Kahako let her leather boots swing back and forth and she sipped her now cold tea. The bar owner glanced at her once again before filling his sake cup and taking another drink. “Too much alcohol is bad for your liver ojii-san.” Kahako said simply. All she got in response was a grunt of disapproval and a heated stare as the cup refilled and he knocked another back.
“Damn brats are late.” He responded simply when his coping mechanism was emptied again. Within the first five minutes of her arriving, the man’s face went from hopeful to disbelief to belligerent. When she opened the door to the bar right before opening time, perfectly on time to when the Torre told her to be there, the owner turned around with a relieved smile. When he got a good look at who they sent in, his face froze, and the conversation went as follows.
“Tanaka-okyakusama? I am the shinobi you hired from the Torre to help with your teenager problem?” Kahako stated with a kindly smile and a soft voice. Instead of her normal shinobi outfit, she wore clothing as she was ordered to. She was to look like a citizen. As such, no weapons were on her. Knowing that the boys were just normal citizens, Kahako knew she wouldn’t need them. Instead she dressed in a black shirt that was just a little baggy and her normal black skirt, stockings, and leather boots.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” Was the first response Kahako got out of the bar owner.
“The one damn day I WANT them to be here, they’re not even here at the usual time.” Tanaka grumbled once more as he poured himself another glass, thus emptying the bottle. “How old again are you, Squirt?”
“I am seventeen, Tanaka-sama” Kahako said curtly before taking another sip. They had been in this argument once before, which was why Kahako was giving short, sharp answers. She had been tired of him questioning her abilities.
“Goddammit. I’m not paying for your damn funeral, you hear? And remember what I said. I don’t want no damn arrests made on my property. It’s bad for my business around here, people knowing that I hire shinobi to fix my problems,” he said roughly, knocking back another shot. Before he finished the drink however, he heard the tell-tale whoop of one of his unwelcome, frequent customers from the other side of the bar door. “Goddamn…” he said once again under his breath as he watched them enter. “Just go home, Squirt. I’ll tell your bosses that you completed your mission fine and dandy and then we’ll call it a day, no?”
“If I did that Tanaka-san, it would be insult to my profession,” Kahako responded quietly. Her face remaining calm, but her temper quickly rising.
“Yo! Old man! Bring us a damn drink! We’re thirsty over here!” Came a shout from across the room.
“And bring that hot piece of ass you’re talkin’ to too!” came another with loud and outrageous laughter that followed after.
“Girly, I’m warning you…. You’re gonna get your face smashed in by those brutes, and then who knows what else. You look like you just came out of the Academy, and I don’t want your blood on my hands…”
“Hey, pretty thing! I bet you my boy here could give you the best ride of your life!” More laughter at her expense.
She had enough. Slamming her tea cup down, Kahako placed a smile on her face, turned around and walked over to the boys, much to the owner’s horror. Sauntering over to the boys, Kahako smiled, tilted her head to the side, placed her hand behind her back, and spoke kindly. “Boys, the barkeep asked me to kindly escort you out of his bar. You are to never return, and if you’ll please follow me it would be much appreciated.”
“Damn, you’re better looking from the front than you are from the back,” he stood up so he was towering over her, “Look at those things! I could drown in ‘em!” the apparent leader of the group said while pointing to her chest. No one in the bar ever saw the swing coming at the man’s jaw, but they did see him flying across the bar floor.
…...
....…
As promised, nothing was broken in the bar. Well… aside from a smashed bottle, but the thing was empty anyway and it provided useful for knocking two of the boys out before it shattered. The third one, however, gave Kahako a problem, and she ended up having to bull rush his body into the front door a few times. Fortunately, the thing was sturdy enough to take the unforgiving hits. That was, until a confused passerby opened the door and they both came tumbling out. She heaved, the clear victor in the three on one fight, sporting a bruised cheek, swelling eye, and scratch to her side when one of them pulled a knife on her. She couldn’t use her jutsu in the bar. It was too… destructive.
Walking back in, Kahako grabbed the two boys from the inside and dragged them unceremoniously across the floor before dumping them beside their still conscious leader. “My name is Higa Kahako, mednin in training,” she said still breathing heavy. Her voice was still in its natural soft cadence, but the words were enough to cause the leader to straighten up in slight fear. “Unless you boys want to find yourselves arrested for disturbing the peace, I highly suggest leaving this bar and never coming back.” She huffed again. For good measure, she did a few, quick hand seals and summoned her mystic hand. It was enough to cause the leader to panic.
After hurried promises that they wouldn’t return to ‘the joint’ anymore, Kahako turned and walked back inside, placing her pulsing hand on her cheek to reduce the swelling. “They won’t bother you again, Tanaka-sama” Kahako said quietly as she sat back at her stool, laid her head down on the bar, and nursed her cheek. After a few minutes of stunned silence, she was left alone in the bar for a moment. The owner came back with a plate full of spicy ramen and a bottle of his best sake.
“Goddamn,” was all that was said as he placed the bowl beside her for her to eat and poured himself another shot before grabbing his broom. “You really know how to throw a punch, Squirt.”
…
…
“Excess drinking is really going to ruin your liver, Tanaka-sama,” was the slightly pained response.
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