A much needed reunion

It was hard to explain just how good it felt to finally be home, or at the very least close to home. Katsuo might have been currently standing in a rather dingy and suspect looking port, Shinigawa if he remembered correctly, but simply being back in Japan seemed to lift an invisible burden from his shoulders. It had been far too long and not of his own accord for the record. He was certain that his homeland would have changed much in his time away, only part of the reason why he had reached out so quickly to Kyoko, though he would be lying if he said he didn't simply miss the girl. It had been easy enough to swipe a phone from one of the crew of the ship he had stowed away on to get here and he was lucky that he had managed to remember the access codes to the private server Kyoko had set up for the two of them years ago to be used in just such an occasion.

Her response had been both cautious and prompt and though it was only text, Katsuo could rather easily see the hope in her words. He felt horrible about the last few years, though he knew full well that it wasn't something he had had any control over, but the guilt still lingered. They had ran the streets together for so long, had so many plans, plans that had undoubtedly fallen apart when he was taken and shipped out of Japan in a fucking box. Katuso reigned in his anger quickly, in no mood to destroy his first port of call back in Japan just yet. Soon he would make a big splash, but for today he knew that he needed to remain on the down low. He'd only been back for a few hours and he had no intention of being on the receiving end of one of Kyoko's......spirited rants because he got angry and destroyed a major Port.

Two strangled cries followed by dull thumps drew his attention from where he sat atop a crate. With a raised brow Katsuo hopped down from his perch and started casually in the direction of the disturbance. He didn't get far before a strange figure moved out of the shadows. They wore a high tech helmet and most notably had numerous tentacle like appendages that were clearly tech sprouting from their back. A hand reached up, finding a release of the helmet which parted way, two very familiar blonde pigtails bursting from within it's confines. There was no doubt how it was as Kyoko, smile on her face rushed Katsuo, jumping into a hug which he gladly returned as she exclaimed about his return. She weighed next to nothing in his arm. He set her down gently and gave her a brief once over, she had certainly changed in the years he had been absent, in more ways than one he noted with a warm smile on his face as he looked down at her.

"I certainly am," he said with a slight chuckle as he sent an appraising eye over her new additions, a look of exaggerated curiosity on his face. "Though I'm sure you've gotten shorter, if that's even possible." he said, a sly smile adorning his features knowing full well how it would rile her up. Katuso felt lighter in that moment than he had in years. Kyoko had been, for the longest time, Katuso's only real friend. They had helped each other get through the darkest times of their stunted childhoods and being torn away from her had hurt. Now though he was finally standing before her again, something he had thought of countless times during his confinement. But that didn't meant he wouldn't pass up the perfect chance to had a dig at her. She continued on, annoyance at the whole situation evident in her voice and Katuso certainly couldn't blame her. He was more than ready to being explaining what exactly it was that had happened as she asked before she seemed to think better of it, deciding it was better to get to a more secure location before getting everything out in the open, something Katsuo couldn't disagree with.

He followed as she led him back the way she came and Katsuo smiled as she stepped so casually over the bodies of the two security guards she had undoubtedly left there. Kyoko was ice cold when she needed to be, something Katsuo had always enjoyed about her, now though, with all these years between their last meeting, it was just fucking hot. Katsuo nearly missed a step before he caught himself. Where the hell had that come from he wondered. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he followed Kyoko. Eventually he was lead to a rather unassuming alley and a doorway therein. Ushered inside, Katsuo followed where Kyoko led, confused as to their destination but happy to oblige her, it was clear after all that she knew where she was going. It was strange though, they were clearly going down, a LONG way down underground. Where the hell were they going?

"Well, this is new." Katsuo muttered, his eyes darting about their new surroundings trying to make sense of the expansive underground structure they found themselves in. Something told Katsuo that this was only the tip of the iceberg though. He was curious as to how Kyoko knew of this place. It was clear that it had been here a rather long time, but he had no memory of a place like this from years ago. Surely he would have remembered if Kyoko had known about such a large subterranean locale. Though Kyoko did tend to pull things out of thin air at times from what he remembered, knowledge that he hadn't exactly needed to know at the time, things like that. Not that Katsuo ever really minded, he trusted her, if it was something innocuous, he would always find out when he needed to know.

When it finally seemed like they were far enough in, Katsuo turned to Kyoko with a smile.

"So, long time eh?"

