and changed from her school uniform that always made her want to rip it apart to her street wear that she found more comfortable.
Ayuko went from the restroom to her locker and took out some compact discs. From there, she went into the dance studio of the school where they practiced ballet and theater. She took one of the radios and put one of her CDs into the drive, press play, and turned the volume on high. She went to the mirror that showed her reflection and DJ Khaled’s “I’m So Hood” started playing.
When DJ Khaled’s part started, Ayuko touched her body as she could see that she was gaining weight around her face and waist. T-Pain was close to finishing his part and the beat started, Ayuko went into her dancing berserker mode. Just like a ballet dancer, coordination, athleticism, and the specific moves to match the right beats were an intricate part of making her one of the most exceptional if not infamous dancers in Nakahiro High.
Dance made Ayuko forget about all of her problems. Coming from a broken home saturated with yakuza loyalties to having her own apartment paid for by her older brother, she used dance to make her statements.
Her chosen piece of music played a part as well.
Hip-hop had always been popular in Japan and teenagers like Ayuko not only embrace it, but used it to rebel against their establishment; in this case, a principal thinking about budget, female teachers with nothing to teach or male teachers who were horny and desperate, catching themselves looking at the short skirts of the adolescent female population when they hiked them up to expose their sexy, athletic legs.
When Ayuko made her turns, twists her legs, pump her fist and watched herself in the mirror to see what she was doing and what she could improve upon, she let the music in her mixed CD take her to other places in her subconscious.
In her world, she was and could be anything she wanted.
Even her own gangster brother…
****
Kobe had always been a prime base for the Japanese yakuza. Not meant to be nothing more than a gateway to two significant and marketable cities, the urban metropolis Osaka and picturesque Kyoto, it became the perfect spot to hold their meetings and established policy among the yakuza hierarchy.
The head of this particular commission had been Daiichi Fukushima, being the longest-serving oyabun in Japan, with two others slightly matching it. Sitting at the head table of one of their homes, he stared at one in particular: the oyabun of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe connection, Shintaro Sagawa.
Sagawa and Fukushima had been rivals since their young thug days of Fukuoka, where the yakuza wars were bloody and vicious. Being survivors of those battles, they rose to become heads of their own families with Fukushima having more control due to his main business centered between Yokohama and Tokyo.
But he never turned his back or took his eyes off of the more deceptive Sagawa. Even presently, as Sagawa spoke his peace.
"News is all over the place about your former underboss," Sagawa said. "I thought you had a handle on this."
"What can I say? I underestimate Inato's drive," Fukushima said. "Of course, it's mostly one of them that's causing all this mess. I'm sure that Inato has no control over him."
Sagawa smiled. "Something tells me that you want this to continue?"
"Inato won't last long on his throne," Fukushima responded. "Trust me on that. Even if that wasn't the case, he and his family won't interfere with what we have. It never had. Rest assured. We're good!"
"Well, I'm pleased to hear that. I guess we have to discuss the other thing."
Fukushima nodded. "Ah, yes! The wedding!"
"My son will be coming back from Singapore at the end of the month after finishing what he needs to do. Meanwhile, how’s your daughter?"
"My daughter is fine," Fukushima answered. "And she'll be ready to take her place along with your son in