Warnings: PG13, I think. Some blood described. Abuse hinted towards (though nothing other than mental manipulation and beatings...no rape or stuff).
The crickets are chirping tonight, singing in harmony with the gentle tapping of the bamboo pipe as it empties itself of water. A constant rinse, repeat. A soft breeze shifts through the trees; whispers of the ancestors, his father used to say. Ryuichiro takes a deep breath in and lets the simple ballad of life wash over him. He's not so old as to be world-worn yet, but he's also not young enough to let this chance of peace slip by him.
Of course, it's now that the Fates decide is the perfect time to swoop in on their wings of chaos and disturb his well-earned rest.
Typical.
Tetsu tiptoes in across the tatami mats and kneels by his side. "Kuroda-sama."
Nothing short of a danger to the family would bring such a blatant look of fear to Tetsu's eyes. However, the adopted clan member is still new, making mountains out of nothing. He needs practice in discerning what things truly merit the clan leader's attention. Lots of practice.
Ryuichiro sighs. "I take it my presence is required."
Tetsu only bows low, his forehead touching the ground; a silent apology, but also a plea.
Ryuichiro slaps his hands on his knees and pushes up. "Come, let us see if I cannot right the wrongs this night."
Of course, it's only after Tetsu doesn't lead him into the main room that Ryuichiro realizes he should have taken the time to ask just what this interruption entails. Maybe then he would've been prepared to see his granddaughter laying on the floor of her room, jacket ripped beyond repair, her pale face marred by the copious amounts of blood stained on it. The white towel beneath her head is already tainted red, like a macabre rendition of those modern paintings. Minoru is gently wiping the blood from her face with light touches from a wet cloth.
Not again, is the thought that races through Ryuichiro's mind. He's already lost his daughter and her husband, gone too soon those sixteen years ago. Must the gods demand of him his granddaughter too? But, a second inspection reveals that the blood has come from a blunt blow to her temple, an hour old, likely from a pipe, and also that she is in no immediate danger of dying.
She'll get a rather big headache and stitches, yes, but not death, thank the heavens.
Ryuichiro sucks in the air that somehow got knock from his lungs and scans the room, his eyes finding the greying Kouzou. "Has the doctor been called?"
"Yes, Kuroda-sama." Kouzou bows. "He shall arrive shortly."
"Very good." Ryuichiro hides his shaking hands inside the billowing sleeves of his yukata. "Are there any witnesses?"
"One, Kuroda-sama. A young man. He brought her to us."
"Is there any information on this man?"
Kouzou pauses a moment. "He is the only child of Odagiri Shinya."
Ryuichiro eyes widen at this. The son of one of the highest police officials brought his granddaughter to them? It seems the Fates will have a most engaging show this night. Nevertheless, Ryuichiro signals Kouzou to lead him to Kumiko's savior. His man takes him swiftly through the hallways to the main room.
Once there, Kouzou kneels by the door and opens it for him, bowing slightly in difference. Ryuichiro steps across the threshold and takes in Odagiri's son. The boy is young, no more than seventeen at the most. He sits nervously beside Kyotaro, his long fingers gripping his dark school pants tight. His eyes only flit up to meet Ryuichiro's for a brief moment before focusing on the floor again. Not a strong boy then, but no coward either – seeing as he brought Kumiko here.
No one has cared to the boy's hurts; his lip is split, blood drying at the edge, while his right eye sports a darkening bruise.
Ryuichiro sits by the table. "Kouzou, please get our guest and I some tea."
"Hai, Kuroda-sama"
Kouzou leaves.
Ryuichiro allows the silence to build. Brats these days have little to no patience, and he finds that most will talk, simply to ease the tension they perceive in the quiet. It makes gathering information so much easier. So, Ryuichiro sits and waits for the young man to speak his secrets.
Only…he doesn't.
Ryuichiro can tell the boy is bothered by the lack of communication. He can see the dark eyes glancing up at him through long bangs every few minutes. And his hunched posture has only become more obvious. Strange. One would think the boy would crack under pressure, all signs indicate towards it. Yet, he says nothing.
It seems more unconventional means will need to be applied to this situation. No matter. Ryuichiro loves a good challenge.
"It seems I owe you a debt of honor, Odagiri," Ryuichiro says at last.
