The Lycanthrope Club - An American Werewolf in Japan, Chapter XIII (Patreon)

Junko gazed impassively down at the pile of splintered boards and groaning bodies through the haze of dust. Somewhat to her surprise, two of the yakuza promptly rose to their feet and half-ran half-stumbled out of the house through the door leading to the back yard. Another, after dislodging his foot from wooden beam, took a single, shaking step towards the front door and then stopped when he saw Junko standing in his way. He uttered a soft whimper, turned and limped off, following his comrades out the back door. The remaining yakuza were starting to stir but did not stand. Bruised and bloody faces gazed up at Junko through the wreckage. 

"Leave," snarled Junko, feeling a surge of anger. "Never come back."

They stared at her.

"LEAVE!" barked Junko.  She felt her claws sliding out of their sheaths.

This prompted a frantic shouting, untangling of limbs and general pandemonium as the injured gangsters dug their way out of the rubble and retreated. One of them could only crawl but did not stop until he was out the door. Junko looked up and saw Masae's hulking form beyond the collapsed ceiling. The massive she-wolf was hunched over back against the wall, massive chest rising as falling as she breathed, clutching her left side with both paws. Her yellow eyes had dimmed somewhat. Junko sniffed the air and smelled blood - werewolf blood. 

"Are you-" began Junko.

"I'm fine," rumbled Masae. "Go...check on my grandmother. Hurry."

Junko nodded. She circled around the stairwell and hurried up to the second floor. The first thing she saw was Taro. He was silently staring down at the hole in the floor. 

"They're... all gone," said Junko.

"I heard," said solemnly Taro, still staring at the massive aperture. 

There was a pause. Junko looked at him quizzically.

"I'm too heavy," stated Taro. "I fear the floor would further collapse if I tried to cross. You'll need to check on them."

Junko nervously licked her lips. She slipped past Taro and carefully sidestepped around the yawning hole. One of the floorboards creaked ominously as she stepped on it but did not fracture. She approached the bedroom where Masae's grandmother and agent Ito had barricaded themselves in. The door had been knocked out of the frame and was lying on the floor. A waist-high black wooden dresser had been positioned in the room just behind the threshold; its upper surface was dented and battered. As Junko approached the bedroom, a wrinkled face peered up at her from behind the doorway and then quickly retreated. Junko froze. Realizing that Masae's grandmother had not yet seen her transformed, Junko willed herself to revert to human. For a moment it felt as though every inch of her skin was being gently prodded with hundreds of tiny needles. Her fur withdrew, her fangs softened and her muscles shrank. Junko shivered and hugged her now hairless body.

"Hello?" she called.

The wrinkled face slowly appeared from behind the doorway. It was Masae's grandmother.

"Oh..." said the elderly woman as she gazed at Junko's naked form. She shook her head. "I thought I saw...and I heard such..." she trailed off. "I suppose my mind was playing tricks on me with all this excitement."

Junko felt a lump grow in her throat. She opened her mouth to say something, shut it, and then opened it again. "Are you alright?" she asked, feeling miserable.

"Y-Yes, dearie," Masae's grandmother. "Are those...men gone?"

"Yes." Junko hesitated. "Is the agent...?"

"He's breathing but he hasn't woken," said Masae's grandmother, glancing back into the bedroom. "I called for an ambulance. It should be here soon."

"T-Thank you," said Junko.

There was an awkward pause. Masae's grandmother disappeared from the doorway and then reappeared holding something.

"Here," she said, passing Junko a bathrobe.

"Oh, um, thank you," said Junko, blushing as she accepted the garment. She quickly wrapped it around her body and tied it up. She bowed curtly and turned back towards the stairs. Taro was no longer standing in the hallway. Junko carefully maneuvered around the hole and trotted down the stairs. 

She found Masae and Taro sitting in the middle of the room. Taro had returned to his human form and had already donned a white undershirt and undergarments but Masae was still a werewolf. An open briefcase - Taro's, Junko noted - lay open next to them. Taro was tying the arms of a sweater around her near barrel-width waist. Taro glanced up at Junko.

"It won't heal," said Taro, gesturing at Masae's left flank. Junko noticed a dark, wet stain around the sweater.

"Stop fussing," growled Masae through gritted fangs. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"Your grandmother is okay," said Junko softly. "So is the agent...I think."

"You think?"

"I mean, she's a bit shaken up and he's breathing but unconscious so..." Junko shrugged helplessly.

Masae sighed. "It cannot be helped. At least they're alive."

"What's wrong with you, Masae-sempai?" asked Junko.

"She got shot and she's bleeding," said Taro as he tightened the knot. "We have to...stem it until the ambulance comes."

