The dull morning sky made it evident that this was going to be a rainy day.

Rain was pouring down over the leaves of the trees surrounding the graveyard, falling down the ground and concrete and every obstacle, person, umbrella and grave it found on its way. Although it was a bit foggy, it was still day, light enough to see well outside.

Raindrops kept falling above our heads unstoppably from the gray, cloudy sky, although a see-through umbrella was protecting H/n's and my head. He had one hand over my shoulder, holding me close to him so that both of us could be sheltered under the same umbrella.

Both H/n and I were standing straight in pure silence, our expressions much gloomier than the weather itself. Draken, Takemitchy and Chifuyu were accompanying us as well, each one of them holding their own umbrellas.

We all were patiently and respectfully waiting, waiting for Mikey to finish his own internal words and prayers. He didn't mind the rain falling on him. He kept his hands pressed together over his nose and lips, eyes closed as he was knelt down right in front of a grave, with his brother's name carved on it. 'Sano Shinichiro'.

I sniffed, using my tissue to wipe my runny nose and rubbed my wrist over my eyes to clean the tears forming once again, my eyes puffy from crying for a while as I stared at the bouquet of white lilies and blue roses I previously placed on Shini's grave just for him. On the same place I was crying over and sobbing a while ago, my poor brother crying along with me and hugging me, whispering to me in his own weak attempt to soothe me. Other than him, nobody got close to me to offer a touch or a hug - not out of arrogance. Just out of pure understanding and respect. They knew I needed this and they knew my pain - they could see it. They gave me the space and time I needed until my brother could help me calm down at my own pace. After all, I never had the opportunity to properly grieve over him properly, until two years later.

Getting these flowers for his grave - for him was my own way of expressing my emotions. My love for him, the grief of losing him so early, not being there until his last moments, to tell him goodbye and how much I appreciated everything he did for us when we were kids. My own sadness and pain of losing him so early, someone so loved, gifted and adored by everyone. A person that gave everybody so much love, he really had a heart of gold, filled with love and endless spots for everyone to get cozy in.

He had so much to live for. He was so young and he died in such a terrible and unfair way, I only wished he didn't feel pain.

It hurt a lot, everything did. His loss, the pain everybody felt by this tragedy, his own siblings and family. It was frustrating and painful that I was abroad when this happened, I couldn't attend his funeral. I couldn't be by everyone's side and neither could they for them, aside from the phonecalls.

I cried so much over his grave, I couldn't bring myself to care about how pathetic I looked in front of anyone. I felt guilty and terrible though, I didn't want to express my pain in a way that would make everyone feel worse than they did, especially Mikey. Shinichiro was his elder brother. He adored him and looked up to him. Mikey felt the worst pain of us all, even if he hid it. I wasn't there to support Mikey when that happened or to see his pain, misery and dread upon the news. I was not there to see him cry at the funeral, and honestly it was a sight I didn't know I could take if I did.

My brother gently kissed the side of my head and rubbed my shoulder and I leaned my head over his own shoulder, closing my eyes for a moment and allowed myself to relax upon the sound of the rain, the soft breeze hitting my skin and cooling me down, as if soothing me and the strong smell of petrichor.

Mikey invited us over Shinichiro's grave to visit him early in the morning, hence why I went to the florist to buy these flowers for Shinichiro and saw Kazutora and the others afterwards.

Unlike the rest, it was my first time coming to the graveyard to visit Shinichiro's grave, it hit me harder than I thought. I got very emotional, I couldn't help myself. I was overwhelmed, it almost felt as if I could feel his presence there, and at the same time not. To think that his body was burried under there - oh God, it made me feel unable to breathe, almost. I was more than grateful to have everyone around me, though.

Mikey lowered his hands, "... I see." He opened his eyes, staring up at the grave. "So you heard about my brother." He said to Takemitchy and Chifuyu, who had come along at some point.

"Shinichiro-kun was so badass." Draken noted with a small frown, his eyes unblinking. Mikey hummed in agreement.

"Takemitchy... We know." Draken spoke to him, to which Takemitchy reacted with a small sound of surprise. "We know there's nothing we can do about that incident." Draken looked away from Takemitchy and back at Shinichiro's grave. "It's not like Baji or Kazutora meant for it to go down like that."

"..... Yeah." Mikey said gently brushing his fingers through the petals of the flowers I got for Shinichiro softly before slowly getting up. He looked over at me, giving me a soft, gentle smile. "Thank you, Y/n." He whispered to me, thanking about the flowers I got for Shinichiro.

Before his mask could crack and reveal his pain, he turned his face away from everyone, once again. "I know there's nothing we can do."

The wind started getting stronger for a brief moment, making my brother hold me a bit tighter as I used a hand to cover my eyes, squinting them to protect anything from getting in them.

Mikey's face was now exposed by the wind blowing against his face, his soft blonde locks swaying away from his face, his expression hiding all the emotions he was feeling as he spoke truthfully.

"But my heart can't accept it."

-----------------------------------------------

We were leaving the graveyard, our footsteps making sounds from stepping onto the wet ground and we were careful as to not step on any kind of small rain puddles. The rain started to quiet down a bit by that time.

"The CBT250T that Baji and Kazutora tried to steal was my brother's." Mikey started to explain to Takemitchy, the story I had already heard before. H/n and I remained silent as to let Mikey and Draken speak. H/n just kept staring at the ground with a cold look. I didn't want to disturb him from whatever he was keeping his mind occupied with, yet I didn't want to let him suffer alone.

"What?" Takemitchy asked. "It was supposed to be my birthday present." Mikey continued, walking on the front of us. "That CBT250T is all I have left of my brother." Mikey said as he stood in front of the motorcycle, everybody standing a bit further from him, staring at his back.

"It's my precious ride." There was a bittersweet tone on his tone as he admired the beautiful black motorcycle, standing all prideful waiting for Mikey, one that used to be Shinichiro's.

-----------------------------------

"-and then, while he was not expecting it, when he got out of the bathroom, I popped up with a demon mask and scared him- He jumped in the air and screamed like a girl! He almost dropped his towel!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Hahah! He got so scared he knocked off a vase and broke it. His old man scolded him afterwards."

"Hey," Shinichiro stepped inside the motorcycle store with Izana by his side, shooting Takeomi a glare. "I heard that, you missed the part where I punched you and knocked you down!"

"Liar," Wakasa grinned, leaning against the wall with his arm crossed. Benkei smiled in mockery at Shinichiro, his three friends chilling in the motorcycle store with me as they told me Shinichiro's 'heroic' stories while we waited for Shinichiro to pick Izana and come back here.

I looked at Izana, our eyes locking. I smiled at him and waved. He smiled back at me.

"Whatever, you guys are jerks!" Shinichiro pouted, walking towards me. He gently ruffled my hair, "Don't listen to them, Y/n. I'm really cool! They're lying to you, trying to make me look uncool."

I grinned at Shinichiro, "You're the coolest, Shini!"

Shinichiro put his hand on his heart dramatically, closing his eyes and looking away, covering his mouth. "My heart!"

He then walked over to a specific motorcycle inside the store, in which a blonde boy my age was sitting down and quietly focusing on his work with a wheel. He was the same one I saw that day when the Black Dragons saved me from some idiots, I remember he was sitting right behind Wakasa on the motorcycle. Other than a few glances, we never exchanged words. The green eyed boy with the scar on his eye was mostly quiet, not interacting much with us. Benkei told me not to worry about him and he was just shy and immersed in his work.

