Witches of Tokyo

Old Tokyo just wasn’t the same. Many Japanese businesses had moved to New Tokyo in the United States, or into the China Annex.
Scientists believe that the gigantic tidal wave that nearly washed the island nation out of existence was caused by a massive shift in underwater tectonic plates. The volcanic activity that followed certainly supports this theory.
That was the last thing on the mind of Kasumi Sakoshita, as she made her way down the grime filled streets. She stepped over a man passed out on the sidewalk, and then looked up to see the remains of Tokyo Tower in the distance, it was hard to make out in the night time gloom, but it was there.
Kasumi was an attractive young woman with dark hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and dark eyes. Her simple black outfit consisted of a sleeveless shirt, and Capri pants clung to her to her little frame. Around her neck was a simple gold chain with a single diamond. She walked with the casual grace that is usually found on the ballroom floor or in a dojo.
She stopped long enough to watch a car pull up to a group of scantly clad women, huddled in the protective illumination of a streetlight. After a few words, their number was reduced by one, as a bleach blond gets into the passenger seat. Kasumi whispered a prayer for them, before moving on.
Farther down the block, a car pulled up beside her. At first she ignored it, and the man’s offer of companionship and money. He then grew agitated and started to yell calling her a stuck up bitch. Kasumi simply turned her head, giving him a clear view of the tattoo on her right cheek. Then the car sped off at unsafe speeds.
Kasumi reached up and touched the mark. It was the kanji for “Witch.”

When Brad entered the room of Akemi, the girl had already changed into her pajamas. The young girl was looking at the garden below through the window as she brushed out her hair.
“So what do you want to hear tonight?” Brad asked as he took the book off the nightstand, and sat down in the chair nearby.
She turned to look at him, and forced a smile. “I’m too old for needing bedtime stories. Tomorrow I’ll be six.”
“Is that so?” Only someone who had watched the girl grow up could tell how nervous she was. The only thing breaking the image of an older brother reading to his little sister was the magnum revolver in Brad’s shoulder harness. “If that’s the case, you’re old enough to check for monsters yourself. “
“Don’t even joke about that.” Akemi yelps, as she drops the hairbrush. There were just too many strange noises in the old mansion. “Even Fairy is nervous tonight.”
Brad wondered if he had ever needed an imaginary friend to express himself when he was younger. He set the book back on the nightstand, as he thought about what to say. Even he hadn’t been told all the details concerning the events scheduled for tomorrow.
“I think she’s just excited, tomorrow being such a big day and all.” He finally said. The girl walked over to the bed, and then climbed into it.
“Maybe just one last story,” she said pulling the covers around her. Brad smiled, and opened the book. He stole one last glance out the window before starting to read.
It had started to rain.

The freezing rain bounced off Kasumi’s shirt as she approached one of the side gates of the mansion. The lights were still on in many of the rooms, but most of he guards had taken cover inside the guard posts. She smiles as she comes into view of the guard, and blows him a kiss before ducking behind a row of hedges.
The guard was startled by the appearance of a beautiful young girl and even more surprised when she blew him a kiss. Leaving his shelter, he goes to join her in the hedges.
Moments latter he comes back out with a dazed look on his face. Walking with deliberate steps he enters the guard post, and opens the breaker box. After flipping a few switches, the lights and security cameras go dead. Then the man takes out a handgun and screws a silencer onto it, he sets it on the table as he sits down in a chair and falls asleep.
Kasumi takes her leave of the bushes, and enters the post. She has now added long gloves to her outfit, black velvet ones that ran to her elbows. Picking up the gun, she points it at the guard. She closes her eyes, and turns away before pulling the trigger, then saying a short prayer for the man. He had just been doing his job, but she couldn’t let him get in her way.
She empties the clip into the breaker box, then tossing the empty gun into the dead guards lap; then she looks up at the house. She wonders what she’ll do when she’s done, as she runs towards the nearest cover as she makes her way towards the place.

“Brad, Brad, please wake up.” Akemi cried as she shook the man awake. His room was much simpler then hers but gave him the privacy to change clothes and sleep. His weapon was hanging in it holster on the bedpost.
“Wha, what’s the matter?” he shook his head clear. He instinctively took hold of his gun, sliding the holster into place under his left arm, as he sat up.
“It’s Fairy, she’s very close, and she’s frightening me.” Brad was started by this. It was the first time she had ever talked about her fairy like that.
Training took over, as he pulled on a sports coat, and checked his gun. Taking the girl by the hand he pulls her from the room and down the hallway.

