Chapter 51 Kei Ito (1/2)

They walked for hours, following a direction of the sun with focus towards their destination.

After a while, Tyne declared they should take a break when he noticed Eiji holding his stomach to keep walking. They decided to break against a rock crop beneath the shade of tall maples.

Eiji's mind began to wonder on the story of his companions. He wondered on Kei's story that led him to being an American informant.

”Hey, Kei. What's your story?” Eiji blurted and avoided the look of daggers Kei threw his way.

”I know your name's Ito, Kei. You have a mother and sister, and suffered some.”

”I didn't just suffer some. My family got the shits cause of you pricks.”

Eiji's heart almost broke at the hefty consequence Kei, his mother and sister suffered because of his Japanese blood after Pearl Harbor struck.

His family were living in Detroit at the time. Already they had a hard time fitting in with their Asian looks. Before the Pearl Harbor attacks, they were able to pass of as Chinese except his mother who was a white American.

”Every time my mother dragged us down the street. People thought we were her slave kids.” Kei spat at the ground. ”She stopped explaining the truth after a policeman wanted to take her in to get her head checked.”

Then poverty in his area made it impossible to nab a meal. So, Kei stole a loaf of bread.

”I was ten and nimble. Got away with cut-pursing, until a local gang runner saw me when he was on his way for a pick-up.”

The runner saw potential with Kei's instincts and street smarts, so offered him protection as a member of the local gang.

”Steely trained me to steal with honour. Pfft. Like what the f'ck is that anyway.” Kei sighed. ”Still, can't complain. Those were happy days. My mum and sister got food. Taylor, my sister, was too young to understand. She was just happy to eat. Mum never said anything, but I think she knew.”

By the time Kei had reached the age of 16 years, he became of the same level as a Kyodai of a local Asian gang. Running extortion rings and protection rackets around the poorer Asian populated areas. He didn't get familial tattoos to his skin since his gang operated as an independent association to a family. So, he used this clean skin as his advantage of being an informant between strongholds.

”A run in with the Ohara family made me face my true heritage.” Kei laughed bitterly.

We sat enthralled by Kei's story of how he almost bled out on a bloody battlefield that was actually a car manufacturing warehouse on a shipping docks.

”There was a scuffle with our car theft gang and another of some other unit. Our family faced off with one of the Nishigawa's. Turns out it was a f'cking territory claim between two related oyabun's.” Kei fell silent. His face paled. ”F'cking half-brothers.”

He skipped over the rest of his gang life.

”Obviously, I lived. A few years later, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor whilst my gang's arses got handed to us. People narked on anyone with an Asian face as Japanese.”

The incident had happened in the Hawaii Islands, but all Japanese half-cast's were facing the consequences of Pearl Harbor all across the United States not long afterwards.

”My sister and I were nabbed by the local pigs. Right out of our f'cking home. Four gits had to break down the door.”