#tr fic

The reactions:

Koko and Inupi

“Making friends?” 

You let out a sigh of relief and turn towards the new voice. Koko’s head is slightly tiltled, smiling as he looks between you two but his gaze lingers at where the man is touching your hand again. “Hey!” You pull your hand away, moving closer to your friends. You’ve known them since you were children and despite some rocky years, you all still kept in touch. 

“What are you doing?” Inupi asks, picking up the pace until you’re bracketed by them. Kokonoi throws an arm over your shoulders. 

“This is my neighbour,” you tell them, stepping back slightly more into them. “He’s…introducing himself.” 

Inupi looks at the man before seeming to dismiss him as he turns to you. “Come out with us.”

“Not even asking?” You tease, raising your eyebrows at them. 

“Why ask when we’re the ones paying?” Kokonoi quips back. 

“Excuse me,” your neighbour snaps, frustration sinking into his tone at being ignored. His lip curls as he takes in the sight of the two men and how they’re dressed. Especially when his gaze lingers on Inupi’s heels. “We’re in the middle of something.” 

“You’re excused,” Kokonoi says, sticking his tongue out as he addresses the man. “Wouldn’t want our girl to catch something from…you.” He draws his gaze down, looking over your neighbour as if he’s unworthy of his focus. “Go beg for attention at a host club. Or can you not afford it?” He grins as he says it. 

Your neighbour scoffs before he zeros in on you. “Should have known you were a whore, but a couple of fa–” He’s cut off as Inupi moves in, switchblade open and pressed against his stomach. 

“Go on. Finish what you’re saying.”

“What’s wrong?” Kokonoi asks, “cat got your tongue?” 

Your neighbour scuttles back and practically runs into the building, leaving the three of you alone. 

“Thank god you showed up,” you mutter as Inupi closes the knife. 

“Thank Inupi,” Kokonoi says as he turns and guides you away from the building. Inupi takes back his spot on your other side. “He’s the one who was hungry.”

“Because I knew you were and if I didn’t get you out of my house, I’d have nothing left.”

You laugh before linking your arms together and letting them take you away.  

Hanma

An arm drops over your shoulders and your knees nearly buckle under the sudden weight as he leans in, face next to yours. 

“Who’s this?” 

You sigh, glancing over at the man who’s practically draping himself over you. You wanted a rescue but at the same time, Shuji was a bit much. “Shu’,” you greet softly. “This is my neighbour.”

“Huh,” he glances at him. “You think you got’a right to touch my girl?” 

“Not your girl,” you say instantly. 

“Such a tease,” he says. You shove his face away but he doesn’t shift far. He looks back at your neighbour. “Don’t you agree?”

Your neighbour glances at you before he snorts and laughs, ignoring the way your eyes go wide. “Yeah, she kinda is, but that’s why I wanna date her.”

There’s no warning. Hanma lets go of you just so he can slam his fist into the other man’s face. “You think you can call my girl a tease?” He grins as he moves forward and you can only cover your mouth in horror as your friend beats your neighbour.

“Shu! Stop!”

He looks up at you. “What? I’m just helping, babe. Teaching this piece of shit what happens when he treats women like whores, right?” His gaze turns down to the man’s body under him. “You wanna apologize to my girl?”

“S-sor-rry–” your neighbour coughs out. 

“You think you’re worthy to touch her?” Hanma grins again before he punches him. The man collapses unconscious. “Already? Boring.” He straightens and heads back towards you. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

“What? I didn’t even invite you!”

“No, but you’re gonna thank me for saving your ass. Unless you want to thank me another way…” 

“Food it is!” 

Sanzu

Your neighbour freezes and you nearly jump out of your skin when you suddenly feel someone stand next to you. You look only to relax as soon as you realize who it is. “Haru.”

He looks at you before turning back to your neighbour who stares at you two confused.

“Do you…know this guy?” your neighbour asks. 

“He’s a friend of mine.” You don’t elaborate and despite the frown of confusion, your neighbour doesn’t ask. He just continues. 

“Um, okay…like I said, I think you’re very pretty and if you don’t like the fact that I drink, I’ll stop. Whatever you want, just let me date you.” 

“Thank you but I’m not interested.” 

“Come on,” he reaches for your hand again but Sanzu’s hand snaps forward and grabs his wrist before he can touch you. 

“Don’t.”

“Who are you?” your neighbour snaps, yanking his hand out of your friend’s grip. “I’m trying to talk to her.”

“No,” Sanzu moves, stepping in front of you and forcing him back. “You touch her again and you won’t have a hand.”

“Haru,” you murmur, trying to ease the tension. He doesn’t look back at you. 

“Tsk,” your neighbour scoffs. “Should have known you’re a fucking weirdo.” He turns to move away and you grab the back of Sanzu’s shirt to keep him from following. 

“Leave it,” you tell him. “The asshole’s not worth it.”  

It takes a long moment before he finally gives in and turns back to you. “You okay?”

“Yeah, thank you.”

Sanzu nods. “He won’t bother you again.” He says it like a fact and you have to wonder if he’s planning on returning to finish what he started when you’re not around.

“Stop, let’s just…get out of here.” You drag him away from the building, praying you don’t end up finding out your neighbour is murdered a week from now.  

Draken and Emma

You step back, trying to gain some distance between the two of you as your neighbour goes on about his issues and addictions that he’s willing to put aside for you. If you give him a chance.

You hear your name being called before you feel someone slam into your side, hugging you tightly. “Em.”

“You’re here! Did Draken tell you we were coming?”

“No,” you shake your head, thrown by her appearance. You look past her to see Draken following slowly. He raises a hand in greeting. Before you can respond, however, you’re drawn back to your neighbour.

“Who’s this?” He’s looking over Emma in the same way he stared at you. It almost makes your skin crawl and you shift to cover her.

“Move your fucking eyes up.” Draken’s voice cuts through the tension that’s built up in your chest. “That’s my girl".”

Your neighbour jolts back as Draken steps up at his side, glaring down at him. “Wh-what? Sorry!”

You try not to roll your eyes at how fast he acts apologetic. You know he wouldn’t have been if Draken wasn’t there.

“Who the fuck are you?” Draken asks, moving now to stand beside him. He probably isn’t attempting to use his height against your neighbour, but it works regardless. Draken is intimidating unless you’re female or a friend. He’s neither.

“This is my neighbour. He lives in my building.”

“That doesn’t give him any right to make you uncomfortable.” Draken turns to look at the neighbour. “What the fuck do you want with them?”

“I’m just…we’re friends.”

“We’re not friends,” you say quickly, catching the irritation that flashes across his face. “He was introducing himself to me.”

“Yeah? That doesn’t involve touching you.” Draken grabs your neighbour’s shoulder. “Why don’t you girls get a head start. I’ll catch up to you in a minute. I wanna talk to him.”

“What? No, I don’t—”

You don’t get to hear what’s said after he cuts himself off. You saw Draken tighten his grip before Emma pulls you away.

“Are you okay?” she asks quietly as you walk.

“Yeah, thank you.”

“We could totally see you were uncomfortable. Don’t worry, Kenny will make sure he doesn’t bother you again.”

“Not if he knows what’s good for him,” Draken says as he steps up behind you both. He drops a hand on the top of your head. “You good?”

You nod quickly. “Yeah.”

“Alright. You hungry? We’re going to eat.”

Emma grins at you. “Yeah, come on! We can invite Mikey to join us!”

You laugh at that. “Sure, let’s eat.”

Mikey and Draken

You stiffen at the way he’s reaching for you again. You’ve been looking for an exit ever since he stopped you. You don’t know what’s prompted him to choose now of all times to confess like this. It doesn’t make sense.

“Like I said,” he repeats, stepping closer as you shift back. “If you don’t like that I drink, I’ll stop. If you—” he cuts himself off and for a moment you wonder why before you feel the weight of the two stepping up on either side of you.

“You can’t see when a girl’s uncomfortable?” Draken’s arm rests over your shoulders while Mikey steps up and gets into your neighbour’s personal space.

“Who are you?”

Your neighbour looks stunned at suddenly being approached, being blocked from you, but he scoffs a bit at Mikey. He doesn’t seem as intimidating as Draken does to people who don’t know him. “Her…her neighbour. Who are you?”

“Her friends,” Mikey says as he takes another step forward, forcing your neighbour back.

“You sure you’re alright?” Draken asks again. His arm resting over your shoulders isn’t heavy or restricting. It feels comforting now.

“Of course she is. I wasn’t hurting her.”

Draken ignores him, focusing on you until you nod. “I’m okay,” you say quietly.

“Oh, that how it is?” Your neighbour suddenly sounds a bit snide. “You won’t accept a date with me because you’re whoring yourself out—”

He doesn’t get a chance to continue. Mikey moves in a flash, landing a kick to your neighbour’s temple. The man falls, knocked unconscious.

The fury you catch on Mikey’s face is erased as he turns towards you. “Mikey?”

“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.” Mikey says, smiling.

Draken sighs. “Really?” He looks down at you. “You really gotta think about moving.”

“Yeah, I know,” you sigh. “I can’t afford it though.”

“Don’t worry,” Mikey says, grabbing your wrist and pulling you forward. He steps on your neighbour while you scramble around. “He won’t bother you anymore and if he does, Ken-chin will talk to him.”

“Why me?”

“Can’t bring all of Toman. What if the neighbours don’t like us?”

“Might be a good thing if these are your neighbours.”

Smiley and Angry

You smile politely at your neighbour, looking for an escape before your eyes catch sight of two familiar heads of hair that ease the tightness of your chest.

“Nahoya! Souya!” You wave, ignoring the flash of irritation that crosses your neighbour’s face. He turns to look to see who you’re calling, who you’re waving at.

The brothers are heading towards you. Angry waves back but Smiley just grins as he steps up next to your neighbour.

“Good, you’re home.” Like his brother, Angry sounds like his nickname suits him, but you know better. He’s more perceptive than anyone thinks he is as he greets you like it was a plan to visit and not just happenstance.

“Who’s this?” Smiley asks.

“My neighbour,” you say, giving a forced smile. “He stopped me to introduce himself.”

“Oh yeah?” Smiley throws an arm over his shoulder. “Introduce us.”

“I’m…” Your neighbour coughs slightly before trying to move back but Smiley doesn’t let him. “Can you let go? You’re making me uncomfortable.”

“Am I?”

“I’m just trying to take her out.”

“What the fuck you on about?” Angry snaps.

“Yeah,” Smiley adds. “You think you’re worthy enough of our girl?”

“You-your girl?” your neighbour’s voice cracks. He clears his throat. “I thought— I thought you were single.” He says it accusingly towards you. As if it’s your fault.

“What?” You recoil slightly at it.

“Yeah, you think you can just lead people on like this?”

“I didn’t do anything,” you say, arguing back. “You’re the one who approached me.”

“Ah, don’t worry,” Smiley grins at you. “He won’t do it again.”

“Yeah, or we’ll kick his ass,” Angry snaps.

“In fact, why don’t you go back inside,” Smiley says. “We’re gonna have a talk with him.”

“We’ll come up to see you when we’re done.”

“Pick you up for some ramen, alright? Go get ready.” Smiley nods to you and his arm tightens around your neighbour’s neck. “We’ll take out the trash.”

You nod as Angry’s hand rests on the small of your back, guiding you slightly back towards you apartment before he turns to block your retreat from your neighbour. You should probably stop them, but you know it’s useless. Hopefully your neighbour gets the point.

Yuzuha

You should have never left your house. Then this wouldn’t be happening and you wouldn’t be faced with some man you’ve barely ever spoken to as he confesses to you. Who does that?

He reaches for you again, trying to take your hand.

“Hey! Why the fuck are you touching her?”

Yuzuha. Your knight in shining armour. She comes barelling forward, fury in her gaze as she shoves herself between you and your neighbour. She practically towers over him as she glances back at you. When she catches the relief on your face, she turns back to your neighbour.

“Who are you?” he asks, looking her up and down. There’s a hesitance in his expression before he smiles.