Shinichiro approached the boy, patting his head gently and crouching down his level, "You're doing a great job, Inupi. Thank you." He smiled at the boy with a closed eye smile. Inupi looked at Shinichiro, smiling softly and nodding with a hum.

Shinichiro got up and walked to me again, smiling at me and Izana. "Y/n, Izana, you guys both ready?"

We both said yes.

The three of us walked out of the store, heading towards Shinichiro's beloved motorcycle, the one in which he promised to take us for a ride today.

Izana mounted the bike right behind Izana and he stretched a hand to me. I took it and used it to help myself get right behind him, getting my body and feet comfortable and wrapped my arms around Izana's body while he had his arms around Shinichiro. It was very awkward and uncomfortable when I first met Izana and had to hold onto him like that, or when he held onto me, cause it felt too close for comfort, especially when we barely knew each other. After a while, we both got used to it.

"By the way, how's Kakucho doing, Izana?" Shinichiro asked as he started the engine, making it rumble, before we took off slowly to the road, the speed enhancing bit by bit. "He never wanted to get close or ride with us. Is he scared?"

"No, he's shy." Izana said.

I popped up curiously, "Who's Kakucho?" I most definitely expected to hear the word 'friend' or maybe something like 'cousin' to follow afterwards, but- "He's my servant." Izana smiled calmly.

"Eh?" I blinked, looking at him from the side as he said something like this so casually. "What? Izana, you have an actual servant?!"

Shinichiro gave an awkward laugh, not turning to look at me since he had to keep his eyes on the road, "Friend, he means friend." Shinichiro corrected or changed Izana's words. I didn't know what to make out of it.

I let the sound of the loud engine and the changing of scenery bring me in some nice relaxation, that I even brought myself to gently lay the side of my cheek against Izana's back, smiling and looking around. Izana didn't seem to mind.

It feels so nice. I can just stay here, on this motorbike with Shini and Izana and just travel forever.

A few seconds later right after that nice thought, I started feeling a few raindrops fall on me. Since I was wearing a helmet, it protected my hair but we could still feel them. "It's going to rain," Izana pointed out.

"Don't worry guys," Shinichiro reassured, "The rain won't last for long. The sky is still pretty clear, I can't see any dark clouds so we'll be good. Let's just stop by for a while and wait until the rain stops completely." Shinichiro said and slowly parked somewhere near a cafeteria.

We three got off the bike, "Do you guys want anything from the cafeteria? I'll go fetch me some water and cigarettes."

"I want apple juice." Izana said and I told Shinichiro what I wanted, too. Izana smiled at me. "We're gonna wait for you outside."

"Alright," Shinichiro smiled and nodded, walking inside the cafeteria and left Izana and I outside with the bike.

"Let's sit down right here," Izana sat down on the edge of the pavement, to which I hummed and quickly sat down next to him.

Comfortable silence rested between us as we sat side by side, looking at view in front of us, which was the sea nearby, the sun and the soft rain falling. Shinichiro was right, it was not the intense kind of rain that would make the road slippery or leave you cold and wet. It was gently, enough to cool you down after a warm day.

My eyes just stared up at the sky, right where the sun was shinning. Due to the weather, the sky was not clouded enough to cover the sun and its Sunday, but it was enough to protect your eyes from the pain of its light so that you could look its way, without squinting your eyes or having the need to wear sunglasses.

"Hey, Izana," I asked, turning my head to look at him. He was already looking at me with his big violet eyes. I wondered if Izana had already been looking at me while I was busy with the sky. "Do you like the rain? Or do you prefer it sunny?" Surprisingly, the sky was behaving in both ways.

He stared inside my eyes unblinking and then looked up at the sky. "I don't really care." He said bluntly. ".... I prefer it snowing."

I perked up at that. I did not necessarily expect such answer, not like it was unwelcome or strange. "Snowing? How so?" I asked curiously, not doubting that it's a nice phenomenon, but intrigued as to why Izana liked snowy weather the most out of all.

He smiled and closed his eyes, his hair gently swaying with the air. "I don't know. I like something about it." Izana was silent for a moment, as if deep in thought. I never took my eyes off of him. "I remember going out and playing with Kakucho at the orphanage when it was snowy. We would run around all the time. I always beat him in snowfights. And we would talk about our plans and future." He stopped talking.

"I never heard of Kakucho before." I noted. "Have you been friends for a long time?" "Ever since we were small children. I saved him and he became my loyal servant." Izana said.

It was strange for me to hear Izana say these things. As far as I knew, Izana didn't really have anyone else, like any other friends aside from this Kakucho.

"I will introduce him to you one day." He said. "He needs to see you up close."

"Can you tell me more about your friend?" I asked in interest, wanting to learn more about Izana, his friend and their relationship.

Izana's smile dropped, just like the atmosphere sharply. "Enough about him." He said in a calm voice. "Focus on me now."

I tensed up, sweating and I slowly hugged myself, "Oh, um.... okay..." It was definitely weird and uncomfortable. Once, he is talking about this 'servant' of his with this smile and even saying that he wanted to introduce him to me. The moment I asked him more about Kakucho though, he became almost aggressive as if I did something bad. I was just curious about them two and his friend, that was all. I didn't know Izana had a friend, so I was impressed that he had one. I just couldn't really tell if Kakucho was someone important to Izana, with the way he smiled as he spoke about Kakucho, or if he was nothing but a mere 'servant' - questionable choice of words for a friend, if I had to say -. Izana was confusing as hell, sometimes his words and behavior was also so contradicting at times you could get mixed signals from his behavior.

He really wanted to shift the attention from Kakucho on him all of a sudden. Was he jealous?

"..... What are.... these plans you were talking about... if you don't mind me asking?" I asked quieter this time, not wanting to trigger anything further.

"Tenjiku." Izana replied, looking at me. "My Kingdom."

I stared at Izana, not exactly knowing how to react to that information, "Kingdom? That's... That's interesting. How did you come up with that? How will you proceed with the plan?"

As I asked Izana that, I noticed a pair of feet walking by Izana's side. "Izana, Y/n, look," Shinichiro walked by Izana's side, standing up and smiling up at the sky, a small shopping bag in his hand after he finished with his shopping from the cafeteria, "A double rainbow!"

"Huh?" We both looked at the sky, and he was right. There was not one pretty rainbow formed up the sky a bit further from us, but two! The second rainbow was a bigger circle than the first, but it was more faded than the first, smaller one.

"Wow!" Izana and I exclaimed in awe, "I've never seen a double rainbow before!" Izana said. "Neither have I!" I grasped my hands together near my chest, shutting my eyes tightly. "Aaahhh, we- we need to make a wish!!"

Shinichiro and Izana looked at me in confusion, "A wish? We make wishes when we see rainbows?" Shinichiro asked.

"I don't know!!" I said, pouting at Shinichiro. "I just feel like we have to! We don't see a double rainbow everyday!"

Shinichiro laughed, putting his hand on his hip. "Hahaha! Okay, okay.... I wish... I wish to find a girlfriend." Shinichiro gave a dumb grin.

"Impossible." Izana commented.

