A Different Path (Growing Up)

Shidesu Clan

Tatsui was very tense as he stiffly took a sip from the cup of tea that had been offered to him by the very pretty woman sitting across from him. The pretty woman simply smiled back easily, and pushed a plate of biscuits towards Tatsui.

"You must eat more, you're quite a skinny man. Attractive, but a little more muscle on you will improve your visage even more."

Though she had said it quite kindly and encouraging finished with a calm smile, Tatsui knew a demand when he heard it. The woman was practically demanding him to eat it.

Kaida Shidesu, a petite woman with golden-spun locks that ended with a gentle ringlet at the end just below her mid-back, a white headband keeping most of her hair out of her clear, heart-shaped face where blazing blue eyes gazed at him with amusement. She wore a silver kimono with pink linings, and had very unblemished, white skin. So in short words, she was a very beautiful angelic-looking woman that could easily fell anyone.

Mentally and physically.

Despite looking quite delicate and did not really seem like it, she was the Head of the Shidesu Clan that were mostly comprised of gang members, practically ruling over the more unsavory characters with an iron fist. All the while with an easy smile and maybe a giggle at times.

Kaida Shidesu was currently the most dangerous woman in town, and possibly in all of Japan... How she would handle against Ryoba Aishi, Tatsui did not know (and he never wanted to have a thought like that again).

It was during a shopping trip to their local grocery store that this dangerous woman had just came up to them in a black limo, smiled at them kindly, and suddenly pulled them in with a surprisingly strong grip into the limo before the driver started driving off.

And now here they were, in a rather nice traditional Japanese house located in the middle of the Shidesu clan grounds, sitting on the porch eating snacks provided by the chef, and with Ayano and Kaida's son playing in the vast garden. The upside of this whole thing was that Ayano looked like she was having fun with Kaida's son.

Currently they were crouched over a pond as they spoke to each other. Kaida's son, who had light blond hair much like his Mother, pointed out the shimmering body of a fish once in a while in exclamation while Ayano peered closer to take a closer look. Tatsui couldn't help but smile, just imagining the look of interest sparkling in Ayano's eyes.

"It truly did surprise me..." At Kaida's voice, Tatsui instantly turned his attention to Kaida who was also looking at the children playing in the garden. "I knew that Ryoba had a child, but to see her look so much like Ryoba at that age... It's a rather frightening resemblance."

Tatsui faltered. "...You... Knew Ryoba?"

"I did, but not too intimately. I always kept my distance due to my Father's warning." Kaida said, sipping her tea. "He never did fully explain to me as of why... But when I first met Ryoba face to face at the start of middle school, I knew that something wasn't right with her, and I kept my distance as my Father wanted. It was for the best as I would've been either a tool for her means or an enemy to be eliminated."

A shiver went up Tatsui's spine at Kaida's rather nonchalant tone. It was... A rather strange thought that there had been others that knew of Ryoba's nature, and while Tatsui wanted to talk about anything but his late oppressor, he couldn't help but ask...

"What was she like as a child?"

Kaida closed her eyes in concentration, and several moments later she opened her eyes. Her bright blue eyes lost their amusement and were instead blank, a small frown pulling at her lips.

"...She was a very terrifying child as I think back to it." Kaida answered. "No emotion, no compassion, and just so... Unnaturally precise with everything she did. And she just grew more terrifying as she grew up, learning how to adapt to the world around her and started pretending that even she had faults. She hid her true self very well behind those faults, that even I had my doubts that she was really a monster my Father claimed her family was... Did you know she had a sadistic streak?"