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cheesus-doodles · 5 months

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Chapter 7: Swallow the Sun

Former Gang Leader Darling AU (Red Dragonflies)

Red Dragonflies Masterlist | Masterlist | Ao3 Link for the Sane

‎

The silence that filled the room was palpable, in every sense of the word. It weighed heavy on your shoulders, the air thick and heavy with every breath becoming harder and harder to take, the tension that clogged your lungs almost as if it was an invisible viscous liquid dripping from the ceiling and slowly filling the room. You never liked the feeling that crept like an eerie fog up your legs despite having gotten well acquainted with it by now; just the life of a negotiator you supposed, more so when the parties involved tend to be hot-headed and overly-excitable delinquent gang leaders faced with difficult decisions.

Time felt like it had come to a crawl as the world held its breath. It was an unusually quiet afternoon for the city of Shinagawa, the usual hum of traffic buzzing down the nearby downtown area noticeably missing from the background hum. Even the wind that rattled the clear windows lining one wall just prior to the Black Dragons’ arrival had faded away into a cloudless sky, leaving just the uncaring sun watching on mercilessly. But you didn’t rush, didn’t try to hurry the other party who seemed to have frozen in place, Taiju simply wordlessly staring you down with those beastly yellow eyes, the lack of emotions on his face a heart-racing sight for a lesser delinquent, while Inupi and Koko flanking him were outright gaping at you with their shock worn on their sleeves.

The calm before the storm. You understood what you were asking - no, demanding - from them. Well aware of the implication and the loaded threat that your words carried, it wasn't an if but a when and how the Black Dragons were going to be merged into your own gang, whether they wanted it to happen or not. Yet, despite the seemingly sudden nature of this meeting with Taiju, you knew that this had been really a long time coming. All these years you had watched silently from the sidelines as Shinichiro’s gang was ran into the ground by unworthy leaders, its name and reputation tainted and soiled; this was simply the final straw, and no longer were you going to let his good name be sullied any more: at least you could hold your head high and say that you upheld your oath. Quashing down the surging memories of the equally horrid direction that Izana had led the gang down during his time at the head of the Black Dragons, you turned your attention back to the painful, painful waiting: not that you didn’t want to think of the underground smuggling ring or the crime-for-hire that your former lover ran, but it wasn’t an issue to solve at this point.

The oppressive stillness seemed to stretch on, each passing second amplifying the sense of anticipation, as if the room itself were counting down to the inevitable release and the coming explosion. And oh how you hated to wait - the unpredictability of what was to come was like daggers in your skin. There was truly nothing worse than being caught off guard; you had learnt that lesson the hard way multiple times before. At least even in these turbulent minutes you mused, you could count on the rhythmic sound of Furusawa’s heavy breathing from behind you to keep you grounded as you waited, a reassurance that your best friend was there to back you up regardless of how this nasty business turned out.

In an instance, the momentary tranquility shattered, and reality came crashing back down. “What the fuck did you just say?!” His words came out almost like a hiss as Taiju leaned forward, open palm slamming down onto the abused coffee table that separated you and him, the vein on his forehead seemingly throbbing more than usual as the blue-haired boy gritted his teeth.

Pulling yourself out from your thoughts, you leveled your gaze at the gang leader who sat from across you, turning your full attention back to the present. This wasn’t the right time to be nostalgic about the past or ponder the future. “Should I repeat myself?” You raised one questioning eyebrow. No, it was time to play.

“You’re taking me as a fool? Huh?!” He sneered, teeth bared. “Merge my gang under yours? This a fucking game to you, little girl?”

The taunt failed to rile you up enough, even if the strong emphasis on the Black Dragons being his did send a flash of irritation through your chest. No, the gang had never been his. It was Shinichiro’s and Takeomi’s, Wakasa’s and Benkei’s. Taiju was simply another steward for their legendary legacy, just like Izzy had been. Not his. A quick glance at Inupi and you saw the same turmoil in those blue eyes, but you swallowed the rising annoyance. You had worse thrown your way before. “Surely you can’t be suggesting something so vile, Taiju-san,” Bending over slightly to lightly pick your full cup off of the coffee table, you continued, your voice as even as the color of a cloudless midday sky. “I have never messed around in meetings, and never will. This is serious business.”

His tiger eyes seemed to glimmer and glint from the sunlight that filtered through the large window panes, as if simply waiting for a chance to tear into you. To eat you alive. “Then what the fuck are you trying to say?”

You sighed, unimpressed with the lack of tact on show. You didn’t fear the newest of the Black Dragon Presidents, not in the slightest, but you could at least empathize with his poor victims; this man left little room for negotiation for those who lived in his shadow. Fortunately, you did not. “I’m sure you understood me perfectly fine, Taiju-san.” Leaning back onto your chair and taking a sip of your tea, you continued to meet his infuriated stare from the brim of your cup with barely a blink. Deciding that this little dance was going nowhere, you forged ahead. “You must have heard of the brewing storm coming your way.”

Taiju didn’t seem the least bit phased. “You mean that 8th Generation Black Dragon leader? Izana?” Scoffing, the blue-haired boy flicked his hand nonchalantly, as if waving off the fly he thought Izana would be. “Won’t be the slightest issue, dealing with that rat.”

You hummed, a low, single-toned haunting note. “I wouldn’t be too sure. Izana’s a lot stronger than he looks.” A fact that you knew firsthand and all too well - even you wouldn’t be able to take him down alone, with or without the handicaps he would give you.

Silence fell over the room once again, those shaking, balled-up fists told you everything you needed to know. Consumed by anger and preferring to speak with his fists, you noted to yourself, and you wondered if you would have gotten further along if you had just let Furu at him from the start. Maybe you should now in fact - this particular meeting of leaders is coming along much rougher than you had hoped, and your precious free time was slowly but surely ticking down the drain. Yes, it was indeed time to instigate, even if you did risk another human-sized hole in your walls. Pulling yourself back up, placing your cup gingerly back down at the coffee table with a clink as porcelain met porcelain. “What I have been trying to say is,” you leaned forward, head cocked slightly to the side as a small taunting smile began to pull at your lips. “The Black Dragons are far too important to me to let you lose.”

And that was all it took.

‎

Inupi had been looking forward to meeting you again for a very long time. He hadn’t been sure if he would ever be given the opportunity to do so, after everything that had gone down two years ago and you had evaporated into thin air after abruptly retiring, but now here you were. You looked so similar from when he had last seen you standing side by side with Izana, sans the physical growth, you had barely changed - but the weariness in your eyes. The sheer exhaustion that tainted your once lively eyes, it seemed to have only increased and intensified as the years went by; there was no doubt even with all he had witnessed in his life, those eyes had already experienced so much more. An old soul trapped in a young body was what you were, though it wasn’t hard for the Black Dragon member to remember the times that you had away from such heavy gang duties or the times you had spent with your now ex-boyfriend; the times when your eyes would light up as if fireworks against the dark winter sky, and your youth would come rushing back into that gaze like an water out of an opened dam.

Even this infamous meeting room brought back memories; its plush carpet always kept in tiptop condition, the eternal dance of the cranes across the walls, and the homely, worn wooden coffee table that was the centerpiece of the room. After all, the former Black Dragon Vice Captain had once spent hours within these four walls, locked at attention while watching over meetings where you and Izana poured over gang matters and strategies. Not too different from what was happening now, Inupi supposed, crystal blue eyes sliding to glance at the head of alternating blue and white hair that now occupied the sofa opposite of you.

But you always had this presence about you; not those heavy types like Taiju’s, one that commanded fear and attention. No, you had a different type of draw; you brought a sense of closure. An unyielding, constant pressure that meetings in your presence, be it in a room or on the battlefield, will one way or another be brought to a close, with the type of ending they get being left up to your unfortunate victims to decide.

The stoic mask the blond-haired delinquent wore threatened to break when your gaze landed on him, and your lips twitched upwards ever so slightly as you greeted him, but through sheer self-control, he had managed to simply acknowledge your attention. Now standing in your presence once more, Inupi could only wish it was you that he had approached for help with reviving the Black Dragons - the gang would have greatly benefited from a calm and experienced hand at the helm if you hadn’t upped and vanished immediately after you resigned from your beloved Reds.

And it only grew clearer and clearer that mistakes had been made as the meeting dragged on. Hearing you all but order Taiju into giving up the Black Dragons to you was the straw that broke the camel’s back, a gut punch that Inupi struggled to keep his face straight through; the reason they were here was because of his failure. There was no doubt that a lifelong delinquent like Izana’s former right-hand man had not heard the rumors swirling around about his old boss, and you being here to rescue his beloved gang from the depths of the pit he had dug them into only served to highlight one fact. Too important to let them - to let him - lose the gang: you were here because of his failure that started all the way back with the end of the Eighth Generation of Black Dragons.

Failure to protest harder against Shion being Izana’s successor, failure to pick a better boss to follow, failure to do better: there was no other way to put it. He had failed Izana, failed Shinichiro, failed the once-pristine legacy of the Black Dragons again and again. Scars and sins that he carried, that he once hoped he could lay bare before you, for the infamous Negotiator to wash it all away; but not like this.

‎

Koko must have noticed the turmoil brewing right under those usually impassive eyes, the financier glancing over in his direction with furrowed eyebrows.

Right as his black-haired friend was about to ask, the entire mood changed, and those almond eyes snapped right back towards the silent, tense standoff that dominated the room. In that moment, the universe felt as if it had collapsed in on Inupi’s gut, the flare of desperate screams to move, to fight, to duck from the back of his head overwhelming each and every one of his senses. But there was no time to react. The sunflower-blond boy wasn't sure what had happened, or who was faster. It was as if both Taiju and Furusawa had moved within the span of a sole heartbeat; a single blink, too fast for him to even catch; and the next thing he knew, his entire view of you was filled by the jarring red of Furusawa’s jacket and the black of his shirt, the draft he generated whipping his jacket backwards. An ominous creak of wood, and Inupi chanced a quick glance upwards - and there, held above your Vice Captain’s head with a sole hand was the other half of your beloved camelback sofa set that Taiju had been sitting on just seconds earlier, its shadow eclipsing the ceiling light around where you sat.

Silence consumed everyone present, as if the room was suddenly emptied of air. Inupi barely dared to breathe should break the temporary peace, blue shaky eyes darting between the brown and pink-haired man and Taiju belied the neutral, unmoved expression Inupi wore. What happened?

Chocolate eyes met yellow ones easily, with neither party willing to back down. The sight of the sofa failing to reach its intended target, however, didn’t seem to be enough of a deterrent to any further rash actions, as Inupi watched the Tenth Generation Black Dragon President reach for the walnut coffee table with the definite intent to hurl that as well, the telltale veins on his forehead throbbing with every heartbeat.

This time though, Furusawa was faster. A loud thud shattered the silence as a steel-toed boot came crashing down, the worn wood beneath letting out a groan at the sudden impact as it was pinned back down firmly to the carpet, a force too strong even for Taiju’s usually imposing strength to overcome. “Wanna take this outside, punk?” The Beast of the Underworld grinned as he leaned forward, that usual friendly, oblivious smile Inupi remembered having turned rather sinister, his sharp canines glinting even under the warm ceiling lights. “I can take you out right now. Makes Boss’ job a lot easier too.”

It was a threat as clear as the sun rising at midnight, and no doubt Furusawa could back it up and come out the other end without missing a breath off; not only was it well know within delinquent circles how monstrous your Vice Captain was, but also how much the man was always itching for a fight. The mere memory of the last fight Inupi had witnessed years ago where this fighting behemoth decided he was bored and decimated an entire gang himself - he would rather avoid that happening to him at all costs. The logo of the white dragonfly neatly embroidered on the breast of Furusawa’s red jacket was as much a threat as it was a reminder for everyone else to thread carefully: this was still the heart of the Red Dragonflies’ territory, and no matter the supposed strength of the latest generation of Black Dragons, you had historically always came out on top. Results speak for themselves.

And for all the ongoings around you, your small figure remained unmoved. Fingers tapping rhythmically on one knee of your neatly crossed legs as your gaze flittered between the four boys with not a single hair out of place; your continued composure in the face of imminent danger was just one of the things that Inupi had always admired about you. That, and the full trust you always had in your right-hand man and Vice Captain Mamoru Furusawa for your safety and security - it wasn’t lost on the seasoned delinquent that you hadn’t flinched the slightest bit at the sofa flying your way, making no moves to avoid the threat, let alone dodge. Even Izana would have reacted back in the day, Inupi mused.

You seemed content in letting this little game play out for a while more, a small smile pulling at the corner of your lips. Perhaps to sate Taiju’s bloodlust, but he was well past done letting Taiju embarrass the Black Dragons and Shinichiro’s good name any further. This was getting way too out of hand.

‎

Taking a step forward was all that was needed to draw the room’s attention to him, but the Black Dragon second-in-command had his focus squarely on his leader, meeting that tiger gaze unhesitantly. “Stop it Taiju, don’t disrespect her.”

The blue-haired boy seemed to have been slightly taken aback by Inupi’s sudden boldness, his jaw dropping slightly at the open contempt on display from his own subordinate. In front of a rival gang leader, no less. It was provoking the sleeping dragon, that was for sure, but there was little else Inupi could think to do in the moment. Or maybe he should have sat back and let Taiju be utterly annihilated by Furusawa? A chanced look at you revealed that unlike Taiju, you weren’t caught off guard, somehow having expected that it would have been Inupi who stepped up, though seemingly disappointed at the same time for reasons beyond him. Had you been hoping for a different outcome? Something more out of him?

But unfortunately, the sunflower-blond delinquent didn’t have much time to consider this line of thinking any further as Taiju’s stunned state didn’t last long, and the historically violent and short-tempered Shiba emerged predictably into a state of utter rage. And as said gang leader turned bodily to face his rebellious subject, Inupi found himself dwarfed once more by the other’s large stature, and the memories of when he had first challenged Taiju in his search for a new Black Dragon leader came flooding back, though he didn’t take a single step back.

Taiju’s words came out as a hiss. “What’s the meaning of this, Inui?” Fist tightening to the point that his knuckles turned white, there was little chance that the boss was anything but furious.

Inupi refused to back down. “You’re not going to win this. Don’t embarrass the gang any further.”

“How dare you?”

This was it, Inupi supposed, mulling over what he had said. With you on the other side of the table this time round, he didn’t suppose he could rely on your intervention, and he wouldn’t count on surviving Taiju’s wrath. Yet much to his surprise, instead of the thrashing he expected, another voice that had stayed silent now interjected before the blue-haired gang leader could make a move. “Lay a hand on him and I’m out,” Koko threatened, his tone pointed as the infamous financier took a step forward, putting himself between the two. A valid threat. After all, there was no way Taiju could afford to run a gang like the Black Dragons without Koko’s legendary finance skills bringing in extra income and jobs.

For all the threats and posturing, the oldest of the Shibas still seemed unmoved, a disparaging curling his lips as he looked between the two. “And then what will you do, Inupi? Run the Black Dragons yourself?” He laughed humorlessly, the mockery clear. The empty smile dropped as he leaned forward, his shadow casting over the two defiant delinquents. “I’ll burn this whole worthless gang down with me.”

Time slowed to an immediate crawl as those fateful words were left floating in the still air, and as if a heavy, wet coat had been suddenly draped over the room, every breath became a challenge to take as the atmosphere itself seemed to press down on them. Unrestrained bloodlust that tainted his senses with the hint of iron led the Black Dragons back to one single, possible source. Furusawa wasn’t the slightest bit affected by the change in mood, his signature beastly grin plastered across his face, but Inupi knew that look of yours, partially hidden behind your right-hand man’s towering figure. Utter, unbridled rage pouring through your cracked facade that had even Koko stagger a step back. “Worthless?” Hatred, pure and plain, oozing from every pore, burning and consuming those tired, kind eyes. It was the first time Inupi had witnessed it with his own eyes after hearing about it from Izana all those years ago; the legendary other half that had tamed even the Eighth Generation Black Dragon leader

Your sheer contempt for the living. “Worthless?” You repeated, the word seemingly inconceivable to you. Your abhorrence of their continued existence.

“So that’s what you were hiding,” Taiju muttered to himself, his yellow eyes sparking with interest.

As soon as it appeared, the immense pressure evaporated back into thin air like it had never been there, the world seemed to sigh as the whirl of the air-condition once more returned to the background. Taking a breath, your face was once more schooled into that familiar calm expression as you relaxed back against the sofa, the tension in your shoulders gone. Picking up your teacup once more for what should be by now a stone-cold cup of tea, you allowed a small smile to lift the corners of your lips, your gaze landed back on a shaken Inupi. “Time is getting on. Furu, return their sofa to them, would you?”

A tch, but the brown and pink-haired man complied, walking round the coffee table to lightly place the sofa back in its place with nay a thud - a surprise, given he had looked ready to fling the object straight back in Taiju’s face. You waved your hand, drawing the three Black Dragon gazes back on you, though it seemed that both gang leaders present were well past the pleasantries. “I’m sure you have other places to be, Shiba-san, so let’s put it this way. One week to join willingly.”

Taiju scoffed, his vibrant red jacket flaring out behind him as he turned to leave without another word, storming past Inupi and Koko and leaving the meeting room door open as he disappeared round the corner. You simply sighed, your gaze landing on a stoic Inupi and an ashen Koko. “Sorry about that, boys,” you smiled, waving Furusawa forward, though your Vice Captain simply handed a letter to Inupi before backing off. “You should probably be on your way too. Stay safe, okay?”

‎

The hefty wooden door shut softly behind the two Black Dragons, though the click still reverberated through the room, ringing in your ears as you sat in the sudden silence, reflecting on all that had occurred in the past hour. Yet in the moment, all your mind could process was: you shouldn’t have lost control like that. You knew descending in such a state of anger was terrible for your mental health, and your nii-san would be so extremely disappointed if you did something unforgivable again.

You could really use a smoke right now.

You abruptly stood, forcing those useless, churning thoughts down and away from your consciousness, startling your long-time best friend out from his own daydreaming process. “How did you think that went, Furu?” Your voice nor expression gave no hint of the uncertainty brewing just below the surface, though you knew there was no hiding your clenched fingers from those eagle eyes, no matter how you positioned them at your side.

But your right-hand man seemed more occupied with thinking of the could-bes, having clearly been intrigued by Taiju’s raw strength, and the lack of a fight breaking out was no doubt the root cost of the dejectedness on his face. “Went pretty well, I guess,” he mumbled, kicking his feet. “No holes in the walls, nothing broken."

“You don’t sound too happy about that.”

Furu sighed. “That blue-haired dude looked kinda strong. Could have made a great fight.”

You lightly smacked him in the arm. “Not in my meeting room,” you reminded him, attempting to sound cross but utterly failing to do so. “I’m sure you’ll get your chance though,” you added thoughtfully.

That was enough to perk the Vice Captain up, chocolate eyes glinting with eagerness and hope, as if you had just promised the life of another human being to him as a Christmas present. “Really? You think so?”

But those questions only dredged back up the doubts you had suppressed since the start of the meeting; about the effectiveness of what you did, about what you should have done, about your past and the future of the Black Dragons. Sighing, you slumped backwards into the sofa, the soft backing cushion denting and giving way as you did so. “Most likely, given how that went,” you exhaled, turning your eyes up towards the ceiling once more as you ran one hand through your hair. “If Izzy doesn’t get to them first, that is. One week is a long time.”

A pause, your words lingering in the cool air for a moment. And then you continued. “I don’t know, Furu, I still think I should have just ran with my idea of proposing marriage. Would have saved us a lot of trouble.” Your mind wandered back to your precious Toman friends. Another problem you had no clue where to start, let alone solve. Every passing day spent trying to put out the fires of your past was another day letting your treasured relationship with your boys, with Mikey in particular, deteriorate. What else could you do other than try and make it up to them later?

Your Vice Captain was on you in a second, plucking you off your sofa and out of your thoughts by the back of your jacket before you realized what had happened, and earning a decidedly undelinquent-like eep from you. “Furu! Put me down!” You tried to insist, a 180 degree change from the refined gang leader facade you had donned just minutes earlier, but the much larger man was nonplussed.

"I'll kill him," Furusawa swore, the obliviousness that usually glazed his eyes having given way to a rare serious expression, and the lack of his usual playful lilt was enough to convey the gravity of your words. “I'll kill and eat that motherfucker if you ever say that again.”

You think that you’ve only seen the man so stern once before. Those chocolate eyes seemed intent on boring a hole straight into your soul, you mused, sighing as you threw both hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright. I won’t mention it again.”

“And you won’t go behind our backs either?”

Touche. “I swear I won’t,” you crossed your heart. “Happy?”

Somewhat pacified, the brown and pink-haired man lowered you carefully back onto your two feet, though his grumpiness hadn’t disappeared completely. "Sometimes I don't think you have anything in there, Boss."

You playfully smacked him. You had, after all, told them what happened with Izzy when you met him against their advice four days earlier, and much to no one’s surprise, the meeting hadn’t gone as planned in the slightest without your usual chaperones present. Even hearing that Izana wanted to wed you immediately and went straight to violence after you refused failed to raise an eyebrow, Hase opting to simply let out a despairing groan while Koji threw up his hands in exasperation. What they said was completely true: you were way too personally involved to make sound decisions when it came to anything related to Izzy, and you shouldn’t have. Yet the lingering doubt refused to let go. "But what if-"

"We will handle it. Like we always do," Furusawa interjected. “You’re not alone.”

The grin you shone at your oldest friend was genuine as you leaned into his side. "Thanks Furu." As usual, your wiser friends were right.

“Anytime, Boss.” A grumble of his stomach broke the peace, and you laughed. Time for lunch with the others.

‎

Across town and just as you first waved the Tenth Generation Black Dragon leader through the ornately carved doors of your famed meeting room, a certain blond-haired time leaper was knee-deep living his most miserable past yet.

“Get up.”

Takemichi barely registered the nudge to his side, too busy ensuring that his chest kept heaving along through the throbbing pain as he struggled to catch his breath. Sprawled spread-eagle across the blood-splattered canvas floor of the fighting ring, it was only the rank, foul odor of sweat, blood and god-only knows what else - soaked up from a filthy past of countless fights and fermented in the summer heat - radiating up that kept him still clinging on to consciousness. Only the dead could sleep through a stink like that. Yet no smell could help with rebooting his shaken brain still rattling around his head from all the throwing around he had just endured.

Unfortunately, Hase didn’t seem as inclined to indulge his self-pity party nor give a second chance, and the next ‘nudge’ was instead a firm kick to his side, enough to roll Takemichi over several times and face first straight into the metal cage that separated this ring of hell from the outside world. “I’m not repeating myself,” came his drawl, followed by the familiar click of a lighter and the stinging smell of cigarette smoke that pierced his nose.

A snort off from the side. “Think you might have killed him,” Jun complained, his tone clearly bored as he lightly smacked his baseball bat against his calf. A pause. “That might be a boon though. Changing the future and all.”

Scratch that, his death wasn’t even an inconvenience. He could cry right now. He really could. Even Mikey didn’t waste his time finding nobodies to beat up for the hell of it. How was it that your brutal, heartless captains were so vastly different from kind, caring you? How is it you hadn’t yet been eaten alive by these monsters in human skin? Were you perhaps as much a monster as them? The mere idea of you staring down at Takemichi like Mikey did, with cold, empty eyes, sent a shiver down his spine, and he pushed the thought to the back of his head. No, there was no way you could hide something so sinister, not how genuine that gaze of yours had been or how sincere you were about your care towards your friends.

Then again, Mikey hasn’t had to shake the truth out from him just yet, and you weren’t particularly interested in digging those secrets out yourself either. Takemichi sighed, resigning himself to his fate. It wasn’t as if he could get his answers at the moment, and so albeit the reluctance and the protests of his body, the blond-haired boy pulled himself up from the well worn tarp, biting back the tears as he somehow managed to twist his bruised self into a sitting position, resting against the crisscrossing bars. Risking what Hase would do to him if he didn’t obey was just one more thing that Takemichi did not want to test - he might actually die if he gets tossed across the ring again.

“I’m up, I’m up,” the time traveler hastily reassured through swollen, bleeding lips, though it was more to convince himself than the other two seasoned gangsters as he carefully shuffled black and blue limbs around in an attempt to make things more comfortable. Dressed in just his sports shorts, he already made for quite the pathetic sight, with clear purple-and-black bruises decorated his upper chest, arms and legs, and this was barely helped by just how scrawny Takemichi looked next to the much taller and well-built Hase.

Hase, himself clothed in a simple shirt and shorts and with bandages wrapped around bare hands and feet, only rolled his eyes at the carefulness in which Takemichi picked himself off the floor, those dull gray eyes glaring down at him with disdain as he brought his cigarette up to his lips for another drag. “Nothing’s broken, stand.”

“But everything hurts,” Takemichi mumbled, the sharp flashes of agony that had rippled through his body from being beaten and thrown around having finally died down to a throb that radiated from his chest with every breath. How was it that he constantly finds himself in these sorts of situations? All he ever wanted to do was to save Hina from her unfortunate, undeserving destiny, was that too much to ask? Well, save Hina, Naoto, Mikey, and the rest of his newfound Toman friends, but still.

It had been a mere four days since you first waltzed into his life and class with a letter from the school principal, looking for him, and two since Jun had crashed his class and dragged him off in front of his teacher and all his classmates by the scruff of his neck, having figured through some unknown means that Takemichi was, in fact, a time leaper. And now, four days on from that fateful day, he hadn't even recovered enough from the beating he got from Hase two days prior before being today’s fresh punching bag. A time traveler of twelve years he was, but even now, Takemichi wished he had the ability to reach back just a single day to warn himself of what was to come.

‎

He had almost forgoed school this morning. A bad gut feel, one that was strong enough to cramp up his stomach, making it near impossible for him to roll out of bed; Takemichi couldn’t recall the last time when his body had protested this much against doing something. He knew he should have listened, stayed at home to rest out the pain. It might have been the air being denser than normal, might have been just a bad snack the previous day, or the fact that he was still recovering from the stomp he received courtesy of your Red Dragonflies’ First Division Captain. Whatever it was, Takemichi should have heeded the warning.

But Hina had promised to go out for tea with him after school if he showed up, and the blond-haired boy just wasn’t strong enough to resist. And so against his better judgment, he went anyway.

The ominous rumbling of his stomach a second foreboding time was hard to ignore as Takemichi slipped through the front door of his homeroom class, cutting it close to being late again just as the bell rang through the empty corridors outside. His homeroom teacher shot him a stink eye as he sat down, but with nothing to hold against him, she let him go. At least for those few precious seconds, the time-traveling delinquent recalled, there was peace in his world. Normality had returned, and maybe he could rest for a bit.

A tug at his sleeve. “Hey, Hanagaki-kun.” Followed by the rustle of a piece of paper being slid between tables. “For you.”

Alas, it was the third and final saving grace that fate had attempted to extend his way; the chance to simply ignore the Red Dragonflies’ gang member of a deskmate he had for the remaining five minutes that this period would last before he could make his getaway, but it was too little too late. Blue eyes slipped to meet Suzuki Hisao’s before Takemichi could stop himself, and the boy mentally kicked himself. “Uh- sure. Thanks Suzuki-kun,” he mumbled back, reaching out to quickly grab the offered note, attempting to slip the piece of paper into his pocket without looking. Perhap he could still get himself out of this mess…

“Aren’t you going to read that? It’s from Hase-san, you know.”

Dammit. Why did his usually sleepy classmate have to be so sharp when it came to this? “I was just going to,” came Takemichi’s weak reply, tinted with obvious despair. There was no avoiding or denying what was written in a surprisingly neat print on the inside of the folded scrap paper: an order to meet back at the “same place” at 11am. The same place? As in that dingy underground fight club where he got beat to an inch of his life? Not only had he been there just a single time and had no recollection how to make his own way back to that hellhole, but 11 in the morning was still class time. How was he supposed to up and leave?

The unvocalized frustration painted on his face must have been misinterpreted by Suzuki, because the unusually enthusiastic boy leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper, envy clear in his tone. “So how did you do it?”

Takemichi startled at the sudden interjection to his thoughts, though fortunately, the drone of his homeroom teacher about one topic or another (he wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention) was enough to drown out any sound that escaped his lips. “Sorry?”

“First, Boss comes to seek you out personally, now you’re getting training from Hase-san? Two of the greatest honors. How did you do it?”

Greatest honors? Two? The blond-haired delinquent gave a nervous laugh, eyes shifting away to stare at the ground. Shit. “I-I think there’s been some confusion, a-ahaha…” There was no possible way to break it nicely to the starry-eyed Suzuki that all your Reds wanted with him was to wrangle as much information about the future as they could before discarding his lifeless body. “There’s no training-”

“Hase-san doesn’t train anyone outside of the Wings and his own two Vice Captains,” the Reds’ gang member interjected. “And you’re not even a Red. How’s the training? Are you learning quickly?”

Deciding that he no longer wanted to discuss his upcoming death, Takemichi instead racked his brain for a discussion change. “Uh- Suzuki-kun, don’t you report to Koji-san?”

The awe on his deskmate’s face melted away as the implication of the question set in, giving way to pursed lips and solemn eyes. “Yes, but everyone obeys Hase-san.” A moment’s pause, and then Suzuki hastily corrected himself. “Besides Boss and Furusawa-san, of course.”

Takemichi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Everyone obeys Hase? But isn’t he the First Division Captain?” That would be like expecting Hakkai or Peh to differ to Baji despite them being in different divisions.

“Hase-san’s the First Wing, yes, but he’s also the gang’s de facto commander,” Suzuki explained, keeping his voice down to a quiet mumble that easily blended in with the normal chatter as the homeroom teacher trailed off. “Runs the day-to-day operations for the boss. So if Hase-san gives you an order, you obey. And he personally - personally - asked me to pass you this note and bring you down to the club.”

With that, the excitement came roaring back onto the other’s face, and Takemichi groaned. So much for topic diversion.

As if on cue, the lesson bell rang, its shrill, ear-piercing scream marking the end of both homeroom and this conversation. Suzuki stood, swinging his bag casually over his shoulder. “Right, we’re leaving at 10.15 so make sure your bag is packed then. Hase-san despises tardiness.”

‎

Fuck, he was going to miss his tea with Hina. Lost in his recollections of the recent past, wondering whether Toman or the Red Dragonflies were the worse gang to be a part of, it was the new shadow falling over him that finally tore Takemichi from his memories and musings, though it was too late to avoid the hand that wrapped itself around the scruff of his neck, bodily lifting him from where he had been slumped against the fighting ring’s cage. "No speed, no technique, no strength,” Hase noted blandly, the smoldering cigarette held between chapped lips uncomfortably close to Takemichi’s skin as the older man gave him a once over before dropping him back on his two aching feet. “Can’t last a minute in a fight."

“Ouch,” Takemichi winced, sharply inhaling through his nose, the pain both physical, from landing on his sore and abraded feet, and emotional, from having the quiet part said out loud. Damn, do your guys really need to poke at his weakness like that?

The protest wasn’t lost on Jun, who snorted, lifting his wooden bat to point directly at him from where the Second Wing was lazily sprawled across several spectator seats. “You can barely throw a fucking punch and you’re still fucking complaining during training?”

“I tried! That wasn’t training, that was a curb stom-“

A loud bang cut Takemichi off before he could finish, and the Toman delinquent whirled around right as Hase lowered his leg from where the thick metal bars of the fighting cage were now clearly indented in the shape of his foot. Said man didn’t even bother sparing a second look, moving to yank a well worn chair to the middle of the ring, but the message was clear. If this had been anything but training, the blond-haired boy would have been dead many times over. “Start off from where you stopped,” the blue-haired First Wing ordered, his weary words as steely as the seat he slumped into, the metal beneath letting out a groan of protest at the sudden weight put on its tired joints.

“Fucking showoff,” the baseball player mumbled, though this was promptly ignored by Hase.

No seat for him? Takemichi sighed, opting to lean back against the cage for a bit of support to take the pressure off his feet. Even if neither of the two were clad in the usual red, he still very much felt the exclusion. “Well, we covered the first future-”

Jun interjected. “Where there was only Mikey and Kisaki are at the top of Toman and no Red Dragonflies, yes. And then the second future, all those clingy Toman motherfuckers are dead, and you got all fucking emotional where you had to kill that fucking Sano, get the fuck on with it.”

“Shut the fuck up, Jun,” Hase snapped irritably, before waving his free hand at Takemichi as he lifted the other to pull the finished cigarette from his mouth. “Start from there, after your return from Manila.”

The Toman member shivered as those dull gray eyes came to rest once more on him: it was the same thousand-yard gaze from the timeline he was about to recall, the same look Hase leveled straight at you as he pulled the trigger. Somehow, those eyes hadn’t changed despite the events of the future being twelve years away; Takemichi could only wonder what the tired man had already seen. Wondered what you had seen - if anything, your eyes looked too awfully similar to Hase’s, for someone so young. Instead, shaking himself back into reality, the time leaper cleared his throat. “Well, after returning to Tokyo, I found out through Naoto that it was someone called Kurokawa Izana who was the boss of Toman alongside Kisaki. I'd never heard of Izana till then, so Naoto had mentioned that he was going to go back to the station to do more digging, but then we were jumped.”

