Post by Serizawa on Sept 14, 2014 15:56:55 GMT -5
Post-L.A.W. 13
Overhead the stars shined bright, twinkling forever in the night sky, hidden behind a wall of clouds and haze. Instead the flashing overhead lights were that of airplanes flying by on their way to whatever destination was on the flight plan. Gazing upwards, leather jacket draped over her shoulders like a cape, was Serizawa, sitting on a patch of grass, the lights of the auditorium shining behind her. Staring skyward, only the soft thump of a bottle of water hitting the grass caused her to break her absent minded focus.
<“Thought you could use that.”>
Serizawa muffled a response, nodding towards Aki who was cracking open her own bottle of water. <“Sure, don’t thank me or anything.”> Aki capped her bottle before sitting next to Serizawa, immediately pulling out a cigarette to stick it, unlit, inbetween her lips. A match is taken from the inner pocket of her suit jacket and Aki strikes it, lighting it and bringing it towards the cigarette.
<“You should quit, you know.”> Serizawa said, returning to look at the murky night sky. <“I can’t have my representation setting a bad example.”>
Aki turned, giving Serizawa a sideways glance, flame flickering dangerously close to the paper stick in her mouth. Feeling the look on her, Serizawa turned her eyes, lowering them in a soft glare aimed towards Aki. < “Alright, alright.”> Aki extinguished the match with a simple shake of her hands and the cigarette returned, unlit, to her jacket pocket. <“All of a sudden she gets serious.”> Aki muttered.
<“Oh my God you are so easy.”> Serizawa broke her gaze with laughter, rocking softly while nearly doubling over.
<“Like I care if you smoke. Just know that if you start coughing up lungs on the job I’m going to replace you.”>
Now it was Aki’s turn to laugh, hers more of a quick, punching snort of a chuckle. <“You could never replace me. No one else would want to be your accomplice.”>
The two let their mild laughter speak for them, even as it died down and returned to silence. Neither one knew just what to say next, or even if there was anything else to say at all. Serizawa had left the arena following her debut, she had no desire to stick around and watch from behind the scenes and if that angered people, so be it. She was out of the place in a hurry, though she didn’t get far, stopping across the street to relax in the night breeze.
All things considered she was happy with how her debut went, and why shouldn’t she have been, she did walk out a winner – which was what she had set out to do. It was hardly the kind of fight she was used to, in street brawls the only referees were the police who eventually came to break it up, but she was adaptable. And devious. Serizawa liked to assume that her deviousness, her unflinching willingness to break the rules, would be what carried her through her burgeoning career. At the very least she hoped it would carry her just far enough to succeed without anyone catching on that she wasn’t the most technically sound member of the roster.
Serizawa wanted to fluke her way forward.
Sure, as proved tonight when she won, she could throw her cards on the table and throw down, but at the back of her mind she was already asking herself how long she could last. There was no immediate answer, and it wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on it. It was far too early for her to start doubting herself, and it was woefully unlike her.
But it was those lingering thoughts of doubt that made her sit down on the slightly damp grass. Those lingering thoughts that had her look towards the night sky and sigh that she couldn’t see any constellations in the California haze.
<“But you did good, Serizawa.”> And there was Aki, breaking the silence. Serizawa didn’t glance towards her, but she did slowly, subtly, shake her head a single time. Aki knew what this was, she had seen it herself before. Serizawa got contemplative whenever there was a fight she walked away from. It was the job of the subordinates to instill confidence in their boss, no matter what the outcome of a fight was. Back in Japan they were fights over petty matters that they hid behind reasons such as pride. Pride was an excuse used to punch other people in the face until they wore a mask of crimson. It became harder to justify those fights when they grew older.
Aki always wondered if Serizawa understood this.
Aki wondered a lot of things about Serizawa. These days she wondered what drew Serizawa to her current line of work. But her job wasn’t to pry, and she never did. Even in the glory days of youth, Aki didn’t ask many questions. That wasn’t her job. Her job was to follow the boss’ orders and to boost the boss’ morale. In some ways, her job hadn’t changed duties. Just titles.
<“Of course I did, Aki. I always do.”> Serizawa smiled at Aki, her smile and demeanor radiating arrogance. <“What kind of leader would I be if I failed to deliver?”>
Serizawa was boasting, that was good. That meant any doubts were pushed out of her head, which meant Aki was right in her assumption. Aki was learning that there was more to this job than simply translation and handling her business affairs. More to the job, but still doing the same duties she swore to leave in her past. The funny thing about integrity and morals is how easily they get thrown away when you collect a paycheck.
