3.5

Hanazawa: The siege the girl and the scarred

“You will do a wonderful job I am sure”

Yuuko said as the fixed the tie of the homeless man with her not broken hand. He certainly blended in with the other parents well, no one suspected a thing. He was experience at this after all, once. The man wondered how his children were doing, probably better with their new dad, without a failure like him.

“Chin up” Yuuko brushed the suit slightly “Can’t have my uncle be too depressing”

“Yes… certainly, I am Takashi Hanazawa for today”

He wondered what her only family doing but it didn’t take much imagination. The man had tasted it, the hellish office, they would chew and spit you out in the end. Takashi tried to smile, today was a special occasion after all.

Paranoid, the homeless man couldn’t help but look around them. There were people but none of them seemed to be listening. What a relief…

His thought was interrupted by a loud noise of gunshot. That was soon followed up by the screaming and yelling, there was the sound of a scuffle broadcasting though the speaker. After a blood curdling gurgle, a strange voice enveloped the whole school. Eloquent and polite, yet with a slight playful man.

“1, 2, 3, everyone can hear me? Good good good” There was a sound of giggling “I’ve always wanted to do this, so eh, you are all our hostage now. Take a look around”

On the hallway, there were thugs, most armed with baseball bats and knifes. But there were a few at the back, holding pistols, their fingers twitching.

“So um, we aren’t too professional here, so our guys may have quite a trigger finger. If you don’t want to get shot, please return to your class” The voice continued “But what could you do to pass the time, hmm, perhaps study? No no no NO” There was a yell, then the voice was calm again “Sorry, I really hate education you see. I guess just sit still, read some manga or study if you are a pathetic loser. Do whatever, just be still, ok? Ok good”

Retreating back to the classroom, needless to say everyone was horrified. Some of the parents managed to keep their calm trying to reassure their children. The teacher, Murakami, was flabbergasted, a hostage situation like this. He didn’t know what to do.

There were eyes on him, however, a pair. It was the family that Yuuko’s bring, her uncle. He was looking at Murakami expecting something. Oh right, he should do something.

“It’s alright, class, they are here on a business. These people will leave after getting what they want” The rookie summoned all of his strength to mutter those words.

Yuuko, meanwhile, was strangely calm. It was like when she was kidnapped, the girl’s mind was clear, it knew that wasn’t the time to panic. There would be a hit afterward, but for now, she could focus on thinking on the next course of action. A niggling feeling was tugging at her, Maromi was not here, she couldn’t help but be worried about her friend.

She wasn’t the only one, Maromi’s mother was being held back by a father as she tried to run out and search for her daughter.

There was a familiar face here, however, it was Sakura, who came to school. There was a unnatural fear in that girl eyes as she moved back to the back of the class. Her brother was also there, scared out of his wit.

Seeing that man made Yuuko’s blood boil. According to her own investigation, he was the one who asked his sister to sell drugs at her own school. Scumbags even beat her into it.

The Hanazawa girl moved to the back of the class and slowly, inconspicuously held her hand around Sakura’s mouth. No one noticed this, even the brother who was too worried about himself to thing about anything else.

“What’s going on?” Yuuko whispered into the girl ears.

“Why… do you think I would know” Sakura muttered.

There was silence. Yuuko didn’t say anything, simply looking into the girl’s eyes.

“It had to do with brother, his dealer accidentally gave him something from them… That guy was found dead some days later” Sakura looked around, her brother still hadn’t paid any attention her way.

From what Yuuko could tell, the guy was a wuss. He was probably too scared, thinking that if they knew he was as good as dead “What and where is that now?”

“Brother… gave it to me… it’s in my backpack”

That bastard, Yuuko calmed herself. The girl in front of her was shaking in fear. Not only did that guy ruined her life but now here she was, a broken mess. He didn’t even have the decency to look at her. Thinking about that somehow stung, Yuuko couldn’t understand why. Looking at Sakura, she couldn’t help but feel sorry.

She took the shivering girl into her arms to the latter surprise. They were once good friends, what Sakura did was out of fear. Yuuko didn’t fault that, she could only feel pity.

“Don’t worry, I will deal with it somehow”

It shouldn’t make Sakura feel any better and yet it did. It was an irrational thought and yet it couldn’t leave her mind, ‘it’s Yuuko, she would work something out, she always does’.

Soon, the door was kicked opened and three thugs marched in. It seemed like this was the only room that to be invaded. They were there to find whatever was stolen, or at least supposed to. One of them, with a bandaged cheek and a gun spotted Yuuko. The girl could recognise him everywhere, the driver of the van that abducted her.

“You bitch” The thug grunted, an evil grin appeared on his face, pointing at the girl “It’s her, the one I told you guys about, bring her up here”

Yuuko came up without any resistant. Whatever going to happen next wouldn’t be pretty, horrible thoughts running through the girl mind, but she suppressed them. Now wasn’t the time for something like that.

“What are you going to do!” Murakami, asked worryingly.