The tap of wood against concrete ceased, and with a shriek of cheap plastic from his protesting chair, the Red Dragonflies’ Second Wing leaned forward, bat now propped up between his legs, black almond eyes fixed unblinkingly on Takemichi. Even Hase seemed intrigued, his posture stiffening - the word ‘jumped’ having caught both their attention.

“We were jumped from behind by you, Hase-san.”

As soon as those words left Takemichi, the loud ‘ha!, followed by the screeching of a chair being forced back nearly gave the Toman member a heart attack, Jun leaping out of his chair and swinging his bat at the First Wing. “I called it! I fucking called it!” He bellowed triumphantly, his screech as piercing as a murder of crows, ringing out over the hum of the large exhaust fans overhead and echoing across the empty betting hall.

But along with that celebration also came a loud groan followed by a thwack as Hase threw his head backwards, bashing it against the metal chair backing, one hand immediately slipping into his pants pocket to pull out that trusty pack of cigarettes. “Fuck me. It had to be me, huh?” The blue-haired man muttered to himself, pulling and pushing a stick into his mouth with a single fluent move.

“I told you I’ll never work for that fucking rat, not even once,” crowed Jun proudly. “Pay up, fucker.”

The other Red executive sighed, and from the other pocket pulled out a wallet. “At least come up to the cage.” Takemichi didn’t catch how much had changed hands, but there was no mistaking the size and color of those 10-thousand yen notes being passed between bars. They were betting on the future? Scratch that, the two of them had guessed enough of what happened to make a bet?

Hase grumbled something about blood money going to idiots, but did not return to his seat, instead opting to lean against the bars of the fight ring, gray eyes now fixed on the blood and sweat splattered canvas floor even as he spoke to Takemichi. “Continue.”

“Um- yes so both of us were knocked out, but you said that it was Kisaki that told you that I would be found easily near Naoto. Next thing I knew, I woke up as I was being dragged by my foot alongside Naoto through the corridors of some penthouse, and then Hase-san pulled us into a bedroom.”

All of the celebratory mood was instantly lost, evaporating into the hot summer afternoon and leaving behind a heavy, tense atmosphere; Jun’s face turned solemn once more, and Hase only seemed to age further under the harsh white lights that flooded down from the ceiling. The time leaper swallowed hard - no doubt they could already sense where this was going. He hurried on. “And Izana was there, on the bed, with- with-” But for all his attempts to just keep going, to tell your Red Dragonflies what they needed to know, it was the image of you that came flooding back into the front of his mind. His words failed him. Those dead glass eyes of yours were still staring straight at him from beyond time, haunting him from his memory.

“With Boss,” Hase finished off Takemichi’s sentence with a mumble, the words slipping from his lips like a prayer.

Takemichi shakily nodded. It was all he had left in him to do, and the boy collapsed back to the ground, his jelly legs finally having given up the last of their strength. Naoto had been right, he bitterly thought as he tried and failed to bite back the tears brimming at the corners of his eyes - this timeline they were headed down was truly the worst future. But what more could he do? The underground ring felt more like a desecrated church in the moment, the enormous concrete bunker forever hidden from the light of the sun falling eerily calm as the sound of the exhaust fans blended into the background, the whistle of wind being forced through narrow gaps under heavy steel doors as if haunted by the ghosts; though from his past lives or of fights past, the time leaper couldn’t tell.

“Keep going. What happened next?”

The rest of the tale spilled out of the weary time leaper as a whisper, but it was enough for the other two present to hear every horrid word and detail relayed: about your scars and bruises and Izana’s obsession over you, about your dead mind still trapped in a living body, about the white-haired man shooting a future Naoto before trying to get you to turn the gun on Takemichi. About how it was Hase that finally put you to rest, about Furusawa’s death by ambush, and then Jun’s and of countless others at said First Wing’s hands, and finally how he had a chance to escape to the past before his own untimely end.

The two older delinquents simply listened on in calm, eerie silence, content with taking in and absorbing the words for now. A tale that was way too specific to be made up yet still lacking a frustrating amount of detail, though neither seemed too bothered by the future Hase’s actions. A moment of silence as Takemichi’s words trailed off, and the three processed everything that had happened so far. The next time Jun spoke up, his tone was completely flat and volume close to conversational, his usual loudness nowhere to be found. “And you say this… Kisaki. He is the one pulling the strings?”

It took Takemichi by surprise, the fact that the loud and crass baseball player could sound so normal, but he still nodded. “Yes, that is what me and Naoto think. Izana mentioned that I was to be Kisaki’s target. And in every future, Kisaki is present as one of the heads of Toman.”

“But so is Mikey,” Hase pointed out. “How do you know it's Kisaki and not Mikey calling the shots?”

The Toman member’s jaw slackened. “But- but-” Takemichi stammered. “Mikey would never do something like that!” The face of the Toman President, framed by blond strands, cuddled into your side and protesting about something inaudible came to the front of his mind, the same boy that would fight through hell and high water for his friends; that Mikey?

An annoyed tap of wood against concrete. “You don’t know that,” the Red Dragonfly’s battle strategist pointed out, his long blond hair flung backwards over a shoulder in an attempt to get the sweat-covered strands out of his face. “That Sano shithead is another persistent factor, plus he’s already a current pest to Boss.”

“It can’t be.” He knew what they were saying was the truth, but still, it wasn’t something that Takemichi could accept - yes, Mikey from the future had been the one committing cold-blooded murder of people he knew and loved, but that wasn’t the real Mikey. That couldn’t be truly the Mikey he knew. “It can’t be Mikey. It has to be Kisaki that made Mikey do it. Or Izana.”

Jun hmmpfed, but fell silent. It was clear that they didn’t trust Toman much either.

Within the cage of the ring, Hase took a drag, exhaling another column of smoke as he pulled the stick from his mouth. “You’re back here to save someone, aren’t you, Hanagaki?”

“H-huh?”

The blue-haired delinquent turned his eyes up towards the giant overhead exhaust fans, the single constant sound that made up the background hum. “That’s why you keep coming back. Someone you lost that you just didn’t have enough time with.” Tired gray eyes turned on Takemichi, that gaze that seemed to see through him and his entire life. A statement, not a question. It was as if he already knew.

Takemichi couldn’t help himself even as he rubbed ever so gently at his tearing eyes. “Hina.”

“A girlfriend.”

“Oh!” A forgotten detail from twelve years later that had eluded Takemichi quickly returned, and the blond-haired boy looked up. “Hase-san, in the future, you had a boyf-“

The smoldering cigarette butt that came hurling straight at him cut any remaining words off, and would have hit him square in the face if Takemichi hadn’t dodged with an eep.

“That’s enough outta you,” Hase muttered, annoyed, even as Jun looked on suspiciously, though the room quickly returned to the topic at hand. “So the kid we’re looking for is a Kisaki Tetta.”

Jun spat, finally standing from the creaky plastic chair with a curse and pulling a flipphone from his back pocket. “I’ll get that name to Masashi, pull everything we got.”

Both sets of eyes once more slid onto Takemichi, and the blond-haired boy recoiled slightly as Hase took a few steps towards the boy, only for the man to stop right before him to crush the finished stick into the canvas. “You keep him away from Toman, Hanagaki,” Hase drawled, turning on his heel and making for the cage door right as the clock that hung on a far wall struck twelve noon. “We’ll take care of the rest once we find that fucker.”

A soft chime, combined with the screeching creek of worn hinges being forced open brought a sense of relief flooding through Takemichi; he hadn’t even realized he had been holding his breath all this time. His hell was over, at least for today. No doubt it’ll still be a tough slog ahead to save everyone that he cared for, but at least for now, of all the people in the world, the time traveling delinquent had come to realize that these two were perhaps exactly who needed to hear what happened. Instead of facing down the future alone, the events today were enough to tell him that they were who he needed on his side to counter Kisaki - maybe they really had a fighting chance. Maybe they could change the future.

“Suzuki Hisao will inform you when the next training is.” And then that eternally unamused voice that only ever carried the promise of more pain floated over from the doorway, and Takemichi immediately groaned. Great, now he regretted thinking all those good things about those two demons you called friends.

Jun didn’t miss the opportunity to rub it in as Hase strolled off, his bat letting out a muffled yet equally threatening thud as the baseball player swung it to rest once more over his shoulder. “Can’t have you fucking die on us again.”

Fuck him sideways.

‎

Looking over Shibuya from the rooftop was a vastly different feeling compared to wandering through the city streets below, Kisaki determined, gray eyes peering out from golden-rimmed glasses gazing down upon the unsuspecting passersby below. A skyscraper roof was one of the last places Kisaki thought of coming, and though he appreciated the silence and the privacy away from the hum and drum of traffic, he still couldn’t quite comprehend what Izana meant by light air pressure. Perhaps it was just a thing about the wind that the other enjoyed.

Yet it was the thought of the white-haired Tenjiku leader that led his mind straight back to you, and that mental image of you huddled tight against Izana’s side four days ago was proving impossible to push from the forefront of his mind. Kisaki hadn’t meant to stalk the two of you all the way to your meeting area - and it wasn’t the smartest decision, given how much trouble he had finding his way back out of the industrial area - but he couldn’t help his curiosity. The insistence with which he held you to his side, Izana's obsession with where you were and who you were with at all times, the gentleness with which he bundled you into his arms, completely contrasted with the dark bruises your former lover left you with the moment you stepped out of line.

Of course, he had already heard of the lingering hushed whispers about you and your formidable well before he ever made the acquaintance of Izana, while he was still chasing the invincible Mikey. Who wouldn’t have, even after the briefest dip of their toe into the delinquent world, even if you had already been away for two years? Hell, the constant rumors swirling on when, not if, you were returning were hard to ignore. But Kisaki could never quite find any trace of you despite having paid a handsome sum for an old photo of you, and neither were the Red Dragonflies accepting new members. So with Toman being the new up and coming gang and its undefeated boss Mikey at its helm, they were who the glasses-touting delinquent decided to go with.

But then out of nowhere you returned and were now back in the game. With what he knew, Kisaki was certain that Mikey and control of Toman were no longer the ultimate prize. No, if he were to stand at the top of the delinquent world, it had to be by your side. Not only were you back at the head of a gang that stated and enforced the rules of the delinquent scene in the Greater Kanto region, but you were now living rent-free in both Izana’s and Mikey’s heads: your presence and absence had a direct effect on the ebb and flow of their lives, and he had witnessed it with his own two eyes. After all, why else would the king of Tenjiku play his hand and risk it all just to get you back to his side? Why did Mikey only give him the time of day in exchange for information about you?

“Plot and play all you like, Kisaki Tetta,” those words echoed in his mind from a not-so-distant past, empty violet eyes staring him down when Kisaki first offered his services to Izana. “Touch her, and I’ll kill you myself.”

Yet despite you seemingly equally enthralled by the two rival gang leaders clad in black and red, making it easy to gain access to you if he stuck with Izana, you were also easily the biggest headache that the blond-haired tanned boy had ever tried to deal with. The Four Wings you surround yourself with, that monster of a right-hand man Mamoru Furusawa, and then for the cherry on top, your extensive network of contacts that spanned every level of society; you yourself were one dangerous foe, and crossing you would not be a fun experience.

Kisaki couldn’t ask for a better target. This win would be exhilarating.

Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, the mastermind exhaled, allowing himself to clear his thoughts of you and instead turn to take stock of and evaluate the day’s events. As per usual, with the news and information he had brought on you, Mikey had indeed deemed it worthy to grant him an audience, and Kisaki thought he had done a pretty good job riling the other boy up - that crease of eyebrows and flash of anger behind usually empty eyes, the lack of hesitation at accepting his offering of a vial of sleeping drugs. All in all, the blond-haired boy thought as he finally stepped back from the edge, turning to return to the building interior, a good day’s work that is enough to consider giving himself a pat on the back.

Needless to say, he would be elated to finally have the chance to meet you face to face soon.

‎

The celebratory mood didn’t transcend well back in Yokohama, where the rest of the notorious S-62 generation had gathered atop a similar skyscraper, the brutal heat of the afternoon sun somewhat dissipated by the constant wind and some shade provided by the towering antenna behind.

“Can’t believe we have to listen to that blonde fuckhead,” Shion complained, letting out a grunt as he slumped onto the concrete slab, free hand swatting at the beads of perspiration rolling down the tattooed side of his head. “Thinking he knows better than me.”

Ran, more comfortably positioned leaning up against a wall, raised one eyebrow at the statement. “Didn’t think that was hard to achieve,” the elder of the Haitanis commented lightly. “Rather low bar, in fact.” Rindo nodded, stoic facade firmly in place despite the clear amusement shining through spectacle-framed violet eyes.

Unluckily for the two, the insult simply bounced off of the former Ninth Generation Black Dragon leader, who shot them an annoyed look. “Don’t ya think it's all junk too? How come he gets to be the boss of us?” A snot, before the boy answered himself. “Fucking no, I say.”

Mochi, who had up till now been sitting cross-legged on the floor, suddenly stood, turning to face Shion with furrowed eyebrows. “Are you questioning Izana’s decision, Shion?” Fighting words that were enough to get the other to backtrack a little, and the conversation on Kisaki quickly died after that. After all, if Izana said so, that it was as such, no matter whether they agreed or disagreed.

The loud, jarring sound of a horn echoed up from congested roads below, cutting through the momentary silence and the peace that the open air brought - it was rare for delinquents like them to have downtime like this, given the conquering mood that their king had been in. To no one’s surprise, it was Shion who once more broke the silence. “I wonder what Izana wants with the Red Dragonflies.”

Rindo let out an unimpressed grunt. “His girl’s the boss,” the younger Haitani stated simply, earning himself an profanity filled exclamation of non-belief from said former Black Dragon President. “I don’t care if you believe it or not, it's true.”

“No fucking way, she left, didn’t she? Quit being a delinquent and all.”

“Not anymore, she returned after the latest president got the boot,” Ran weighed in, backing his younger brother up. “Kicked his ass herself too. We were there.”

“You think we’ll ever meet her?”

Kakucho kept silent, content with simply listening to his fellow executives' increasingly heated discussions about you. He knew better, of course, having been there when Shinichiro first brought you to the detention center to meet Izana, and had been keeping his ear to the ground for news on your movements since then. You hadn’t been worth a glance to the white-haired boy all those years ago, but the same couldn’t be said now, and with how important you were to his hero, his king, as a mere servant, there was no excuse for Kakucho not to know where you were at all times. Yet, above all, the black-haired boy with the scarred eye knew he had an obligation to Izana, to keep his best friend safe, be it from the world or from himself. And whatever Izana thought he was doing with Kisaki in a bid to have you back by his side wasn’t safe - Kisaki wasn’t to be trusted in the slightest, Kakucho knew. He could only hope that his friend would forgive him after the dust has settled for going to you with this information.

‎

Yet unknown to the Tenjiku executives making the most of their downtime away from the troubles of the streets, it was one of many Tenjiku grunts who had the misfortune of tripping over an awkwardly held white cane as a man in sunglasses breezed by, the loud thud of the boy landing on his ass causing the other to come to a stop. “Sorry, did I trip you?”

“Stupid fuck!” The apology was far from well-received, though upon several red-clad delinquents crowding around the offender, it was clear that he was simply blind. “Watch your fucking cane!”

“My sincere apologies,” Koji offered, dressed simply in a black shirt and jeans and a baseball cap, tapping his cane around in a show. “I didn’t mean to.”

At least it seemed the boys were unwilling to let loose on the disabled, and with a few more profanities, they were on their way, none the wiser to the miniature microphone that had been slipped into one unsuspecting jacket pocket. Bingo, the Third Wing amusedly thought as he turned, resuming his stroll down the busy streets of Yokohama City, before turning the corner and disappearing into a side alley. Masashi should have a much easier time with his task now.

‎

“I swear guys, cross my heart, I broke up with Izana two years ago,” you found yourself repeating for the umpteenth time reassuringly, as you bundled a sniffling Kazutora further into your arms, your other arm thrown tightly over Baji’s shoulders. “We aren’t together anymore. I don’t lie, never to you boys.”

“Bbu-but what about those red bastards?” A pathetic tug at your sleeve, as Kazutora sobbed into your chest, your shirt clutched firmly between his fists, a far cry from the rampaging, bone-breaking, unforgiving delinquent he had been just an hour earlier. “You’re going to leave us again,” the boy with the duo-color hair accused, before bursting into tears once more, only for you to smile and run your free hand through his hair.

“I won’t. I really won’t.”

Mitsuya didn’t seem impressed in the slightest, neither by the theatrics nor your answers. “But you were with them earlier this morning,” the Toman Second Division Captain blandly noted. “And you’re still going to meet them tonight. Without us.”

“You also still agreed to meet Izana, where he gave you a wedding ring,” Draken added, the tallest of the boys easily stepping over sprawling legs to pick you up by the back of your shirt, dislodging your clingers and setting you gently back on your own two feet much to the protest of Baji and Kazutora, though the raised eyebrow had you nervously looking away. “That doesn’t sound like breaking up to me.”

You sighed, throwing your hands up in the air. “I have an informant meeting tonight, I already told you boys this. And no, I don’t plan on meeting Izana alone again, let alone marry him. Ever.”

Despite it being a negative, the word ‘marry’ instantly triggered another loud bawl from Kazutora, who flung himself at your legs.

Outside, the sky was turning a dusty blue as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, the hustle and bustle of traffic from the city center fading away along with the dying light.

Yet for all the shenanigans going down, there was one notable exemption from the usual party, a blond-haired figure sitting a distance apart from where you and everyone else had gathered. You had returned exactly on time as you had promised, Mikey dully noted from where he was leaning up against the far wall of your room, empty abyss eyes staring blankly down at the taiyaki clutched in one hand. It had been five days since the Toman President had learned about your scars from Kisaki, and four since he had seen them with his very own eyes, the vileness that tainted your being, that you had hid from them all these years. You, their precious Toman princess, who Mikey had revered as his friend, as someone he would do anything for. You did not belong only to him.

The darkness settling over the land masked the same blackness that now tinted his eyes as Mikey looked up. You had caught his gaze and returned a gentle smile, but did nothing more than that where you would have usually beckoned him into a hug and forehead kisses; no doubt your relationship with Mikey was rocky at the moment, to say the least. And despite your efforts to patch things up, whatever you did was never enough, not with all that was at stake. Kisaki was right - to be able to keep you by his side forever, he - they - needed to get rid of the competition. All the competition.

The cold glass of the vial and the rustle of a needle pack tickled his skin as Mikey’s hand brushed past, though the blond-haired delinquent ignored the sensations only to pull out his phone. Soon. To start with that white-haired bastard, or with those Red scum? It didn’t matter, of course, not to Mikey. Because if you wouldn’t come quietly to him, then he would have to take everything else away.

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intomemories · 11 months

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12.06 🐉🧡🧵

Version 2023

#Days ago was his birthday #Mitsuya Takashi #Tokyo Revengers #Canon x oc #Draken #Hakkai Shiba #digital art #Fanart

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sknmannn · 24 days

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Tokyo Revengers: Vanta—The 1st Iteration.

Disclaimer before you go through my near endless amount of complete nonsense all for a passion hobby of world-building for my Tokyo Revengers OC World, Known as Tokyo Revengers: Vanta or their shorter name, TRVanta or just Vanta:

This is the first iteration of Vanta lore that I have worked on and refined within a 2-month time frame and some lore may or may not be changed in the future. Also, some parts of the lore may not be in chronological order or there for extra details and tidbits to give my OCs more life to them.

Aside from that, time to start the yap fest.

+STARTERS+

For an Introduction to our dear Main Character of the series, Shimamoto Koji. He seems like your run-of-the-mill teen going about in his middle school year, being the president of the School’s Infocomm club and pretty harmless aside from his sly and playful demeanor with a tinge of a dog’s carefree attitude…Well almost, besides the fact that he’s pretty noticeable yet invisible. Looking like a mummy all wrapped up in gauze with an eye and strands of his messy hair sticking out. You may ask him what’s under that bandage of his but until now no one knows what goes on under there.

And then we have Yamakawa Hisora, Koji’s best friend. Pretty popular half-gaijin schoolboy—A mix of Japanese & Canadian blood and a knack for theatre acting. Of course, he’s in the drama club, no surprise. But it is surprising how the schoolgirls fawn at the “exoticness” of being a mixed blood but meanwhile, Koji’s out here being an Okinawan & American mix. And yeah, Hisora being the extrovert just decided to befriend Koji and now they’re the best of homies.

(Fun fact: Hisora was Koji’s first-ever friend)

Yeah okay enough of the slice-of-life crap, this is a Tokyo Revengers OC world, reminder. Those two are gang members in the upcoming gang Tokyo Manji Gang. Under the 5th division led by captain Yasuhiro Muto and vice-captain Haruchiyo Sanzu. I thought that it’d make the most sense because I intentionally sort of “manifested animals in a human form”, so Koji’s aggressive behaviour during gang hours mirrors that of a dog, specifically a K9 police dog unit. Hisora being based on falcons, I found out about a thing called Falconry which it sort of has the same outcome as police dog training in the sense of sniff out the bad people or traitors. And the traitor thing? Well from my research the 5th Division is like the public morality council where those under that division can just whoop people’s asses and even fellow Toman members to without repercussion.

Keeping it brief here so in layman terms Muto is the pet owner and Koji and Hisora are the pets that attack when Muto goes “sic ‘em” if yk what I mean.

+ON THE LINE; ON THE LEASH+

On top of having to settle gang stuff, Koji’s always on the phone. It was because of some that had been keeping poor Koji on a tight leash. “S-san” or as the man behind the phone calls himself. Getting his little lackey Koji to sniff out the wanted in the delinquent world with his investigating abilities shown unintentionally by Koji when he had accidentally solved a murder on a message board, 2chan.

And with the recent slew of wanted people and higher demand by S-san, Koji isn’t gonna be able to track them down by himself, he’s gonna get some help with good old friends of his—The Pharaoh’s Kids.

+PHARAOH’S KIDS+

Koji and Hisora aren’t the only animal-like ones in the gang world that other delinquents know about. They actually made a name for themselves in a group the other delinquents lump a group of exceptional peers in—Nicknamed “Pharaoh’s Kids”, They’re a set of 6 animalistic fighters that are assigned and thus represent a respective Egyptian God.

The first two as you already are familiar with, is Koji, who represents Anubis and Hisora, who represents Horus, under Toman to keep it short and sweet.

The other 4 include, but not in order of power:

Miyazaki Junshin, representing Set/Seth. Valhalla member.

Fujita Hitsuto, representing Khnum. Black Dragons member.

Furutani Arakawa, representing Sobek. Tenjiku member.

Saratani Seki, representing Bastet. He’s not under a gang, refuses to join one despite exceptional fighting skills.

EXTRA OFF-TOPIC ISH NOTES:

The reason and workings as to why the represent the Egyptian god they represent, here’s what I wrote over on discord:

>Koji: Canines, and sometimes police dogs.

~E.g. fights on all fours, heightened sense of “smell”, overall dog-based behaviour.

>Hisora: Falcons/peregrine falcon (that’s how Hisora has his colour palette)

~E.g. like falcons, Hisora dashes (more to “diving” to target and aims for the head for maximum stun

>Junshin: SPECIAL CASE, not a certain animal, but based on certain nocturnal species due to “set animal” being an unidentified animal that resembles a few modern animals REFER TO IMAGE 1 AND 2

E.g. functions way more at night, can sense things like Koji, stubborn asf in battles in general (stubbornness is depending on who you are/your strength)

>Hitsuto: Sheep, goat, ram, sometimes horses are used as refs

E.g. thick head, so uses his head to bash into people. Horse kicks a lot aside from fighting in a choreographic manner. May cause broken bones.

>Arakawa: crocodile

E.g. Grasp strong enough to break turtle shells, TANKY AS HELL, usually remains still and eventually attacks in a single swift swing.

>Seki: Cat, any feline in general

E.g. has rings that work as cat claws to “scratch” or flank opponents as a means to weaken them, also ambushes without notice by making use of his “lack of presence” sometimes.

(Author’s note: if there is “>” it’s lifted from my discord chat logs unless stated otherwise.)

Back to the topic in hand. If you did also question why they’re lumped in together despite them all in different gangs and looking like they just won’t want to interact with each other because, well, rival gangs, is actually because they USED to be in a gang together, excluding Seki, who formerly was identified as a female during the time and is an acting “external help” which made Seki part of PKs (Pharaoh’s Kids).

~The PRE-storyline (part 1)~

>Rei (Seki before he realised he’s trans), was on the verge of getting SA’d, by the gang leader of the gang Koji, Hisora, Junshin, Hitsuto and Arakawa were in.

>Koji did NOT accept it and got really mad and went haywire, resulted in the gang leader in the ICU due to how hard Koji bit down on the jugular, partial skin was ripped out by just his teeth

>So he was sent to Juvie as the rest watched—It was before Koji decided to play a “little game” with the rest of the PKs, calling one by one to tell about his idea and ultimately telling each and every one to start “hiding”, like hide and seek but by joining an existing gang. Hisora ofc, wanted to wait for Koji and the two talked again and discussed it a few times and both settled on Toman.

+BOUNTY HUNT+

Keeping it as brief as possible, these wanted delinquents that S-san has assigned Koji to seek the head of was Zwischenzug, a polar opposite of the Pharaoh Kids yet two sides of the same coin with are Yuichi, who just keeps coming back non stop despite being caught, Mamoru, Setsuna and the Abe Brothers.

(Author’s note: There is a major change between Zwischenzug and Pharaoh’s Kids’ dynamic. Do not use the current Zwischenzug lineup as lore ref until U update it. And reminder, Like the PKs, Zwischenzug is not a gang/group of delinquents that made a gang BUT a just a ‘category’ other delinquents decide to lump them in to. Will also elaborate on the captures in future iterations.)

+HIDE AND SEEK+

In a watered down version, Koji now has to go “seek his hiders” who were told to seek refuge at the gangs of their choice (or not). The order of getting each Pharaoh’s Kid does not really correlate to the order of the major gang fights shown in the OG series. Excluding Hisora since he’s already been on Koji’s side through his Juvie time, it’s Hitsuto, Junshin, and Arakawa in that order.

Hitsuto’s a hard head hothead, who started to vow his loyalty to Black Dragons (not really) recently but Koji managed to talk through his thick skull. He’s still in Black Dragons (up until Christmas Conflict Arc where he’s outed as a traitor and his ass got jumped)…despite Koji somehow surviving non stop headbutts and bludgeons. Guess Koji was too stressed and pissed to die.

Junshin was a LONG fight. The day before Bloody Halloween, Junshin was easy to get convinced to meet up with Koji but only at night, since Junshin’s is more active at night and he could sneak out of his mansion more easily rather than in broad daylight. Junshin gets pretty pissed at how suspiciously pushy Koji was and it snowballed into a fight under the highway. These all stretched through the night and until sunrise. Remembering that they need to take part in a gang fight without a drop of sleep, they meet again at the abandoned car lot only to fight their tired asses off (again). Koji of course, has a higher disadvantage because he isn’t used to chronic lack of sleep like Junshin. It was a stalemate, but Junshin gave in to help Koji out due to the influence of Baji’s death and Kazutora’s arrest.

Just as Koji thought “hey, I have more people on my side, maybe I get get Arakawa in no time”, him and Hisora gets jumped AS WELL for vehemently refusing to do what their ‘Master’ Muto said, resulting in a leg fracture on Koji and an arm fracture on Hisora. Lmao, that costed the two an arm and a leg (mb I had to). AND YET THESE STUBBORN MFS went against their superiors wishes and still showed up to the Tenjiku fight anyway. For Arakawa obviously.

Arakawa…OH ARAKAWA... He may be a dumbass but he isn’t stupid. He’s way more stubborn and stronger than the previous two. From what seems like just a rough play to him while taking down weak Toman members down one by one. He’s pretty much like the only one who takes the least seriousness in this situation. That of course costed him A LOT when he went overboard in beating and choking the living hell out of Koji.

And what do you know, Arakawa had awakened the full extent of Koji’s anger that manifested and clouded Koji’s mind, stripping Koji of his last bit of humanity and bringing the animalistic manner to the max…Arakawa accidentally got Koji to repeat the old incident. Feeling true fear of a prey when Koji’s bite outnumbered Arakawa’s exceptional tanky body and arm strength. If it weren’t for the interruption of the Blue Ogre, Koji would have just have killed Arakawa and lose vital information Arakawa may have held. This arc was the moment Koji’s mauled-up body was shown on full display, scar covering a good quarter of his body.

And at the point? Where’s Seki? Well, no one knows where Seki is…yet. Hold on. Seki starts with an S. Could he…could he be THE S-san?

Rather thought-provoking for the bandage-faced boy. Maybe if he finds Seki whom he suspects as S-san, not only he can catch more wanted people, he can finally reason with and get answers from S-san!

+TIGER HELPER+

Oh Koji wasn’t just a background character inside the juvie walls, no. Don’t believe it? Ask Kazutora Hanemiya. He seems to recognise the dog boy well, or “Nikuman”, he calls Koji. They came across each other at one point.

(Yeah this section of the lore is all made because of one shitpost idea I did)

PRE-Storyline (part 2)

>ANYWAY BACK TO MAIN THING, Juvie was where Koji came across Kazutora, the two were acquaintances. They’d just talk to each other when they happen to pass by each other YOU GET THE DEAL. Then the way Kazu was the first to saw Koji’s feral mode was when a fight broke out due to inmates bullying him about the biting, gagging and taunting about it, etc.

>Kazu was at the corner and watched SHIT GO DOWN and saw the whole thing, even aftermath where he saw bite marks on hands, legs and even the damn NECK bite.

>Aftermath resulted in Kazu being lowkey scared of him but still tried to talk to him

> Wasn’t enough because Koji was bailed out by his adoptive mom (that Koji always sees as his actuall mom and openly calls her mummy, WE LOVE YOU MRS. SHIMAMOTO) after Hisora and the rest convinced her || mom and openly calls her mummy. WE LOVE YOU MRS. SHIMAMOTO!!!) after Hisora and the rest convinced her.

This all happened during the Valhalla arc of the original series and Koji & Hisora bumped into one of the Toman. However after the Valhalla Arc which got Kazutora in Jail, that didn’t stop Koji from squeezing some leads and information out of him. Of course it’s for a price still, you’re not gonna get info that easily from Mr. Hanemiya.

In order to get that sweet reward, Koji has to defeat banchous from schools around the hood—One school banchou defeated will get Kazutora to gain respect for the legitimate strength rewards Koji with tidbits of info in tiny crumpled up/folded papers that Kazutora will sneakily slide through the glass pane. All of these infos pieces together will reveal whereabouts about a certain someone that knows a lot about Seki. This person is Ian Rivera ( @chejirevv’s OC), and as it turns out, had been trying to get Seki into Valhalla but it was like herding cats all until Valhalla was destroyed.

+OTHER EXTERNAL HELP+

Arakawa has heard of Jou Moriatsu (a mutual on discord’s oc) and told Koji that he set up a meeting with him on behalf of Koji and yeah, Koji now has more help but he did that by surprisingly, promising Moriatsu to be his friend. Hisora was NOT too happy about it, jealous even.

+CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE?+

As it turns out, once the final PK was found, Seki is ultimately not S-San due to contradicting views and personality that Koji thought, which led Koji to a dead end. From the news of S-san, Seki decides to make a somewhat exception and helps out Koji. Now with the PKs back together and Koji’s growing skepticism towards the man behind the screen, S-san with each capture of the wanted delinquents, Koji now has a NEW bounty hunt on his hands—finding the identity of the man who tormented him and put him on a leash for all of his teenage years.

+S-SAN IS WHO?+

No development in this lore yet but the rough walkthrough is that S-san is actually a guy named Satoshi Kimura who hated delinquents because of a major event between (holy fucking shit) Satoshi’s and Koji’s older brothers and the fact that Satoshi was blamed for his older bro’s death. He just lead Koji on and turn his head on him and get Koji himself accused and get kicked out of Toman, Hisora too because he’s “in cahoots’.

And then Satoshi gets defeated.

+YAKUZAS???+

No concrete lore yet for this part too but during the time frame between 2006-2008, it was finally the time Koji had some damn peace and the PKs being art students get in the same art-centric High School (except for Junshin who’s in University and Arakawa, who’s taking a gap year.)

JK Satoshi was petty enough at Koji to join and gaslight the Yakuzas to be on his ass but Koji pulled an uno reverse and Satoshi is finally killed.

OOOKAY I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT SUMN IMPORTANT GUESS WHAT?

That’s right, the thing Koji has for Mitsuya.

Ending the 1st iteration of Vanta’s compiled lore on a lighter (and fruitier note), let’s get to it.