The boy sucks in a quick breath, his knuckles turning white. "No debt is necessary, sir."
"Ah, but where would that leave my honor?" Kouzou arrives with the tea and Ryuichiro pours both himself and Odagiri a cup. He pushes Odagiri's over to him. The boy worries his lower lip, but takes the offer, sipping the tea and wincing at the hot liquid. Ryuichiro tastes his own.
"I cannot simply let you go, Odagiri," he says, and takes pleasure in the slight flinch this causes. "Not after you have saved my granddaughter."
The boy's shoulders relax.
Ryuichiro goes in for the kill. "Tell me, how was it that she came by such injuries?"
The boy freezes. His cup chinks against the wooden table as his hands tremble. "I stumbled across her, sir, on my way home."
"Is that so?" Ryuichiro takes another, measured sip. "Then it seems I am beholden to Chance for guiding your path to her this night"
Odagiri releases his cup with a jerk and hides his hands underneath the table, as if that does any good. Everyone in this room can see he is lying through his teeth, and scared for it.
Ryuichiro plays with his own cup. "Do you know who I am, Odagiri?"
The boy recoils and Kyotaro puts a restraining hand on his thin arm. Frantic eyes go from Ryuichiro to Kyotaro and back again. "S-sir?"
"Surely your father has schooled you on those individuals you must avoid at all costs."
Odagiri's chest is heaving by now.
"Ah, so he did. Good." Ryuichiro pours himself more tea. "I feel I must warn you, then, that I do not take it lightly when people lie to me."
"I…" Odagiri licks his lips and ducks his head. "She rescued me from my…former employers."
"Indeed?" He motions for the boy to continue.
"I worked at a night club, Frentzen, as a bartender, and wished to leave their services. They…" Odagiri gives a small shrug. "They did not take kindly to my request."
"You were such a valuable member?"
"No, I…"Odagiri takes a shuddering breath in. "My father owed them for a scandal they hid for him. I had thought it repaid by now."
"It seems you were mistaken."
"…yes."
"I imagine that Kumiko came upon you as they were rediscussing your terms of employment?"
A small laugh escapes the boy's lips. "She kicked down the entire door."
Ryuichiro smiles and shakes his head. "That is her way."
A companionable silence follows, but Ryuichiro knows it cannot last. He needs to make a decision. Should he allow Odagiri to leave? He puts his tea cup down. No, that would only be death sentence for the boy. His father would give him back to his former employers, who would make sure to teach the boy his place. And then kill him.
But perhaps Ryuichiro can use that to his advantage. If the boy is already dead to his father, then the man will have no qualms about a disappearance. He rolls his shoulders. "So, now we have the son of a police official at my doors, and my granddaughter wounded in protecting him. It seems you are right again, Odagiri. I do not owe you a debt of honor. You owe me."
The boy's face comes up so fast Ryuichiro can hear the whiplash. That same face pales to ash, renewed fear, so tangible Ryuichiro could bottle it, seeping into the boy's being. Ryuichiro can read his thoughts as if they were screamed. What will the Yakuza claim as payment? Will he ever be free again or is it his lot to live a slave forever? Will his father even care?
Likely he never did, Ryuichiro muses. He signals Kouzou and Odagiri flinches. "Please see to it that our guest is given a room. We have much to discuss, but the night is late and I think the young gentleman will not last much longer."
Kouzou bows. "Hai, Kuroda-sama."
Ryuichiro watches as Kyotaro drags Odagiri up and out of the room. There is no resistance from the boy. Ryuichiro didn't expect one. No, he is sure that particular urge was beaten out of the boy long ago.
0/0/0/0/0
Kumiko wakes the next day. Yusue, Kouzou's wife, came with the doctor last night and helped changed his granddaughter's clothes. She's dressed in her sleepwear now, dark hair flowing wild on the pillow. Kumiko looks so much like her mother that Ryuichiro fees his eyes mist. He tamps down on that display of emotion, he cannot afford it, even for Kumiko. She must see it though, for her eyes soften and she smiles tentatively.
"Ojiisan."
"Kumiko." He crosses over and sits by the side of her futon. "I had not expected you to be so reckless."
"They would have killed him," she says, her voice trembling, probably from trying to suppress her urge to yell. "Did you expect me to leave?"