"Hey!" Shinichiro complained, to which both Izana and I started giggling, "Izana is just messing with you! You'll definitely find a girlfriend, Shini!"

Please make me your girlfriend and ignore the age gap, please-

"Yeah after getting rejected twenty times, I appreciate it..." Shinichiro said, sweating and smiling weirdly. He looked up at the rainbow again. "You know what? Since there's two rainbows, I'll just make two wishes instead."

"Wait-!" I said, raising my hand. "You shouldn't tell your wish to others, otherwise it might not come true!"

Izana stared at me, blinking as if I grew two horns. "I don't believe in that crap, but if Y/n does then I'll make a wish too..." Izana smiled, pressing his hands together in the same gesture as me, staring at me with a big smile for a few seconds and then up at the rainbows. "... I wished."

"Did you make a wish too, Shinichiro?"

"I did." Shinichiro nodded.

"Your turn now," Izana said and looked at me with a smile.

I kept staring at the beautiful double rainbow for a few moments, my mind in pure inner peace. I got up from sitting, slowly walking closer to the wet motorcycle and stared at the seat that was filled with many drops of water from the rain that had just stopped.

I touched the seat gently, smiling down at it and pulling out a few tissues to gently clean the water off of it dry, the two boys staring at me. After I cleaned the seat, I pressed my hands together again, looking up at the sky.

"My wish....."

----------------------------------

My face held a blank expression, my eyes staring at the motorcycle's wet seat unblinking. I didn't have anything to clean the seat from the rain. I already used whatever tissues I had for my tears and nose. Even if I did have any spare, it was still raining, it would be pointless to wipe it dry. Mikey didn't really seem to mind it either way.

".... It's been two years now." Mikey slowly approached it. "I've forgiven Baji, but... even if they didn't know, and even if there's nothing we can do about it now...."

Mikey's eyes dilated, a clear look of anger holding back many intense emotions full of rage, dread, pain and other emotions Incouldn't make out of him appeared on his face, his eyebrows frowned. It was a look I don't remember ever seeing on Mikey, but who could blame him?

"Kazutora killed my brother, and I will never be able to forgive him for that."

He said these words, his gruff tone coming almost out of gritted teeth did not just drop venom, but also sincere and brutal anger and pain. Someone he once called a friend took his brother's life away, just like that, so selfishly and irresponsibly and had the audacity to blame it on Mikey. It was something Mikey could not get over with, the images of everything happening two years ago replaying on his head. The terrified, crying face of Baji looking at him, 'I'm sorry, Mikey!' the way he cried and yelled with such pain and self-hatred, misery and regret, the realization of what happened and that he would never get to see his dear brother ever again smiling at him, speak to him and guide him, spend time with him, everybody's reactions to the same tragedy, the funeral, all those painful days and nights feeling all these emotions and all these terrible scenes over and over again, his brother's dead body--

"..... Or Baji for going on Kazutora's side." Mikey said lowly get angrily, as if holding himself and his emotions back, looking at Takemitchy with eyes wide and angry. "Takemitchy, I'm pretty sure I asked you to bring Baji back."

I felt myself mentally cringe at Mikey's words. I didn't like to doubt Takemitchy. No matter how jumpy or scared he would be or no matter how physically weaker he was than everyone... He had a lot of courage and endurance. He proved me how much he can do in the fight with Moebius. But he told him what? When? Bring Baji back? Bring Baji back? How could Takemitchy do something like bring Baji back? It was like trying to dig underground and find and remove diamonds with bare hands and soft nails.

"What's Baji's vice captain doing here instead of him?" Mikey asked unamused, not even looking at Chifuyu who was standing tense on his ground, trying to keep a poker face. "What are you trying to do, Takemitchy?"

Takemitchy stuttered, looking down. "I, uh..."

Everybody was staring at Takemitchy. And I was too, even though I felt like we were putting him on the spot. It made me uncomfortable to think that Mikey was giving Takemitchy such a huge responsibility - impossible even - like this. When it came to Baji, not even Chifuyu could change his mind or 'control' him. What made Mikey think that Takemitchy could?

At the same time though, it felt wrong to be too nosy when I was not even a member of the gang. I barely knew what was going on through their meetings and the words they all exchanged there and I could not stick to them like a leech and learn everything. Still, it had to do with my friends, of course I cared.

Takemitchy was silent for a long time, his eyes wide and trembling, his eyebrows frowning in fear, worry, anxiety but also determination.

"Mikey-kun..." He started approaching Mikey. "I.... I want to be the head of Toman!" Takemitchy said in determination, his faded blue eyes wide and frowned. Mikey's eyes widened. "I'll make you acknowledge that someday. That's what I want to do!" His frowned deepened.

I stared at Takemitchy with a deadpan expression for a few seconds and noticed his determined and serious gaze piercing right through Mikey's soul like he was giving a promise.

I looked around me at Draken, Chifuyu and H/n who had a poker face on staring at Takemitchy. My gaze shifted back on the blue eyed boy.

Just what the hell did I miss for Takemitchy to come up saying all these things?

Who the hell was Takemitchy Hanagaki?

-----------------------------------

The sound of the engine was rumbling all over the road as the motorcycle was moving over its lane, with a good amount of speed, yet the driver making sure to be careful due to the slippery from the rain ground, as well as the fact that another passenger was holding tightly onto him.

A certain someone was leaning against a tree by himself, taking refuge under the gentle raindrops that were previously intense raining. Still, he had no intention to get wet and sick.

He raised a tanned hand over his glasses, adjusting them over his nose until they were set comfortably on his face, whereas the other hand was holding the phone over his ear. He was not careless when it came to this, in fact, he was very much careful of his surroundings and people around him, he didn't want anyone to have the slightest idea of who he was talking with on the other line of the phone and what the two were talking about, somewhere just a bit further from the areas people and delinquents were gathering and wandering.

His lips moved as he spoke to the mystery person, his cunning, cold, gray eyes taking every single detail around him every single moment to ensure it was a proper place for a discussion over the phone, just in case. He didn't easily accomplish what he had and built the trust he had with Toman and Mikey, just for it all to be crushed just by being suspected in the slightest or being seen talking to an 'enemy'.

His ears caught onto the sound of a motorcycle roaring from the backround, getting closer and closer his way on the road, clearly aiming to head towards more rural and occupied areas and cities with people, based on the way it was heading. Usually, people would ride that way after returning to their homes or jobs from a trip a bit further or something that belonged just a bit further from the city. The motorcycle was most likely also returning to its house from somewhere, from a travel. Either way, he didn't bring himself to care, really.

Not until he decided to raise his gaze slightly, eyebrows frowned as always as his eyes followed to motorcycle.

His eyes immediately caught onto the rider, who had an extremely familiar face. The rider wasn't wearing a helmet, just like most people that age liked to do to mostly show off their increased percentages and chances of getting serious head, spine injuries or experience death in case of any failure, error and lethal crash.

Yes, it was him.

Right behind him on the passenger seat was the person most likely borrowing the helmet the rider was missing, covering their identity from the outsiders and protecting their head. He didn't mean to pay that much attention to checking the body out of that person or assume their gender or anything during these quick seconds of the motorcycle passing. Not like he needed to do much thinking or discovering. The face of the rider and the silhouette of the passenger were clearer than the sky that moment.

