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She knew something didn’t feel right when she phoned Bryce and he agreed to come straight to the orphanage, but Akane didn’t know what else to do. She just had to hope that her gut was misleading her, and the Sage would know what to do about the situation with the young girl who literally showed up on Akane’s doorstep.
And then Bryce pointed a gun at the girl’s head, and Akane realised that the situation was far more dangerous than she ever thought, and the Sage of Palekana was not to be trusted. She didn’t even have time to think things through. All Akane could think about was getting Lani away from Bryce.
She wasn’t going to lose another child.
So, she grabbed Lani by the hand, and they ran for their lives.
They still run now, winding frantically through the streets of Honolulu. Akane struggles to breathe, her old joints aching, but she can’t stop. There is no way that Bryce will simply give up after almost shooting an innocent child through the head. He will try to murder poor Lani again, she just knows it. And she doesn’t want to think about the group she has dedicated her life to being used in such a way, but Akane fears that, if he truly wants to, Bryce could mobilise the many members of Palekana against her. She can’t trust anyone from Palekana, and that thought terrifies her.
When Lani trips and nearly falls over, Akane catches her before she can hit the ground. The girl trembles in her grasp, so small and terrified. She came to the orphanage for help and safety, and instead… a man she should have trusted with her life tried to kill her.
As they run, Akane tries to think of what to do. She can’t trust the people she thought she knew, and she certainly isn’t going to approach any of the gangs to protect Lani, so there is only one option. She’ll take Lani to Kiyo. Her old friend will surely know what to do. She always does. Having even such a basic plan lessens Akane’s fear slightly, and she squeezes Lani’s hand as she changes their course, leading the girl to Kiyo’s tattoo parlour on Night Street.
A few seconds later, Lani winces, and Akane looks down. The girl’s shoe has slipped from all the running, and it must chafe against her foot. They really don’t have time to stop, but they still have more ground to cover, and if Lani gets a blister, that might slow them down. So, without speaking, Akane darts into an alleyway, pulling Lani into the shadows after her.
“Wh-What’s going on?” Lani asks, breathless and utterly terrified.
“Your shoe is hurting you, right?” Akane says, smiling gently. She thanks her many years of experience working with children to help her know exactly how to keep Lani calm. “Let me fix it for you.”
Lani sniffles a bit, but she nods. Akane eases herself to one knee, her joints once again protesting, and carefully adjusts Lani’s shoe so it sits properly on her foot.
When she finishes, she stands up, and says, “There you are. Much better.”
“Th-Thank you,” Lani says, her voice tiny. “What… what are we going to do, Miss Akane?”
Akane takes Lani’s small hand in her own, offering a reassuring squeeze. “I have a friend. I’m certain she can help us. We just need to keep running and we’ll get to her place soon enough. Can you keep going, Lani?”
And although she looks exhausted and shaky, Lani tries her best to smile and says, “I… I can.”
Akane stares at this brave little girl, a child whose whole world has been flipped upside down, and feels a powerful urge to hug her. But now isn’t the time.
“Follow me, then,” Akane says, and she begins to run once more, leading Lani through the dark alleyways and backstreets in search of safety.