Mistress Akemi

Mistress Anne
Face Off

Anne sat there. She stared in a way that only a cat can, analysing the man who had entered her classroom. He paced nervously, walking back and forth from the window to the front of her classroom, never letting go of the gun. Everybody in the class knew what that gun meant. Not a single one of them stood a change in a fight with a grownup let alone a grown-up with a rifle. That was the key to this whole charade. This was Anne's classroom and that was her lover at the front of the class, the only person who physically stood half a chance and therefore the only one being actively threatened.

"Just keep these fucking brats in their seats and fucking behaving themselves!" he insisted, jabbing his finger in her direction. Every time he went to look through the blinds he would point the guns at Miss Akemi, making it clear that she was to remain seated at her desk. A few of the children were crying silently; knowing full well from too much television that this was a hostage situation and that their lives were in danger. One or two of the boys sat there grinning as though watching a show, but the majority of the class was quiet.
So far no word had been heard from outside the class but the school bell for lunch had been rung. The other students would be being evacuated from the school and they would be arranging for a negotiator.
It was obvious that the man was on edge, only natural since the police had effectively closed everybody in.
"Where's the fuckin' nerd copper to talk me down?" he muttered to himself, "What's taken them so long. Fuckin' cops!"
Anne thought, as she examined the man's posture and behaviour, the way the rifled wavered uncertainly in her teachers direction and the confused look on his face..


"What exactly did you do?" She voiced up, drawing the man's attention. He hesitated and looked from her to the window and back to her again.
"I said -what exactly did you do?"
"Shut the fuck up kid!" was his only reply. Anne silently started steaming.
"You're holding us hostage, your threatening my..." Anne hesitated for barely a second before continuing, "teacher and classmate's hostage. I think we have the right to at least know the reason? I mean, are you a terrorist, a murderer? What?"
The criminal glared in reply and looked out the window for the umpteenth time, waving the weapon in the direction of a white knuckled teacher. Anne looked to her with sympathy.
"Are you okay up there Akemi-Chan?"
Miss Akemi opened her eyes and smiled at her lover with fear showing in her face; Anne grimaced and tried again.
"Well, can I at least know your name?" She persisted, "We're going to be here until those incompetents out there can arrange something so we may as well talk."
Robert tugged at his hair before answering; "My names Robert." he stated plainly, "Now shut the fuck up!"

The look on Anne's face described several different kinds of murder that only a nine year old girl could conceive of. Many of them involved large rocks or cartoonish looking special effects, many in bright colours. Slowly and surely - a plan started forming in the cobwebs of her brain.
Anne stood, and the point of the rifle immediately went to focus on her.
"Sit down sit down!" Maria hissed beside her, only to be shooed into silence.
"Miss Tanzuki, I think we should play a game?"
"SIT THE FUCK DOWN"

Anne blinked. Looking Robert directly in the eyes she completely ignored the gun and smiled at him sweetly before looking back to her teacher, acting for the entire world as though there was no possible threat to herself or anybody else in the room. The smile filled every aspect of her face and both Akemi and a number of the students started smiling again.
"Everybody is tense." She addressed her teacher then looked at the gunman. "Regardless what this man intends to do I doubt a game of heads down thumbs up will hurt."
Anne blinked as Robert bore down on her, the muzzle of the rifle moving to press against her own head. Turning to face him she smiled again, this time a wry smile that was followed by a look of innocent confusion.

"You're going to kill a nine year old girl?" She enquired honestly.
Robert started to pull the trigger but hesitated.
Anne thought, grinning inside.
Moving slowly she stepped out from behind her desk, the gun following her but did not firing. She stepped again and again Robert kept it trained on her but failed to fire.
Nodding to her teacher she proceeded to the front of the class, squeezing the older woman's shoulder.
"Your okay." she whispered, smiling at seeing the colour return to her teachers face, "I have a plan."
Swallowing, she addressed the class with as big a voice as she could muster.

