I love my AU where Rei starts her own gang and pretends to be a boy so much that I really want to make it canon. I want to write out the entire lore starting from their childhood
Warning: Too much text and a lot of words
Maybe one day I’ll tell the story about Iskander and Sati but in short: their families disowned them and they had to start their lives from scratch through their own hard work. Sati stayed in Egypt for her husband’s sake thinking she could adapt to the new culture (spoiler: she couldn't). They fought about it often and when Sati got pregnant, they moved to a more isolated house far away from everyone else so she could feel more at peace. Rainer was born in 1979. Iskander wasn't happy that it was a boy and raised him harshly "like a man." Sati didn't really know how to raise him properly, so she mostly just followed her husband’s lead. She was a bit gentler with him but Rainer never felt truly loved by her. Then in 1982 Reihan was born—the family’s greatest joy. Iskander was overjoyed to have a daughter and raised her like his "little princess" letting her get away with everything. She was his favorite, a total daddy’s girl. With no restrictions, Rei grew up loud, rebellious and mischievous. Because of this Rainer had mixed feelings about her: he was jealous that she didn't have to worry about her emotions or actions, or about what their father would think and how he might punish her. That’s why Rainer was often rude to Rei and pushed her away. But deep down, he still cared for her — she was his sister, after all. He cared but he did it quietly and discreetly
At some point, their father died. He was murdered. It was the collapse of their family as Iskander had been the one keeping them afloat and for Sati it was a devastating blow. Sati completely shut down, locking herself in her room and refusing to interact with the children. Rainer had it rough: he had to take over the mother’s role, caring for Rei, feeding them and doing all the housework. It was a lot of stress for a young child who had a restless kid to look after. And then, Sati left. She just… went missing. One day she went out to run errands and never came back. No one knows what happened to her, if she’s alive or where she is. Rainer and Rei had to just survive for a while. Thankfully, when the neighbors noticed the children were alone and the parents were gone, they reported it. The police didn't know what to do with them. They tried to find the mother, but it was all in vain. In the end they decided to declare her dead. But what were they to do with the children? Should they both be sent to an orphanage? At first the police tried to contact their father’s family but they were unresponsive and refused to take the children in.
Just then relatives from the mother’s side stepped forward, wanting to take custody. How did this happen? Since her school days, Sati had a best friend who supported her through everything. When Sati stayed in Egypt, they kept in constant touch, sharing news about their lives. Noticing that the letters and replies had stopped coming the friend began to worry. The only thing she knew was that Sati’s husband had passed away. When Sati fell into a depression, she had sent only one letter about her husband’s death. Cuz of this the friend didn't think much of the silence at first assuming Sati just needed some time alone. But later, she learned that Sati had gone missing, leaving two children behind. She immediately alerted Sati’s family, begging them to take the children so they wouldn't end up in an orphanage. Sati’s parents refused, but eventually another family agreed to step in
However, there was a catch: they only took Reihan, leaving Rainer an orphan in Cairo. Why did this happen?
1. Rei was younger. It would be easier to integrate a 5 year old into a new culture than an 8 year old who was already fully aware of the situation
2. She was a girl. The family thought it would be easier with her, operating under the stereotype that "girls are quiet, while boys are troublemakers."
3. As it turned out, only Rei had dual citizenship. Previously, Japanese citizenship was passed down only through the father and dual citizenship was impossible. However, after January 1, 1985 the law changed temporarily, allowing citizenship to be passed down through the mother. Sati sensed that something was about to happen. She decided to take advantage of the situation and wanted to secure Japanese citizenship for her children as a safety net. She tried to register both of them, but she was refused under the pretext: "The boy is the continuation of the family line, he is a Muslim and must continue to worship Allah. Take the girl wherever you want but keep the boy here" Due to the pressure, she was forced to obtain Japanese citizenship only for Rei which made her move to Japan easier, as there were fewer issues with the paperwork.
4. The Egyptians hated the idea of giving children to non-Muslim families. Therefore, they set a condition: either the family converts to Islam and takes both children, or they take only the girl and the boy stays in Egypt. Perhaps they could have managed to take Rainer as well but the relatives themselves didn't fight very hard for him, so they simply took Rei.
And so it happened that Rei flew to Japan, while Rainer had to literally survive as an orphan in Egypt. His life was hell: orphans were treated with suspicion in Egypt and because of his appearance and Japanese roots, he suffered severe bullying from other children. Rainer grew bitter toward his entire family. He hated his father who had been cruel to him; he hated his mother, who did nothing to stop his father, allowed him to treat their son that way, and then abandoned them altogether; he hated Rei because she had lived happily since birth with their father's approval and now she had a new family, living in warmth and comfort. He hated Egypt itself. He was sick of the local rules, the religion and the people who tormented him. That is how he developed his goal: to move to Japan and find Rei.
