[FFML] [fanfic][lime][dark][Yotsuba&!] Pretty Neighbor 2nd Visit, Chapter 23: Torako & Fired

[Mythril Moth]

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TORAKO & FIRED

by Mythril Moth

based on Yotsuba&! by Azuma Kiyohiko

subsequently based on the "Pretty Neighbor" Yotsuba& doujinshi series

no permission asked or given

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Midnight had long since come and gone, and there was no sleep to be had in 
the Koiwai house.

Not long after everyone had gone to bed, Yotsuba had woken up screaming and 
sobbing. The entire family gathered around her, soothed her, comforted her, 
asked her what was wrong.

"I had...b-bad dreams..." she sniffled. "Asagi...doin' bad stuff..."

Fuuka sighed and cuddled her. "We're not letting Asagi do bad things to you, 
Yotsuba-chan."

"Nuh-uh, not to me," Yotsuba said. "to you an' Daddy an' Jumbo an' Ena an' 
Miura...she couldn't do nothin' bad to me 'cuz Tigey was there, an' I wanted 
Tigey to save everyone else but she couldn't..." The little girl wiped at 
her wet eyes.

Fuuka and Koiwai exchanged a significant glance. "Yotsuba-chan?" Fuuka 
asked. "Do you...do you think you could sleep better if Tigey stayed with us 
at night? If...if maybe you could sleep next to Tigey?"

Yotsuba nodded. "Yeah, I'd feel better."

Fuuka gave Koiwai a look that was full of pain and reluctance, but also 
acceptance. "Okay, Yotsuba-chan," she said with a hitching, shaky voice. 
"Tomorrow, we'll ask her if she'll come stay with us from now on."


"Really?" Yotsuba asked.

"Really."

Yotsuba hugged Fuuka tightly. "Thanks, Mommy!"

-----------------------------------

Takako looked incredibly angry when she showed up for breakfast. "Why, 
Takako, whatever is wrong?" Asagi asked.

"That bitch jammed the Koiwai house last night. I lost two hours of audio."

"Oh?"


"And I'm pretty sure she snuck into the compound sometime last night. I 
can't finger exactly where, but something tells me there was a perimeter 
breach."


Asagi frowned. "Well, if anyone *could* get past your perimeter, it'd be 
dear little Torako."

"Asagi-sama...we can't stand for this. This is inexcusable. Her earlier 
defiance, her outright rebellion, that's all what it is and doesn't matter, 
but this? This has to be punished."

"Oh, I quite agree," Asagi nodded, wiping her mouth. "I'll come up with 
something before lunchtime."

-----------------------------------

Torako showed up an hour late for training, and seemed exhausted. Even so, 
Koiwai and Fuuka knew they had to make the difficult request, for Yotsuba's 
sake.

"Torako-san," Koiwai began, "there's something important we need to ask of 
you."

"We don't exactly have extra rooms as such, and squeezing one more in's 
gonna be a tight fit, but..." Fuuka trailed off.

"We're starting to think it'd be a lot better if you stuck around," Koiwai 
said.

Torako blinked at them. "Eh?"

The married couple looked at each other.

"Yotsuba-chan's having nightmares," Fuuka said. "Bad ones. She's terrified 
of Asagi now."

Torako winced. "Damn. I'm sorry. I--"

"It's not your fault," Koiwai insisted. "Sure, you've told us more than 
enough about Asagi to give us ALL nightmares, but...you're just trying to 
help us. To let us know what we're up against."

"Yeah, but--"

"So the thing is," Fuuka interrupted, "Yotsuba knows you're tough, and we 
think...I dunno, we think if you were around, you know..."

"She'd feel safer?" Torako guessed.

"Yeah."

"She said it herself," Fuuka said. "We asked her, outright, if she'd like to 
have you sleep here, and she said yes."


Torako looked away, pain and confusion in her eyes. "I...I don't know..."

Fuuka stepped closer and took Torako by the shoulders, forcing her to look 
her in the eyes. "I know exactly what's going on in your head right now," 
she said. "*EXACTLY*."

"I know you do," Torako said guiltily.

"And I know how much what we're asking hurts." Fuuka looked down. "And I'll 
admit, it bothers me. A lot."

