Without You: Chapter Five

Quick Guide: Welcome newcomers! If this is your first time here I would recommend going to my page and starting with Without You: Chapter 1 as this is part of a series. Thank you for stopping by!

"Want to hang out tonight?" Nikki asked, tapping my shoulder. Everyone was slowly leaving the park, though some groups still lingered, talking amongst themselves.

"I'd love to Nikki, but I picked up a few extra early morning shifts this week. I've got to go home and get some sleep."

"I'll drive you then-"

"No," I said a little quicker than I wanted to. Nikki's brow furrowed. "I mean, thank you, but no. I'll walk."

"I can't just let you walk home," He pushed.

"You can, and I would appreciate it if you did." I said.

Nikki tried to persist, but Ewan put a hand on his shoulder. "Just be safe, okay?" Ewan said, he seemed to understand to some degree that I didn't want Nikki doing that. Yet.

"I will," I offered a smile and waved goodbye as I quickly walked off. Nikki was confused and I could tell. But I wasn't ready to tell him how I was living.

I made it home before 11pm. Home. I guess I could call this little tent under a bridge home. I thought. I knelt down and crawled into it. Zipping it up behind me, I locked the two zippers together. I was bunking in a hotel room when Nikki and I first met, but I quickly realized I couldn't afford it for long.

I bought this little tent and pitched it up in a secluded spot under a bridge when the weather got warmer. It was still pretty cold at night but the hotel blankets, that I shamelessly 'borrowed', were very good at keeping me warm. I took off my clothes and folded them up into my suitcase from home. That particular set of clothes should last one more wear before I need to go to the laundromat.

A white t-shirt was resting on my makeshift bed. Nikki gave it to me one day when I accidently spilled soda on mine. He told me I could keep it so I've since used it at my pajamas. I slipped it on and laid out my blanket and pillow.

My mom and dad kicked me out at the beginning of the year. They said I was soiling their family name by continually getting into fights. My mom wanted to send me to a girls only school.

But my dad had given up hope on me. He said he would no longer consider me his daughter, that any daughter of his should have been raised to know better. He gave me a lenient 24 hours to pack up my things and go. I packed up everything I would need into my suitcase until it was almost bursting, and I left within two hours.

My mom was sobbing as I walked out. My little brother thought I was just leaving on a long trip. Father told him I would be back soon, but I knew the truth; if I ever dared to show my face in that home again, he would turn me away.

I set my alarm on my phone and did my best to not think about my family as I drifted off to sleep.

I got a text from Nikki in the middle of my shift that morning. He asked me to meet with him and the other Captains after work to discuss the case involving his older brother.

To try to make up for last night, I asked him if he would pick me up from work. He responded "Yes," faster than I could lock and put down my phone.

At the end of my shift, as I was walking out, I caught a glimpse of Nikki, lounging on his bike and scrolling his phone.

"You're here already?" I asked.

He looked in my direction, dark sunglasses over his eyes and a lollipop in his mouth. "I didn't want to be late so I showed up early."

I chuckled at him. "Thanks for picking me up. I'm sorry about being rude last night."

He shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. I can be a bit inconsiderate sometimes. Ewan told me that, anyway." He sat up and started up his motorcycle. I hopped onto the seat behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He took off, the bike rumbling loudly down the small streets. Sneaking through a few backroads, we arrived at an old boarded up building.

"Is this it?" I asked as he parked in front of the door.

"Unfortunately. Since this is off the records, we can't meet at any of the normal spots; too many people from the gang might find out." He said, getting off the bike.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They're here already, I told them to park down the road." He offered a hand to me and I took it, sliding off the bike after him. He brought my knuckles to his lips and kissed them softly.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"We haven't had a moment together since that day. I was testing the waters, hoping things aren't awkward between us." He admitted honestly.

I stepped up him and kissed his cheek. "No awkwardness. Let's hang out tonight?"

"Of course, is that even a question?" He asked rhetorically, winking at me.

I followed behind him into the building, there were no lights save the flash lights that illuminated a back room as we got closer. I heard the men talking in low voices. Nikki cleared his throat and announced our arrival just before we appeared in the door frame.

The men straightened and turned to face Nikki. "Let's get this meeting started. Tonight, we're introducing Amaterasu to the plan. Asahi, could you give her a quick run down?"

"Sir," He responded. "I assume she knows about the why?" He asked.

"I do." I responded, knowing full well he was directing his question at Nikki. "Just tell me about the case so far, fill me in on where you are now."

"Well, we still don't know much. We're not necessarily in a stand off, but we can't exactly go any further. The most we know, based on what Commander Nikki and Vice Commander Ewan discovered a few years ago, is that the police are either heavily involved or their pockets are getting heavily filled because of it. They pick fighters randomly, and those who win are forced into a contract to come back. The fights go down every two weeks."

"Don't forget we've got a man on the inside." One of the Captains spoke up. I recognized him as the 3rd District Captain. His jacket held his name in gold embroidery over the left side of his chest: Sukino. The name was fitting for his smaller stature and gentle features. "Though a fat load of crap he's been doing for us."