+LAVENDER CRUSH+

It was fine at first, just the typical nice classmate who’s, deservingly, the president of the Home Economics club who just sits in front of Koji. They didn’t talk much besides when the Home Economics club needed some aid from the Infocomm club for photo taking, up until they recognised each other when Mitsuya was trying to find the bathroom and came across Koji next to a tree without the Kitsune Mask that he constantly wears during gang hours, recognising that gauze-covered face of his.

So then the two began talking more often than not, sharing artistic interests. Koji began to just felt something different in him, mistaking it as his intuition telling him that Mitsuya was “using” him in a sense, he just hates him at how much Mitsuya began to get “distracting” to him. It was eyebrow-raising for the lavender boy at how strange and sudden Koji’s hospitality towards him changed, but still staying with him.

On Koji’s side, it didn’t occur to him that there even was a term to describe how he sees Mitsuya the way girls see him until he found the term. He was skeptical as usual at first, thinking about the time where he went to a middle school event where all the girls were dressed in cute maid outfits and charming the other boys (excluding Seki, or “Rei” at the time), but Koji just wasn’t swooned by the actions one bit, just seeing it in a platonic manner or “just a strange girl thing”.

“Gay? Ew, I’m not that.”

Then he began to think of that word more and more in proportion to Koji now realising the strange feeling towards Mitsuya was actually Koji crushing on him and he, for the lack of a better word and sorry for being corny, became a Tsundere. Even if his frisked cheeks aren’t visible because his face is covered, his left ear sticking out was a dead giveaway to blushing because Koji’s blush can spread from his cheeks to his ears.

Yes Koji at one point got really emo because he thought he was out of Mitsuya’s league after accepting that he’s gay and that Hakkai would win but yeah turns out Mitsuya wasn’t even into Hakkai and that Hakkai and Hisora was in cahoots behind his and Mitsuya’s back tryna get the two together.

It’s getting kinda long but basically their relationship is slow burn-y, and with their gang life being in the mix between the two. A few angst here and there where Mitsuya gets really pissed at how Koji keeps pushing away yet he’s body language is yelling and begging for safety and assurance.

This is where, aside from Koji’s mom, before(?) the Tenjiku Arc where Koji’s strutting around without the gauze rolls and slightly after the a Christmas conflict, Koji has no choice but to reveal his mangled look to the boy he likes and surprisingly Mitsuya took it well and they had a heart-to-heart talk, leading to the two getting WAYYY more close.

They eventually confess on 26/08/2006 but the angst does not end there with how they’re now also hiding their relationship because they’re in a delinquent world and not some sunshine and rainbows world.

(Author’s note: Good lord Mitsuya x Koji is literally either

And ESPECIALLY the second one in terms of slow burn and angst and no Koji and Mitsuya didn’t break up they’re just angsty as fuck)

+EXTERNAL LORE+

Too lazy to type so have discord and insta story screenshots

Total Yapping word count: ~3232 words

Aaaand with that I end my yapfest here. I’m done…for now lol. Sorry if it’s rushed, I did this in 3 days and 1 hour per day because I just started my year 2 and there’s already homework *cries*

The compiled lore is purely written on my trusty iOS notes app mb y’all and double mb because the lore is LONG long imo.

Tysm if you took the time to read it, I really appreciate it because I have been working on the lore seriously for 2 months and polishing things here and there!

TAGGED~

@star2fishmeg @chejirevv @anemptypuddingcup @sharpkiwislayer @kayjayxx @w975x

Dm for add or removal!!

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zerokurokawa · 2 days

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An excerpt from my fanfic that I'm currently writing on Wattpad: REVERSE | Tokyo Revengers

Amber, my mother, was a very laid back woman. She would often do spastic shit like cut all her hair off because it was bothering her while working in the ICU. Currently, she has a pixie cut. Standing at about five foot five, she was tougher than any woman I know. She would work herself to the bone one night and then get up the next day to go get a new tattoo added to her sleave. Amber was the definition grunge. To me, she looked like a Winona Ryder but with tattoos and a nose piercing. Don't get me wrong, she's a genius when it comes to the medical field, but it's like she loses her mind when she comes home and lacks common sense - like the bike incident.

She also gives me stupid ass nicknames.

"Sweetie pie," She hollered while walking in the front door, "Mom's home, come give me a hug, I've got some shit to tell you! You would not believe the night I had."

"Mom, its fucking 8am on a Saturday morning, why? Why must you do this to me?" I stumbled up from the couch and walked over to her. All of a sudden, panic came over me. I had forgotten that Baji, of all fucking people, was also asleep on the couch. We had a movie marathon late last night and fell asleep. Baji was at the other end with his face buried in the pillow. Thank God he had long hair. Now, if only he could stay unconscious long enough until my mother goes to bed.

"The ER was rough last night, a bunch of punk ass kids came in all busted up," My mom froze, staring at the edge of the couch. "Who is that?"

"Oh uh…." I stammered. "My friend stayed over last night."

"That does not look like Zoe and I know she's your only friend." She said, peeking around me.

"Throwing shots at me now, are we? At 8 in the fucking morning mom?" I yawned.

All of a sudden, I hear a sleepy, manly groan. Peeking out from the curtain of his black hair, Baji sat up and stared at my mom dead in the face, eyes still blurry with sleep. He has no idea what's going on and neither does my mother.

"Let me explain…" I tried to console my mother before she got pissed that I had a boy in the house.

"You're fifteen, Val. Why do you have a boy staying over?!" She gestured wildly, but quietly, at Baji.

Baji still has not moved. He just keeps staring. I'm either royally fucked, or my mom is going to be cool with it. You never know with Amber.

"Keisuke… this is my mom, Amber. Mom, this is Keisuke Baji." I stared back and forth between the two. "I tutor him at school and we became friends, FRIENDS, and we had a movie night. By the time the movie was over, we had both fallen asleep, ACCIDENTALLY."

I stared hard at my mother in her face, willing her to understand my meaning and to please not embarrass me; but oh she started.

"Keisukeeeeee! It's nice to meet you! I'm glad you've been taking special care of my special daughter. She likes to do dumb shit, she got it from her brother, Kaine. God rest his poor soul."

"Mom, Kaine is still alive…" I put my head in my hands as Baji stood up. He wasn't wearing a shirt, which made shit even worse.

"Well, for the time being at least." She said stoutly as she stared at a shirtless Baji.

Noticing my gestures to put his shirt back on, he grabbed it, said a quick "hello", and then ran off to the hallway bathroom as my mother's laughs followed behind him.

"No but seriously, what the hell, Valerie? You gotta boyfriend now?" She turned to me with a straight face.

"NO MOM, Jesus, he's just a friend of mine. I can't have guy friends?" I emphasized the friends part. I decided to go and start making breakfast for all of us considering this was going to be a very awkward and long morning. I was getting the dishes out when my mother speaks up.

"So this is the part were I need to give you the talk, huh?" I turned around and just looked at her.

"Mom, God, please… no." I begged.

"You're having boys stay over and I want to make sure you're being safe! I started at a young age and I wanted to make sure-" I cut her off.

"Mom, I'm a virgin and will stay a virgin for a long time." I looked at her with a fake smile, trying to get her to shut up before Baji came back from the bathroom.

I heard a cough coming from the hallway as Baji stepped out and leaned against the fridge.

"I apologize for my rude behavior, Mrs. Delrey. My name is Keisuke Baji and we accidentally fell asleep while watching movies last night. I'm used to sleeping in a cold apartment and got hot. I'm sorry." He calmly explained and stuck out his hand for my mother to shake. She smiled at him and nodded in response, shaking his hand and greeting him properly.

"It's nice to meet you, Keisuke. I'm Amber, Valerie's cool ass mother." She smirked while making that statement. "I'm not like a regular mom, I'm a cool mom." She also likes to make Mean Girls references.

It was true though, my mother was very cool. She was chill about a lot of things. I didn't have a curfew and she would let me drive around in her expensive BMW when she was home. She also wouldn't care that Zoe would come over and stay weeks at a time with me.

I finished cooking breakfast as my mom practically interrogated Baji. I sat the plates down passive aggressively as she asked him the infamous question:

"Are you in a gang?"

The silence was deafening.

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oathofoaksart · 6 months

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inked flats for @water-writings!

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers mitsuya #mitsuya takashi x oc #commission #art commission #water writings #gar’s art #oathofoaks

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nuhahani · 7 months

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The Mourning Fields:

⚰️-Fluff 🤍-SWF 🪦-angst 💀- NSFW 18+ only

Elysium🤍⚰️

Acheron🪦

Succubus Den : 18+ ONLY 💀

All works here belong to @niko-ash reblog and likes are welcome. Plagiarism will result in your blog being reported and my works set to private only. All characters and their designs belong to Ken Wakui. I hope you enjoy my AU's

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daisynik7 · 5 months

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Heart on a Sleeve

Pairing: Takashi Mitsuya x Original Female Character

Rating: Mature

Word Count: ~6.3k

cw: explicit language, switching POVs (2nd and 3rd person), established relationship, kissing, suggestive touching, sexual tension

Summary: You and Mitsuya make your budding relationship public and things only continue to grow from there. The Tokyo Manji gang successfully absorbs the Leviathans all thanks to the efforts of new captains Tetta Kisaki and Shuji Hanma. Despite Mikey’s praise for them during this month’s meeting, Mitsuya remains wary of the two. His suspicions only increase when he runs into them while on a date with you.

Author's Note: This took me so long to write, but I did it and I am proud of it. I thoroughly enjoy writing about the honeymoon phases in a relationship, so this was a fun one for me. Thanks for the love and support on this so far and I hope you like where the story is going so far. Thank you for reading.

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Sunday night, still reeling from the glorious high of breakfast with your new boyfriend Takashi Mitsuya, you call your best friends to break the news.

“You’re what?!” Keiko exclaims, her shriek loud through the phone.

You lower the volume, not wanting to be overheard by your parents downstairs. “I’m dating Takashi Mitsuya,” you repeat. “From homeroom.”

Mei is quiet on the other end while you can practically hear the cogs spinning in overdrive in Keiko’s head. “Takashi Mitsuya, from homeroom?”

Losing patience, and also amused by her reaction, you confirm, “Yes.”

“Mitsuya, who’s in the Tokyo Manji Gang. That Mitsuya?”

“Yes, Keiko, that Mitsuya!”

“He’s in a gang. What is our sweet Hana doing dating a gangster?!”

Defensive now, you reply, “He’s been nothing but kind to me. You know as well as I do that he’s never caused problems for us at school. He’s only ever acted when he knew there was someone he needed to stick up for. I don’t care that he’s in a gang. He’s a good person and I like him.”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Mei finally speaks. “You’re right, Hana. We know he’s a nice guy. We just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all we’re trying to say. Right, Keiko?”

She clears her throat before muttering, “Yeah.”

“Takashi would never hurt me. I feel safe with him.”

At that, they relent, setting their worries aside to discuss the details on how your budding relationship came to be. They had known since the beginning that you were taking sewing lessons from him, though they didn’t have a clue how you truly felt. It started as a tiny crush, a fantasy that you kept secret because you never considered it’d ever become real. Then, when Takashi admitted his feelings towards you, everything happened so fast. It’s only now that you are able to reveal everything to your friends, who are ultimately excited for you.

The only obstacle left is your parents. You’re sure that they’ll be in for a shock once you tell them since this is your first boyfriend ever. Naturally, they’ll be protective, as any parent would be. You’re confident that once they get to know Takashi, they’ll see him just as you do.

Monday morning, you do your usual routine of walking to school with your friends. Takashi offers to pick you up, but until you are ready to inform your parents about him, you figure it’d be best to avoid any cause for suspicion, especially since they are already wary of him to begin with. Instead, you part ways with Mei and Keiko to meet him in the parking lot before school, greeting him with a hug. He smiles, placing his hands at your waist to pull you in closer. “Hi.”

You nuzzle your nose to his, beaming. “Hi.”

He kisses you again, his tongue slipping past your lips this time, surprising you. Heat rushes into your cheeks, flustered and excited. You break apart, burying your face into his shoulder, catching your breath while he massages your back tenderly. “Are you okay?”

You nod, still hiding. “Just…getting used to all this.”

He tips your chin up to meet your gaze, smiling softly. “Me too. If I’m moving too fast, just tell me, okay? We’ll go at the pace you’re comfortable with.” He gives you a quick smooch before locking his fingers with yours. “Ready?”

As new and foreign as all this is for you, having Takashi makes it’s much easier to navigate. He leads you through the hallways of your school, unwavering, the grip on your hand confident, despite the prying eyes and hushed whispers from your passing peers. It’s odd being the center of attention for once, but like most high school relationships, the intrigue from others will eventually fade, and all that will matter is how the two of you feel about each other. And in this moment, you’re happy to be by his side.

Peh-Yan, one of your classmates and Takashi’s close friend from Toman, approaches you with a respectful bow. “Hello, Shimizu.”

You smile, greeting him back by his surname. “Hello, Hayashi.”

Takashi smirks, giving him a light punch on the arm. “No need to be so formal, Peh-Yan.”

He stands up straight. “Right, sorry. Anyways, I have some intel on Kisaki and Hanma infiltrating the Leviathans. Thought I’d pass on the information to you in case you were interested.”

Your boyfriend rolls his eyes, facing you. “Toman stuff. I’ll see you later in class, okay? Let’s eat lunch together.” He gives you a peck on the cheek, letting you go.

Part of you wants to stay, to listen in, but you know better than to intrude on topics that don’t pertain to you. You wave goodbye, heading to your classroom alone, your skin tingling with his warmth, already missing it.

~~~

Mitsuya never imagined himself to be a doting boyfriend, but he quickly finds himself adapting to that role almost too easily. In their only shared class, he spends too much time staring at the back of her head, admiring how cute she is. The few times she glances back at him to flash him a grin, his heart swells and he’s itching to hold her again as soon as class is dismissed. Usually, he’d eat lunch with Peh-Yan out in the courtyard or alone inside the home economics room while working on his latest sewing project. However, this entire week, he sits with his girlfriend and her friends. Mei and Keiko are nervous around him at first, unsure how to interact with a delinquent. But with Hana’s help and support, he gradually falls into place with them, finding topics to discuss that all of them can connect on.

They aren’t able to spend much time together after school, not with the both of them being preoccupied with extracurriculars. So, Friday remains a special day for them. It’s their first sewing lesson since everything changed a week ago. Mitsuya is a bit nervous, wondering if he’ll be able to focus on the actual lesson when he gets so easily distracted by her presence. When she meets him inside the home economics room, cradling her helmet, a pleasant smile on her face, all his worries disappear. Even if he does get distracted, who cares? He’s happy to be spending this time with her, alone.

She drops the helmet onto the usual desk, stepping closer to him. “Hi Takashi.”

“Hi Hana,” he responds, closing the distance between them with a kiss. They’ve gotten more comfortable doing this, their lips brushing seamlessly, his hands always finding the plush curves of her body. He loves the way she feels under his touch, on his mouth, against his chest. All the spaces of him that felt empty before are now full, all thanks to her.

Before they get carried away any further, he pulls off reluctantly, steadying himself before explaining what they’ll be doing today, eyes flitting back to her lips, now slightly swollen from their kisses. It’s happened several occasions so far this week. Their chaste kisses turning into more, both of them chasing their hunger little by little, teasing that fine line inch by inch. Mitsuya has managed to contain his excitement, though it’s getting more and more difficult, especially with her gradually testing the waters. A soft moan against his lips, her fingers toying with the elastic of his pants, her tongue pushing up against his, mouth open for him to explore and enjoy. He’ll continue to stand by, waiting until she’s ready to take the next steps forward. Despite how eager he is, nothing’s more important to him than making her feel safe.

Their lesson today results in a heart patch sewn onto the sleeve of her jean jacket. She admires it silently as Mitsuya puts away the sewing machine and the rest of his materials into one of the cabinets. When he’s finished, he returns to her side, draping his arm over her shoulders, pressing a smooch to the side of her head.

“The machine made this way easier than I thought it would be,” she comments.

“It usually does,” he says, running his finger over the stitching. “Before you know it, you’ll be an expert.”

“I doubt it. But that’s okay because I have you. If this patch here ever comes off, I’ll go straight to you.”

He raises a brow at her, teasing, “And who says I’ll help you?”

She tugs at his collar, peering up at him, smiling. “I guess I just assumed, now that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“You’re right. I’ll always be here to stitch your little heart back on.” He leans in, meeting her lips in a passionate kiss, surrounding her in his arms, the fluttering in his belly growing erratic. The door is closed and all the other students have already left for the day to enjoy the weekend. Mitsuya’s favorite spot is an empty classroom after school, and they happen to have this one all to themselves. As if on cue, his phone vibrates in his pocket, and before he checks it, he knows it’s his mother reminding him that she’s leaving for her shift soon. Disappointed, they break apart, gigging as if they were caught doing something naughty while they gather their belongings, heading towards his bike outside in the parking lot. On their way to his house, her grip is snug on his waist, holding him tightly. He’s reminded how good it feels to ride with her behind him, keeping her safe, keeping him safe.

They behave themselves in front of his sisters, only exchanging subtle glances and grazes when they’re absolutely in the clear. He’s tempted to skip today’s Toman meeting, hoping to spend the rest of the night by her side, but given Peh-Yan’s news from earlier this week, it’s an important one to attend. Begrudgingly, he says his goodbyes, sneaking a kiss to Hana’s cheek before he leaves for the shrine.

As usual, Draken is waiting for him at the bottom of the steps, leaning against his Zephyr. He smirks as soon as he sees him, giving him a congratulatory pat on the back. “My man. Did you finally get some tonight?”

Mitsuya rolls his eyes, shrugging him off. “I told you, we’re taking things slow. Besides, we were watching the brats. We couldn’t do it even if we wanted to.”

“Are you telling me that you don’t want to do it with her?” he teases.

“No, I definitely want to do it with her. I mean, make love to her,” he corrects himself, blushing.

Draken snorts, not one to indulge in euphemisms. “So when do you think the two of you will start fucking then?”

He grimaces at his vulgarity before answering, “I don’t know. It hasn’t even been a week yet. We’re taking it one day at a time. It’ll happen when the time is right.”

Draken digs into his pocket to retrieve a lollipop, unwrapping it to stick into his mouth, sucking on it loudly. “Alright, it’s your dick. I’m just here to offer you some moral support, man-to-man. Dragon-to-dragon.”

Mitsuya chuckles. “I appreciate it.”

They wait a few more minutes, chatting idly about other topics. Emma seems to be doing well so far in her pregnancy. Draken continues to cook whatever she’s craving at the time, from chicken katsu curry to spaghetti and meatballs. They don’t know the gender yet, though they don’t really seem to care; they’re both just ecstatic to be having this baby in the first place. Mikey remains oblivious to the fact that his sister is with child and that his right-hand-man is about to become a father. According to Draken, he continues to be a recluse, despite their efforts to reach out to him. It seems like forever now that Mitsuya has seen Mikey outside of these Toman meetings. He remembers vividly the tears it Takemitchy’s eyes over a month ago now, worried about their friend, their leader. He’s gone. And I don’t know where to find him. Maybe it’s time they finally made a real effort to bring him back.

From the corner of his eye, Mitsuya spots Kisaki and Hanma, the newly appointed captains, leading a group of unfamiliar faces up the shrine steps. He assumes it’s members of the rival Leviathan gang. The two must have been successful in their mission to infiltrate and absorb them, which doesn’t change Mitsuya’s opinion about them. Peh-Yan warned him about this earlier in the week and anticipates Mikey’s reaction to this recent development.

Takemitchy eventually arrives with Chifuyu, the two of them still the best of buddies. They greet the others cheerfully, waiting for Hakkai, who is always the last to arrive, fashionably late with a toothy grin on his face as they all berate him playfully, joking about how he was with yet another chick right before this. Draken, who always has a sixth sense about these things, deems it time to begin, leading his brothers up the shrine steps. Mitsuya always gets a swell in his chest when they’re together like this, nostalgic and proud to be in Toman. If only Mikey were here to join them like he used to.

In their usual formation, the men face Mikey, who’s front and center, Draken standing beside him. His eyes are noticeably heavy from either exhaustion or loss of sleep, maybe both. There’s an unsettling lack of emotion in his expression. He used to burn so bright with passion and intensity, something they all admired about him. It’s what got them to form Toman in the first place. Now, it’s as if the fire has dimmed to the tiniest ember, flickering just enough to barely survive.

After going over standard housekeeping issues, Mikey moves on to the main topic of tonight’s meeting. “Kisaki, Hanma, come forward,” he announces, beckoning them towards the front. They step towards him, smug grins on both their faces. Mitsuya can’t help but roll his eyes, already annoyed.

“I’d like to recognize these two for successfully following through with their mission. The Leviathan gang is no more. We welcome its past members into Toman as one of our own. Show them the respect they deserve.”

There are loud whispers amongst the crowd, everyone turning to look at the new brothers, who are intimidating in terms of numbers. There’s at least twenty of them, most of them built like brick houses. Mitsuya has always felt odd whenever previous rivals gangs join them. There’s always that initial distrust, considering they were just at each other’s throat prior. But he’s learned to accept it for what it is, trusting Mikey to make the right calls.

“Anything you’d like to share with us?” Mikey opens the floor to the two captains.

Kisaki, of course, takes the opportunity to speak, his voice as slimy as ever. “Toman welcomes the Leviathans with open arms. All these men will surely make a great addition to our crew. Not only are they abundant in muscle, they are clever and cunning. Exactly what Toman needs to continue its reign over Tokyo.”

Hanma adds, “It was a real bitch to convince them to join us, but it was all worth it. You’ll see soon enough,” he smirks, licking his lips.

“I’m sure we will,” Mikey says with a small smile, the slightest spark in his eyes. “As far as I know, you two are the only captains that have stepped up recently. I have nothing but the highest respect for you.”

More grumbling from the crowd, especially from the remaining captains. Draken’s brows are tight, clearly offended by the subtle diss. Chifuyu scoffs quietly, nudging Takemitchy, who looks like he’s near tears. Have their personal lives gotten too much in the way of their duties to Toman? Have they all let Mikey down?

When the meeting ends, they break formation to gather into their smaller circles. Chifuyu is still peeved, complaining to them. “Respect? To those two bastards? Has Mikey lost it?”

“Hey, watch it,” Draken warns. “I’ll admit. I’ve been too busy with the baby.”

“And I’ve been busy preparing for university, I’ve totally neglected Toman!” Takemitchy admits. “I don’t blame Mikey for being annoyed with us.”

Chifuyu throws his arms up, frustrated. “What does he expect us to do? He hasn’t reached out to any of us, doesn’t even talk to us anymore. How are we supposed to do anything if he’s completely ghosting us?”

From his peripheral, Mitsuya notices Mikey walking away from whatever private discussion he’s having with the old Leviathan gang. Before he can go anywhere else, Takemitchy calls out for him, waving enthusiastically. “Mikey!”

Chifuyu shakes his head. “Takemitchy, you idiot,” he mutters.

They all turn to their leader, who stares at them, eyes cold, palms in his pockets. He doesn’t move for a couple of seconds, and Mitsuya thinks that he’ll ignore them completely, which wouldn’t be surprising. But then, he takes slow steps towards them, expression unreadable. When he’s there, none of them are sure what to say, until Takemitchy breaks that ice. “Let’s go to Danny’s tonight! Just like old times!” he suggests, desperate.

Late night dinner at Danny’s was routine for them back when they were young, dumb, and broke. The food was mediocre at best, but the memories they shared there is what kept them coming back. Pancake eating contests, where Mikey would always come out victorious. Flirting with their favorite waitresses to get extra French fries. Loading up on the free refills of soda to compete in burping competitions. It’s more nostalgic than anything. Gradually, as they got older and busier with life, Danny’s become less frequent. Maybe this is what they need to get back into the normal swing of things.

Mikey doesn’t say much, except for giving them a small nod and muttering a quiet, “Sure,” his hands still buried in his pockets. At least it’s something.

~~~

It’s past midnight by the time Mitsuya arrives back home. You’re half-asleep on the couch with the TV on in the background. The girls are snoring in their room, tired after playing with you all night. He rouses you awake, caressing your cheek sweetly as he kneels on the floor beside you. “Hey cutie, I’m back.”

The pet name catches you off guard. You beam at him, tugging him by the neck to meeting his lips with yours. He smiles into this kiss. “You like that, huh?”

Nodding, you answer, “Yeah, I do.”

He deepens the kiss, running his fingers through your hair, tongue flicking against yours. Soon, you’re both breathing heavily, lips smacking loudly. Before it gets any further, you break away from him, giggling. “Takashi.”

Pressing his forehead to yours, swallowing hard, he whispers, “Yeah, I know. I know.”

You grin, sitting up on the couch to make room for him, patting the space beside you. “How was the meeting?”

He sits down, holding your hand, resting his head on your shoulder. “It was good. We went out for a bite after and it was really fun. Mikey joined us and it was just like old times.”

“Mikey?” you ask. You’ve heard that name before, but you barely know anything about Toman, simply because you’re too nervous to ask, embarrassed to be so nosy.

“He’s Toman’s leader. He’s the reason Toman is what it is. He started it all. Recently, it seems like he’s been distant from us. But tonight, I think we finally got him back.”

You squeeze him tight. “I’m happy to hear that.”

He doesn’t explain any further, enjoying the comfortable silence between you. Eventually, he says, “We should go out on a real date tomorrow. My mom doesn’t work until night, so we can spend the day together. What do you think?”

“I’d love that.”

He sits up, grinning at you. “Want to just stay the night?”

You laugh. “I don’t think my parents would like that, considering they have no idea we’re officially dating yet.”

“Then maybe we should tell them soon, over dinner. I really want them to like me.”

“I’m sure they already like you!” you answer, half-heartedly. In all honestly, you have no idea how they feel about him, except for that short conversation you had previously over dinner. You wonder how they will react when you tell them he’s your boyfriend, that you even have a boyfriend. You’d be lying to yourself if you say you aren’t anxious about it. “Let me talk to them first and we can arrange something, okay?”

He smiles brightly, pinching your cheek. “Don’t be nervous! I’ll work my charm on them, you’ll see.”

Mitsuya drives you home after a few more snuggles on the couch. Your parents are asleep by the time you walk through the door, quietly slipping out of your shoes and sneaking up the stairs into your bedroom. You don’t fall asleep right away, staring blankly at the ceiling, excited for tomorrow’s date with your boyfriend. He plans to pick you up at eleven in the morning but doesn’t elaborate on any more details. You wonder what he has in store for the two of you.

The next morning, you eat breakfast before getting ready for the day ahead of you. You make the brave decision to inform your parents about where you’ll be off to today. Clearing your throat, you brace yourself, confessing, “I’m going on a date today. With Takashi Mitsuya.”

It’s the most jarring silence for the next ten seconds. Your mother gawks at you, dropping her fork onto her plate with a harsh clink. Your father’s face is twisted in an expression akin to him witnessing some sort of apparition or horrible monster. Given their reactions, you almost regret being so honest with them, though a small weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

Your mom is the first to speak, tone unnaturally high-pitched when she responds, “Oh! Is this a study date perhaps? Are you preparing for an upcoming exam?”

You shake your head. “No. We’re just hanging out.”

“Hanging out,” she repeats, slightly breathless now. “You’re hanging out with a boy?”

“Yes,” you answer plainly, maintaining your patience as the cogs in her head start spinning faster, finally understanding.

“Oh. Okay,” you mother says, at a loss for words. Your dad remains speechless, clearly flabbergasted by the mere idea of you spending time with someone other than them or Keiko and Mei.

Before they can begin a full-fledged interrogation, you quickly scarf down the rest of your breakfast on the plate, standing up and announcing, “I’m going to change now, bye!”, sprinting up the stairs without any further explanation. For now, it seems you’ve dodged a bullet.

For today’s date, you decide to wear a floral sundress that ends just above your knees, something you’re comfortable and confident in. You keep your hair the same, unsure what else to do with it. You stare at your reflection in the mirror a while longer than usual, nervous though you know you shouldn’t be. Takashi has been nothing but kind to you, so you have no reason to believe he’d care so much about your appearance. Still, you want to make a good impression on him, especially since this is your first official date.

When he texts you that he’s waiting outside, you give yourself one last glance in the mirror, rushing out of your room to slip into your nicest pair of sandals by the doorway. Your mother and father both appear beside you, watching. “Be careful,” your mother comments, crossing her arms over her chest. Your father hums, still incapable of forming words as a response.

Turning the knob to leave, you smile at them. “I will.”

To your surprise, Takashi stands on the other side of the door, flashing that signature grin, waving politely. “Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Shimizu.” He has a backpack slung over his shoulders and you notice that his Impulse is nowhere to be seen, so you assume he walked here.

Your mother returns his smile as best as she can, though she’s obviously still wary about the whole situation. “Hello, Mitsuya. What are your plans today with our daughter?”

Your cheeks get hot, embarrassed by her nosiness, but Takashi takes it in stride. “We’re going to have a picnic at the park. I made sandwiches for our lunch. Then, we’re taking the train to Shibuya to play at the arcade. I’ll have Hana home before dinnertime, since I’ll be babysitting my sisters tonight.”

Impressed by his answer, you study your mom’s reaction, mentally breathing a sigh of relief when her smiles grows wider, seemingly pleased. “That sounds like a fun time.” She nudges your dad. “Doesn’t that sound like a fun time, sweetheart?”

Your father’s eyes narrow, glaring at your poor boyfriend. “I suppose,” he mutters.

Takashi doesn’t waver, maintaining that easy-going expression while he bows to them. “Thank you for allowing me the honor of spending time with your daughter.”

The two of you manage to leave for your date unscathed. From the doorway, your parents watch you and Takashi walk towards the park, keeping your distance from each other until you’re out of their sight. With the coast clear, Takashi laces his fingers with yours, laughing. “Well, that was scary.”

“You were scared? You were completely cool in front of them,” you reply, surprised by his comment.

“I’m glad it came off that way because I was this close to shitting myself, especially when your dad starting staring daggers at me,” he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“I’m so sorry about that! He’s been acting weird all morning since I told him I’m going on a date with you.”

“You told them that?”

“Well, I didn’t want to lie to them,” you explain. “I think they were just shocked at first. I’ve never been out with a boy before, so naturally, they are concerned.”

He nods. “I get that. It’s nice to have parents that are always worried about you,” he muses, a glint of sadness in his eyes. “I love my mom, don’t get me wrong. But she’s always working, so she relies on me a lot to be the man of the house. Nobody ever really worries about me, y’know?”

Your chest swells with emotion, empathizing with him. It can’t be easy being forced to grow up too fast. You squeeze him affectionately. “Well, you have me now. I’ll be here to worry about you and take care of you whenever you need it.”

He pauses in his tracks, staring at you. “You mean it?”

You smile reassuringly at him. “Of course I mean it.”

He gazes at you, pulling you in close to kiss you on the lips. You melt into him, letting his tongue slip inside your mouth, deep and passionate, full of unspoken gratitude for your commitment to him. “Thank you, Hana. I – ” he pauses, swallowing whatever he’s about to admit, instead repeating, “Thank you.” You pretend not to notice it, forcing your mind to forget about it completely.

A few minutes later, you arrive at the park, finding a good spot to settle in. It’s a beautiful day, perfect for a picnic like this. Bright sun, blue skies, and the ideal breeze. People are gathered all around you, walking along the pathway, jumping on the playground, throwing a ball in a game of fetch with their dogs. Takashi swings his bag towards his front, retrieving a big throw blanket that you lay out on the grass. He unloads his pack, displaying the sandwiches and variety of snacks he prepared, including some of your favorites. You’re dazzled by how charming this all is, how charming he is. Every day you’re together, you grow more and more fond of him.

The two of you dig in and everything is, of course, delicious. What makes it more special is the company. It’s easy being with Takashi. Conversation flows naturally and you never have to think about occupying any spaces of awkward silence. Even when it is, it’s comfortable, the two of you basking in each other’s presence, marveling at the sights and sounds surrounding you. Children’s laughter ringing from the nearby swings, dogs barking, the gentle wind blowing through the trees. When a leaf falls in your hair, Takashi picks it off, lingering a bit longer to twirl your soft strands between his fingers. After you’ve digested enough, you both lie down, staring up at the sky, pointing out clouds shaped like cotton balls, marshmallows, and bunnies. His hand never leaves yours, always interlaced, his fingers filling in the spaces between yours seamlessly. Time both stops and passes too quickly whenever you’re with him. You’re lost in the moment, savoring each second and before you know it, it’s already time to move on to the next. “We should head to the arcade now,” he suggests, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, cupping your cheek.

You nuzzle into his palm, relishing his gentle touch. He gives you a smooch on the forehead. “I could lay here for hours with you. But I want to impress you with all my skills at the arcade so that you think I’m cool,” he teases.

You giggle, sitting up to help him pack. “I already think you’re cool; you don’t have to prove anything to me.”