"Alright, everybody. As I said, we'll try a game of heads down thumbs up. Although on this occasion we're going to make things a little different. So we don't have people wondering around all over the place - I and Miss Tanzuki shall be the ones to 'tag' you."
The children in the class looked at each other with mild confusion. "Those who successfully guess which of us 'tagged' you will move to sit against the side wall." She indicated, pointing towards the wall nearest the classroom door.
Nodding, and recovering slowly from the shock, Miss Akemi recovered took over, standing up and clapping her hands.
"Everybody understand the rules? Alright then, heads down thumbs up!"

The children obeyed without question. Sixteen heads buried themselves on their desks as Robert's gun followed teacher and student. Outside the police had finally got their act together and a nasally voice was calling out to the gunman to talk with him; to no avail.
In the first round six of nine children moved to the side wall and sat quietly. The game was a good idea in itself as the children were finally starting to relax a little bit. Robert, instead of focusing on the police outside, was fixated on the children however. His eyes moved from person to person as another eight children this time moved towards the side wall.
"I am addressing the man known as Robert Hayden!" the nasally police officer called out over the megaphone only to have the gunman ignore him.
"That's enough." he commented at last, addressing the students.
Anne replied to Roberts words with a scathing look.

"Molly, Adrian - Go sit with the other students please."
"Oh no you don't!" Robert was shaking; His rifle wavering in the air between the students, Anne and their teacher.
"I - I don't know who y-you think you are little girl!" he asked more than ordered, "But you -"
Robert hesitated then finally found some direction. In three large strides he cleared the distance between himself and Akemi and in that instance the only thing keeping the older woman from collapsing in fright was the sturdy desk behind her.
Anne's heart skipped a beat and with more effort than one could use to move a freight train she turned her head away and looked back to her classmates.
"Yeah right." She said in a small but sardonic voice as she tried not to choke on her own words. Behind her she felt rather than saw Robert raise his gun higher on the woman's head. Reaching forwards, she opened the door to the classroom and turned to face him - propping it open with the latch.

"Close the door!" he demanded.
"Don't worry Akemi. He can't hurt you."
"Oh why cant I?" He said priming the weapon, "What do you think you have over me?"
"Please, please, please don't oh my god."
"Akemi, hush."

Anne's words dropped across the room like a gong sounding. The nasally officer outside had given up now. Whether they had noticed the door to the classroom open or whether they were trying to find their own means of achieving what Anne was doing was unknown. Ameki was crying to herself silently, not daring to move but the looks between her mistress and the gunman would not budge.
In due time Anne spoke again. Her expression never changed and her eyes never left her opponent in the battle of wits that was taking place.
"Akemi, trust me." She said; then addressed the students behind her.
"Everybody is to crawl towards the door and outside." She said simple. Move in a straight line, no talking."

Robert blinked.
"Everybody move." Anne repeated. The gun stayed exactly where it was as the children got on their knees and began crawling as instructed. Some made whimpering sounds but most were completely silent. It didn't take much to understand who was in charge.
Robert Blinked...

"Tell them to stop." He asked - shaking again.
"No."
"Tell Them To Stop!" Outside several voices started yelling. The police had indeed gone around to the entrance to the classroom and as one child after another started to file out of the room they gathered the children together. Robert tried to give the order again.
"Tell them to -"
"Or what?" Anne took a step forwards and Robert one back. His gun raised and swung to face Anne, wavering in the air.
"You have LOST, Robert."

Anne smiled and took a step forward.
Robert Fired.

The minutes following that followed blurred together for everybody involved. As soon as the rifle fired four officers were in the room, all the other children having escaped safely. Akemi was screaming and crying but Anne - to her mind - was perfectly lucid.
As she was carried out to the ambulance she told Akemi not to worry about her.
"It's not too bad." She told her lover. "You'll see, I'll be okay."

Weeping and in shock, Akemi didn't seam to hear her. The ambulance personnel allowed her to ride with them and the long wait began as Anne underwent surgery.