What was Rei's life like? Ironically, her new family would have had an easier time with Rainer than with Rei, cause Rei was the rebellious child, while Rainer was quiet and compliant. Her new family only took legal guardianship of her, not full adoption. Under guardianship, Rei remained the daughter of her biological parents and kept her father's surname. If they had adopted her, she would have been considered the daughter of the new family. Her new family became strict with her, trying to turn her into a "proper Japanese" girl. They spoke only Japanese to her and constantly scolded her for mistakes and her accent. They could not tolerate her loud personality. For Egyptians, such behavior is normal — they are naturally very emotional, loud and sociable, with strong gestures and they generally accept rebelliousness in children. For the Japanese such behavior was considered wrong. Because of this Rei had a difficult time and over time, she began to forget Arabic. As she grew a little older, she didn't want to lose her "Egyptian" side, so she secretly started relearning the language and studying Egyptian culture on her own. Then came school life. And this is where the real hell begins:
Rei faced relentless bullying. Kids would constantly point at her, whisper behind her back and some would even disrespectfully try to touch her dark skin. No one would sit with her at lunch and no one would pick her for group projects. The children didn't even call her by her name; they just called her "gaijin" (foreigner) or "kuronbo" (a derogatory term for a dark-skinned person). Even the teachers treated her with disdain.
Did Rei just take it? Of course not. At some point, she reached her breaking point and started "biting back." For every word spoken about her skin or her homeland she would throw punches. Her family was constantly called into school and forced to apologize. Rei felt it was deeply unfair. Why were they scolding her when the others started it? Why was she the one being bullied, yet she was the one being punished? Why didn't the adults try to understand the situation instead of immediately blaming her? Was it just because she was an outsider?
Rei’s family didn't accept her either. They constantly scolded her for her behavior and were ashamed of her, as she was ruining the family's reputation— and the Japanese care deeply about what others think. Rei grew resentful toward the Japanese, their culture of "fitting in and not standing out" and, in fact, toward all of Japan. That’s why she started to rebel. Rei had naturally straight hair, so she began curling it (which was considered wrong by Japanese standards, as schools had strict dress codes requiring all girls to have straight, black hair). She started experimenting with her style and constantly getting into fights. Eventually, her gaze turned toward the bosozoku gangs. Petty school brawls no longer satisfied her; she craved something more. Rei admired these gangs for how free they were from public opinion. She made a decision: she wanted to be part of that world. But there was a catch — girls weren't exactly valued in the bosozoku scene. They were mostly treated as "accessories" for the leaders, just sitting on the back of their bikes. She didn't want to start an all-female gang either. So Rei came up with what she thought was a brilliant idea: she would simply pretend to be a boy. Her build, appearance and voice made it perfectly possible. She decided to recruit people from outside her school as everyone there knew her. She had to be certain that no one would discover she was a woman. That was how Rei managed to gather a group of outcasts around her, and together they began causing trouble, riding their bikes loudly, and fighting other gangs.
Over time, Rei learned about the Black Dragons — a gang that was on everyone’s lips. At first she didn't like their leader, Shinichiro. Rei was used to using force; she was accustomed to the idea that cruelty decided everything in life, especially between gangs. So why this brat was the leader of one of the most popular gang and why did people follow him? Rei couldn't understand what was so special about him or why he seemed to hypnotize people into admiring him. So Rei challenged the Black Dragons. She wanted to destroy Shinichiro, dismantle his gang and rise above them all. And so, she and Shinichiro became enemies; their mutual hatred was known to everyone in the gang world. Their fights became so frequent that other gangs grew used to it and stopped being surprised.
Shinichiro couldn't stand Rei. In his eyes, she was just a loud, brash, and insolent guy who constantly mocked or teased him. Shinichiro tried to resolve things with words, wanting to know why this guy was so obsessed with him to which Rei would only shout that he didn't deserve to be a bosozoku leader and that she wanted to show everyone what a weakling he really was.
She and Shinichiro began crossing paths not only in the biker world but in ordinary life as well. Even in their normal lives they constantly clashed and got under each other's skin. Rei didn't even notice when she started looking for him in crowds. She began thinking about him often and his attention toward her brought a strange sense of pleasure to her chest. The realization hit her: she was starting to like Shinichiro.