"No." He sends her a knowing smirk. "But I do rather think that kicking in a door is a little overdone."
She blushes. "Perhaps. I…Ojiisan, you aren't angry with me, are you?"
"No. A bit surprised."
"The last attacked me from behind. I…" She winces and touches her head. "I cannot remember arriving home."
"And no small wonder. You were unconscious."
"But then…"
"Odagiri brought you to us."
She frowns."Odagiri?"
"The boy you saved. He carried you home."
"But how – ?"
"He is the son of a high police official. His father, no doubt, told him about the Yakuza clans." Ryuichiro smooths his yukata. "He owes this family much."
Kumiko was never slow to pick up underlying messages, an inevitable result from living with a Yakuza family. Her eyes widen when she realizes what he's meant and she reacts to the news with her predicable show of force.
"You cannot take him from his family!" she yells, half rising from her futon, and then hisses as her fractured ribs make themselves known. She lies back down, eyes flashing. "He should be returned home."
"To die?" Ryuichiro asks.
She blinks.
Ryuichiro places a hand on her arm. "That man never cared for his son. My reports say he has already prepared plans for his son's funeral."
"All the more reason to stop their mourning!"
"Kumiko…" He hardens his gaze. "He is preparing only five hours after the news that his son is missing. What does this tell you?"
She looks away, fists clenched, despite the pain Ryuichiro knows that must cause her wounds. He squeezes her arm.
"Kumiko."
Her eyelids flutter shut and her body sags. "That he has already accepted his son is dead."
"Most likely, he knew this from the beginning, and accepted it." Ryuichiro touches her chin and she opens her eyes to gaze up at him sadly. "The world is an ugly place, granddaughter, when it reaches the level of heartlessness that it has."
"What will you do with the boy?" she asks firmly. "I refuse to let you integrate him into the clan. He…" she falters and looks down. "I do not mean disrespect, grandfather. You watch our family with strong arms, but…Odagiri-san deserves the chance at a normal life."
"Indeed." Ryuichiro releases her arm. "I have put in a request at a private school. We should hear back in a few days. Until then, I will have Tetsu watch over him."
"Why make him believe he is in our debt?"
"Because he is," Ryuichiro says, and raises a hand to forestall the flood of anger that brings to his granddaughter's face. "In the other clans' eyes, that is the only meaningful step to take. The Ooedo Family must not be seen as weak."
"Yes, grandfather," she sighs, fiddling with the blanket covering her. "But you will tell him, the boy, eventually?"
Ryuichiro smiles. "In due time, yes."
0/0/0/0/0
Kumiko recovers with the quickness only afforded to youth. In three days she is out of her room and sulking around the grounds, muttering about the unfairness in keeping her housebound for another few days. Doctor's orders, and Ryuichiro plans on having them followed by all, even his granddaughter. That isn't to say Kumiko takes her enforced care with quiet ease. Even as a child, Kumiko led an active life; always finding adventures and dragging along others for the journey. This time is no different.
Her sights are set on Odagiri.
She is determined he will know how to defend himself, especially now that he is under the Ooedo Family's protection.
Of course, Kumiko being Kumiko, she doesn't bother to tell the boy her plans. She merely leads him out into the yard one day and attacks him. Had Odagiri been like Tetsu or Minoru when they first came, the outcome would've been positive. He'd have learned to dodge by the mere fact of self-protection. But Odagiri's years of unwilling 'training' in obedience from both from his father and former employers don't allow the boy such advantages.
As such, he promptly has a three hour panic attack after Kumiko's first punch.
Kumiko apologizes, but Ryuichiro banes her from teaching the boy until he's healed more.
0/0/0/0/0
Isarmu, the Sandaime of the Yakuza clans, sends a 'request' not two weeks later. A crisp, official envelope is delivered to their door that Friday. Ironically, it's Odagiri that welcomes the messenger in. Tetsu and Minoru are pleased to have someone younger and lower in the levels than they are, and have taken advantage of that to shove some of their chores onto the boy. Ryuichiro allows it. He knows that the pecking order must be retained. But he also gives Kyotaro a small word to make sure they don't overdo it.
The boy's not yet stable, both in mind and spirit. Too much hazing and he might do something drastic.
