Supposed to be Gura x Calliope ended up being Ina x Amelia x Kiara
Tw// Violence, background character death(s), mafia, gangs
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It's been years since the gangs roaming the street had been formed. The two main and most powerful groups being The Deadbeats and The Chumbuds. Both groups had been passed down to their current heirs from the previous leader.
The Deadbeats now followed the one known as "The Reaper." She was careful, calculating, and deadly with any type of blade. It's said that was the deciding factors when "Death Sensei," the old leader of The Dradbeats chose her. Rumors would argue that she received the gang because she was like family to the old leader. Those who knew her? Truly? They would know Calliope Mori worked tooth and nail under Death Sensei to get where she was now, to earn the title she has. Anyone to say otherwise was cut down immediately. (Literally and figuratively!)
Calliope had immediately gained traction as leader and managed to claim territory from some smaller (but still well known) gangs. She was the one who expanded The Deadbeats to who they were today. A force no one other than The Chumbuds would even think about facing.
The Chumbuds current leader was Gawr Gura, "The Shark." Her father had passed the gang down to her, but that didn't mean she didn't have skill. Ever since she was old enough to hold a gun, her father had taught her everything he knew. Pair that with her chaotic nature and lack of hesitation, the short girl was more than a formidable enemy. She had managed to take up her father's gang only days after his illness had gotten too bad for him to continue as leader. From there she claimed territory as well, showing no mercy for anyone who dared to cross her path. The only ones strong enough to stop her gang's onward spread was none other than The Deadbeats.
The two gangs were almost completely matched in every aspect. What one group lacked, the other made up for. Their numbers and connections were extremely similar as well, meaning no one ever had the upper hand when the two groups clashed. It also meant no territory was ever gained nor lost, all of it was simply at a stand still.
Both also had connections to foreign areas, meaning weaponry was also similar in power.
Calli had her childhood friend and the CEO of KFP working with her. The restaurant being international helped with the import of goods under the disguise of food.
While at the same time, Gura had connections to the head priestess of the Tenticult. With willing members around the globe, bringing in goods was easy as 1-2-3!
Still as evenly matched as they may be, neither side gave up on the assault. Both gangs fought day after day trying to gain territory. Neither wanted to submit to defeat and retreat, meaning many lives were lost on both sides. Still, the very shallow dip in their numbers did nothing to deter the leaders and their hopes for more territory.
What territory that wasn't claimed by either gang, the police monitored and kept the area clean. Both leaders hadn't tried to interact with those borders, lest they have a target tacked onto their backs. The gangs would rather not interfere with the police and vice versa, even if the cops were too afraid to ever mess with the two groups.
But that fear didn't stop everyone. Neither of the leaders knew of the traitors among their ranks. Those who were unafraid to meddle in the deadly affairs.
Part-time doctor and top rank detective Amelia Watson, and her special force under the codename: Teamates. Originally from Europe, they traveled here specifically because of the rumors of trouble. Ever since their arrival, they strived to bring peace to the streets where fights broke out daily between the two gangs. Infiltrating the ranks of both groups, hoping to bring them down from the inside.
And finally, Amelia had gotten enough info to carry out her plan. It was time to stop the fighting once and for all, and it would all start with a ransom note.
If her intel was correct, each group had a connection to a third party that supplied them with goods. The Deadbeats having Kiara, CEO of Kiara Fried Phoenix, as their supplier while The Chumbuds had Ina'nis, high priestess of the Tenticult.
If her team could stall the gang's next delivery, then send in the notes, she could get both leaders alone. It would be even better if she could actually take Ina and Kiara into custody instead of holding an empty threat. That would insure both parties would cooperate with her.
As if hearing her thoughts, Bubba stood before running to her office door and barking. Soon after, a knock followed. "Come in!" She called out, moving her most recent case files off her desk and into one of the drawers.
She wasn't expecting the Takanashi Kiara and Ninomae Ina'nis to walk through her door and sit in front of her desk. As a matter of fact, it took the detective off guard to see them here, much less together.
So when the priestess silently slid a map with both gang territories highlighted onto her desk, Amelia thought she was going to absolutely faint from shock. Somehow, she managed to keep it together, but kept quiet as she looked it over. It seemed legit as well!
However, something was off. As silently as she could, she pulled her revolver from were it sat inside the desk. She didn't know what they wanted, much less if she was going to have a fight on her hands if she said the wrong thing.
No one gives this kind of information up without a price, that much was true. She needed to find the angle they were playing at. "What's your game here?"
All was silent between the three for a while until Kiara spoke up. "Detective... Please, hear us out." There was a pause in which the CEO seemed to be waiting on permission to continue. Amelia gave her an encouraging nod. "We know you're planning on taking down the two gangs... and we're here to help!" There was a passion in Kiara's voice that could rival a motivational speaker. And even though the priestess simply nodded along, Amelia could see the determination in her eyes as well. They meant what they said, that much was for sure.
Still, she was curious.
"How did you two find out about our operation?" She asked. Her eyes were trained on the two people in front of her. Bubba had laid down beside the detective, watching the two visitors as well, but more out of curiosity than suspicion. When the new people didn't interest him anymore, he simply fell asleep. Subconsciously, Amelia couldn't help but wish she had it as easy as Bubba.