Either way, for Kisaki, it felt like time slowed down for a moment as the motorcycle sped over the road of Kisaki's way, some meters away from him. The rider was too focused on paying attention to the road to care about a random person standing against a random tree, with a phone in hand, and the passenger was too busy keeping a steady hold onto the rider.

His cold, piercing intelligent gray eyes followed each movement and facial characteristic, not blinking for a few seconds. It was as if he had managed to take a beautiful mental picture in his mind of the two people on it going past him, their side-profiles turned against him, the picture still lingering on his mind clear enough to process the details by memory.

"Member under Mitsuya Takashi, the leader of the Second Division of Toman, H/n N/n...." Kisaki muttered under his breath, clutching the phone over his ear a bit tighter, his words unintelligible over the phone by the quietness of his voice as he was distracted for a second of the plan discussion and conversation.

Kisaki's stern eyes narrowed for a few seconds and then widened a bit, not ever taking his eyes off of her figure until the motorcycle could completely disappear along with the noise and any other trace of it ever being there at all. "And Y/n N/n...."

----------------------------------------------

Hours had passed ever since the last raindrops, it was already very late at night, the time passing slow and painfully. It was dark enough for everyone occupying any place outside to disappear to their homes to sleep for their day and prepare themselves for the next.

But sometimes, there is never such thing as 'dark enough' at night to stop someone from staying awake at night or wandering outside during the hours danger was lingering more under the moon and the shadows.

The sound of a tune being whistled was mixed with the slow, rhythmic sounds of heavy footsteps walking across a certain bridge. The lanky figure whistling held his tattooed hands inside the pockets of his shorts, his long golden earring dangling carelessly around with each footstep as he lazily gazed around him. He climbed the top of the bridge, his whistling immediately coming to a pause as he noticed a figure sitting in the middle and staring at the horizon. It was dark and from the distance, it was not clear who this person was, even if Hanma was already informed beforehand.

He stopped a few meters away from the figure, who also turned his body to face Hanma.

Hanma stared at the figure, unblinking. He tilted his head, a grin stretching on his lips at the expression of the person standing before him, once he got close enough to see, in an angle in which the person's face waiting on the bridge was not obscured by any shadows and instead was clear. "If it weren't for your silhouette, I would have totally thought it was your sister. I can totally see the resemblance." Hanma noted.

H/n remained glaring with a narrowed look at Hanma's playful amber eyes, his eyes glinting. He did not look a bit amused or happy to see Hanma.

But hey, at least Hanma showed up. H/n still had Kazutora's contact saved. Not like they spoke again after Kazutora went to juvie, but they did use to speak to each other for a while in the past when Kazutora was still in Toman.

When he texted Kazutora and told him that he wanted to speak privately to Hanma and he received no reply, he assumed that maybe neither Kazutora nor Hanma would care... At least not until he mentioned that he wanted to speak to Hanma regarding his sister. That was the moment that H/n was convinced that Hanma would show up. And he did.

"Don't look at me like that." Hanma said. "Y/n would never look at me with that face. Those eyes, the face, the angles and points - you two look so alike." He grinned. "It almost feels like Y/n is the one glaring at me like this. Not gonna lie, it's a bit unsettling. I would never want Y/n to look at me with such hate. But I know she never will." Hanma gave Alan a wide, challenging grin. "We're friends, after all. Friends care for each other."

"Don't ever talk to Y/n ever again."

Hanma's expression was dull. "Oh." He said after a few seconds, all the playful tone disappearing for a second. "Well, I didn't expect you to be so straightforward. I shouldn't have been surprised." Hanma moved his eyes away from H/n and pulled out his packet of cigarettes, taking a cig out, hiding the packet back in his pocket and lit the cancer stick. He placed it between his lips, inhaling the smoke and slowly exhaling it while removing it from his mouth, holding it steady with two fingers. "I feel conflicted seeing your face. It almost looks like I am looking at her instead. The beauty, the colors and characteristics are extremely similar. I see a few minor differences in the face, but the beauty is more or less the same." Hanma snickered. "Don't take this as a compliment for you. My Y/n is waayy prettier-"

"Shut the fuck up!" H/n snapped, but held back from doing anything reckless. Hanma kept smoking, unbothered. "Jeez, so short-tempered." He yawned. "You two really are different. I guess it's good that you remind me of that." Hanma put his cigarette away and gave H/n a psychotic grin and spreading his arms, the moon right behind him and reflecting the shadow of Hanma's figure and spread arms over H/n's body.

"That makes me feel less guilty of thinking about your face screwed up!"

He grinned like a maniac, his voice cracking from very low to high tones like the joker, before he calmed down into a lazy smile. "Y/n is a stud. Pain, bruises and blood don't serve her any justice. You having very similar characteristics makes me feel weird. I have to say," Hanma sighed, "I can't imagine punching your face when you look like this. Her cute e/c eyes almost make me feel weak. You have the same eye color..... It irritates me how it feels like I am looking at her, when I am not. It would feel as if I was punching her instead. And I wouldn't even dream of it." Hanma's tone went low and dangerous, his amber glowing eyes narrowing dangerously and staring at H/n. "The more I see the differences between you, the more it makes me realize that you're not her, and the easier it will be for me to feel no remorse for whatever happens to you." Hanma pouted, taking a drag again. "Although that wouldn't make my Y/n very happy-"

"What is your obsession with my sister." H/n said, almost demanding. H/n had so much to say, to ask, to yell and do, but he held back.

"Hm?" That earned Hanma's attention, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "Didn't she already tell you? You wouldn't be standing here talking to me if she didn't tell you anything about me."

"I want to hear it from you." H/n raised his head up. I want to see how genuine you really are about her.

Hanma kept staring at H/n, blinking softly before smiling an taking another drag. He slowly walked by the edge of the bridge and stared up at the sky. Not many stars could be seen due to the light pollution of the city.

"Your sister is a diamond," He closed his eyes and exhaled the smoke into the air. "It makes me happy-" and irritated, "-to see you acting this way for her. It's good that she has a loving brother willing to protect her." He paused for a moment. "I thought she was very stupid when she offered to take me to her house the first time we met. Who even does that these days? I wondered what was wrong with her, a cute girl like her accepting a weird stranger and homeless person into her place like this, almost as if she was unaware of the dangers." He smirked. "But I couldn't help it. She looked so cute when she kept panicking over everything, cause even then, she was the first one to reach her hand out to me this way. It was like seeing an angel." Hanma looked at H/n. "How could I just take advantage of her like a sicko?" He flickered his cigarette softly to get rid of some ashes. "It was never my game to hurt or target girls in any way or form in the first place. I barely know how to speak to them. I just like to fight strong guys. She gave me another reason not to want to steal any of her belongings and money and run away like this." He shrugged. "I was very thankful for everything she did for me. It felt really nice to have a house to stay in for a while. I did end up coming back at some point, hoping that I did not look very desperate and she would accept me for another time. Next thing you know, I pay your sister frequent visits behind you and your parents' backs." Hanma grinned, relishing on how he succeeded in making H/n's eyebrow twitch. Oh, his angered and disturbed face, the way his eyes squinted and the corner of his lip twitched, it was amusing. He wanted to see more of that. "She gave me everything and more than I needed, other than food, water, clean clothes.... your clean clothes," He purposefully added just to trigger H/n's irritation, "pillows and blankets.... She gave me company." He said, his eyes softening a bit.