Junko gasped.

"But...how?" 

"I'm using the sweater as a-"

"No, no, how did they manage to hurt her?" 

"Er, one of them had a shotgun with silver in it," explained Taro.

"What?" yelped Junko. "B-But how did they know?"

Taro didn't respond. He pulled on the sweater one more time, tightening it. Masae growled softly. 

"Good question," rumbled Masae. "More importantly, how did they know where and when to ambush us?"

The three high schoolers were silent.

"There's really only one explanation," continued Masae after a while. "The Public Security Intelligence Agency was compromised. Maybe they were hacked. Maybe there was a mole."

"What?" 

"They had an ambush ready for us AND they knew how to hurt us," said Masae. "The agent had no idea."

"But...they're the Public Security Intelligence Agency," said Taro.

"So? Agent Yoshikawa said we weren't safe here. That's why they wanted to ship us off to America."

Suddenly, Junko broke out in cold sweat. Her legs turned to jelly. Trembling, she sank down to her knees, pulling the bathrobe tightly around her body. Masae and Taro stared at her. 

"J-Junko-san?" said Taro. "Are you alright?"

"I...I don't know," quivered Junko. "I guess it's just...hitting me now." Her lips tightened. "There are people out there...people who want to kill us. They could have killed us!"

"I...yes, it was close," said Taro. He smiled weakly. 

"But we could have died!" exclaimed Junko, shaking and on the verge of tears. "What i-"

"No!" 

It had been Masae who had spoken. The gargantuan black-furred werewolf rose - inadvertently knocking Taro down in her haste - stomped over to Junko, bent low and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't do that," said Masae firmly. "Don't think about it!"

"But-"

"You're scared; that's normal," said Masae, her yellow eyes blazing. "I'm scared too. So is Taro-kun. You'd have to be crazy not to be scared after that. But we got through it. And we'll keep getting through it no matter what they throw at us. I won't let them hurt you or Taro-kun, you hear me?" She paused. "Listen, I'll deny I said this if you ever bring it up again, but you're probably the bravest person I know."

"W-What?" said Junko.

"You weren't afraid of the werewolf when we found her on the road," said Masae steadily. "You saw it was hurt and ran to help it. You fought with us against the yakuza - twice - even when you knew they could kill you. You adapted to this... change better than any of us. You even enjoyed it." She took a deep breath. "You make a lot of mistakes and do a lot of stupid things, Junko-chan, but you're braver than me."

Masae rose with a grunt. "And you're better at transforming than me. By miles," she added somewhat reluctantly. She winced and tugged at the sweater wrapped around her waist. "And it's just a flesh wound. The thug that shot me got a broken arm. Maybe two."

There was silence. Then, Junko snorted. She was chuckling.

"I'm...I'm surprised you let them keep their arms, Masae-sempai," she laughed.

Masae's lupine expression was unreadable for a time. Then, she broke into a smirk.

The tension in the room dissolved as the two girls laughed.

"I think one of them already had a cast," said Masae. She glanced back and saw Taro lying on the floor. "Oh, uh, sorry Taro-kun," she said absently. 

"N-No problem," said Taro, getting up. He cleared his throat. "But...speaking of the gangsters, shouldn't we try to capture one of them?"

"Huh?" said Masae, nonplussed.

"We need to find out how they learned about us and our weakness," said Taro. "Normally I'd say we should leave it to the police but, uh..." 

Masae stared at him. 

"To think I said YOU do a lot of stupid things, Junko-chan," she growled, slapping her head. "Gah! I'm an idiot! Come on, we need to chase one of them down right now!"

"No, Masae-sempai," protested Taro. "You're hurt!"

"It's nothing," growled Masae, taking a few steps towards the back door.

"If the sweater comes off you might bleed out," said Taro.

"Please, Masae-sempai," said Junko, jumping to her feet. She tugged at Masae's fur. "You should stay here with your grandma."

Masae froze when Junko mentioned her grandmother. She slowly looked around at her.

"I'll catch one of them," said Junko. "I'm the fastest one here and it'll be easier for me to hide when the ambulance comes since I'm...smaller than you," she winced as she finished the sentence, hoping Masae wouldn't take it as yet another jab at her bust size.

There was a dangerous pause.

"Fine," said Masae at last. She lowered her head and gestured at the door. "Go."

"On it!" said Junko, relieved and eager. She untied her robe, preparing to transform.

"Get the one with the arm cast," urged Taro. "He was the one giving all the orders.

Junko nodded. 

* * *

The important thing, Hajime told himself, was not to stop moving. Endure the pain and keep walking. If he paused for even a moment to contemplate his destination, the fate of his comrades or anything else, his body might finally appreciate just how damage it had taken and shut down. It was a trick he'd picked up in basic training that had proved to be literally lifesaving on more than one occasion. With any luck, it would work again. 