"I know it does," Torako said with a small smile. "That's part of what makes 
you a good mother." She sighed. "And it's why I can never be..."

"No, you can't. At least, not openly," Fuuka agreed. "That would confuse 
her, and I honestly couldn't deal with the competition." She sighed. "But we 
don't have to have the whole two-mommy drama. We just need you to be here, 
protecting her."

"Like I should have been doing all along," Torako finished the unspoken 
thought. She sighed. "Alright. Let me go get some stuff I'll need and I'll 
be right back."

"Thank you, Torako-san. We really appreciate it."

Torako smiled. "Hey, no problem."

-----------------------------------

"I'll be out for the rest of the day, Takashi-kun," Asagi called, poking her 
head into her husband's suite at around eleven in the morning.


"Don't hurry back on my account," Jumbo grunted absently.

"I'm taking most of the girls with me today, so I'm afraid there won't be an 
afternoon show."

"What a shame."

"Mmm, yes, but I'm sure you'll find some way to amuse yourself. Well then, 
bye!"

Jumbo sighed, channel-surfing. "Whose life is she off to ruin now, I 
wonder..."

-----------------------------------

"Tigey's gonna stay?" Yotsuba asked.


"Yep, she's gonna start spending the night here," Koiwai said. "Now, we have 
to figure out how to arrange this..."

"How about Yotsuba-chan and Torako-san in one bed, and me and Miura-chan in 
the other?" Ena asked.

Fuuka arched an eyebrow at her, face blank.

"Oneechan," Ena groused, "with those two in the next bed over? Seriously?"

Fuuka sighed and relented. "Right. Okay, that sounds good to me. Kotashi?"

"It's up to the girls," Koiwai shrugged. "Whatever's the least work on me, 
I'm all for."

"Daddy's bein' a lazy carp turd!" Yotsuba chimed in a happy, sing-song 
voice.

"I'm being a *what*?" Koiwai asked, leaning down and staring intently at his 
daughter.

"Isn't that what Mommy said, Ena?" Yotsuba asked. "Daddy was lazy and some 
kind of fish turd?"

"Do NOT drag me into this!" Ena said, forming an X with her arms.

Koiwai looked up at Fuuka, one eyebrow raised, and folded his arms.

"H-hey," Fuuka began nervously, backing up, "Pregnancy immunity, remember?"

"Not until the second trimester!" Koiwai yelled as he lunged at her. Fuuka 
yelped and began running, with her husband in hot pursuit. They could be 
heard tearing around the house, Fuuka erupting into yelps and terrified 
giggles as Koiwai finally caught her and began tickling her mercilessly.

"It was bass, by the way," Ena remarked to Yotsuba.

"Oh. Okay."

-----------------------------------

"Ow, damn!" Torako winced as she went down hard, bouncing off the corner of 
a wall.

"Ah! Sorry, Sensei!" Miura cried. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just landed wrong," Torako said. "That was a good hit." She rubbed at 
her shoulder. "Shit, that's gonna be sore."

"I'll ice it down for you," Miura said. "Take your shirt off."

A moment later, Miura was tending to Torako's abused shoulder. As she did 
so, she frowned at the 'artwork' on the woman's back. "Damn, it'd be nice if 
you could get rid of this bitch's face," she said.

"Oh, CRAP," Torako exclaimed suddenly. "I actually forgot about that..."

"How could you forget about--"

"I'm gonna have to buy or borrow some pajamas if i'm gonna sleep over from 
now on," Torako said. "I usually don't bother with much in the way of 
sleepwear, but...if I'm gonna have Yotsuba-chan sleeping with me, I don't 
want her to see that shit."

"Yeah," Miura agreed. She shrugged. You're close enough to Fuuka-neesan's 
size, I'm sure she can lend you something until you can get to a store."

"Mm, yeah. ...oi."

"Hm?"

"Where the hell do you think you're putting that hand?"


"Eep! Sorry, Sensei."

Torako rolled her eyes. "My ass you're sorry."

"More like your tit I'm sorry," Miura snickered. Torako elbowed her, hard. 
"What? You've got pretty nice tits. My hand just kinda wandered."

