Thirteen Years Ago

Age five and Haruka lays on a medical bed dealing with the fact that she'd been shot. Ideally one didn't get hurt in a fight but that was an unrealistic ideal, she was human and a child. So during a mission for the Yakuza the little girl found herself with a bullet lodged in her shoulder. The doctor was removing the slug, and all Haruka did was wince it wasn't the first time she'd been through this. Similarly she'd also learned that showing to much pain was weakness even if ones chances didn't ride it out in stride the vulnerability couldn't be shown.

"You will one day be held acountable for your own chances children, we won't heal you nearly as much. Thus we expect you to improve." These were the words of her father of the elder Koumori the Suiren Shinjiru no special treatment was to be given to any of the ones recovering. "You serve them as they desire, and you get used to the killing for it's who we are. You'll never be free from fears if you can't come to terms with who you are." Most of them were to young and naive to know better or to make to much of what transpired when at the age of five a lotus was given over more to the world at large. It was up the full fledged members particularly the Shinjiru to engrain into them how to feel about whatever might happen.

Later that night though a father asks a daughter how things went, and she admits "he treated me better then I think some of the others got." The father is relieved, of the terrible people the cult comes to serve Haruka aquired someone not as awful. He doubts the girl will ever break the hold of the cult and doesn't want her to. There is however a relief unspoken.

"Remember who you are."

Next day and the little lotus joins the dragon once more for the routine livelihood that was the Yakuza life style. She's mostly silent and obedient for that is her place, there was only so much one could learn in training circles and the like she was now in the real world. And Mr Date had a lesson of his own to teach a little girl. "Going prepared is as important as knowing how to improvise." They were about to enter a bar, a place where some debts were unpaid and some punishment had to be dealt. Body count was supposed to be small, with only the one who didn't pay aloud to be killed. No weapons were aloud in the place requiring said improvisation. The fight was dirty and fun, broken stools and shattered glass a mixture of grandiose moves and the more grounded style of the setting. When it came to the knock out blows they were tied near the end.

Owner of the bar grabbed a baseball bat and readied to swing it toward Mr. Date it was ripped from his hands and used against the skull of the one who'd failed to pay up. The main target begins drifting into unconsciousness starts to fall over. Picking up a shard of glass however Haruka was swift to capitalize on the foe driving the tip into the jugular in a pouncing action. "Four me" she remarked proud to say she'd taken out more.

"You and your damn counting." He remarked as not to long after they ventured into the streets to find a surplus of others ready to take action against them. The now dying man who refused to pay had evidently agitated another boss as well. "I'll get the boss" this meant Haruka could take on more people. She was okay with this, after all at the time this was almost more a game then anything else to her.

Eleven Years Ago

Age seven and by now her and Ryu had become known as quite the team. Weren't always together but when they were it got serious results. They lived separate lives but often the Yakuza saw them as one. The dragon and lotus of Osaka and Haruka thought very little of it this was what they did. Another night, another set of bloody knuckles completely ordinary. But then he dared to call her "lil princess" and take the young killer to get ice cream. These were not customary things for him and not things she was used to. And she had been called many things but princess was not one of them. For this there was a subtle change in her, she'd seen something better then the cult alone. By now this was already who she was, but she found herself maybe able to be a little more. Haruka becomes somewhat more outspoken someone willing to be nice to some degree.

Eight Years Ago

Age ten and things and the lessons in the art of taking chance was more fully understood and open toward mastering. Now came the difficult part for the girl who'd just turned ten. The elder Koumori approached her and began to speak. "Our numbers are few and only those born into the clan typically come to know the hundred day right. For every day you are expected to take a life, to obtain a chance of your own. Should you be wounded and need to spend a chance to recover then the night is forfeit, you go that day without gaining a chance proper. More chances you have then the better your chances amongst the cult. Nobody has ever gotten over eighty nine I'll have you know. And while you are treated like the rest I must be honest my child. I expect you to best my score." The challenge was accepted, this wasn't a game any more.

A young girl was sent away from her home town, sent away from Osaka and Japan. She was left in the states, she had a thousand dollars to spend and nobody to turn to. She was not to accept help, she was not to take refuge under any home by good graces alone. She divided the money, a third for traveling expenses, a third for equipment, a third for provisions such as food and water. Any money obtained would be split in these ways she had to manage it to be successful. Through some contacts stateside she'd met through working with Ryu she got a starting list of people to go after. Predominantly criminals who'd slipped up, she tried to take out those who wouldn't be investigated as much at least for the start.

Thirty days successful, then she had her arm blown off by a shotgun and was kicked out of a balcony of a rather high building. The subject was reinforcing his place with men and cameras, bunkering down in his room. He had caught on to the circle of people going down and refused to follow suit, she couldn't dare to lose day thirty one however so she did her research. Made sure she knew who she would be going against and what to be on a look out for.