It was still better than an office job.
What was made apparent, though, was that neither of them wished to address the elephant in the room, or were at least casually speaking around it. Aki didn’t want to take anything away from Serizawa’s victory, and Serizawa was in the same boat. But they couldn’t just let it pass by, it had happened. Would it continue was the new concern.
< "Who was that guy?”> To Aki’s great surprise it was Serizawa who spoke first.
<“An admirer maybe?”>
<“God, I hope not. I don’t want my first admirer to be some pretty boy. You remember that pretty boy I dated in our third year.”> As Serizawa spoke of the mysterious uninvited observer to her debut match, she seemed detached from the conversation, trailing her fingers in the grass, picking up small blade and letting them fly down on the wind.
<“I don’t think it counts as dating when you only met up by sneaking into each other’s rooms.”> Aki though it best not to bring up how Serizawa would brag the following day about the night’s activities to a group that had to pretend to be interested in sordid stories.
<“It counts. It’s more than you ever did. Anyway, he always asked to wear my jeans. I didn’t mind, but then he kept them. I don’t want someone new to steal my jeans, Aki.”>
<“I’m sure that’s exactly why he stared you down. Look, I’m sure it was harmless. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll do some digging, see what turns up.”>
<“Digging? You’re my manager, not a cop. Forget about him, Aki. He’s just some admirer. People are just drawn to me. You’d understand if you were in my shoes. At least I know I’ve made an impact. First time in the ring and already I have a creepy fanboy.”> Serizawa rose to her feet, brushing off the grass on her pants. Aki did the same, reaching for her cigarette as she rose.
<“I hope that’s all he is. For both our sakes.”> Aki lit the cigarette and savored the first drag. She turned her head away from Serizawa to exhale the puff of smoke.
<“This is why you’ve never had a date, Aki. You worry too much.”>
Serizawa bent forward to pick up her still unopened bottle of water. Scanning the immediate area, her eyes lock on a fairly expensive car parked in the parking lot of the arena. The edges of her lips curled upwards, a grin befitting a devil. Facing her body towards the car, Serizawa lifted her arm back, bottle behind her head. With full force she chucked the bottle towards the car. The bottle soared through the air and hit the glass window with a satisfying thump. The glass cracked at the point of impact and before the sounds of the car alarm drew out curious pedestrians, Serizawa and Aki were already disappearing down the street.
Only Serizawa was laughing about it.
~~
SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
Aki wasn’t sure why they were there, but she had a hunch. A hunch was never good, not when they had to do with Serizawa. Almost always, those hunches turned out to be true, good or bad. And if her hunch came to fruition, it would certainly be on the bad side of the spectrum. And yet, she still placed a black crop top on top of the door of the fitting room, shaking her head as it disappeared behind the wooden barricade.
<“Aki. This one says ‘Su-Wa-Gu’ on it. What does that mean?”> Serizawa’s voice from the dressing room was hovering just above a whisper, Aki had to lean her ear in close to hear –which was just adding to the suspicions the clerks no doubt had, or would have had, if they had been observing the little corner of the young adult clothing store in the middle of a mall in Arizona.
<“It was either that or ‘sexy’. Can you hurry up? This place sucks, we should’ve stayed in California.”>
<“It was better that we left when we did. I don’t think police can cross state lines.”>
If it wasn’t for Serizawa breaking out into laughter, Aki would have gone through the fitting room door and demanded she explained what law she had broken this time. Instead, Aki shook her head again – that was quickly becoming her favorite response to Serizawa’s antics, and returned to browsing through the racks.
Aki hadn’t any clue as to what sort of clothing Serizawa liked, for all the years she knew her she only ever saw Serizawa wear either her sukeban outfit – which was just their high school uniform with a much longer skirt – or some t-shirt with an English phrase she didn’t know covered by her favorite leather jacket. Naturally this made shopping for her, and she used that word loosely, difficult when it should have been one of the easiest tasks in the world. Things would be a lot easier if Serizawa adopted the Aki method of dressing. When she wasn’t in a collared shirt and slacks, she was in a pants suit. Even on non-working days.
Aki grabbed a blue shirt and a black shirt, both with the same one word phrase across the chest and returned to the fitting rooms, draping both over the top. She really wanted a cigarette, but the exit was by the food court and that was at least seven stores down. Instead she took a seat in the ‘boyfriend waiting area’, the benches near the fitting rooms. From her pocket she pulled a rolled up copy of a magazine, absent-midedly flipping through the pages.
