Epilogue
EPILOGUE
KENZO
one week later
Scrolls depicting the deities of the sun, war, and thunder hang on the wall, with twelve candles lighting the altar in front of them. Vi is sandwiched between Tomo and me. Tomo and I wear the traditional haori and hakama. A horde of business-suited yakuza surrounds us for the ceremony. I pour the sake into Tomo’s cup, then pour some into a smaller cup for Vi. Tomo drinks his sake, then nods to her, and she drinks hers.
Sakazukigoto, the sake sharing ceremony, is a ritual I have endured many times before. Begrudgingly. Mostly as a guest, but once as the newest kobun, and another time when I joined the leading ranks of the Endo-kai as the sōkaiya. Usually, I hate this ceremony. It means sitting for a long time. Waiting for outdated rituals to finish. Sake sipping, instead of sake bombs. But with Vi, it’s different. This is more important than a wedding; it promises that Vi, despite her history with us, is dedicated to the Endo-kai. She’s officially part of our family now.
This is her blood oath.
Next, Tomo and Vi exchange cups, drinking each other’s sake, then Vi wraps her cup in a small piece of paper, tucking it in her pocket, an act that symbolizes her complete loyalty to Tomo. The two of them offer more sake to the deities represented at the altar, and even though it’s all formal and shit, I can’t stop humming along to “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith. We played the song on the way here, and it just fits. It’s true: I don’t care where we are in a year, as long as I’m with her.
Once the ceremony is over, I swallow my wife up in a hug and lift her off of the ground.
“You’re the fucking yakuza now, baby,” I laugh.
She smacks my shoulder. “Never would have believed a born-again virgin like me would end up here, working for a bunch of criminals, did you?”
I kiss her forehead. “Of course I did. You were practically born into this life. You just needed the right family.”
She giggles, and the whole yakuza, including the newest members, join us at the strip club for a celebration. The Gilded Stage is in full swing, and Tomo, like the party master he is, has the entire VIP section reserved for us for the night. Yakuza money is flying, the champagne is plentiful, and the strippers are happy.
Cherry sits beside Vi and raises her glass of champagne.
“ Now we’re sisters,” Cherry says. “ Omedetou, Vi -chan. ”
I’m pretty sure Cherry is technically older than Vi, but not by much. I’m about to start shit with Cherry for belittling my wife for using the suffix “chan,” but when Cherry pulls Vi in for an uncharacteristic hug, I stop. Cherry is serious, then. Seeing them hug fills me with pride. My family is coming together. Finally.
Ronin raises his glass and nods to Vi. “ Kanpai, ” he says.
She raises her glass too. “ Kanpai! ”
They both drink, and I do too. Ronin still hasn’t gone through the sakazuki ceremony himself, though I bet he’d jump on it in a heartbeat. It’s going to take a lot more for him to prove himself to the Endo-kai, but he’s still here, celebrating Vi’s new status. And for once, we’re not thinking about the upcoming war with the Ito-gumi. We’re simply enjoying family. I want to keep it going.
“Next up, irezumi, ” I say, poking Vi in the arm. She squirms in her seat. “What? You don’t want a full body tattoo?”
“That’s not the kind of pain I like, ” she says.
My dick twitches at the thought of the kind of pain she does like: her neck bound in rope, strung out on adrenaline, her pussy so sensitive, it’s guaranteed to gush in seconds. I fiddle with her wedding ring, wishing time would speed up. We have to stay at the club to make our appearance, but I’m eager to get this over with so I can show Vi her gift.
“Good thing I prefer your body bare anyway,” I say, and we kiss so hard, Niko scoffs under his breath.
“Get a room,” Niko says. He’s never liked public displays of affection, not since his fallout with his ex. But I don’t care. This is Vi’s night.
“We can get a VIP room,” I say to Vi. “Think one of these strippers will be our audience in a private room?”
Vi giggles, and her infectious laugh warms me. “That sounds fun,” she says.
My woman loves being watched, no matter who it is. And, right on time, a stripper with pin-straight black hair stands in front of us.
“Hi,” the stripper says, curtseying towards Vi. “I’m Lily. Do you two want to play tonight?”
Dice stiffens to the side of us. Then I recognize the stripper. By the way Dice acts, there’s no doubt in my mind it’s her, his crush. His Lily. Lily’s eyes subtly twitch, like Dice’s gaze is burning her skin, but Dice keeps staring. He doesn’t say a word.
“Ah, we were just messing around,” I say, dismissing Lily as gently as I can. “You know though, my brother may be interested.”
Lily quickly glances at Dice. “Hi,” she says. “How about it? Do you want to talk to me this time?”
Dice’s eyes fixate on a random point on the wall behind her. His lips are sealed shut.
Lily’s nostrils flare. “All right.” She forces a smile at us. “I’ll come check on you later.”
As she leaves, Vi’s jaw hangs open. “Oh my god. She smelled like cotton candy,” she says.
I smack my lips. “Oh, you like her then, huh?”
“I almost smacked you for not saying ‘yes,’” Vi says. “I want her hair. And why can’t we let her watch us? Don’t tease me?—”
“No,” Dice says loudly, cutting Vi off.