Kasumi ducks between two statues as another security guard passes by. Once his back was towards her, she delivers a sharp blow to the back of his neck. He falls to the ground without making a sound. She looks up at the wall clock, carefully listening for the next guard, she makes note of the time.
“So far, so good,” she whispers to herself, and pulls the prone form of the guard into the library. Taking a pair of handcuffs of his belt, she latches them onto his wrists, and then leaves him beside two of his companions.
After relieving the guards of their cash, she climbs up to the second level of shelves. Watching the titles, she searches for several books. After finding the pair she wanted in different location, Kasumi takes a deep breath before counting out six passes, and turns towards the bookshelf. Without caution, she pushes two rows of books onto the floor, revealing a wall safe. Taking another deep breath, she starts to work on the dial, remembering the combination from the past. It was a long shot; any competent individual would change the combination to a safe at least once a year.
When she pulled the handle and it opened, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be the most time consuming part of her plan. In the safe were three manila envelopes, and a small box. The three envelops where labeled: Kasumi, Naomi, and Akemi. Kasumi smiled, as she slid all three into the duffle bag she had relieved from the gym locker room. Then she takes the box, and carefully opens it. Inside was a gold chain, with a single emerald.
Kasumi’s jaw drops in astonishment, as she recognizes the necklace her mother wore. Without a second thought she slides the necklace over her head. The emerald fall into her cleavage, she grips it for a moment, before sliding the empty box back into the safe.
She works her way back to the ladder down when a pair of guards enter the room with guns drawn. Reacting quickly she jumps off the shelf, and lands on the first guard, and a leg sweep causes the second to land flat on his back. Using the momentum of the sweep, she jumps onto the second man, and smashes his windpipe with her right fist.
“Stop right there,” Came the voice of the first guard. He had gotten to his feet, and pulled his gun on the girl. Kasumi’s back was towards him; she stood up onto her knees, and clasped her hands together. He didn’t notice as she started to softly whisper a chant.
“Turn around, slowly,” he orders. Kasumi obliges, unleashing the ball of magical energy she was creating. It caught him in the face, and flung him across the room. As quick as a cat, she was on him, three blows to the head and the man down. After kicking him a few times to make sure he wasn’t getting back up, she whispers “Sorry, I can’t let you tell anyone you saw me. May God have mercy on you and on me.”
Locking the door behind her, she left the library and made the way up the stairs.

Brad lets go of Akemi, at the top of the staircase taking them to the first floor. Drawing his gun, and motioning for her to wait, the looks around the corner. That’s when they saw each other.
“Akemi, go back to your room!” he shouted. The intruder came around the corner the same time he did. She was caught by surprise, maybe by his sudden appearance, or maybe by the name he shouted out, but Brad doesn’t miss an opening, bringing the grip of his handgun down on top of her head.
In a burst of speed, she throws her head of to the side and bending her knees to absorb some of the impact. Just as fast, she takes hold of the arm holding the gun, and twists his arm behind his back, forcing him to drop the gun. A single kick sent it falling to the floor below.
Trusting in her guardian, the little girl ran towards the safety of her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Reacting on instinct, Brad spins around and slams his free hand into the girl’s ribs. She goes down to her knees, letting go of his arm in the process. Getting clear, Brad takes a boxer’s stance as he gets ready for her next attack.
Kasumi winces in pain as she stands back up, her left hand gingerly testing her ribs, sore maybe broken. She watched her opponent, he was clearly uncomfortable fighting without his gun.
“I know how much you mean to her, I don’t want to have to hurt you. But I can’t leave her here. Your kind of protection can’t help her anymore.” Kasumi says, feeling the worry of the young child. Carefully, she brings up her left palm, and blows across it. A strange sparkling dust flies with the breath, across towards Brad.
Brad shakes his head violently as the dust reaches him, try as he might there was little he could do to fight the magic. His last thoughts were of failure, before his eyes glazed over.
“I’m sorry; your mind is mine for now. Sleep,” she whispers to him. And that is exactly what the man did.

Kyuske Sakoshita sat on the floor in the dojo; he was surrounded by seven candles. The man was advancing in years, but nowhere near being called old. Eyes closed, he centered himself. Lying across his lap, in sharp contrast to his expensive business suit, was a plain looking katana. Slowly he rises to one knee.
The butler slides the screen open, and enters, sliding it shut again behind him. Despite the message he was about to relate, he knew better then to interrupt the master in the middle of practicing his bushido. Fortunately, he was almost done.
Kyuske comes to a full standing position, and takes the stance for Bathow jujitsu, sword sheathed shoulder towards his opponent, hand on the hilt. It was a stance that allowed you to unleash a powerful counter attack. Speed was important. Then with a battle cry, and a flash of blade it was over. All seven candles extinguished by speed of the move.
“Sakoshita-sama, there is an intruder. They have disabled the east gatehouse, and seven guards aren’t responding. How do you want to handle this, lord?” the butler spoke in a clear, non-threatening tone of voice.
The swordsman slides the katana into its scabbard before tucking them into his belt. Straightening his tie, and brushing some lint from the suit before answering, “I told Sanjuro, I didn’t need his hired thugs to increase security. No doubt they are the reason for this breach. I’ll meet this intruder myself; send the scum back to their holes.”
“Of course, sir,” the butler says with a bow, but continues after a respectful pause. “One of the guards who aren’t responding is Brad Wellington.”
“Hmm,” Sakoshita thinks for a moment rubbing his chin with the palm of his hand. “Yes, that fits.”
He walks with measured strides as he makes it to the exit of the room. “Go to the library, and take inventory. I doubt there will be anything significant missing elsewhere.”