<“You sure you don’t want to read the article, Serizawa?”>
Inside the fitting room, Serizawa was scratching a quarter over the barcode on the hanging tags of the clothing. Dotting the interior were stickers from size charts and manufacturer’s labels. She had no shirt on; the one she wore into the store was hanging on the door-hook, along with her leather jacket. Strewn about was a selection of shirts, but only three or four were ones she was considering purchasing. Those were the ones she was mucking up the tags of; pulling them off was far too obvious a tell. In her jeans pocket was a small screwdriver, in case this store had those weird electronic tags. But Aki was smart enough not to select those for her. She had trained Aki well.
<“Why would I? You told me it was positive.”> With a messed up tag she moved on to the next one, scratching away at the paper like it was a lottery ticket.
<“I thought maybe you could practice your English. Magazines are good for that. They’re like picture books for adults.”> Aki raised an eyebrow as she again turned to the centerfold spread, wondering if the featured person brought her own attire or if the photographers had it. She assumed the former, given the brief bio off to the side. <“Talk about confidence…these photos...”> Aki spoke to herself, turning the page.
<“I don’t need to practice English, I’ve got you. I speak it fine. I passed English in high school, and the teacher said it was enough for non-natives to understand.”>
<“You passed because Kitamura let you cheat off his homework and tests because you told him he could watch you change for physical education.”>
<“Still counts as passing, Aki. Anyway, so long as you’re around I’m fine.”> Serizawa pocketed the quarter. It was time. First she put on the crop top, still unsure what the four letter word meant. It fit, stopping just above her navel. Next came the blue shirt, also with an English word on it. This one she knew what it said and it was enough to make her grin as she put it on on top of the crop top. By the time she got to her original white shirt, she was putting it on over four other shirts.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Though it was clear that her torso had extended outwards, the leather jacket did hide some of it, and none of the undershirts were poking out from underneath. There was a system to this, and despite being in a whole different continent she was glad to see the system still worked.
Serizawa bent down to touch her toes. It wasn’t as easy as it was when wearing only one shirt, but she got down and back up. What she needed was to be fast, but not too fast to be considered a run or nervous. A quickened, normal walking pace. The exit was a diagonal path through a few hanging racks of clothing and directly across from the exit was the checkout counter. When she counted as she walked in there were two people working the counter, and one working the floor. It was the floor worker that was the potential problem, which is why the signal was created and why Serizawa never stole clothing by herself.
Serizawa knocked once on the door, causing Aki to close the magazine and roll it into her pocket again. She stood and searched the immediate area. In the pants section, she saw the clerk helping a customer and returned the knock with two quick knocks of her own. Immediately after her signal, Aki headed for the exit.
The fitting room door open and Serizawa stepped out, making no indication that she was looking for a sales clerk. Her steps carried her towards the shirt racks, and she tip-toed around them, letting her eyes look over one or two, fingers brushing over them as if she was actually browsing a selection. Nothing suspicious about that, this was a clothing store after all.
She approached the exit and held her breath. Everything was riding on this moment, the scanners all that separated her from freedom. Serizawa took one step. Two steps. She closed her eyes. Three steps. On the fourth step her feet hit the hard tile floor of a mall exterior. By the fifth step she was out of the store completely. Home free.
<“What are you going to do when your luck runs out, Serizawa?”> Aki was leaning on a railing overlooking the first floor, her back to the store Serizawa had just stolen from.
<“Never going to happen. But that’s what I’ve got you for. My little insurance policy. I’m going to find a bathroom so I can put these things in a bag. Meet you in the food court?”>
Aki waved off Serizawa, still stunned that she got away with theft yet again. Aki was hardly innocent, having stolen when she was younger too, and she was technically an accomplice in all this, but the fact that she was almost a full law abiding citizen allowed her to feel as if she had the moral high ground. Though she did wonder if Serizawa’s parting comments were just another one of her little jokes.
The fact that she couldn’t tell made her rather uncomfortable.
~~
‘SUKEBAN’ VIDEO TWO
Uploaded to the internet on 14/9/2014
[Similar to the previous video, this one opens on a woman in a navy blue pants suit, her arms crossed and her stance open legged and arrogant. It isn’t a parking lot this time, but what appears to be an alleyway or someplace similar. The background is a brick wall. Next to the Aki, the woman in the pants suit, is Serizawa, leaning against the brick wall and looking towards the camera with a disinterested, disaffected gaze. Serizawa isn’t wearing a long skirt and uniform this time, but a white sleeveless shirt and a low cut pair of jeans, revealing just a bit of skin below her navel. As similar, the Japanese translation text scrolls along the bottom.]