Ina'nis was the one to answer this time, her voice much softer than the CEO beside her. "All cargo in and out is supervised by us personally. It's easy to tell when someone is merely gathering info rather than helping with the shipment." This time it was Kiara's turn to nod in agreement. "So of course, a capture and question was in order."
Amelia felt her mood darken. If they had been questioned, does that mean the Reaper and Shark now know her plans too? Would she have to think of another way to bring down these massive forces? It would be nearly impossible without taking it down from the actual inside. The detective could feel a headache rapidly forming, and pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. It would be just her luck, but hopefully she was wrong. "So who else knows about this?"
"Just me and Ina." Kiara answered quickly but sincere, "we've been trying to find an alternative to all this fighting for a while now. And honestly, your plan is the best we've heard so far." Her hands were up in a surrender position while Ina'nis gripped her book tightly. This told her they knew how bold they were being, and how careful they had to tread around her. One wrong move is all it would take.
Amelia could feel the cold metal of the gun barrel on her leg, still out of sight from her guests. However, by their behavior, she could almost assume they knew it was there. Weighing on them as much as it was her. It was almost as heavy as her mind, weighing her upcoming options. On one hand, these two could be copying her. Planning to overthrow her entire operation from the inside... on the other hand? She didn't really have any alternative options, and having the two on her side would surely help. Plus, what would stop them from telling the two leaders if she didn't accept their request.
"I have a few more things I'd like to ask." Amelia said firmly. She didn't wait on a confirmation or denial before she pushed her first question through. "Why are you guys only helping now? This shit has been going on for years now, and the citizens in those areas have been put at risk so much, it's like a normal thing for them." And honestly, that scared Amelia. She couldn't imagine waking up every day and knowing that two dangerous and powerful gangs were outside her window. She'd be scared even more shitless to go outside than she currently is. Being a detective helped, but she was still terrified.
Kiara chuckled, "Well, it kinda is a normal thing around here. As a matter of fact, it was much worse before the current leaders took over." Amelia hummed in acknowledgment. She didn't know much of the gangs before Reaper and Shark took over, and she hadn't really looked into it either. If what Kiara said is true, she could see how citizens could just live in peace with a turf war going on around them.
But it seemed Ina agreed. "Humu humu, the smaller gangs were unorganized and often relied on robery or petty purse thievery rather than bigger operations like the Chumbuds and Deadbeats. But the two gangs usually either eliminate smaller gangs, or recruit them and give them more meaningful jobs. Their main income is cargo boats and heists. Even doing dirty work for people who can't or don't won't to do it themselves."
Amelia nodded, following along and trying to keep a straight face. If they were being hired for things like that, then what bigger picture is there. Who were the ones hiring these gangs to do dirty work? "Well you said that was their main income? So there's a secondary one?" Her brain was going too many miles per minute. These gangs were more capable than she'd realized. How did they do these things without being arrested? The detective side of her wanted to pick apart every tiny bit of information she received. But she decided she could do that later. At the moment, her attention had to be on the task at hand.
Ina nodded before continuing. "The smaller jobs include selling their older weaponry to potential buyers and spying, but even then they don't engage that much with the public. As a matter of fact the only time they interact is still indirect."
"That's interesting... I'm- wait, we're getting off topic from the original question." The detective pointed out. As interesting as this all was, she needed to know more about the two in front of her before she knew all the work these gangs actually do.
"Well..." Ina started, her face going a little red. She and Kiara seemed slightly nervous and for a moment Amelia gripped her revolver a little tighter, expecting the worst. This entire time, both parties had been calm and collected, even if a little tense. Now it was almost like Amelia had stumbled upon something they didn't want her to know. It made her brain run wild, and irrational thoughts started to build. Were they here to assassinate her? Get more info to relay to the gang leaders? Everything before must've been a ploy to distract her- Ina's soft voice broke her from the thoughts swarming in her head. "It's a bit selfish but-"
"-Isn't it awkward for your best friend to always be fighting your girlfriend's best friend?!" Kiara finished, her voice raising in volume a little. The room was dead silent other than Bubba's soft snoring from beside the desk. To say the detective was stunned by their reason to stop the fighting would be an understatement. The grip on her revolver almost loosened completely. She was lucky enough that it didn't slip to the floor in her shocked state. She quickly shook it off and focused back onto the guests in the room as her mind ran through everything she had been told once more. Finally she came to the conclusion that it would explain why they were here together.
Ina seemed similarly stunned but finally composed herself enough to say, "You have such a way with words, dear..." While her blush started to spread to her ears. Amelia's own blush started to spread as she watched the two. And honestly, she thought it was kinda cute the way Ina got flustered like that. She kept that little fact to herself though. Last thing she needed was a hot but angry CEO on her ass.
Kiara, on the other hand, just smiled at the priestess. She wasn't embarrassed is the slightest, unlike the girl beside her. "What? If we want the detective to help, we've got to lay everything down truthfully!" Ina looked like she couldn't decide on agreeing or disagreeing. Instead she seemed to just give into defeat. Her girlfriend had a point after all. The whole reason they were here was for the detective's help.
Amelia could see the admiration for each other in their eyes and slightly envied it, but the detective finally just shook her head in amusement. Selfish reasoning or not, having them here and willing to help was enough for her. Plus they've had plenty of chances to pull something. Since nothing had happened yet, she trusted them enough to put her revolver back in her desk. After a bit more back and forth between the couple, Amelia snapped her fingers, grabbing the other's attention.
