How a Cat came of age (A Catwoman Origin Story) Chapter 10 : The Game Begins

The beautiful, long legged woman stood at the side of the lonely, country side road. The hood of her car was open with smoke coming out of it. Her red hair was flowing in the wind, as was her gravity defying skirt. She casually leaned against her car, as if waiting for a car to arrive so she could ask for a lift. In a few minutes a car did arrive. It's occupants were three men, most probably in their mid twenties. As one would expect, the sight of the beauty, standing all alone besides a broken down car drew their attention.

"Hello Miss" said one of the young bucks, giving the statuesque woman a once over, "did your car break down?"

"Yes, yes it did" said the woman in a distressed tone, "it just stopped running, I don't know what's wrong with it!"
"Well, why don't you hop in gorgeous? We'll give you a ride to Tokyo."

"Are you sure?" The woman feigned hesitation, "would your friends be ok with it?"

"Oh yeah! Sure, it's not a problem beautiful." , said the man in the passenger seat. The one in the backseat simply ogled at the woman's long legs.

"Ok!" She said brightening up, "just let me grab my purse."

The man in the back seat moved over so, allow the woman to sit. The car sped off on the quiet road and the four of them began to make conversation.

"So what's your name?" asked the young man sitting right next to the woman. The man was to the woman's right. Her purse was to her left.

"I'm Sandra. I was just out for a drive. It's such a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yes, indeed!" The man next to her said, still leering at her legs.

"Sandra, instead of going straight to Tokyo, why don't we take you to my house." The man driving the car asked her.

"Yeah, you should come with us. Have a little fun. Then we'll take you wherever you wanna go."

"Ummm.....oh I'd hate to impose" Sandra replied, in the sweetest tone. The two men in the front of the car didn't even realize that she had stabbed a needle into the neck of their friend in the back seat. The man himself didn't realise what had happened and before he knew it, he had lost consciousness.

"Not at all! Come on, it'll be fun. We have a home theatre. We can watch a movie together."

"That sounds nice. Ok, let's go to you guys' place." Sandra said as her hand snaked it's way around the top of the passenger seat and stuck a needle in it's occupant's head. He too was rendered unconscious.

The man driving the car noticed that his friends were suddenly quiet, but before he had a chance to react, the barrel of a gun was pressed against his temple.
"Slow down" Sandra said in a cold, yet commanding tone.

"What?.... what's going on?" The flabbergasted man tried asking, only to feel the woman cock her pistol and thrust it's barrel even more painfully into his flesh.

"I'm going to blow your brains out if you don't shut up and do as I say. Now, slow down."

Quacking with fear, the man did as he was ordered. As the car slowed down, Sandra opened the back and passager doors and pushed the other two men out. She then instructed the man driving to take them to the woods nearby. Once there, she had him get out of the car. She did the same. No sooner had the man stepped out of the vehicle, he hit the ground. With terrifying speed, Sandra had kicked his legs from underneath him before cuffing his hands behind his back and gagging him.

She then grabbed one of his ankles and said "don't worry. I'm not gonna break anything. I'm just going to twist your ankle, in case you get any ideas about running."

Before the man could process what she had said, Sandra twisted his ankle, tearing his ligament. The man screamed in pain but only a muffled sound came out of him.

Sandra proceeded to pull a dark cloth sack out of her purse and put it over the man's head, even as he whimpered. With incredible strength, she lifted his body and placed him in the trunk of the car. Then she calmly got in the driver seat and drove away, her captive too terrified to even struggle.

"Sandra" drove straight to a private property at the edge of Tokyo. An enormous mansion enveloped by flower garden and orchards. The guards at the gate allowed her to enter, as they had been instructed that that particular car was to be let in without question. The car went straight to the garage.

Once the door was closed, Selina Kyle stepped out of the vehicle. She instructed two of the Hasigawa kobun to take the man out of the trunk and bring him to Asahi Hasigawa's office. The men did as they were ordered and walked behind her to the Hasigawa Clan's second in command.

As the kobun placed the still bound and gagged young man with a sack over his head and stood by for further instructions. The man, Daiki Nakamura, the son of a billionaire lay there on the floor still whimpering.

"You know, this would have been easier if you just let me sedate him." Selina said to Asahi as she sat down across the desk from him.