Well well well, here we are again. I trust you all remember me, but for those of you who have been living under a rock as the saying goes, I am Aki and I represent the one and only, Serizawa. Serizawa, the Sukeban herself, made quite the name for herself, didn’t she? As I promised, you would all remember the night the Sukeban entered your lives, and I’m certain you all have. After all, who wouldn’t remember such a dominating presence, so beautiful a takedown of her opposition that a stranger felt the need to get a closer look at the massacre. And the best part? That was only the beginning.
I would say that Jenny Tuck put up a valiant effort against Serizawa, but I’d be lying. What she did was fight back like a cornered animal hitting their flight or fight instinct. Poor Jenny Tuck. She had no idea she was encountering the queen of the pack, the prime huntress herself. It’s okay, Jenny, no hard feelings. Well, other than how your head must be feeling after Serizawa nearly kicked it clean off your shoulders, right?
[Aki pauses to indulge herself in a slight bit of laughter. Behind her, Serizawa merely smirks, still keeping her gaze focused on the camera, her face and casual leaning body in focus alongside Aki, who returns to her serious face.]
That was Jenny Tuck. Serizawa is done with her. Serizawa has a new target now, and she’s almost upset that it has to be this person, but only because Serizawa had hoped her second victim would be a challenge. A threat. A concern. Not…yet another mouse pretending to be a tiger. Miyoko Oshiro…why, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re from where we are, Miyoko. Are you aware that your name means ‘Beautiful Child’, Miyoko? Clearly vanity was high on your parents minds when they picked that name for you.
Look, we both know that when it comes to beauty, you’re outclassed by the sukeban herself. But we’re not in a beauty competition, so there’s a possibility that you can still come out on top. A very, very small possibility but I’m an optimist. Let’s look at the history books, Miyoko. Oh yes, I’ve done my homework, and I didn’t even cheat on it.
[Aki raises her left hand and begins counting things off with her fingers, pressing her right index finger to her left fingers as she lists the numbers.]
Against Kate Steele you were counted out along with Kate, which, while not technically a loss, still isn’t a win. Against Nyako…you lost. At Queen of the Ring, against Jennifer Drew…what happened? Ah, that’s right, Jennifer Drew wound up beating you. And now…you think you can step up to the plate against Serizawa? Against the REAL queen of this and any other ring? Miyoko, you’re stepping up to the plate with two strikes, and Serizawa is on her way to pitching a perfect game.
You’re a little scrapper, one of those spunky types that doesn’t know when to quit, right? Going to throw down, throw a few punches and kicks, all that nonsense? Are you forgetting where the Sukeban got her start? She was BORN from scrapes, from fighting girls like you on the playground for loose change to buy some milk coffee after school. Serizawa hasn’t even MET you but she already knows all about you.
Because, Miyoko, you’re just like all those other girls that think they can step up and take down the queen. It doesn’t matter how hard you fight or how many times you get back up, because in the end you’ll wind up just like all those wannabes. Face down in the dirt, poorer going home than they were leaving it, with the laughing face of the Sukeban, Serizawa, standing over you, triumphant.
If you’re lucky, Serizawa will make it quick. If you’re even luckier she’ll make it so you don’t leave the arena embarrassed. If you’re luckier than a leprechaun holding a four leaf clover and a rabbit’s foot, you might even get a hit or two off on Serizawa, but it’ll amount to nothing in the end. You’re going to be like your namesake, Miyoko. The child part. Like a child in a den of wolves, you’re going to be eaten alive. Because you’re the unfortunate soul who is next on Serizawa’s list.
You see, Jenny Tuck was just the beginning and you, Miyoko, are the next step. You are when the cracks begin to form. When the glass starts to show signs of shattering. Miyoko…your utter defeat under the boot heels of the boss will mark the beginning of the utter dismantling, the utter destruction of the order that is L.A.W. Serizawa is going to break the L.A.W., she’s quite good at it. She’s going to break it and reshape it in her image, because she is the boss. She is the queen. She is the Sukeban, and it’s about time everyone knows that. Including you, Miyoko Oshiro.
Maybe try out for beauty pageants, Beautiful Child, you might stand a chance there.
ABAYO!
[The same arrogant parting words from the raised voice of Aki. She steps out of frame leaving Serizawa the sole focus of the shot. She kicks away from the brick wall and slowly walks towards the camera. Serizawa crouches down and smiles devilishly, her eyes narrow. She doesn’t speak, letting her eerie smile say all it needs to. The last thing the video sees is a spit shot of green fluid from Serizawa’s mouth, covering the camera as the video comes again to an end.]
