Not quite.

“Alright, is everything set?” Fuyuhiko asked a group of about ten men in the back of a run-down restaurant, each armed with either a blade and handgun or concealable SMG. “If we’re going to pull this off, we’re going to have to be perfect. That means no one escapes, no matter what.”

“We got the place on lockdown, boss,” a man with black hair and a scar across the side of his head replied. “Guns are loaded, blades are sharp, and our scout says that the Tigers’ leader, Derek, arrived for his appointment right on schedule.”

“Good, good…” Fuyuhiko sighed and looked down at his sword. “So I guess this is it then? No going back?”

“Uh… if you’re having second thoughts, there’s still a chance to try something else,” the Yakuza soldier pointed out.

“What?!” Fuyuhiko walked up to the man and placed the handle of his sword underneath the man’s chin. “You’re not calling me a coward, are you? A Kuzuryu never backs down when his family is disrespected, understand!?”

“Y-yes sir!” the taller man answered, barely hiding his terror.

“Good! Because the next time you question me, your guts are going to be all over the ground with our enemies’.” Fuyuhiko put his sword back at his side. “Alright, everyone; let’s move! Remember; I don’t want any mistakes out there!”

With that, the group went outside into the dim evening and crossed the street to the tattoo parlor on the other side. At the same time, Shuichi and his friends turned onto that very street, coming to a stop about 30 feet away when they noticed the group of people in the street.

“Shit!” swore Peko. “I think we might be too late.”

“Hey! Derek! I know you’re in there!” Fuyuhiko hollered through the dark. “Bring your ginger ass out here, or that building’s gonna have so much lead people will think it’s a gun shop!”

“Well, that’s not a very smart tactic. Just go in and catch them by surprise.” Mukuro observed with a heavy roll of her eyes.

“He’s a gangster. Those guys always gotta boast about how much bigger their balls are.” Maki replied. “Trust me; I know their type.”

At that moment, a man with fiery red hair and face stripes like a tiger’s stepped out of the tattoo parlor, flanked on both sides by some nasty-looking men with bats pierced by rusty nails. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms at the sight of Fuyuhiko as his own gangsters glared dangerously at the group of Yakuza.

“Oi! What do you want?!” she shouted.

“I didn’t get my money, you asshole!” Fuyuhiko answered. “It wasn’t at the spot!”

“Well, that ain’t my problem, now is it, you midget?” Derek said, stepping forward and towering over Fuyuhiko.

“I’m about to make it your problem!” Fuyuhiko spat, unintimidated. “Pay up, or I’ll make you pay!”

“Should we turn around and get out of here before the bullets start flying, Shuichi?” asked Mukuro. “At this point, there’s not much we can do.”

“No, that’s wrong! We can still stop this if we hurry!” Shuichi ordered, grabbing the suitcase and sprinting to the two groups.

“What is that man doing?!” Peko asked, expressing fear for the first time since she met the group.

“Being an idiot that wants to die, apparently. Come on.” Maki reached into her bag, and pulled out an Uzi for herself and a pistol for Mukuro. “Let’s go give him a little backup.”

Not wasting any time, the group got out of the car and ran off after Shuichi.

“You know, if we don’t make it, I just want to let you know…. I always thought you were high on your own supply,” Maki said, turning to Mukuro as they sprinted.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” the soldier replied. “But if we die, I can die happy knowing you never once beat me in a spar,”

“If that was supposed to motivate me to make it through this… it worked,” Mukuro smirked as they finally caught up to Shuichi, who had placed himself in between the two gang groups, both of which drew their guns on the sudden intruders.

“Who the fuck is this?” Derek asked as he and the crowd turned to the newcomers. “A couple of wise-guys?”

“Peko, what’s going on?!” Fuyuhiko demanded, but Shuichi beat him to it.

“I have the money, Mr. Fuyuhiko!” Shuichi slammed the suitcase onto the ground and opened it. “I found it under the dumpster at the casino by accident! I swear I didn’t know what it was for or how important it was! I swear I didn’t mean to start a gang war!”

There was a tense moment of silence as Fuyuhiko approached the group, and both Maki and Mukuro pointed their guns at him. Neither he nor Peko seemed to flinch at the silent threat, but the small man looked at the Ultimate Swordswoman.

“Peko?” He asked simply, not taking his eye from Shuichi.

“It’s true, Master. It was just bad luck,” she replied. “Though I nearly took his life before finding out the truth.”

“Hahaha! You serious?! The big-bad One-Eyed Wolf lost his cash because of a rookie mistake?!” Derek bellowed.

“You’re really going to laugh at someone making a mistake when you were ready to start a war at the drop of a hat?” Maki fired back, instantly souring Derek’s expression. Fuyuhiko held out his hand expectantly, and Shuichi was all too happy to hand over the cursed case. The man opened, looked at all the bills, and nodded.

“Looks like that’s everything. Not a single yen out of place.” He confirmed, closing it.

“Then you guys can have your peace, right?” Shuichi asked with a nervous smile.

“Why the hell would we want that? This bastard just rolled up to our turf and threatened me.” Derek responded, pulling out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth to light. “There’s no way we can just-”

Before Derek could finish taking out his lighter, a gunshot from Mukuro ripped the cigarette clean from his mouth.

“I insist on letting bygones be bygones,” Mukuro said coolly. “We can iron out the details at a hotel.”

Derek scowled and let out a huff.