Kyoko led Katsuo further and further into the bowels of the city, the expansive underground complex seeming to go on and on without end. Katsuo could help but wonder just how such a thing was constructed, let alone maintained without the poking and prying of the authorities above ground. Surely a place such as this would be teeming with criminal activity, it's sheer size and lack of oversight would make it perfect for such a thing. He wondered if Kyoko had always known about this place, if she had she certainly hadn't told him, though it certainly wouldn't be the first time she had withheld information from him. Usually it was innocuous details and in this case Katsuo supposed that he honestly didn't need to know at the time. All those years ago a place such as this wasn't exactly a high priority for their activities. Katsuo wasn't dumb by any means, he just thought very differently to Kyoko when it came to certain things and he was usually more than happy to leave her to do the planning. He knew about this place now because she needed him to, simple as that.

They began to speak again as they descended further in, Kyoko agreeing with his own thoughts on the whole situation they had found themselves in. It honestly hurt Katsuo to hear Kyoko speak as she did. Though he knew that in the end it truly wasn't his fault, that he had had no true control over the circumstances that had separated them all those years ago some small part of him still felt guilty about it. He had always promised her that he would be there to protect her from that kind of thing but unwillingly he had broken that promise. Despite that Katsuo couldn't help but smile at Kyoko's way of looking at things. Certainly it was a shame that the organisation Katsuo had helped her form before he was taken away had fallen into disrepair, but Kyoko as always managed to find the silver lining of the situation, using it to clean house so to speak. 

"I heard, actually it was probably the first thing I saw after....getting out myself. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to get back in time to bust you out myself." he said, his usual jovial tone dimming somewhat as he spoke. He did smile though as Kyoko spoke about their relationship of sorts, she wasn't far off the money. Katsuo reached a long arm out, wrapping around Kyoko's shoulder and pulling her closer to his side as he let out a booming laugh, the happy sound echoing off of the cavernous walls around them.

"And I always will, you know that." He said, giving her shoulder the slightest of squeezes before releasing her. 

"And you wouldn't believe it," he began, lifting his arms up and assuming a body builders pose, his cheap clothing straining to contain his physique. "But I've gotten even better than you remember, I scare myself sometimes." he said, a bright smile on his face as he laughed. 

As they continued on wards the area around them became brighter and brighter, cleaner too Katsuo noticed. It was clear the space they were walking into was lived in to a degree. Kyoko was quick to confirm his thoughts, announcing that this was where she was currently living, a base of operation so to speak. She also casually mentioned that someone else was staying here with her as well, and though Katsuo was somewhat curious, at the moment he honestly didn't care. At the moment he was much more interested in reconnecting with the friend he had been torn away from for years. The place was a little dingy for sure, but it was kept clean and well maintained, no doubt on Kyoko's orders. Compared to the conditions Katsuo had been living in for the past to years it was a damn paradise, not that he would out and out say as much. He was stilling getting a handle on the place, looking for entries and exits and the like, when Kyoko asked his opinion on the whole setup. 

"It's impressive, that's for sure." he replied, his eyes still darting about the cavernous space. "How did this all even get set up? Who manages to operate a place like this without...interference?" he asked, knowing Kyoko would understand what he meant. Katsuo did pause slightly though at the tone of Kyoko's next words. Turning to regard her with a soft smile on his face. Though she had recovered well, Katsuo Had caught he quick slip of the tongue. Who was Ishtar to her that they somehow knew about Kyoko's past? She had always been incredibly tight lipped about it to, well, anyone other than Katsuo. Pushing that to the back of his mind for the time being, knowing that if it was that important that Kyoko would tell him everything he needed to know sooner or later, Katsuo closed to gap between them with a handful of long strides. He reached down and placed a reassuring hand on Kyoko's shoulder. 

"I am sorry, you know that right? I didn't want to be away this long, or at all for that matter." he said, his tone more than sincere. He turned away from her before sighing softly. 

"You're probably the only person alive who knows the truth about me as well, so I guess, as always, we get to keep those secrets between us yeah?" he said, looking over his shoulder back towards Kyoko with a smile. 

"But enough of all that. What's been going on here really? I've been out of the game for far too long and I'm itching to get back into the thick of it." he said, balling his hands into fists one at a time and cracking his knuckles. 

Katsuo had always been more than a little talented at violence, but it always felt better when he could exercise that skill to help Kyoko. With how long he'd been away, help felt like her owed it to her to get back into the swing of things as quickly as possible. 