“Who the fuck are you?” Yuzuha snaps back. She straightens, looking down at him. One of the things you love about Yuzuha is the fact she takes no shit. At least from anyone but her older brother.

“Her neighbour. We’re just getting to know each other. You—you’re welcome to join us.”

“Fuck off.” Yuzuha is nothing if not straightforward.

“What?” he seems stunned at the response.

“Fuck. Off.” She enunciates it clearly. “Or do you have hearing problems along with your inability to see when someone doesn’t want you to touch them?”

“Yuz…” you say softly, tugging on the back of her shirt. “Just leave it.”

She turns to you. “Why? You’re not interested, right?”

“Right.”

“So he can fuck off and learn how to take a hint.”

His expression darkens. “You’re fucking rude,” he snaps. “You should have told me you were a dyke. Not opposed to sharing if you can control your mouth.”

Your mouth drops open in shock at his words. Yuzuha however, doesn’t hesitate. Her leg kicks up and you see his gaze dart to her skirt. The glance doesn’t last long as her foot lands on his head and your neighbour is quickly knocked out.

“What a creep,” she says, brushing herself off before turning to you. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you nod. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. What are you doing now? Want to hang out?”

“Sure.”

Baji, Chifuyu and Kazutora

You take another step back. Your neighbour moves forward with you. It’s dark out and you really just want to be anywhere but here right now.

“Look, I…appreciate it but I’m not looking to date anyone.”

“Give me a chance,” he says, reaching for your hand again.

You pull it out of his reach. “I’m not—”

You don’t get to finish your sentence because out of the dark comes a fist and your neighbour is sent flying. You stare in shock until you realize that you’re no longer alone with him. Chifuyu stands in front of you, looking at you in concern.

“Are you okay?” he asks, blocking you from the chaos behind him. He’s not alone. You hear Baji’s laughter as Kazutora hits your neighbour again.

“You like fucking scaring girls in the dark?” Kazutora snaps. He’s always been protective of you. They all have.

“What? I didn’t—”

“Yeah, she looked real comfortable the way she kept stepping back,” Baji drawls.

Chifuyu moves slightly so you meet his eyes. “He was making you uncomfortable, right?”

You nod. It’s the only thing you can do. You didn’t think you’d be rescued. Not like this.

“Yeah, we thought so. You know, ‘tora, he reacted before any of us.”

You look around Chifuyu to see Baji of all people pulling Kazutora back. It was a little surprising considering Baji was usually the unrestrained one. “‘tora! Stop!”

They kick your neighbour who’s passed out on the ground again before coming towards you. Kazutora wipes his knuckles on his shirt.

“You good?” Baji asks, putting a hand on your head.

You smile at him gratefully and nod. “Yeah, thank you. He wasn’t…”

“Yeah, we saw.” Kazutora says, glaring at your neighbour again. “He bothers you again, you call us. If we didn’t fuck him up enough now, we will.”

“What are you three doing here?” You ask, ignoring the threat.

“Got bored,” Baji says with a shrug as he removes his hand.

“We came to see if you wanted to join us and hang out,” Chifuyu translates.

“Sure,” you nod. “I think I could…use a break from home.”

“No kidding,” Baji throws an arm over your shoulder and guides you away from your building. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

“Shit, let’s stop at a convenience store.”

Kisaki

“No thank you,” you repeat for the third time.

“If it’s because I drink or smoke, I can stop,” your neighbour says again. “Just give me a chance.”

“She said no,” a voice cuts in. You look up in surprise.

“Tetta!”

Your friend comes forward, standing between you and your neighbour. You’re a little surprised. Tetta was always quiet, more hesitate, but his time as part of Toman seems to have increased his confidence. It’s a nice change.

“Who are you?”

“A friend, not that you need to know.”

“We’re talking.”

“Not anymore you’re not. You’re going to go inside and leave her alone.”

Your neighbour steps forward. “Oh yeah? You going to make me?”

Kisaki adjusts his glasses as he smirks at your neighbour. “I prefer less physical methods, but I can assure you, it is in your best interest to do as I say.”

“Or what?”

Kisaki steps forward, closer to your neighbour and lowers his voice. You have to strain to hear it. “Or I will have my men ensure that any time you step out of your apartment, you’ll never know peace. And if you continue to bother her, maybe they’ll be waiting in an alley ready to take care of the problem permanently…maybe someone else dies and it’s you standing over them. When you protest to the cops that it wasn’t you, evidence will appear of all the shit you’ve done, including harassing women outside their homes. So, what will it be?”

Your neighbour stares at him in shock. “You can’t be—”

“Try it. If you don’t believe me.”

There must be something in his eyes because your neighbour scuttles back. He casts a look, muttering something that sounds like ‘bitch’ as he heads back into the building. Kisaki turns back to you.

“If he causes any more discomfort, you come to me.”

“Tetta…” you smile softly because now that the danger is passed, he looks a little embarrassed. “Thank you.”

He nods. “Of course.” He smiles, looking gentle considering his words before. “Are you busy?”

“No,” you shake your head.

“Good. May I borrow you? I have some ideas I want to run by you.”

“Sure,” you nod. “Let’s…go somewhere else.” You don’t feel like staying near your home right now.

“I know a place. Follow me.”

Ran and Rindou

“What’s happening here?”

“Rindou!” Your friend strides forward looking like he couldn’t have a care in the world. “What are you doing here?”

He pushes up his glasses. “Looking for you. Who’s the creep touching you?”

“Excuse me?” your neighbour straightens.

“You heard me.” Rindou drawls, stepping closer to you.

“Who do you think you—”

Your mouth falls open as you see what steps up behind him. Before you even get the chance to warn him, Ran slams the brick he’s holding down on your neighbour’s head.

“He said,” Ran grins as he leans in to your neighbour who’s collapsed. “Why the fuck is some worthless piece of garbage touching her?”

Your hands cover your mouth because your neighbour is bleeding and he’s not moving. “Ran!”

“What?” he drops the brick like it was nothing. “He was touching you.”

“I know but—”

“But nothing,” Rindou says. “You think we didn’t see all that happening?”

Ran wraps an arm over your shoulders, tugging you in closer. “You think we’d let some perv harass our girl?”

“You didn’t have to kill him! Oh my god, I’m an accessory!”

“Relax,” Ran coos at you. “He ain’t dead.”

“He’s not?”

“Ran didn’t hit him that hard. He just can’t take a hit,” Rindou explains, stepping in next to you. You didn’t even realize they had started walking, leading you away.

“People don’t usually get smacked in the head with a brick!”

Both of the brothers look at each other and shrug.

“Sounds like their problem. Come on.”

Mitsuya and Hakkai

“Thank you but I’ve already said that I’m not—”

“Just give me a chance.” He reaches for you again.

A hand clasps over his wrist, stopping him from succeeding.

“She does not want to be touched,” a voice says.

You look up in relief at the sight of Mitsuya standing there, coming to your rescue. Hakkai is with him, standing slightly behind your neighbour. “Takashi!”

“Get off me!” your neighbour says as he yanks his hand free from Mitsuya’s grip. “Who the fuck are you?” He suddenly jolts, jumping away from Hakkai as if he just realized he was there.

“Her friends,” Hakkai answers, still staring your neighbour down.

“Are you okay?” Mitsuya asks, looking you over and gently touching your wrist so he can inspect it. As soft as Mitsuya seems in comparison to his friends, you know that he’s still a delinquent. He’s as willing to get into a fight as the rest of them. His gaze hardens at the way you flinch as your neighbour starts talking again.

“Of course she’s okay. We’re getting to know each other.”

Mitsuya turns to face him, angling himself so that you’re placed slightly behind him. It feels safer like this and you hate that it does, that you’re going to be uncomfortable and anxious about coming home every time now.

“I think you should stop,” Mitsuya says. “She’s not interested and you need to leave her alone.”

Your neighbour straightens. “You need to fuck off. We’re talking.”

“Don’t talk to Takashi like that,” Hakkai snaps. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Your neighbour flinches. Hakkai sounds more like his brother when he’s angry like this. Not that you’d ever tell him.

“My sisters have been asking about you,” Mitsuya says lightly, turning his head to look back at you. “Asking if you’ll visit. Why don’t you go inside and change into something you can ride in. We’ll talk to him while you do. Make sure he understands.”

“Taka…”

“It’s fine. Take your time.” He smiles at you and motions you back toward your building. Hakkai is blocking your neighbour from behind as Mitsuya faces him again. You go inside, trusting them. They’ll make sure you’re safe.

Shinichiro, Benkei and Wakasa

“If you want me to stop drinking, I will. I—”

“Hey!”

You both turn to look at the voice calling out. Shinichiro is running towards you, a wide smile on his face as he waves. You feel yourself relax instantly because Shinichiro is backup. He’s more than that but it’s a relief to have another person here. One that you trust. One who’s already stepping between the two of you, enough to offer protection.

“Are you waiting for me? Couldn’t wait to see me, right?” Shinichiro grins, rubbing the back of his neck as he turns at the sound of a cough. “Oh, sorry. I’m interrupting. Who are you?”

“Her neighbour,” the other man says. “You mind? We’re in the middle of something.”

“Yeah?” Shinichiro turns, facing him. “What?”

“What?” Your neighbour looks thrown.

“What are you in the middle of?” Shinichiro asks, shrugging his shoulders and looking at you like he doesn’t get what your neighbour doesn’t understand. “What did I miss?”

“He was…he was introducing himself…” you say, swallowing tightly.

“Oh yeah? Well, I’m Shinichiro,” your friend says, holding out his hand. Your neighbour takes it and drops it just as fast. “Go on, continue.”

Shinichiro is charming and disarming. He always is. No one thinks he’s as powerful as he can be.

“Like…like I said, I just…” your neighbour keeps glancing at Shinichiro who smiles back. “I want to get to know you. I want to take you out.”

“What?” Shinichiro looks at you. “He wants to date you?”

You flinch.

“Yo! Shin!” Your attention is diverted and the three of you turn to look. Wakasa and Benkei are there, the former looking a little annoyed. “You know we ain’t racing, right?”

“Aw, come on,” Shinichiro calls out with a laugh. “Not my fault you’re slow.”

“Sure, that’s the reason,” Wakasa drawls. “Who’s this?” They come forward and your neighbour looks around them, eyebrows raised as Benkei gets closer and he realizes how tall he is.

“My neighbour,” you answer.

“Is this why you won’t go out with me?” your neighbour asks. “You’re whoring yourself out to—”

“What the fuck did you say?” Wakasa snaps, straightening.

Shinichiro’s pleasant expression falls and you feel the tension in the air thicken.

Benkei moves, standing behind you. As the others are starting to snap at your neighbour, Benkei is a quiet source of steadfast suppport. He touches your elbow. “We taught you how to punch,” he murmurs. “Use it.”

You move automatically with familiarity under his guidance. Wakasa realizes first and shifts back, pushing Shinichiro to move. The punch lands on your neighbour’s cheek, just as he turns to look. There’s enough force to make him fall back on his ass.

Benkei and Wakasa both laugh. You stumble and catch yourself when Benkei pats you on the back.

“Good job,” he says. “Just like we taught!”

Shinichiro bends down to your neighbour. “See? This is why harassing women is a bad choice. You never know if they can fight back. We hear you bother her again and you’ll find out what they didn’t teach her.”

“And what happens when you piss off men like us,” Wakasa adds.

Shinichiro stands up, smiling at you again. “Are you hungry? After all this excitement, I bet you could eat. I know a good spot we haven’t tried.” His gaze is soft and he’s shifted from the intimidating man who ran a successful gang into the Shinichiro you know.

“Sure, let’s all go!” You say, glancing at the others. “I’ll pay for the first round. As a thank you for helping!”

You walk past Shinichiro, and your neighbour on the ground, assuming they’ll follow. Wakasa is laughing and you hear Shin mumble something that sounds like “that’s not what I meant…”

Benkei moves and walks beside you. “Ignore them. Let’s go, they’ll catch up.”

You shrug and nod. “Okay.”

Izana and Kakucho

“I know you’re not touching something that doesn’t belong to you.”