With everything put away, the two of you take the train towards one of the more popular arcades in Shibuya. It’s teeming with kids and teenagers, typical for a Saturday. You spot several of your classmates here, who greet you with a polite wave. At one of the cashiers, Mitsuya redeems two play cards to last you enough games for the next hour.

As expected, he suggests starting with a racing game, one where you’re propped on top of a fake motorcycle, riding through the streets of Tokyo. Seems all too fitting for him. What he doesn’t expect is for you to win, whizzing past him at the very last second before crossing the finish line. He’s thoroughly impressed, rewarding you with a proud kiss on the cheek.

You go through a variety of games, from classics like skee-ball and basketball, to new ones you haven’t tried before, like a zombie invasion simulation that had you screaming at the top of your lungs to your boyfriend’s delight. Eventually, you make your way to the claw machines, where Mitsuya manages to win a Hello Kitty plushie after five tries and you somehow score a squishy shark in only one. You exchange your prizes with each other, both of you cherishing them as your first gifts as a couple.

Time flies as it always does with him. Eventually, you run out of tokens to continue playing, only left now with points to redeem for prizes. On the way to the prize room, you notice Mitsuya staring off into the distance. You find out who he’s looking at; there are a group of boys in the signature Toman jackets gathered on one side of the arcade where the shooting games are located. Most of them are burly and it’s hard for you to believe that they’re your age, maybe even younger. There’s a shorter boy amongst them, blonde hair and glasses that gleam against the bright lights of the arcade. You’ve never seen him before, though something about him gives you an unexplainable chill.

“Are those your friends? Do you want to say hi to them?” you suggest.

Takashi snaps out of it, surprised that you caught him. “No, that’s okay. It’s our day today, remember? No need to drag you into any Toman business.”

You’re tempted to argue with him, not at all minding being introduced to this part of his life. However, he seems determined not to do that in this moment, so you let it be.

You take your time perusing, making note of what you can afford with the total number of points the two of you managed to accumulate throughout the day. It’s clear that he’s distracted now, not nearly as chatty as he was earlier, the most subtle glint of worry on his face. Halfway through, he announces, “I’m going to use the bathroom. Just stay right here, okay? I’ll be back.” He walks out briskly, leaving you alone. You sigh to yourself, already lonely without him. You dawdle even more as you admire the big prizes on display, contemplating saving your points to redeem one of them someday in the future.

“Got enough for that?”

The unfamiliar voice startles you. You turn to whoever is speaking, surprised to find a tall, lanky boy standing beside you, grinning. His hair is black, though he’s got a blonde stripe down the middle. A long, golden earring dangles on his left lobe. He’s wearing the recognizable Toman jacket.

You swallow, suddenly nervous under his gaze. “What?”

“I asked if you have enough points for that.” He points at the giant Pikachu plushie you were just admiring. “Because if you don’t, I can definitely lend you some.”

“That’s very nice of you, but I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate me accepting things from strangers.”

His smile grows bigger, showing his teeth, amused by your response. He holds his hand out. “Shuji Hanma.”

Hesitant, you end up taking it, introducing yourself. “Hana Shimizu.”