Kasumi could feel the fear and worry increase as time passed. She didn’t know why she could feel the emotions of the young girl, but she held no illusion that the girl couldn’t feel hers as well. She tried to keep as calm as possible, for the one the guard had called Akemi.
She stopped at the end of the hall, closed her eyes and concentrated on the feelings of the girl. Then Kasumi started walking down the hall at a slow pace letting the emotions guide her. When this leads her to a locked door, Kasumi opened her eyes.
“Please open the door, I know your there, and I promise I’m not going to hurt you.” Kasumi spoke in a clear tone of voice, doing her best to sound non-threatening. When she was only greeted by soft whispers, she kicks the door. It took three tries to get it to swing open.
“I’m sorry; I don’t have time to explain everything to you,” Kasumi said as she looked into the room. It was the sort of room a little girl quickly grew out off, everything was shades of pink, even the stuffed animals. She had yet to see the young one.
“My name is Kasumi, what’s your?” She said, walking towards the girl’s dresser. Hastily, she starts stuffing clothing into the duffle. “I’d like you to stay with me for awhile.”
Akemi yelps with surprise, when Kasumi opened the door to the closet. The girl was huddled into the corner farthest from the door, trying to hide under a blanket. Kasumi pulls her ponytail tight, and does her best to not look like a villain, as she steps into the small room.
“SSS Stay back!” the girl stammers out as the young woman comes closer. When Kasumi gently pulled the blanket way, Akemi tried to crawl even farther into the corner. After realizing that wasn’t possible, the girl closed her eyes and concentrated.
Kasumi was surprised when a ball of magical energy, similar to the one she had used herself, formed in the young girls hands. The older witch would have been in trouble, but as Akemi sent the ball towards Kasumi, it popped like a soup bubble on a needle.
Out of options, Kasumi sighed; bring her left palm up to her mouth and blowing across it. The same sparkling dust floats towards the girl. Maybe if she had been older, the girl could have resisted the magic, but not today.
“I won’t hurt you. Sleep,” she tells the girl who promptly fallows the command. Kasumi carries the girl piggy back style, and leaves the room, the duffle bag hanging off her left shoulder.
Glancing out the window, the rain turned to snow.

Kyuske Sakoshita was waiting in the main hall of the enormous mansion, when Kasumi descended the stairs. His sword was in its sheath, point touching the floor, with his hands resting on the pommel. Raising one hand, he looks at his watch.
“You are in so much trouble young lady,” Kyuske starts in a scolding tone of voice. “Seven years, you’ve been gone for seven years, without so much as a letter. I was so worried about you. If this is your way of expressing independence, I’m not impressed.”
“You don’t have any right to talk to me like that, Father. If you really cared about me, I would never have been branded.” Kasumi says with all the scorn she could muster, bringing her right hand to touch the kanji on her cheek. “And I won’t let it happen to her.”
“So you would risk your own freedom, for the sake of someone you’ve never met? Do you even know what her name is?” The family patron asks, not moving nor breaking eye contact with his eldest daughter. “I’ll only make this offer once, so think about it carefully. Leave the girl and I’ll let you leave without a fight Kasumi. I’ll even let you keep that necklace of your mother’s.”
Kasumi rests the sleeping form of Akemi on the floor, then she whisper something into her ear, before standing straight again.
“I know her name is Akemi, and I know she is a relative of mine. That’s all I need to know.” Kasumi shouts as she takes a combat stance. One way or another, this won’t take long. Her words to the girl echo in her mind. Kyuske shakes his head.
“Your mother had such hopes for you, Kasumi. You’re stubborn, that’s a trait that runs in my side of the family. I’ll answer one question for you, before we start this. Her name is Akemi Sakoshita, and she is your sister. As a matter of fact, tomorrow is her sixth birthday.” Then he picks up his sword in his right hand, and draws the blade with his left. He throws the sheath off to the side, motioning for Kasumi to start.
But, Kasumi was already chanting softly and magical energy gathers into her hands. With a quick slashing motion, she releases all the energy at her father. The swordsman is hidden in a flash of light, long enough for her to take several deep breaths. She knows better then to hope for the best, and she dashes to Akemi, and hoists her up.
It takes him a moment, but Kyuske bats the energy strike away with the sword. Only to watch, as the females vanish in a circle of light. He shakes his head in disappointment, as he returns the blade to its sheath.
“I might have underestimated her magical abilities, but she knows when an opponent is too strong to be defeated. Wouldn’t you agree?” he asks of the shadows, when the form of the butler reveals himself. He watched the whole exchange.
“Travel magic is hard to track, my lord. I’ll call for the hounds in the morning.” The servant says in his ever calm tone of voice.
“Good.”