You freeze at the voice. Your neighbour turns confused, unaware of the danger that’s presented itself. “Izana.”

He looks at you and smiles. It’s softer than it would be directed at anyone else. The exception being Kakucho. “Why are you talking with filth?”

“He’s my neighbour,” you explain. “He was…introducing himself.”

“Who the fuck are you calling filth?” your neighbour snaps.

“Don’t,” you whisper, trying to help him. You don’t know why considering how uncomfortable he’s made you, but maybe it’s because it’s Izana. You wouldn’t wish his wrath on anyone.

The look your neighbour gives you is condescending. You regret trying to help him already.

Izana finally moves in and stops next to you, close enough you barely need to shift to touch him. Kakucho stays slightly back, next to your neighbour.

“Are you alright?” Kakucho asks softly.

You nod. “Yeah, thank you.”

“I called you filth,” Izana says, not letting it slide. “That’s what you are, isn’t it? Filth. Touching things that aren’t yours.”

You weren’t Izana’s either but it was easier to let him say what he wanted in times like this.

“Who the fuck are you?” your neighbour asks. You can tell he’s unimpressed. Izana isn’t terribly tall and a lot of people discriminate against him for being mixed. “And who are you calling filth, ha—” he’s cut off as Kakucho’s hand lands on his shoulder, grip tightening.

“Excuse me?” You say, frowning.

“It’s fine,” Izana says, his hand moving to rest on the other side of your waist. “As if a king concerns himself with what comes out of the mouth of trash.” He looks at Kakucho. “Deal with this. Come,” he moves, guiding you away from your neighbour who’s stuck in place by Kakucho. You follow because there’s no other choice. “That thing ever comes near you again, you’ll tell me.”

“It’s fine, I’m sure he didn’t mean—”

“He did. If he does it again, he’ll be dealt with. Permanently.”

tag list: @aikuwuus @blackfire2013 @bleach-your-panties @reiners-milkbiddies @sanzuholic

@kpop-choco @hojoslutoru

“What do you mean you don’t think it’s a good idea? We’ve been dating for over a fucking year.. you spend more time here than at your own place… I don’t fucking like it when you’re not here.” He tries to stifle the anger in his voice but it scares you all the same.

“I can’t- I can’t talk about this right now Rin. I have to go.” You whisper out the last part and scurry out of his penthouse, leaving a seething and slightly confused Rindou alone at his dinner table.

The days after your ‘disagreement’ pass by without any more conflict. Rindou still sends you your daily morning and goodnight texts. You still go out to your Saturday brunch, and he holds your hand across the center console of his car, rubbing small circles into your palm like he always does. You think he just forgot about the whole argument, until you start receiving text messages from him that are slightly out of the ordinary.

It starts the following Monday, a whole week after that fateful dinner. You’re in a meeting with a few other clients and you get a ding on your phone. Glancing down quickly to see its Rindou, you slide up to check the image text that he sent. You almost choke on your surprise, having to hide your gasp behind a glass of water while your coworker eyes you with concern.

Rindou sent you a fucking nude. Well it’s not a full nude, but it leaves little to the imagination. He quite obviously had just stepped out of the shower. A towel is flung over the side of his hip, and hangs precariously off his thigh. His whole leg is displayed, with the dark lines of his tattoo all in view. You can even see the drips of water that streak down his leg and glitter beautifully off his corded muscle. And god his fucking muscle. He’s posing in a way to flex off his abdomen and you know he’s done this with a purpose. He knows your addiction to licking and kissing up the markings of his chest and bicep. This isn’t just some cute sex pic that Rindou is sending you to be a flirt. You know he has an ulterior motive.

These texts continue throughout the week, all sent at the most inconvenient times. A picture of his full cock, red and angry while you’re making coffee in the break room… a picture of his fingers flexing around his length while you’re in a meeting with your boss… a video of himself jacking off in what is presumably his office. His thick, silver rings contrasting against the veins running against his cock. All of these photos are done to rile you up. And after the fourth one, you confront your boyfriend about what his fucking issue is.

“You can’t keep sending me nudes while I’m in the middle of my work day, Rindou what has gotten into you!” You’re screeching at him in the living room of his penthouse while Rindou stands relaxed against the wall. His arms are crossed and he has a lackadaisical look that's almost teetering on mocking and it makes you all the more infuriated.

“Just wanna show you what you’re missing.”

With those words, you turn around sharply, sucking in a breath as your eyes narrow. “Don’t tell me this is about the other night.”

“It is.”

You stomp over to him, ready to chew his ear off but Rindou grabs your shoulders and squeezes hard, preventing you from getting closer to him.

“If you move in with me, those pictures will be an everyday thing princess. And don’t act like you’re unaffected by them. I know you’ve been stuffing your pretty little pussy with your unsatisfying fingers, trying to get off to my pictures. I still have security cameras in your house yknow.”

You almost slap him at his words, but all you can muster is a quiet curse before you’re turning your head away in embarrassment and anger.

Rindou feels you deflate. Your shoulders relax in his hold and then you let out a deep sigh before you’re looking straight into his eyes. Tears tickle your lash line and Rindou sucks in a breath at the sadness that overcomes your features.

“I’m scared Rin.” You whisper. “I’m scared of what moving in with you will mean. I’m scared of what’ll happen with you being in Bonten and me living a normal life. I’m scared of them. The guns, the blood, the gangs.. Rin.. I’m scared.”

At your wobbling voice, and shaking lips, Rindou pulls you into his hold. This affection, prompts the tears to fall and suddenly you’re sobbing into his hold. “I want to live with you more than anything Rindou but I’m scared.”

That sentence breaks him. Rin coos softly, rubbing his hands up and down your body to quiet your whimpers. Once you’ve settled down a bit, he scoops you up and brings you over to the couch. You curl in his hold and he brushes his lips across your forehead. Bringing his finger to your chin, he grasps it softly and tilts your head to look him right in the eyes.

“I’d never let them fucking touch you, angel. You hear that? Never.”

“I know but-“

“No. There are no buts. I’d slit their throats and burn their bodies before I let anyone touch you. It’s always been you. You’ve always been the most important thing in my life. And I’d burn the entire world if it meant keeping you safe.”

You shiver in his hold. The sincerity in his eyes is no joke. You know he means every word. And you break eye contact before ducking your head under his chin.

“Promise Rin?” You mumble.

“I promise you, princess. You’re the one good thing in my life.”

You close your eyes and sigh at the sound of Rindou’s deceleration. Pressing kisses to the tattoo that lines his neck and then up to his cheek, you give him one hard kiss against his mouth.

A long time ago in a Tokyo of a time long past, a very inconspicuous boy by the name of Shinichiro Sano used to have a dream of bringing back the golden age of biker gangs.

By the time the events of this story unfolded, Shinichiro Sano was dead as a door nail and had been for a long time.

Bonten’s veteran advisor Takeomi Akashi was intimately aware of this. During their time as leading duo for the infamous biker gang Black Dragon, Shinichiro and him had been best friends for many years before the leader’s untimely death. As the naturally more amicable of the two, Shinichiro Sano rallied all kinds of delinquent youths under his banner and put up his best friend Takeomi as his vice president to make the strategic calls to grow their numbers and earn the respect they deserved.

This youthful ambition set in motion the events that would, many years down the line, indirectly cause the death of Shinichiro Sano.

Losing his leader, his friend and the only person who saw more in him than the mediocre guy with a bad temper and a collection of vices to rival the worst - hurt him in a way he had never thought possible. He wouldn’t be able to say when it started, but the pain of being left behind got less over time. Nevertheless, no matter how many years passed, his best friend’s death had taken something from Takeomi that he never managed to get back.

Despite taking on Sano’s figurative legacy in the form of his brother’s gang formed from the ashes of Shinichiro’s, Takeomi Akashi did not take on Sano’s literal legacy:

S S Motors.

Still, the abrasive gambler never had it in him to change out the sign for Shinichiro’s old bike shop. It remained hung above the window front, letters slowly fading. Forever a reminder of the friend he had lost too soon.

While the shop had not gone to him, it still was occasionally used by the boys Shinichiro had taken in during his days as a mechanic. Takeomi never had any remarkable technical skills the way Shinichiro had and would often just leave scratches in immaculate paint as soon as he touched a wrench or a screwdriver with hands unstable from drinking, not to mention the hazardous spills of oil buckets while he hung around smoking one after another.

No, he was never as good at anything as his former best friend was and it had always reflected in people’s demeanour towards him.

As the years had gone by and their shared past faded, fewer and fewer people ever bothered to chat him up on the street. Takeomi couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard an “Hey, Akashi-kun. How are you doing?” from someone not under Bonten’s boot and small talking to buy time.

With his fall into alcoholism after his friend’s death, years of gambling debt and unemployment, even the most benevolent acquaintances had rid themselves of him.

A lot of time had passed since those darkest days and Takeomi had managed to pull himself up again to work as advisor for Shinichiro’s little brother running Japan’s most infamous crime syndicate now. But the amount of people that had a kind word for him were few and far between.

His moody, disgruntled personality perhaps played a role in that, but what gives.

This Christmas eve, Takeomi Akashi sat in a stuffy backroom of a Bonten-owned gambling hole and was busy counting the monthly profits.

Outside it was bleak and dark. Despite the clock only striking four in the afternoon, the sun was nearly done setting and the theoretically colourfully illuminated Tokyo alleys were swallowed up by a thick fog.

In order to keep an eye on the owner vacuuming the stained carpets and picking up stray gambling chips, Takeomi had left the door open and checked what he was doing every few stacks.

For a while now this place had been behind in turning over the expected profits and only last month Takeomi had made the call to cap their monthly expenses for heating and electricity. What he counted so far didn’t look good. They’d probably have to shut the place down or give it into more capable hands.

Already uncomfortably cold due to the turned off heating, the man only clad in a white shirt and red waistcoat shivered and rubbed his own upper arms when the door opened and a gust of cold air swept through the premises.

A familiar voice snarked across the hall. “Merry Christmas or something, old man.”

Takeomi did not need to see the pink mane to know who had just dropped in. It was his estranged brother who nowadays went by the name of Haruchiyo Sanzu.

Before the older man was able to kick the door shut in his face, Sanzu had stepped into the room and extended an arm to hold the door in place.

“If you’re gonna keep grouching like that, chances are Enma’s gonna let you roam the deep lakes for half an eternity before swallowing your soul, you know.”

Always the notorious chainsmoker, Takeomi dismissively exhaled a breath of smoke and threw a pack of bills into the bag between his feet. “Anyone still celebrating Christmas should be strangled with one of those stupid wreaths and lit up like a candle. What do you want?”

Sanzu briefly thought about the Christmas evenings with his older brother back when he had still been a kid. He could not remember any gift he’d gotten. Money had always been tight, despite their father being gone all day and night to bring home some of it. What he did remember though was sitting around the kotatsu in the living room - their little sister maybe 4 years old, him barely much older and Takeomi heavy-handedly lobbing pieces of fried chicken onto their plates. He remembered how his older brother accidentally knocked his beer can over in the process and started cursing like a sailor, only to get an even worse fit about it when he remembered about the little girl at the table and frantically jerked back and forth between the plates and trying to cover her ears while cursing even more.

Back then, as a kid, it had scared him a little. If he thought about it now, there was a slight comedic edge to it.

There was no love lost between Haruchiyo Sanzu and his older brother Takeomi Akashi - the name change was the most glaring proof of that. The slender man with facial scars as prominent as his brother’s was hard-pressed to come up with any kind of fond memory of their shared past. And yet, looking back as an adult, Sanzu had come to see that Takeomi had always tried to do his best for them. After all, he wasn’t the one who had wanted kids, but the one who stepped up to save what was left to save after their parents neglect.

Sanzu also remembered how little Senju’s crystal-blue eyes had lit up that night when she unwrapped a training jacket with the Sano dojo logo on it while he was busy doing the dishes like Takeomi had told him to. She had run around looking for Takeomi to thank him, and bumped into his leg while he was on the phone in the hallway. Takeomi punched the wall and his voice came out louder than he intended to as he yelled into the speaker that their father might as well be dead if he never bothered to be around and angrily hung up.

