimi's face held many questions, but one got through. "You was on the phone with her?"
"Nah, Troy called me twenty minutes later."
Bobby had paced, stopped when he heard Troy's name. "Troy… I saw Troy when I was coming from the police station." Bobby wiped his face with his hands, sniffing.
"What?" Gat looked up, forcing himself to stand.
"Rashad got in some shit last night. I went to get him out. I saw Troy talking to some cops, his last name Bradshaw, right?"
"Yeah."
"No shit, Troy's a cop."
~*S.R.1*~
Kyouki scrambled away, crawling out of Gat's reach. "Don't do that. No!" She warned when she faced him, his eyes were red, seeing a tear escaping.
Gat shook his head, wiping his face. His jaw was tight, yelling right back. "Why? I wasn't there!" He wanted to be there. That night he felt off the minute he called her to check on her.
'Johnny is in love with you.' She could hear Aisha say. 'He cried after the explosion. I saw the aftermath.'
She felt a frigid chill that crept up her spine. "No! Dont! You never apologize to me, ever. You couldn't be there!" Ky pointed a finger at Gat as she backed away from him. She didn't want to hear it. Why was he suddenly apologizing? Her voice cracked, betraying her anger. She was on the verge of tears. Everything about that day went from weird to worst.
"That don't matter, I could've, and should've, been there!" Gat barked right back. He felt angry, felt like he could have done anything even if it was being there, like the day he watched her beat the hell out of Tanya Winters.
Ky rubbed her face. She was not in the mood for this talk. Not nearly ready to bring this up with Gat. But, if it was a screaming match he wanted, it was a screaming match he was going to get, "You took the shotgun round for me, and was still recovering, you ain't fuckin' Superman you can't always be there!"