"That's not true," Ewan butted in. "He's done a lot for us. We know the process to their seemingly random picks now."

"What's the process?" I jumped into the conversation.

"They lure you in." Asahi continued. "They send people out knocking on doors, or they play ads on the radio, put out bulletins - they make it seem damn legit. They say they're looking for people to partake in a medical test. Volunteers get cash. As far as we know, those who don't pass the test for physical aptitude to partake in the fight, are given the promised cash reward and sent on their way."

"And those who do pass?" I asked.

"They're taken to fight almost immediately. The pick up, testing and bidding process takes no more than 3 hours. The fights then last all night and typically the winner is dropped off at an unknown location by sunrise."

"It's sickening." Sukino mumbled.

"It's no worse than us, Sukino." 5th District Captain scoffed. "We're a biker gang, we hold fights - many of our men partake in fight clubs."

"The difference being that our men do it willingly and for fun or some extra cash. This is different, Chiro." Sukino bit back.

"Don't be such a pussy about it--"

"We don't need to fight about this." Ewan interjected. "You're all Captains here, act like it."

"Our main focus tonight is finding a way to get more information." Asahi said. "The only way to do that...is send someone in to fight."

"So whose going to fight?" I asked, looking around the room. None of them could answer. They all kept their eyes low, not wanting to meet each other's gaze.

"We haven't been able to come to that decision yet." Nikki spoke for the first time. His tone was slightly annoyed. "Myself and Ewan have already volunteered but it's too risky to put either head of the Jade Riders out like that. Or so I've been informed."

"I'll do it." I said without missing a beat. One of them scoffed.

Asahi looked like he was about to protest when a slow clap came echoing from the doorframe that cut him off and made everyone look. A tall man stood in the entrance to the room, his broad shoulders practically filling the doorframe.

"Congratulations, men, the woman among you is the only person with balls." He said, stepping into the dull lights of the flashlights spread across the room. "No offense, Commander."

Nikki chuckled. "None taken, Aoki." He said, extending a hand to him. The took men shared a firm handshake before he stepped up to the table.

He turned to me and offered his hand. "I'm honored that you're the one to take my place as 1st District Captain. I wasn't sure about you, but now I have no doubts." I shook his hand.

He turned back to the men. "Do none of you have any respect for what your Commanders are trying to do?" He asked them. "Pull your ego out of your ass and shove it. We could have already taken them down if any of you actually had a pair. What am I risking my life for being undercover out there? For you guys to argue about who's going to fight?"

"What if we lose?" Sukino asked.

"Then you go out swinging, like real men." He replied.

"What is the penalty for losing this fight club?" I asked.

Aoki laughed. "Of course they didn't tell you. About 20% of the missing persons cases in the Tokyo police department is filled with the names of those who lost their fight."

"Only 20%? That's not bad." I said.

Aoki looked over at Nikki and whispered - albeit loud enough for everyone to hear; "She's dope, where did you find this one?"

Nikki shook his head and smirked. "That's a secret."

"Damn, that's too bad. Anyway," He turned his focus back to everyone at the table. "The next fight is this Saturday. Are we doing this?"

Nikki leaned around Aoki's large frame. "Are you positive you want to fight?" He asked.

"I promised I would help. I've not lost a fight - I'll be the next regular." I said confidently.

"No offense, Amaterasu," Asahi began. "but this isn't a school bully trying to beat you up. These people are legit fighters."

"No offense, Asahi, but I handled myself against Nikki - would you like to see for yourself that I'm a legit fighter or...?"

Nikki held up a hand. "I shouldn't have to say it again, but I trust Amaterasu. If she says she can win it, I'm going to believe in her." Everyone quieted down. "She fights this Saturday." He announced.

"How do I get out when I win?" I asked Aoki.

"Unfortunately, I won't know that information. The winner is drugged and dropped off randomly around the city. However, I think we could get away with a small tracking device hidden in your clothes. They don't typically perform a pat down because they're confident in their weapons." He addressed the rest of the table with the next statement. "I think it would be efficient to have everyone covering a section of the city. We can follow the tracker on a main device and whoever is closest can pick her up."

"That's a smart plan," Ewan said. "I'll use some of the gang's funds to find a tracker with one of our suppliers before Saturday."

"Good, try to get a couple devices to watch it from. I'd be more comfortable having at least two of us watching from different locations." Nikki said.

"You got it," Ewan responded.

"We have our goal then," Nikki's voiced changed to hold his authority at the table. "in two days we send in Amaterasu to fight, win and get information on the elite fight club. We all will serve as a getaway driver to make sure she comes back safe. Amaterasu," he turned to me and Aoki stepped back out of the way.

"Your goals are simple; I want to know who pulls the strings of this elitist fight club. It may not happen on Saturday, but try your best. Lastly," he softened his tone and took my hands in his, not caring about the men watching. Or perhaps he trusted the men watching enough to keep rumors and secrets to themselves.

"Come back alive."

I felt shiver down my spine as he planted a kiss to my forehead. Looking up at him I smiled to try ease some of his fears.

"I won't let you down."