Senju looked up at Takeomi and started to cry on the spot. Takeomi’s shoulders dropped down, once again unintentionally having scared his siblings with anger not directed at them.

Sanzu had watched him sigh deeply and then ruffle the little girl’s head apologetically before turning his head yelling for the blonde boy to remember to look after their sister.

“You know…” Sanzu fumbled a cigarette out of his waistcoat and lit it. “You can bitch about Christmas all you want, but you weren’t always this miserable. There was a time you tried.”

The older man’s facial scar crinkled when he narrowed his eyes and gestured for his junior to bugger off. “You’ve always been too sentimental for your own good, Haruchiyo. Grow up.”

Turning on his heel, the pink-haired man lingered in the door frame for a moment.

“Thanks to you I did, a long time ago.”

Not waiting for another reply, thin long fingers waved goodbye to the man with a cash bag between his feet.

“Hurry up, Mikey-san wants to know if it’s time to tear this place down or not.”

Takeomi grunted and got back to the task at hand.

After some time the man, approximately the same age as the one doing the counting, hesitantly peeked into the backroom again. “Is it enough, Akashi-san?”

Dark brown eyes met in silence. There was no need for words to get the message across. When the realization sunk in, sweat formed on the rattish employee’s forehead despite the bitter cold around them.

“Is there nothing to be done? Can you at least postpone the closure until the new year?”

"You owe Bonten, Tanaka-san. We’ve given you enough chances. Finish up and hand me over the keys to this place.” The middle-aged casino owner was too baffled to react, so Takeomi decided to bark him out of his shock. “MOVE IT.”

“B-but Akashi-san, I live here.”

“Not Bonten’s problem, not my problem. Only proves you’ve been dragging out the inevitable for even longer than we thought.”

Stuttering the man fell onto his knees and put his head to the ground.

As if on cue, a throaty cough could be heard from upstairs, immediately followed by a wailing baby.

“I beg you, Akashi-san. Only 2 more weeks to help me figure out something else, we have nowhere to go.”

Takeomi’s right foot pushed the man back by his shoulder and he snipped the cigarette stump against his forehead.

“Not my problem. Now grab your lot, give me the keys and get out.”

Takeomi’s big scarred hands pulled the collar of his wool coat closer to his ears.It really was exceptionally cold today for a Tokyo winter. The climate was changing noticeably in recent years and it showed on days like this. When the Bonten advisor stepped out of the Konbini, plastic bag with cheap snacks and drinks in hand, he could barely see four steps ahead. Most of his surroundings were eaten up by the fog, and the area he lived in usually was gloomy already regardless of this weather making it that much worse.

Since his gig at little Manjiro’s syndicate had started, the former bosozoku with the glaring facial scar dooming him to a life of crime either way, had not only made his way out of his own piled up debt, but also looked after the well-being of all their shared finances to make sure his best friend’s legacy was safe.

He had learned his lesson during his gambling days. Long gone was the time of living beyond his means. Takeomi lived in a humble place - a one-room in a big run down apartment complex. Small. Convenient. Close to SS Motors. Easy to keep tidy, even if he never bothered and just lived in his dirt for the most part.

His shoes clacked past his late friends’ store when just before turning a corner, Takeomi felt a shiver run up his spine and turned around. For a brief moment he thought he saw Shinichiro in the shop window next to the latest refurbished zipper bike. His face untouched by the years gone by. Spit got caught in his throat as he wanted to shout and he ended up coughing into his cold hands. When the man looked up again, his friend was gone.

Muttering to himself, he climbed up the stairs to his flat and unlocked the door.

As usual, he had instant ramen and an onigiri for dinner by himself and washed it down with some Asahi. For a few times his phone screen lit up, but Takeomi was not in the habit of letting others interrupt his dinner time, come what may, so he ignored it. Indecisively flipping through the channels, he eventually fell asleep in front of his old tv.

A shrill noise woke the man in open dress pants and a white undershirt from his nap. Startled, he hurled insults at the unknown source of the noise - that turned out to be an obnoxious tv ad for a singing moose santa to mount on your living room wall.

Takeomi fell flat on his back and stared at the ceiling. He was so utterly fed up with this Christmas nonsense. All this noise, the bright lights, stupid songs everywhere and families rushing through the streets in their struggle to find some latest gadget to gift their kids spoiled rotten. He hated it. The sentimentality of it, the compulsive gifting, the forced joy. His thoughts trailed off to his childhood, a time so long gone he couldn’t even remember the face of his mother anymore. She had left his dad and him when he was 14, when his siblings were in kindergarten. The only thing he faintly remembered was the way her heavy perfume mixed with cigarette smoke used to tickle his nose.

As he sat back up and turned his head to look for the remote, his glance fell onto a figure sitting cross-legged in front of him in silence.

Takeomi’s eyes widened.

Dorky as ever, the black-haired figure waved at him.

This had to be some prank. Takeomi’s eyes widened.

“What is this? Who’s doing this?”

“Come on now, Omi. It’s me, Shinichiro. We used to be best friends, remember?”

Scrambling to his feet, Takeomi went to search the kitchen and the balcony for the perpetrator responsible for this stage play.

“There is no way you are Shin, this is some stupid VR trick or something.” His voice thundered through his flat. “SANZU!? Where are you? Did you lace my dinner with some of your shit again?”

The unnaturally transparent boy in his living room laughed.

“It’s really me, Takeomi. I am here to give you a heads up, so listen up you old grump. You’ve been on a pretty bad downward spiral since I’m not around anymore. I’m a bit worried where you’re headed like this. My hands are kind of tied -”

Spectral hands splayed and held in front of his chest, the thing claiming to be Shinichiro gestured apologetically and chuckled.

“So here’s what we will do with you, old man. I’ll be sending some hauntings your way. Heed their warnings..”

Bushy eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean ‘hauntings’? What nonsense is this? SANZU!?” The upset advisor looked behind curtains and wardrobes alike, but he couldn’t find anyone else in his flat. Finally coming to terms with the ghostly visitor in his living room, Takeomi turned to look him up and down for good, but the lanky figure was already disappearing towards the balcony.

“Shin! Wait! Is it really -”

Even as a spectre, Shinichiro looked the same way he always had. Loose, ripped jeans and an oil-smeared white tee that was a mess even in his friend’s transparent state. Last but not least, his messy hair stood up in all directions as it always had after a day of screwing together a machine.

Big black eyes curled into crescents and with a wide grin, the ghost of Shinichiro Sano disappeared off the balcony into the night.

Takeomi slumped back onto his floor pillow and - fumbling with a new beer can without looking at it - stared at the night sky outside.

Surely this must have been his stupid brother’s prank or something.

The encounter weighed more heavily on him than he wanted to admit and he fell into a deep sleep only a few sips in.

When Takeomi awoke, it was still dark and the clock on the tv screen displayed a slim white 1:00 in the top right corner. His phone buzzed and nearly gave him a heart attack. The slippery thing evaded his long fingers like a fish struggling against being caught, but there was not an issue a bit of impatient violence didn’t fix. Outraged by what was on the display, the man in his mid 40s blinked a few times to make sure he was awake.

“From: Shin

First one coming right up.”

Eyebrows looking angry by default curled over the bridge of Takeomi’s strong nose. First one … what …?

“Over here.” A familiar voice made the advisor look up.

At the other end of the room stood a white-haired boy whose face looked too old for his otherwise youthful appearance.

None the wiser at a first glance, Takeomi rubbed his eyes before getting up and approaching the oddly familiar looking apparition. There was something about the tanned skin and the deep purple eyes that called to a forgotten memory of his.

“Who … what … are you?”

A gentle, yet eerie smile lit up the boy’s face.

“I’m the ghost of Christmas past, Akashi-san. Catch up.”

In his hand he held a hanafuda card that caught Takeomi’s attention. Could it be this was …?

“Kurokawa, is that you?”

Not answering, the white-haired boy turned away from the man and did something with the card in his hand.

“Follow me.”

Unsettled, Takeomi reached for the button up shirt he had carelessly thrown onto the floor earlier and put it on. He had a feeling the white wifebeater wouldn’t do for where they would be going. He scrambled to get into his shoes as well, threw on a jacket and stumbled after the much shorter apparition.

As Izana mumbled something he could not make out, the kitchen wall disappeared and the two of them stepped onto a snow covered driveway.

“Does this look familiar to you?”

Following his guide’s gaze, Takeomi noticed the very peculiar front door. Made of dark wood and with some thick glass tiles at its center. Nothing unusual about that type of door, but the glass tiles were badly cracked and makeshift taped over with multiple layers of duct tape.

Inside someone shouted and hectic tapping of little feet on the wooden floorboard could be heard.

The door opened and a little boy with black hair and eager eyes looked up at Takeomi.

Realization hit him like a truck. This was the last Christmas he had spent with both his parents together. He was looking back into his own eyes.

“Oto-san, you’re home!!”

Young Takeomi’s face lit up with excitement.

Insecure and a little concerned, Takeomi turned around to see if there was anyone behind him.

Indeed there was.

His father, younger than Takeomi himself was now, was walking towards them and waving happily.

A prickle he had not felt in a long time spread in his eyes. He could not remember his father ever looking that young. Neither could he remember the way it felt to be so happy to see him. The years that came after this had made the both of them pay their dues. And all because -

A tiny slender hand wrapped around young Takeomi’s shoulder from behind.

“There you are, Tsu. Better late than never.”

The knot Takeomi had not noticed in his throat tightened. He was scared to look up from his younger self’s shoulders.

Izana knocked his elbow against his.

“Must have been nice to spend your childhood with a mother.”

The sheer bluntness of that remark snapped Takeomi out of his dread and after biting back that she was barely there for the most of it, he looked up and his face lost all colour.

She had been beautiful. So young and beautiful. A lump of spit got stuck in the man’s throat and he wished he had brought his cigarettes.

No wonder his father had three children with a wife like that. And she was barely older than Shinichiro was when he died. On her arm she had a little toddler whose crystalline eyes were framed by beautiful lashes.

Cold ran down his spine and suddenly Takeomi felt very old between the memory of his best friend, that friend’s family’s late stepson, his younger self and his parents barely half his own age.

Where had all the years gone?

His feet moved before his mind caught up, but Izana waved the card that would become the core of Bonten’s logo. Instead of touching his mother’s cheek, Takeomi stumbled into a whirling fog and lost his balance.

The shock of seeing his long gone parents so vividly had dispersed the comfortable daze the evening’s cans of beer had gifted him.

Mouth and eyes wide open he cursed loudly when his knees gave way and he hit the floor. Falling on his ass was way more painful than the former delinquent remembered.

“What are you doing, Takeomi? Get up, we gotta get out of here. NOW!”

The man’s heart skipped a beat and in he looked up.

Face roughened up pretty badly but still grinning like an idiot, Shinichiro held out his hand to him.

“Shin… ?”

Still struggling with temporal and physical disorientation the scarred man hesitantly held up his hand.

“Gotcha.”

One jerk and Takeomi was back on his feet again while Shinichiro donkey-kicked a rival gang member to get him off their back.

Confused when realizing Shinichiro had pulled him up but hadn’t actually pulled HIM up, Takeomi watched his past self jump over Shin’s bike to get to his own and start the engine.

Nodding towards the machines, Izana’s ghost indicated for the two of them to get on as well.

Teenage Takeomi was already kicking the stand back so the older man hurled his creaking bones onto the backseat and off they went.

Chest and heart full of excitement the boys changed gears, yelled triumphantly and sped off into the night.