“What am I going to do” The thug said mockingly, putting away his gun and pulled out a knife “Look at what she did to my face, it was a bitch getting the glass shards out. I will cut her up and… hah hah, I am sure you can imagine the rest”

The teacher slumped down, he couldn’t understand any of this. What could a rookie like him do in a situation like this. One of his student was in grave danger, Murakami needed to thing up something. Yet, his mind was blank, his legs shaking he was a failure of a teacher…

The girl was now brought up to face to face with her soon to be assailant. Something was strange, however, his eyes were wary, they weren’t of a predator.

The thug couldn’t understand either, something inside him was flaring alert. Why, he had the power here, all these people none would dare to stand up to him. Especially the girl in front of him. Yet there was something in her cold as ice eyes that were unnerving. ‘Don’t tell me she was planning something’

“You bitch”

The thug punched her straight in the stomach. Yuuko slumped down in pain, her bruise from the crash was still new. But she didn’t let out a single sound or showed the pain on her face. She wouldn’t feed these bastards anything.

‘There’s nothing she could do right’ The thug thought. Wait, didn’t she send two of their enforcer behind the slammer, both burned. How did that girl even do that.

“Ahhhhh” A yell distracted them all as Murakami tackled one of the thug.

He was scared, he couldn’t do, he was a failure. But he couldn’t let his student get hurt. The teacher wasn’t the only one, the other thug found someone punching him straight in the face. It was the homeless man, still posing as the girl uncle. Those were futile effort, however, they were weak, their attacks ineffective.

Yuuko would rather those two not be a hero. She had accepted her face, they will deface her, violate her, but she will live. And yet, her hand was moving. Even Yuuko was surprised, but even she couldn’t stop herself.

The thug could feel something tucked at his pants, when he turned back to face the girl, all he could see was the cold steel of the gun.

Bang, the girl fired straight at his face.

The sound shocked everyone in the room. The thug crumbled to the ground, writhing in pain. The shot was fatal, he turned away and out of luck, the bullet only went through both his cheeks. But it was over, the pain was unbearable for him.

Another thug came back to hit sense in time. Picking up the baseball bat, he slammed at the girl’s wrist, sending the gun flying. The other thug picked it up and pointed it at the ground.

“I will kill you all!” He yelled before the door opened right behind him.

A figure in hoodie entered, his face shrouded in darkness.

“Shhh, it’s class time” That voice, it was the one from the speaker. The man reached out and took the gun from the trembling thug “I will hold onto this”

He then turned to Yuuko and opened his hoodie “Booo”

Everyone gasped in horror at the terrible terrible sight, all but lone Yuuko. The man was still young, in his twenty, rather handsome without that. His face was covered with long scars all over, running down through his throat. Coupled that with a most unsettling of smile and sunken eyes, he came straight out of a slasher flick.

“Even now, you could still look like that, I am impressed”

Scarface directed that to Yuuko, who still had eyes cold as ice. She didn’t appear to be fazed in the slightest which was all but true. The girl shot that man even though she had accepted her fate, something in her snapped.

“Just sit down, none of us is going to do anything. Right?” Scarface turned at his thugs who all nodded in fear.

“I’ve enough of this” Someone suddenly stood up, it was one of the fathers, with a bald patch “Stop this madness right now, your parents would cry if they see this!”

The man son clung to his father’s legs, trying to pull him back down. To everyone surprised, Scarface looked surprised, moved even, then a smile soon stretched across his face once more.

“I wonder if they would, I don’t even know who they are” He said, his words untrustworthy. Scarface then walked toward the man “Why don’t you be my father then, mister. I would the best boy I swear” Hearing no reply, he muttered “What a shame, anyway, where was I. Pardon me, my memory isn’t great and today has been a very eventful day don’t you all agree? Oh right, I remember now”

Scarface pointed the gun right at Sakura’s brother “Let’s be quick, where is it?”

“I… I don’t know what you are talking about” The scum replied, feinting ignorance.

“I really don’t have time, here, how about this” Scarface point the gun at Sakura “If you don’t say anything I will shoot her, capiche? 10 9 8…”

Sakura looked at her brother for help but he remained silence. ‘I’m sorry’ he mumbled, if he was really found with the good then his death later would be sealed in stone. The scum would rather remain silence till the end.

“7 oh what the hell 3 2” Scarface got bored of this fast. Sakura closed her eyes in fear, she tried to say something but the girl couldn’t stop stuttering.

“Stop, I know what you are looking for” A voice called out.

Sakura opened her eyes to see it was Yuuko. The girl went to her friend bag and took out the item, a small sealed steel cylinder “Is this it”

“Ho, you really are full of surprise” Scarface said in amazement “Oh well, it’s just that simple, we will be going now folks”

Of course it wasn’t that simple, a wide smile appeared on his twisted face. Scarface grabbed Yuuko “You will be our ticket out of here, I am sure you don’t mind, right?”

“No!” The homeless man ran up to them but was knocked down by one of the thug. The other was keeping a close eyes on Murakami and any others who wanted to be a hero. Everyone was frozen in fear, not one voice was even raised.

“No objection? Good, let’s go” Scarface left but then turned around “Oh wait, I forgot”

He shot straight at Sakura’s brother, the bullet collided with the floor right next to him. The scum broke down crying.

That was all, they left the classroom with Yuuko in tow as hostage. The girl didn’t know what would happen to her, she could see no way out. But she wouldn’t resign just yet, if the chance presented itself, she would fight till the end.