Nevertheless, Odagiri has taken Tetsu and Minoru's place of greeting any and all guests. Thus the Sandaime's courier is greeted at the doorway by a quiet 'Ohayō gozaimasu' – or so Kouzou reports, Ryuichiro was in the gardens when the man arrived. Ryuichiro sees their guest in the main room, the tea set already hot and prepared for them.
"Ohayō gozaimasu," he says to the man, giving a small incline of his head. The man is, after all, lower than he is. However, he is also one of Isarmu's, so some sign of respect is to be expected from him. "What can I do for the Sandaime this day?"
It is rare that Isarmu ever calls on a clan – he rather likes to leave them to their own methods. Ryuichiro, therefore, knows this is no curtesy call. This is either a summons or a kill order. And Ryuichiro will obey it to the last letter.
The messenger bows and pushes his letter across the table to him. "He requests your presence and that of your newest member."
Ryuichiro doesn't allow anything to show as he picks up the letter and opens it. He reads through the instructions twice. It is as the man says. He is to bring Odagiri with him tomorrow. News of the Ooedo Clan's addition has caused some ripples, it seems. Not that Ryuichiro expected any less. The boy is the son of a police official. Some waves are to expected.
But Ryuichiro will not allow the boy to be swallowed by those waves. The Ooedo Family is his boat of safety, and Ryuichiro will fight for him. He needs to repay the boy for Kumiko's life, in spite of everything.
As such, Ryuichiro nods and puts the letter down. "Please, tell the Sandaime I shall be there."
The man raises an eyebrow. A brazen action. One Ryuichiro barely tolerates. He will bring this insult up during his visit with the Sandaime.
"Will there be anything else?" he asks the man. He has said all that he wants, and will not let this underling question his words. The cur hasn't the right. Isarmu will understand in his message that he is bringing Odagiri. This man need not be handheld.
"No sir," the man says, thankfully. He bows. "I shall convey your reply to the Sandaime."
"Arigatou gozaimasu," Ryuichiro says.
0/0/0/0/0
The Sandaime's main room is large and oppressive at the same time. It helps that the man himself is broad shouldered, his face covered by a beard as black as night. All are wearing their formal kimonos. Ryuichiro even had Tetsu go out for an emergency run to find something suitable for Odagiri. Not that they don't have a yukata for the boy, but such a simple attire will not do for sitting with the Sandaime.
Ryuichiro drinks his tea as he watches Isarmu do the same. All other members are silent witnesses against the wall, except for Odagiri, of course. The boy is kneeling two feet behind him, eyes probably cast down, with his hands on his lap. The proper, timid position the boy still thinks others expect of him.
Ryuichiro wishes Isarmu had waited until Odagiri were stronger willed, but then…maybe this will prove to the old man that the boy is no threat to their way of life. That he can be molded to fit their needs – not that Ryuichiro plans on doing that much, he did promise Kumiko.
Isarmu sets his cup down, and Ryuichiro follows suit.
"It seems," the old man says, "you have acquired quite an interesting catch, Kuroda-sama."
"Yes, Isarmu-sama." Ryuichiro bows low.
"You certainly do not do things halfway, Kuroda." The man's eyes flick momentarily to the boy behind Ryuichiro. "I heard your father had the funeral held just yesterday, boy."
Ryuichiro hears Odagiri suck in a breath, but the boy remains true to Ryuichiro's instructions and does not answer the statement. Only questions are to be answered here. Only that is safe.
"Come, Odagiri." Isarmu signals one of his men to bring Odagiri forward. "I would see what it is that holds Kuroda's attention so."
The boy is dragged up and stands stiff before the most powerful man in all Japan. Isarmu leans forward and nudges Odagiri's chin up. The boy complies without a word. Silence. Long, tenuous silence follows. And then:
"I see." Isarmu waves his hand. "You may return to your seat, boy. I've seen enough."
Odagiri bows low and goes back to his position behind Ryuichiro.
"Such a polite boy you've found us, Kuroda," Isarmu says, all teeth. "Tell me, would you lend him to us on occasion?"
He's testing the Ooedo Clan, Ryuichiro knows this without a doubt, but what reply can he make. He is under the Sandaime's rule. He cannot refuse the man anything of this nature. So, with a heavy heart, he bows until his forehead touches the floor. "I am afraid I cannot do that, Isarmu-sama."