His own voice cut through the night air as the scenery whizzed by. “That was the best one yet, Shin. Did you see how Hiro ran away?” “You mean when he realized there’ll be no reinforcements?” Laughter shook both their bodies and they slowed down for a moment. Shinichiro briefly turned around and said something before focussing back on the road. Whatever it was he said, it did not reach Takeomi’s brain because that confident smile was like a spear through Takeomi’s heart. They say time heals all wounds, and in a way you do forget the pain. It becomes a pale aftertaste of a memory you can grasp less with each year that passes. But this same way, you also forget the happiness. You forget just HOW happy you were. Forgotten the elation of flying high on excitement with a good friend. How high they had flown together and made the most out of life. So many years fell by and none had brought a memory fonder than riding his bike with his best friend after a crazy fight. Tears that he had kept in for a long time rolled down Takeomi’s cheeks. The feeling of wind in his hair, the humming engine between his thighs, the adrenaline high after a brawl and Shinichiro leading the way in front of him with a smile. He barely took note of Izana changing the scenery once again, because he was bawling his eyes out over the loss of his friend. Again.

Back against the wall, Takeomi slid down to squat on the pavement and rubbed the tears off his face with his sleeve.

The only thing worse than bad memories were good memories you could never relive again.

With a loud sniff he pulled up the snot stuck in his nose and looked around.

There was nothing he wanted more right now than a stiff drink and a cigarette. His eyes were red and his nose stung from crying.

Performing a coquettish sort of bow, the white-haired spectral boy keeping him company pulled the curtain of a close-by bar aside just in time for the bouncer to come out.

Shaken from the jump in time, Takeomi pushed himself up on wobbling legs and stepped aside from his spot to watch the scene unfold.

He knew too well what he was looking at. At this point in time he must have been in his early to mid 20s. Black Dragon had been disbanded and he had found himself struggling with status and purpose, all too suddenly left to his own means and goals. No matter what time in his life, Takeomi Akashi had never been good at setting goals, not for himself nor for anyone else. He was the guy who stood beside someone grander and cleared the way for them. The guy who did the talking and the deals. Not the guy with a vision.

When the suited gorilla grabbed his former self by the collar and pulled him in close, Takeomi’s attention returned to the scene at hand.

“Stop causing trouble for Imaushi-san, A k a s h i .”The bouncer spat the last word into his face and shoved him onto the boardwalk. “He doesn’t need your kind here, you’re upsetting paying customers. Get lost.”

Takeomi watched himself flip the guy off and then walk away with his hands shoved into his pockets.

Only this time he noticed that his old friend Wakasa Imaushi who owned the bar had stood in the dim entrance and watched him make an ass out of himself. Wakasa was never one to let his emotions show on his face, but Takeomi could read his mannerisms well enough. The way the long chewed-off odango stick rolled from side to side between his lips was a dead giveaway for how angry his old friend was at him.

It stung to think back about this time in his life. This was where he had really lost the plot for a long time.

Melancholic and really wishing for a drink, Takeomi turned to his ghostly guide.

“Can we go now?”

The purple orbs seemed to stare into his soul. Quietly, a tanned finger was raised. Takeomi expected a mean remark, but instead the apparition merely pointed at the alley next to him and kept staring.

Takeomi swallowed.

What else could he possibly want to show him?

Reluctantly putting up with the odd request, Takeomi wiped his dirty sleeve at the side of his jacket and walked ahead. Grumbling, of course.

“This better be quick.”

Izana Kurokawa’s voice was gentle. “My time on this plane with you is nearly over. Walk on.”

After a while, the road led to a seemingly regular building. Skipping ahead of him a few steps, Izana opened the gate and beckoned for the man sunken in thought to come on in.

What he had seen had already been plenty for such a short time. Too much was going on in Takeomi’s head about the paths his life had gone down. When he looked up, r e a l l y wishing for a smoke, the building towering in front of him did not ring any bell for Takeomi. Where was he?

Stepping through the gate, the two travellers were met by what seemed to be a group of mourners. Some of the faces seemed familiar. Just behind a nearby pillar, Takeomi spotted a familiar purple-yellow dye job stood next to a burly guy nearly twice his size.

This had to be …

Wakasa spat his trademark odango stick on the ground. “Playing poker over his last money, like always.”

Paralyzed by the shocking realization setting in, Takeomi stared at the scene. Guilt chased ice-cold goosebumps across his skin and his heart sunk.

“Kurokawa! Get me out of here!”

“This is a shadow of what has already been in the past. Don’t blame me for your own shortcomings, Akashi.”

A nonchalant shrug followed his words.

Over at the pillar, the tall beefy guy with the buzzcut lost control of his temper for a moment. With one big fist he punched the wooden structure and hurled a curse at it.

The conversations around them stopped and everyone turned to look at the odd pair they knew to be close with the deceased.

Apologetically bowing, picking up the wooden skewer and lowering their voices, Imaushi and Arashi carried on.

“It’s a disgrace. Missing his best friends funeral.” Wakasa cleaned the dirt off his stick and stuck it between his teeth again. The taller of the two grunted. “It should be him who’s dead and not Shinichiro.”

“Take me home!” Takeomi exclaimed. “I cannot bear this any longer.”

As he struggled with the shame and anger burning up his face, Izana complied with his request and brought them back to his apartment with a snap of his fingers.

Exhausted and breathing heavily, Takeomi sank to his knees. Not daring to look up at his visitor, his place, the outside world, or anyone and anything in the world, his fingernails cut deep into the tatami mats underneath him. For a long time he remained in this desperate, prayer-like pose and just sobbed.

Finally, he had nothing left to let out anymore and sank into a heavy sleep next to his kotatsu.

When Takeomi awoke, it was still dark, even though it should have been another day by now. The clock on the tv screen displayed a slim white 1:00 in the top right corner. His phone buzzed again, just like the night before. Again, it nearly gave him a heart attack. With his fingers still half asleep he came close to dropping it multiple times, but this time he fared a little better. It fell flat onto his face, once, but other than that he managed.

The words displayed on the screen dispersed his hopes of this all just being a bad dream.

“From: Shin

Number two is ready for you. Don’t get too hung up over who he is.”

Frowning, Takeomi stared at the screen and reread the message. In fact, he reread it so often, you’d have thought he was looking for a secret code hidden in those barely 10 words. Once he bothered to get up, he saw an unexpected guest leaning against his kitchen counter.

“Manjiro.”

He gave a quick nod and lit a long desired cigarette. “Sorry, I think I overslept.” The man still not fully awake rubbed his temples and took a drag of his cigarette.

“Did Sanzu share yesterday’s outcome with you already? We’ll have to shut the casino down. I already kicked the guy out.” Noticing his boss’s short hair was back to his natural color he asked “Did you get your hair done today? Looks good.”

Unmoved, Mikey stared back at him.

“I’m not your Manjiro, Akashi-san. I am a different timeline’s Manjiro. More importantly, I am the ghost of Christmas present.”

By now, Takeomi Akashi did not have it in him anymore to fight what was going on. He had always hated effort and he wanted this to be over and to have a drink. And some smokey meat skewers.

“A different timeline you say? How many of you are out there?” Chewing on his cigarette filter he wondered if there was a timeline where he was rich and drowning in pussy with Shinichiro still alive.

“Many. Now follow me.”

When the alternate Mikey turned away from him, Takeomi noticed the dragon tattoo winding around his neck. Did he get that because … ? The pensiveness only lasted for a few moments. Not waiting around for the man of the hour, the very thin looking Mikey had already opened a pathway and gone through. Takeomi stumped his cigarette out on another day’s plate and followed the apparition with hasty strides.

On the other side of the ominous fog a party seemed to be going on. Most of Bonten was mixing with some patrons and regulars. The lighting was fairly dim and the barstools and sofas spread around the place were visibly past their prime. Old-fashioned japanese pop music played on metallic sounding speakers. A long stage protruded from the other end of the room into its centre, a pole prominent where it was closest to the tables arranged for patrons.

Over at the bar, the Haitani brothers were sipping champagne flutes with a few slender women between them whose dresses seemed a bit too revealing for regular guests. Seated at a table close to the stage, Mochi was talking to a group of young men. Judging by their training suits and polished leather shoes it was very likely they were the new bunch of loan sharks who wanted a merger with Bonten. Some beer had already been spilled over the table, much to the dismay of Ran Haitani who accidentally bumped into it with a drunk lady on his arm, staining his designer suit with stale alcohol. Hands in his pockets, Rin angrily stormed after him, slapping one of the loan sharks on the back of his head in passing. They disappeared behind the curtains at the end of the room, but not before Ran visibly grimaced at the taste of the champagne and poured the rest of his glass into a flower pot next to the stage.

At the far end of the room Takeomi could make out two silver manes sitting in one of the more private booths and just when he started to wonder where his own flesh and blood was, shots could be heard, followed by loud shouting.

Messy hair covering his facial disfigurement, Kakucho peeked out from the booth where Hajime Kokonoi and the real Manjiro Sano were also sitting, and whistled sharply to shut the mad dog up.

The mad dog in question popped up from behind a sofa and walked in big, exaggerated strides over to his boss.

“Miiiikey~ I have a complaaaaint to maake.” He spoke oddly melodic.

Kakucho hissed. “Get a grip on your state of mind or leave the boss alone.”

Sanzu responded with a wild laugh. Bending over to look Mikey straight in the eyes, he temporarily stuffed the gun he was still holding into the front of his pants.

“That true, Mikey? Am I bothering you?”

The ever enigmatic head of Japan’s biggest crime syndicate let slip a mild smile.

“What’s on your mind, Haru?”

Sanzu forcefully slammed the table with his fist.

“I think this party is shit. Where’s the good booze?” He spread his arms and gestured around the room. “Where’s the girls in skanky reindeer outfits begging to ride my sleigh and letting me blow some snow off their tits? Where’s the Christmas lights and the music? What the FUCK is this?”

Takeomi’s eyes went wide at the audacity to talk with their boss like that. Childhood friends or not, this was unacceptable behaviour for his little brother. Koko got up and carefully pulled Sanzu a few steps away from Mikey.

“That’s nothing to do with Mikey-san, Sanzu. Let it go.”

Sanzu shoved him back and kicked one of the chairs away.

“He’s the boss, is he not?”

Now Kakucho also stepped in and grabbed Sanzu by the shoulders. His voice was low so the externals would not hear more than they already had.

“You know who advises us on the budgets. Kokonoi can only work with what he gets approved.”

The worn out cassette tape playing late 60s enka in the background hit a rough spot and the emotional singing distorted into slowed down demon noises.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Sanzu exploded and flipped over a table.

“FUCK TAKEOMI. We work hard enough every day, what’s the issue with a little fun at the end of the year. Why does he always have to piss around about the money, we have enough.”

Rindou split the curtains open and returned to the main room. “That was the worst handjob I’ve gotten in a long time. Fuck these cheap hookers. Fuck Takeomi for booking them.”

As the younger brother lit a cigarette, Ran also stepped through the heavy curtains, closing his zipper. “That alcohol the stingy twat organized expired half a year ago. I wasn’t planning on spending my Christmas on the shitter.”

One of the patrons joined in.

“Yeah fuck him, only 2 weeks ago he raised our tribute fee.”

All Bonten executives turned their heads to look at the guy who immediately raised his hands to his chest. “Apologies. Nevermind.”

“And he had the audacity to tell me how he hates Christmas. Figures, if you are that stingy with the preparations. It’s good he’s home alone now, at least his miserable mood can’t ruin this evening any further.”

Ran Haitani clicked his tongue. “Maybe he’ll do us all a favour and die over night so Kokonoi can take over the finances and get me some Veuve Cliquot instead of this rat poison.”

The conversation between executives started spiraling into more and more primitive jokes at the expense of Takeomi who could do nothing but watch. He cringed in suppressed anger and shame.

“It’s enough. I get it. Let’s go.”

Black eyes stared back at him without saying a word. In the background, Rindou Haitani put on his sunglasses, pulled down the corners of his mouth comically wide and puffed his cigarette away hands-in-pockets and legs spread wide like a cartoon character.

“OoOH LisTen To Me. I’ve BeeN In The BusinEss AlREaDY WhilE All oF YoU weRe StiLL WeT BehinD The Ears. LiSten To Me. CriME is SeriouS. MoneY Comes FasT And GoeS Fast. SavE it. YoU HavE TO HonOr ShiniCHiros LeGacy. I’m TakeOmi GRRRRR.”

