A/N: This is a part of a bigger AU that I may or may not end up writing.
Tsubaki would have been mad if she caught him smoking. He'd promised, and most of the time he held that promise. Held it to the tattoos across his knuckles saying family honor, and the fact that Ryouken had begged him after going through the D.A.R.E program at school, and seeing all those pictures of black lungs, and cancer ridden throats. But then there were nights like this one where all he needed was a cigarette.
Organized crime wasn't easy after all. It wasn't, and there were times of stress that he needed his mind to remain unaltered, free of slowing down, or fuzzing up the way it would under the affects of sweet Mary Jane or booze. So he stood out on the balcony, and smoked while he listened to Akane give the report on their finances.
He was thinking about the first time he'd had a cigarette. When he was twelve years old sitting on the back steps with his dad, watching him clean guns, and adjust sights. It had been the middle of summer, but still cold, and he'd coughed hard after taking the first drag. He remembered being greeted with hard laughter, and a happy pat on the back.
"-lower than last month-" Akane said, and Black Star stirred, snuffing the lit end of his smoke out on the railing, and flicking it off into the night below.
"Pull our investment out of the National Bank," he said, turning back toward his office.. Warmth from the indoor heating began to sink uncomfortably through the second skin that was the suit he wore. Tsubaki had bought it for him last Christmas. It was nice, but he heated the way he sleeves felt on his arms. They covered large swaths of color, dragons, stars. The only thing that was left open to the air was the Nakatsukasa crest on his neck. He itched for the simple tank tops of home life.
"But that will leave us open to attack from the Russians. Investing in their bank was the only thing that settled the turf war."
"It's not my fault those dumb asses keep getting themselves robbed. They won't do anything to us with the Thompsons running loose. They can't. So long as the Devil Twins are on the fly it's a wild game, and the Russians don't have the time for us. Honestly, we should be moving on them while we can. We need as much land, and money as we can get our hands on before those crazy mother fuckers turn their greedy little eyes on Yakuza territory, and we start getting the brunt of it."
Akane hesitated by the double doors as Black Star sank into the chair behind his desk. It was uncomfortable, but imposing. He needed imposing. He remembered all the times his father had told him that war was won by sight. Whoever looked the meanest walked away from the game with the crown of "winner". It was only when men were not scared that it came to fighting.
He watched Akane's feet shift on the tiling. Struggling fight or flight. Fingers tightening on a clipboard. Weighing the chances of his win. They were close to naught. Black Star's foot clacked against the demon sword beneath his desk, and the other man snapped back to attention.
"Pull our investments. They're just dragging us down," Black Star said, snapping open the case of cigars on his desk, and offering one. Akane took it without protest, or input, waiting for it to catch on Black Star's lighter. "And tell Big Star that we're preparing for the inevitable. There's going to be a war on soon, and I need his people as primed as possible. Dark Star already knows what to do, so don't bother with her."
"Yes sir," Akane said with a small bow before heading out the door.
Black Star leaned back in his chair as the cigar smoke cleared out of his office, and watched the ceiling, hands hard on the arm rests.
Tsubaki wasn't going to like the longer nights. He'd have to miss another one of Hebi's belt ceremonies. And Iruka would throw a fit when he didn't make it to her birthday.
He planned the next round of apology gifts, and tried to forget when Ryouken had said, "You know Hebi likes it better when you don't come because it means he gets more stuff". Kids could be cruel, but that had to have been a lie.
Tsubaki wasn't going to like the longer nights at all. And the kids would be older the next time he saw them. There would be a thousand more moments forever out of his reach.
The phone was heavy in his hand when he called home, but his wife's voice was sweet on the other end of the line, and he found himself smiling as he gave her a lazy "Hey". Because making sure she was alright was better than smoking.