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you two are helping." And she was! The sincerity must've shown in her voice, because the other two visibly relaxed with smiles. However, she did have a job to do. "Getting back to business here, I've got to ask. Why are they fighting in the first place? Why not be peaceful to each other?"
Ina hummed in thought but Kiara spoke up for her. "Two reasons, miss detective! They both want to be the top gang in the area, of course, but there's also territory that both sides want from the other." She could see Kiara's gaze darken, and her expression turn slightly bitter. "And unfortunately, violence is the only way to get the point across."
"Territory?" The detective questioned. She'd rather try to steer the CEO away from whatever thought process she just had. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. Especially considering it made the most energetic person in the room lose her shine. And for some reason, that made Amelia's chest hurt. Someone so full of fire, reduced to ash at a mere thought. "Couldn't they just do a trade and make it simple?" At her words Ina sighed, but agreed by nodding.
She stood up and pointed to the map from the detective's desk. Right at an area within the Deadbeats territory. "It would be simple, if it wasn't for the sentimental value. Gura wants the beach territory that Calli has, but that's where her teacher's grave site is. And from what I've heard, that guy was almost like a father to her. Not to mention, it's one of their income points."
She moved her finger over to a piece of Chumbud territory. "And while Gura doesn't have any attachment to the land Calli wants, she's not going to give it up without getting the beach."
Amelia hummed in thought looking at the areas. Only one thing shook her thoughts. "Well if the shark isn't interested with it, why does the reaper want the land so bad? What's so special about it?"
"It's an abandoned factory that she wants. Of course there's also the "RRat's Tunnel" which is a popular night club, the "Nephilim Recording Studio", a KFP, and other stuff, but she's in it for the factory." Ina stole a glance back at Kiara, and she gave a nod. It was understandable knowing that Kiara knew more about the reaper's reasoning, even if Ina knew the area the best. She retracted her fingers from the map, but stayed where she was. "She wants it to make her own goods. Not only to sell to the public, but to use as her own. Things like uniforms and clothing, foods, or maybe even weaponry. If she did this, it could strengthen her gang by a lot." Ina took her seat once more, thinking her next sentence through. "Gura probably knows this, or at least has a feeling that it could potentially strengthen the Deadbeats. It's most likely the reason she picked such valuable land to Calli."
It was silent for a while. Then the detective sighed. This whole mess was complicated, far more so than she'd anticipated. At least she'd have these two with her. But as she reasoned before not many people do things like this without wanting something in return. Sure it was going to help them in one way, but people still had wants. Amelia was sure that it was probably no different with them.
"So, you're going to help me corner the gang leaders, and insure the fighting stops. You both probably have something you'd like in return, right? Besides the whole 'no friends fighting each other' thing." Ina looked sheepish, but Kiara nodded almost eagerly, coming out of the slump she was in moments ago.
"You are a sharp woman~" The CEO praised, making Amelia's cheeks heat up. It seems she was in way better spirits than a while ago. And Amelia had to admit that she liked it better when Kiara was happy. Any other emotion on her face seemed misplaced. However, the thought of thinking about something so cheesy made her cheeks light up even more! She mentally cursed herself for being a gay disaster around pretty girls, and tried to calm down her overheating face.
Luckily, the girls had turned to each other and started whispering. Amelia's dignity was saved. When she tried to listen in on their conversation though, the only thing the detective could make out was a, "humu humu" and some laughter that sounded like it could be a cheat code in those old-school fighting games.
When they were done, both looked at Amelia with smiles, though Ina's was a little more shy. The detective decided to bite the bullet and just ask flat out. "So what did you two decide on?"
Kiara spoke first. "I'd like a full pardon for all of us! I can't afford to be charged, being the CEO of an international fast food chain after all! But I don't want Ina, Calli, and Gura to get in trouble either..." Amelia watched as some spark of emotion ignited in her eyes. It was something dangerous that made the hairs on her neck stand up. Kiara's a business woman first and foremost. Of course she'd know how to say, 'I mean it,' with a single look. "Maybe we can work something out detective?"
She hummed, considering Kiara's request but also hoping to turn down the heat in the CEO's eyes. "Okay, but on a few conditions." Amelia reasoned. Both of the girls nodded, and she took this as permission to continue. "You and miss Ina'nis-"
"Just Ina please, no need to be so formal," Ina said with a smile. It threatened to bring back her blush, but she pushed it back as much as she could.
The detective smiled back,"You and Ina shouldn't be hard to pardon, seeing as no one other than the gangs and me know you were helping in the first place. As for the shark and reaper..." Amelia's smile fell, and her brows scrunched in thought. "It may be a little harder than that."
Then an idea formed. "Actually, what if they did community service to pay for their crimes?"
"How do you mean?" Ina asked, but with a hopeful expression. Kiara had a similar look in her eyes. "Because, no offense, but I'm sure neither of them would agree to that."
Amelia let out a laugh that was extremely gremlin like. "Oh, I know. They would have a special community service job catering to their skills, no need to worry on that."
Ina spoke up again, but this time the cute blush from earlier coated her cheeks. "Well, then our second demand is... Would you go on a date with us?"
Amelia let out a 'Hic' in surprise, her face burning up with a fierce blush. The detective's eyes fell on Kiara who was smiling wide. "Yea, you're such a cutie!" As if to seal the deal, the CEO sent a wink her way. It only managed to make her face more red, if possible.