"You don't get paid the sums of money that you do so you can do easy jobs" he answered coldly, "besides, this boy needed to suffer, he needed to be adequately terrified. When his father hears his mewling on the phone, he will know that playing games with our family was a big mistake."

Selina wondered just what the hell Asahi planned to do with the guy as he instructed his men to take him to the "guest room". This Daiki was certainly a creep as were his buddies, but Selina wondered if he actually deserved to fall into Asahi Hasigawa's hands.

It had been over four years since Selina had beaten Denji black and blue. A truce was forced by the Obayun and Selina and Asahi had maintained it. She stayed away from him and his son and he too hadn't bothered her. This was in part due to the fact that Selina's primary duty now was to serve as Eiko's bodyguard. She was called in for heists or for espionage assignments only when the situation demanded the very best. So she rarely crossed paths with Asahi or Denji. Selina herself was much more calculated and less impulsive today at twenty two, than she had been at eighteen.

However Selina knew enough about Asahi Hasigawa to know that he certainly held a grudge against her. The man was also frustratingly unreadable. All the time she had spend studying kinesics seemed to have gone to waste when she tried to apply her knowledge in deciphering his body language. Truth be told, he made her nervous. She also didn't understand why he had asked for her specifically to do this kidnapping job. It wasn't anything extraordinary. One of his own kobun could have done it.

There was only one reason. Asahi wanted Selina there. Not her services, but her.

When they were finally alone, Asahi pulled an envelope out of his desk drawer and tossed it towards Selina.
"Open it" he told her, watching her keenly.

Selina didn't know what to expect but what she saw as she tore the envelope open, left her utterly shell shocked.

It contained pictures. Pictures of a woman who had been savagely beaten, her face and body mutilated. She was surely dead. It took Selina a moment to realise that she was looking at the dead body of Emiko Takahashi. The woman she had helped escape four years earlier. The woman whose dreams were important enough to her that she was willing to betray Japan's most dangerous Yakuza clan.

It took a superhuman effort for her to maintain a dispassionate expression. She knew Asahi was watching her.

"We found her in Seoul." he finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "She had let her guard down. Probably thought that after all these years we must have stopped looking for her. Clearly she didn't know us well."

"Why are you showing me this?" Selina asked, regulating her breathing to try and maintain the appearance of nonchalance.

"I assumed you'd be glad to know that we had caught her. After all, you did work hard to get a hold of her, did you not?"

"Yeah. She covered her tracks pretty well though."

"If I remember correctly, you were able to track down a shipment of gold coins all the way to Cape Town. She must have been really good at disappearing if even you couldn't find her. That, or whoever helped her escape must have been very crafty."

Selina felt more uncomfortable the longer this conversation went on. It was time to exit. She told Asahi something about Eiko waiting for her and took her leave.

One of the kobun handed her the keys to her car and she drove away.

Once she was sufficiently distant from the Hasigawa property, she parked her car on the side of the road and released a breathe she didn't realise she had been holding.

Asahi knew. He knew that she was the one who helped Emiko escape, he knew that she enlisted her help to blackmail his son. The only reason he hadn't exposed her was because Denji had probably told him about the pictures Selina had of him and Emiko in bed.

Emiko. Beautiful, brilliant Emiko.

Her face flashed before Selina's eyes. She remembered Emiko's smile, her determination to find her place in the sun. She was a brave, strong woman who would not accept her life as a bird in a golden cage. She had plans for a beautiful future. A future that she wanted to carve out for herself, on her own terms.

All of that was ripped away from her. Her life and all her hopes and dreams snuffed out with such horrifying brutality.

Emiko's murder made it obvious to Selina that the Hasigawas did not forgive or forget those who defected. They could and would look for her for years if and when she decided to leave. And she needed to leave. This life wasn't for her. She was a thief. She didn't want to be involved in any business which caused suffering to the innocent.

But in order to get out and not end up like Emiko, she would have to start forming her exit strategy now.

Only now, her life was more complicated than it had been two years earlier. She was no longer alone and had a best friend, a sister in Holly.
Holly was dependent on her for protection. She was also Selina's only weak point.

Selina didn't regret taking the young girl under her wing. Ever since she came into her life, it felt as though her heart had grown. She knew real warmth and affection after so long. She wouldn't change it for the world.