At that, his eyes widen and his grip on you becomes tighter. “I guess we’re not strangers anymore.”

~~~

He should have ignored them completely, Mitsuya knows that. He also definitely shouldn’t have left Hana alone. But seeing Kisaki all buddy-buddy with the old Leviathan gang members gives him an uneasiness that he can’t shake. So, he pretends to need the bathroom to excuse himself, just for a few moments to get some intel on what they might be up to. It’s for the good of Toman, that’s his justification for it.

Luckily he’s in casual clothes today and not in his Toman jacket, so he blends in with the crowd easily as he maneuvers through the arcade towards Kisaki. Eventually, he finds a spot behind one of the arcade games that gives him coverage to remain hidden while within earshot of the group.

They watch as one of the bigger guys shoots his toy gun towards the screen, an intense look on his face, the other boys surrounding him cheering him on in the process. Kisaki’s expression remains neutral, as always. They remain like this for a while longer, and Mitsuya starts to believe his efforts are useless. About ready to return to his girlfriend, he pauses when he hears something that piques his interest.

“I bet Kisaki can’t wait to pull the trigger on Mikey, am I right?” One of the Leviathans nudges him playfully, pointing at the gun.

Kisaki shoves him away aggressively, glaring at him. “Shut up. Don’t say such stupid things out in public.”

“Hey, there’s no one here but us, man! Chill!”

He grabs him by the scruff, fingers clenched tightly to his collar. “Oh? Is that what you think, you fucking imbecile? For your information, Hanma is greeting a fellow Toman brother right now.”

Struggling to speak with Kisaki’s knuckles against his throat, he croaks, “Who?”

“Takashi Mitsuya.”

At his name, Mitsuya leaves his spot, sprinting back to the prize room in a panic. He’s an absolute idiot to think that they didn’t notice him earlier. An even bigger idiot for leaving Hana alone, vulnerable to Hanma. But he has no idea who she is, right? There’s no way he could know. He vividly recalls the meeting from a few weeks ago. I guess I’ll just have to find out who Shimizu is myself. The subtle threat from his sleazy mouth. What could that asshole possibly want with her? Mitsuya is too afraid to find out.

On his way, he catches Hanma exiting the prize room with that signature smug smirk. “Little Taka, fancy meeting you here.”

Mitsuya glares at him. “Hanma.”

He points his thumb behind him, over his shoulder. “Finally got a chance to meet your precious Shimizu. I can see why you’ve been hiding her from us. She’s a really good girl.”

Mitsuya’s fists are unbearably tight at his sides, trembling with anger. He’s on the verge of swinging, wanting to see his ugly mug all scrunched up from his fist. However, he manages to control himself. Through gritted teeth, he growls, “Leave her alone.”

Hanma holds both hands up to him in false surrender. “Hey, I was just being polite. Saw you earlier, enjoying your cute date, thought I’d say hello. Oh, and Kisaki sends his warm regards.”

The urge to inflict violence upon the man in front of him is getting more and more difficult to suppress with each slimy word that comes out of his mouth. He’s incapable of formulating a coherent response, body shaking with rage. He always planned to keep Toman away from her as much as possible, thinking that’d be her safest option. Now, she’s become acquainted to it and in the worst way possible.

Hanma forces a chuckle. “You better get back to sweet Hana, now. Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting any longer or someone else might just come along and take her.” He shoves past him, hitting his shoulder hard with his own.

Before he can walk away, Mitsuya grabs him by the collar, tugging him close, voice low and threatening. “Don’t fucking talk about her. Don’t fucking look at her. Don’t even fucking think about her. Got it?”

Hanma laughs maniacally, clearly enjoying this side of Little Taka. “If you mind your business, we’ll mind ours.”

Mitsuya releases him, watching him disappear into the crowd of people without exchanging anymore words. He’s attempts to collect himself, returning to Hana, who stands at one of the corners, still inspecting the prizes. When she sees him, she smiles, seemingly unfazed. “Everything okay?”

For a moment, Mitsuya believes that all of it was a bluff. He slides his hand around her waist, pulling her in close. “Yeah. You?”

She rests her head on his shoulder. “Yeah. I met one of your Toman brothers. Shuji Hanma. He seems…nice.” There it is. The falter in her voice. The hesitation. The lie.

Deciding that now is not the time to discuss it, Mitsuya nods, not saying anything else.

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nanaosaki3940 · 1 year

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A Condition Called Love [Tokyo Revengers]

|| Tokyo Revengers ||

(Almost follows the canon storyline of TR & is up-to-date with the manga.)

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Angst.

Note: A very long post (A collection of snippets from my original Tokyo Revengers fanfic. I know this is an xOC fic but you can read it as self-insert)

TR masterlist

"When I see you, it's as if space and time become the finest point imaginable as if time collapses into one tiny speck and explodes at light speed. It's as if my universe begins and ends with you. I could run forever, search forever, but in the end, every path leads right back to your heart and soul. I love you, always."

- Keisuke Baji

Nana's POV

As far as I could recall my memories, I had known the Sano family for ages now. My father's family, the Osaki and the Sano (who were apparently also my neighbor) had been family friends for generations, was what I had been told by my parents and the others. So, growing up, the people I always found myself surrounded by (besides my own parents) were the Sano brothers and their idiotic friends.

Shinichiro Sano, the eldest son of the Sano family, also the founder and First Generation President of Black Dragon, had always been a kind and sympathetic individual; a total softie if I must say. Known by everyone in the delinquent world as the 'Weak King', Shinichiro was yet a terrible fighter but nonetheless a charming and charismatic leader. Back when he led all the tough guys in Tokyo, to me, Shinichiro sparkled brighter than anything. All the delinquents in Tokyo respected and idolized him, a guy who was weaker than them, and sometimes this confused the heck out of his younger brother Manjiro.

"Shinichiro-Nii... Even though you suck at fighting, you're girl-crazy and your farts stink, how come all the guys like you?" Manjiro once asked him that.

"Haha, you just don't get it yet, Manjiro." was what Shinichiro responded back then with a bright smile and a hearty chuckle.

Maybe back then Manjiro didn't understand what made his older brother so special, but I on the other hand knew and understood everything. In one of many memories of mine, I could recall how Shinichiro never liked taking those dojo classes with his grandfather and always skipped the classes whenever he got his sweet chance. In his words, he would rather hang around with his gang (the Black Dragon) while riding his bike across the city than spend hours at the dojo with Grandpa Sano who kept scolding him for everything like a broken radio.

But despite his carefree attitude, Shinichiro was sensible, responsible, and reliable. Whatever the situation was, Shinichiro was always there, right in the front, reaching out his hand to anyone who needed help and saving. Aside from that, he also had a charm that attracted people around him, but even with that charm, Shinichiro never resorted to violence. He was just so kind and earnest that even the people who fought him ended up liking him.

And that's why I was attracted to Shinichiro in the first place. Even when he playfully warned me - "Don't go falling for my good looks now" - I still ended up falling for him hard. Before I could even realize how it happened or when it happened, I was madly in love with Shinichiro Sano despite him being 10 years older than me.

Another thing that I could recall from the past was what his friends (Takeomi Akashi, Wakasa Imaushi, and Keizo Arashi) used to call him back then - "A loser in both fights and love" and it was because of his inability to fight despite him being the leader of a delinquent gang and him getting rejected by women 20 times consecutively. I never understood why girls never liked Shinichiro or why he got rejected every single time. Good looks, charming personality, leadership quality, strong morality - he had it all, yet women still rejected his love confessions without giving a thought to his feelings. And not just his looks and personality, he also had this aura of warmth and homeliness that could make anyone feel comfortable and safe around him and that he was the kind of person who would cry along with and for someone if they got hurt or were in pain of some sort.

In my opinion, those women were really dumb for letting go of an angel like him because to me, there was no one else like Shinichiro Sano.

On the other hand, his brother Manjiro, the youngest son of the Sano family, was quite the opposite of his older brother Shinichiro. Manjiro was selfish, bratty, clingy, and possessive, yet was sometimes sweet and understanding all at the same time. He was someone who looked down on the weak ones and deemed himself as the strongest in the whole of Shibuya, all the way back from our elementary school days. He was everything that Shinichiro wasn't, meaning his personality wasn't likable enough for me and my taste, but even so somehow Manjiro and I still managed to get along with each other pretty well and became best friends for life in the process. People around us used to say that I was quite mature for my age while Manjiro was the most childish one between the two of us, we somehow balanced each other despite being the polar opposite of one another. Growing up together ever since when we were still in diapers, Manjiro and I had known each other for the longest and because of that we were practically inseparable.

Even to this day, I could still remember all those beautiful memories of mine with the Sano family like how my parents were so good friends with Mrs. Sano (Shinichiro and Manjiro's mother) when they were all alive and well or how Shinichiro used to babysit me and Manjiro back in the days when he was still in middle or high school or how we used to play and spend our time together with Takeomi's (Shinichiro's friend) younger siblings named Haruchiyo and Senju at the Akashi residence with Shinichiro and Takeomi by our side and the list goes on and on. And in every single one of my memories, I always found Manjiro there with me by my side all the time, never once leaving me alone even for a single minute. As if I was his other half and he was mine.

Although I didn't have any clear memories of Mr. Sano (Shinichiro and Manjiro's father) because he died in a car accident when Manjiro and I were only 3 years old, I did use to hear stories from either Shinichiro or Mrs. Sano about him like how he was so kind and gentle as a person or how Manjiro got his looks from his father and everything. At school or on a playground, I never felt lonely or abandoned because of Manjiro. He was always there whenever I needed him whether it was to support me, cheer me up, or grace me with his "cool and mighty" presence. I thought as long as I had Manjiro with me, I wouldn't need anyone else. But then I was proven to be wrong not so long after. In our own little world full of rainbows and unicorns, when it was just me and Manjiro, someone else suddenly walked into our lives and changed the whole dynamic of our friendship; it was Keisuke Baji.

Manjiro and I met Keisuke for the first time when all three of us were only four years old. Living in the same neighborhood as us, Keisuke just newly joined the Sano dojo to learn martial arts from Grandpa Sano while Manjiro and I were already a part of the student body back then. As time passed by at the Sano dojo, I started to learn more and more about Keisuke as a person before realizing that his personality rested somewhere in between my mature one and Manjiro's childish one.

From my point of view, Keisuke Baji was kind, obedient, bashful, gullible, somewhat playful and yet was also pretty much brainless, and stupid. But also at the same time, he was loud, competitive, aggressive, and violent. Keisuke was the first person in my life that I had seen someone having a major anger issue. And aside from his hotheadedness, he was also very perceptive of the things around him and was fiercely loyal to the ones he loved and cared for the most. In other words, Keisuke Baji was wild and free, like a bird soaring high up in the sky with its wings spread wide open.

Back in the days, Keisuke always used to challenge Manjiro in fights to see who was better at martial arts but in the end, would always get his ass whipped by the blonde Sano boy, and being the only mature one in the group, I always had to step in and stop the fight before giving medical attention to the ravenette boy named Keisuke.

"Good, that's enough!!" Grandpa Sano shouted out to the students, letting them know that the class was over for today.

Manjiro, Keisuke, and I were also there in the midst of many students in the dojo, getting ready to pack things up, and at the moment, Shinichiro who was a middle schooler back then, sneaked into the dojo to pay us a small visit.

"Yo, Nana-chan, Keisuke, what's up?" Shinichiro called out with a grin on his face, leaning back on the doorframe with his schoolbag slinging on his shoulder. "You two sure got a pretty solid body for little kids..."

"Shinichiro-kun!"

"Shin-chan!"

Both Keisuke and I greeted him back with a bright smile, our eyes twinkling like the stars in the sky. But Shinichiro's smile on the other hand immediately vanished in thin air when we called out his name out loud.

"Keep it down, you dummies!" Shinichiro scolded us lightly with a nervous look on his face before running away from there.

"Shinichiro!!" Grandpa Sano yelled out with a scowling face but the ravenette Sano boy had already left the spot. "Dammit! Always messing around, never coming to the dojo. Don't you two turn out like him, Nana and Keisuke! Both of you got potential."

"Y-Yes, sir!" Keisuke and I responded back nervously.

And just then our attention shifted towards Manjiro who was still practicing his special move; high kicks.

"Sensei, how come he's so good, even though he never practices?" Keisuke asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"He's a prodigy!" Gramps replied in a proud tone.

"Whaaat?! No fair! Why's he get to be the one?!" Keisuke complained.

"Because he's my grandson!" Gramps smirked at Keisuke in response.

But Keisuke being Keisuke wouldn't give up that easily and stomped towards Manjiro.

"Hey, Sano! Spar with me!!" Keisuke demanded.

"Huh? No way!" Manjiro immediately rejected the demand. "I don't wanna get all sweaty."

"Then why would you come to the dojo?!" Keisuke asked, pointing at Manjiro in an accusation manner.

"To show off how cool I am. I wanna stand out!" Manjiro replied, flashing out a cheeky grin.

"Wow, what a jerk!" Keisuke grumbled out in frustration.

And this wasn't the only time that happened. It later became a daily ritual where Keisuke would challenge Manjiro in a fight and then later get his ass whipped.

"Damn that Sano!" Keisuke hissed out in frustration while I was putting bandages on his new scars and bruises.

"Don't get mad, Kei-chan..." I stated in a soft tone and the boy locked his gaze on me. "I'm sure that someday you'll get stronger and beat Jiro-chan in a fight."

"You believe I can do that, Nana-chan?" Keisuke asked, his gaze softened, and his voice filled with hope and anticipation.

"Hmm!" I hummed before flashing out a bright smile. "You work hard a lot and you have dedication. Mommy and Daddy say that hard work and dedication always pay off, whatever you do."

"Really?"

"Yes! I believe in you, Kei-chan!"

And right on cue, Keisuke's face went blushing red like a tomato.

"You know what? I'll help you train, Kei-chan. That way you'll get stronger." I suggested and his eyes went wide open in response.

"B-But I can't fight you, Nana-chan!" he stuttered out nervously.

"Why not?" I asked with a pouty face and a frown. "I know I'm not as strong as Jiro-chan, but I can still help."

"But you're a girl, Nana-chan. My Ma taught me not to hit girls. That's bad." he pointed out.

"Violence on anyone or anything is bad in general, Kei-chan. And besides, you're not gonna hit me with bad intention, so it's okay." I shrugged and Keisuke's eyes softened again in response.

"You're really nice, Nana-chan..." he stated in a gentle tone and my eyes widened a bit at his words.

"You think so?" I asked, a small blush appearing on my face.

"Yeah! I told my Ma about you and she says you're a nice girl!" he added before hopping on his own two feet. "You know what, Nana-chan? You should come to my house now that we're friends. We can play video games and eat yakisoba together!"

"Okay!" I giggled out, standing up on my feet as well. "Do you have any anime and manga collections? I love reading manga, you know."

"No way! Really? Me too!" he gasped out in surprise.

"Then I guess we should hang out more often!" I laughed out in delight.

"Yeah!" Keisuke responded back with a huge smile on his face.

And that's when I noticed his left sharp canine tooth poking out in between his closed lips as he continued to smile at me. Curiosity got the best of me as I reached out and touched his pointy tooth.

"W-What are you doing?" he stuttered out and a wave of red flushed his cheeks.

"Your canine tooth was poking out in between your closed lips. That's really cute, Kei-chan." I giggled at him again.

"C-C-Cute?!" he gasped out in shock.

"Yeah, cute!" I nodded my head in agreement.

"I'm not cute! I'm manly! Stop teasing me, Nana-chan!" he grumbled out with pouty lips.

"Huh? I'm not teasing you. I'm just stating the fact. And who said you can't be cute if you're manly? I think you can be both manly and cute at the same time if you want." I pointed out and his blush deepened even more than before.

Yeap, Keisuke Baji sure was a cute and adorable boy back then.

And speaking of cute and adorable, when we were like 5-6 years old, a new addition came into the Sano family all of a sudden; Emma Sano. Through my parents, I got to know that Emma's mother was Mr. Sano's second wife and was a year younger than me, Manjiro and Keisuke. Meaning that Emma was Shinichiro and Manjiro's half-sister.

Everything just happened all of a sudden and happened way too fast in my opinion.

On one bright day, Emma's mom suddenly appeared out of nowhere at the Sano residence with Emma and dropped her daughter there in the care of Grandpa Sano, and just left. And when I meant left, I meant she never came back for Emma again. So from that day onwards, Emma became a part of the Sano family and a part of our friend group. It was already weird enough for me to learn that Mr. Sano had another wife while Mrs. Sano (Shinichiro and Manjiro's mother) was still alive and now this?

"Huh? Wow! So you got different moms?" Keisuke asked in surprise and amazement as the four of us (Me, Manjiro, Keisuke and Emma) sat on the floor at the dojo after today's practice before Keisuke looked over at Manjiro with a grin on his face. "Sounds like a foreigner's name."

"I know right?" Manjiro grinned back.

"Then I will be Edward. Ed for short." Keisuke suddenly stated out of nowhere.

"And... I'll be Michael. Mikey for short." Manjiro added as the two boys continued to grin like idiots.

"Huh? What the hell?" I deadpanned at those two while Emma remained unfazed.

"Nana-chin, pick a foreign name for yourself!" Manjiro stated excitedly, looking over at me with a smirk.

"No way in hell." I rejected him immediately.

"You're no fun, Nana-chan!" Keisuke complained.

"Oh, I know! It's 'Nina' for Nana-chin! Or, maybe 'Nancy'. Or, 'Nathalie'..." Manjiro went on and on.

"I think I like Nina better!" Keisuke chimed in.

"Nina it is then!" Manjiro finalized.

"Hey, I never asked for an American name!" I snapped but those two idiots won't listen as they began to talk in broken English among themselves, causing me to let out a heavy sigh in response. "I give up. Those two are hopeless..."

"To be honest I know..." Emma suddenly spoke up for the first time in hours and we all turned our attention to her. "I know how Mommy feels... Mommy hates me. That's why she got rid of me. I know, but she told me she would come to get me after she finished her errands. She said so..."

And with that, she started to sob in front of us, tears flowing down her chubby cheeks. At that moment, I didn't know what to say to comfort her even though I wanted to. It wasn't like Emma and I became really close friends as soon as she arrived at the Sano residence, but I knew I wanted to be friends with her; my first female friend.

"I want to make Emma-chan smile..." I spoke up at the dining table later that night while eating dinner.

"You want to be friends with her?" Mom asked me with a smile and I nodded my head in response.

"But I don't know how to approach her though..." I added with a pouty face. "Every time we practice at the dojo, she would just stand outside and watch us from the doorway."

"Maybe she wants to learn martial arts, but is too shy to ask anyone to teach her?" Dad pointed out. "Maybe you can become her teacher. You already train with Keisuke after class, right? Ask her to join you guys."

"That sounds like a plan!" I responded back with a bright smile, loving the idea my Dad gave me.

And then according to my plan, I approached Emma the next day and asked her to join us for the training, and to my surprise, she happily agreed. It wasn't as hard as I imagined. Maybe she also wanted to be friends with us after all then. So every day after the dojo classes ended, Keisuke and I would stay back and teach Emma some of the martial art moves we knew.

"You're learning from them, Emma?"

The three of us looked over to the side and noticed Manjiro standing at the doorway with a deadpanned face and this offended me and Keisuke to no extent.

"What do you mean 'learning from them', huh?!" Keisuke snapped, frowning his eyebrows at the blonde Sano boy.

"Just because we're not as strong as you, Jiro-chan, doesn't mean we can't teach Emma-chan martial arts!" I added, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah! And besides, we're also getting stronger because of our hard work and dictation!" Keisuke stated proudly, puffing his chest.

"Kei-chan, it's dedication, not dictation." I deadpanned at the ravenette boy.

"Oh really?" Keisuke asked in confusion and I facepalmed myself in response.

"I will be Mikey from now on..." Manjiro spoke up again as he walked over to us.

"Huh?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow as we all gave him a confused look.

"If your big bro's name is Mikey, then we match, so it's not weird, right? So it's just gonna be Mikey now, Emma." Manjiro clarified himself and hearing this, Emma let out a chuckle in amusement.

"Wah, she finally laughed!" Keisuke whispered into my ear in surprise.

"I know right?" I whispered back, surprised as well.

"You don't get girls at all. I wasn't worried about my name." Emma continued to giggle.

"Ah, you smiled." Manjiro pointed out before his lips curled up into a small smirk. "Don't fall for me now."

"No way, stupid. You are not my type." Emma responded back in a sassy manner.

And from that day onwards we shared a bond that was completely unbreakable.

At the age of six, I lost both of my parents in a car accident. My relatives rejected me, saying that I'd be a burden to them. And in a difficult situation like this, the Sano family was kind enough to take me in and give me a roof over my head. Mrs. Sano, Grandpa Sano, Shinichiro, Manjiro, and Emma, all welcomed me into their family with open arms. They became my 2nd family, my 2nd home. Even though I was very young back then, I started to come to terms with my parents' deaths and began to cope with the situation I was in. For myself, to survive in this cruel world, I needed to become strong, both mentally and emotionally. Instead of mourning over my parents' death, I needed to move on with my life, or else I'd never find happiness like this.

As things started to get a little better for me, another tragedy hit us like a typhoon; Mrs. Sano passed away from an illness after being hospitalized for months, just two years after the death of my parents.

To me, Mrs. Sano was like my second mother and she loved me like her own child. Her death was another shock that I had to cope with along with the Sano family. When Mrs. Sano was still alive, I remember how Manjiro and I used to go visit her in the hospital once a week before going back home after school. There we used to spend hours with her telling her stories of what we did at school or at home and everything. And Manjiro being Manjiro would always share his 'heroic' tales with his mother of how he beat up some random kids at school or at the park, claiming how strong he was. That cocky little shit Manjiro made his mission of asserting his dominance in the whole of Shibuya back then.

"I met this big guy from East elementary's third grade and I beat him up." Manjiro stated proudly with a huge grin as he and I sat on a chair beside the hospital bed.

"You're so strong, Manjiro. Just like your father." Mrs. Sano responded back with a warm smile.

"But violence is bad. Don't you think so too, aunty?" I chimed in and Manjiro threw a dirty glare at me.

"That's true though. What Nana-chan said is also right." Mrs. Sano added, agreeing with me.

"You're just saying that because you're weak, Nana-chin!" Manjiro snapped at me.

"No, you're wrong. I'm not weak and I can fight!" I snapped back, huffing and crossing my arms over my chest. "Unlike you, I'm not a violent person and I don't pick up fights with random people to assert my dominance! Not to mention you always make them cry!"

"They cry because they're weak. It's their fault that they're weak!" Manjiro tried to reason.

"But children cry easily, don't they?" Mrs. Sano asked with a smile.

"Did Daddy also cry easily?" Manjiro asked.

"I wonder if he ever cried in public though?" Mrs. Sano wondered before her lips curled up into a smile. "That man was hopeless..."

The way she smiled, I knew she was thinking about Mr. Sano at that moment. There were times when Mrs. Sano used to tell us stories about Mr. Sano which clearly indicated how much she still loved him and missed him.

"You love Daddy very much, don't you, Mom?" Manjiro asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You think so?" Mrs. Sano chuckled out with a smile.

"Well, then I'll be like Daddy too!" Manjiro stated with a big grin on his face.

But that happiness didn't last long when Mrs. Sano's condition worsened even more. I could still remember the last encounter I had with her. We all went to visit her one last time at the hospital where Manjiro boasted about his victories in fights as usual, and stated that weak guys did not cry so he will not cry as well. He also promised to protect her. However, Mrs. Sano told him that, just because he did not cry did not mean that he was strong. She also revealed that he used to be a crybaby when he was younger. To lighten the heavy situation, I even ridiculed him for being a "crybaby" which made Manjiro furious but Mrs. Sano and I simply shrugged him off and laughed away together.

Three days later after our final visit, Mrs. Sano took her last breath and passed away. The Sano family and I all went to visit her at the hospital where her lifeless body was kept in a room, and there we all grieved and sobbed, except for Manjiro. At first, I was worried, wondering where he went but later I found him in one of the hospital corridors bawling his eyes out. Manjiro wanted to be strong. He wanted to appear strong. He didn't want to be deemed as weak. That's why he always went around and beat up people in order to prove a point that he was the strongest in the area he was at. And because of that, he didn't shed tears during his final visit to his mother. Even at that moment, he didn't want his family to see him cry like this.

I understood how he felt. I understood his pain. After all, I was also an orphan like him. I didn't say a word and simply walked over to him before pulling him into a bear hug. I let him cry silently on my shoulders. Manjiro knew I won't tell anyone about him shedding tears. We might bicker with each other every now and then, but when it came to keeping secrets, we always trusted each other to no extent.

"Nana-chin, promise me you'll never leave my side..." he sobbed causing me to tighten my grip around him even more.

"I promise, Manjiro... I promise...."

Even though I said I understood his pain and suffering as a fellow orphan, I actually never realized what he was actually going through after his mother passed away. As time went by, I noticed some sudden changes in Manjiro which were very concerning. He was getting more and more aggressive and violent and started picking up fights with even older guys on the streets and alleyways. When I confronted him about this, Manjiro explained his situation to me - "Dark Impulse".

He explained that something dark was growing inside him and whenever he succumbed to that darkness, it conflicted with the aspects of his personality and contradicted his behavior like how he felt attracted to violence and wanted to embrace a life of violence by committing multiple atrocities or otherwise or how his emotions would shut down and that would make him act indifferent towards anyone while holding a cold poker face or how he felt capable of hurting or even gunning down his dear ones.

At first, I got worried about his mental state when he told me all of that but then he also assured me that his "Dark Impulse" was in complete control and that there was nothing to be afraid of. As gullible as I was back then, I believed his words and that was the biggest mistake of my entire life.

While growing up, besides Emma, Manjiro and Keisuke, I also became good friends with Takeomi's (Shinichiro's friend) younger siblings named Haruchiyo and Senju. Those two were also the same age as me and the others and we always used to play together at the Sano residence all the time. There was this one time Shinichiro made a toy plane for Manjiro which caught almost everyone's attention and I could still remember how Keisuke, Haruchiyo, and I used to chase after him and begged him to let us play with his toy, but Manjiro being selfish and possessive as always never shared his toy with us.

Senju was no different from us when it came to this aspect. She was also fascinated with Manjiro's toy plane and wished to have one for herself someday. One day, her wish almost came true when she sneaked into Manjiro's bedroom and found the plane sitting on top of a small shelf. Greed and curiosity got the best of her as she took the plane to play with it around the living room only for her to trip by accident and break the toy in the process. It didn't take long for Manjiro to find out about the condition of his toy and when Senju tried to apologize to him, he asked her who broke the toy and she lied, saying it was Haruchiyo just to escape from Manjiro's wrath.

I wasn't sure how things later went down as I was hanging out with Emma in her bedroom, but when I heard Keisuke and Haruchiyo screaming, I immediately dashed out of the room and went outside to see what happened. There in the garden, I found Haruchiyo kneeling down on the ground with the corner of his mouth ripped out, blood gushing out from the wounds. Manjiro was standing right in front of him, his hands soaked in blood, eyes hollow and soulless. A trembling Keisuke was also on the ground just a few feet away from them, shocked and horrified, staring at Manjiro in utter bewilderment. I also found Senju standing on the porch of Sano dojo with her arms wrapped around herself, shaking in fear and horror.

"Oh my God! Haru!!" I cried out in concern before rushing over to his side. "Shin-chan! Take-chan! Come outside, quick!!"

I immediately pulled out my clean handkerchief and held it against Haruchiyo's mouth to stop the bleeding. I then looked over at Keisuke and found him still on the ground, shocked.

"Keisuke! Go and get Shin-chan and Take-chan! Quick!" I ordered causing Keisuke to snap out of his trance.

Keisuke didn't utter a single word in response and immediately obeyed as I said, getting up and rushing back into the house to get Shinichiro and Takeomi.

"Laugh, Haruchiyo." Manjiro demanded in a cold tone and I looked back at him with a frown.

"Manjiro, stop it! That's enough!" I snapped at him but my words didn't reach his ears.

"Laugh, Haruchiyo." he repeated his words which Haruchiyo obeyed as he started to laugh out loud with tears rolling down his cheeks.

There it was, the "Dark Impulse". I knew Manjiro had some mental issues. He admitted that to himself. But I never realized it was this bad. At that moment as Manjiro stood in front of me and Haruchiyo, staring down at us with those soulless eyes, he looked like a goddamn murderer from my point of view. And for the first time in my life, I felt terrified and threatened by Manjiro Sano.

From there, things changed a bit between me and Manjiro after what he did to Haruchiyo. Sure, I still talked to him and was still friends with him, but I always kept a distance between the two of us out of sheer fear and terror. And me pushing Manjiro away from me brought me even closer to Keisuke in the process. Sure, Keisuke was a bit violent and had anger issues, but he wasn't as terrifying as Manjiro was.

Two years passed by since that incident and when we were all at the age of ten, we met Ken Ryuguji aka Draken for the first time.

"You defeated three high school students in seconds while you are only in 5th grade?! Are you a monster?!" Keisuke gasped out in shock as we were walking back home from school that day.

"As expected from Mikey." Haruchiyo chimed in with a smile.

'How is he even friends with Manjiro after that incident?' I thought to myself, looking over at Haruchiyo in concern.

"Hm, yeah, just like a biker gang." Manjiro mumbled to himself with a lollipop in his mouth.

"By the way Mikey, I don't know if you heard about Yamamoto from class 2." Keisuke spoke up again.

"He was being blackmailed by first-year high school students... Apparently, he was saved by a boy from elementary school class 4." Haruchiyo informed.

"Wow. Sounds like a great guy. From elementary school class 4, right?" Manjiro asked with curiosity.

"Not only that, even though he is in 5th grade like us, he has a dragon tattoo on his temple." Haruchiyo added.

"What kind of guy is he?" Keisuke wondered.

"Sounds like trouble to me." I scoffed.

"If I am not mistaken... He's called Draken!" Haruchiyo went on.

"What a strange name." Manjiro commented.

"Ah! The other day I picked up an erotic magazine... It had a strange name like 'The 48 Positions'..." Keisuke chimed in, suddenly changing the topic.

"Keisuke, you perv. You started reading porn at this young age? How disgraceful." I deadpanned at him.

"I-I didn't read it, Nana-chan! I just happened to read the title on the cover only! Believe me!" Keisuke stuttered out in embarrassment, trying his best to convince me that he wasn't a pervert.

"Yeah right. As if I'm gonna believe that." I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him.

Keisuke was about to say something back when suddenly a familiar voice spoke up from the other side of the road, catching our attention.

"Ah, Mikey-kun!"

We looked over to the side to see one of our classmates standing there with a tall, blonde-haired unknown boy who had a dragon tattoo on the left side of his temple. It took me a few seconds to realize who this unknown boy was; it was Draken.

"A boy with a dragon tattoo on his temple..." Keisuke trailed off.

"That's Draken!" Haruchiyo gasped out in a whispered tone.

This caught Manjiro's curiosity and he immediately walked over to Draken with me, Keisuke, and Haruchiyo following him from behind.

"Hey, don't you think the name 'The 48 Positions' is weird? I mean some of the 48 positions are overlapping, right?" Manjiro asked Draken, causing the taller boy to look at the shorter one in utter confusion.

"Eh? What?" Draken asked.

"No matter how you think about it, there's barely a forty of it. What do you think?" Manjiro questioned again.

"What do I think? I never even heard of that." Draken trailed off before I smacked Manjiro hard on the back of his head.

"Ow! Nana-chin!" Manjiro cried out in pain, looking back at me with a dirty glare and pouty lips.

"Mikey, you friggin moron." Keisuke grumbled under in breath.

"Baka!! You can't just ask a guy you just met about porn magazines!!" I snapped and Draken's face immediately went hot red in embarrassment upon hearing my words before I looked back at him with an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. He's a confused child."

"It's okay, I guess..." Draken trailed off before looking back at Manjiro. "Erm, you're Mikey, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. What is it?" Manjiro asked with curiosity.

"Some dudes from middle school asked me to take you to them." Draken stated.

"Huh?" Manjiro asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Well... I won't force you." Draken responded back hesitantly.

"Okay!" Manjiro replied, his lips curling up into a smile.

"Manjiro." I called out in a warning tone but the said boy ignored me.

"I'll come along because you asked me. I'll go put my stuff at school first." Manjiro added and I immediately stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No need for that. Walking back to school will just waste our time. Give your bag to me." I stated before taking his schoolbag from his shoulders.

Draken then led us to a local parking lot in the neighborhood where we noticed a gang of middle schoolers waiting there, especially for Manjiro's arrival. Manjiro still looked relaxed and unbothered as if dealing with gangs like these was just another part of his everyday routine.

"Hey, I brought him." Draken spoke up with his hands in his pockets. "This guy's Mikey-"

Draken couldn't even finish his sentence as Manjiro dashed forward to those boys before jumping high up in the air and landing straight on the face of the leader, kicking him in the process. The leader was immediately knocked out cold, blood profusely gushing out of his nose while Manjiro landed on the ground with ease before looking back at the other gang members with a scary look on his face.

"Holy shit!" Draken gasped out in shock with widened eyes.

"He really is a monster!" Keisuke commented.

"That's Mikey for ya!" Haruchiyo laughed.

"Show-off..." I sighed heavily, shaking my head.

"So what do some mama's boys who gotta gang up on others want with me?" he asked coldly, his lips curling up into a cocky smirk. "I'm Mikey-sama from 7th Elementary."

It didn't take long before the whole gang ran away from the spot in fear and terror, leaving the rest of us in the parking lot alone.

"You're Draken from 4th elementary, right? Why is a badass like you hanging out with those pieces of shit?" Manjiro asked before a warm smile formed on his face. "Let's be friends, Ken-chin!"

In response, Draken smiled back before looking back at the rest of us.

"Sorry, I didn't get your names yet..." he stated awkwardly.

"Nana Osaki."

"Keisuke Baji."

"Haruchiyo Akashi."

The three of us happily introduced ourselves to him and before we knew it, Draken also became a part of our group; a delightful addition and a reliable friend.

Speaking of delightful addition, we had another one in our group after we befriended Draken; it was Takashi Mitsuya. We met Mitsuya through Draken not long after Draken became a part of our group. Similar to Draken, Mitsuya was a calm level-headed person who always served as the main source of positivity in our group. Despite his rough upbringing, he always tackled every day with a smile. Mitsuya was a pacifist, preferring to not get into an altercation if possible, but at the same time, won't hesitate to fight to protect what was dear to him. He never showed his angrier side to us and always kept his head cool.

Mitsuya also had two younger sisters named Luna and Mana and they meant the whole world to him which showcased how loving and caring he was as a person. And since their mother was rarely at home due to work, Mitsuya took the responsibility of raising his sisters by himself, acting more as the parent than as an older brother in their lives. Mitsuya and I immediately became good friends from the get-go and our friendship later deepened even more when his sisters also took a liking to me. Since I didn't have any younger siblings myself, becoming Luna and Mana's "onee-chan" was just a wonderful experience in my life.

Soon after Mitsuya joined the group, Manjiro and Keisuke brought another boy into our lives and he was Kazutora Hanemiya.

As soon as he arrived in our group, Kazutora became quite attached to Keisuke in a short period of time. I was completely okay with Keisuke and Kazutora's newfound friendship until I observed something odd about the latter. Unlike Draken and Mitsuya, something was off about Kazutora. I didn't know what it was but something about him was peculiar. Usually, Kazutora was calm and chill to hang around with but whenever there was a tough situation he would always talk about violence, fighting, and breaking bones. In short, he was fairly unstable, sadistic, and incredibly violent.

On top of that, his violent tendencies were rubbing off on Keisuke and that had me concerned. Keisuke had always been a violent and hot-headed person ever since his younger days, someone who was hard to control, so the last thing I would ever want was Kazutora's bad influence in his life. While Manjiro was becoming calmer because of Draken's influence in his life, the exact opposite thing was happening to Keisuke because of Kazutora's influence in his life. And because of that, I always kept my eyes on Keisuke and Kazutora just in case they ever got into any trouble. I knew I couldn't stop Keisuke from becoming friends with Kazutora, but at least I could just stick by his side and make sure he didn't do anything stupid and irrational along the way of life.

Unlike Manjiro and Keisuke, I wasn't aware of Kazutora's family situation until I started to hang out with him even more. From the man himself, I learned that Kazutora grew up in an abusive household in a case of domestic violence where his father was the abuser and his mother was the one being abused. At a very young age, his mother always forced him to pick between the parents, and because of all these things, Kazutora grew to scorn upon other happy families. Something as simple as seeing children having tender moments with their parents always trigger a sore spot within Kazutora and irritated him deeply.

I knew I would never understand Kazutora's pain and suffering, but I still wanted to try and understand him. Unlike Kazutora, I grew up in happy and healthy families. I remember my Mom and Dad being loving and caring individuals in general and from what I could recall, they always shared a healthy marital relationship with each other and because of that, I led a very happy life with them till they passed away. After the death of my parents, the Sanos who became my 2nd family took me in and they gave me all the love, care, and respect in the world they believed I deserved. Unlike Kazutora, I was loved and wanted. So, I would never understand his pain, but I was willing to understand him and be friends with him.

On June 19, 2003, Tokyo Manji Gang was formed in front of Musashi Shrine with Manjiro as the Commander, Draken as the Vice-Commander, Mitsuya as the Elite Guard Commander, another new friend added to the group named Pah-chin as the banner carrier, and last but not least Keisuke and Kazutora as the Attack Unit. Keisuke was the one who came up with the idea after we learned that Kazutora was getting bullied by the 9th Generation Black Dragon; the same gang which was initially created by Shinichiro years back when he was also the Commander of the 1st Generation Black Dragon. I was kind of against the whole plan of creating a gang like this knowing how gang life could get nasty and brutal through Shinichiro's experiences, but since it was about protecting each other from the outside terrors, I finally gave in to the idea. "A gang where we can all risk our lives for each other" - was the motto of the Tokyo Manji Gang, something that Keisuke came up with as well.

"Nana-chin! I want you in my gang as the Advisor! The brain of the group!" Manjiro demanded and I deadpanned at him in response.

"No way in hell." I scoffed at him while the other boys watched the two of us bickering from the side with amusement.

"Huh?! Why not?!" he exclaimed out in shock.

"Your gang's name is Tokyo Manjiro Gang. Who the fuck even name their gang after their Commander's first name? I ain't joining a gang with such a shitty name."

"Are you saying my first name is shitty?!"

"Yes."

"So cruel! You suck, Nana-chin!!"

"Right back at ya, Manjiro. If it was Shin-chan, probably I'd have given a second thought, but with you as the Commander, I'll pass."

"Why are you so obsessed with my big bro?! He's too old for you!!"

"It's called falling in love, Manjiro. You won't get it. And I've my reasons for liking Shin-chan. He's charming and charismatic, unlike you."

"What did you say?!"

"You heard me. You don't even fit as a leader. You always fall asleep in the backseat while riding a bike, you make us do your shit, all day you do is eat and sleep and never do anything productive, you make us carry you on the back like a potato sack, you suck at making decisions and choices and the list goes on and on. So there's no way in hell I'm working under you, bitch."

"Bitch?! You're gonna pay for this, Nana-chin!!!"

"Hey, stop that!! Don't cling on my back like a goddamn monkey!! Manjiro, don't you fucking dare pull my hair!! I'm gonna fucking kill ya!!"

"Will this ever gonna stop?" Mitsuya asked as he and the rest of the gang continued to stare at me and Manjiro with deadpanned faces.

"Not until the next few hours." Draken sighed while rubbing his forehead.

"The drawback of being friends with one another since the diaper days..." Pah-chin commented in amusement.

More time passed by and before I could even realize it, it was already the month of August in 2003. Shinichiro's birthday went by on 1st August and now Manjiro's birthday was coming up very soon which was on 20th August. And so, Shinichiro and I decided to make plans for cocky little shit Manjiro together for that year.

Despite all his delinquent ways as a teenager, Shinichiro grew up to be a respectable adult in the end. Mature, responsible, sensible, dependable - these were the perfect words that could describe the adult Shinichiro Sano and these qualities were the reasons why I swooned over him in the first place. There were those days when I would spend hours with Shinichiro at his bike shop "S.S MOTORS" and we would talk to each other non-stop. We talked about anything and everything that came into our minds, from how we started our days to how we ended them. Or sometimes, we talked about our likes or dislikes, any new books or manga that I had read, any new TV shows or movies that he watched, his past life as a delinquent, those golden eras of gang life, and the list could go on forever. Shinichiro and I never got bored as long as we had each other. And even in those days, when we didn't talk much, just sitting there beside Shinichiro in silence made me feel that I wasn't alone in this world. I didn't know what supernatural power Shinichiro possessed, but his presence was soothing which always made me feel relaxed and safe around him.