“Ya know what? What the hell? But that pipsqueak is paying for the booze.” The Tiger leader conceded, pointing at Shuichi.

“Ok, sure. It’s the least I can do.” The man in question replied, too nervous to tell them he was flat broke, as they all began to make their way over to the new location.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay,” Mukuro whispered as they walked.

About an hour later, after a lot of beers, hopefully good-natured jabs, and a few arm wrestling contests, the Savage Tigers and the Yakuza sealed their new deal. With the crisis finally averted, everyone began to head home, but Fuyuhiko pulled Shuichi aside just before he could leave with Maki and Mukuro.

“Hey, man; I know I couldn’t say this earlier in front of the gangs, but I really am grateful you showed up when you did,” Fuyuhiko said with a smile as Peko stood dutifully behind him. “I would have won the war, of course, but peace is still better for everyone.”

“H-hey, it’s the least I could do. I’m just glad that all worked out,” Shuichi said with a nervous smile, hoping that his hands were not shaking as much as it felt like they were.

“Yeah, well, being **** into a room to negotiate at gunpoint certainly does help motivate us to find common ground,” Fuyuhiko replied snidely.

“Now, all everyone has to do is keep up their end of the bargain. Here’s hoping the peace actually lasts,” Maki sighed.

“Derek’s a hotheaded bastard, but he’s like a father to those who follow him. He won’t do anything if we won’t.” Fuyuhiko began after recounting the terms of the peace. “But there’s still one more thing to do before we call it quits for the day.”

He turned to Shuichi and looked him in the eye.

“I have to pay you back for the favor you did for me.”

“Oh, you don’t owe me anything. Just going home would be reward enough for me.” Shuichi hastily put up his hands, but it was obvious Fuyuhiko was having none of it.

“You may think I don’t owe you a rat’s dick, but it doesn’t matter what you think. Yakuza honor demands that whatever others do to us, we repay in full, for good or ill.” Fuyuhiko explained.

“O-okay, I suppose I could accept a small gift. What do you have in mind?” asked Shuichi.

“From what Peko tells me, you were attacked by her at the park without her giving either a warning or explanation. Is that right?” asked the young gangster.

“Y-yes, sir. The cut on my arm was actually my fault, though; I should have been more careful when trying to save her from my friend,” Shuichi humbly explained.

“That settles it then.” Fuyuhiko slammed his foot hard onto the ground. “Mr. Saihara! To repay you for the great service that you’ve done me today, I’m about to loan you something very close to my heart! Starting today, my bodyguard, Peko Pekoyama, will be your loyal servant for one full year. As long as it does not harm her or my clan in any way, you can order her to do whatever you want!”

“I-I’m sorry, what?” Shuichi stammered out, his words mirroring the shocked expressions of the girls next to him.

“You got wax in your ears or somethin’?” Fuyuhiko asked angrily. “Starting now and until one year from today, this woman right here is to be yours, body and soul.”

“B-but, Master… my obligation is to you, and only you!” Peko gasped, her heart racing even faster than when she was fighting Maki and Mukuro.

“And you failed your obligation to me when you attacked an innocent without even considering an alternative. You didn’t even think about checking the trunk of his car either, did ya? If you had just done that, then all of this would have been avoided!” Fuyuhiko growled. “And now, you can make up for your mistake. Besides… it’s probably for the best that we get a little space. You know that I can’t rely on you forever.”

Peko looked away, embarrassed and hurt.

“Do you honestly expect us to trust her? After what she did?” Mukuro asked behind Shuichi.

“There’s no one out there more trustworthy than a member of my clan, believe me. Plus, you’ve seen how she is already; even if she makes mistakes, she’s loyal to a fault and doesn’t so much as have a selfish or deceitful bone in her body. She’ll follow any order you give her, no matter how depraved or morally corrupt. I promise, if you let her, she won’t stop until you’re satisfied. Just make sure you give her back in one piece, or else we really will have bad blood, capiche?”

“Y-yes sir…” Shuichi shuddered, realizing that there wouldn’t be any arguing with a guy like him. “I promise to be a good… Master?”

“Excellent.” Fuyuhiko smiled and patted Shuichi on the shoulder. “Then that’s my cue to make like a tree and get the fuck out of here. Remember, Peko; I expect you to treat him even better than you treat me.”

“Yes sir… if it is your order, I promise to do my best,” Peko said, bowing her head respectfully.

And with that, the boss walked to the door. Before he opened it, however, he turned to Shuichi.

“And one more thing. And this goes for all of you.” He narrowed his eye at them and spoke in a tone that gave even the girls goosebumps. “If any of you ever point a gun at me or my men again, I will string you up under the Perry Bridge like freshly butchered pigs. Got it?”

Everyone simply nodded. Giving a small one of his own, Fuyuhiko turned the knob on the door out and left.

“Oh my god. Just one day without something like this happening is all I ask.” Maki groaned and slumped against a nearby wall.

“I don’t know. This is a little exciting.” Mukuro replied, ghosting her fingers over the parts of her clothes that Peko had managed to cut in their fight. She looked over at Peko, her competitive spirit coming to life at the prospect of a new rival for her to spar against.

“… Master?” Peko suddenly spoke up.

“Yes, Peko?” Shuichi turned toward her voice and was surprised to find the girl on her hands and knees with her forehead touching the ground.

“I eagerly await your first order.”