Selina was just thinking of ways to keep Holly safe when her IBM Simon began to ring. It was Eiko, surely calling to see if Selina would make it in time for their date. She sometimes missed the days when this new invention didn't exist. It allowed people to get a hold of you anywhere, anytime.

"Hi baby!" Eiko said as soon as Selina answered. She had been calling her "baby" for about a year now. Selina had trained herself to not cringe every time she heard it.

"Hey beautiful!", Selina replied, "I'm just on my way to see your dad."

"Ok. You remember we're watching that play before dinner tonight, right?"

"Yes, of course! How could I forget?"

"And by the way", Eiko said in a sultry tone, "Under my dress, I'll be wearing that lacy black corset you got me."

"Then I can't wait till the play is finally over and I can get you in bed."

Eiko giggled at this and after telling her "see you tonight", Selina ended the call.

Holly Robinson was now a student at Tokyo's Shinagawa International School. The seventeen year old was in the eleventh standard, in upper secondary school and would be ready for college a year later. She could now hold a conversation in Japanese and had learned much about this beautiful culture and the people. Her life had changed drastically over two years earlier when she was rescued from her pimp by Selina Kyle. The woman who, on her paperwork, was mentioned as her maternal cousin and guardian.

Selina had given Holly everything. A home, education and a life of dignity. Holly was grateful every single day, but a part of her always wished Selina would open up more often. She was clearly very caring and compassionate, but would only let people in upto a point. In fact, Holly sometimes felt that Eiko Hasigawa was more open to her than Selina Kyle.

As she exited the school building, knowing she won't be back there until the next school year began in a few weeks, she wondered if she should ask Selina if they could go away for the weekend. The woman just worked too hard and had seemed especially stressed these past few days. She said goodbye to her friends and walked home.

Selina Kyle reported to the Obayun Hasigawa and told him every detail of the job. Including where she had left Daiki Nakamura's two friends. The Boss himself was a bit surprised that his brother had enlisted Selina for such a simple job. Selina knew why, but of course she couldn't tell. After a brief discussion, Selina left the office and decided to pay Sakura Sato a visit. It had been weeks since they spoke.

"So you finally decided to show your face!" Sakura said, feigning annoyance on seeing Selina.

"I'm sorry Sakura-San.", Selina said hugging the old woman, "I've been busy protecting Eiko, doing heists for our Obayun and taking care of Holly. You know how it is!"

"How is that girl? Is she eating right?" Asked Sakura, ever the mother figure.

"Yeah, she's taking care of herself. Don't worry."

"How am I supposed to not worry?" Salura ran her fingers through Selina's dyed hair.
"You could have just worn a wig! Don't you know dye can damage hair?"

"Yeah I know!" Selina replied, pretending to be bratty, "I just thought dying it would be fun!"

"Oh you girls will be the death of me! Anyway, make sure you massage your hair with olive oil. It will prevent damage."

"Yes maàm!" Selina told her smiling

Sakura's expression suddenly turned sombre.

"Is Asahi giving you trouble?" She asked.

"Nothing more than usual. Why do you ask?"

"You look worried child. You try to hide it with your mischievous smile but I see it."

Sakura's ability to read people was certainly something Selina wanted to emulate.

"It's nothing, Sakura-San. I just had a long day."

"Well don't let you hard work stop you from living life. What good is all the money you make if you can't enjoy it"

Sakura's words always provided comfort and Selina always came away from conversations with her feeling enriched. However, as kind and affectionate as she was, Sakura was for all intents and purposes a Hasigawa. There were certain things Selina just could not tell her. Including what she had done to Denji or her plans to leave this family one day.

These thoughts weighed heavily on Selina's mind as she entered her and Holly's apartment. Holly Robinson was in the kitchen, making churros and chocolate sauce.

"And how was your day?" Selina asked grabbing a bottle of cold water.
"Petty good. Last day of school! I'm just going to go out with the girls later."

"Right! You're gonna be ready for college in a year."

"Selinaaa! Do you have to remind me?"

Selina laughed at Holly's apparent annoyance. These last two years had gone by so quickly. The young girl before her was no longer the scared child who would jump at every shadow she saw. She was now confident, social and looking forward to a bright future. Selina had resolved to protect that future at all costs. Sometimes she wondered if bringing here her was the right thing to do. On the one hand Japan was one of the safest, most developed countries in the world. On the other, Holly's association with Selina put her in dangerous proximity to the country's most powerful Yakuza family. But mostly, Selina was just glad to have her there.