Katsuo listened with interest as Kyoko gave a very brief but informative overview of the underground complex they were in. He supposed it made sense, bigger secrets had been kept before with less effort. The name that Kyoko mentioned however rang a bell with Katsuo, triggering a memory from years ago back when the two of them ran the streets together. Back in the early days they always had to be wary of the bigger names of the street. Now however was a different matter entirely. Katsuo knew Kyoko enough to know that she wouldn't have been sitting idle all these years, she wouldn't settle for working under someone anymore than Katsuo himself would. 

"Thundershock? That up-jumped Yakuza who thought he was king of Japan? You know I hated working with that tool in any capacity." he said, his tone making it clear he meant what he said. The man known as Thundershock had always been one Katsuo had every intention of putting fist to face with. The way the man had thought he could just order the two young partners around. Just like Kyoko said, now that he was back, things could change. They had always had big dreams, goals that at the time part of them knew were too big for their ability. But things were different now. Katsuo had no intention of ever leaving again and he would be able to focus all of his efforts into finally realizing those goals. 

Kyoko spoke about how the Japan Katsuo once knew most likely didn't exist anymore, and honestly, he couldn't help but agree. On his journey back home he tried his best to brush up on recent events. Japan as he remembered it had never exactly been quiet, that was quite hard to accomplish in the world they lived in, but in the last few years things had gone into overdrive it seemed. Like Kyoko said, there had been countless new names popping up on the scene only to burn away into obscurity as quickly as they arrived. It did bring a warm smile to Katsuo's face though when Kyoko spoke about his secrets, his past. She was still to this day the only person he had ever told about his earlier life and he had no intention of changing that fact. 

It wasn't hard for Katsuo to spot Kyoko's mood dropping immediately when she changed the subject. He knew exactly who Kyoko was talking about without her even having to hint at a name. Unconsciously Katsuo bared his teeth as a low growl rumbled up his throat unbidden. How he hated that woman, and he had never even met the bitch. It didn't matter though, just as Kyoko was the only one to know of Katsuo's past, he was fairly sure that he himself was one if not the only person to know of Kyoko's with any accuracy. That woman had done things to her daughter that Katsuo could never forgive. Listening to the way Kyoko, the young woman who he knew as one of the strongest and most confident people in his life, broke down simply from reliving a passing glance at the woman brought rage to the forefront of his mind. His fists clenching almost hard enough to draw blood. 

"You know you only have to ask. Say the word and I'll kick in every door in Tokyo if I have to until I find the bitch." he said, his words closer to a snarl than anything else. He was more than willing to bring the woman bound and bleeding to Kyoko's feet at the drop of a hat. Katsuo knew full well the righteous anger a child can direct towards a parent that had wronged them. He more than understood Kyoko's need to find her Mother and he would do anything to help facilitate her capture. 

Kyoko led them inside what appeared to be her actual lodgings in this underground world. Though the building itself was rather simple, the mass of computer tech at the far end of the room was anything but. Katsuo didn't think anyone but Kyoko would have been able to handle THAT many screens on the one set up. He watched with a raised brow as the tentacle like appendages on his friend's back receded when she made to sit in what was undoubtedly HER chair. He was certainly interested to see what they were capable of in a fight. Shaking such thoughts free, Katsuo focused his full attention to Kyoko and her latest explanation of where she, now they, currently stood. It seemed she was certainly looking at things the right way. The situation in Japan as it stood sounded ripe for expansion, but as Kyoko said, a strong foothold would be needed before any big moves. 

It was what had always set the two of them apart from the myriad of other street runners. Katsuo was always more than happy to bust down doors, walls and anything in between to get at what he needed, but he was always tempered in his approach by the more calculating Kyoko. It had worked wonders for them in the past, there was no reason to think that would change now. He leaned against a nearby wall and nodded along as she spoke. 

"I agree. This Ms. King could be an asset from what you're saying. At the moment I'm the same I guess. I doubt there are more than a handful of people in the city who even remember someone with a description vaguely resembling me at this point. So you've got a free agent right here," he said, gesturing to himself vaguely. "Put me in coach. I can get some work done without having to go under the radar for it. Though we both know that probably won't last too long." he explained with a laugh, both of them knowing full well that phrases like 'Under the Radar' wouldn't stick to someone like himself for very long. 

He pushed off the wall and looked down and the shabby rags he was still dressed in, picking at them with his fingers as his face scrunched up in distaste. 

"But first we have something more important," he said, looking Kyoko in the eyes seriously. "Please tell me you know a good Tailor."