TOO ICY

💎 TEN / CAN'T FOLD

Chapter Ten -
Can't Fold

Sachi recited a silent prayer in her head, the pleading words turning into a mantra that chanted over repeatedly. The loud rain beat against the windowpane, crashing into the glass and threatening to wake up her peacefully sleeping daughter.

As she stared down at Yuko, a smile painted itself on her otherwise pained expression. She was so young, so innocent, only to be cursed with a mother that carried her troubles like children. Sachi grew up an orphan in the rural streets of Osaka, never knowing what it felt like to be a part of a family. Her loneliness was never awarded with Kazoku of her own. With no rightful path, it didn't take long before Sachi was utilizing the only thing life had graciously bestowed upon her to get ahead : her beauty.

Kabukicho was the district to be if you were a sex worker, especially in the 90s. The neon lit buildings lined the large streets, every type of entertainment on the strip at one's fingertips. Sachi didn't know where to go or who to see, however she was determined to get out of the rags she had been given by a homeless shelter back in Osaka. The women of the night were a diverse bunch. Some of them were downright stunning in all of their youth and glory, while others looked drained and worn from the tiredsum lifestyle.

"You look a little lost sweetie." A tall woman whose legs extended in her knockoff Louboutins approached her.

Her heart shaped face adorned sharp bangs and a bob, framing her face impeccably.

Sachi cleared her dry throat. "How...do I...work." She mumbled.

The woman snickered dismissively, "If you have any other choice, don't take this one sweetie."

"This is my only option." Sachi replied in her native language, her eyes big and desperate.

Moments passed before the slim woman took a deep breath, sizing her up more than once or twice before coming to her decision.

"Fine, follow me" she ushered a young Sachi along, "What's your name?"

"Sachi." she answered.

"I'm Chanthary, but you can call me Sweets. I suggest picking a nickname, so the Johns do not know your real name. That's if, Drago will have you. Nobody makes money on this strip without his approval."

Meeting Drago was the only way Sachi would have clearance to trick on the lucrative streets of Kabukicho. She had heard his name whispered between the tongues of locals as if he was a folk tale, a myth of a man who was known to rule his territory with an iron fist.

Stepping in front of a building that fronted as a dance club, Sweets approached the henchmen that protected the door from invaders.

"I need to see Drago, tell him that it's Sweets. I come with good cargo." She giggled.

The henchman moved to the side after a short exchange over his headset. The two ladies followed the path of floor lights that led them to the back section of the bar, loud pop music drowning out any other noise in the joint. Sachi definitely didn't blend in with her surroundings, and she kept up her pace with Sweets as she didn't want to get lost in the racy crowd.

"There's Drago!" Sweets shouted over the music, gesturing to a dark man surrounded by an army of men.

A Black man in Japan was rare, but a Black man in power was even more of a sight so see. He was beautiful to say the least, his blue toned shade casting in the bright lights flashing over him. He sat with his eyes on the crowd, watching his customers and workers conduct business - exchanging whatever was on the menu.