Overhead the stars shined bright, twinkling forever in the night sky, hidden behind a wall of clouds and haze. Instead the flashing overhead lights were that of airplanes flying by on their way to whatever destination was on the flight plan. Gazing upwards, leather jacket draped over her shoulders like a cape, was Serizawa, sitting on a patch of grass, the lights of the auditorium shining behind her. Staring skyward, only the soft thump of a bottle of water hitting the grass caused her to break her absent minded focus.
<“Thought you could use that.”>
Serizawa muffled a response, nodding towards Aki who was cracking open her own bottle of water. <“Sure, don’t thank me or anything.”> Aki capped her bottle before sitting next to Serizawa, immediately pulling out a cigarette to stick it, unlit, inbetween her lips. A match is taken from the inner pocket of her suit jacket and Aki strikes it, lighting it and bringing it towards the cigarette.
<“You should quit, you know.”> Serizawa said, returning to look at the murky night sky. <“I can’t have my representation setting a bad example.”>
Aki turned, giving Serizawa a sideways glance, flame flickering dangerously close to the paper stick in her mouth. Feeling the look on her, Serizawa turned her eyes, lowering them in a soft glare aimed towards Aki. < “Alright, alright.”> Aki extinguished the match with a simple shake of her hands and the cigarette returned, unlit, to her jacket pocket. <“All of a sudden she gets serious.”> Aki muttered.
<“Oh my God you are so easy.”> Serizawa broke her gaze with laughter, rocking softly while nearly doubling over.
<“Like I care if you smoke. Just know that if you start coughing up lungs on the job I’m going to replace you.”>
Now it was Aki’s turn to laugh, hers more of a quick, punching snort of a chuckle. <“You could never replace me. No one else would want to be your accomplice.”>
The two let their mild laughter speak for them, even as it died down and returned to silence. Neither one knew just what to say next, or even if there was anything else to say at all. Serizawa had left the arena following her debut, she had no desire to stick around and watch from behind the scenes and if that angered people, so be it. She was out of the place in a hurry, though she didn’t get far, stopping across the street to relax in the night breeze.
All things considered she was happy with how her debut went, and why shouldn’t she have been, she did walk out a winner – which was what she had set out to do. It was hardly the kind of fight she was used to, in street brawls the only referees were the police who eventually came to break it up, but she was adaptable. And devious. Serizawa liked to assume that her deviousness, her unflinching willingness to break the rules, would be what carried her through her burgeoning career. At the very least she hoped it would carry her just far enough to succeed without anyone catching on that she wasn’t the most technically sound member of the roster.
Serizawa wanted to fluke her way forward.
Sure, as proved tonight when she won, she could throw her cards on the table and throw down, but at the back of her mind she was already asking herself how long she could last. There was no immediate answer, and it wouldn’t do her any good to dwell on it. It was far too early for her to start doubting herself, and it was woefully unlike her.
But it was those lingering thoughts of doubt that made her sit down on the slightly damp grass. Those lingering thoughts that had her look towards the night sky and sigh that she couldn’t see any constellations in the California haze.
<“But you did good, Serizawa.”> And there was Aki, breaking the silence. Serizawa didn’t glance towards her, but she did slowly, subtly, shake her head a single time. Aki knew what this was, she had seen it herself before. Serizawa got contemplative whenever there was a fight she walked away from. It was the job of the subordinates to instill confidence in their boss, no matter what the outcome of a fight was. Back in Japan they were fights over petty matters that they hid behind reasons such as pride. Pride was an excuse used to punch other people in the face until they wore a mask of crimson. It became harder to justify those fights when they grew older.
Aki always wondered if Serizawa understood this.
Aki wondered a lot of things about Serizawa. These days she wondered what drew Serizawa to her current line of work. But her job wasn’t to pry, and she never did. Even in the glory days of youth, Aki didn’t ask many questions. That wasn’t her job. Her job was to follow the boss’ orders and to boost the boss’ morale. In some ways, her job hadn’t changed duties. Just titles.
<“Of course I did, Aki. I always do.”> Serizawa smiled at Aki, her smile and demeanor radiating arrogance. <“What kind of leader would I be if I failed to deliver?”>
Serizawa was boasting, that was good. That meant any doubts were pushed out of her head, which meant Aki was right in her assumption. Aki was learning that there was more to this job than simply translation and handling her business affairs. More to the job, but still doing the same duties she swore to leave in her past. The funny thing about integrity and morals is how easily they get thrown away when you collect a paycheck.
It was still better than an office job.