All of us—Vi, Niko, Cherry, even Tomo, Ronin, and the rest of the soldiers—turn toward him. The muscles in his neck are rigid, a vein throbbing in his neck.
“You will not dance with Lily,” Dice says.
I lift my hands in defense. “All right, brother,” I say, nodding at him. Finally, Dice relaxes into his seat. The man has watched Lily for a long time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s never said a word to her. It’s insane, yet he still stops by here every time he has a free moment to see if she’s working. He’s fucking obsessed.
“What was that about?” Vi whispers. “Does he want to murder her?”
She’s joking, but I get why she’d make the joke. Dice isn’t exactly the friendly type. That’s probably the most he’s ever spoken to Vi.
“That’s just Dice,” I say. Dice is a cold, heartless killer, but he’s obsessed. You don’t get in between a man and his obsession. I know that now.
“She dances for Harry Hayes,” Niko says, rubbing his thumb over the edge of his glass. He shoots back the rest of his whisky, then glares in Dice’s direction. “You need to look into that.”
Dice doesn’t acknowledge Niko; instead, he continues to watch Lily. Interesting—Lily dances for the CEO of the Golden Honor Firearms, Mr. Harry. She may know a few things we’d like to know. Ever since we made the soft deal, we haven’t gotten them to move forward with the contract; they’re stalling, but no matter how much booze and strippers and gambling perks we throw their way, we can’t seem to figure out how to get the final signature.
It probably has to do with the Ito-gumi. Like Tomo said, if this is a yakuza war, it’s a war on business fronts first, before we turn to violence.
But the deal hasn’t fallen through yet.
A few songs pass, and we throw money at the stage—hundreds flying up at those half-naked stripper goddesses—but I always let Vi lead the way. She gets to pick who we tip. And because we’re a generous bunch of gangsters, I make sure our members tip the other strippers so everyone gets paid.
I’m grateful Vi was open-minded about celebrating here; Tomo may have been disappointed otherwise. Tomo and Gracie wave at us as they follow a stripper into the VIP room. It’s their favorite spot to drink outside of Samurai Castle, and who am I to judge?
Right now, all I want is Vi. If Tomo is preoccupied, that’s our cue to leave.
“Let’s get out of here,” I whisper in Vi’s ear.
“Already?” she asks.
“Trust me.”
I pull her hand, and we sneak out the exit.
“Are you going to take me to the desert again?” she asks, and I smile like a jackass. I love how flexible she is; she indulges my weird habits, even if it is fucking her out in the open. A few days ago, we went to the desert and I tied her up in this old shack, pretending like she was my damsel in distress. She loved it.
But there’s nothing in distress about her right now, and I love that about her.
“Nah. Something else. A lot more pathetic, actually,” I say. I run my fingers through my thick hair, then close her car door. I slip into the driver’s seat.
“Pathetic?” Vi asks as she buckles her seatbelt. “That’s a strong word.”
“You’ll see.”
We drive back to Samurai Castle, and I make a call on the way there, telling one of our staff to get the rooftop ready. We take the elevator up to the top floor, then the stairs to the roof, and I can’t keep my hands off of her. Her wrists. Her plush hips. Her bare neck. I want her now, but I have to wait and give her this gift.
When we reach the door to the rooftop, I stand in front of it, blocking her way.
“Now, I’m not the best at gift giving, but it’s something we like to do here in the Endo-kai,” I say. “It’s a Japanese thing, I guess. Almost like an obligation we have to fulfill. Gratitude. Loyalty. Debt. Stuff like that.”
“I know,” she says. “Just show me, you goofball.”
I hold my breath, then open the door. Outside, hundreds of tea light candles shimmer on top of a circle of broken glass. There’s a candle in the middle. It’s thick, like the one she made, but I poured it into an empty turquoise wine bottle, similar in color to the tattoo on her neck. The wax inside of it is lumpy and bubbly, streaky turquoise and white, but it was my first attempt, and part of it is re-poured wax from the candle I broke, the one she made for me.
“It’s not a bonfire in the desert,” I say. “I meant for this to be a honeymoon or something, but it’s not. It’s an apology.” I wipe my face with my hand, annoyed at myself for being such a sap. “I loved that candle. I was an idiot for breaking it.”
Her lips hang open. “You kept it.”
“Of course I did.”
She kisses me, and the world slows down. We’re alone on the rooftop, and though the noises of the Strip float up to us, my mind is silent. I don’t need blasting music when I’m with Vi. As long as she’s safe, I’m happy. We’re home.
The shards of glass gleam in the candlelight, and I lay her down on the concrete. Her orangish-red hair cloaks the sides of her face, and the flames twinkle in her blue eyes. Peace fills my body like a heavy weight. I want to savor every moment with her.
We partly undress, just enough for us to fuck. I don’t mind if we get caught; Vi would love that, but I don’t want her skin rubbing against the concrete when I thrust inside of her. Once we’re ready, I slip my cock into her pussy and brush the hair out of her eyes. I have every intention of filling her with my come until it drips down her legs for the entire journey back to the car, so everyone can see she’s my little slut.
But for now, before I remind her she’s mine, I want to tell her my truth.
“I love you,” I say.
She spreads her legs, letting me pulse deeper inside of her. “I love you, Kenzo.”
Then I take care of her in all the best ways.