However, it was time for Holly to understand the reality of her and Selina's situation.

"Holly, I need to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, sure. These are done anyway" Holly said, bringing two plates of churros and saucers of chocolate sauce to the kitchen table.

"Holly, I'm sure you know that the Hasigawas aren't exactly a wholesome loving family." Selina said, as they ate.
Holly knew exactly what Selina was talking about. Though she had never gone into any explicit detail, Selina made sure that she knew what kind of business the Hasigawa family dealt in. She liked Eiko, who had always been nice to her. But Selina had already warned her two years earlier not to get too close to her. That her relationship with Eiko was merely one of "convenience".

"Sure.... did something happen?"

Well, long story shot, about four years ago I helped a woman espace the Hasigawa clan. I also had her assist me in blackmailing Denji. I thought she'd be safe. I thought she'd be living a good life somewhere, but...."

Selina inhaled deeply and Holly placed her warm hand over hers, knowing she was struggling with something.

".... they killed her."

"Holy shit!!"

"Yeah. Somehow they were able to find. Even after four years they kept looking for her."

"That's scary."

"Exactly. So I think it goes without saying that when I try to leave they'll be moving heaven and hell to look for me too. They'll never stop looking for me and won't rest until I'm six feet under."

"So what are you gonna do, Selina?"

"I'm starting to formulate my exit strategy Holly. The reason I'm telling you all this is because you need to be ready to leave Tokyo. Soon. You might not get to finish school here."

"But Selina, why? I... I can take care of myself. You're teaching me how to fight and you said I was getting good...."

"Holly. Please understand. Tatsuo, Eiko, Sakura... they all know how much you mean to me. And they're going to try to get to you. If anything happened to you, I'll never forgive myself."

"Selina, you want me to just abandon you? When you could be in danger? You were there for me Selina, now let me be there for you."

"Holly, you need to listen to me. This isn't just dealing with a common thug who hits little girls. These people are monstrous. I'm going to stay in touch with you. We won't be apart for long. I promise."

"But Selina, how are you gonna get out? Why not just leave now? Let's just disappear so they don't find us."

"Its not that simple Holly. The Hasigawa's have connections all over the world. And like I said, they'll never stop pursuing me. I'll be putting you in danger too. If I'm going to leave, I'm gonna have to do it in the midst of a storm. I need to make a mess that they'll be cleaning up long after I'm gone. I just need to plan it all out."

For a while they both sat in silence, just letting the seriousness of the situation sink in. Selina was the strongest person Holly has ever known. She was a force of nature who could do anything, defeat any number of odds. She had faith that Selina would be ok, but that fear still lingered. Not because she was afraid of losing her protector, but because she was afraid of losing her big sister.

After a moment's silence, Selina spoke.

"But don't worry about that now. For now, things are under control. Finish you churros and have fun with your friends."

Holly smiled warmly at her sister who was always trying to keep her safe. Silently praying for things to work out fine for her.

That evening, Selina picked up Eiko from her penthouse. There was no way that the daughter of Tatsuo Hasigawa would live on university campus. Her dad had given her a lavish five bedroom, fully furnished penthouse. While the apartment that Selina shared with Holly could certainly be called "nice", Eiko's place was at another level of opulence, no difference from her own floor in the Hasigawa estate. Initially after moving in, Eiko spent most of her nights at Selina's place, in her her bed. Selina didn't like the idea of leaving the girl all alone. But as Holly began to heal, she insisted that, in her words, she "didn't need to be babied". And so Selina and Eiko would alternate between spending nights at either of their apartments.

As soon as Selina walked in through the door, Eiko ravenously threw herself at her. They made out for several minutes while moving to the couch, where they collapsed.

"Hmmmm.... you're in a good mood!" Selina commented playfully as they regained their breath.

"I'm just glad to see you. Oto-San has been keeping you too busy lately." Eiko said, pouting "has he forgotten that you're supposed to be guarding my body?"

"Naughty naughty!" Selina said pulling the smaller woman on to her lap, "don't let your daddy find out you talk this way or it's game over for me!"

"Oh I think I might find a solution for that"

"What kind of a solution?" Selina was truly intrigued now, not even pretending.

"I'll tell you at dinner." Eiko replied while quickly getting up and fixing her dress, "come on! I don't want to miss the show."