What was made apparent, though, was that neither of them wished to address the elephant in the room, or were at least casually speaking around it. Aki didn’t want to take anything away from Serizawa’s victory, and Serizawa was in the same boat. But they couldn’t just let it pass by, it had happened. Would it continue was the new concern.
< "Who was that guy?”> To Aki’s great surprise it was Serizawa who spoke first.
<“An admirer maybe?”>
<“God, I hope not. I don’t want my first admirer to be some pretty boy. You remember that pretty boy I dated in our third year.”> As Serizawa spoke of the mysterious uninvited observer to her debut match, she seemed detached from the conversation, trailing her fingers in the grass, picking up small blade and letting them fly down on the wind.
<“I don’t think it counts as dating when you only met up by sneaking into each other’s rooms.”> Aki though it best not to bring up how Serizawa would brag the following day about the night’s activities to a group that had to pretend to be interested in sordid stories.
<“It counts. It’s more than you ever did. Anyway, he always asked to wear my jeans. I didn’t mind, but then he kept them. I don’t want someone new to steal my jeans, Aki.”>
<“I’m sure that’s exactly why he stared you down. Look, I’m sure it was harmless. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll do some digging, see what turns up.”>
<“Digging? You’re my manager, not a cop. Forget about him, Aki. He’s just some admirer. People are just drawn to me. You’d understand if you were in my shoes. At least I know I’ve made an impact. First time in the ring and already I have a creepy fanboy.”> Serizawa rose to her feet, brushing off the grass on her pants. Aki did the same, reaching for her cigarette as she rose.
<“I hope that’s all he is. For both our sakes.”> Aki lit the cigarette and savored the first drag. She turned her head away from Serizawa to exhale the puff of smoke.
<“This is why you’ve never had a date, Aki. You worry too much.”>
Serizawa bent forward to pick up her still unopened bottle of water. Scanning the immediate area, her eyes lock on a fairly expensive car parked in the parking lot of the arena. The edges of her lips curled upwards, a grin befitting a devil. Facing her body towards the car, Serizawa lifted her arm back, bottle behind her head. With full force she chucked the bottle towards the car. The bottle soared through the air and hit the glass window with a satisfying thump. The glass cracked at the point of impact and before the sounds of the car alarm drew out curious pedestrians, Serizawa and Aki were already disappearing down the street.
Only Serizawa was laughing about it.
~~
SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
Aki wasn’t sure why they were there, but she had a hunch. A hunch was never good, not when they had to do with Serizawa. Almost always, those hunches turned out to be true, good or bad. And if her hunch came to fruition, it would certainly be on the bad side of the spectrum. And yet, she still placed a black crop top on top of the door of the fitting room, shaking her head as it disappeared behind the wooden barricade.
<“Aki. This one says ‘Su-Wa-Gu’ on it. What does that mean?”> Serizawa’s voice from the dressing room was hovering just above a whisper, Aki had to lean her ear in close to hear –which was just adding to the suspicions the clerks no doubt had, or would have had, if they had been observing the little corner of the young adult clothing store in the middle of a mall in Arizona.
<“It was either that or ‘sexy’. Can you hurry up? This place sucks, we should’ve stayed in California.”>
<“It was better that we left when we did. I don’t think police can cross state lines.”>
If it wasn’t for Serizawa breaking out into laughter, Aki would have gone through the fitting room door and demanded she explained what law she had broken this time. Instead, Aki shook her head again – that was quickly becoming her favorite response to Serizawa’s antics, and returned to browsing through the racks.
Aki hadn’t any clue as to what sort of clothing Serizawa liked, for all the years she knew her she only ever saw Serizawa wear either her sukeban outfit – which was just their high school uniform with a much longer skirt – or some t-shirt with an English phrase she didn’t know covered by her favorite leather jacket. Naturally this made shopping for her, and she used that word loosely, difficult when it should have been one of the easiest tasks in the world. Things would be a lot easier if Serizawa adopted the Aki method of dressing. When she wasn’t in a collared shirt and slacks, she was in a pants suit. Even on non-working days.
Aki grabbed a blue shirt and a black shirt, both with the same one word phrase across the chest and returned to the fitting rooms, draping both over the top. She really wanted a cigarette, but the exit was by the food court and that was at least seven stores down. Instead she took a seat in the ‘boyfriend waiting area’, the benches near the fitting rooms. From her pocket she pulled a rolled up copy of a magazine, absent-midedly flipping through the pages.