Sanzu cackled and threw back a shot.

“There’s no need for me to listen to anymore of this, let me go now.” Cheeks flush with rage and embarrassment, Takeomi turned away from the scene and walked out the run down nightclub. Outside, Mikey suddenly stood in front of him again and pointed down the street. Takeomi’s gaze followed the gesture and saw a thick cloud of fog wafting towards him, a dark figure hidden inside.

His phone buzzed inside his pocket. He didn’t need to look at it to know Shinichiro had just announced the third and last visitor.

Something from Alice in Wonderland came to his mind when he heard the manic giggle from within the fog.

“First the smile, then the cat.” or something like that.

Or, in case of the tall bony figure in a dark cloak emerging from the fog - first the sin, then the punishment.

There was someone Takeomi had not seen in a long time. The apparition’s face was hidden under the hood of its dark cloak, but there was no doubt about this being the former Kabukicho Reaper.

Takeomi swallowed an uncomfortable feeling of approaching dread and stepped closer.

“You are the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, then?” Much like the previous apparition, this one did not seem to be one for many words. The hooded figure merely nodded and floated past him. A steady murmur accompanied their walk that made the uneasy advisor conjure images of ghostly hands reaching for his ankles to pull him onto the other side. He shivered and jogged after the last ghost, who had stopped next to a bunch of suited elderly men.

One with a very prominent chin shrugged his shoulders. “No, I don’t know. It’s not like they let us in on those details.” Another one wearing sunglasses despite the advanced time of day lit a cigarette and handed the lighter to the guy next to him. “You think it was natural?” His buddy took the lighter and stashed it into his breast pocket. Some long-faced younger guy chimed in. “I know Kobayashi held a grudge over some deal gone south.” “Didn’t he have a personal bodyguard?” The grey-haired one with the sunglasses took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled. “Yeah, but word is his loyalties lay elsewhere after a bad falling out with the old fucker.”

At first, Takeomi was surprised at the random conversation. When the chatter took a turn and jokes about the deceased’s smoking habits fell, a glum feeling spread in his stomach. He turned to the silent guide by his side. Before he could ask about the suspicion that lay heavy on his heart, the robed figure started moving again and motioned for him to come along. His feet moved on their own and it was the crunching sound of gravel underneath his soles that drew the ageing executive’s attention back to where they were going.

Around them were vertical columns made from grey stone standing out against barren trees. A bit further down the gravel way, a familiar group of people exited the shrine towering above the premises.

Takeomi’s hand started to shake and his knees felt weak. A lightheadedness took over that spun reality around. Was this …?

Hesitantly, he staggered towards the grave pillar his colleagues were headed towards as well and cold sweat formed on his skin.

His usually full-bodied voice was a feeble husk of itself.

“I will look, Kabukicho Reaper. But first tell me this: Is this the shadow of what will be or the shadow of what could be?”

The tall harbinger of what was to come pointed the hand spelling “Punishment” towards the grave.

“Men’s choices in life foreshadow certain ends to the paths they walk.”

Trembling as he went, Takeomi Akashi staggered towards the stone structure as a wave of nausea hit him.

Unsteady hands reached for support and he laid a flat palm against the side of the column, forcing bile back down his throat. Amber eyes looked up and read the writing on the stone. Fear violently shook his body and his eyes went wide.

TAKEOMI AKASHI

10th March 1981 - 22nd December 2023

Takeomi couldn’t help it. Convulsing, he broke down and spat bitter stomach acid onto the earth.

“Is there nothing I can do? I never meant to become like this. I was just trying to save what was left of your legacy. Shin! Can you hear me?” Sobbing, he smacked his hands against his own grave. “It’s so damn hard to live without you, Shinichiro. What do you want me to do? How should I have cheer and support for all your boys when you left me behind all those years ago?

I miss you so much. I miss you so much it breaks my heart every day.”

His little brother was the first to walk past and he spat on the ground between his feet. “Rot in hell, you old bastard.”

The sobbing man barely took note of the other Bonten executives’ harsh words as they passed his grave and flicked cigarette bums and crumpled up receipts against it.

“All I want is to ride by your side, Shin. I don’t know what to do if you don’t tell me.”

Tears streamed down his face and blurred his vision.

“I miss you.”

He carelessly wiped snot into his sleeve. A new wave of tears shook him again.

“I don’t want them to hate me. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.”

For a long time, Takeomi sat leaned against his own grave, crying into his hands.

When he finally had no tears left to spill and his vision slowly cleared, he looked up at the phantom in front of him with reddened eyes. “Is there nothing I can do to prevent my death?”

The dark spectre wobbled, as if in acknowledgement. Then it shrunk and collapsed in on itself, turning into a bedpost.

Agitated, Takeomi looked around. He was back at his own place. Alone.

The clock displayed 1:00 AM. Again.

Exhausted, he fell back into his sheets and passed out within seconds.

Takeomi awoke to a long chiming ringing at his door. Throwing the bed covers off, he hobbled to the entrance in nothing but his briefs and pressed the button to let the mailman in.

“Good morning!” He opened the door wide.

“Good morning, Akashi-san!”

The mailman was so used to Takeomi opening the door in all kinds of states, he barely noticed the lack of clothes.

Furrowed brows stared at the floor between naked feet and then amber eyes looked up at the visitor inquisitively.

“What day is it today?”

“Had a rough night again?”

Takeomi grimaced.

“Could say it like that.”

The mailman laughed and pointed at the field requiring a recipient signature reading 24/12 as delivery date.

“It’s Christmas eve.”

Zoning out, Takeomi scribbled his signature onto the display and waved the postman goodbye, wishing him happy holidays.

There was still time.

An hour later, Takeomi’s small flat simultaneously looked like a bomb had hit and like he was the head of the secret service’s communication department. Open magazines, telephone books (yes, he was a sentimental oldie who still kept old-fashioned telephone books), scribbled notes and everything else that had been in shelves gathering dust was scattered across the place and Takeomi sat cross-legged on the floor, cigarette in mouth and industriously made one phone call after another.

Flagged as urgent, he sent a location to the Bonten group chat when everything else was done.

“TONIGHT. 8PM. HOPE YOU’LL LIKE IT. MERRY CHRISTMAS”

“No way he did all of this within a day.” Ran laughed politely at what the silver-haired accountant was telling him. Koko leaned in closer to the purple-haired man next to him and whispered more aggressively.

“I’m telling you. He was acting like a man possessed. Thank you.” Nodding to the waiter offering flying food, Hajime Kokonoi grabbed an hors d’oeuvre and took a bite. Loud music was floating through the exclusive event location and laughter bubbled up from the other end of the room where Kanji Mochizuki was toasting with a bunch of loan sharks to a successful merger.

“Yesterday he still had some other place booked but something must have gotten into him. First thing this morning he called the whole thing off and redid it.”

Equipped with two champagne flutes in his hands, Ran’s brother bumped into the gossiping executives. “Can you believe it? The bar is fully stacked with Moet & Chandon. There’s Imperial even. He really went all out.”

Violet irises looked up at the scantily clad dancers getting busy on elevated platforms around the room.

Signalling one of them to come down, Ran nodded. “He did. No two ways about it.”

Rindou took a sip of his drink and scanned the crowd distorted by a red and green light show for his best friend.

Bonten’s mad dog was helping a hostess in reindeer underwear sat on his lap to spread some snow on the mirror in front of them. To his left and right were his childhood-friend-turned-boss and his older brother - subtly directing bar & kitchen staff from where he was seated to offer refills before they were needed.

Noticing the Haitani brothers looking over to them, Takeomi elbowed Sanzu’s hip and pointed to them.

Somewhere on the dance floor, a drunk patron shouted.

“A SPEECH.”

Reinvigorated from a fresh line of coke, Sanzu lapped that input up like a dog and joined the shouting.

“YES! A SPEECH!”

Leaning over the edge of the sofa from behind, Takeomi’s friend Wakasa exchanged glances with Bonten’s big boss and pushed the scar-faced man off the seat.

Outraged and caught off guard, Takeomi jerked around to give that short statured troublemaker what he deserved, but decided against it when droopy eyes challenged the former gang colleague to try.

“Go on, old man. Don’t make your best friend’s quiet little brother do it.”

Voice rumbling in from behind, the big ex-Black Dragon who rarely left Imaushi’s side in public chimed in as well.

“We all know you love the attention, Takeomi. Off you go.”

Bashful at first, Takeomi Akashi scratched his neck and didn’t know what to say. He looked around and his gaze wandered across dozens of people happily celebrating and enjoying the treats. Mumbling into his drink as he took a sip for inspiration he couldn’t spot a single person seeming to have a bad time and something in him quieted down.

He cleared his throat.

“Thank you all for coming.”

Since barely anyone noticed he had started talking, he repeatedly hit his whiskey glass with the chunky signet ring adorning his finger. When some heads started turning to him, he raised his voice.

“THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING.

Not many of you are aware of it, but this year marks a special year in the history of Bonten.”

He looked at their boss whom his own little brother had protected with his life for many years now. Deep black eyes looked back at him knowingly and subtly gave him the permission to proceed.

“This year we mourn the death of Manjiro Sano’s big brother, and my best friend, Shinichiro Sano for the 20th time. He has been dead for a long time and yet he is forever dearly missed. Without him, none of us would be here today. Only through his determination to bring back the golden age of delinquency back as a teenager and his dedication to offer kids without much prospect in life an option, we are here today. Only through handing his legacy over to his brothers, I was given the opportunity to turn my life around many years ago, when Sano-san kindly took me in as his advisor.”

He briefly bowed towards Mikey.

“Deeply shaken after a life of debt and bad decisions, I have assisted this organization with the best advice I thought I could give and, to my regret, may sometimes have been too strict.” Toasting towards his brother fondling the stripper on his lap he continued.

“My own brother Haruchiyo Sanzu might have to tell you a story about my harshness, which he unfortunately often ended up on the receiving end of.”

“Oh shut up, we’re trying to have a good time here.”

Sanzu threw a crumpled up napkin at the speaker before getting back to the reindeer keeping him company.

“So today, I would like to thank you all for showing up. For some it’s a bond written in blood - “ he toasted towards the Haitani brothers “For some it’s companionship closer than any blood could ever be.” he toasted towards Kakucho, Mochizuki and Kokonoi. “But whatever it means to you, there is nothing more important than family. Everyone in this room is a part of the Bonten family and I know that Shinichiro Sano would be proud of what we have achieved together, if he were here to see it tonight. Thank you all, and merry christmas.”

Takeomi’s rather pathetic sniffles at the end were luckily drowned out by the cheering of the crowd who had just waited for the peak to get back to partying. Shoulder to shoulder with the Haitani brothers and followed by a small group of girls, Sanzu briefly stopped next to his older brother and patted him on the back.

“See? You’re better when you try. Merry Christmas.”

With that, the group evidently off to no good disappeared into the lasershow.

For a brief moment, Takeomi thought he saw the ghost of Shinichiro wave at him from across the crowd. When he focused his gaze, nothing was to be seen anymore. A waitress offered him a new drink he gladly took and he went to stand with his old friends Keizo and Wakasa.

It was hard to believe that after 30 years they were still here together while Shinichiro was not. He swore to him, and them, he would atone for his shortcomings and keep his best friend’s memory alive the best he could.

Later that night he was seen dressed down, dancing in nothing but naughty reindeer briefs, tie around his forehead - with the bulky Kanji Mochizuki in briefs to match, wildly pulling at the reigns attached to their … front.

In the following years, Takeomi Akashi had no further encounter with spirits coming to haunt him, but the Bonten Christmas party always was an event to behold.

"Get your ass over here."

The male's voice sounded out loudly, firmly through the phone, leaving Kazushi stiffen up while his friends snickered at him. The volume of the phone was high enough so the whole little friend group could hear everything, even though it is pressed against the brown-haired's ear.

"Oooooh, Gishi junior is in troubleeee~.", Makoto cooed, mockingly.