"I'll bet," Torako smirked. "Seriously, do you put Fuuka-san through this 
shit?" Torako asked.

"Nah, she'd beat the crap out of me. And then Ena-chan would kill me."

Torako blinked. "Now wait. I'm the one training you to use deadly weapons 
and martial arts, and you're afraid of THEM killing you for being a 
pervert?"

"Hey, I figured you wouldn't get pissed over a harmless little friendly 
grope," Miura replied. "Besides, pregnant woman trumps ninja, didn't you 
know?"

Torako shook her head and laughed. "If you're this bad now, I'd hate to see 
you eight years from now..."

"You still haven't dyed your hair," Miura noted absently.

Torako sighed. "Yeah...I'm giving that up. There's no real point anymore." 
She stretched her shoulder and winced slightly, but nodded. "Okay, I think 
I'm good. Thanks." Putting her shirt back on, she added, "I think we'll 
break early for lunch."

"You sure? We've only got a couple more days we can train like this."

"Yeah, I think we both need a rest." Torako smiled. "Besides, I've got 
something to show you..."

-----------------------------------

Miura stared, jaw agape, at the digital image stored in Torako's camera.

"He's right where I thought he'd be," Torako said, biting into a piece of 
tempura. "And thankfully in a lot better shape."

"Jumbo-chan..." Miura whispered. Then she scowled. "That ASSHOLE! Here I've 
been worried sick about him and he's living it up in silk and satin!"

"I honestly was expecting something different myself," Torako said with a 
slight frown. "Unfortunately, I barely had time to get a couple pictures and 
get the hell out of there, so I couldn't really do any poking around. But I 
do know he's still a prisoner. It's just that, for whatever reason, he's an 
exceptionally well-cared-for prisoner."

"Well, as long as he's alive and in one piece," Miura said, handing the 
camera back to Torako. "That's all that matters. Anything else, I can kill 
him for after I save him."

"That's the spirit," Torako said, grinning.

"But how the hell did you get to Tokyo and back so fast?" Miura wondered.

"Ah-ah, I've gotta keep SOME of my secrets," Torako said with an enigmatic 
smile.

Miura rolled her eyes. "You'd tell me if I hadn't grabbed your tit, wouldn't 
you?"

"We'll never know, now, will we?" Torako teased.

-----------------------------------

"Hey everyone, Torako-san has something good to tell us!" Miura called out 
as she slipped off her shoes.

The family gathered in the living room, with Miura and Torako joining them 
moments later. "What is it, Torako-san?" Fuuka asked.

"I did a little recon last night," Torako said. "I went up to Adachi City 
and snooped around." She placed her camera on the living room table, the 
tiny screen already alight with the image of a sleeping, apparently healthy 
Jumbo.

"JUMBO!" Yotsuba shouted. "He's okay? He's really okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Looks like they're taking pretty good care of him, too," 
Torako said. "They've got him stashed in the master guest suite, which is 
pretty much the most comfortable room in the entire house."

"That son of a..." Koiwai muttered, shaking his head. "And here I thought 
he'd be chained up in a pit somewhere like a wild animal..."

"So did I," Torako admitted. "This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But, 
anyway, point is, he's alive and well, and I wanted you all to know."

"Thank you, Tigey!" Yotsuba said, hugging Torako's leg hard. "You're the 
bestest!"

Torako smiled fondly down at the little girl. "I try to do what I can," she 
said humbly. She frowned. "By the way, Fuuka-san, do you have extra pajamas 
I could borrow? I don't own much in way of sleep wear, and..."

"Sure, no problem," Fuuka replied.

"You're gonna sleep in my bed, Tigey!" Yotsuba said happily.


Torako smiled. "That sounds nice, Yotsuba-chan..."

-----------------------------------

Sunset painted the sky a blazing orange when the expensive black luxury SUV 
pulled up to the Koiwai residence.

Half a dozen women in black suits filed out; one rang the gate bell.

"Koiwai-san," she spoke into the intercom in a firm, no-nonsense voice, "the 
presence of your entire household is requested out front. Immediately." A 
beat later, she added, "Or we come in and drag you out. Which some of you 
might not survive."