Scratch that earlier thought, dignity not saved.
Two pretty women asking her out? And they're helping her with her job? It felt like a dream. Besides, what would a date hurt? But she had to make them work for it, she decided. "Alright, we can go on a date. But we've got to finish the job first. And successfully at that." The detective couldn't keep her eyes on the other two, she was so flustered.
"Hell yes!" Kiara cheered while Ina only giggled at the taller woman's antics.
"But only if we succeed..." Ame reminded.
Kiara just waved it off. "Of course, of course! We'll hold up our end of the bargain, not to worry. Just make sure to hold up yours." Ame felt the miniature threat and gulped. Obviously the CEO knew how to make a convincing- yet a bit threatening- argument.
"Well, with all that out of the way..." The detective collected herself and pulled out the papers from earlier. "Let's talk about our first course of action."
<^V^>
Her office was a cluttered mess. Files here, receipts there, maybe even a week old coffee cup somewhere. Not to mention the multiple concerned letters from the members that their shipment for the week hadn't come in.
Point being, Gura had some cleaning to do.
So when a Chumbud rushed through her door and tripped over a stack of invoices, the only thing she could do was laugh. She'd be lying if she said her pistols weren't drawn though. What else would you do if someone came crashing through your door unannounced? Definitely not shoot them, but Gura was a special case. And besides, she never pulled the trigger. She counted it as luck on the shrimp's part.
Once the gang member had gotten up from their spot on the floor, a paper was handed to the leader before they ran off again. Curious as to what was so important that the lacky couldn't have stayed, she read through the note carefully. It was a ransom letter, asking for Gura to come alone to a warehouse tonight in order to rescue her friend and supplier Ina. As if this wasn't enough to piss off the shark, attached was a picture of Ina tied to a chair with a blindfold and gag.
As soon as she saw the picture, a fire was ignited under Gura. The sheet of paper was crumpled and thrown across the room before her pistols were drawn again. Six bullets were spent, and all six found their mark.
It was an obvious trap and normally she'd never risk this, but her friend was in trouble! If she didn't do anything then who would? She was a wanted criminal, so it wasn't like she could call the police about it. So Gura sat and reloaded her guns, making sure every bullet was in place.
Next, she took out her spare clips and loaded them as well. Because sometimes eighteen bullets weren't enough. Or at the least, they didn't feel like enough. Gura felt, that if she was going to go alone, then she was going to go in with everything she had.
Little did she know, back in the Deadbeats territory, a similar thing had just happened.
A member rushed into Calliope's office, left the note, and ran out. At first, she thought nothing of it. Her members were always scared to stay in her office for long periods of time as it was, seeing as some serious talks could turn into a sword fight at the flip of a switch. Those usually only ended with Ricky covered in blood, and a body to dispose of, so yea. Calli could see why no one hung around her office, but she liked it that way. As soon as she looked at the paper though, she realized that Deadbeat was avoiding the wave of anger that came next.
A ransom note for Kiara, saying to come alone to some warehouse. A picture was attached, but Calli didn't bother looking for long. Whoever it was, they were guiding her into a trap. A pretty damn good one too, seeing as she was actually considering it. It explained why their shipment hadn't came in this week, but it still stuck out as odd.
Who knew that kusotori was her supplier? How did they even capture her? Taking one more look at the picture- something that couldn't be faked easily with the CEO's unique appearance- the reaper sighed.
With her sword on her back, and her shades hiding her eyes, she stood from her desk. Calli grumbled under her breath but continued to memorize what time she needed to be there. It was only a few hours before she needed to be leave, but that was perfect for her. It just meant more time to practice and prepare.
Finally, after two and a half hours of practice and roughly forty minutes or so of travel, both bosses made it to the location.
The Reaper entered through the front door while the Shark entered through an open window. Neither had noticed the other yet, and were instead just walking around the near silent facility. It was large like any warehouse would be, but only four or five cargo boxes littered the entire thing.
When they saw each other, it wasn't until Gura turned the corner of a cargo box Calli had just been inspecting in the middle of the room. Both pulled out their weapons immediately.
Neither moved at first, sizing the other up. Despite having two of the largest gangs in the city, neither of them had actually met face to face before. Most of their deals were made through letters or conference calls. So when Calli found that Gura- that signature blue uniform and Shark hair clips giving her away- feared leader of the Chumbuds, was so short and cute? She couldn't help but let her laughter spill over.
She could perfectly see the way Gura's expression darkened in the lighted building. Through the shark's scowl, Calli also took notice of how abnormally sharp the shorter girl's teeth were. "What are you laughing at, you Hot Topic reject?"
"I don't know, dawg. I think it's some kid playing dress-up, but I could be wrong." Mori shot back just as quick. She knew she was getting the smaller girl worked up by the way her jaw tightened. "What? Wanna dish 'em out, but can't take it dude?"
Then, like a switch was flipped, Gura's whole demeanor changed. She smiled but it lacked any kindness. Instead, it promised mischief. "Nah, just trying to figure out who uses "Dawg" unironically other than shitty SoundCloud rappers and boomers trying to be cool. What? Couldn't get the music to pick up, so you joined a gang?"
At this the reaper's mouth twisted into a frown, making Gura smirk in triumph. Still, neither made a move to use their weapons. Calli shifted Ricky in her hands, catching the light a bit. At the movement, Gura let the safety turn off. The click was audible through the whole building, despite it not being that loud. Instead, it was the dead silence that increased the volume of the action. Everything was still. Nothing stirred, other than them.