<“You sure you don’t want to read the article, Serizawa?”>
Inside the fitting room, Serizawa was scratching a quarter over the barcode on the hanging tags of the clothing. Dotting the interior were stickers from size charts and manufacturer’s labels. She had no shirt on; the one she wore into the store was hanging on the door-hook, along with her leather jacket. Strewn about was a selection of shirts, but only three or four were ones she was considering purchasing. Those were the ones she was mucking up the tags of; pulling them off was far too obvious a tell. In her jeans pocket was a small screwdriver, in case this store had those weird electronic tags. But Aki was smart enough not to select those for her. She had trained Aki well.
<“Why would I? You told me it was positive.”> With a messed up tag she moved on to the next one, scratching away at the paper like it was a lottery ticket.
<“I thought maybe you could practice your English. Magazines are good for that. They’re like picture books for adults.”> Aki raised an eyebrow as she again turned to the centerfold spread, wondering if the featured person brought her own attire or if the photographers had it. She assumed the former, given the brief bio off to the side. <“Talk about confidence…these photos...”> Aki spoke to herself, turning the page.
<“I don’t need to practice English, I’ve got you. I speak it fine. I passed English in high school, and the teacher said it was enough for non-natives to understand.”>
<“You passed because Kitamura let you cheat off his homework and tests because you told him he could watch you change for physical education.”>
<“Still counts as passing, Aki. Anyway, so long as you’re around I’m fine.”> Serizawa pocketed the quarter. It was time. First she put on the crop top, still unsure what the four letter word meant. It fit, stopping just above her navel. Next came the blue shirt, also with an English word on it. This one she knew what it said and it was enough to make her grin as she put it on on top of the crop top. By the time she got to her original white shirt, she was putting it on over four other shirts.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Though it was clear that her torso had extended outwards, the leather jacket did hide some of it, and none of the undershirts were poking out from underneath. There was a system to this, and despite being in a whole different continent she was glad to see the system still worked.
Serizawa bent down to touch her toes. It wasn’t as easy as it was when wearing only one shirt, but she got down and back up. What she needed was to be fast, but not too fast to be considered a run or nervous. A quickened, normal walking pace. The exit was a diagonal path through a few hanging racks of clothing and directly across from the exit was the checkout counter. When she counted as she walked in there were two people working the counter, and one working the floor. It was the floor worker that was the potential problem, which is why the signal was created and why Serizawa never stole clothing by herself.
Serizawa knocked once on the door, causing Aki to close the magazine and roll it into her pocket again. She stood and searched the immediate area. In the pants section, she saw the clerk helping a customer and returned the knock with two quick knocks of her own. Immediately after her signal, Aki headed for the exit.
The fitting room door open and Serizawa stepped out, making no indication that she was looking for a sales clerk. Her steps carried her towards the shirt racks, and she tip-toed around them, letting her eyes look over one or two, fingers brushing over them as if she was actually browsing a selection. Nothing suspicious about that, this was a clothing store after all.
She approached the exit and held her breath. Everything was riding on this moment, the scanners all that separated her from freedom. Serizawa took one step. Two steps. She closed her eyes. Three steps. On the fourth step her feet hit the hard tile floor of a mall exterior. By the fifth step she was out of the store completely. Home free.
<“What are you going to do when your luck runs out, Serizawa?”> Aki was leaning on a railing overlooking the first floor, her back to the store Serizawa had just stolen from.
<“Never going to happen. But that’s what I’ve got you for. My little insurance policy. I’m going to find a bathroom so I can put these things in a bag. Meet you in the food court?”>
Aki waved off Serizawa, still stunned that she got away with theft yet again. Aki was hardly innocent, having stolen when she was younger too, and she was technically an accomplice in all this, but the fact that she was almost a full law abiding citizen allowed her to feel as if she had the moral high ground. Though she did wonder if Serizawa’s parting comments were just another one of her little jokes.
The fact that she couldn’t tell made her rather uncomfortable.
~~
‘SUKEBAN’ VIDEO TWO
Uploaded to the internet on 14/9/2014
[Similar to the previous video, this one opens on a woman in a navy blue pants suit, her arms crossed and her stance open legged and arrogant. It isn’t a parking lot this time, but what appears to be an alleyway or someplace similar. The background is a brick wall. Next to the Aki, the woman in the pants suit, is Serizawa, leaning against the brick wall and looking towards the camera with a disinterested, disaffected gaze. Serizawa isn’t wearing a long skirt and uniform this time, but a white sleeveless shirt and a low cut pair of jeans, revealing just a bit of skin below her navel. As similar, the Japanese translation text scrolls along the bottom.]