Kazushi tried to send them a glare, but he was so tensed up through his brothers tone that he couldn't manage to look more mad than intimidated at that moment.

"I heard that, Makoto.", (Y/N) sighed, turning his attention back to his little brother, "Mom told me what your english teacher said, you know what that means."

Kazushi slouched dramatically, "Study time..."

Upon hearing those words escape the brown-haired's mouth, Makoto cheered loudly, "Study tiiiimeee! I'm coming with!", he exclaimed, throwing an arm around his, not at all pleased, friend.

He knew all too well that the black-haired wasn't enthusiastic about studying, but rather about seeing the older Yamagishi brother.

"Oh, hell no-"

"I don't give a fuck, I just gotta make sure Gishi junior catches up with the rest of the class."

Kazushi, now way less scared of what awaits him at home, finally manages to send his friend a nasty glance, simply earning a teasing grin from said friend in return.

Takuya chuckled, stepping closer to the phone, "Say, (Y/N), Gishi junior mentioned you made those oreo cupcakes again...", the blonde trailed off, giving the older one a moment to catch on to what he was implying.

The question earned the attention of the other two who have been keeping themselves out of this little mess up until now. They're feet subconsciously carrying them forwards as they awaited an answer.

"Takuyaaaaa, my booooooyyy! Yeah the rest of ya can come over too, I made plenty."

The boys cheered quietly, high fiving each other. All except Kazushi who, at this point, reconsidered several life desicions regarding his friend group.

He should've never let them meet his older brother.

Now, sitting in the livingroom, munching on (Y/N)'s highly praised oreo cupcakes, Kazushi was feeling way better, only slightly annoyed about the fact his brother won't let him off the hook without studying.

"I know I said the rest of ya could come,", the eldest teen spoke up, shifting his gaze back and forth between two blonde teens he hasn't met before, "but ya at least gotta tell me when you bring someone new over."

"Sorry for coming in unannounced.", the taller blonde, Draken, apologized with a little headbow, urging the other, Mikey, to do the same with a side glance.

Mikey got the hint, kind of, "Yeah, thank you for the cupcakes! They're sooo good!"

The two of them were the reason Kazushi was feeling better. Not only because he got two of the coolest people out there in his house, but also because he was sure Makoto and the others wouldn't be all over his brother when they're around.

Akkun, Takemitchy and Takuya weren't that bad, besides siding with (Y/N) when Kazushi is being teased and using the nickname (Y/N) came up for Kazushi, they hardly do anything.

Kazushi could only think of them trying to act all sweet so they could get food he prepared as other examples.

Makoto on the other hand...

With him it was basically the "Your mom's kinda hot" trope. The only difference being that it was his brother instead of his mother.

Makoto would constantly make jokes about becoming his brother in law when the (Y/HC)-haired wasn't around.

Helping (Y/N) with any little thing and sending Kazushi a smirk in secret.

Kazushi did not like that at all.

"Haha, no prob, really. And thankies, they're my specialty.", the (Y/HC)-haired flopped down on the floor across from his little brother, "And the remark was really more directed to lil Gishi junior here."

"Yeah, that's kind of on me.", Takemichi admitted as he scratched the back of his head, "They kinda tagged along when I told them where we were headed."

(Y/N) nodded, "Just shoot me a text next time."

"Yessir!", Kazushi answered, saluting, as he smiled, making his brother coo at him. He leaned over and ruffled his hair, "You're so cute, Gishi junior~."

"Heeey! Quit it!", the brown-haired pried off (Y/N)'s hand and redid his bun.

"Hey, (Y/N)?", Mikey spoke with his mouth half full.

"Yeah?", the boy turned his attention to the shorter one.

"Why do you call him Gishi junior?"

(Y/N) laughed, "When he was born, I kept forgetting his name. So I started calling him Yamagishi junior, but that was too long, so I shortened it. I memorized his name by now, but it kinda became a thing.", he cracked his fingers, still chuckling to himself, before realizing he forgot something, "Oh shit I forgot the books in my room."

The teen groaned, "I don't wanna stand up agaaaaiiiiin..."

Makoto's face immediately lit up as he saw the oportunity, "I'll get 'em for ya."

"Oh, no, you won't!"

Kazushi raced him up the stairs, unfortunately slipping up in his hurry, giving his friend an adventage.

Akkun and Takuya had a look on their faces that could be read as "I don't know these two", while Takemichi quietly laughed to himself. He wouldn't have laughed if it weren't for the memory this situation awakened.

Mikey just kept eating his treat, as he quietly watched the scenario happening. Draken and (Y/N) stared at the stairs for a few seconds before locking eyes, a questioning look in Draken's eyes, "Yeah, Makoto's kinda simping for me or something.", (Y/N) said causally.

He let go when a servant passes nearby and takes a step back.

« Ride the horse Y/n, we need to reach the dock fast. »

He helps you on, sliding his hands along your waist, your hip and your thigh and a shiver run down your spine. Every time he touches you, you are close to having a heart attack but you miss it bad the moment his skin isn’t against yours.

He hop on the black stallion behind you and you leave the Roman house.

« Where are we going ? »

He doesn’t say anything, looking around aware of any dangers that might come your way.

When he finally helps you out of his horse, you are near a galleon where men are already running around and you understand that you are going to leave the holy lands.

« Wait here. » he says before going onboard to talk to the captain. When he comes back, his stern look is tainted with something strange you never saw on his face.

« It is done now. » He said avoiding your gaze.

« You did not tell me. Where are we going ? »

You can see he struggles a bit to take the words out. « This ship is heading north, they will make halts to several docks but you should be home in two weeks. This is the fastest I could find. »

« What ? No ! I am not going anywhere without you ! »

You put your hands on his but he push you away. « Listen to me woman, this land is not a place for you, it is dangerous and you are not welcome. I do not hope for you to understand, and I do not care. This is where our paths diverge. You are going back to your life and I am going back to war. »

Your eyes start watering and you try again to touch him but he continues to push you away.« I have made my decision. Now take this ship and do not come back. I forbid you to ! »

« No ! You are lying ! Yesterday you- » he doesn’t let you finish and shake his head.

« You do not want to understand, do you ? It meant nothing to me. I just needed your body for comfort. Yesterday was pleasant but I could not care less about you. I already told you, I am a protector of the faith, my duties here a more important than you. I did not think you were so silly. »

Your hand move fast and the sound of the slap on his cheek echoes on the dock.

There is just a few second when he doesn’t move, like he’s trying to make a hard choice and then he slaps you back, so hard you fall to the ground and you look at him in shock with your hand over your sore cheek.

He kneels down to get your full attention and with that he adds insult to injury. « You wanted to know, then, everything I said in my confession was true. I did touched myself thinking of your body, I did dreamed of you but this was only when I needed to evacuate my stress after a battle. Let us be very clear, you chose to give me your body yesterday and years ago, I never came to see you, never asked for it. Indeed, you have my gratitude for letting me use your body, but I do not need it anymore. I feel better and I can go back to war while you, are going to stay away, not bothering me ever again, did I made myself understood ? »

You can’t breathe, you can’t even control the tremors of your body nor your tears falling down your cheeks. You can’t believe it, but he did it. He really slapped your face and stepped on your feelings. Even if he could lie about what he is saying, he would have never done that. Even when he thought you where a witch he never dared to raise a hand on you.

And yet, after loving you so tenderly during the night, he really hit you hard.

« I want you out of my way, woman. You are wasting my time. »

You look at him, searching for anything to convince you he doesn’t mean what he is saying but he looks determined.

« I do not believe you. I know you. And you are not this kind of man, I know it ! »

He smirk at you but his eyes are cold. « And who do you think am I hm ? What did you thought ? That I would leave everything I possessed to be with you ? You thought I would live with you happily ever after ? And to do what ? I am no peasant, no farmer, I do not work the field, I do not trade, I do not cook. I am a soldier. I fight, I pray, I fight again and then I die. I have been brought to this world on that sole purpose. This is what my life is about. You have no value for my quest as a priest or a crusader. You were just a mere misconduct. »

You stand up, gritting your teeth and he does the same, topping you with his tall stature.

« Look at me Lord Commander Taiju, look at me and swear to God this is what you really think.»

He looks away with anger tensing his handsome face « Damn it, woman…» he whispers for himself and then he looks back at you. « Do you really want me to go hard on you ? Just get on this ship for God’s sake. »

« Swear and I will. »

« I am not swearing on God’s name. Do you really want me to sin again ? Have you not done enough in that matter ? »

« Why are you doing this then ? » you put both your hands on his chest and it’s your turn to push him. « You might be a soldier of God but you are a coward ! You deny your own feelings in the name of a man you never saw when I am right in front of you. You said you were still alive because of me, not him ! Who are you deceiving yet ? Me or your God ? »

« Enough with your blasphemy !! I warn you woman, another word and I have your attitude fixed !  »

You walk to him, take his big hand in yours and put it on your neck. « Then do it. Do it now, because I would rather die from your hand than living without you. »

He tries his best not to close his eyes, breathing hard when his fingers slides on your skin and he take it off as if it was burning him. « Leave. It is an order. »

« I am not one of your underlings. You cannot order me anything. And I am not boarding this ship if you do not come with me. »

He doesn’t move, keeping his distance with you. « You told me once you wanted to freed me from you, now it’s time to freed yourself Taiju. »

You close the gap between you two and make room for yourself in his arms. « Is it that hard to aknowledge what I am saying ? I am yours. I have always been. » You admit not looking at him, with your cheeks burning out of embarrassment. 

And this time he can’t push you away. He doesn’t held you, he just freeze and his eyes lowers to you.

Damn, your smell is mesmerizing. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands, he just tries his best not to listen to his inner voice that keeps telling him what he can’t bring himself to do publicly.

You put your ear on his chest and you can feel his heart beats fast.

« I‘m yours…eternally. »

You feel his hand on your chin and he makes you lift your head to look at him.

« I- » He stops himself before it’s too late. « I beg your pardon, for hurting you. But you have to leave, leave and never come back. You have to. »

« No. »

« Please. »

« No. I told you, I am not going anywhere without you. My place is by your side. »

« Y/n. » You feel his strong arms holding you tight but it’s only to push you out of him gently. « Do not make it harder than it should. You and I, this is not going to work. I could never make you mine, even if I wanted to, and I do not. No matter what you say, I am still a priest. What happened was a mistake. You were a… mistake. »

No tremors in his voice. He speaks calmly, you know he is not lying. How could he ?

You look at him and force a smile through your tears soaking your face without you noticing. « I understand. It is fine. » You make a step away and you turn around. « Know you never were one for me. »

His jaw clench and he takes a deep breath. He has nothing else to say. He did what he had to.

He watch you as you board the ship and your heart is so heavy when you turn around to look at him.

You see him ride his horse but he doesn’t move, waiting for the ship to leave, just to make sure you’re not going to sneak out.

His blank face doesn’t betray any feelings. He rest his hand on the cross of his sword while a sailor shout out to weight the anchor.

You look at him, pleading, hoping for a miracle but still, he doesn’t make a move.

Your ship is now leaving the dock and you shake your head. No, it’s impossible, you can’t do this, you can’t bring yourself to give up on him. You will not make it without him. He turns around ready to go back to war and its more than you can take.

You put one feet on the edge and a sailor hollers at you, making Taiju to look over his shoulder.

You are now seated on the flange and Taiju makes his horse turn around just to see you jump out of the ship.

« Y/N !!! »

You body go straight to the ocean and his heart stops beating when you disappear.

He rides out and run to the dock the fastest he can. He jump in the sea without second thought while you make it to the surface and he swims to you.

You try your best not to drown. You have never been a very good swimmer. You feel salted water in your mouth and your nose and start to move your legs to keep your head out of the waves.

He comes your way and grabs you in his arms a minute later. « ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND ? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, WOMAN ? » He’s so angry and frightened. It’s the first time you can see fear paint his handsome face.

You throw your arms around his neck and kiss him like he was your only way to breathe. You find air in his mouth and he struggle to keeps you both on the surface.