"Haven't you ever heard the saying, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight" Reaper? I'm sure to have you down in no time."
"At least my sleeves are the right length. It's pure luck that you can even shoot those things like that." Calliope countered. What good was a gun if it couldn't be shot properly? Besides, there's no way anyone could actually aim like that. However, Calli reasoned within herself that Gura probably didn't need aim if firing randomly was her strategy.
The shark flashed her teeth in a way that gave her a cocky aura before straightening her arms. She was ready to fire, Calli could practically see it. "Well, why don't I just give you a demonstration of my "pure luck" then?" Finally, the first move was made. A shot rung out in the empty building, just barely clipping Calli's face. Her cheek was bleeding, but she paid ot no mind to it.
"Then that settles it," Calli said before charging at the shorter girl. Ricky's blade slashed downward as Gura jumped back. It wasn't quick enough. A tiny bit of her hair fell to the floor, cut off from the near miss. Gura growled at Calli, but the reaper was already swinging again. This time, she used her guns to block the swing.
Calli tried to put more force into it and break her hold on the guns, but Gura simply maneuvered the sword away. Seeing an open shot, she used the left pistol to fire. It only took seconds for the reaper to jump back.
Gura smiled at the new distance between them and started to shoot once more. Now Calli was not only side stepping, but also having to use her sword to block bullets. It was a wonderful sight for the shark, seeing her prey struggle against her power.
Feeling confident, she lunged at the reaper with a flurry of shots. Gura kicked off one of the crates. Using the momentum, she tried to go over Calli and shoot down. Unfortunately the reaper was too smart for that.
When Calli seen Gura making the jump, she quickly brought the blade up to meet her. The shark quickly used her guns to block, but Calli swiped down. This sent the shark back to where she came from, but left Calli panting for air. She had exhausted herself dodging what felt like endless rounds upon rounds of gun fire.
At the very least, the shark hadn't landed on her feet.
It seemed Gura wasn't done yet though, so Calli took a deep breath and steadied herself. Rushing forward again, Gura ducked low this time. A shot was fired, but deflected by Ricky. Calli brought her sword in a horizontal swing, making Gura bend backward to avoid the blade.
When Calli thought she was going to stand up straight, Gura used the momentum to slam her head into her stomach. All the breath was taken from her lungs but she needed to push on, so when Gura pulled away, Calli went for a jab with her sword. It barely found it's mark, but still formed a cut on Gura's side. This got Gura to jump back even farther.
A horrible position for Calli if the shorter had any bullets left. She was winded, and it was the perfect opportunity to shoot. Just as she was thinking this, she could see the shark holding her side with one hand and aiming with the other. Calli prepared herself for a block or a dodge, but when the trigger was pulled, nothing happened. The process repeated with the other gun. Finally a click was heard and the clips fell out of Gura's guns. They were completely empty, Gura had ran out of ammo.
She was taking her time to reload, and Calli took it as a chance to catch her breath. It went back to the stand still. "You're strong. I respect that." Calli said off-hand, just watching the shark but keeping her fighting stance strong.
A snort came from the smaller girl, eyes dancing with amusement. "I could say the same for you, miss tall, pink, and emo. Really did a number on my side." Two clicks sounded as the new clips were secured in the pistols. Calli's muttered, "It's not emo, it's goth," was either ignored or unheard as the playful tone disappeared along with the smile from before. "But I'm not looking for respect here. Where's Ina?"
"Who the hell is that?" Calli asked, the change in atmosphere making her grip Ricky a bit tighter. She had finally caught her second wind. Gura seemed to falter at that answer, but not for long.
"Wha-? The person you kidnapped, stooped! You know? The whole ransom note and all that jazz?" At Gura's mention of a ransom note, Calli perked up. The shark must have took notice and pointed her guns easily.
Before she could shoot, Calli quickly went on. "So you got one too? I received one earlier today, saying to meet here." At first the shark was skeptical of her claims. Anyone could fake getting the letter if that was the person who sent it. However, her gut feeling was telling her not to shoot. One look at the reaper was all it took to tell Gura that she was telling the truth.
Gura hummed and lowered her weapons, but only slightly. "Prove it."
"The note came with instructions on how to get here, what time to be here, and a picture. I have my picture somewhere on my person if you want." Gura gave a sharp nod to the reaper. One glance at the photo and Gura could immediately tell they were different than her own. So someone was luring her here. Not only her either, but the reaper too. But to get both leaders of the largest gangs here at the same time? Someone must have balls of steel to take them on. Who would even think about taking them on? Much less going through with it?
She was about to ask as much, but a speaker crackled to life in the center of the building. "Hello shark. Hello reaper. I'm happy you two were able to make it."
Both women jumped at the voice, Gura pointing her guns to the source of the noise, but otherwise stayed calm. Calli stole a glance at Gura's tense frame, and couldn't help but wonder what level of importance this Ina person was to her. They must have been close for Gura to come all this way, Calli figured.
She almost missed the fact that Gura was getting closer to her. Once they were close enough, the shark whispered, "I'll watch your back, you watch mine. We don't know where they are or how many there is."
"Promise you won't shoot me in the back or some shit like that?" Calli asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure how well she could trust Gura yet, but the shark had a point. They had no idea what they were up against here. Gura gave a nod, and Calli smirked. "Alright then. We're homies for the night."