There were those other times when he would call Wakasa and Benkei over to his bike shop and they would bicker all day long while I would watch them quietly from the side with a content smile on my face. Then when it would get extra late, Benkei would go home while Wakasa would stick around and pull out a shogi board before asking me to play with him. I never thought someone like Wakasa Imaushi would be interested in a board game like shogi, but he always claimed it got his brain going. And then Wakasa and I would continue to play the board game while Shinichiro would work late into the night. At one point in time, Shinichiro would call it a day and join us in the game as well. Despite never being able to beat Wakasa in a game who was extremely good at strategizing and thinking ahead, I always won against Shinichiro who was way too cocky about his abilities for his own good and after losing against a kid like me, Wakasa would always rub my victory in Shinichiro's cute, pouty face.

And this never changed between the three of us. It was a regular routine that we religiously followed, but only this time around we were hanging out at Wakasa's gym instead of Shinichiro's bike shop. Wakasa's gym was located in the opposite direction of Shinichiro's bike shop, on the other side of the road, and because of that, through the windows of the gym, we could easily see the bike shop from the other side.

"A bike? As Manjiro's birthday gift?" I asked, looking up from the shogi board.

"Yeap. A CB250T motorcycle." Shinichiro replied with a toothy grin.

"That's the bike Mikey always wanted, right?" Wakasa asked, leaning back in his seat.

"Yeah... Looks like Manjiro has to say goodbye to his dear old moped now." I stated, stretching my arms up.

"Did that moped have a name?" Wakasa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Street Hawk." I replied with a smile, recalling just how a few days ago Manjiro kicked his own moped because some gang bullied Keisuke and shit.

"That's so like Mikey." Wakasa chuckled in response.

"And what do you want for your birthday this year, Nana-chan?" Shinichiro asked me with a bright smile, leaning towards my side.

"It's August now. My birthday is in December." I pointed out.

"Won't hurt if we started planning right now." Shinichiro shrugged and I took a moment to think about what I wanted from him.

"Then take me on a date on my birthday this year." I responded back causing Shinichiro to choke on his cola while Wakasa stared at us in amusement.

"D-D-DATE?!" Shinichiro stuttered out, his face erupting hot red like lava. "Y-You and I on a date-"

"Don't worry. It won't be a romantic date, Shin-chan." I spoke up with a smile, trying to calm him down. "It's gonna be just you and me hanging out together all day long. We can go to an amusement park or to a movie theatre, grab some lunch at a restaurant, or maybe go to an arcade or bawling center, maybe sing our hearts out at karaoke, take a quiet stroll at a park while eating our favorite ice creams, and then when the sun goes down and the stars come out, we can go on a long ride on the outskirts of Tokyo on your fancy little bike."

"Wow. Nana-chan's so mature." Wakasa commented in amazement. "Look at all the plans she made. But why you wanna go with Shin? I thought you and I were soulmates."

"No, we're not. You're being delusional, Waka-chan." I stated in a cool tone.

"You wounded me, princess." Wakasa sighed dramatically before looking back at Shinichiro. "Do you have any clue what to do on dates?"

Immediately Shinichiro went completely silent, his lips forming a tight thin line.

"I didn't know you were this clueless, Shin-chan. Even Keisuke knows better than you. Last week he even took me on a yakisoba date after school, you know." I informed.

"Keisuke took you on a date?!" Shinichiro asked in surprise.

"Looks like Baji's finally becoming a man, huh?!" Wakasa laughed out loud. "Hey Shin, might as well take some tips from Baji if you need any."

"Fuck off, Waka!" Shinichiro snapped before standing up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I watched him walking towards the entrance of the gym.

"I left my cigarettes in the shop. Be right back." Shinichiro replied.

"You can take mine if you want..." Wakasa suggested, pulling out a cigarette packet - Black Stone, cheery flavor.

"Nah, I don't smoke that shit." Shinichiro scoffed. "Seven Stars is the only one for me."

"What's up with you guys and those cancer sticks? You two should stop smoking. They make your breath smell bad." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"One day, Nana-chan! One day!~" Shinichiro sang out before leaving the gym.

"Shin's lucky to have some like you, Nana-chan..." Wakasa stated with a warm smile on his face. "We all thought he might die a virgin, but looks like that won't be the case anymore. Finally, there's someone who took interest in our poor little Shin!"

"Yeah, someone who's 10 years younger than him. Is it weird for me to love him?" I asked and Wakasa shook his head.

"Age-gap relationship is common around the world. There's nothing weird about it. But yes, at the same time, both the partners in this kind of relationship have to be of appropriate ages. And that's why you need to wait a bit longer, Nana-chan. First, grow up and become an adult. Till then I'll make sure Shin's here, waiting for you." Wakasa responded back with a toothy grin causing me to smile back.

Although Wakasa's words did bring some hope and happiness to me, I never took into consideration to such possibility that his words might never come true, that it would be the last time we would be seeing 23-year-old Shinichiro Sano alive and breathing when he walked out of the gym in front of our eyes that very night.

As if the whole universe stopped moving and every law of physics stopped working. To me, the world became monotone, dull and lifeless. I felt numb and weak. It felt like all my life's energy was sucked out of my body. And the reason I was feeling all of this was because of one thing; Shinichiro Sano passed away - or to be more precise about it - had been murdered by Kazutora Hanemiya. The fact that Shinichiro was gone for good and was never coming back, the fact that Kazutora was the one who killed him or the fact that Keisuke was there during the time of the incident and witnessed everything in firsthand, it was so difficult for me to come to terms with either of those facts and accept them.

At first, I was in denial when I saw Shinichiro's lifeless body in front of me and it went like that for the next few days but as soon as the reality hit me, the next thing I knew was tears rolling down my cheeks like waterfalls until my tear ducts went completely dry, leaving me with a painful headache. Grieving and crying, organizing and attending the funeral, handling and consoling the other two Sano siblings, coping and moving on from Shinichiro's death - all of these took a huge toll on me, leaving me completely lifeless on the inside.

The last time I saw Keisuke was the night of the incident; when Wakasa and I started to wonder what was taking Shinichiro so long just to grab a packet of cigarettes, we went up to his bike shop to check up on him, and there I came face to face with that horrifying scene - Shinichiro laying on the floor lifeless with blood gushing out from the back of his head, a trembling teary-eyed Keisuke kneeling beside Shinichiro's unmoving body with a horrified look on his face and a petrified Kazutora standing beside them with a heavy metal tool in his hand which he might have used to hit Shinichiro on the back of the head from behind.

"What do you want, Keisuke?" I asked in a cold tone.

There he was, Keisuke Baji, standing before me in the middle of my bedroom while I sat on my bed, staring him down with a hard expression.

“I-I want to explain everything that happened and I want to say sorry...” Keisuke spoke up, serious and devoid of any emotion other than guilt. "I know you're mad and you've every right to hate me, but I also want you to listen to what I've to say. So please..."

I didn't respond back and simply stared at him with cold eyes which was a cue for him to continue talking. He started to explain how Kazutora suggested stealing a bike for Manjiro’s birthday, how the two of them broke into the shop, how Keisuke recognized Shinichiro and tried to call for Kazutora, but his friend was so high on adrenaline and fear that he just didn’t stop in time, how Kazutora didn’t want to harm Shinichiro and how guilty he felt afterward, how Keisuke got away with hefty fine his mother had to pay, while Kazutora, being the one to commit the act of murder, was sentenced to two years in a juvenile detention center.

"At first, I didn't want to do it. I was totally against the idea, but Kazutora kept on saying how Mikey would be happy if he got the bike and-"

"I already know everything, Keisuke." I cut him off mid-sentence, furrowing my eyebrows a bit. "I wanna know... why are you here, Keisuke?"

"I want you to forgive Kazutora..."

"Huh?"

"I said I want you to-"

"I heard what you said just now. But why are you asking this for Kazutora?"

Keisuke was here to make an appeal for Kazutora, but not for himself. Why was he so damn selfless?

"Nana, listen, he-"

"There's no way in hell I'm forgiving him for murdering Shin-chan, Keisuke. Don't you get it? Shin-chan is gone and he's never coming back. And Kazutora is the reason why Shin-chan is dead in the first place. Manjiro and Emma lost their brother. Gramps lost his grandson. I lost my childhood best friend, the love of my life, my first and only love. I was in love with Shin-chan for years now, Keisuke, years. For years, I kept loving him. And now all of a sudden he's gone for good because of Kazutora and you're asking me to forgive that guy? Have you lost your sanity just like Kazutora or what?"

Silence filled the room once I stopped talking as I watched Keisuke looking down at the floor with shame and guilt.

"What did Manjiro say?" I spoke up again.

"Mikey forgave me, but not Kazutora." he muttered out in a low tone.

"That's fair. I don't blame him for that." I shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Keisuke..."

The said boy looked up again and met my gaze.

"There's a saying that goes like - "Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from your mistakes, but never regret"... Have you ever heard about this saying before?" I asked and in response, he shook his head. "Well, but now you did... Keisuke, I don't know what Manjiro's current feelings for Kazutora are like and honestly, I don't care if Manjiro forgives him or not. The truth is I can't either forgive or forget. I can't forgive Kazutora for killing Shin-chan and I can't forget how Shin-chan lost his life. And talking about mistakes and regrets, it was my mistake that I allowed you to hang out with Kazutora in the first place, it was my mistake that I let you become friends with him, it was my mistake that I didn't pull you away from Kazutora when I had the chance. I'm learning from my mistakes, Keisuke. Meeting and becoming friends with Kazutora was a mistake, mine and everyone else. And from those mistakes, I learned not to associate myself with Kazutora anymore and I don't regret this decision, Keisuke. And also, I already forgave you and I hold no grudge against you. That's my final decision and you can't change my mind in any way possible. So take it or leave it, your choice."

And with that silence filled the room once again as I continued to stare at my childhood best friend named Keisuke Baji - loyal, generous, trustworthy, dependable, a self-sacrificial idiot with violent tendencies and the need to destroy.

"You shouldn't forgive me that easily, Nana..." he whispered out, eyes getting teary as he spoke.

"But I just did..." I responded back calmly.

"I was there when Shinichiro-kun got killed and I couldn't do anything to prevent it from happening."

"I know but you weren't the one who killed him..."

"I'm an idiot and I only bring destruction in life."

"I know you do."

"You should stay away from me."

"You know I can't do that..."

"Nana..." Keisuke trailed off in a soft tone before he walked over and stood a few inches away from me while I kept sitting on my bed. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and his eyes softened at me even more.

"From now on, can you let me protect you and stay by your side till my last breath?"

At one evening (2005)

Right now, I was at Keisuke's apartment, helping him out with his studies and upcoming test. Keisuke Baji might not be the brightest flower on the field (certainly the prettiest of course), but he was very eager to learn. As his smarter study buddy since our elementary school days, a study date at his place was my way of saying sorry to him for ditching our yakisoba lunch date this afternoon. When I walked into the Baji residence, I was warmly welcomed by Keisuke's mother and his only parent, Ryoko Baji who greeted me with a friendly smirk and hair ruffle before she started to yell and kick Keisuke again (which she was probably doing earlier before my arrival).

Much like her son, Ryoko Baji had a violent and short-tempered nature that would quickly lead to an aggressive attitude which could be heavily suggested that Keisuke got his unpleasant traits from his mother. However, unlike her son, Ryoko was normally able to be very cool and calm at times especially towards me because, in her eyes, I was a nice and polite kid. She was also someone who would always recognize the flaws in her son and would also be really worried about him like any normal parent should.

Ryoko always disapproved of Keisuke's violent attitude and would even smack or yell at him (not in an abusive way) for his actions (and by actions I meant him getting into fights almost every day and burning down cars just because he was craving peyoung yakisoba). Despite recognizing all of Keisuke's flaws, Ryoko always desired that he would be a good boy and would do better in his studies and school.

When I met her for the first time, I was only five years old back. It was when Keisuke joined the Sano dojo a year back that he and I became really good friends and he ended up inviting me to his place so we could play together with his toys. Long black hair, sharp brown eyes, thin eyebrows, pointy canine teeth; she looked really pretty in my eyes (aside from my own mother and Mrs. Sano) and I was really amazed by her beauty.

And Keisuke got all those exact same physical features from his mother, even her hot-tempered attitude. In short, Keisuke was a mini version of his mother and it was really cute in my opinion. Upon our first meeting, I thought Ryoko was Keisuke's older sister or something like that just because she looked so young. Maybe she was one and had Keisuke at a very young age, who knows? Also, most of the time, she had this frown on her face which most likely indicated that she was always constantly worrying about her aggressive, angry son.

Ryoko was one of those cool moms who gave zero fuck to everything, like 'I don't give a fuck' sort of attitude. Single working parent who had a habit of smoking and always walked around like a boss with her head up high - that was Ryoko Baji to me and to everyone; a lady with a firm, explosive personality but underneath hid a very sensitive and caring person.

"Did Keisuke get into fights again today, Nana-chan?" she asked narrowing her eyes at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

I peeked to the side and saw Keisuke doing some weird hand gestures, telling me to lie to his mother.

"Keisuke's been a good boy at school today, Ryoko-san..." I replied, looking back at her with a convincing smile.

Even though he kicked asses of some punks on the way back home earlier today...

"Is that so, huh?" she hummed before a small smile appeared on her face. "Well, that's good then. Thank you for always taking care of that useless son of mine, Nana-chan."

"It's not a big deal, Ryoko-san." I chuckled in response.

"Mom! Why do we have only one packet of peyoung yakisoba here?!" Keisuke suddenly yelled out from the kitchen before he started to head towards the front door. "I'll quickly go and buy some yakisoba from the nearby store!"

"Oh, no you don't, mister!" Ryoko yelled back, kicking him to get inside the house again. "Nana-chan's here to tutor you, not to eat yakisoba! Don't waste her precious time, you son of a bitch! Get your ass to your room right now! And also, no yakisoba for you today cause I'm cooking dinner tonight!"

"Ouch! Stop kicking me, woman!" Keisuke yelled out again while I simply stared at the mother-son duo in amusement.

Did Ryoko-san just call herself a bitch?? Wow...

Soon after that, Keisuke and I settled down in his bedroom and we began to study, or more like I began to tutor him. When it came to studying, locations didn’t really matter to Keisuke, but somewhere quiet, with no “annoying punks” around always was the best way to get him to concentrate on his school stuff. To my own surprise, his school stuff was actually really organized - colorful folders for every subject, important documents in clear film, and so on, but unfortunately, he had zero motivation. When he would stray from his schoolbooks, I had to either kick his ass or smack him on the head to bring back his concentration, but once he would get into that “Learning Headspace”, things would go upwards from there.

Keisuke would even tie his hair up into a ponytail and put on those stupid glasses because he considered his study sessions with me a serious matter. I had to go through the entire school curriculum with him and since I already completed my second year in middle school last year, it was easy to teach him what he didn't know. However, the hardest part of the whole process was actually having him understand the content I was teaching him. Like he had trouble remembering kanji words in Japanese or events and key figures in Japanese history or phrases in English or understanding the formulae and methods of mathematics and the list goes on.

"What? Takemichi?" Keisuke asked as he looked up from his book and locked his gaze on me, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. That guy's name is Takemichi Hanagaki." I responded back with a smile. "He's weak at fighting, but the way he faced Kiyomasa... For some reason, he reminds me of Shin-chan... Manjiro took a liking to him. He's probably thinking about recruiting that guy in Toman."

Keisuke immediately went quiet for a moment before furrowing his eyebrows at me.

"So, now what? You started liking this twerp or something?" he grumbled out, sounding a bit irritated.

"Huh? What? No!" I replied, frowning back at him. "Of course not, you idiot! What are you even talking about? Takemichi might remind me of Shin-chan in a way, but he isn't my type at all. Also, I just met him today. He's a total stranger to me. I don't fall in love with strangers."

Hearing my answer, Keisuke now looked visibly relaxed.

What's wrong with him? He never behaves like this...

"So, what's your type?" he asked, leaning towards the side.

"My type?" I asked back and he nodded his head at me. "Well... someone who knows me well, someone who will accept me the way I am, someone who's loyal, honest, and respectful... I don't care about the looks, to be honest as long as the guy is nice and has a good heart."

"Is that so, huh..." he trailed off in a whispered tone as he momentarily looked away from me and stared off to space, getting lost in his thoughts.

What is he thinking now? This boy... so unpredictable...

"Okay, that's enough. Breaks over." I spoke up with a sigh causing Keisuke to snap out of his thoughts. "Let's play a game."

"We finished studying already?" he asked in confusion.

"No, we're not. You see, I'm gonna give you 50 pop quiz questions. It's about everything we went through up until now. If you get half of them correct, like 25 questions, I'll take you to a yakisoba dinner tomorrow... And if you get all of them correct, then I'll-"

"Then can I get a kiss from you?"

"I'll slap you, Keisuke."

August 3rd, 2005

That day after breaking and shattering almost everything Takemichi owned followed by the yellow-haired boy's sudden outburst with a piece of turd on his head, Manjiro and Draken finally decided to make up and things went back to normal like how they used to be. As long as those two weren't fighting each other and creating chaos, I didn't need to worry about anything anymore, for now at least. So I went back to my usual relaxed mood again, releasing myself from all headaches, burdens, and panics.

Then two days later after the incident at Takemichi's place, Keisuke called up and asked me if I wanted to go to the festival this year which was going to be held at the Musashi Shrine on August 3rd. I accepted his offer, thinking that it would be a great way to relax and treat myself to food and stuff while having a better chance to spend some quality time with my best friend named Keisuke Baji.

Tonight was August 3rd, meaning the night of the Musashi Festival. Several food stands and game stands were whelming the area of the Musashi Shrine. The place was lighted up by numerous lanterns and decorations that emphasized the festival and the traditions. Walking down the path while pushing through the crowd, Keisuke and I were in our normal casual clothes (our usual denim shirts and black jeans with black combat boots) as we didn't even bother to wear yukatas on this occasion for various reasons. Like Keisuke came up with like - "What if we've to fight some punks on the street tonight? We can't do that if we're wearing a yukata now, can we?" He had a fair point though. Being a part of a delinquent gang meant we were constantly surrounded by punks, constantly fighting random gangs and shit. How exhausting.

"What's Mikey doing tonight? Is he coming to the festival later on?" Keisuke asked as we walked together side by side, holding hands with fingers intertwined.

"Don't know." I shrugged. "Manjiro suddenly got an urgent phone call from some Toman members this evening, saying that they wanted to meet him somewhere near the Shibuya station."

"That's strange..." Keisuke muttered out, furrowing his eyebrows a bit as we walked down the narrow pathway. "What's so urgent that they have to call him up like that?"

"I know right? Doesn't make any sense at all." I responded back, slightly frowning as well.

To this day, I could still remember how I used to come to this festival every year with Shinichiro, Manjiro, Emma and Keisuke. Shinichiro used to take us to different food stands and buy us whatever we felt like eating. Playing games and buying souvenirs were things we all enjoyed doing but watching fireworks together at the end of the festival was a must. There was no way we could miss out on the chance of watching fireworks together - that was what we used to say back then. We even had our own special spot around the Musashi Shrine where the five of us would sit down on the grass and enjoy the firework show together. But everything suddenly changed after Shinichiro passed away. I really missed those days, really.

Then all of a sudden, a familiar voice spoke up from behind us.

"Nana? Baji?"

We immediately halted in our spots and turned around to look - it was Emma, Draken, Takemichi, and Hinata standing behind us with confused looks on their faces. The girls were wearing cute yukatas which suited them very well while the boys were in their normal casual clothes just like me and Keisuke.

“Nana! You came!” Emma smiled brightly and walked up to hug me, but the hug wasn’t very comfortable as Keisuke refused to let go of our intertwined hands. "I thought you wanted to stay at home tonight."

"Keisuke asked me to come, so I came here with him." I smiled back with a nonchalant shrug.

“Look what the cat dragged in...” Draken stated with a smirk, looking down at Keisuke’s unbuttoned shirt. “Nice tits, Baji.”

"One more word out of your mouth and I'm murdering you right here and now, Draken." Keisuke snarled out and I nudged him to the side to calm him down since Takemichi and Hinata were also there.

"Be nice now, Keisuke..." I stated in a soft tone before looking back at Takemichi and Hinata with a smile. "Takemichi, Hinata. Hey there!"

"Hello, Nana-chan!" Hinata greeted me happily as she and her boyfriend came closer to us.

"Nana-chan, who's that?" Takemichi asked in confusion, feeling intimidated by Keisuke.

"Oh, this is Keisuke Baji, Toman's 1st Division Captain. The biggest edgelord in the entirety of Shibuya..." I introduced them to Keisuke causing the said boy to twitch his eyebrows when I called him 'Shibuya's Edgelord'. "Manjiro and I've been friends with Keisuke ever since we were four years old. He's our oldest childhood best friend."

"Toman's 1st Division Captain?!" Takemichi gasped out in shock, his eyes widening open.

"You're that twerp from the other day." Keisuke scoffed, frowning down at the yellow-haired boy. "Takemichi Hanagaki, right?"

"Y-Yes! Nice to meet you, Baji-kun!" Takemichi squeaked out in fear, almost comical in a sense.

"Keisuke, stop scaring the poor guy." I scolded, causing Keisuke to pout at me before I looked back at Takemichi with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Takemichi. Keisuke looks scary, but he's a nice guy. He means no harm."

"Anyway, where's Mikey?" Draken asked, looking around.

"He's not here..." Keisuke replied before draping an arm around my shoulders. "Got some urgent call or shit."

"Huh? Really? I thought he would definitely be here given that Nana's here too. You know how clingy he is to her." Emma pointed out with a sly smirk but I ignored her remark while Keisuke scoffed in response.

"Whatever. We're leaving. Let's go, Nana." Keisuke stated with his arm still draped around my shoulder before he started to pull me away from those other four.

"Lead the way, my beloved arsonist." I joked with a cheeky smirk causing Keisuke's cheeks to turn hot red in color.

“I have more to my personality than burning cars, Nana.” He grumbled, dropping his arm off my shoulder and grabbing my hand again, intertwining our fingers.

“I know. I’m just teasing you.” I chuckled out at his bashfulness.

“Whatever.” Keisuke dismissed me, before leading me away.

“See ya later, guys!" I shouted out to my friends.

Saying farewell to my friends, I walked away with Keisuke hand in hand through the crowd of the festival. Back then, as little kids, Keisuke and I used to come to this festival together every year with the Sano siblings, and I could still remember how Keisuke and Manjiro used to hold my hands on each side and walk down the path of the festival. They were so stubborn that neither of them ever wanted to let go of my hands. Holding Keisuke's hand at this moment was reminding me of those days.

During the Musashi Shrine festival, vendors would set up all around the shrine grounds and sometimes the surrounding vicinity. They sold traditional snacks, from baked sweet potatoes and takoyaki to newer additions, such as chocolate-dipped bananas, candy apples, and character lollipops. Traditional festival games were interspersed among the snack vendors. An example of this was goldfish scooping. The game master would provide a delicate paper ‘net’ to scoop the goldfish into a bowl. Once the net would break, the player's turn would be over. The player would get to keep any goldfish they caught. An unusual variation in this game was played with mini turtles. Other carnival-style games like ring toss and target practice could be found here at this festival as well. Small trinkets, stuffed toys, and other souvenirs could be bought at Musashi Festival. Many were edible, while the toys, masks, and other goods often appealed to young children. They would also include stuffed toys of popular cartoon characters and plastic masks depicting animal faces.

"Okay, general knowledge time..." I spoke up and Keisuke looked over at me with curiosity. "Do you know what this Musashi Shrine is known for?"

"This Musashi Shrine...?" the ravenette boy trailed for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I've no clue."

"This shrine is locally known for being the site of what are claimed to be the graves of Hirata Muni, his wife Omasa, and most controversially, the grave of Miyamoto Musashi himself. Miyamoto Musashi also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer, and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels. Musashi, as he was often simply known, is considered a Kensei, a sword-saint of Japan. He was the founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū, or Nito Ichi-ryū, style of swordsmanship, and in his final years authored The Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) and Dokkōdō (The Path of Aloneness)." I informed him causing the boy to give me a look of amazement.

"And that's why I love having you as my tutor. You're just too smart." he grinned and I giggled out in response before looking up at the sky above us.

"This year... I don't want to miss the firework show, Keisuke." I stated as we sat closer to one another on a bench somewhere quiet (a more secluded part of the festival grounds) eating takoyaki and candy apples together.

"You really love the fireworks, huh?" Keisuke asked with a grin and I giggled out in response.

"I always wanted to draw rainbows in the dark, hold pencils of pure light, I guess that's why I love fireworks so. The fireworks are chaos and predictability - their explosive gifts finding their own time and space to own. As they do, I am the spectator, seeing their blazing trails arc above. There's something about them that warms me even in the cold as if their stray sparks passed into my blood. Arcing fireworks light the sky as rainbows of starlight." I stated in a soft tone causing Keisuke to give me a look of amusement.

"You can be so poetic sometimes, Nana. Seriously though..." Keisuke responded back, chuckling out as well.

As I sat there beside Keisuke looking at him, I suddenly started to realize how beautiful he actually was. The silvery-platinum moonlight fell on him and illuminated his every feature, making him look absolutely ethereal. Long black hair - smooth, silky, and wavy; sharp brown eyes; sharp teeth; sharp jawline and cheekbones; skin like milky yet manly rough; eyebrows sharp yet thick; tall stature with a perfect muscular body for a middle schooler - Keisuke Baji was a total hunk among the many.

After Shinichiro Sano, if I did find any other man physically attractive or found myself getting attracted to someone other than Shinichiro, that was Keisuke Baji. I always knew from the start that I was somewhat attracted to Keisuke one way or another, but my love for Shinichiro was so deep and passionate that it blinded me from realizing my feelings for Keisuke.

I always believed a man's beauty starts from his hearty, loving soul and radiates from there to create his final form; and men like Shinichiro and Keisuke were the perfect examples of that. Loyal, trustworthy, honest, respectful, kind, generous, compassionate, and a heart of gold - those were the words I could associate Shinichiro and Keisuke with. Sure Keisuke was violent and pretty much brainless while Shinichiro was weak and a crybaby, but I couldn't overlook the fact that they were the type of men who were perfect for almost every type of woman out there after analyzing their beauty and personality.

"Take a picture. It'll last long."

I immediately snapped out of my thoughts when Keisuke's words reached my ears. I then noticed the boy smirking at me mischievously, his left-top canine tooth poking out from in between his lips.

"Why would I take your picture?" I scoffed, looking away from him a small blush on my cheeks. "You're ugly."

"Ouch. Now you're hurting my feelings, Nana." Keisuke joked as he put a hand on the left side of his chest and I smacked him playfully on his arm.

"Shut up." I huffed with a pout, causing him to let out another light chuckle.

His voice was so deep and velvety, it sounded really tantalizing to hear.

"We'll be able to see the firework show from here. I think it's a perfect spot for the view." Keisuke pointed out and I looked around at the area.

"Yeah, you're right." I hummed in agreement.

"I'm the one who found the spot here. I'm a genius, ain't I? You should thank me for this." He smirked at me cockily.

"That's not happening." I scoffed and he threw a playful glare at me.

"You ungrateful woman. You're lucky that I love you." he scoffed, rolling his eyes and I stuck out my tongue at him teasingly.

"And that's your fatal flaw." I joked sassily as if the words I just said were the biggest secret this universe could offer him while staring up at the full moon night sky. "Your love for me might kill you someday."

Then suddenly silence fell between the two of us for a moment and this caused me to start to panic from the inside.

Why did he go quiet? Why isn't he responding? Did I screw up something? Did I say something I shouldn't have?

When I looked back at him again, I noticed he was already staring at me with a soft look in his gaze - so loving and soft it started to make me all warm and fuzzy inside. Taking the advantage of me losing myself in a daze, Keisuke scooted closer to me, arms touching, shoulders brushing, as he gently grabbed my hand that was on my lap and intertwined our fingers.

"To me, that's a beautiful flaw..." he whispered out, leaning closer to my face, his sharp eyes darkened and his thumb gently brushed the knuckles of my hand that was intertwining his. "I don't mind dying for you."

And my eyes immediately widened at his words and without knowing myself, I tightened my grip on our intertwined hands. Worry and panic slightly started to display in my eyes as I looked into his eyes in desperation.

"Don't you ever dare die on me, Keisuke..." I whispered back and his gaze softened even more. "I already lost Shinichiro. I don't wanna lose you too."

I could feel the heat and warmth radiating from Keisuke's body as he leaned closer and pressed his forehead against mine, his warm sweet breath caressing my face and lips. He smelled very nice, a mix of mint and sandalwood. Keisuke gently pushed a few strands of my raven locks behind my right ear and cupped my right cheek with his left hand, brushing my skin with his thumb, innocently yet teasingly while the look in his eyes was hot, fiery, and passionate. The way our skin touched, the way we invaded each other's personal spaces and boundaries, I didn't mind or feel uncomfortable with him being this close to me at this very moment, and neither did he. We never did and we never would.

"Sorry for scaring you... I won't say that again, Nana..." he whispered again and our noses touched, slightly. "I won't ever leave you alone. Ever. I promised you that day, remember? I'm here, always. By your side."

Keisuke Baji was an unpredictable man. For me, who was good at reading people just by observing their behavior, there were times I couldn't tell what was actually going through Keisuke's mind. This man was so wild and loved the thrill of adrenaline so much to the point that he would punch someone out on the street for no apparent reason, only because he felt like it, or would burn down a car simply because he was hungry. His erratic behavior always confused me to no end and I always had to figure him out, always had to learn something new about him which was frustrating and fun at the same time. Like that one time when I was tutoring him, he asked me for a kiss as a reward. I still couldn't tell if he was being serious or he was simply just joking. Like right now the way he was touching me was so loving and passionate yet so playful and teasing.

Keisuke and Manjiro had always been touchy and clingy towards me ever since we were little kids; Keisuke lesser than Manjiro but it was still the same. As kids, their touches were friendly and innocent but it all slowly started to change once we entered middle school. While Manjiro's touches were possessive and demanding yet somewhat child-like, Keisuke's ones felt more different, more like the way one would touch their lover, not their mere childhood friend. I wasn't sure if I was being paranoid or was overthinking it, but that was how I always felt under Keisuke's touches; unsatisfied and breathless. I wanted more. I craved more. And I knew if this kept going on like this between me and Keisuke, I definitely would go crazy one day. Keisuke Baji would be the death of me someday.

Hearing his soothing deep voice eased my heart and soul before I closed my eyes and nuzzled against his hand which was still holding my face ever so lovingly and gently.

"Hey, Keisuke, listen... I want to tell you something-"

I was suddenly out off when a cell phone started to ring; it was Keisuke's. We then quickly pulled away from each other before the ravenette boy answered his phone. I noticed his face went from calm to serious and then to furious. Furrowing his eyebrows deep, his eyes sharpened and his jaw tightened.

"Yeah, okay... I'll go and get the rest of the crew right now. Don't worry about it..." he stated and hung up the call.

"What happened?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows as well.

"Mitsuya called. It's Peh." He replied, looking back at me with all seriousness. "That bastard snitched."

24th October 2005

After that whole chaos that went down this evening, I called a certain someone to meet up with me in the neighborhood park which was located in the same area I lived in, the same place where Manjiro, Keisuke, Emma and I used to play together back when we all were just little kids. Life was so simple back then. No gang, no fighting, no shit – just me and my friends hanging out together, goofing around. If only I could bring those days back.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Nana…”

As I was sitting on one of the benches at the park, I turned my head around and looked over to my side to face the person who standing there just a few feet away from me - black shirt with black jeans and boots while the cool breeze of late October blew by making his long, wavy black hair gently sway in the air; the man was looking as beautiful and exquisite as always in my eyes.

“You went too far, Keisuke. Did you really need to punch Takemichi like that on the face though? That poor guy…” I stated with a pout, crossing my arms over my chest.

In response, Keisuke let out an airy chuckle in a sheepish manner before taking a seat beside me on the bench. I moved a bit closer to him as soon as he sat down until our arms were touching, our shoulders were brushing one another.

“Well, in order to convince them, I needed to keep up with the bad guy appearance, you know...” Keisuke replied and I scoffed in response.

Keisuke Baji, as always, sought violence, even if he didn't mean actual harm. I doubted that man was ever going to change in life.

“But still though… I think you went a bit far with it. Apologize to Takemichi the next time you’re seeing him.” I stated and this caused Keisuke to furrow his eyebrows in seriousness.

“I don’t think there’s gonna be a next time, Nana.” He responded back in a firm tone, causing me to give him a confused look.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to Toman after what I just did today…” he added.

“Do you seriously think that Manjiro and the others are gonna abandon you just like that for such a trivial thing?” I asked, almost deadpanning at him. “You’re their friend, Keisuke. You’re like a brother to them, like a family. Each and every one of them loves you to death. Do you realize how hurt they were when you said that you were leaving Toman for Valhalla? Even though they didn’t show it on their faces, I know how it broke their hearts when you left the gang and walked away from them. Especially Manjiro. That poor guy is getting more and more desperate with the passage of every second just to bring you back to the gang.”

“But Nana, I need to do this for the gang too.” Keisuke countered back.

“What are you talking about? I mean once we’re successful in kicking out Kisaki from the group, you can easily return back to Toman, Keisuke.”

“I’m not only doing this just to kick out Kisaki from Toman. I’m also doing this for some other reasons…”

“Like what?”

“Kazutora…”

Silence fell between the two of us when Keisuke said that name - Kazutora Hanemiya, the man who murdered the love of my life, Shinichiro Sano.

“Huh? Kazutora? What does this anything have to do with Kazutora anyway?” I asked, getting even more confused.

“I got a letter from Kazutora almost a month ago… He got out of juvie not so long ago...” Keisuke replied and my eyes went wide open in realization.

That’s right. Kazutora went to juvie for killing Shinichiro back in August 2003 and for the act of murder he was sentenced to two years of imprisonment. And right now, it was October 2005, meaning he was already out of juvie by now.

“I met up with Kazutora after leaving Toman’s meeting this evening. He has joined Valhalla as well…” Keisuke added.

“Kazutora joined a gang as soon as he came out of juvie? Just what in the world… Just why?” I questioned again and this time, Keisuke took a moment to respond back.

“To kill Mikey…” he stated in a low yet firm tone and I let out a small gasp in shock.

“Kill Manjiro? What do you mean kill Manjiro? Is this some kind of a joke now?” I barked out in annoyance.

“After killing Shinichiro-kun, Kazutora had this mental breakdown and he started to put all the blames on Mikey. Because of Mikey, he went to steal that motorbike and ended up killing Shinichiro-kun. Because of Mikey, he went to juvie and wasted two years of his life there… This is how he’s trying to cope with the fact that he murdered a person at the age of 13, no less Shinichiro-kun, Mikey’s brother…”

“Without taking the blame onto himself for murdering Shin-chan which he actually did and that’s the fact, he’s blaming Manjiro for everything that happened? I mean, what the fuck is he on right now? Was he doing drugs or shit for the past two years while being locked up in juvie? Does he really think he'll be able to kill the Invincible Manjiro Sano?"

"I don't know, Nana. I don't know what Kazutora is capable of right now. So to protect Toman from Kisaki and Mikey from Kazutora, I need to join Valhalla. I need to stick around with Kazutora as long as possible because I promised him my support to the very end... 'I'd never kill Mikey's brother. I did this for Mikey's sake. This is all Mikey's fault. So I need to kill Mikey'... I remember that night, Kazutora kept on repeating those words over and over again after he realized that the person he killed was Shinichiro-kun. And without giving much thought to it, I ended up promising my support to him for eternity... And that's why I need to stay with Kazutora in order to fulfill my promise and to keep him away from Mikey."

So he's doing all this shit for Manjiro and Kazutora...? Why is he so damn selfless?

"But what about me though, Keisuke? What about your promise to me? You said you'll stay by my side till your last breath... You're breaking that promise now, Keisuke, as if I don't matter to you anymore..."

Keisuke's eyes widened a bit upon hearing my words before they softened a bit at the sight of me. Without saying another word, he immediately wrapped his arms around my petite form and brought me into a warm embrace, pressing me into his muscular chest.

"I'd never break our promise, Nana and you know it..." he whispered into my ears, his hot minty breath sending a shiver down my spine.

"But you are breaking your promise, Keisuke." I whimpered out in desperation, hugging him back with my dear life while resting my face in the crook of his neck, the scent of his cologne invading every five senses of mine. "Please don't leave me, Keisuke... Please don't... I need you..."

"I think you need Mikey more than me." he chucked out in a dejected tone.

"Who said I need Manjiro more than you?" I scoffed.

"I just know, okay? I know you'll choose Mikey over me in a heartbeat-"

I immediately cut him off by moving my face away from the crook of his neck and held his face in my hands, making him look into my eyes. I held his face so close to mine that our noses almost touched one another. Taking in his beauty under the silvery brilliance of the full moon in the sky, I began to wonder when Keisuke became as precious as Shinichiro to me. Before Keisuke came into my life, it was just and only me and Manjiro and no one else. Then it became the three of us, but when that whole Haruchiyo incident happened, I created a distance between myself and Manjiro out of fear and disappointment. Then it somewhat became just me and Keisuke and it had been like that ever since then.

During the time of my fallout with Manjiro that happened after he attacked Haruchiyo, Keisuke took Manjiro's place in my life and wiggled his way into my tiny heart, making himself at home there. Even I didn't know myself when Keisuke Baji became so dear to me. Back then I would've burned the whole world down just to protect Manjiro from any sort of malice. Manjiro was everything to me and I was everything to Manjiro. But it was years ago. Time passed, things changed along with feelings, people moved on.

The fact was - my first love was Shinichiro Sano and he would always and forever have a special place in my heart, it was something that was never going to change, ever. But also at the same time, it didn't take away the fact that I was falling in love again, that I was in love with someone else who wasn't Shinichiro Sano. Things were different now. Situations around me changed along with my feelings. I had already accepted the fact that Shinichiro was gone for good and he was never coming back, that I had to move on with my life without him, that my childhood best friend, Keisuke Baji had already replaced Shinichiro in my heart. To me, my love for Keisuke was a quiet emotion that in time became part of the oxygen I needed to breathe, and so though I might feel not sure that it was there, any form of removal and the emotions would begin to choke the life out of me.

Only if Keisuke knew how wrong he was.

"You're so wrong, Keisuke..." I spoke up in a firm yet soft tone, frowning down at him while Keisuke looked at me with surprise, almost shock in his eyes. "Do you remember that one line I once told you years back when we were kids...?"

Keisuke's eyes softened once again upon hearing my question, his arms tightened even more around my waist as he leaned closer to me.

"I remember that, Nana... You and I are the fireworks in this velvet dark, the blaze that dares to light up the night... You told me that once when I lost to Mikey in a fight back then. You said you'll always have my back and that you believe in me..." Keisuke muttered out with his lips curling up into a small delicate smile.

His response made me let out an airy sigh of relief and contentment before I gently pressed my forehead against his and this action made both of us close our eyes at once as we continued to bask in each other's warmth and embrace. To me, Keisuke was like my personal drug. One touch from him and the intoxication was instant as if everything was over; it was always that way with me ever since Shinichiro passed away and Keisuke became a constant figure in my life in Shinichiro's place.

Whenever we touched one another, I could always feel electricity in my skin, hormones shutting down my higher brain. From there on in it was all passion, intense, intoxicating. Keisuke became my release, my escape, my drug. Not that I was easy, I knew well enough to avoid letting a man lay his hands on me. Yet with my chemistry with Keisuke, too many of my switches were flicked for a reverse gear to be possible. In short, I was simply smitten with Keisuke Baji to the point where all I could do was go along for the ride and pray my instincts were right.