Well well well, here we are again. I trust you all remember me, but for those of you who have been living under a rock as the saying goes, I am Aki and I represent the one and only, Serizawa. Serizawa, the Sukeban herself, made quite the name for herself, didn’t she? As I promised, you would all remember the night the Sukeban entered your lives, and I’m certain you all have. After all, who wouldn’t remember such a dominating presence, so beautiful a takedown of her opposition that a stranger felt the need to get a closer look at the massacre. And the best part? That was only the beginning.
I would say that Jenny Tuck put up a valiant effort against Serizawa, but I’d be lying. What she did was fight back like a cornered animal hitting their flight or fight instinct. Poor Jenny Tuck. She had no idea she was encountering the queen of the pack, the prime huntress herself. It’s okay, Jenny, no hard feelings. Well, other than how your head must be feeling after Serizawa nearly kicked it clean off your shoulders, right?
[Aki pauses to indulge herself in a slight bit of laughter. Behind her, Serizawa merely smirks, still keeping her gaze focused on the camera, her face and casual leaning body in focus alongside Aki, who returns to her serious face.]
That was Jenny Tuck. Serizawa is done with her. Serizawa has a new target now, and she’s almost upset that it has to be this person, but only because Serizawa had hoped her second victim would be a challenge. A threat. A concern. Not…yet another mouse pretending to be a tiger. Miyoko Oshiro…why, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re from where we are, Miyoko. Are you aware that your name means ‘Beautiful Child’, Miyoko? Clearly vanity was high on your parents minds when they picked that name for you.
Look, we both know that when it comes to beauty, you’re outclassed by the sukeban herself. But we’re not in a beauty competition, so there’s a possibility that you can still come out on top. A very, very small possibility but I’m an optimist. Let’s look at the history books, Miyoko. Oh yes, I’ve done my homework, and I didn’t even cheat on it.
[Aki raises her left hand and begins counting things off with her fingers, pressing her right index finger to her left fingers as she lists the numbers.]
Against Kate Steele you were counted out along with Kate, which, while not technically a loss, still isn’t a win. Against Nyako…you lost. At Queen of the Ring, against Jennifer Drew…what happened? Ah, that’s right, Jennifer Drew wound up beating you. And now…you think you can step up to the plate against Serizawa? Against the REAL queen of this and any other ring? Miyoko, you’re stepping up to the plate with two strikes, and Serizawa is on her way to pitching a perfect game.
You’re a little scrapper, one of those spunky types that doesn’t know when to quit, right? Going to throw down, throw a few punches and kicks, all that nonsense? Are you forgetting where the Sukeban got her start? She was BORN from scrapes, from fighting girls like you on the playground for loose change to buy some milk coffee after school. Serizawa hasn’t even MET you but she already knows all about you.
Because, Miyoko, you’re just like all those other girls that think they can step up and take down the queen. It doesn’t matter how hard you fight or how many times you get back up, because in the end you’ll wind up just like all those wannabes. Face down in the dirt, poorer going home than they were leaving it, with the laughing face of the Sukeban, Serizawa, standing over you, triumphant.
If you’re lucky, Serizawa will make it quick. If you’re even luckier she’ll make it so you don’t leave the arena embarrassed. If you’re luckier than a leprechaun holding a four leaf clover and a rabbit’s foot, you might even get a hit or two off on Serizawa, but it’ll amount to nothing in the end. You’re going to be like your namesake, Miyoko. The child part. Like a child in a den of wolves, you’re going to be eaten alive. Because you’re the unfortunate soul who is next on Serizawa’s list.
You see, Jenny Tuck was just the beginning and you, Miyoko, are the next step. You are when the cracks begin to form. When the glass starts to show signs of shattering. Miyoko…your utter defeat under the boot heels of the boss will mark the beginning of the utter dismantling, the utter destruction of the order that is L.A.W. Serizawa is going to break the L.A.W., she’s quite good at it. She’s going to break it and reshape it in her image, because she is the boss. She is the queen. She is the Sukeban, and it’s about time everyone knows that. Including you, Miyoko Oshiro.
Maybe try out for beauty pageants, Beautiful Child, you might stand a chance there.
ABAYO!
[The same arrogant parting words from the raised voice of Aki. She steps out of frame leaving Serizawa the sole focus of the shot. She kicks away from the brick wall and slowly walks towards the camera. Serizawa crouches down and smiles devilishly, her eyes narrow. She doesn’t speak, letting her eerie smile say all it needs to. The last thing the video sees is a spit shot of green fluid from Serizawa’s mouth, covering the camera as the video comes again to an end.]