"I mean, I was pretty notorious already, even by that age. I had lots of buddies, and still do. I've been living by doing crimes and beating the shit out of people and constantly getting in trouble." Hanma showed off his toothy grin. "A fitting life for me, I should say." He took his hand in front of his face, slowly clenching his fist, admiring his hand tattoo and the pretty red wounds formed all over his knuckles that he achieved from fighting, "The amount of thrill, joy and andrenaline I feel when I get into fights is astounding," He flexed his fingers. "It's like I was made for this!"

H/n just kept glaring at Hanma, his facial expressions cold and very unfriendly, wanting to punch the zombie-looking motherfucker the more he continued with his dramatic monologue, but even he knew it was most likely a bad idea. He had seen how Hanma fought and the way he countered Mikey's attacks and kicks. The last thing he wanted would be to return home beaten up and live with the embarassment of losing to this guy. H/n had gotten injured multiple times in fights, but he had a feeling Hanma would forever haunt him if H/n lost to him.

"I found out that fighting and doing all that gang stuff is not the only way I get to relax and have fun, though." Hanma said, his face calm. "Spending time with Y/n put me in situations that were completely out of my league. Back then, I would listen to her telling me stories about her life, her friends, you and whatever worries and thoughts she had. We played so many games together and she even taught me how to read and write. How nice, right?" Hanma smiled, looking around him at the multiple apartments, in which most lights were turned off, indicating that people were already asleep while these two were having this conversation. "All my life I just knew how to fight, run away from cops, steal and cause chaos. I never cared about anything outside of that until she came in. She gave me more than anyone else gave me in the past. For once, it made me feel jealous of what it's like for a normal child to have a house, a nice family, friends and everything I wanted." Hanma chuckled. "For a second she had me wondering if I was way more abnormal than I already am. It made me question a few things about me. But then, I realized I was happy and lucky to be her friend and be accepted by her. She warmed up to me even if I was weird and just kept showing up to her window like that. Your sister is very strange and I like it." Hanma sighed, throwing down his cigarette. "Spending time with her... I guess it brings me some very strong and positive feelings, quite as strong as whenever I am fighting multiple strong opponents, but different." It's a need.

"Your sister is a lovely girl," Hanma grinned cheekily, running his fingers through his hair. "Although I always found ways to keep myself entertained and, y'know, alive, she made things much easier for me." Hanma exhaled and closed his eyes gently, smiling and slowly raising his hand to rub the back of his neck, the soft wind making the long parts of his hair and his eating fly around, as well as his wrinkled shirt. "Man, I'm happy to have her back. I missed her." He narrowed his eyes away on the distance again. "I almost did not recognize her back then, in her cute yukata all dolled up." He grinned like the maniac he was. "She was so cute! ♡ Don't get me wrong. She was always pretty, but she became even more as she grew up and changed." Hanma slowly brushed his thumb against his lower lip and smiled, "Four years went by, either way, she is still my cute little Y/n~"

"Bastard..."

"What'chu getting so mad for?" Hanma asked, "Can't accept that your sister is getting compliments? Are you jealous?" Hanma smirked.

"You're a fucking creep! You're- You're fucking unhinged! You're disturbing!" H/n accused angrily. "Listen," He started, forcing his tone to lower down, "I'm tired of hearing about your lovesick bullshit. You better swallow up this stupid obsession of yours and keep yourself and your gang away. I just want my sister to be safe."

"What makes you think I want the opposite?" Hanma asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously as his smile turned into a scoff, he made eye contact with H/n. The boy shivered. "Man, you're really irritating me now, H/n." Hanma slowly tilted his head to the side, making a few 'pop' sounds with the movement.

"Your entire fucking being and audacity irritates me!" H/n snapped, "It drives me fucking insane that my sister cares for you when you're like this! She may trust you, but I don't!" H/n pointed his hand at Hanma.

"Your sister is her own person," Hanma stated coldly. "She makes her own choices for herself. Really," Hanma lazily scratched the back of his neck, staring down at H/n as if he was another tiny, annoying, insignificant pest, "I don't care about your sad feelings over me. You're nothing but Toman scum to me." He used the nail of his pinkie finger to scratch the inside of his ear.

Hanma slowly started walking over H/n's way, startling the boy and making him grit his teeth. H/n got into a fighting position, ready to defend himself, but H/n stopped.

"You keep yapping and yapping, but really, have you even considered her feelings?" Hanma tilted his head down at H/n, not caring about the amount of discomfort H/n felt upon Hanma approaching. "She makes dumb choices, yes, but she's still a smart girl. If she wanted me to stay away, she would have told me." He shrugged and smiled humorlessly. "Well, she did tell me to stay away.... Tem-po-ra-ri-ly~" Hanma sang and raised his index finger up as if to tone the word. "She needs her own space and I respect that. She didn't tell me to disappear from her life forever. So, who are you to tell me what to do?"

"I'm her brother." H/n glared. "I've been with my sister for the longest time. I care about her... and her feelings, but I also consider her safety."

"Valhalla is stronger than Toman." Hanma stated as if it was a fact. "I'm stronger than you and anyone else in your little gang. If you considered her feelings, you wouldn't mind me keeping her company. She'll be safer with me," Hanma grinned.

"You haven't proven that yet." H/n's eyes narrowed.

"I will eventually, don't be so impatient~"

"Whatever," H/n scoffed, "Either way, I don't want you or your dogs anywhere near my sister. Ever again." H/n tightened his fist to the point it trembled. "That's all I'm saying. She doesn't need to be terrorized by violence anymore or be entangled in this crap."

"Valhalla proving its worth will show that we are not to be messed with. If Y/n is part of it, it guarantees her safety, too. I'll tell you that." Hanma smiled smugly with narrowed eyes. "I thought the way you do at first, too. That she must stay away if she wants to be safe. But hiding her away is not that simple in the world of deliquents, especially if the gang she is protected by is weak." Hanma stated, not caring whether this was offensive or degrading to Toman. "That's why I changed my mind, 'cause I care about your sister, too. Believe it or not, you ain't the only one, pal. I want the best for her whether your pea-sized mind accepts it or not. If she must be protected by a gang, let it be a strong gang." His eyes glinted dangerously and he did not blink once. His voice got lower. "If she must be protected by someone, I'll be the one to protect her." He raised his hands with an unhinged smile. "I'm strong."

"You're insane and delusional, I thought Kazutora was delusional!" H/n accused.

"No, I'm devoted." Hanma spoke calmly. "And I am speaking nothing but the truth." He shrugged, using his hands to exaggerate the motion. "In fact, I have a reason to fight for now. Fighting makes me feel alive. It's fun and I love the way it keeps my blood pumping. I love it so much that if I had to die, I would have wanted it to be by dying to an incredibly strong guy!" Hanma briefly laughed, H/n was not sure if this guy was serious or not. Maybe if he got beaten up by a strong guy, he could come to his senses?

His laughter died down. "Most people have their own cute, heroic or not reasons to join or lead gangs and live the deliquent life. My only motive was simply to have fun and kill time. Now that I realized my precious friend is part of an enemy gang I'm going to take down," His eyes narrowed, "It sparks this selfless need and will to return the favor and repay her for everything she has done for me. A way for me to show her my gratitude and appreciation."