"Just because I knew Manjiro ever since we were babies, just because I knew Manjiro longer than I had known you, doesn't mean I'll choose him over you. Let's get one thing straight. If it ever came down to you and Manjiro, I would gladly let go of him, Keisuke. I will always choose you..."

October 30th, 2005, 8:00 PM

"So, Chifuyu and Takemichi came to talk to you this morning, huh?" I asked the long-haired ravenette boy who was sitting right beside me in front of Shinichiro's grave before he simply hummed in response.

"Chifuyu's smart." Keisuke pointed out in a serious tone. "I knew something like this was gonna happen."

"Chifuyu's not smart, he's just perceptive. If he's smart, then I'm Albert Einstein." I countered back with a small smirk and Keisuke rolled his eyes at me in a playful manner.

Ever since Keisuke left Toman and joined Valhalla, it got difficult for me to keep in contact with him, especially talking to him in person because wherever he went he was either accompanied by Kazutora or Hanma or maybe even both of them. The only way was left to talk to Keisuke face-to-face was at school but otherwise, it was either late-night phone calls or text messages. So it was a relief for me that I was able to speak to him in open like this without anyone noticing or spying on us. On top of that, we were at the cemetery in the nighttime, so the darkness of the night played a huge role in hiding us from the naked eyes of humans.

"But you're right though... Chifuyu, Takemichi, and I went to meet Osanai at his workplace to do some digging on Kisaki." I added.

"What did you find?" Keisuke asked, furrowing his eyebrows a bit and that's when I started to spill everything to him.

"Kisaki was the one who put Osanai in the power and using Osanai, he started to instigate everything from behind the curtains. Kisaki was the one who sent his men to beat up Pah's friends and that led Pah to the edge. He used Peh for the conflict on August 3rd and he manipulated Kiyomasa to kill Ken-chan. After that, he approached Manjiro and got to his good side by bashing Osanai, saying that it was all Osanai's fault. And then in the next part, you already know what happened. Kisaki offered a deal to Manjiro regarding Pah and in exchange, he wanted the position of the 3rd Division captain." I went on while Keisuke simply stared at me with wide eyes in shock.

"Kisaki did all of that...?" he trailed off and I nodded my head at him in response.

"Not just that... Kisaki's new partner in crime is Shuji Hanma... Chifuyu and I assume that Kisaki is the one who's leading Valhalla." I added, leaving Keisuke even more shocked. "I mean think about it, Keisuke... No one knows who the Commander of Valhalla is. Hanma is the Vice-Commander and he's working with Kisaki. After everything Kisaki has done up until now, I won't be surprised if he turns out to be the leader of Valhalla as well..."

"You're not wrong though..." Keisuke muttered out, furrowing his eyebrows a bit.

After that, for a moment a comfortable silence fell between the two of us before I spoke up again.

"You know, Manjiro assigned Takemichi to bring you back to Toman..." I mumbled out and this caused Keisuke to raise an eyebrow at me. "Did Takemichi say anything to you today?"

"Now that I think about it... that twerp did say something really weird..." he trailed off in a daze and I gave him a confused look. "He said - Please make it through tomorrow alive. Please don't die. Because Nana-chan and Mikey-kun will be really sad... something like that."

First Ken-chan and now Keisuke... that's weird...

Why does it feel like Takemichi always knows that something bad is going to happen to one of us...

Like at first, he was against the whole idea of going into a conflict with Moebius...

I remember Takemichi acting really strange when I asked him why we can't fight them...

Then he was hellbound to keep Ken-chan protected from Kiyomasa during the August 3rd fight...

And now he's saying this to Keisuke... as if he knows that something bad's gonna happen to Keisuke tomorrow...

If that's what it is, then I'll definitely keep an extra eye on Keisuke tomorrow... just in case nothing bad happens to him...

"So what's your plan tomorrow?" I asked and Keisuke looked over at me again.

"Kill Kisaki." he replied in a firm tone.

"You can't be serious now." I stated, raising an eyebrow.

"I am serious, Nana." he huffed and I rolled my eyes at him.

"You'll go to jail if you literally kill Kisaki, you moron. And this will make Ryoko-san cry again." I pointed out before noticing how Keisuke's eyes softened at the sight of me.

"And you'll not?" he asked and I gave him a confused look. "You'll not cry for me if I go to jail?"

"No. Why would I cry for you? My tears are too precious to get wasted like that." I responded back sassily, causing Keisuke to let out an amused chuckle before he leaned to my side and rested his head on my shoulder.

"And here I thought you'll shade your tears for me, even if it's just a single drop." he sighed in a dramatic way, slightly shaking his head and my eyes immediately softened at his words.

I can burn down the whole world for you, Keisuke...

You're just that precious to me...

Even I don't know myself what I'll do if something bad happens to you...

So tomorrow Keisuke... better not die on me, my beloved arsonist...

30th November 2005

“Now Valhalla is linked with Toman and fucking Hanma's joined the gang..." I muttered, letting out a heavy sigh in frustration.

Right now, Keisuke and I were sitting by the Musashi shrine while having our very own little picnic with peyoung yakisoba noodles. After the whole meeting that went down back on 15th November, where Keisuke was appointed as my new personal assistant and bodyguard, he and I had been hanging out and spending a lot of time together lately. Although it wasn't anything different from what we always used to do before. Also on top of that, it was a good thing that we were together and I had no complaints about it. I mean in this way, I was able to look after Keisuke from dawn to dusk while making sure that either Kisaki or Hanma didn't come and cause harm to him.

"After everything we tried to do…” Keisuke growled out, slamming his fist against the dirt ground. "It's not going well. Kisaki is going to take over Toman at this point. After the last ceremony, I tried telling Mikey again, but Kisaki somehow still managed to do this... If we don’t do something soon, there's gonna be real trouble."

Keisuke then laid his head against my shoulder as he relaxed under the rays of the afternoon sun.

“Damn that Kisaki...” he muttered out and all I could do was just pat his back and make sure he didn't get too angry.

"We did pick out some evidence about Kisaki from the outside, but pulling Osanai into this mess won't be the right thing to do..." I added.

"I know right? Also, the sneaky bastard hides his tracks too well. It's crazy.” Keisuke stated while I let out another sigh and stretched out my arms causing Keisuke's head to fall gently onto my lap.

Instead of grunting about the sudden change of position, Keisuke just exhaled out a breath of satisfaction and closed his eyes.

“Are things going okay with you and the others?” I asked while I began to softly run my hand through his long, luscious raven locks.

"Just normal stuff…" Keisuke trailed off before opening his eyes again, his gaze staring off at the horizon. "Everything's gone back to normal, so I’m glad that nothing has changed because of the fight. I wonder though, what's going to happen next?”

I was about to say something back when suddenly my cell phone started to ring. I pulled out the device to see who it was. It was Hinata.

"Hello, Hinata?" I answered the call.

“Nana-chan! Takemichi-kun is in trouble! What do I do?!” Hinata cried out from the other side of the call.

"Huh? Takemichi's in trouble?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion while Keisuke sat up properly and leaned closer to my phone. “Hinata, what's going on exactly? Where are you?”

"We... I don't know where we are, but we met some new friends… Shiba-kun and Yuzuha-chan-"

Wait... Hakkai and Yuzuha...? The Shiba siblings? What's going on?

"...the Black Dragons!! Takemichi-kun is getting beat up by Taiju-kun!"

"Wait, you guys are with Hakkai and Yuzuha?" I asked and Keisuke furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"We were hanging out with Shiba-kun, and Yuzuha-chan, and then we encountered the Black Dragons gang and they said we're on their turf. Takemichi-kun is getting hurt! He's going to die!”

"The Black Dragons's turf?" I asked before looking back at Keisuke. "Keisuke, do you know where their turf is?"

"It's the same area where Hakkai lives..." Keisuke replied before pulling out his own cell phone with a scowling face. "Did Hinata say ‘Black Dragons’? What did Takemitchy get himself into this time? Geez… Let me call Mikey and inform him about this real quick."

"…T-Taiju-kun just let Takemichi-kun go. Nana-chan, I’ll call you back!”

And with that Hinata hung up the call.

"She said Taiju let Takemichi go. Now they're taking him back home." I informed and Keisuke nodded his head at him in response.

"Okay, let's go, Nana."

Later that evening Keisuke and I went over to the Hanagaki residence to visit Takemichi and when we reached there we found Chifuyu and Takemichi's old friends in his bedroom chilling around with Takemichi still laying on the bed, sleeping, all bruised up.

"He looks awful..." I commented in concern as my eyes softened at the sight of Takemichi.

"Tell me about it..." Yamagishi stated before he and his other three friends went back to play cards on the floor.

"What happened, Chifuyu?" Keisuke asked as he took a seat on a chair beside the said boy while I sat on the end of the bed where Takemichi was sleeping.

"This afternoon Takemichi and Hina went out for a bowling date and met the Shiba siblings there. The Shiba siblings then invited them over to their place but weren't aware that Taiju came back home just at that time, and the rest you know what happened..." Chifuyu informed while holding a manga in his hand that he was reading earlier.

Then just at that moment, I noticed Takemichi waking up from his sleep before he sat up on his bed and by the looks of it, it seemed like he didn't notice any one of us present in his bedroom. He looked like he was in a deep trance and was mumbling to himself.

"I’m the only one who can do this… can't depend on anyone else… gotta do it alone…" he went on.

Seeing this I reached my hand out at him and flicked hard his forehead, waking him up from his trance.

"Ouch!" Takemichi groaned, rubbing his forehead where I hit him.

"Takemichi, wake up..." I called.

"What are you mumbling about?" Akkun asked, furrowing his eyebrows a bit.

"Creepy-mitchy!" Yamagishi commented with a scowling face while Makoto and Takuya stared at the yellow-haired boy with a deadpanned look.

"Huh? N-Nana-chan... You guys… what are you doing at my place?!" Takemichi gasped out in surprise.

"We came to check on you, what else?!" Yamagishi snapped back.

"You're captain, man. Grow some self-awareness." Makoto added.

"If you keep being reckless, we won’t be able to keep the 1st Division together." Takuya pointed out.

"Huh? what do you mean we…? What?! Did you guys join Toman?!" Takemichi asked and this made me give him a confused look.

What the hell is he even talking about...? Does he not remember anything he's been doing these days...?

"Huh? Yeah, we did." Takuya replied.

"You invited them in yourself, didn’t you?" Chifuyu finally spoke up.

"Oi, Shitty-mitchy, are you trying to ruin my legacy as the former 1st Division Captain or something?" Keisuke asked with a scowling face and in a menacing tone, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's been only two weeks, and there you go, getting your ass kicked by that fucking Taiju Shiba. I didn't make you my successor so that you can get our ass kicked by other bastards every time. Grow some pride and self-respect in yourself, dammit. Learn how to fight back and if you can't do that, at least learn how to defend yourself."

"B-Baji-kun... Chifuyu..." Takemichi stuttered out, finally noticing their presence before suddenly small tears started to form in his eyes.

"Hm…? What's with the pause?" Chifuyu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you okay, Takemichi?" I asked in concern but Takemichi shook his head at us.

"It’s… it's nothing…" he trailed off before looking back at Keisuke. "Sorry, Baji-kun for being reckless. I'll be careful next time, I promise."

"It can't be helped I guess..." Keisuke sighed before running his hand through his hair. "I can't completely blame you for this though..."

"Still to think the Black Dragons would shatter the balance…" Akkun chimed in.

"Yeah. Things are gonna get rough." Yamagishi added.

"The higher-ups are gonna get involved for sure." Makoto pointed out.

"Takemichi is a captain in Toman now, a gang that grew to over 450 members after absorbing Valhalla. Him getting beaten up by the Black Dragons is more than enough to start a conflict." Takuya stated in a concerned tone.

"If we get into a fight with the Black Dragons, it’s not gonna be like anything we have dealt with before. These are the guys known for their active fighting faction, the killer squad. The Black Dragons have been the top delinquent gang in the Kanto region for generations. And the 10th Black Dragons are the most maniacal and evil one they have ever had." Keisuke informed, leaning back on his chair.

"The most maniacal…"

"And evil…"

"That’s because of one reason alone. Their absolute ruler, Taiju Shiba. Toman and the Black Dragons have an unbreakable connection. Because the Black Dragons are the reason Toman was created at all. Two years ago, Kazutora clashed with the 9th Generation Black Dragons and Keisuke brought up the idea of forming Toman so we could help him. Then we fought the Black Dragons. We crushed the Black Dragons and Toman became a well-known gang overnight." I added.

"Damn Toman!" Akkun cheered.

"Then this next fight will be easy peasy!!" Yamagishi added with a grin.

"It’s not gonna be easy! Toman beat the 9th Black Dragons at that time which was led by Shion Madarame, one of the members of the S62 Generation. The Black Dragons should have faded out after we defeated them but the guy who revived them was Taiju Shiba. The Black Dragons changed under Taiju. He got their uniforms totally redone… Trained the members to act like an army and made them an impressive-looking gang." I stated.

"He’s one awesome guy!" Yagamichi gasped.

"But those new uniforms… Wouldn’t making those for every member caused a shit ton of money?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah, it would. Where would he get that kind of cash…?" Takuya asked.

"He’s not that much older than us right?" Akkun asked.

"Yeah, just two years older than us. And a year older than Baji-san and Nana-san." Chifuyu replied.

"Unlike other delinquents, Taiju sells his violence. Taiju is not your typical bruiser. He's got ties to the wealthy and makes money in exchange for his military force." Keisuke stated in a serious tone.

"So that means he fights for money?" Yamagishi asked in concern, getting all scared now.

"Scary. Must be one fucked up kid." Makoto commented.

"It’s like he’s from another world!" Takuya added.

"Anyway, the current Black Dragons are totally different from the 9th generation. If Toman fights them now…" Keisuke trailed off.

"There’s gonna be casualties…" Akkun concluded with a concerned look on his face.

Then suddenly Takemichi hopped out of his bed and stood on the ground.

"You guys don’t have to fight!" he stated in a firm tone and furrowed eyebrows while we all gave him a confused look.

"Huh?" we all asked.

"This is between me and the Black Dragons. It’s got nothing to do with toman. I’ll settle this on my own…" he went on.

"Wait, what?!"

"The hell are you saying?"

"On your own?"

While Takemichi's friends went on asking him questions out of pure shock and concern, Keisuke and I looked over at each other and shared a knowing look.

"Takemitchy..." Keisuke called out before standing up from his seat. "Come with us real quick. You too, Chifuyu."

In response, Takemichi gave us a confused look but didn't say anything back. The four of us then left the Hanagaki household and drove away from the area by riding our motorbikes. I was riding with Keisuke on his Goki while Takemichi was with Chifuyu on the latter's motorbike. A while later, we reached a different neighborhood and parked our rides in the parking lot beside a ramen shop.

"I'm starving right now, so let's get some peyoung yakisoba..." Keisuke stated as we all hopped down from the bikes.

"Baji-kun, I get it..." Takemichi stated out with a furrowing face, looking down at the ground while clenching his fists. "You're gonna tell me not to take on all this by myself, right? I know you wanna say my friends are here for me!! But…!"

"I didn’t bring you out here to say that, you moron." Keisuke scoffed and smacked Takemichi on the back of the head before the latter gave him a confused look. "I didn’t leave Toman to you because I wanted to stress you out. So cheer the fuck up, Shitty-mitchy!"

"Just have fun while you're at it, Takemichi..." I added with a warm smile. "Don't worry too much."

"Besides, you've me now as your partner, so cheer up!" Chifuyu grinned widely at his new friend.

"Baji-kun, Nana-chan, Chifuyu…" Takemichi trailed off in surprise with tears rolling down his cheeks. "I... I've something to tell you guys..."

"Huh? What is it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I-I came from the future…" he stated and the whole place went completely silent after hearing his words.

Wait, what...?! What does he mean by 'came from the future'...? What is he talking about?

"Huh? What the hell do you mean? Came from the future?" Keisuke asked with furrowed eyebrows while we all looked at Takemichi in utter confusion.

At that moment, Takemichi began to panic but somehow, someway he was able to speak up and started to tell us the entire truth.

Apparently, the Takemichi standing right before us was a 26-year-old Takemichi who came from the future, back from 2017. One day after coming back from his work, someone deliberately pushed him into the train tracks and before he knew it, he was sent back 12 years into the past, back in his 2nd year of middle school days. Then he met Naoto (Hinata's younger brother) and shook his hand and was again sent back into the future. Takemichi later met up with the adult Naoto and together they started working together to save Hinata's life because according to Takemichi, 12 years into the future, Toman would become a huge but dangerous organization, committing all sorts of crimes from murder and fraud to prostitution and drugs and the list goes on and on. And the future Toman happened to be the one to kill Hinata in the first place. That's why to save Hinata's life, Takemichi was going back and forth between the past and the future to make changes in both timelines. It started from saving Draken's life and trying to stop the conflict between Toman and Moebius to saving Keisuke's life and stopping Manjiro from killing Kazutora during the battle of Bloody Halloween. Somehow Takemichi was able to complete all of his mission, but still, each and every time he failed to save Hinata and the rest of us simply because of Kisaki, as the adult Kisaki from the future was the one who kept on killing us each and every time.

"And that’s everything I have done…" Takemichi trailed off.

"So we are gonna get killed by Kisaki? We are gonna die…" I spoke up again, deep in thought.

Now it all makes sense... the time when Takemichi tried to stop us from fighting Moebius...

The time when he was getting desperate in saving Ken-chan's life...

The time when he requested Keisuke not to die and stay alive...

Takemichi always knew what was going to happen... He always knew...

"Just kidding! I was just joking around! Haha!" Takemichi began to chuckle out sheepishly, trying to ease the tension in the air.

"Somehow we always knew…" Keisuke trailed off, causing Takemichi to give him a confused look.

"Thinking about it, there’s a lot that’s off about you. Also, there have been times when you have looked different. From our conflict with Moebius to our battle with Valhalla in Bloody Halloween... I noticed how desperate you looked each and every time. Whether it was about saving Ken-chan's life or saving Keisuke's life or stopping Manjiro from killing Kazutora, you always looked desperate... The first time I suspected you was when you tried to stop us from fighting Moebius because you knew Ken-chan might get killed. The second time I suspected you was when you requested Keisuke to stay safe and not die before the battle of Bloody Halloween. It was as if you always knew something's gonna happen, something bad's gonna happen..." I added.

"Well… I mean that’s…" Takemichi trailed off, looking away from us.

"Before the fight with Valhalla, you told me, 'please don’t die, or else Nana-chan and Mikey-kun will be sad'…" Keisuke pointed out.

"Yeah, even I heard that too… I wasn’t standing close enough, so I didn’t hear what you were talking about in detail. But I definitely heard that." Chifuyu chimed in.

"You knew I was gonna die. That's why you were so desperate." Keisuke concluded.

"Yeah, I knew and that’s why I tried to stop it. Even though Nana-chan got stabbed instead of Baji-kun in the end." Takemichi muttered in a sorrowful tone.

"But hey, I lived, right? I didn’t die. So, don't worry about it anymore." I stated with a smile.

"You're pretty incredible, Takemitchy." Chifuyu commented and Takemichi looked at him in surprise. "You have been fighting all alone, right? With nobody praising you or anything."

"Be proud of yourself, Takemitchy. The results don't matter." Keisuke stated in a firm tone, literally ordering the boy to cheer up.

"Nobody’s watching but you stood and fought without running. We respect you, Takemichi." I added while gently ruffling his hair in an affectionate manner.

"You guys really believe me? And all the stuff I say that sounds like total bullshit?" Takemichi asked in surprise with teary eyes.

"Of course we do, dumbass! We’re friends now, aren’t we?" Keisuke scoffed before smacking Takemichi on the head again. "As much as it sounds or looks crazy from our point of view, we still believe you after everything you've done for us."

And this brought tears to Takemichi's eyes again out of sheer joy and relief.

"Damn it!! Quit making me cry, Baji-kun!!" He cried again and I giggled at him in amusement.

"Haha! You’ve got giant tear glands!" Chifuyu teased him.

"Shut up! You’re making fun of me?!" Takemichi scoffed at his partner.

"Man, I’m starving!" Keisuke spoke up loud as he and I started to walk away.

"Don’t ignore me, Baji-kun!"

Later the four of us went into the ramen shop and sat together at a table to discuss future plans like what to do next about Kisaki or the Black Dragons.

"Kisaki is really gonna kill us, huh? That future is really pissing me off right now." Keisuke snarled out under his breath as he grabbed his chopsticks so tightly that they might break in half at any second now.

"So Kisaki really is Baji-san and Nana-san's enemy all along…" Chifuyu added.

"Yeah, no doubt about it. Heard that straight from Kisaki himself in the future." Takemichi confirmed.

"I’ll fucking kill him!" Keisuke snapped and I immediately grabbed him by the arm to calm him down.

"Calm down, Keisuke..." I spoke up in a soft tone before the said boy cooled down a bit upon hearing my voice. "As the 3rd division captain, Kisaki has 100 men under his command. There’s also the newly established 6th division formed out of former Valhalla members. Plus compared to them, Takamichi and Chifuyu just became the new leaders of the 1st Division while you became my newly appointed assistant and bodyguard. None of us are real functional yet..."

"That’s a real big difference…" Takemichi agreed, nodding his head.

"But even though I’m really pumped!" Chifuyu stated with a big smirk while Takemichi gave him a confused look. "We are gonna make the 1st Division into an unbeatable team, Takemichi! Just like how it was when Baji-san was still the 1st Division captain. You’re starting from nothing, but I know you can pull it off! We’ll curb stomp the Black Dragons, Kisaki, I don’t care who! I got your back to the very end! That's my answer to you for telling us everything!"

"Chifuyu…" Takemichi trailed off in surprise, completely moved by Chifuyu's speech.

"Let’s make this work!" Chifuyu added with a grin, making Takemichi grin back at him.

"Yeah, alright! Let's do this, partner!" Takemichi responded back before the two blonde boys started to make plans about how they could stop Hakkai Shiba (the 2nd Division Vice Captain) from leaving Toman.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Keisuke asked, deadpanning at those two boys while listening in to their ridiculous plans. "Having Chifuyu by my side for more than a year made me realize what a big dumbass he really is. Takemichi's also not too far behind in that category by the way. They might get their asses kicked if they keep up like this..."

"I think it's okay... Just let them be. You're neither a part of the 1st Division nor you're Chifuyu's boss anymore, so let them work together and figure things out on their own." I responded back with a shrug and in response, Keisuke gave me a skeptical look, narrowing his sharp eyes at me.

"You're having fun with this, aren't you?" he asked and my lips curled up into a small mischievous smirk.

"You know me so well, Kei-chan.~" I cooed causing Keisuke to simply roll his eyes at him before he let out a small chuckle in amusement and went back to his yakisoba noodles again.

5th December 2005

"Ah? Then you want to fight the Black Dragons?" Draken asked the 1st Division admins while idly leaning back on his seat.

Right now, some of the Toman members (Draken, Keisuke, Takemichi, Chifuyu, Smiley, Mucho, Kisaki, and Hanma) and I were dining at Danny's for lunch while discussing what to do next regarding Taiju Shiba and the Black Dragons. Keisuke was the one who requested Draken for this urgent meeting to be held here today so that Takemichi and Chifuyu could talk things out with the Vice-Commander.

"Yes!" Takemichi replied back with enthusiasm and determination.

"Quit fucking with us, jackass. I have said I'll kill you a million times already!" Smiley intervened in a threatening voice but with a smiling face.

"If you actually kill people every time you say so, you end the world, you moron..." Mucho stated in a monotone voice and deadpanned face.

"I'll kill you, Takemitchyi! Ah! See, I say it again!" Smiley scoffed yet was still smiling before looking back at Takemichi again. "Anyway, we reject the decision to crush the Black Dragons to stop Hakkai from killing Taiju!"

"Hella dull!" Hanma sang out with his annoying chuckle beside a brooding Kisaki.

As much as I hated Kisaki and Hanma to the bone and didn't want them to join the meeting, I had no other choice but to helplessly watch Draken calling them over here today for the gathering because even after everything, at the end of the day they were still one of the higher-ups of Toman now.

"Whaddya think, Draken?" Smiley asked, causing everyone to look over at the Vice-Commander.

"Hmm. Rejected!" Draken stated in a firm tone and looked back at the 1st Division captain with a frowning face. "Takemitchy, I know you probably have your own considerations backing this up. But do you really wanna ruin the peace pact Mitsuya worked for? Doing this would ruin his reputation. This discussion is over."

"Well damn, Ken-chan, you rejected Takemichi just as fast as you reject Emma. No wonder your situation's so terrible..." I commented with amusement and in response, Draken kicked me on the legs from the under the table we were sitting at.

"No more funny words from you, woman." the tall blonde beanpole threatened me in a menacing tone but I wasn't fazed a bit.

"Sure, this might ruin Takashi's reputation but also at the same time this is Taiju Shiba we are talking about and that bastard can't be trusted. We did all this shit just to protect Hakkai and Yuzuha but do you really think Taiju's gonna keep the promise? Ken-chan, take some time and think about it for once... If Hakkai commits that grave mistake, the poor boy's gonna end up in prison very soon. And it's not like he's doing this just to entertain himself or anything. He's doing this because he's compelled in doing so. He really has no other choice left if he wants to keep Yuzuha away from that fucking tyrant of a bastard Taiju..." I added before letting out a sigh.

"That's their problem, Nana. We shouldn't get mixed in this." Draken argued back.

"But Hakkai's our friend and a former teammate." I countered back with a scowl.

"If we try to intervene, there's gonna be a war, Nana and you know it. Fighting Taiju Shiba means blood's gonna be pouring down like rainfall. That guy's a menace and he runs his gang like an army, so we need to be careful on this one, you said it yourself, remember?" Draken stated and that's when I didn't respond back because what he said was completely accurate.

Sure I wanted to help out Hakkai but risking my other teammates' lives when Taiju Shiba was in the question...?

"Dammit, so many complications!" I groaned out in frustration and gently slammed my forehead on the table. "This is the worst birthday ever."

"Huh? Today's your birthday, Nana-chan?" Takemichi asked in surprise and I slightly nodded my head in response before a gleeful smile formed on Takemichi's face. "Happy birthday, Nana-chan!"

I turned my head to the side which was still resting on the table and looked over at his form.

"Thanks, Takemichi..." I responded back with a small smile.

"It's never gonna be your worst birthday when I'm still around." Keisuke finally chimed in with a scoff as he stood up from his seat, making his way over to my seat.

"I'm not celebrating shit in a critical situation like this, Keisuke." I scoffed back before the said boy softly grabbed my arm and pulled me up from my seat. "H-Hey, what are you-"

"I'm taking you out right now. I promised you that, remember? Let's go." Keisuke stated and before I could even do anything about it, the long-haired ravenette dragged me along with him and pulled me out of the restaurant.

"But, Keisuke!" I whined out with a pout as we walked over to his motorbike Goki at the parking lot.

"No buts, Nana." he cut off my whining.

"But at least tell me where are we going? We can't go anywhere further or out of Tokyo." I stated with a heavy sigh.

"I'm aware of that, dumbass. I wanted to take you to the Tokyo Disney Sea at Urayasu, Chiba but canceled that plan at the last minute. We can't go that far when the stakes are high..." he replied, slightly shaking his head.

"It's that new theme park founded back four years ago, like 2001 right?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Yeah... I'll take you there next time, I promise. Right now, we're going shopping..." he stated, causing me to give him a confused look.

"You know I hate shopping, Keisuke." I pointed out with a deadpan face.

"We're not gonna shop for clothes and makeup. I'm taking you to the Animate shop at Akihabara. You wanted to buy some new manga and anime merchandise, yeah?" Keisuke asked, and hearing his words made me gasp out in shock while it brought the light of happiness to my brownish-amber eyes before I snapped out of my shocked state and jumped into his arms, hugging him all tight, literally startling him to death.

Animate is by far one of the largest, most popular anime and manga chain stores in Japan. It has hundreds of anime and manga goods ranging from manga and figures to posters, stationery goods, and much more. Located at Akihabara in Tokyo, the home of anime and otaku culture, this branch is filled with seven floors dedicated to all things anime. No matter the level of anime fans, Animate's extensive collection of figures, cosplay goods, and collectibles are sure to captivate and intrigue guests of all ages. If one's looking for the latest releases or just wants to find merchandise for their favorite anime character, chances are they'll find them in this large anime shopping mall. The first Animate store was opened in 1983 in Ikebukuro, Tokyo which is also known as a town of subculture hobbies just like Akihabara. Each floor is subdivided to help guests navigate, split from CD & DVD sections, manga sections, video games, character goods, cosplay accessories, etc. There's even a floor dedicated to holding events where anime creators and voice actors come out for meet-and-greet events. Animate is one of the most popular stores to visit for all things anime and manga, making it a must while in Akihabara. Animate is so popular that it currently has about 120 shops all over Japan. There is no prefecture in Japan without an Animate shop.

He actually remembered that I wanted to go and buy some new manga...?! Keisuke's so sweet!!

Although he's always been sweet towards me no matter what... Keisuke's the best!!

"You know me so well, Kei-chan! I love you!" I squealed out in joy.

"Hey! W-What are you-" Keisuke began to stutter out with a deep blushing face but was immediately cut off when I placed a soft kiss on his cheeks. "D-Don't kiss me in public like this!"

"Oh, so you want me to kiss you behind closed doors?" I teased him with a mischievous smirk.

"W-What?! I never said that!" he argued back with a frowning face, his cheeks still hot and red.

"Seems like it to me.~" I cooed at him.

"Tsk... Careful, you damn woman. You're playing with fire right now." Keisuke warned me with a sharp look but I brushed him off with my giggles and teasings.

Let's just say that in the midst of all these troubles and chaos, my 15th birthday didn't go all that bad because later in the evening after finishing shopping, Keisuke took me to the Sanrio Cafe at Ikebukuro for dinner where I was able to take a cute picture of him (much of his own annoyance and embarrassment) and saved that photo as wallpaper in my cell phone (without him knowing of course).

14th January 2006

It had been only four days since the 27-year-old adult Takemichi went back to the future after completing his mission and almost ten days since Kisaki and Hanma were kicked out of Toman. Now with those two out of the way, to me, life came back to normal. There was no stress, no burden. After New Year's, Mitsuya and I went back to school again and were getting ready for our middle school graduation which was going to happen this upcoming spring in April. Others like Keisuke, Chifuyu, Hakkai, and Emma were about to advance from 2nd year to their 3rd/final year in middle school. Manjiro and Draken were also about to graduate from middle school, but they weren't exactly thinking of attending high school, unlike Mitsuya and me.

And in school, where it was just only two months left before my middle school graduation, student life suddenly became hectic as hell - from final exams and high school admission tests to taking preparation for the graduation ceremony and everything, I never found myself so busy and concerned in life.

"Graduation is coming up soon... Any plans and ideas about which high school you guys wanna go to?" a brunette girl beside me spoke up as we were eating our lunch at the cafeteria; her name was Kyoko Hori.

Kyoko was this tall, slim girl, known to be cute and pretty by most of our classmates with mid-back length chestnut-brown hair with bangs swept to the right side and possessed golden-brown eyes. She was normally a very energetic and popular person who always created a happy atmosphere around herself and was a hard worker in all aspects of her life. Although when nervous or embarrassed, she tended to switch to a violent state. She was also known to be the very jealous type when at times girls flirted with her boyfriend, Izumi Miyamura, to the point where we started calling her the "Ice Queen" or the "Goddess of Jealousy". But overall, Kyoko was a sweet, caring girl who became one of my closest friends in school.

"I'm thinking of going to a school close to my home actually..." another girl with short blonde hair spoke up from beside Kyoko; it was Yuki Yoshikawa.

Yuki was a short, slim girl with light olive-green hair that was cut short with bangs parted in the middle into bangs framing her face while she also possessed round yellow eyes and thin eyebrows. She had a typical bubbly and ditzy personality who often created a fun and happy atmosphere for those close to her, though she could be quite lazy which was evident by her tendency to sleep during class a lot of the time. She was easy to get along with and was someone who could make friends relatively quickly. However, Yuki often tried to hide her negative feelings, especially in front of friends, by pretending that she was alright and didn't care about the situation, hiding it by covering it with a smile and that the more she didn't want to let go of something, the less she talked about it. As she was reserved when it came to her own feelings, she would never tell anyone how she really felt or what she really wanted and due to this attitude of hers, the things she loved often were out of her reach most of the time.

"I wanna attend the same school that Sakura's gonna attend!" another different individual spoke up in a cheery tone from beside me this time - she was a part of the student council committee, Remi Ayasaki.

Remi was a beautiful, very cute young girl with waist-length hot pink hair, always tied up in twin tails, bangs hanging over her forehead while she had these big dark-pink doe eyes. She had a very short stature and this caused her to be the shortest one among our girlfriends' group. Remi was a rather childish girl who had a very straightforward personality and who wore her emotions on her sleeve. She relied on other people's help regularly, especially her childhood best friend Sakura, and was also not very smart.

"That would be nice if we all stayed together like this." the last person spoke up in a meek yet happy tone and it was Sakura Kono, another person part of the student council committee.

Sakura had short green hair, green eyes, and wore a pair of eyeglasses whose height and body stature was similar to Kyoko's except she had a pair of fairly large breasts. Sakura was a well-rounded, kind, and responsible person. She was very hardworking, making sure that the student council did its work. She was quite reserved as a person and there were times when she used to feel insecure about herself but that slowly changed throughout her time in middle school with us, leading her to gain self-confidence and make new friends.

Kyoko, Yuki, Remi, and Sakura - all four of these girls were my closest friends here in this middle school I was attending.

"Hey, what about you, Nana?" Kyoko asked with a curious look in her eyes, leaning forward against the table while sitting on my opposite side and I gave her a questioning look as I looked up from my meal.

"Huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Weren't you listening, Nana?" Remi huffed with a pout.

"Oh, you mean which high school I'm choosing? Yeah well, I decided to stick to the reputable ones in the Shibuya area." I replied nonchalantly. "I don't wanna go too far from home..."

"That'll be very sad if we all go our separate ways..." Sakura commented with a small sad smile.

"Yeah. We won't be able to meet much often like now." Remi whined out while Yuki nodded her head in agreement.

"You guys... this isn't gonna be our final goodbye." I sighed and slightly shook my head. "The world is small. We'll definitely meet again. We'll meet outside schools and stuff if we end up going to different high schools. If you guys think that the walls of a school campus are all there in this wide world, then you guys haven't grown up much yet."

"Oh, Nana and her wise words. Gonna miss that so much.~" Kyoko sang out dramatically.

In response, I scoffed and playfully flickered her forehead while the other girls let out some giggles and chuckles in amusement.

"Hey, I've heard that a lot of the seniors are getting proposed and asked out left and right these days?!" Yuki suddenly spoke up in a whispered tone, now changing the topic and she talked in a way as if she was gossiping about something scandalous.

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and Kyoko nodded her head in response. "Why?"

"Yeah. Graduation is on the way and many people are gonna go to separate paths and directions. They don't wanna lose the opportunities they have, so yeah, many of them are either asking out their crushes or getting asked out. Some are getting accepted and some are getting rejected." Kyoko explained.

"Hmm... Don't wanna lose the opportunities; Time is running away; It's not ever gonna return to us; Chances like these might never come back; Seize the moment and learn to live with it... Ah, how poetic." I muttered out and the girls started to chuckle again.

"Seriously, Nana? You should become a writer or a philosopher in the future." Yuki giggled, wiping away her fake tears.

"But now that we're on this topic... Nana, did anyone ask you out?" Remi asked with all curiosity.

"Huh? No. Not yet." I replied, shaking my head.

"Seriously, not yet?!" Remi gasped in shock.

"But Nana, you're so popular in school. I'm sure there's a handful amount of boys who like you." Sakura stated but I just shrugged in response.

For some reason, I always used to get this unnecessary attention here in this middle school from the very beginning. But one way or another I also had expected this attention since this school thought highly of successful students and I was, unfortunately, one of them. With getting high scores in exams and somewhat possessing good looks or whatever, I was one of the admired members of the top of my school's social pyramid. And this had its ups and downs. One of the advantages of having what I would call 'superficial popularity' was that I was never alone. People were never afraid to say 'hello' to me, asked how I was, sat with me at lunch, request tutoring and the list goes on and on. However, everything has its negative side or disadvantages to it, and the term 'superficial popularity' also pulled me into a situation where the student body would automatically see or wish to see me as someone "perfect" without even trying to know who I really was.

"I don't know if I've secret admirers or not. I don't care really." I responded with a shrug.

To be honest, I had never thought about this kind of stuff, to begin with. At first, I was in love with Shinichiro when I was younger and after he passed away, I decided to move on with my life when I again fell in love for the second time with someone else and it was Keisuke. Throughout my whole life, I had always been in love with someone who was very dear to me at different times and places in my life whether it was Shinichiro or Keisuke depending on those times and places, so small things like crushes or secret admirers had never actually crossed my mind. It was nice and sweet to know that someone was probably out there who liked me but also at the same time I wasn't interested at all.

I mean I already had Keisuke in my life, so what else would I need anyway?

"Ne, ne, Nana-chan... Is it true? Have you finally decided to..." a random girl from my class spoke up as she and her group of friends approached me after lunch and stood around my desk with a curious look in their eyes.

"Hm?" I hummed in response, looking up to meet her gaze.

"...Confess to Sengoku-kun?" she completed her question.

"Huh? Confess? What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

"Well..." another girl spoke up this time around. "You can't be in a relationship without someone taking initiative."

And this had me even more confused.

What the hell is she even blabbering about...?

"If you're not together yet, the whole class agreed to help!" another one commented enthusiastically and I hadn't even asked for that.

What the hell? How would they know if I'm even relatively interested in a relationship right now?

And only then did I realize that a good half of the class was listening attentively to our little conversation, including my girlfriends Kyoko, Yuki, Remi, and Sakura. I also noticed Remi was now wearing a sour, bitter expression on her face, her eyes downcasted when I was asked about Sengoku.

Kakeru Sengoku was a charismatic member of the student council committee of our school who was also Kyoko's childhood friend since elementary school. He was a slim, pale-skinned young man with smooth red hair that was parted towards the right side where it completely covered both his ears and also possessed red eyes. Due to his skinny figure, he usually used to wear multiple layers of clothing to appear of a healthier weight. This, along with his unusually high voice, made him appear somewhat feminine.

Sengoku was a rather shy boy who would get embarrassed easily. The slightest thing would make him cower in fear, especially things to do with horror or insects. As a student, he was very smart and serious, usually ranked No. 1 in terms of grades in the school and No. 2 in Sports and Physical Education class. He enjoyed reading and had an incredible level of concentration while doing so, to the point of ignoring everything else going around him. Sengoku wasn't generally very expressive with his emotions but the sole exception was his anger or irritation, which he showed from time to time as he was one of the leading members of the student council.

The reason why Remi was looking all downcasted at this moment was that she had this crush on Sengoku for a while now. I had always been aware of her feelings from the very start. My other girlfriends were also aware of this whole situation and because of that, they had always supported Remi and her feelings. I supported her too, so it was kind of awkward for me whenever people would come up to me and ask about Sengoku. And it wasn't like I was super close to him or something like that. I met and became friends with him through Kyoko at the beginning of our middle school years and there were times when we would study together in the library or I would help him out with the student council work and because of that many people sometimes caught us spending time together but that didn't mean we were attracted to each other or liked each other beyond platonic level.

Besides, I spend way more time with Keisuke than I spend with Sengoku...

Then why the fuck rumors about me and Keisuke hadn't still spread through school yet...?

"I'm sorry. I believe you've got it all wrong." I sighed.

Lashing out would be like giving them what they wanted and what they wanted was some good gossip.

"Sengoku and I don't have any romantic feelings for each other. We're just good friends." I stated in a firm tone, establishing the fact as strongly as possible.

Two weeks later

As presumed the rumors didn't stop with that, no matter how clear I made it. A week had passed and my class still hadn't shut up. The worst part of it was that they labeled me as some sort of "love-denying kuudere" or shit like that. And, just as I predicted, the small flame I believed I had contained had flared into a raging wildfire. After a weekend break, when I returned to school, I expected to resume my school life like normal, but I was suddenly the center of attention. Every single time I walked into a room, they were staring at me. Every single conversation I had, had to be about Sengoku. Whenever I walked beside the red-haired boy, a cascade of "ooo's" and "ahh's" would fill the hallways. I had become twenty times more popular than I was before and I hated every second of it.

"Sengoku..." I called out sternly in a low voice as he and I were sitting in the student council room for lunch. "We need to talk about the elephant in the room."