He staggered down a shallow slope past a small copse of trees. He gazed up through squinting eyes at the forest ahead of him. Suddenly, his foot struck something hard. He lurched forward but managed to retain his balance. As he stood up he hissed as another wave of pain wracked his already broken arm. He briefly wondered if he would ever be able to use the arm again but quickly brushed these thoughts aside. He had to keep moving.

Step after step, meter after agonizing meter, Hajime made his way through the woods. Dirt and mud caked his torn pants. Branches and brambles tugged at his now ragged jacket as he clumsily maneuvered between trees and bushes. At some point he realized he'd lost his gun. He wasn't sure if he'd left it at the house or dropped it along the way. The thought of being without a weapon was disconcerting enough to Hajime to break him from his fugue. He stopped and gazed around nervously, absently patting his pockets and jacket for a gun or knife. He found neither. Suddenly, Hajime felt very, very weak. He staggered over to a nearby pine and leaned against it. He then slowly sank to his knees and plopped to the ground. He gently cradled his right arm with his left. 

A minute or so passed. Hajime reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone but found it too was missing. He chortled mirthlessly, shaking his head. He felt faint but resisted the urge the shut his eyes.

Then, he heard a branch snap. His head shot up.

An all-too familiar figure - dark brown fur, lithe but muscular frame and a bushy tail - emerged from behind a cluster of trees. It lifted its lupine head, sniffed the air, and then looked directly at him. Its eyes narrowed. Hajime chortled again. It blinked, seemingly confused, but then started walking towards him. Hajime snarled and tried to rise but his body felt as heavy as lead and moving just about any part of it hurt like hell. He struggled, managing to lift himself up a decimeter or so before collapsing. 

"I wouldn't go anywhere if I were you."

Hajime gazed up, bleary-eyed, at the creature. It was standing there, arms folded. For the first time Hajime got a good look at it up close. The freakish thing was basically a brown-furred wolf walking on two legs. Yet as his eyes took in more details he realized this wasn't exactly the case. Its head, for one, was not quite as...pointed as a wolf's. It had a leathery snout and muzzle but it was shorter and its forehead was flatter. Even more strikingly, it sported a mane of dark-brown hair hung just below its chin. Its facial features were oddly soft, almost feminine. 

"We need to talk," intoned the creature.

Hajime's face briefly contorted into a scowl then twisted into grimace of pain. 

"Fine, fine," he wheezed. "Just...what the hell are you?" 

"I'm...s-shut up," snapped the creature, shaking its head. "Just answer my questions. How did you know where we were?"

"What?" 

"How did you know we were going to America today?" it demanded. "And who told you about our weaknesses?"

Hajime was silent for a time.

"Well?" said the creature impatiently.

"Go to hell," sneered Hajime. "Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because if you don't I'll..." the creature trailed off "It won't be pleasant," it said, baring its teeth. 

Hajime, somewhat to his surprise, was unimpressed. He didn't have much to lose at this point and the creature, despite its fearsome appearance, wasn't really that threatening. It kind of reminded him of some overdressed high school banchō.

"'Won't be pleasant?'" parroted Hajime sardonically. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

The creature growled.

"You know, I used to be terrified of you," he laughed. "But-"

Suddenly the creature raised its leg and stomped down on Hajime's chest. Hard. Hajime howled in pain as it pressed its foot against his already bruised ribs. 

It lifted its leg. Hajime gasped for breath.

"How did you know where we were?" repeated the creature slowly. 

It took Hajime a few seconds to recover. He glared up the creature.

"Getting stepped on will be nothing compared to what they'll do to me if I tell you anything!" he spat.

"Who?" Who will punish you?" 

"What part of 'anything' didn't you understand?" said Hajime wearily. 

"You're not the boss of these yakuza?"

"Of course I am," barked Hajime. He hesitated. "You really don't know who's after you, do you?" 

"Some...some foreign criminal boss."

"Just some...he's just not some...you have no idea just how deep his connections go!" exclaimed Hajime. "How else do you think we managed to track you down? He told us where to go! He even told us when you'd be leaving today!"

"How'd he know? And who is this guy?"

"Stupid kid," he muttered. "If you're going to kill me, do it already," he sighed bitterly. "I've failed him again so I'm good as dead now."

The creature stared at him. 

"If he's going to kill you why should you help him?" it asked. 

Hajime snorted.

"Because he's...he's..." Hajime trailed off. His expression of contempt slowly softened as he considered his options and weighed his chances. He silently mouthed something and then looked up at the creature. 