Hanma always loved to imagine it. A world where he would be on top, superior to everyone whether he would lead the strongest gang or act on his own, he would relish in the greatest brawls and chaos and have everything, even having these hundred slaves to worship him and work for him as he loved to dream ever since he could remember for some reason.

And then another new thought that mostly resembled to a dream, one that he could picture coming true, one brighter and warmer than the previous. Having Y/n by his side, her shoulders wrapped by Hanma's jacket, reaching out her hand to him and give him one of her precious and happy smiles, willing to be with him, support him and cheer for him. Be his partner in crime, his biggest supporter, his best friend, teach him stuff and give him things the world could never offer to him. Looking at him with a face that matched his own happiness, energy, mood and emotions.

A face he wanted to cherish and protect with everything he had.

A creepy grin stretched onto the corner of his lips widely, ".... and it also sparks this selfish need to make her mine."

The look on H/n's face could almost be described as terrified. He looked disturbed, sick and furious. His eyes were wide and it looked like he was trying to achieve the impossible, make the 'if looks can kill' into an actual law of physics, his entire expression picturing the need H/n had to launch at Hanma, and for the first time in his life - if we exclude the other assholes who hurt his sister but got their karma - do way worse than simply beat him up and win against in a fight with someone.

"Tell me, H/n," Hanma suddenly said. H/n's heart clenched in anxiety. His amber eyes glowed as they pierced right through H/n's soul. "Does the fact that I haven't forgotten about your sister four years of no single contact with her, not show you how serious I am about her?"

There was not a lie here. It's a fairly common situation to lose contact with someone you get along with, even after a brief moment of no communication at times. Not every kind of relationship is always strong enough to withstand and not falter through time, depending on the amount of communication, time spent together among other things. Even strong friendships have disappeared, people calling themselves 'best friends' have ended up being nothing but strangers to each other due to situations like being away from each other with little to no communication and contact, whether it was one sided or both.

Meanwhile, the kinds of relationships - platonic or romantic - considered to have potential, are the ones that do not disappear under such circumstances of people being forced to be away from each other for long periods of time. It takes each individual to be dedicated and hold the strong love, desire and patience to make sure that they're not losing their loved ones either way, no matter the pressure or distance. Such relationships have potential.

H/n knew his sister well. At least, he believed he did. He knew Y/n was dedicated to her friends and she was never the one to really give up on a loved one like that. Even if H/n could not see what she saw in Hanma, - although he was surprised she still cared about Hanma - it did not seem that impossible in his mind that Hanma still had a place in her heart. H/n was not the one spending time with Hanma as kids in his house, after all, so he could not get the idea in his mind of befriending a person like him and tolerating him.

It's fine. He told himself. As long as she doesn't get hurt, I'm happy that she's happy. We're different from each other, sometimes her happiness stems from other sources than mine, such as specific... friends.

He narrowed his gaze at Hanma. I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that she likes this guy.

Wasn't Hanma homeless? He didn't grow up with parents as far as he was concerned. Surely, he didn't understand the concept of love. It only made sense that for someone like him, what was important was making a living out of crimes. And having fun with it. It was bizarre to imagine someone normal to enjoy what he did. H/n could not understand whether Hanma was trying to cope with it, or whether he actually enjoyed being a delinquent.

Or perhaps, being raised as a child with the absence of love and affection was exactly how Hanma could have found it all and comfort in Y/n. She was the only one who opened up to him. She gave him a place to stay, she brought him delicious homemade food, clothes and more than he could have imagined to have one day. She taught him the concept of friendship, trust and a healthier means of having fun. She taught him how to read and write and what else.

She was the first and only person to provide these luxuries for him. Maybe Hanma did find it somewhere in his heart to appreciate her and everything she did for him. That made things easier to understand as to how exactly serious and genuine Hanma was for Y/n, as he said. It was just his stubborness refusing to understand that an unhinged deliquent like Hanma could actually have feelings and develop genuine friendships with people. Most, if not every kind of 'friendships' Hanma must have managed to establish with people must have only been for the benefits of things like power or money, and not built with trust, vulnerability and affection.

The look on H/n's eyes softened for a moment - but just a moment. He swallowed back any kind of emotions he felt at that moment, trying to block them by twitching his fingers and grimacing his negative and defensive expressions and glaring.

Hanma loved Y/n, didn't he?

He didn't want Y/n to be harmed either. H/n was flabbergasted when Y/n told him that Hanma beat the shit out of that guy who punched her when she was in his turf, even if the guy didn't even know she was a girl and who exactly she was under that hoodie. Hanma either sent him in a critical condition or possibly even killed him just for punching her.

Everything his sister told him about Hanma, and the way Hanma talked about the girl made it clear that it was not Hanma trying to hurt Y/n in any way, ever. He cherished her and wanted to protect her.

Both H/n and Hanma did. It was just frustrating that these two had to be on opposite ends.

Hanma closed his eyes and slowly brought his palm over his mouth which started hanging open. He yawned and his eyes teared up a little by the action. Once he stopped and brought his hand back down, his eyes were a bit more narrowed and tired. He put his hand inside his pocket and opened up the little box to take out another cigarette. He put it between his lips and took his lighter. Hanma tried to flicker a small flame with his thumb to light it up, repeating the process a few times before it worked. He used his free hand to cover that tip of his cigarette, in order to protect the fire from going out too early, mumbling as he did so. "Although I think we had a lovely chat, I'm tired now. I'd like to leave if there's nothing else you wanna tell me."

H/n remained silent, Hanma didn't know whether he was thinking or just standing there.

"Good," Hanma sighed and turned on his heel to leave, his back facing H/n. "Hope you got the message, pal. If anything I said was not clear, I'm not staying away from Y/n no matter what you do. I'm not that easy to get rid of." He turned his face sideways, glancing at H/n's way, smirking and puffing out smoke through his nose. "You don't want to be late and worry your sister, do you? Send her my greetings." Hanma left.

It was not long after before H/n left on the opposite side where Hanma went, his footsteps lighter than Hanma's as they both left the bridge in its silence once again, the crickets being the only sound.

Two hooded people remained purely silent under the bridge, during the entire talk between the Toman member and the Valhalla captain.

One of them pulled his hood down and shook his head around, letting his messy black and blonde-yellow dyed hair fly around, leaving his wolf-cut messy, his earring jiggling in the air. He hummed lowly, still standing up as he was before, a blank smile on his face. "Things are getting really interesting, huh." He spoke. "Hanma is more serious than I thought about her. Well, good thing we're on the same side with him, then." He looked down at his friend, who was sitting down on the ground with his arms over his knees. "Think about it. You, me, Hanma, Valhalla and Y/n." An innocent smile was plastered onto his face, but it would have looked more pure if it weren't for his soulless sandy eyes being wide and devoid of emotions. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

The raven haired guy still kept the hoodie on and kept glaring at the distance, not blinking once, deep in thought. Just like how he had been doing since the beginning of being here. He kept his back turned on his friend as to prevent him from seeing his face. ".... What are you suggesting, Kazutora?" Baji had a feeling that he knew.