"The Ooedo Clan refuses our request then?"
"The boy is not ready, and is under my protection, Isarmu-sama."
"And when he is ready?"
Ryuichiro says nothing, which, he knows, will answer for him. He stays bowed to the floor. In such a risky situation, he can't do anything less. He has refused the Sandaime, in front of all the other Clans. He does not deserve to look Isarmu in the eye. He can only wait for judgement to pass down upon his family.
And he wonders if it is really worth it. Putting Kimiko and the others in danger for this one boy.
Isarmu shifts from his place, getting up and walking to just beside Ryuichiro. "And you, boy, what do you say?"
Ryuichiro stays bowed. He cannot do any more for Odagiri. It is up to the boy now.
"I…" Ryuichiro can just imagine Odagiri licking his lips. "I stand by Kuroda-sama's decisions. I shall do as he says."
Isarmu laughs, a deep belly thing. Ryuichiro dares to peer up from his position on the floor and finds Isarmu looking down at him in mirth. "Rise, Kuroda."
Ryuichiro does so.
"You've caught a loyal one again, Kuroda." Isarmu smirks. "You shall have to tell me, one day, how you do it."
"Hai, Isarmu-sama."
"But," Isarmu's lips thin. "I cannot allow you to deny me this request, Kuroda. He is yakuza now, and by that line, mine. If you value your family, you will concede."
"I will come!" Odagiri says before Ryuichiro can.
Ryuichiro spins around to glare at the brat. How dare he assume to make a decision of this magnitude! The Ooedo Clan is his to command. And after that oh so humble admission of obeying Ryuichiro. How dare he.
Isarmu steps around Ryuichiro. "And here I thought you would – what was it? – stand by Kuroda's decisions? Obey him?"
Odagiri flushes, but maintains eye contact. "I will not endanger the family. If my services will gain your good grace for them, I shall do so."
"My, my, loyal and brash." Isarmu signals. "Yabuki-san."
The young heir stands up. "Hai."
"You will take this young pup under your tutelage. Train him to be strong."
"Hai."
"I expect to see you every Saturday, Odagiri." Isarmu goes back to his seat. "That will be all, Kuroda."
0/0/0/0/0
"What were you thinking?" Ryuichiro explodes once they get home. The other members of the family huddle by the doorway. Ryuichiro ignores them. "Well?"
"I will not let you condemn this family for me."
"Oh?" Ryuichiro steps close, until they are inches away, and grabs hold of the boy's shirt. "Become head of this household, have you?"
Odagiri shrinks, but holds his gaze. "No. I shall accept whatever punishment you deem fit, Kuroda-sama." The boy blinks rapidly. "But I will not recant my words."
"Insolent brat," Ryuichiro hisses. "Get out of my sight. Kouzou, take him!"
His friend stumbles forward and yanks Odagiri away. Kimiko steps up now.
"What did he do, Ojiisan?" she asks.
"He gave himself to the Sandaime, to do with as he pleases."
She bristles. "How dare that old – !"
"Have a care, granddaughter. I might be allowed such words, but you are not clan leader yet."
She visibly pushes her anger down. "And you allowed this?"
"No." Ryuichiro glowers at the tree outside the door. "But the Sandaime threatened the household. Meaningless words only. But Odagiri fell for them and promised himself before I could reply. It is done."
"I'm going to kill him," she vows, whirling around to find Odagiri.
"Leave that to Hayato-kun." Ryuichiro smirks. "He is Odagiri's appointed trainer. Perhaps, when the young master is finished, you may put Odagiri out of his misery."
She snorts. "And grant him the easy way out?"
"Good, we are of an accord then." He lays a hand on her shoulder. "We will guide him how we can, Kumiko. Never fear."
0/0/0/0/0
Hayato arrives the next day, before the sun has risen beyond coloring the sky pink. Ryuichiro expects he hopes to catch Odagiri in bed. But, as much as Ryuichiro is still angered by the boy's rash choice, he knows Odagiri isn't ready for such wakings. They'd already had one mini panic attack last night, thanks to Tetsu yelling at Odagiri. They need no more this morning.
"Hayato-kun." Ryuichiro bows. "You honor this family."