"Maybe I shouldn't," he said quietly.

"What?" said the creature, bemused.

"Do you know how we - my organization - got caught up in all of this?" he said.

"I-"

"It happened a little less than a year ago," said Hajime, almost conversationally. "Mr. Shen's representatives called for a meeting. They said they were looking to offload some Filipino women who owed them money. Well, we needed some ladies for our clubs at Shinjuku. We reached an agreement. They smuggled workers in and we gave them a cut of their earnings. It was good business. Then, Mr. Shen started sending some of his own men to look after them, brought us in on his drug ring and..." he sighed and lowered his head "It was insidious," he said, now addressing the ground. "Our operation started to draw too much heat. There were police raids almost every week. Yet every time we ran into trouble all we had to do was go to Mr. Shen and he'd make it disappear. And then we'd owe him yet another favor. He started dictating the organization's activities - assigning us targets, quotas. He even had us mugging people on the streets like we were common yankii. A few of our kyodai protested. They just disappeared. That foreign bastard..." 

Hajime looked back up at the creature.

"You're Japanese, aren't you?" he asked. 

The creature hesitated.

"...Yes."

"Then...I have a proposition for you," he said slowly.

Suddenly the creature looked up out into the forest, ears erect. Confused, Hajime glanced around. Then, he picked up the faint, distant drone of a siren. 

"The ambulance," muttered the creature. "Good." It turned back to Hajime. "You were saying?"

"...The head of the syndicate, Mr. Shen," said Hajime. "I know where he's staying."

"Huh?"

"The man who's hunting you," said Hajime patiently. "I know where's going to be for at least the next three days." He paused. "I can't kill him. Neither can anyone else in my organization. He has too many friends, too many bodyguards, knows too many secrets. And if there were any hint my organization were involved in his death his men would make life hell for us. And I have little doubt he's left instructions to leak sensitive information about our operation if he dies by our hands."

"Then go to the police," said the creature, sounding bemused.

"He has friends in the police," said Hajime, smiling weakly. "He even has a mole in the Public Security Intelligence Agency. How else do you think we knew about their plan to ship you off to the states? Even if they went after him someone would warn him and he'd just leave the country."

The creature actually gasped and covered its mouth.

"And I would never go to the police," added Hajime resolutely. "I'd sooner die. You, on the other hand..." said Hajime slyly "You're not actually with the Intelligence Agency, are you? If anything you're working for...whatever organization that American spy is with."

"You mean NALA? I-"

"It doesn't matter," said Hajime. "If Mr. Shen were offed by some...wolf kami, nobody would believe it. Nobody would know who to blame. Mr. Shen doesn't trust anyone and micromanages everything so if he were out of the picture the syndicate would fall into chaos. You'd be safe and my organization would be free of that damn foreigner."

"You want us to kill him?" said the creature, sounding horrified.

"If you knew half of what he's done you'd be begging me for a chance to slit that bastard's throat," snarled Hajime. "Human and drug trafficking is just the tip of a very, very dirty iceberg. My organization would have never gone into business with him had we known. We follow a code. He'd see our country burn to make a profit!"

The distant siren was now clearly audible. 

"We're not murderers," said the creature over it.

"You don't have a choice," said Hajime. "He's gotten in his head that you pose a risk to his operation. It doesn't matter that he's captured the American spy."

"Wait...what?" exclaimed the creature.

"Oh, didn't I mention that," said Hajime, grinning maliciously. "We figured out she went to Tokyo and Mr. Shen's contacts managed to track her down. Apparently they picked her up yesterday. It wasn't easy but they managed. He sent me to capture you three - joked that I could at least handle a couple of high schoolers."

"What's he...what's he going to do to her!" said the creature, aghast.

"He enjoys playing with people who cross him. Doesn't matter if only silver will hurt her; Mr. Shen is very creative. She might still be in one piece since they kidnapped her yesterday. It may take time to extract all the information he wants from her. Who knows?"

The creature was silent.

"Here's the deal," said Hajime. "You let me go. You say nothing to the police and the Intelligence Agency. Two hours from now we'll meet, say, at the train station near here. I'll drop a note with his address on it. You can take it from there. And before you get any idea of bringing the cops or the government along remember what I said about Mr. Shen? He has eyes and ears everywhere. You can't trust anyone."

"H-How can we trust you," snapped the creature angrily. 

"I swear it on my honor as a yakuza," said Hajime. 

"That's not good enough."

"Then you can't," said Hajime, shrugging. "But if you want to find your American friend and rid yourself of Mr. Shen I'm your only chance."

The creature frowned. It gazed back the way it came and then looked back down at Hajime.

"So, what do you say?" said Hajime.