Gura couldn't hold in her snort as she moved into position behind the reaper, facing the opposite direction where three more cargo boxes sat. "Oh my god, you're such a dork! Yea, I'll be your bone bro. Just this once tho." She said with a smile. To Calli, it almost sounded affectionate. She scoffed at the thought. No way Gura would be affectionate with her when they were literally enemies. She needed to get her head out of the clouds.
"I wish you guys luck!" The mystery voice called out. Then, without warning, all of the cargo crates swung open with a banging sound. Out came hundreds of people, all either dressed up as Deadbeats or Chumbuds. They weren't given very good weapons, Calli noticed. Just some axes for the Chumbuds and wooden bats for the Deadbeats. They would all be easy to take down.
As if Gura had the same train of thought, the shorter snorted. "Damn, they gave us the easy pickings, am I right?" She felt a small elbow knock into her lower back and couldn't help the smile that came to her face.
"Yea, do they think we're amateurs or something?" Her knees bent and Ricky was in position and at the ready. She was ready to take whatever came close enough, but she felt the need to check on Gura. "Got the boys ready, homie?"
Two clicks sounded. Gura cocked her guns, readily aimed with a predatory grin. "Yea, what about sharp stuff over there? It ready to start slicing and dicing?"
Calli gave her a grin even though it was unseen by the shark. "This blade has never been sharper. And your side?"
"Eh, I'll live," Gura said as pointy teeth showed through pink lips. In an unspoken agreement, both leaders sprung into action.
The reaper's blade was relentless when slicing through the enemies. Each slash took at least three down at a time. None of them could keep up. Axes and bats blocked some of the attacks, but it wasn't long before they were taken down as well. As for the fighters against Gura, they stood no match against the twin pistols. Each shot met it's mark with deadly accuracy.
The two worked so well together, one would think they did this together often. Even Amelia, from her secret perch seemed surprised. She had counted on the two being busy fighting with each other rather than her men.
"Hey Reaper, I need a reload!" Gura shouted, jumping back to Calliope's side. The only response she got was a grunt before the reaper completely jumps over her to take up Gura's side.
Now taking on twice the enemies she was before, Calli's movements started to slow. Exhaustion was making itself known once more. They seemed to take notice too, because before she knew it she felt a bat to her shoulder. She let out a strangled sound as Gura shouted, "Mori!"
That's when she felt something roughly bump into her side before the sound of a body hitting the floor sounded out. Calli couldn't check to see what happened, still busy with the people in front of her. If she had to guess though- mosty by Gura's triumphant, "Hah!"- she had taken the enemy out by hand. Calli couldn't help the admiration that built up from the realization. Gura was actually serious about them working together, even if it was brief. Calli's respect for her rival only grew.
Unfortunately, the little pause in their stride caused the attackers to gain some ground. Now they were close enough that Calli could see the earpieces each wore. Receiving info and instructions as they fought. But now they were forced into melee combat. Something Gura's weaponry wasn't exactly the best for. Even while blocking attacks with one gun and shooting with the other, it was getting overwhelming. Whoever was leading these fighters, they knew what they were doing.
When the shorter girl grunted in pain, Calli immediately swung around to protect her like the shark had done earlier. It was someone in a Deadbeat costume holding an axe. Gura had managed to avoid the blade, but the handle had still hit her. There was already a bruise forming on the light skin of her jaw. Ricky came down in a mighty slash, digging deep into the Deadbeat's shoulder. They dropped their weapon and fell to the ground in pain as Gura mustered up a small thanks. And just like that, Gura was back to rapidly firing into the crowd.
Calli and Gura could both see the number of their attackers had basically been cut in half. Very few of them were left standing, much less alive. It gave Gura a confidence boost as she shouldered up with Calliope. "Hey pinky, mind giving me a leg up?" Gura asked shooting two attackers to her left. A brief look at her face and Calli knew she was smirking.
"It's gotta be quick dude," she said in return. Ricky was caked in blood as she took another wide swing, taking out three people at once. When the cost was clear enough to help Gura, Calli called out. "You ready, sharky?"
She heard a few more gunshots, and the sound of two magazines dropping to the floor. Then after the clicks of new ammo being loaded, Gura finally called back. "I was born ready, pinky!"
A silent agreement was shared as Calliope kneeled down and Gura ran to her. She used the reaper's leg as support to her momentum and jumped. Now overhead their attackers, she shot as many as she could. She even used some of them as steps to keep her up in the air.
Unfortunately, this opened her up for an unseen attack. A gunshot that didn't belong to Gura could be heard before the shark themed girl let out a yelp. She'd been shot by someone unseen, but it didn't feel like that. If anything, it felt like she'd been shot with a bb gun because the stinging was already beginning to fade. She wasn't really alarmed until her movements started getting slower and she was taking more hits. That's when she decided, she needed to retreat back to Calli.
When she fell back and started running to the reaper, she watched the enemies give chase. They were much faster than a few minutes ago, that or she was getting slower. Either way they were gaining, and fast. It almost felt like a miracle when she saw the blade slashing through the impostors.
Her relief was short lived as her feet stumbled and she fell to the ground, unable to move. As a last resort she called out, but was unable to form any words. Her tongue was heavier than a ball of steel, and her lips refused to wrap around the syllables that she wanted to say. The only thing she managed to squeek out was, "A!"