"Not anything bad," Kazutora said peacefully. "Just imagine. We fight against Toman, we destroy them and we gain Y/n's trust." Kazutora looked down at Baji's back. "Maybe Y/n is a little mad at you, but think about it. She's your friend. She's hurt 'cause you were a bit cold with her. But I'm sure she will forgive you. Sooner or later." He smiled. "Y/n-chan is actually a sweet person, yes? I'm sure if you speak to her and apologize she will forgive you, and then she will accept Valhalla."

"Do you think she will be okay with everything after we finish Toman and kill Mikey?" Baji asked gently tugging at his hoodie down further, his eyes narrowing through the darkness.

Kazutora remained silent, his smile long gone as he stared at Baji's back with eyes wide, empty and his lips in a straight line. She was Mikey's friend. Y/n loved and cherished her friends, of course she didn't want Mikey to get hurt. Kazutora didn't want to upset her, he really didn't. He didn't like hurting girls in any shape or form, especially Y/n. Unfortunately, some things had to be done. Kazutora liked and respected her, but could anyone or anything really stop Kazutora from achieving that goal? Kazutora suffered enough in the past and he would forever continue to suffer because of Mikey.

Of course, Baji figured, Kazutora was not the type to think and act logically. His emotions and insanity tend to get the better of him. Ever since Shinichiro died. Of course he will believe everything he wants to happen will surely go his way.

Baji spoke again. "Leave her be. She is not the center of the world. This is a fight among Valhalla and Toman, it's about us and Mikey. Not a girl."

"She's not just a girl, don't lie to yourself," Kazutora interrupted. "After everything you told me about her, there is no way she is someone this meaningless for you. Just look!" Kazutora walked right in front of Baji and spread his hands, looking up at the moon as the wind made his hair, jacket and earring gently sway in the air, his soulless eyes reflecting the bright moon above them. "Don't pretend you don't know the impact she has on people, Baji." He turned his head sideways and smiled at Baji. "That girl is gifted."

He walked right in front of Baji and knelt down, staring right through his soul. "If you love her, you have to protect her by all means." He spread his hand out. "We'll make Valhalla a place where she can be happy and protected." Kazutora's unblinking eyes glinted, staring right at Baji's brown eyes. "We don't have to share her with the others."

Baji held back a noise, his eyes shot wide open in disbelief.

"So what if Mikey is her friend? So what if she has other friends in Toman, too? What if her brother is there? I doubt she is as close to them as she is with you and Hanma." Kazutora smiled. "We'll win her over. We're defeating Valhalla. We'll kill Mikey, achieve our goal and take a step further into becoming powerful. Nobody will mess with us, and we'll make sure Y/n will never get hurt under our hands." Kazutora placed his hand on Baji's shoulder and he brought him closer, their foreheads almost touching. "You've saved my life, Baji. You're important to me. This girl is a sweetheart, she deserves the world and she is someone really important to you, too. I know of it. And I want to protect her, too. For your sake, and hers."

Baji took a lot in his power to not react in any way and hold back his emotions. Hell, even Kazutora's penetrating gaze scared him for a second.

There was no doubt that she was special. Not only to Baji, she was generally a loved and respected individual. She was a good person, no, not just good. She was amazing, a wonderful person, a wonderful friend, someone to rely on and feel safe and comfortable around.

Baji struggled with his emotions, but there was no way he could deny that deep down, he felt strongly for her. It was true, Baji knew he was one of her closest people. They spent childhood together. The two of them, H/n, Mikey, Emma. There was no question that Baji was close to Y/n - he felt it and Y/n must have, too.

Hell, even his own mother wouldn't stop teasing him about it! She always insisted of how good he looks around her and how fitting they are for each other. Despite the innocent yet annoying teasing, he always found his heart beating rapidly at her words, and the annoyance he was feeling was not the kind of annoyance that made him want to react violently out of anger or frustration. Well, okay, frustration was something he did feel, but- It made him want to act violently, then stuff his face against his pillow and groan loudly, stare at the ceiling, talk to Peke J and then force her to hang out with him and spend time. Then tell his mother all about it. Sometimes, most of the time, maybe. Sometimes he'd swear he wouldn't tell her a thing and the next moment she knows all about it.

That's when he would get to relax and feel at peace again. Maybe Y/n did and said some things that kept him distracted all the time when they were together, but it was peaceful either way.

Even if his mom, Chifuyu and another old pal (he didn't know if Mikey or Emma had caught up with what Baji was feeling but he'd rather burn ten cars than verbally tell them) were aware of his feelings towards the girl, - ones that he had difficulties hiding from them - even if they kept cheering him on and telling him all the good things he secretly loved to hear and encouraging him to acknowledge his emotions and take a step-

Baji believed that his feelings towards Y/n were one sided.

He didn't want to make things weird between them. It didn't feel nice to imagine her gaining feelings over someone else, the same feelings he felt towards her, but at the same time, he valued her and their friendship a lot.

Baji felt so bitter at the idea of her knowing Hanma for so long and spending so much time together with him behind everyone's backs. He was only glad she was fine and Hanma hadn't pulled a dirty move, otherwise Hanma would have been beaten to death by now. The idea of Y/n feeling something stronger than pure friendship with someone else hurt Baji deep down, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Baji wasn't the most jealous person, but he did find it in himself sometimes to want to pull Y/n away from the others, from Mikey, Emma or anyone else and have her with him for a while, just the two of them. No offense.

So what if she didn't experience these silly feelings towards them? Cool. Fine. It was just embarassing to think that she knew, but the worst for him would be if she ever distanced herself from him. He didn't want to push her or scare her to the point where she wouldn't be his friend anymore. He would seriously have to make it up to her after this entire Valhalla bullshit. He hurt her like never before and it made him feel downright shitty ever since. He kept feeling angry and restless.

She wasn't the merciless and unforgiving kind of person, and when she would learn about the intentions between his actions, he wanted to believe that she would understand, it was how she was. She listened, she cared- but he didn't want to take anything for granted. Y/n wasn't a machine or a game he could change, restart or control with a few buttons. He would never treat her as one, either.

He himself was oblivious as to how he could handle his feelings properly, but he sure as hell knew that he wanted the best for her. No matter their complicated relationship (or at least he was the one making it complicated in his mind, either way he wanted their relationship to be a good, happy and healthy one) Baji wanted to know that she would be okay.
Whether that would be with him or without him by her side.

Kazutora was not wrong when he said Baji was very close with Y/n, of course he would know. Baji would tell so much about Y/n and Kazutora could have possibly clinged onto every letter and word about her. But it was delusional to believe that she did not have any other friends and close friendships aside from him. For some reason, it seemed as if Kazutora did not understand exactly how much Y/n could actually care about others too, like Mikey. Kazutora was far too gone to even consider that it would destroy her if something happened to Mikey or any of her friends. Either that, or he refused to believe it.

Kazutora was trying to make himself believe that he could just kill Mikey, get away with it and somehow, Y/n would be okay with all the violence and her friends getting hurt and just accept Valhalla.

The whole incident with Shinichiro really fucked up with his mind. Yet to be honest, Kazutora had always been messed up and delusional. He couldn't tell if it was created by all the trauma he ever endured, whether it was just his nature, or if it was both.

Why would she need to accept a gang anyways? It was not like she would be an active member fighting in it or anything else. Baji doubted Y/n even cared much about any competitions or gangs. She just wanted her friends to be okay.