At first, Rei would scold herself: "Fuck, how could I fall for this loser when he’s literally nothing special?!" But she quickly got used to it. Okay, so it’s love, whatever. And Rei didn’t try to hide it. On the contrary during their fights or whenever they met, she’d openly show it, flirting or saying dirty things. To everyone else, especially Shinichiro, it was incredibly weird. Rumors started spreading that Rei was a faggot. And Rei? She wasn't bothered. She was already used to the gossip and the side-eyes. If anything she’d play along and go out of her way to get even closer to Shinichiro. Shinichiro, however, didn't like it. He wasn't gay after all. Was Rei doing this just to get under his skin or did (s)he actually... love him? Every time Shinichiro asked, Rei would dodge the question brushing it off with jokes or teasing. Shinichiro even started avoiding her in normal life cuz as soon as she spotted him she’d chase him down, teasing him and saying nonsense. And still, as much as he hated to admit it, they grew closer. There were rare moments when Rei was calm and didn't provoke him and they could just exist together. In those moments, Shinichiro would almost forget about Rei’s personality and even began to respect him. He felt like he was seeing the real Rei — the one who wasn't trying to be louder and tougher than everyone else just to prove (s)he was more than just a "gaijin." They often ran into each other when Rei was wandering the night streets. She had constant fights at home over her biker lifestyle and skipping school. They’d often threaten to kick her out to which Rei would just storm out herself and go wherever her eyes took her. She’d drift between clubs and friends' apartments, though most of the time she ended up staying at her brother’s place
Btw yeah, she and Rainer did eventually meet up and he managed to get out of Egypt. Rainer was supporting himself, studying at a Japanese university (he managed to move there thanks to MEXT — it’s like a legal way to relocate since he doesn't have Japanese citizenship). But their relationship during that period is a whole other story. I’ve already written so much so I don’t want to get into their dynamic right now
Anyway, Shinichiro ran into a lonely Rei a couple of times and even though they were enemies, his kindness got the better of him so he’d approach her and ask what was wrong. A couple of times, he even invited her to stay the night at his place
As for how Shinichiro found out Rei is a woman? I have a few ideas and I’m not sure which one is canon' yet but I’m leaning towards this one:
Shinichiro and Rei were planning a serious fight. They were both tired of playing games and fighting without any real results, so they decided to have one final, decisive battle to see who was better and stronger. Rei even set a condition: "If you win, I’ll leave you alone and quit the gang life. And I’ll also suck you off ;)" Shinichiro just looked at her deadpan and replied "Uh... sure. But let’s skip the last part.."
The fight was brutal because neither of them held back; they were going full force. But a group of Black Dragons members decided to team up behind their leader's back to make sure this fight was 100% the end for Rei — they wanted to kill her because they were sick of seeing her and watching their leader humiliate himself over her. Rei thought it would just be her and Shinichiro, leader vs leader, but they got separated in the crowd. That group cornered Rei and started beating her mercilessly. It was an unfair fight — she was alone against a bunch of idiots. She couldn't defend herself, so she fell to the ground just trying to cover up to minimize the pain. Rei had never experienced anything like this; she was used to being the strongest and most people were just dirt under her boots. She’d never been beaten this badly or cruelly. And since she was pretending to be a guy, they didn't hold back at all.
Then sirens started wailing. It was the police. Everyone started scrambling to get away and some of them gave her a few final, heavy kicks. One of them even stabbed her, since their goal was to kill her. No one tried to help Rei because everyone was too busy trying to escape the cops. Only Shinichiro noticed her.
Yes, they are enemies but damn it, he can’t leave her in such a state. Taking Rei, carrying her to the bike and leaving together — won’t work; there isn’t enough time or strength. So he decides at least to just pick her up and carry her to some secluded place where they can hide from the police for a while. When Shinichiro barely manages to drag her, he decides to provide first aid since there’s no chance to take her to the hospital yet. Shinichiro takes off her outer clothing and oh. He sees a woman’s chest. Shinichiro looks at her in shock. His face is full of emotions, all of them negative. He feels betrayed, disgusting for having beaten the girl all this time without knowing, breaking one of his main principles — never to use physical strength against girls. At that moment Rei slightly opens her eyes. She sees nothing; her body is in severe, agonizing pain and her mind is clouded. But even in this state, she manages to understand what happened. Her face is bloodied and a tear rolls down her cheek. She feels pathetic, powerless. Then she loses consciousness again. Shinichiro covers her chest and still provides first aid, and when the police seem to have left, he quickly tries to get to his motorcycle with her and take her to the hospital.
Finally, Rei wakes up. She feels like the lowest piece of trash. And the last thing she wants right now is to see Shinichiro first. His gaze is heavy, full of disappointment and betrayal. When their eyes meet, Rei turns her head away so she won’t have to look at him. It’s so humiliating for her. Shinichiro’s voice is quiet, broken: "So all this time you were a girl." Pause. "Rei, wh—" She interrupts him: "leave. Just leave." Shinichiro looks at her, nods and leaves. After that there was a distance between them. Shinichiro couldn’t forgive himself for everything he did to Rei, he felt deceived. A storm of emotions and thoughts filled him. Rei is a woman. He beat her. Does she love him? A girl love him? But this is still Rei.. Ugh, Shinichiro just doesn’t know what to feel for her, in his head Rei is still a guy but she is a girl? So he simply distances himself from her
How does their relationship end? I don’t know. I have three options, which I already wrote about once. Either Shinichiro still wants to give them a chance and invites Rei to start everything anew, at least to be just friends. Rei agrees and then little by little the feelings become mutual, a happy ending. Or Shinichiro still can’t cope with his feelings and completely isolates himself from Rei. Rei is hurt by this. That the man she loves turns away from her and can't accept her. But she has to come to terms with it. Their paths diverge and perhaps never cross again. And the last one, a little darker. Shinichiro also distances himself from Rei but instead of accepting this, Rei becomes smth like a yandere. If Shinichiro can't be hers, then he'll be no one's. And she intimidates every girl Shinichiro tries to flirt with and start relationships with. But in any case Shinichiro dies anyway lol
The end ig