But it was enough.
Enough to make Calli turn and see her. Enough to halt the reaper's assault and have her run to Gura's aid. Something was different though. Their enemies were no longer on the offensive. Instead, the bats and axes were used more as shields rather than weapons. Whoever was giving the orders through those ear pieces knew that they had what was wanted.
Now they just needed to take it.
Gura couldn't even warn Calli. The shark was unable to speak or move. If she even tried, it would potentially distract her. However, it didn't seem like it really mattered. As soon as the reaper's blade got stuck too far in a wooden bat, a shot rung out.
Calli let out a, "GUH" before tearing Ricky out of the bat and holding a defensive stance. She then pulled something from her shoulder and threw it to the floor. From her position, Gura could see it was an empty dart. She wanted to curse and call the person shooting a whimp for hiding, but had to settle for a small growl of agitation.
Calli still fought hard and fast though. To the untrained eye, it'd look like she hadn't been shot at all. But to Gura, she could see the new stiffness that resided in the reaper's shoulders. The slightly slowed movements. It hadn't kicked in fully, but it was obvious she was fighting the dart as much as possible.
This said, the enemies still had a hard time keeping up with Mori. Her blade was fast and merciless against her attackers until the very end. A woman in a Deadbeat uniform tackled Calliope while she was unguarded. The force sent Ricky sliding beside Gura's guns. With the momentum stopped, Calli's body weakened faster until she was totally immobilized. It wasn't until then that the woman got off of her.
The attackers all started moving bodies of their fallen comrades to the walls. Obviously clearing the path for someone to come forward. When they finally did, Gura and Calli could see a blonde woman with blue eyes. She held a pistol in one hand and a bag in the other while smirking down at the two.
"So did you two like my 'Watson Concoction' darts? They pack a real punch! Made it myself actually. The first few tries caused hallucinations, but that should be fixed... maybe?" The woman rambled while throwing down the bag and storing the gun in it's holster. While she talked Gura could see the remaining men and women moving more bodies to the side, this time zipping them up in white bags.
Mori grunted in a questioning manner making the blonde look over. She just smiled though, and continued with whatever she was doing with the bag. "Oh don't worry so much. As I said, that should probably be fixed by now." Gura couldn't help her own frustrated groan from escaping, but the woman didn't turn again until she pulled out two pairs of handcuffs.
"Alright, I guess I should introduce myself. Right?" The blonde never stopped moving, instead she kept talking as she moved to Calli first. The handcuffs opened with a click and Gura felt like flinching at the sound. "I'm detective Amelia Watson, and I came to this area specifically to take you two into custody and stop the turf wars that have been breaking out. Especially since they began happening more frequently."
The cuffs were snapped into place before Gura's hands met the same fate. All she could do was give a half-hearted growl of protest as the detective cuffed her. "However, you two were awfully hard to track down. I had to sneak troops into your ranks, gather intel from sketchy sources, turn some of your members against you without the info getting to you both, and even had to strike a deal with two lovely ladies just to get to this point."
At this point, Amelia was dragging Calli and Gura to a storage container to sit them up. Gura, for one, appreciated the comfort of sitting rather than lying on her face. Calli on the other hand looked scarily stoic through the whole process. The only thing that got her to perk up was the mention of "two lovely ladies." Gura couldn't help but feel betrayed, yet tried her best to keep it from showing. One of them had to be Ina considering how many times the cult leader had asked her to put an end to the fighting. The shark could only guess that the second one was Calli's missing girl as well.
Amelia finally positioned the two gangsters against the storage crate and stepped away. It was the first time she was actually quiet from the moment they had met her. Mori relished in the silence while Gura found it unnerving and intimidating.
"You know..." Amelia started again, making Calli sigh and Gura relax. "I should be putting you two in jail right now. I should also be heading back to England to find my next case to work on. But you know what? Those two girls held up their end of the deal, so I'm going to hold up mine." The detective grabbed the gangsters' weapons and put them in the bag she was carrying earlier.
Both the shark and reaper perked up at the information and glanced to each other. They weren't off the hook, but at least they weren't going to jail. The footsteps started again, and Amelia was moving back twords them. But now Calli could see two shadows also walking in the distance, getting closer. "I won't be taking you two into custody unless you guys don't take the offer I'm about to give you."
That's when fire-like red hair and deep purple clothing came into view. Calli immediately recognized one as Kiara and assumed by the shark's wide eyes, that the other was the Ina girl. Both of them went to stand by Watson as the detective continued to speak as if nothing happened. "You two will not only work together as partners, but you'll also work for me. Instead of fighting and making the area dangerous, you all will be protecting it and removing the biggest dangers in the area."
As Amelia was talking, Ina grabbed her hand while Kiara interlocked their arms. If Calli could've, she would have laughed at how red the detective's face got. A glance at Gura, and she could tell the shark felt the same way.
"You two can keep your weapons and use them as you see fit, you can walk freely without having to worry about police, and lastly, if everything has been taken care of by the time I have to leave again for England... I could promote you both to undercover agents. That means you could not only travel around the world, but also get to make your own arrests."
Ina then cleared her throat, speaking for the first time since they arrived. "What she hasn't told you is, sometimes secret agents get to be hit men. So if the queen of the dead and the apex predator still feel like they'd have malicious intentions, then they could take out someone worth taking out instead of ina-cent people."