Eiko loved the play. She and Selina watched from one of the VIP boxes. Selina however was barely paying any attention to what was going on on the stage. Her mind being fully occupied with more pressing matters.

Afterwards, as they ate dinner Eiko surprised Selina by saying "Selina, I want to tell Oto-San about us".

"You wanna tell him that we're involved?"

"I want to tell him about our relationship" Eiko corrected her.

"You know he would kill me, right? Selina asked, silently wondering if this was yet another mess she'd have to deal with.

"Selina, he's not as cruel as you seem to think. He's actually very fond of you. I've been showing him scientific studies on human sexuality for a few weeks. You know, just to set the stage."

Selina drank all her wine in one go before replying.

"Ok, Eiko. I need you to listen to me very carefully. Showing your dad a few research paper is not going fo do anything. Even if learns to understand same sex relationships, it'll still be very different when it's his own daughter. Even more so when the person she's with is someone who works for him."

"Selina, I don't want to keep our relationship a secret forever."

"I know darling. I just think we need to wait...."

"Selina, that's not the only thing I want to discuss with Oto-San. I also want to work with him."
"You do?"

"Yes, I'm not studying business so I can vanish into obscurity like so many women in my family. I want to be a part of my family's legacy. And I want to prove to my father that I'm worthy."

"Wow! You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm serious. I know my uncle Asahi is pushing for his good for nothing son to succeed my father, and Oto-San seems to be considering it. I'm not letting that happen. This is MY father's legacy and some incompetent idiot is not going to have it just because he has a penis."

"I couldn't agree more. The last thing this world needs is real power in the hands of people like Denji. But Eiko, you've never shown any interest in Hasigawa business before. I mean, this is a bit sudden."

"Well I've been biding my time. I was determined to enter our organisation ever since I was a kid. You're not the only one who knows how to keep a secret you know!"

"Hmmm..... so I'm beginning to see. So, how do you want to do it. Get the Boss to give you an opportunity, I mean."

"Well..... that's where I need your help. You've been involved with the business for almost seven years now. I want you to guide me through. Besides, the sooner I gain a position of power in the organisation, the sooner I can tell Oto-San all about us. We can be together Selina. We won't have to sneak around anymore."

"Of course I'll help you. Just don't tell your dad anything about us before your position is secure."

As Eiko and Selina shared a kiss, the later kept thinking of how the opening she was looking for was presented to her. The ingredients she needed to create the storm were all in front of her. Now all she needed to do was mix them all together.

Sakura would often tell Selina that not every information is to be shared as soon as you gain it. Sometimes it is best to keep it to yourself, and reveal it at a later time when it's disclosure would be most effective.

Selina had known for some time that Minato Kiyama, the twenty three year old son of Fujio Kiyama and heir apparent to the Kiyama family empire, had a secret lover. What was unique about his situation was that Minato's lover was a young man named Enji Suzuki. From what Selina had heard and had seen with her own eyes, Enji was more than just a sex toy for Minato. There were real feelings involved. Selina knew that he would make for excellent leverage.

The twenty year old Enji Suzuki was a student at the University of Tokyo. As Selina always kept an eye on Eiko, it had been easy for her to observe Enji as well. She knew that on every Saturday afternoon, a black SUV picked him up from just outside the college campus and drove him to wherever Minato wanted to see him. It was usually at a luxurious hotel.

Unfortunately for the poor lad, on this particular Saturday he wouldn't be going to any hotel to see his rich boyfriend. Selina Kyle had highjacked the car and left the Kiyama men hog tied in a dumpster. Enji could tell something was wrong as soon as he stepped in. Before he could understand what was going on, Selina had his gagged, blindfolded and tied up. She drove him straight to a safe house she has on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Eiko Hasigawa, along with a few Hasigawa men that Selina had coerced into helping, were waiting for them there. Selina dragged the trembling young man out of the car and had the kobun made him sit on a chair. His gag was removed, but his blindfold was left on, and Selina assured him that he would be safe as long as he was a good boy and did as he was told. Poor Enji could only nod.

"Selina, I know this is part of you plan" an impatient Eiko said, "but you need to tell me what the hell is going on. Who is that?"

"That" Selina replied with a sly smile "is a Kiyama weak spot. And if we use him right, your position as your dad's successor is secure."