« Not without you ! Never again ! »

You find his lips, and you feel him keep you so close, you could merge with him.

He knows he needs to get you both out of the water, if the tide doesn’t kill you, ships and sharks will.

« DO…NOT MOVE, DO YOU…HEAR ME ?! » he grabs you by the waist and drags you to the shore.

When you are both out, he lay down next to you, try ing to catch your breath.

« You… you are… the most… insane… woman … I…ever…why…did you… »

You look at him while he stares at the sky breathlessly. « Because…I… »

You make an effort to get closer to him and kiss his cheek, whispering in his ear «…love you. »

You saw it, he didn’t say it out loud but you clearly saw it. He swore. A fuck got out of his mouth and you don’t know why but it makes you giggle. And you start to laugh louder, you can’t stop yourself. Yours makes his starts too and you end up having a long gale of laughter together.

You are wet, covered in sand and dust, you’re freezing, your every moves feel heavy and painful but you couldn’t care less.

Once you calmed down, he takes your hand in his and squeeze it gently. « Do not ever do that again, do you hear me ? I thought you were dead. »

« Were you afraid ? »

« I have never been so scared. I thought I lost you. » He admits looking at the clouds.

« If I did not jump out of this ship, you would have… »

He frown taking in a deep breathe. « Fine. But I want you to understand that from now on, you will be in great danger. I will have to hide you away. Means you will do as I tell you without question. »

You stay quiet a moment. « The Cardinal ? »

He nods. He doesn’t have to say more. You felt it when you met the man in clothe. Taiju always looked like a walking threat to you. But his uncle is worst, and you never met his relatives but you can sense a strong family trait behind this.

After a moment, he stands up and bend over to help you on your feet. He stops just to caress your cheek with his palm and your face lights up at the touch.

« I like it. Your smile. »

Your face heat up from the compliment before you slide your hand in his.

« You will see it more from now on. »

He shake his head and you can read his mind. Stubborn woman.

« Shall we go ? » You start to walk but he doesn’t move. You turn around and he looks at you with a smirk.

« Would you say it again ? »

Your eyes open wide and you turn around not to let him see how embarrassed you are.

« No. Let’s go. »

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You look at your reflect in the mirror uncomfortably in the black and white clothe you wear. You will never get used to it.

You’re officially a nun. You who have been excommunicated. You who decided to believe in one and only mortal man.

Taiju tried his best to cover your tracks. The only way to protect you was to make you stay in a convent, before he can find a better place. He went back to war, but he promised he would come back as soon as he has another permission.

And this time you had to let him go. You knew surely it was dangerous, you were plagued by anxiety. You knew he could die everyday. But he promised you to come back and find a better hideout, and you trusted him. Only the Mother superior knew who you truly were.

To get you in the convent, he had to tell her but you knew you could trust her the moment he introduced you. By chance, she was trustworthy, you learned she didn’t do that for him but against the Shiba.

She held a grudge on the cardinal and she made a duty to go against him.

She didn’t like Taiju neither, but she despised the cardinal more and for some obscure reasons, she was thrilled to ruin his plans.

She gave you a cell to hide and live away from the other nuns. You could come to eat with them and go around inside the convent as long as you wear the clothe like the others and did not talk to anyone. You were know mn as the silent nun, you officially took a silenced vow. But you didn’t feel well there.

And after weeks of waiting, Taiju had finally sent a missive to the Mother superior to say he was coming to collect some supplies and help for the crusade and he hoped his sisters were in good health and to prepare for their transport to victory in the kingdom of heaven, because it will come soon. Very soon.

The Mother superior came to your cell to tell you the new. The priest was coming to see you tonight, and you will be moving next.

You couldn’t wait to see him. You have been pretty sick lately. The heat was difficult to bear with this clothe on and you weren’t really hungry because you missed him.Now you feel better and are so impatient to see him again.

You waited until night when you finally heard a knock to the entrance where you roamed around all day.

« By our Lord’s name, open the door! »

You want to open it yourself, you can recognize his voice but you have to wait for your superior to do it. Only her can open the convent’s door.

The nuns are all asleep and you limp to the doors as fast as you can.

The convent’s mother superior comes with a candle and opens the door, letting the crusader in after checking he was alone.

When you see him you can’t wait for the nun to turn around and go hang at his neck, coming for a needy kiss. But the nun put a bible between you two and shake her head.

« Where do you think you are young girl ? This is a convent, you can kiss the cross, not the priest! »

She takes you by your arm and out of your lover’s arms.

Taiju smirk in his heavy armor but doesn’t say anything.

You look at your feet and mumble your apologizes.

« You have a cell for that. » the Mother superior whispers making a head movement towards the dark corridor. « Just, try to be quiet… »

You lift your head and open your mouth but she doesn’t let you speak. « I know. May God forgive me for that. Now go. »

You take Taiju’s hand and don’t wait to go through the old convent to your cell.

When you close the door, you ca finally kiss him with passion.

He chuckles and make you twirl for him. « Look at us, a nun and a priest. Oh Lord… forgive me. »

« I do not care. I have missed you. »

You slide your hand between his legs but he stops you. « No, not here. Not like that. Not in front of Him. » He said looking at the cross above your bed.

You look at him and raise a brow. You already had sex in a church, in a crusader’s house and in plenty of space where He was still on the wall. So why not here, when you are all needy for him.

You crave his touch, you want to feel him inside you and you can’t wait. It’s been two weeks. Too long.

You smirk and he frowns. Oh he knows you too well. And he doesn’t like your idea before you even spoke.

You kiss his lips and slide to his neck, licking your way down in a whisper. Then you take his hand and slide his thumb in your mouth, sucking it slowly.

He opens his mouth, fighting the urge to close his eyes and you know you already won.

« Have you ever been sucked off by a nun ? »

« What ? »

You get on your knees and slide your hands up his thighs to his trouser.

You look at him sheepishly, acting like a nun would while your hand caress his crotch the lewdest way and he looks at the ceiling, imploring silently for God’s mercy.

But it won’t save him from you.

« Take off your armor lord commander. I can’t pray on my knees before a soldier… » You say with a pout.

He breath hard looking down at your little game but his hands are already moving to get rid of his clothes.

You lick your lips and the moment his heavy parts fall to the ground you take out his erect cock and give it kitten licks. His dick is so hot on your tongue you can’t do anything but moan while he leans on the door. You taste his precum in your mouth and he twitch furiously everytime your lips touch him.

« Oh God… » he breathes out, putting his hand on your nun’s veil for support and you push your lips until your nose meets his pubes.

He bites hard on his lower lip not to moan and you starts to bob your head slowly. He’s too long, too big for you to take it whole without gagging. It’s the first time you are doing it but you don’t want to disappoint him so you try your best. And it seems to work. His face is dark red, his mouth half open and he breathe silently while his hand still rest on your head.

Your other hand goes up to his abs, under his shirt and you apply more pressure in your mouth making him jerk forward.

You start to gag feeling his cockhead hitting the back of your throat but you do your best to stay still. You never felt him so big. You know you’re doing it right by the way you feel him throbs on your tongue. Blood is running at a fast pace in a big vein going from the base of his cock to his head and his jerky breath makes you so wet you start to rub your thighs together.

He put the back of his hand over his mouth and close his eyes with a frown. His hips are rolling back and forth in your mouth and you tighten your throat and start to gag. When he wants to ease your breath you put both hands on his ass to keep him in entirety in your mouth and he twitch like crazy.

Drool is running down your chin and you can’t breath anymore but you never saw him so moved.

When he opens his eyes, something as switched. Lust is painted all over his face. He tears out your veil, give a hard trust in your mouth before retrieving himself and grabbing your hair, making your head go back hard in the process.

He starts to stroke himself fast over your face and look at you hungrily. « Open up. » He breath out with his warm and low voice.

You obey him, sliding your hand under your nun clothe as he spurts out his hot cum on your tongue.

It’s like a shot of adrenaline deep inside your souls. You have lost control and he could ask for anything you would agree. And he, could sin without regret.

Maybe you are a witch afterall.

The power you have on him is stronger than is own virtue.

You gulp down his semen looking him in the eye and lick your lips while he tries to regulate his own breath.

He helps you on your feet and kiss you so eager so touch your body. He puts his hands on your breast and you start to undress him entirely.

His hands find your hips, he lift you just to make you sit on your nightstand as you take his pants down.

Your nails digs in his ass cheeks and you scratch it all the way up to his muscular back as you feel his hands gropping you everywhere. He makes you spread your legs while you kiss and you feel his fingers sink in your drenched cunt.

You want to moan so bad when you feel him bully your sweet spot. It echoes in the cell, the wet sound of your pussy is so lewd, he goes so fast, so hard, you are sure you’re going to make a mess. He slaps your clit before going back inside and put his other hand on your mouth so your moans are muffled while he goes faster.

« Nuns have to be good you know that huh ? How can you pretend to be one of them if you do not act properly ? Do you want to be my good girl ? » He whispers thrusting his fingers deeper inside you.

You nod against his palm and he smirk. « Then come for me. Come if you want to feel me inside you. »

Your walls tightens around him and you both look at the mess coming out of you, on his fingers, hands and wrist, between your legs, and on the clothe.

It makes him rock hard and he replaces his fingers by his cock, thrusting inside you with no warning. The nightstand move and your back crash against the wall, moaning for him with your eyes rolling back inside.

« God, you are so tight. »

He kisses you, the nightstand hit the wall at every move and you are already a babbling mess. He goes hard and deep, releasing the stress from the battle with powerful thrusts.

Your nails in his back drives him crazy. He knows you are marking it until it bleed. He runs his hand through your hair, pull it again back and with his other hand he slides his thumb inside your mouth and force it open before spitting a trickle of saliva inside.

You swallow it and feel the pit in your stomach explode, making you tighten your walls around his thick cock. He kisses you, growling in your mouth as he cums, breeding you deep inside.

« Will you keep it inside for me ? »

He says against your lips.

You nod and he back up, while you close your legs but he poured too much and it starts to ooze out despite you squeezing your legs. « How was it to fuck a nun ? »

He blush, he doesn’t have to say it out loud for you to understand he enjoyed it more than he should have. « I indeed am going to be in trouble with God. »

« About that, I need to tel- »

He doesn’t let you speak as he starts to put his clothes back on. « We need to go. »

« Now? »

« Yes, I found a place outside the city where you should be more free. I know being here was not easy for you, and I do not know how much long I can trust the mother superior. »

You look at the mess you made on his back as he turn around to pick up his armor. « I just have two days of permission. It is safer to travel at night. No one will see us. »

He takes you veil from the ground and held it for you to put back on and when you do, it stops you from moving just for a second.

His hand finds your cheek and he caress it with a light smile. « You would have made a beautiful nun. »

« Too bad the only man I want to worship is a priest, not a God. »

He pinch your cheek and you come for his lips before he can call you out for your blasphemy and you put your forehead against his. « We need to talk. » you whisper exhausted.

« I know. This is not going to last, I promise. You just have to be patient. »

He kisses you before helping you packing your belongings and sneaking out of the convent.

« Taiju. »

He kisses you and put a finger on your lips to hush you.

You find back his black horse, waiting for you to ride out of the city and into the mountains. The hair is colder here and you blow on your hands while he leads your way higher.

When he finally halt, you find a little cabin in the woods, near a river far away from any civilization and you look at him, raising a brow.

« Taiju. »

« Wait before saying you do not like it. »

He helps you out and push the wooden door. It’s a clean room inside, there is a fireplace, a large bed covered with fur and cushions to sleep on, even a large barrel to take a bath in a corner and some furnitures just for you to live without being too uncomfortable.

« I know it might not be as nice as your place but I did my best to set this so you can stay here. I will come back when I could with food and more supplies but at least you will be safe here. And you can go around as you please. No one is going to threat your life here. »

« Are you going back to the camp ? »

He nods. « Tomorrow »

When your face turns to nothing but sadness and worries he sight « I thought we agreed…War is still on, you know I have no other option but to go back to the battlefield. »

You put your hand on your stomach and look at him carefully.

« Do not leave us.»