A moment later, the door opened; Koiwai, Fuuka, Ena, Miura, and Torako all 
filed out of the house.

"Your ENTIRE household," the woman at the gate repeated. "That includes 
Yotsuba."

"No. Yotsuba stays inside," Koiwai declared firmly.


The woman at the gate nodded at one of the others, who crossed the property 
line and drew a compact submachine gun from her jacket. She placed the 
muzzle against Fuuka's belly.

Koiwai grimaced, and nodded to Ena, who went inside and grabbed Yotsuba, 
bringing her out.

The woman with the machine gun nodded and stepped back, keeping her eyes on 
the Koiwai family.

"Daddy? What's goin' on? Who're these people?" Yotsuba asked.

The front two doors of the SUV opened and closed, and two more women 
emerged. One was clad similarly to the others, right down to the square 
sunglasses; her red and gold hair was her most distinctive feature.

The other, dressed in tasteful, expensive business attire, was Asagi.

"Good evening, everyone," Asagi greeted. "I trust you are all well?"

Nobody spoke. They all glared angrily at her.

"Hmm. Perhaps not." Asagi shrugged. "In any case, please calm yourselves. 
I'm only here to settle accounts with a former employee."

Everyone tensed; Torako already had her hand on her gun.

"Oh, DO settle down," Asagi said impatiently, rolling her eyes. "If I were 
going to kill Yotsuba, I wouldn't be putting on such a big production of it. 
You'd just wake up to find her dead." She snapped her fingers. "Takako?"

Takako walked through the gate and approached Torako. "Hands off your 
weapon," she instructed. Torako glowered at her, but relented. Takako took 
hold of her by the arm and dragged her to the gate.

"And now, ladies, if you would please..?" Asagi askd.

Two of her bodyguards entered the property, guns out and trained on the 
Koiwai family. Two more went around to the back of the SUV and unloaded a 
large piece of equipment. The remaining two threw Torako to the ground and 
began frisking her, tossing assorted weapons and possessions carelessly 
aside.

"Clear, Asagi-sama," Takako called once the guards had finished disarming 
Torako.

"Good. Stake her."

The Koiwai family watched in wide-eyed horror as metal brackets were driven 
into the ground at Torako's wrists and ankles, pinning her to the ground. 
Once she was secure, Takako approached with a box cutter. She knelt down and 
quickly cut the back of Torako's shirt from collar to hem, spreading it open 
to reveal the tattoo on her back. She then grabbed the waistband of Torako's 
jeans and underwear, and pulled them down, exposing her rear end and the 
humiliating brand Asagi had inscribed there.

Once Torako's tattoos of enslavement were completely exposed, Takako stepped 
back and away, standing two feet from the Koiwai family. Asagi strode 
through the gate, idly kicking Torako in the head, followed by the two women 
carrying the equipment they had unloaded.

"What the HELL are you doing to her, you sick bitch?" Fuuka yelled.

"For once in your life, Fuuka, SHUT THE FUCK UP. This does not concern you." 
Asagi conferred briefly with her guards, then nodded in satisfaction and 
accepted a spray nozzle which was connected to a thick hose, which in turn 
was connected to fuel tanks.

"Oh my GOD is that a flamethrower?!" Ena cried.

"Why yes, Ena-chan, it certainly is!" Asagi replied cheerfully. She glanced 
down at Torako again. "Torako...no, rather, Kurosawa...I have decided your 
services are no longer required. And at the risk of being cliche..."

She ignited the flamethrower.

"You're fired."

The Koiwais yelled and screamed in horror, anger, confusion, and shock as 
Asagi torched every inch of Torako's back and buttocks which bore ink. In no 
time at all, the short-haired woman's back was a seared, bubbling, blistered 
mess, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air. Torako's screams 
pealed like demon thunder, rending raw gashes in the eardrums of those 
present.

Once every inch of tattooed skin was incinerated, Asagi disengaged the 
flamethrower; her guards quickly loaded it back into the SUV. She smiled 
down at the screaming, smoldering Torako. "I wouldn't expect a reference 
letter if I were you," she said lightly.

Ten seconds later, Asagi and her goons were gone.


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Mythril Moth
www.mythrilmoth.net