Gura huffed loudly at the pun, but she was smiling fondly. It caught the reaper off guard, but she couldn't help the smile that made it to her face. If Calli had to guess from the reaction, she'd say Ina told puns often. Probably as often as Kiara playfully flirts if the reaper had to guess.
Amelia seemed unfazed other than the stubborn smile that was starting to appear and continued to talk. "Ina is right. You two can also take hit jobs as secret agents. But it's up to you both, if you leave the gangs behind and start a new chapter or be taken into custody. Your choice." Amelia crossed her arms, looking to Kiara.
The CEO had been oddly silent the whole time and now that everything was quiet, all eyes were on her. Everything was so still, she could feel the numbness already lifting from her body. Everything was tingling with anticipation as she waited for Kiara to say something. The CEO's eyes held determination as they locked onto Mori. The reaper could only gulp as she imagined what the woman would say.
"Calli, you have been my best friend for years so I know how you're going to feel about this..." Kiara said with a knowing gleam in her eyes. "But I swear if you don't take up this offer, I will take away your KFP discount and smack some sense into you myself." Calli tried to keep her indifferent facade up, but knew the CEO could see right through.
KFP was addicting, and the reaper didn't like the thought of throwing away her free meals. Plus, Kiara could be frightening sometimes. Calli knew not to be on her bad side.
Kiara must've seen the resignation in Calli's expression, because soon she was back to her smiling disposition. Amelia turned to Ina again, but the cult leader just shook her head. She'd said her piece, it was now up for the gang leaders to decide.
"So what'll it be, ladies? Secret agents? Or being at the mercy of the police?" Amelia said with a knowing smile. She knew she had won, it was only a matter of confirmation now.
Gura and Calli looked to each other with a silent question between them. They can work together, today was a testimony to that, but did they want to work together from now on? It was Gura who broke first. Sending the reaper an almost predatory grin which was immediately returned.
It was Kiara who cheered first, grabbing Amelia by the shoulders and placing a kiss on the detective's cheek. Ina giggled at the red filling the blonde's cheeks before planting a kiss of her own.
As the two were laughing at the flustered detective, Calliope and Gura turned to each other. The numbness in their limbs had started to fade more and more, to the point that walking wouldn't be an issue in another few minutes. Gura relished in the feeling of just wiggling her fingers, much more so with having control over her body again. However, it was Mori who spoke first. "So. I guess 'just this once' got extended. Isn't that right sharky?"
"I guess so, sword swinger." Gura sighed through her smile. "I'm just glad we're not getting busted for real, even if we do have to give up everything we've built up over the years."
Calli shrugged in response. "Well, I wasn't really attached to being a gang leader anyway. So it kinda works out."
Gura gasped in shock before scooting closer to the reaper. The look in her eyes told Calli that she was insanely curious about her statement. It made the taller girl roll her eyes in amusement, but she started to speak anyway.
"As a kid I always wanted to be the sheriff in town and bust the bad guys. And yea, I grew up and things changed, but I wasn't really attached to this kind of work. I mostly did it because Sensei took me in and helped me to this point."
Gura sighed, but nodded her head. "Sounds about right. I did the same for my dad, with his illness and all." Silence hung in the air for a moment before the shark spoke again. "I guess you'll get to be the sheriff now after all, huh?"
"Damn right, partner." Calliope said, throwing on her best county accent. "It's high noon, and this cowboy's gonna light it up."
Gura's laughter filled the space as Calli marveled at the sound. It was so light and airy, but so genuine. It made the reaper's cheeks turn a dusty pink as she had to look away from her smaller companion. "I was right! You're such a dork, and it's amazing!" The shark wheezes through her laughter, making her cheeks darken as well.
The three other girls watched the sight with amusement. Watching the two former gang leader banter and get along was reassuring for all of them, lifting a heavy worry from their shoulders. It was Amelia to break the silence though. There was work to be done, now that the reaper and shark were no longer going to go to war. "Well, let's get these two caught up and we can start cleaning up this area once and for all."
Everyone nodded in agreement, ready to start the newest chapter in their lives.
_______
This was originally gonna be a SameMori focused story, but my hand slipped-
Oopsie~
Also, sorry to those who like a mostly closed ending! I like to keep the endings kinda open ended for interpretation~ I may continue this one at some point tho! It was so fun to write even tho it took so long and I just,,,, HEISHWKWKWJE??
PLUS there's so many endings/plots I had to choose from if I'm being honest??
My original idea was for Ina and Kiara to tie Calli and Gura up, shove them in a room together, and make them see how similar they were. Then BOOM! Friends~ Maybe even more!
Then, I introduced Amelia and changed the idea completely. It was going to have her be captured by Gura and Calli with the help of TakoTori, and have them use her as a hacker and intel.
But I started to stray from having everyone here and have SameMori meet accidentally during a mission? But I couldn't brainstorm that one any further.
At some point I had wanted to have the unloayal gang members effected by not trusting their leaders because they were so new to the job and young, then the two getting together and defeating them anyway.
But finally, to be more accurate with Q but also keep the side story/relationship, I had Amelia's plan semi-fail, but succeed in bringing the fighting to a stop with the help of Ina and Kiara.
Twas a lot of casualties~
But if It wasn't clear, most of (if not all of) the dead members were corrupted members that Amelia had convinced. The only ones with ear pieces and the instructions to stay back were the police officers.