"Mmph?" Sengoku mumbled, looking up at me, his mouth was stuffed with food.

He looks like a little chipmunk...

"The rumors...." I went on and he was yet to respond back. "Aren't you bothered by it? At all?"

Was he that clueless? It can't be, right...?

"C-Can you specify... Which rumors?" he asked in confusion and I raised an eyebrow at him.

He really didn't care?!

"You know... they think we're dating..." I replied and Sengoku immediately choked on his onigiri.

Let's just say, the red-haired boy got so flustered that in the end the conversation didn't go anywhere and the problem remained unsolved.

Every time the rumors were brought up, I counted on Sengoku to shoot them down, but for some reason, he didn't do it and it was making my life a living hell. Remi on the other hand also started to feel more and more downcasted and gloomy as time went on and it made me so hard to even look at her in the eyes because the last thing I wanted was to hurt her feelings and become an obstacle for her potential love life.

I need to do this for Remi...

"I love Keisuke and I'm currently in a relationship with him." I lied in a monotone yet firm voice to those girls who initiated this whole rumor shit about me and Sengoku.

"Huuhh?! Baji-kun?!" they gasped in shock and I looked at them in confusion.

Why are they so shocked anyway...?

"Why do you girls look all shocked?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Keisuke and I are childhood best friends and our relationship blossomed from platonic friendship to romantic love. There's nothing unusual about it. Things like this happen all the time."

Can't childhood best friends fall in love with each other...?

"But he's a nerd and a former delinquent!!" they pointed out, looking all distressed and defeated.

"Yeah, so?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in annoyance.

"Sengoku-kun's way better than him!"

"I don't think so..." I stated nonchalantly.

"Baji-kun's so nerdy looking and he always wears these weird glasses!"

Bitch, have you ever seen him outside school? He's fucking hot as hell! He's too beautiful and sexy for his own good!

Not to mention you bitches even said that same shit about Miyamura before that poor guy had to cut his hair short...

"If you girls see him without those glasses, you won't be saying that again. Besides, I don't care about his looks or anything. All I care about is his personality and his morality as a human being." I stated with a sigh and with that, I walked away from them.

It didn't take long for people to spread nasty words like - "Holy shit, Osaki from Class 3-1 is dating Baji from 2-3" or "She's super smart and pretty cute too" or "Why the hell is she dating Baji?" or "It's crazy! Hell, I'd be a way better match for her!" or "Osaki's dating Baji? The nerdy-looking former delinquent? OMG! What's wrong with her? Talk about terrible taste!" and shits like these. And just as I expected, these words reached up to Keisuke's ears as well.

"So rumor has it that I'm allegedly your boyfriend and we've been secretly dating for a few months now..." Keisuke stated, staring me down with narrowed eyes as he and I were sitting in an empty classroom after school where I was tutoring him for his upcoming math test.

And this made me spill out everything to him about the rumors that were going around about me and Sengoku, thinking that he would obviously understand.

"It was really frustrating, you know." I sighed while running a hand through my raven locks.

"So you chose me as your convenient fake boyfriend to escape from the situation?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows at me.

"More or less yes. You were my safe solution to this problem." I replied and placed my chin in the palm of my hand which was resting on the desk we were sitting at before my lips curled up into a small smile. "Also, I like the idea of dating you, even if it's fake."

Keisuke's eyes immediately went wide open in shock when I said those words and his cheeks started to turn pink in color.

"Y-You like me?" he asked in a quiet tone, looking at me all confused.

It's now or never... Let's do this... Seize the moment... Don't let this opportunity go...

"I thought I was always obvious about my feelings for you..." I stated with a teasing smile.

"What about Shinichiro-kun?" he asked.

"What about Shin-chan? He passed away and he's never coming back. I don't wanna live the rest of my life loving a dead man." I scoffed in response.

"But why me?" Keisuke asked, pursing his lips as the color of his cheeks were turning from pink to red. "What's so great about me anyway?"

"To this, I don't have a specific answer. To be honest, I love everything about you - your good looks, your personality, your loyalty, your honesty, your morality, your passion, your energy... Even though you're violent and aggressive and love to live a carefree life, even though you burn down cars simply because you're hungry and craving peyoung yakisoba, I think you're still very charming and sweet. Life always seems fun and colorful when you're around. When I'm with you, I feel like I'm in a flower meadow for the first time having spent what feels like an eternity living in a windowless box. There's a lot of emotion I feel for you, Keisuke and I can't just describe it with just one word. I've always loved and cared about you ever since we first met, Keisuke, always..." I stated with a sheepish chuckle, my cheeks also started to turn the deepest red in color.

For a moment silence fell in between us with Keisuke looking down at his hands on the desk, contemplating the words I just told him now while I was silently sitting there, waiting for a response.

Please Keisuke, say something... Anything...

I had accepted my feelings for Keisuke a long time ago and now that I had told him everything, there was no going back. The man was confident, but not too cocky and funny. Enjoying his company always seemed so natural to me. Whenever he was around, I couldn’t help but hear the loud beating of my own heart. But who was to blame? Keisuke was drop-dead gorgeous. Who wouldn’t get captivated by him? Keisuke was weird, but he was kind. He was a violent tsundere who liked to commit arson when hungry but he also had a heart of gold. He looked intimidating and scary, but his intentions were always pure and selfless.

Maybe that's why I was in love with him. I loved him so much that I would lose control of myself. Keisuke was someone who was fine with being the sacrificial lamb for his friends and dear ones. And I found it irritating sometimes. He talked and walked around like nothing was wrong, always pretending that he was indifferent, just fine with all the negative things people thought about him. It was so irritating that it made me want to turn his head around and look at me, made me want to tell him how special he was to me, how great he was to me. That he, Keisuke Baji, had a huge impact on the lives of every people he came across up until now.

I kept falling in love with him and each time was harder than the last. Every time the feeling got deeper, more complete, more bewitching. There wasn't a thing I wouldn't do to keep him safe, so Keisuke wouldn't ever have to think of asking for my affection. The more love I gave him the more I had bursting inside of me. Crazy, huh? The more love we shared the more it multiplied.

I loved Keisuke in the way a puppy loved - devoted, playful, trusting. I guess I should be ashamed of that somehow; weren't we all supposed to be tough? Yet I preferred to be strong; strong enough to risk being broken all over again, to love again, fully knowing my own fragility. I had known heartbreak enough to shatter my mind, to leave my soul feeling like dust in the wind and my body unwilling to live. But Keisuke was worth my life and all that I had left was his.

"If... if that's the case..." Keisuke spoke up, pulling me out of my trance as he looked back at me again with furrowed eyebrows and blushing cheeks. "Then let's make it real..."

My breath hitched when he said those words and my eyes immediately went wide open in surprise.

"Let's make this fake dating thing real..." he added as his eyes softened at my sight. "But before that... Nana, I’m a very simple guy, so, I’ll say my words in my simple ways..."

I nodded my head, telling him to continue while my heart started to beat faster than before.

"I'm in love with you, Nana... I always have been. It was always been you." Keisuke confessed before his lips curled up into a gentle smile when he noticed my red, hot cheeks and my widened eyes which were staring at him. "I'm not that smooth with my words and I'm not good at expressing my feelings, especially in things like this, but that's the truth and I wanted to tell you for a long time now..."

I was always kind of aware of Keisuke's feelings toward me so it was somewhat expected, but I didn't think that it would be this soon. And he said he was in love with me from the very beginning we met. Did he really love me for that long now?

"I’ve been in love with you ever since I first met you 11 years ago..." he went on before reaching out and grabbing my smaller hands in his larger ones, intertwining our fingers, his warmth radiating through me when our skin touched. "I've been so in love with you, so desperately, hopelessly in love with you and I always hoped you would see me like that too. That one day you would wake up and realize I was right here, and I always had been. But at the same time, I didn't want to ruin this friendship since you're my best friend and one of the most important people in my life. I don’t wanna lose you. But I couldn’t stand keeping this to myself. I only see things in terms of 'what are'. No start or end. I guess that's a kind of pragmatism. I cannot conceptualize them as a passage or journey. That complicates things. My head has so many puzzles to solve. To me, love has to remain simple, pure, easy, and kind. So, that I love you now is that I love you forever. Moment, eternity... They are the same to my heart and soul. I ask you to stay. Just stay. I will too. I'm sure that's all it takes. I hope that is enough... Because it's all I have to offer. So, I need your answer, Nana. Will you go out with me? Like girlfriend-boyfriend kinda thing?”

Some might call it bewitched but I called it love. For there was an emptiness in the freedom of being alone and liberty in being caught in that divine spell. And so when I saw in his eyes the feelings of my heart, in that very moment we became one and if that wasn't magic then I couldn't say what was. Because his love was so whole, my missing pieces would immediately appear. Because his touch carried such passion, what was scarred became soft once more. Because he was steady and patient, my open wounds had time to seal and vanish.

Perhaps that was why they say love is such magic, this gift from the universe, this sweet addiction to the man I was born to find. For with my twin soul, the only other born in the same flame as I, we were able to bathe one other in warmth and light as easily as we breathe, immune and oblivious to darkness.

"And you're saying you're not that good with words." I let out a chuckle in amusement as my frantic heartbeat started to slow down and his smile grew wider. "But I won't date you unless you promise to marry me in the future."

"Deal." he immediately replied without any hesitation, grinning widely at me and I gave him a surprised look.

"Seriously? You'll marry me?" I questioned and he nodded his head with all seriousness. "What about having kids after getting married?"

"We'll have them when the time is right. But not more than two, okay?" he replied with a smile.

"And pets? I'm a dog person and you're a cat person." I pointed.

"Then we'll have both; one cat and one dog. No big deal..." he suggested with a shrug and this caused me to let out a soft giggle.

I could tell his love for me was real, pure, and genuine. His love for me became my protector, my defender, my ride-or-die connection that stayed with me for always and in all ways. It was raw and it would roar for me if required. It would stay with me in quietness and be my comfort. Keisuke's love celebrated with me and raised me up. His love would be okay with my sadness and kiss the scars I hid from others.

It was rare, so I always treasured it and was trying to keep it alive as long as possible, for Keisuke's love was the greatest blessing that heaven could ever give me. His love was pure, unselfish, and undemanding. His love made me feel free, made me feel all soft and warm. This was the kind of love I had waited for, prayed for. I inwardly thanked God for this because a love like this was to be cherished for life. Finally, I felt like being home.

Keisuke isn't perfect and I'm not either, but together we make a great team and are perfect for one another...

"Two kids and two pets, huh? Looks like you've all figured it out... But hey, at least take me on a date at first!" I stated playfully and Keisuke flashed his signature smirk at me.

"Well, let's go then." he stated before standing up, pulling me up from my seat as well.

"But your upcoming math test?" I asked as I watched him quickly packing up our bags and stuff.

"Fuck the math test!" he grinned at me, showcasing his pointy canines before grabbing my wrist and dashing out of the classroom.

Soon after that, we were out of our school campus and went to a small parking lot in the nearby area where Keisuke's Goki was parked at.

"Hop on, Nana..." he stated as he hopped on his own bike and tossed his helmet to me. "Safety first.”

After putting on his helmet, Keisuke shuffled forwards slightly to give me more space to sit on the bike behind him. He then took off his fake, goofy reading glasses and shoved them into his pockets, his long ravenette hair still tied up in a ponytail.

"Where are we going?” I asked, taking my seat on the bike while Keisuke shrugged, chuckling slightly when I gently wrap my arms around his waist.

"Don’t know, but hold on tight!” he warned, revving his engine and taking off without another word.

From other people's point of view, I might be a fool for getting on a motorcycle with Keisuke and letting him take me to an undisclosed location, but it had always been like ever since Keisuke started learning to ride his bike and I trusted him enough to know that he wouldn’t try to drive me off a cliff or put me in danger. Keisuke always drove his motorbike like a madman and would leave me with no other choice but to cling to him with dear life. If I didn’t bury myself into his side, I probably would have flown off with all the sharp turns he always did around the other cars or bikes. It was like being taped to the top of a vehicle in Mario Cart, but that was where the fun and the thrills lay.

"You're never gonna change your driving style, huh Keisuke!" I shouted out over the harsh blaring of the wind while the said boy simply let out a loud chuckle in response.

"Look over to the side, Nana..." he uttered, slowing down slightly.

Taking his word for it, I turned my head to the side so my face was no longer pressed against his shoulder. Passing the edge of the road, I could see the perfect view of the beach below, the sea gently glistening under the orange sunset, the fresh ocean air hitting all my senses.

"The beach.” I mused, smiling down at the completely deserted sandy shore, which looked so beautifully peaceful in contrast to how busy it was when I would usually come.

"No shit.” Keisuke chuckled, his eyes remaining glued to the road.

“But it’s closed.” I let out a defeated sigh, leaning against his back.

“Yep, that means we’ve got the whole place to ourselves!” he nodded with a wide grin causing my eyes to go wide open in astonishment.

Before I could question what Keisuke meant by that, he steered off the edge of the road and down the steep hillside which led to the beach, though it definitely was not meant to be driven on as there were several warning signs at the side of the road, warning drivers about the hill.

"Keisuke, what the fuck?!” I scolded him over his amused laughter.

“Isn’t this fun?!” he yelled back, enjoying how the wind felt against his skin as he maneuvered his bike down the steep hill.

Not going to lie, this experience was exciting and concerning all at the same time but it soon all ended when the bike came to a smooth landing on the soft sand of the beach.

“Well, how was that?” Keisuke asked with a smirk, immediately hopping off the bike before offering a hand to me.

"You're a madman, Keisuke." I commented with an amusing giggle as I took off the helmet before accepting his hand, and stepping off the motorbike while the smile on his face widened a bit more. "But... do you think we could do this again? Some other time, maybe?"

And in response, Keisuke let out another loud chuckle, resulting in me becoming sheepish for a moment until he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up for a hug.

“Obviously! Anything for you, doll!" he grinned, and my cheeks heated up slightly at his words.

Keisuke and I are really dating now!! Holy shit!! This is real!!

It's not fake at all!! Can't believe this is actually happening!!

"Huh? Doll? Are we gonna give each other nicknames now?" I playfully scoffed at him causing Keisuke to lean closer to my face, his sharp bronze eyes boring into my brownish-amber ones.

"You want other names? Like Baby, Babe, Buttercup, Cutie pie, Babydoll, Sweet-Cheeks?" he teased with a mischievous smirk to which in response I threw him a dirty glare and pushed his face away from mine.

"Ew! No! That's cringey!" I scoffed while he let out another chuckle and placed me back down on the sand before he started to dash off towards the sea.

“Anyway, let's race! Loser owes the other lunch!” he shouted out at me.

"Eh?! Oi, Keisuke, you moron! Wait up!"

And this was how Keisuke and I started a new chapter of our lives.

I love you, Keisuke, Like the sky loves the birds, With open hands and infinite freedom.

February 19th, 2006

It was still early in the evening when Chifuyu and Takemichi arrived at Keisuke’s place today to help him out with the furniture redecoration of the Baji household just because Keisuke’s mom, Ryoko Baji felt like doing so. The thing was, Ryoko heavily believed in astrology, good luck charms, and stuff like that and she also believed that redecorating her whole house would bring good luck to the Baji family’s life, especially in Keisuke’s life to be more accurate.

“Sorry about this, guys…” Keisuke stated in his usual deep yet soft tone to Takemichi and Chifuyu who were shifting heavy furniture from one room to another. “Nana and I were supposed to help my mom redecorate our whole house. Feng Shui says it’s good luck. But obviously, it’s impossible for just the two of us alone, so you two are really saving us here…”

“So heavy!” Takemichi grunted out through his gritted teeth when he tried to lift a box that was filled with showpieces.

“Careful, Takemitchy!” Chifuyu called out in concern before rushing over to his friend to help him out. “That box has showpieces in it. Drop it and everything in it will break into millions of pieces.”

“Thanks, Chifuyu and Takemichi…” Ryoko stated with a wide grin of gratitude on her face as she talked into the room while holding a book in her hand. “My Keisuke's here is a weak boy, so he ended up troubling you two.”

“Who’s weak?!” Keisuke snapped, growling at his mother with furrowed eyebrows before I put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

“Calm down now, Keisuke. Let’s not make a ruckus now.” I mumbled into his ears in a gentle voice to which the said boy immediately went quiet before returning to work.

“N-No, we're fine!” Takemichi stuttered out in embarrassment with a blushing face, smiling sheepishly at Ryoko.

This was the first time Takemichi came to the Baji household and the first time seeing Keisuke’s mom, so naturally, he was feeling quite flustered – after all, he didn’t expect the matriarch Ryoko Baji to be so young-looking and beautiful.

“Where should we put this, Ryoko-san?” Chifuyu asked her in a polite tone before the Baji matriarch started to guide the two boys with the whole redecoration again.

“Alright! That's it then!” Ryoko stated just after the two blonde boys shifted a cupboard to a different room.

“Okay!” Chifuyu and Takemichi responded in unison, sweat dripping from their bodies from all their hard work for the past few hours.

“Chifuyu, Takemichi, apparently the living room furniture is important too, so after you're done with that please take care of it.” Ryoko instructed with a smile while her eyes locked down at the pages of the book which was still in her hand.

The book in her hand happened to be one of those which tells you what’s good luck for you or not and using that Ryoko had been guiding us through this entire time.

“Oh! Ah, yes!!” they replied before dashing towards the living room.

“Hey, mom!” Keisuke called out with a frowning face as he pulled out some manga books from his mother’s bookshelf. “I thought all my manga were gone. Why are they here?!”

“Keisuke, I’m still reading them!!” Ryoko snapped back.

“Please, don’t fight over some manga, you two…” I spoke up again, sighing heavily at the antics of these two Bajis while rearranging some showpieces on the shelf just like how Ryoko wanted.

“Oh excuse me, Chifuyu. Can you go to the convenience store on the corner and get me a garbage bag?” Ryoko asked in a gentle, motherly tone.

“Yes!!”

“And Takemichi, please be a dear and get me a small parfait from the sweets section. The waitress there often forgets to serve it with a spoon, so make sure it’s ready to go.”

“O-Oh, okay, yes!!”

Making Keisuke’s friends do all of her work - that was one of Ryoko’s personality traits which I found very funny sometimes, like how she was ordering around Chifuyu and Takemichi and making them run around the house but none of them could say anything to her because one, she was a parental figure to them, so they couldn’t be disrespectful towards her which was obvious and two, she was ordering them around in such a soft, motherly tone that the poor boys didn’t exactly know how to refuse her orders.

“Finally, we are done!” a sweaty, tired Takemichi exclaimed out in joy with a grinning Chifuyu standing beside him as we all looked around at the redecorated house.

“Oh, I’m sorry. This is wrong.” Ryoko suddenly spoke up in a concerned tone, staring down at her book with furrowed eyebrows, and in response, Takemichi and Chifuyu went stiff as a stone in their spot.

“Huh? What are you saying?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“I was looking at the wrong page!” Ryoko stated, showing me a certain page from the book. “This isn't gonna bring me good luck!”

“What the hell are you doing?!” Keisuke snapped at his mother again with his hands on his hips. “You're kidding me! Come on woman, this is enough!”

“This isn’t good!” Ryoko snapped back at her son. “My lack of fortune caused you a lot of problems before, Keisuke! Remember that one time you broke your left arm?!”

And her words suddenly made me recall one incident from early 2004 which was just two years ago when one delinquent gang named Killer Bee forcefully barged into our school to attack Keisuke because they were aware of the fact that Keisuke Baji would never fight and throw hands inside the school campus. Although Keisuke didn’t fight them back and ended by breaking his left arm when he was defending himself from their attack, his former vice-captain Ryusei Sato and Chifuyu were the ones who jumped into the action right on time and saved his life from that gang. I was also there with them and I remembered knocking the commander of that gang out cold in one go by throwing one of Manjiro’s infamous roundhouse kicks on that man’s head.

“I don’t care! And that had nothing to do with this!!” Keisuke shouted out in frustration again as he and his mother began to throw fiery daggers at each other through their sharp glares.

“A-Ah don’t worry! We’ll do it again!” Chifuyu intervened in a nervous tone, trying to calm down those two Bajis before looking over at a concerned Takemichi. “Right, Takemitchy?!”

“Y-Yes!!” Takemichi squeaked out, furiously nodding his head before they both rushed over to the room to shift around the heavy objects again.

“Ngh! Uaghhh!!!”

“Ha!! So heavy!!”

“I know right!!”

“What’s wrong?” Keisuke asked as he walked over to the boys who were now on the ground, all sweaty and tired and was out of breath, taking a break for a moment before they would start redecorating again. “Are you two worn out? Well, I suppose you two did carry a lot of stuff.”

“N-No we are totally fine, Baji-san!” Chifuyu tried to convince his former captain but failed miserably.

“Just give us a moment, Baji-kun and we will carry-“ Takemichi was about to say something more but was cut off immediately when Keisuke lifted a huge cupboard with just one arm.

“No more. Just rest.” Keisuke stated in a cool, nonchalant voice before he walked away with the cupboard in his arm while the two blondies stared at the ravenette man in complete shock with dropped jaws and widened eyes.

“And his mother calls him weak?!” Takemichi gasped out, causing me to chuckle in response. “Just how strong is Baji-kun?!”

“A lot actually. Just like Manjiro and Ken-chan…” I replied with a smile before walking away as well to help out Keisuke.

And it wasn’t long before we redecorated some of the rooms again and our entire work came to a completion.

“Okay, that’s more like it.” Keisuke stated, slightly nodding his head as we looked around the house to see if anything was left to be done.

“Yeah, it’s good, isn’t it?” Ryoko grinned with a satisfied look on her face.

“Well, then. Let’s get something to eat.” Keisuke added before I started to walk towards the kitchen with Ryoko.

“Ryoko-san and I’ll go and cook something for us. You guys take some rest in the meantime.” I stated, causing the faces of the boys to light up in pure happiness and excitement.

“Thanks, Nana-san!” Chifuyu called out with a smiling face to which I smiled back in response.

After entering the kitchen, Ryoko and I pondered for a while, thinking of what to cook for dinner tonight. After going through several different options, we finally chose to cook hot pot for the dinner.

“I appreciate your help!” Ryoko stated with a smile as we all gathered around in the living room with the Baji matriarch sitting on a couch while the boys and I were on the floor with our legs crossed, the TV in front of us was turned on and the food was served on the kotatsu table beside us. “Feel free to eat whatever you want.”

“Yes!! It’s good!!” Chifuyu and Takemichi stated happily in unison as they took a bite from their food.

“Also, thanks for the help too, Nana-chan.” Ryoko stated as she then turned to look at me, her smile widened a bit more. “You were a great help today, especially when we were cooking for dinner.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you, Ryoko-san.” I smiled back. “Feel free to call me for help whenever you need it.”

“Ah, sometimes I feel like what I’m gonna do without you, Nana-chan.” Ryoko let out a heavy sigh as she leaned back on the couch in a relaxed manner.

“Now, you’re exaggerating, Ryoko-san. You’re gonna make me blush.” I added before the said woman and I both started to chuckle together in unison.

“Oi, Shitty-mitchy.” Keisuke who was sitting close beside me called out while pointing at the TV, causing the time-leaper to look over at the ravenette boy. “What do you think?”

“Huh? What’s this?” Takemichi asked in confusion, looking over at the TV as well.

“That’s Baji-san's favorite TV show.” Chifuyu informed while chewing his food.

“It’s Kayo Suspense Gekijyo.” Keisuke stated, staring at the TV screen with a serious look on his face, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. “I found out that the woman behind him is the culprit. She claims she wasn’t there when it happened, but I’m pretty sure she’s playing some kind of trick.”

“Oh! You like this kind of thing, don't you, Baji-kun?” Takemichi asked excitedly, his lips curling up into a smile. “No wonder you were always suspicious of Kisaki from the very start.”

“Keisuke’s really into the mystery, crime-thriller genre. Movies, TV shows, novels - doesn’t matter. As long as it contains this particular genre, Keisuke engages himself into it with all his heart, mind, and soul.” I chimed in with a smile before looking over a Keisuke for a moment. “Sometimes I wonder why you wanna be a pet shop owner when you get older… You’re smart and hella perceptive. You can become a police officer or a detective if you want.”

“Police officer or detective, huh?” Keisuke trailed off, getting lost in his own thoughts.

“Yeah, I also think those professions will suit you, Baji-kun…” Takemichi added.

“I can guess the killer too, you know!” Chifuyu chimed in as well, his lips curled up into a wide grin. “I have really good instincts when it comes to that sort of thing!”

“Dumbass! It’s got nothing to do with intuition!” Keisuke playfully scolded his former vice-captain with a smirk. “You have to think in terms of music.”

“Keisuke, it's logic, not music.” I muttered into his ears, immediately correcting his mistake and in response, Keisuke’s cheeks went red in color in complete embarrassment.

“Ah, yes! That's it! That's it!” the ravenette chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

As the four of us continued to chat and laugh while watching the TV show, Ryoko who was sitting on the couch behind us decided to intervene in our conversation.

“You idiots!” Ryoko suddenly spoke up in a loud tone with a beer can in her hand and we all turned over to look at her. “In most of these cases, the fourth guy fighting on the TV is the culprit! the main character, the sidekick, the girl, and then the killer! That’s why the old man is the culprit!”

“Huh?!! That’s not funny at all!” Keisuke snapped at his mother yet again for the umpteenth time this evening.

“Look, the old man is the murderer!” Ryoko countered back, now pointing at the TV. “He’s the killer, only one person can get in that car…”

“He’s not that old!” Keisuke growled out with a frowning face. “If he's an old man, then you are an old woman too!”

“Huh?! What did you say, Keisuke?!!” Ryoko finally snapped back before she threw a kick at her own son.

And the rest of the night went with me and the blonde boys trying to disrupt the fight and calm down the two fiery Bajis every once in a while. As time passed by and the clock almost struck midnight, I found myself the only one in the Baji household to be wide awake while the rest of them were all passed out either on the couch or on the floor. Since I was the only one still up and functioning, I decided to go ahead and engage myself in some household chores, like putting blankets on their sleeping bodies to keep them warm, cleaning up the kotatsu table, putting away tonight’s extra food into the refrigerator, washing all the dirty dishes, and then last but not the least, cleaning the kitchen up completely spotless.

It took me some time to finish my job and as soon as I was done with it, I noticed Ryoko finally waking up from her slumber and sitting up on the couch.

“You’re awake, Ryoko-san.” I smiled, walking up to her.

“You did everything by yourself?” Ryoko asked with a sheepish smile. “Thank you, Nana-chan. Sorry for causing you all this trouble.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m happy to help anytime you need me.” I responded in a reassuring tone.

“Well then, Nana-chan… Can you be a darling and go to the convenience store around the corner and get me some turmeric? And some of those cake rolls with that chocolate chips… the cheeky ones that try to up the quality a notch.” Ryoko stated with a closed-eyed smile and I sweat-dropped at her in response.

She’s never gonna change, is she…?

“Okay, sure. Be right back.” I smiled back before turning around and walking away towards the front door.

“Don't worry about the house key. Oh and uh, Nana-chan…” Ryoko called and I turned to look back at her again, noticing a warm, gentle smile on her face as she was staring at me with her soft, bronze-colored eyes. “Take care of Keisuke for me, okay?”

In response, my face softened a bit as I blinked at her a few times.

“He was born to an idiot like me and an even more idiotic father.” Ryoko went on in a light tone, her eyes shifted from me to her sleeping son on the floor. “And now he’s a fool too. But… he’s always sincere in what he does. He's simply irresponsible. I taught him that much. Keisuke rarely brings his friends home with him and it’s even more shocking that he fell in love and decided to date a smart, capable girl like you… This is the first time I’ve seen him laughing with all his friends like this. Keisuke is an only child, so maybe Chifuyu and Takemichi are like little brothers to him. And I have nothing to say much when it comes to you, Nana-chan. You and Keisuke have been best friends ever since you two first met years ago at the Sano dojo and now you’ve become lovers. I’m really happy for you two, you know?”

“You’re… happy that Keisuke and I are dating?” I asked as my lips slowly curled up into a small smile.

Ryoko-san’s happy… it means she approves of our relationship, right…?

“I always wanted Keisuke to end up with no one else but you, Nana-chan. I’ve been shipping you two ever since then.” Ryoko replied with a soft chuckle and my smile widened a bit more upon hearing her response. “I hope Keisuke doesn't make too much of a fool of himself. Please keep a close eye on him.”

“Yes, I will, Ryoko-san. You can count on me.” I reassured her once again.

I love Keisuke to death, Ryoko-san…

He’s just so precious to me…

I promise to love and protect him till my dying breath…

As soon as I walked out of the building to head toward the convenience store, someone familiar called out my name from behind me.

“Oi, Nana.”

I turned around to see Keisuke making his way towards me, yawning while running a hand through his silky, raven locks.

“Why are you going alone at this late hour?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows a bit, his eyes telling me he was still tired.

“You were sleeping, so I didn't want to wake you up.” I smiled at him apologetically and in response, he rolled his eyes at me.

“Don't be stupid. I’m coming with you.” He scoffed before we both headed towards the store together.

“Thanks for coming.” I smiled at my lover after we finished our shopping and stepped out of the store.

“Don’t thank me, stupid. As your boyfriend, I have to tag along with you wherever you go.” He scoffed again before gently taking the shopping bag from my grip. “Also, I’m sorry about mom being super annoying today…. I said I didn’t care about my mom’s fortune, but…”

“No, it’s okay.” I giggled in response as we walked down the quiet streets together side by side, the moon in the sky glowing brightly above us, illuminating the whole area like a spotlight. “It’s been a while since I hung out with Ryoko-san like this.”

“You sure? She’s always so pushy.” He muttered, letting out a heavy sigh tiredly.

Somehow, her being a Baji kind of justifies her behavior….

“Besides I got your mom’s approval today.” I informed, grinning at him.

“She always approved you ever since we first met 11 years ago, Nana. She thinks you're the right choice for me. Well, I think that too…” Keisuke smiled back before reaching out and grabbing my hand in his larger one, intertwining our fingers together.

He then looked away from me for a moment and set his eyes on the ground underneath us, that breathtaking smile was still dancing on his face.

“You know, Nana, I… I have known you ever since we were four years old, but then again sometimes I feel like I still don’t know very much about you. I’m still learning about you, little by little. At least, I hope I can fully know and understand you someday…” he muttered in a low, gentle tone which was enough for me to hear his words given the quiet environment around us.

“Yeah, well, the feeling’s mutual…” I muttered as well, tightening the grip of our intertwined hands. "For the past 11 years, we were just childhood best friends and now we are lovers. Our relationship changed and took a completely different form, so obviously, we’ll start rediscovering each other from the scratch.”

“Really?” he asked as he looked back at me, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” I replied with a smile, causing him to smile back in response.

Soon later we both came back to the Baji household where we found Ryoko and the other two boys on the floor in the living room, sitting in a circle with a big bag placed in the middle.

“What’s that?” Keisuke asked, raising an eyebrow as he and I moved closer to see what it was.

“Candies.” Ryoko replied with a smirk as if she just achieved something great.

“Damn, this is a huge bag. Is it all just candy?” I asked, looking at it while Chifuyu and Takemichi excitedly went through the bag to find anything else other than the sweet treats.

“Yeah. I won an online contest.” Ryoko replied with her smirk growing even wider than before. “The bag is full of candies of different flavors. I wanted to give these to you kids earlier but for some reason, it just slipped away from my mind. Anyway, choose whatever you like.”

“Huh? Online contests? When did you get into this kind of shit?” Keisuke asked in confusion as he and I took a seat with the rest on the floor.

“Doesn’t matter, Keisuke.” I stated before looking through the bag with Chifuyu and Takemichi, pulling out some candies as well. “Let’s see… We have strawberry, fig, pomegranate, orange… There are some weird ones as well, like cheese…”

“Cheese, huh?” Keisuke trailed off, taking the candy from my hand before looking over at his former vice-captain. “Oi, Chifuyu… You don't like cheese, right?”

“Hell no. I’ll rather throw my wallet in a ditch than choke down cheese.” Chifuyu scoffed before huffing and looking away with a pout while Keisuke unwrapped the candy and took it in between his two fingers.

“Right…” Keisuke muttered with a sadistic smirk before he leaned a bit toward the blonde boy, holding the candy in front of his face. “Say aah.”

Just then, for some reason, Chifuyu’s whole face went red.

“Baji-san's feeding me candy!” Chifuyu started mumbling to himself, squirming around where he was sitting as his face was showing all sorts of emotions – shock, happiness, disgust, and a lot more. “This may never happen again! But it’s cheese flavor… Cheese flavor!”

And seeing Chifuyu like this caused me and Takemichi to deadpan at him while Ryoko started to giggle in amusement from beside us.

“Is he in love with Keisuke or something?” I mumbled to Takemichi.

“You creep. Eat on your own.” Keisuke scoffed in disgust, throwing the candy at Chifuyu before moving far away from the blonde boy.

“Huh, B-Baji-san?! I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable! I’m not in love with you, I promise! I see you as my big brother!” Chifuyu cried out in a reassuring tone but Keisuke moved away from him even further yet again, causing Ryoko and Takemichi to laugh at them in amusement.

While this whole commotion continued in the middle of the living room, I quietly moved a bit far away from them and started to go through the candies that I picked from inside the bag- one of them was clay flavored. I simply stared down at the candy in my hand with a confused look written all over my face.

Huh? Clay-flavored candy? What in the world is that?

“Which flavor is that one? Strawberry?”

I quickly looked up to see Keisuke now sitting beside me, also looking at my candy while the others (Ryoko, Takemichi, and Chifuyu) were busy with their own activities just a bit away from us.

“Huh? No, it's clay.” I replied before unwrapping the candy and putting it inside my mouth.

As soon as I did that, I felt like gagging right at that moment. The taste was bitter and was so horrible that it literally killed me.

“Why are you eating a clay-flavored candy?” Keisuke deadpanned at me.

“Just wanted to try the taste… It’s really bitter.” I replied with a small pout, not realizing the look in his eyes and how close he was leaning to my face.

Keisuke then looked back at the others for a bit just to find them still talking about different flavors of candies before he turned his attention back to me and that’s when I looked up and noticed his sharp bronze eyes boring into my brownish-amber ones. The look in his eyes was completely different, something I had never seen before. The emotions behind those pretty eyes were so intense and passionate that they started to draw me toward him even closer without me even realizing it.

What’s with this look?

What’s with the strong emotions behind those eyes?

“Bitter, huh…” he whispered in a deep, rough yet smooth voice before he leaned in even closer to my face, his eyes flickering between my eyes and my lips.

And before I could realize what was happening or even ask him anything, I felt something soft being pressed gently against my own lips – it was Keisuke’s lips and he was kissing me.

Huh? Wait, what? Keisuke’s kissing me now?!

My eyes immediately went wide open in surprise as my body went stiff on the spot but even with that, I still didn’t move an inch and stayed right where I was frozen in shock.

Keisuke, who was doing all the work, was kissing me as if I was breakable like thin glass and all I did was just close my eyes, slowly and unconsciously, to enjoy the moment before noticing him about to do the same as well. I felt him smirking into the kiss, his lips moving against mine slow and soft as his hands crept their way up to my cheeks, holding my face firmly in place so he could lead the kiss. I felt a warm tightening sensation go wild in my stomach, wanting more than just Keisuke's kiss. My hands found their way to his chest where I brought him closer to me, I held onto him tighter than I intended to.

At that moment, I didn’t care if Ryoko, Chifuyu, and Takemichi noticed us kissing. I just simply didn’t care. All I could care and think of was Keisuke’s kiss, his lips, his warmth, his hands, his whole existence. I wanted more. I craved more. I wanted Keisuke to ravish me and sent me high up in heaven or down to the pits of hell; either way, I would remain extremely satisfied with the outcome.

I could feel the heat and warmth radiating from Keisuke’s body with his warm sweet breath on my lips. He smelled very nice; a mix of mint and sandalwood, invading all my five senses, literally driving me to the edge. He then gently pressed his tongue to the seam of my lips, asking for permission, and at my grant of access, delved his tongue inside my mouth. As our tongues intertwined with one another, the kiss got rough, sloppy, and even more demanding. Euphoric warmth began to blossom within me and the whole feeling became completely blissful, making the kiss feel like fireworks, tingles, and desires. It felt as if nothing mattered at that moment, as if nothing existed in this universe; it was just only me and him.

Keisuke moved one of his hands from my cheek to the back of my neck, deepening the kiss and I could nearly feel the slight burn of the cola he was drinking earlier as it rolled off my tongue and seeped down my throat with every push of his tongue against mine.

A kiss is one of the most sensual happenings, aside from sex and of course, I loved it. His lips were so warm and soft and tasted of mint and cola which caused trembles to shake my body while the euphoric warmth blossomed within me once more. He then gently tilted my head to the side and continued to kiss me, his lips demanding. I felt a smoldering heat deep within me as he slanted my head further, deepening the kiss while his fingers in my hair gently ran up and down the back of my neck, coaxing shivers out of me.

The kiss had a raw intensity; breathing fast, heart rated faster. To me, Keisuke was like my personal drug; one touch and the intoxication was instant. His touch electrified every nerve in my body along with my brain. I think probably it was the anticipation of being together in a way that was more than words, in a way that was so completely tangible.

In that moment of the kiss, it felt as if our chemistry became an ever-bright flame. His kiss was not at all the same as those movie stars, but one steeped in a passion that ignites. It was the promise of realness, of the primal desire that lived in us all. In his kiss, I found the promise of years and the sweetness of waiting for real love. In his kiss, I was home, finally.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds before we broke apart for air and rested our foreheads against each other’s, panting slightly before opening our eyes together. In that brief second of pause, all I could do was lovingly stare back at him while he took his time to study my face. I felt my blush deepen under his scrutiny as Keisuke gazed at me lovingly, his eyes softening with tenderness.

He was so gorgeous that my heart seemed to plummet into darkness. His long, black hair; his perfect, carven features; his arrogant, sensual mouth – fuck, right now I wanted to kiss him again so bad. His kiss was so tantalizing, it left me breathless, greedy, and unsatisfied, wanting more.

Just as I was thinking about diving in for another make-out session with Keisuke, he suddenly moved away from me with an unreadable expression, looking absolutely nonchalant, leaving me in utter confusion.

“Keisuke, could you get me some water?” Ryoko suddenly spoke up from her spot with Takemichi and Chifuyu by her side and her voice brought me back to reality.

And that’s when I noticed something weird – the candy which was in my mouth earlier wasn’t there anymore.

“You’re such a pain.” Keisuke groaned out, rolling his eyes before standing up and walking away without spearing a glance at anyone.

On the other hand, I was still sitting in my spot with a hot, red face burning like the sun. Not only Keisuke and I just shared our first kiss seconds ago in front of his mother and our friends but also he stole my clay-flavored candy which was literally in my mouth.

“What’s up, Nana-chan?” Takemichi asked as he came over to me with a confused look.

“Keisuke stole my candy…” I muttered out as a response, not meeting the gaze of the time-leaper.

“Eh, really? What flavor was it?” Chifuyu asked, who also seemed clueless about what just happened earlier as he pulled out some more candies from the bag. “We still have a bunch more, Nana-san.”

“I-I’m good, thanks!” I stuttered out in embarrassment.

“Okay then, you should give this flavor a try!” Ryoko stated before tossing some candies at me who also looked clueless and I let out a heavy sigh in relief.

Looks like they didn’t see what happened between me and Keisuke, huh…?

Thank God…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Person’s POV (Meanwhile in the kitchen)

With a burning face and a racing heart, Baji leaned back against the refrigerator and let out a heavy sigh, trying to process what just happened right now - He just kissed Nana and for both of them, it was their first-ever kiss. Well, he won’t call it a simple kiss; it was more of a small make-out session for them. His breathing was heavy, his hands were now all sweaty, his heart hammered hard against the ribcage as if it would burst out of his chest at any moment now but even after everything, he had never felt so alive and loved before.

Fuck, I love her so much…

Baji then slowly reached up and touched his lips with his fingers, getting himself lost in a deep trance again, thinking about how Nana’s lips felt against his own ones – it was sweet, it was soft, it was sensual and most definitely, it tasted like cherry because of the lip balm she always used.

“She’s right…” Baji mumbled to himself as he closed his eyes, and sighed, twisting the stolen candy with his tongue inside his mouth. “It actually tastes like clay…”

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