Hayato laughs and hangs his arms over the bokken across his shoulders. "I guess that's one way of saying it. Personally, I'd much rather be in bed right now, but your nuisance of a recruit has got the Sandaime in a tizzy. So here we are."
Ryuichiro lets the rude manner of speech go. It is Hayato's way, and he means no disrespect to his father.
"So, where is his room?" Hayato asks.
"He is waiting for you in the gardens."
"Spoilsport," Hayato pouts.
Ryuichiro hesitates. "His spirit is –"
"I know," Hayato interrupts softly. "I saw it. I'll go easy for now."
"Arigato." Ryuichiro says, bowing again. He leads the young heir out into the crisp garden air. There he leaves the boys to become acquainted, though he does make sure to watch them from the window. It's half curiosity as to how Hayato will handle Odagiri, half how Odagiri will handle Hayato.
The older boy studies the younger one kneeling in the grass.
"Are you gonna bow there all day?" Hayato asks at last, a slight antagonistic inflection in his tone.
Odagiri bows lower, how Ryuichiro isn't quite sure, but hes does. "If you wish it, Yabuki-sama."
"Ack, don't call me Yabuki. It makes me feel like hitting you. I'm not an old man, so no calling me one." Hayato twirls his bokken. "Sit up already. You're making my back hurt, just looking at you."
Odagiri rises to a sitting position slowly, his eyes crinkling in confusion. Good. Hayato just might get some sense across to him.
"Good." Hayato plops down on the wet grass. "So, let's say you and I get acquainted."
"Hai, Yabuk…Hay…" Odagiri flounders.
Hayato grins. "Name's Hayato, but you can call me #1 Awesome Sensei."
Odagiri's mouth twitches up.
"Aha! I knew it lived there somewhere," Hayato crows. "Got you to crack after only three minutes. Personal record beaten and set again."
Odagiri only shakes his head, his gaze searching the ground as if it might hold the answer to his teacher's bizarre attitude.
Good luck with that, Ryuichiro thinks. Even the gods themselves might have trouble figuring that puzzle out.
"Hayato-sama –" Odagiri starts out.
"Uh-uh! Remember? It's #1 Awesome Sensei to you."
Odagiri's mouth moves up more. "Hayato-sama."
"Oh fine, be boring." Hayato motions a 'continue' sign. "Go on."
"I would…that is…you're not…" Odagiri sighs. "Why?"
"Cause the clan elders are all stuffy and I hate the morbid, old antiques way of dealing with things…for the most part. Expect for Kuroda and Ren. They got with the times." Hayato leans back on his palms. "So, you got another name besides Odagiri? I have'ta tell you, it's bringing your Dad to mind way too often for my liking."
Odagiri pales at that. "Ryu. Odagiri Ryu."
"Ryu, huh?" Hayato says. "Nice. Okay then, Ryu-kun, let's see what we can do to impress the Sandaime."
"Hai…Hayato-sama."
They practice a few katas for the entire morning, and then spend the rest of the afternoon making a hotpot for dinner. Hayato says it is good practice for learning control in close quarters. Ryuichiro suspects he just wants to have the Ooedo Clan's famous sake at dinner.
0/0/0/0/0
Odagiri….no, Ryu's training progresses at a slow pace. One Hayato picked. The heir recognizes the damage done to Ryu and moves to new levels only when he knows the other boy is ready for them.
And then it all comes to a head one day.
Hayato comes barging in, carrying a bloody, unconscious Ryu in his arms. "Call the doctor!" he orders Minoru sharply.
"What happened?" Ryuichiro asks as they lay the boy out on his futon.
"Some punks thought they'd use me to get into the Raion Family. Got me cornered in a tunnel and wailed on me." Hayato huffs and strips Ryu of his butchered shirt. "Of course, Ryu couldn't just let me handle things and had to go all hero. Baka. I had things sorted."
Ryuichiro thinks this is an excellent time to leave the young heir to care for his student, to sort out his thoughts and find that somewhere along the way they became friends. And friends don't let other friends go into a fight alone. He places a hand on Hayato's arm. "He'll be all right, Hayato-kun."
"Of course he will!" Hayato glares. "I gotta kick his butt for this. Baka dashi."