Maybe Kazutora was seeing something deeper that Baji did not see.

Maybe it was his strange fascination and sudden obsession with Y/n.

Baji did not like it, not one bit. At least, not when Kazutora tried to put her in a situation she did not even need to be a part of.

Talking to Kazutora about it all would only trigger him and perhaps cause him to lash out and maybe that could result in Baji losing some of Kazutora's trust. Kazutora was a complicated person, building communication and friendship with him is difficult due to the walls Kazutora has learned to put up ever since his childhood. Kazutora could seem relaxed at times, but really, he could get sensitive over things and lash out in dangerous ways. His sanity was hanging by a single thread. Maintaining a path of communication, understanding and acceptance with him in this case meant letting him believe his own things and delusions - for now. Baji could tell that Y/n would get scared and hurt if Mikey got hurt, and Kazutora could go berserk and even attack Baji in his own madness. That could also mean being suspected more, which meant lower chances of succeeding his plan and risking Toman's victory and Mikey's life.

Trying to speak to Kazutora about basic logical situations was like talking to a wall. Kazutora wouldn't understand, nor want to. At least, that applied when it came to anything regarding Mikey. His obsession and hate against Mikey was nothing to doubt or underlook. It was not something that anyone could fix with a few words. No matter what Kazutora felt, Baji was convinced at that point that, unless Toman fought with Valhalla, nothing, nothing could ever bring sense to Kazutora about this. Not even professional help or counselors or time in juvie. In fact, his hatred would only increase.

Baji wanted to protect everyone. He wanted to protect Toman, he wanted to protect Mikey... But he also wanted to protect Kazutora. He was his friend and would always be. They had been through so much together. No matter what Kazutora was going through, Baji would be there for him. Of course, he wouldn't allow him to do stupid shit like killing Mikey. But they were partners, weren't they? They were friends, teammates - Baji would knock some sense into Kazutora, one way or another.

Even if it meant 'betraying' Toman or Kazutora, Baji would do anything to achieve his goal, save everyone, bring Kazutora back and fix this neverending hate between Mikey and Kazutora.

Damn..... Y/n, you idiot. She should have minded her own business and stay away from Toman, stay away from Valhalla and whatever was going on. She should not have even followed Kazutora and the other piss hair pathetic excuse of a Toman idiot. And what the hell was this with Hanma?

Kazutora had long stepped away from Baji without him realizing. "Don't worry, Baji. Once we prove ourselves, defeat Toman and kill Mikey, everything will be okay." He smiled, his hands in the pockets of his baggy pants. "We'll win Y/n." He turned to look at him. "I don't care about this rest of the Valhalla members. I don't even want Hanma to have her, either. But let's use Hanma's relationship with Y/n to our advantage to win Y/n on our side. She will warm up to you again. I have your back in this and I'll make sure to protect her and be by her side on your part when you can't."

Kazutora's words meant to be supportive and reassuring. A way to show Baji his dedication and devotion to protect and take care of his friend. It was as if Kazutora perhaps wanted Y/n and Baji to get along again.

His words were far from reassuring, however. They made Baji's stomach twist and feel almost sick.

Baji always kept Kazutora updated about Y/n, back when he was in juvie. Kazutora had heard nothing but the best about her and he even got the chance to meet her up close. Baji always knew that Kazutora would surely like her upon meeting her, but the circumstances were really bad and he did not expect things to go this way. For Kazutora to immediately get clingy and attached like this.

Kazutora said that he did this for Baji's sake, but he had a feeling Kazutora also did this out of his own wants and desires, too.

Sure, Kazutora liked girls in general and he was quite the handsome guy. Although he never got to have girlfriends, he was rather popular with girls around him admiring him and being attracted by his beauty. Kazutora was handsome, after all, even with his unique sense of style. Kazutora was always polite and respectful with girls, too.

Never would he have expected that Kazutora would get this strong desire to 'protect' Y/n and 'win' her over in Valhalla, as if in this way it would help him learn more about her and have her around. At least that's how it worked, in his mind, too.

Perhaps it was also the jealousy he had against Mikey, and him knowing that Mikey and Y/n were great friends too, he naturally wanted to see the fall of Mikey and take the girl away from him as revenge, too.

Even if Baji knew Kazutora and the way he tended to work as a person, it was difficult to grasp the logic and emotions he truly had about the situation and Y/n.

He knew two things for sure.

Kazutora had his own reasons to have this obsession of taking Y/n from Toman's side, away from Mikey, her brother and whoever could be keeping her there and take her with Valhalla, where she could be with Baji and Kazutora.... or maybe just Kazutora, Baji was not sure. He liked Y/n, Baji did not not just how much and where his obsession and delusions would get.

And the other thing he knew of was that Y/n had to take care of her ass, cause the moment she returned back in Japan from abroad, she was met with nothing but trouble and gangsters constantly. Maybe even before that, too.

Y/n seemed to have this tendency to attract trouble, strange and random people she should not have, and maybe even people who bring trouble.

Kazutora was right when he said that girl was gifted, but just how gifted and gifted with what? The curse to find herself in trouble and dangerous situations? The curse to have maniacs all over her?

Baji did not know what else to expect from this girl.

But what he had to focus on first was what to expect from Kazutora, Hanma and Valhalla.

And that's exactly why he was there, to figure things out about them... And Kisaki, too. But since he was in Valhalla, he might as well learn a bit more about everything.

He already seemed to have gained information about Y/n and Hanma. It frustrated him to the core that Y/n had never trusted Baji enough to speak to him about all this and how she could blindly trust someone that easily, but she must have seen the trouble that would follow. Baji would have already been roaming the streets all day everyday to find and punch the bastard to death if she ever let out a word about Hanma.

About Kazutora.... He would deal with him after the Toman and Valhalla brawl. For now, he just had to swallow up his words and feelings and go with the flow, go along with anything Kazutora said or did, even if it meant playing along to Kazutora's twisted thoughts and fantasies. He had to be patient.

He had planned everything carefully, he could not lose focus and get himself busted before he could achieve his goals. He had an extremely important role to attend to.

He worried and disappointed everyone enough already. He had to make sure he would protect them and not fail Toman, Mikey, everyone.

All the amount of chaos he caused with Chifuyu, Mikey, H/n, Y/n and the entire gang of Toman, he had to make sure everything nasty he did would not go in vain.

That's why he needed to push his feelings away and stay focused on the goal. He could not lose.

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

Izana talking about Kakucho to Y/n: 😊

Y/n asking about Kakucho: 😊

Izana: 😡

Sorry I kept thinking of this during that scene- ehem-

Yup, seems like things are getting weirder and weirder ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌ who are you guys rooting for so far? 👀 (until the next love interests start to show up and play their own important roles in the story-) don't know whether I should say 'lucky' or 'unlucky' Y/n in this case with all this bs going on and these unloved cookies fighting for her like the last cookie in the jar.

Lucky in the fanfiction, but most likely unlucky if it came in real life-

I've been blessed with motivation and time recently so I managed to feed you another big chapter, hope you've been feeden well, until you get your next big, delicious meal

fuck I'm hungry now

Anyways, thank you for the hearts and comments, I appreciate you guys a lot! Your support gives me the motivation and strength to continue working on this story! ^^

NEXT UPDATE: September 30th