[H3]Tokyo[/h3] [b]Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department 1:21 PM[/b] "So you're the big hotshot from Homicide? Matsumoto looked up from the files on his desk. The man in front of him wore a yellow suit with a matching tie, black dress shirt and black cowboy boots with a black homburg hat with a yellow band around it. Sticking out the side of his mouth was a toothpick. "Detective Inspector Fujita," he said with a smile that showed off several gold teeth. "Organized Crime Bureau." "I didn't realize the OCB hired pimps." "The flashy suits help with the Yakuza," said Fujita. "Makes them more open to talking. They think I'm like them." "Your burden to bear," Matsumoto mumbled, turning back to the files. Fujita grinned and pulled up a chair. He sat down and watched Matsumoto intently while the older man continued to read. "This isn't a Yakuza thing," Fujita said after a few minutes of silence. "These four murders. They brought us in because of boys had rough pasts, but none of them had yet to join the Extreme Path." "What makes you so sure?" Matsumoto asked with bothering to look up. "Too young. They were probably in Guppy Gangs." Matsumoto looked up at Fujita. "What's that?" "Ah," the Inspector said with a row of gold teeth flashing. "Something the great detective does not know. Guppy Gangs might be before your time in patrol. They're essentially farm leagues. Like how before a baseball player can play for the Yomiuri Giants, they have to play for the Osaka Haws." "So before A Yakuza joins the [i]Yamaguchi-gumi[/i], they have to cut their teeth in a guppy gang?" Fujita nodded his head and leaned back in his chair. "Correct. They do muggings, pickpocket work, and a lot of petty theft. Boys from as young as six all the way up to nineteen. The best kids always go to the high profile gangs, with the lower tier clans getting table scraps and the bottom of the barrel." "The rich get richer," Matsumoto mumbled. It made sense based on the records of the four boys. Only one of them had no criminal history, but a knife recovered next to his body made it clear he'd been in the process of a robbery when he was shot. For the rest of the victims, their files read like the typical lives of Japanese delinquents. Arrests for fighting, muggings, and thefts all mixed together with corporal punishments and banishment to reformatories for wayward boys. "The latest victim was caned for burglary just six months ago," said Fujita. "In a nice part of Tokyo. At sixteen, there's no way in hell he cased and broke into that place on his own." "I saw," said Matsumoto. "Thirty lashes didn't seem to diminish his appetite for trouble, though." "Nope." Fujita took his hat off and fanned it across his face. "But it seems he got more than he bargained for the other night." "Is there a way to find out if any of these boys were in guppy gangs?" asked Matsumoto. "Sure," replied Fujita. "We just can't tell the Undertaker." "Why would we have to hide it from Superintendent Mori?" "Because it involves finding a man wanted by TMP for a laundry list of charges and not arresting him." Matsumoto paused before slowly nodding. "If it means catching this killer, then I'll do what I have to." Fujitia smiled. His metal teeth caught the light and they flashed across Matusmoto's vision as they booth stood. "Then I shall lead the way, Sherlock-san." --- [b]Shinjuku Ward 1:58 PM[/b] Matsumoto stared out the window while Fujita drove the unmarked police car through the streets. Traffic was at a standstill through most of the city. Both windows of the American Ford Florentine were down in a futile attempt to beat the heat. Matsumoto had chucked his sports coat and hat to the backseat, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Fujita had removed his hat, but he kept the rest of his expensive outfit intact. A sheet of sweat shined on his forehead. "I have a question," Fujitia asked as he inched the car slowly forward. "What is that?" "Given what I know about you, Inspector, why is it you are still a simple DI? Your reputation in the TMP is well known. A man with your reputation should be on Mori's level or above at your current age." "Politics," said Matsumoto. "It's complicated." "Are you one of The Defeated? You're the right age." Matsumoto ignored Fujita and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. "I am the youngest of three sons," said Fujita. "I was too young to fight in the war in China, but my older brothers fought. The oldest was shot down over Dalian. My other brother was one of The Defeated. I remember... I remember how you all were treated after returning home." "It's gotten better," Matsumoto said softly. "As time fades, so does our sham. But it is a mark I will carry with me for the rest of my days. There is no way the TMP will have a coward as a high-ranking member of their police force." Fujita moved the car forward slowly, not speaking as Matsumoto smoked his cigarette and thought of the past. He was spit on after returning home. Six months until his wife could manage to look him in the eye. Two years before they made love again. His mother finally spoke to him after a year. His father never spoke to him again, not even on his deathbed. "What happened to your brother?" Matsumoto asked as he flicked his cigarette butt out the window. "Three years after returning home, he took his own life. Since my parents had disowned him, I had to take care of his remains. He could not be buried in our family grave. The Imperial Army refused to give him a military ceremony. The officer I begged said that he my brother wanted an honorable death, then he was three years too late." --- [b]Kabukichō 2:30 PM[/b] "What fresh hell is this?" The fat man in the kimono sighed when he saw Matsumoto and Fujita at his door. He wore glasses and a trim mustache, a look of annoyance was on his face. Fujita stepped forward with his arms out and raised. "It's been, what, three months, Hanzo? This is how you greet me." "Your eyes should be brown, Fujita, since you're so full of shit." Hanzo stepped aside and let the two detectives into his home. It wasn't much to look at, a one bedroom apartment above the noodle shop Hanzo ran, but according to Fujita it was the nerve center for the Tokyo guppy gangs. The fat man shuffled through the apartment and led them to a table and a grouping of mats. Hanzo sat and Matsumoto and Fujita followed suit. "Hanzo-san is like the head of the guppy gangs, isn't that right?" Fujita asked. "I suppose," Hanzo said with a shrug. "But if you ask, me I am more like a talent scout." "Talent scouts don't kill each other in cold blood," said Matsumoto. "Inspector Fujita here was just catching me up on the gangland war you had five years ago. Six murders later, you emerge from the top of the heap." Hanzo ran a thumbnail across his mustache. "I am simply a businessman. I'm no different than the Tokugawa clan. The streets aren't nearly as cutthroat as the board rooms, gentlemen." "Simply look at these." Matsumoto reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out four photographs. He laid them on the table in front of Hanzo. Three were mugshots of the young murdered men. The fourth was the one boy who had no criminal record. In its place was a close up of the body at the crime scene. Hanzo looked down. He separated the photos into two halves and pointed at the two photos on his right. "These two were part of groups that pay me tribute. The other two, I have no idea who they are." Matsumoto pulled out his notebook and began to scribble. "We need to interview the boys that are part of their group," said Fujita. "I cannot allow that," said Hanzo. "I am dependent upon the Yakuza for a lot, detectives. If they found out about our... arraignment." "The alternative is to run you in," said Fujita. "You're wanted on three counts of murder, Hanzo-san. Don't forget that our arraignment only exists because I tolerate it." "Son of a bitch," hissed Hanzo. "You motherfuckers. You fucking--" "Matsumoto slapped his hands on the table. Hanzo jumped in fright as Matsumoto leapt across the surface at the fat man. Fujita reached out and grabbed Matsumoto's shoulders before he could grab Hanzo's kimono. "The inspector is perturbed," Fujita said as he pulled Matsumoto away. "Best give him what he wants." Hanzo adjusted his glasses and gulped. "One of the gangs is here in Kabukichō. The other is in Kōtō." "Thank you for your cooperation," said Matsumoto. They quickly left and started back down the steps towards the streets. "The fuck was that?" Fujita asked. "Good cop/bad cop," said Matsumoto. "That was good cop/fucking insane cop!" Matsumoto chuckled to himself as they climbed into the car.