0/0/0/0/0
Sufficed to say, the clans all hear of Ryu's actions.
Ryuichiro has to endure endless calls for the next month, as Ryu recovers, all wanting to know the exact details – Hayato is remaining mute to everyone except his father – and what the plans are, now that it's obvious Ryu can fight to a certain degree.
Blithering idiots.
0/0/0/0/0
Kumiko comes to him when he's in his study. She wrings her hands together and glances down the hallway. "Hayato-kun is in the garden with Ryu."
Ah. He wondered when Hayato would deem Ryu well enough to condemn. His bones pop as he gets up. "I shall see about it, Kumiko."
"Hai."
Ryuichiro moves to his preferred spot by the garden window. Hayato and Ryu are having a standoff, glaring in equal measures at each other, although Ryuichiro can see Ryu is favoring his left side. Hayato zones in on the obvious weakness like a tiger with flexed claws.
"Baka," Hayato snarls, looking hard at the injured side. "I had it handled."
Ryu snorts. "Of course you did. I suppose letting them beat you with a pipe was all part of the plan."
"Of course!"
"Well then, it was a stupid plan."
"Watch how you talk to your sensei," Hayato warns, stepping nearer.
"I would, if my sensei weren't so eager to get himself killed." Ryu folds his arms, only just smothering a wince – probably his ribs. "You're heir to the yakuza clans, Hayato. You can't just run around as if no one might take a shot at you."
"I have bodyguards for that!" Hayato yells.
"A lot of good they did you!" Ryu shouts back. "But then, how can they do their job, when you ditch them all the time?"
"That's my business, Odagiri."
Ryu's face drains of empathy. "Don't. Calling me by my father's name will not negate that you're being stupid here. You could've died, Hayato."
"I had it covered!"
Ryu, evidently, gives up all pretense of calm and storms over as fast as his ribs allow him, grabbing a fistful of Hayato's jacket. "I will not watch you being beaten and stand by, doing nothing. Do not ask me to do that, Hayato. I can't."
Both boys are breathing hard by now. Neither one willing to give an inch.
At last, Hayato looks away with a curse. "How did it get this far?"
Ryu lets go of his jacket and shrugs his right shoulder a bit. "Knowing you, because the gods thought it a hilarious joke to make you actually care about your life."
"So they sent me a nanny?"
"A friend."
Hayato's back jerks. "Friend?"
"You are to me," Ryu states, stepping back and letting the heir have physical room to process this open declaration. And, coming from Ryu, someone who does not let others see his emotions without a fight, this is big. Ryuichiro only hopes Hayato won't crush his friend…only to realize the truth afterward.
"Being around me is dangerous."
"So is being your student. Particularly when you make health drinks." Ryu smirks. "I don't remember running from that."
"Baka."
"Does this mean I get to finally train with an actual sword?"
"No," Hayato pouts. "Baka dashi don't get that privilege."
"What about friends?"
Hayato steals a glance at Ryu. "Friends…might get to touch one, once in a while."
"Sweet." Ryu stuffs his hands into his pant pockets. "I like the black one."
"Baka, I get the black. You're not cool enough to pull that look off." Hayato scans Ryu from head to toe. "Definitely the silver though."
"Fine," Ryu says. "So long as you promise to let me guard your back."
Hayato groans. "Might as well. Otherwise, knowing my luck, you'll train as a secret assassin and start wearing your pajamas during the day."
Ryuichiro smiles as he sees the boys grin at each other. Perhaps that night, those two years ago, when Ryu brought Kumiko home had done more than he thought. These two boys will lead the clans into the new age. A different one, yes, but no less bright.
The Fates, it seems, have won again.
Japanese words:
1) Baka - idiot
2) Dashi - student
3) Tatami mat - a traditional Japanese mat made from rice straw and wood chips.
4) Hai - yes
5) Arigato - informal 'thank you'
6) Ojiisan - informal 'grandfather'
7) Ohayō gozaimasu - formal 'good morning'
8) Arigatou gozaimasu - formal 'thank you'
9) Sensei - teacher
10) katas - practice moves (can be done with or without a partner)
And that's my first ever attmept at a Gokusen story, folks. I've loved this series for years now, but never tried my hand at it. Here's hoping you like it, and review.
Reviews are life, people.