The next day thirty two would not be tainted by the same mistakes. Aproaching from the roof tops the lonely lotus dropped upon a sniper looking after her target. His vitality slipped from his veins, his chance was gone. And then taking a few steps back and focusing on trajectory Haruka leapt from the position of the roof and the arts of chance seemed to kick in. Just enough to defy physics ever so slightly and make the distance and crash through the window without much difficulty. However with shattered glass that shouldn't be so simple to break her chance was up and guards came rushing into the room.

Evade the gunshots she did with a rather fluid amount of grace nothing superhuman however it was just a mix of missing a moving target and seeming to almost instinctively know when to dodge out of the way. She removed the legs of one guard caught the pistol upon decent and in a quick expending of remaining rounds dropped three more guards. Another comes from the door and in a burst of movement she kicks off a near by wall in effort to close the distance, her footing was not as solid as it could of been, she only closes the space and avoids the gunfire but makes it only so far. Leaving room to move toward a counter attack. A side step and then a jab upward and her chance is surprisingly high her loyalty is rewarded. The results are not drastic but in a twist of odds his movement goes so well with her own that a jab of the finger tips crushes the esophagus of the foe his breath drawing short and in a small window of time will be beyond his ability to do. Leaving only the target in question the only life that mattered tonight.

She enters the room light in step and silent in motion, cameras even fail to pick her up seeming to blend in with the surroundings with a swift grace bordering on the unnatural her chance of stealth was high and in his panic the mark misses her. A quick jab to the back and an old scar opens under forceful impact. Her fingers slipping into the body and dividing the spine as finger tips lightly puncture the heart. She'd take his chance, come to know what he did and who he was. She was thankful for the opportunity even though she had no respect for the man he wasn't Ryu he wasn't Koumori but the offering still meant a lot.

Ninety ninth day was here and to this date she'd only spend another seven days recovering. Tonight was the difficult one however. Where a successful member was paired with a failure. Very few made it in, and there were some the members of the Lotus knew failed to live up to the training. Broken by the pain and what had to be done and it was such a person Haruka was informed of. It was the first time she'd seen a member of the cult in ninety nine days and all that the member did was give Haruka another person to kill. She found herself at that moment actually missing home some, where interaction was at least somewhat a thing that happened. When there was at least a little more to her days then recon and killing, as engaging and glorious as the art was it was lacking something she found.

All the same the mission was set, a target was marked and so on a rooftop the pair met each other. They'd have a hard time sneaking up on the other, it'd also just be uncustomary to approach in any other fashion then face to face. "You know if I best you they'll teach me how to take your chances to replace what I lack?"

"Only the elders know that, and even they struggle. I call bullshit." He didn't take to the remark well and came at her in a rage. His swing was wide and open. She capitalized on the moment and her opponent was not in good shape after. His next swing a miss blood loss and pain was hard to ignore and another blow lands bringing the fight already close to a conclusion. He hits her, and she lands her third blow on him. The impaled blade along her hip will take a night to recover, but his chance has become hers. Haruka had done it, she'd completed the rights with a record setting ninety one.

A hundred and one days and she's finally back to Osaka, she goes through the rights and the ceremonies. It's the first time her father hugs her, shows actual pride. And though it wasn't to telling to out of the conduct of following the rights they both know there was slightly more to it. Then came the call another day another Yakuza job.

"RYU! I missed you," The young ten year old girl remarked upon seeing him, it'd been almost a third of a year sense she'd been back in Japan sense she'd seen him and to her surprise she was actually excited. Her small frame hugged him tighter then any ten year old should be capable of doing but wasn't to surprising given her upbringing. Haruka wasn't exactly known for such a moment however, it was a rare thing and one that'd spark a change. "You didn't hear me say that though okay?" She remarked in efforts to sound as tough as the gangsters so often around her.

Six Years Ago

Age twelve and Haruka was confused to say the least. Koumori had told her that from this day forward she was to the world daughter to Ryu instead. That while she'd keep her last name she was to be distant from the cult. Told to become her own person. None of it made sense, she couldn't see what the two had tried to arrange for her.

So the young girl took it as a test, to see how long she could go resisting the faith in execution. To learn restraint and grace, to become more adept at surviving and not needing to spend chances on recovering.

All the same however she would do her best to be just a girl. Someone for Ryu to look after, he didn't say what had to be done. Haruka knew though that breaking free from the circles they were in was difficult to do at all, chances were few that it'd be mostly free, and the likelihood of total departure was basically nonexistent.

It was only a matter of time before she took another life. It was her religion, her way, and who she was. For a fleeting moment of time however Haruka Fuyuoka Koumori however was more then the lonesome lotus but instead a daughter.