EDIT 21/03/18: general touch up, additional scene
Chapter 11
Akira was in a weird mood.
Nana knew this in the way her eldest almost burned the eggs cooking this morning, and in the way she was now picking half-heartedly at her breakfast with a distant look upon her face.
This was from a person who she'd taught every trick in the cookbook and impressed upon a passion for food as a privilege since she could walk. So it was safe to say Akira was not herself this morning.
She gave her daughter five more seconds of poking around her plate and staring off into space before deciding to speak up.
"Ki-chan." she called.
Akira stirs as if from a slumber and turned to her inquiringly
Nana merely looked meaningfully towards her eldest's meal. She followed her gaze and finally noticed that her omelette had all but been reduced to a saucy, scrambled paste.
"Sorry." she said, quickly righting her chopsticks and with the length of it, scraped up what she could from the mess on her plate. But the strange mood that hung around her remained.
Nana frowned in worry, pausing in her own breakfast to think up a conversation that would lighten the atmosphere.
"But my, Ki-chan, if you're really aiming to be a professional chef, you would think one would know how to cook something as simple as eggs without trouble." she teased, expecting her eldest to leap at the window of opportunity provided to happily babble on about her renewed dream.
Instead, Akira had curiously stiffened at the mention, turning wide, almost pleading eyes upon her. It threw Nana for a loop. She watched her daughter eventually come to herself, and offer her a laugh and a grin that seemed all too forced.
"Yeah," she had said. "I guess."
And as if noticing her growing concern, Akira made a show of exuberantly draining her bowl of soup.
"The soup's great, mum!" the brunette exclaimed, "I've got a long way to go before I'm at your level."
And because her daughter obviously didn't want her worrying, Nana didn't pry. Instead she donned her best cheer and smile, pretending to be oblivious until Akira needed to confide.
"Only about a hundred years, dear." she quipped lightly.
Akira merely smiled wanly.
"Morning Mum, Akira-nee." Her youngest's arrival was punctuated with the customary yawn and stumble on the stairs down.
Nana perked up at his arrival, sensing a chance to perhaps brighten Akira's mood. But she wasn't given the opportunity to discreetly clue Tsuna in on the situation, her eldest had roused at his arrival too.
"Tsuna." she called, standing abruptly with a clatter of her chair and making her way around the table to the still sleep-bleary teen. "Hey, you-uh still have that good luck charm thing I gave you?"
Tsuna stifled another yawn in favour of blinking uncomprehendingly up at his sister. Nana watched their exchange curiously.
"Good luck charm?" he repeated drowsily.
"Yeah, the one I gave you on your first day of Committee duties." Akira prompted, "It was a wooden plaque thing, with an engraved symbol."
"Plaque...? Oh man, you know I'm bad at thinking in the mornings..." he ruffled his hair and scrunched his brows in thought. Then his expression cleared in remembrance. "Oh! That! Yeah-" he started digging around the pockets of his uniform's trousers, until he managed to procure the fist-sized wooden object in question. "This right? Here you go."
He tipped it into her palm, and Nana watched her absently thumb the engraved picture.
"Thanks."
"You know, I'm not too sure that it actually gave me good luck, considering the things I've gone through." he said, "but the carving's pretty. It's a cherry blossom right?"
"Peach." she corrected, expression unreadable. "Peach blossoms."
Tsuna squinted through sleep crusted eyes at the engraving of the stylised flower blossom.
"Oh right. Momo. Peach." He nodded in realisation at the tell-tale inked kanji. "Momokyokai."
The dish slipped out of her soapy hands, clattering against the sink. They turned at the noise. It was Tsuna's cue to remember to eat breakfast and for Akira to clear away hers.
"I'll get it." Akira said, laying her dishes into the sink and urging her mother to sit back down.
She did so with a smile, but her eyes were still tinged with worry.
"Are you walking to school with Kyoko-chan today again, Tsu-kun?"
Tsuna choked on his swallow of soup. And through his spluttering, and reddening face, shot her a betrayed look.
"Mum! Why would you tell about that?!" he cried, shooting frantic and worried glances at his sister's back.
Such a statement was just asking for Akira to start teasing him. Nana laughed mirthfully, gauging her daughter's reaction out of the corner of her eye.
"Good for you, Tsuna." her eldest said, almost absent-mindedly, clapping him on the back as she made her way out into the hallway. "I'll be going now."
Tsuna stared suspiciously after her. Nana worried her lip, before standing and following her.
"Ki-chan." she called, unable to keep herself quiet.
Akira glanced up curiously from where she was kicking on her shoes.
"You're alright, right?"
Her eldest blinked in surprise and her mouth parted slightly, as if debating what to say. Nana watched her shake her head staring fixedly down at her shoes.
"Sure. I'm fine." she said, and at her unsure look added more sincerely, "I'll be better once today's over."
Tsuna, hearing the curious exchange, poked his head into the hallway inquiringly.
"I'll be going then."
"Okay..." she could only say, offering a smile that felt lacking, "Be safe."
The door shut, and Nana sighed.
"Ah." Tsuna exclaimed, making her start, "Akira-nee wasn't wearing her uniform."
Mochida Kensuke received the text as he was preparing to head off to school.
1 New Message from That Red-haired Dude
He swore, ruffling his hair in annoyance. Since his brother had pushed him to start hanging around the red-haired man and his rag-tag bunch of lackeys, he found himself being dragged into their shenanigans more often than he liked.
It was a school day today as well.
He grumbled under his breath to himself a bit more, just for the sake of it, before switching his school-bag for his more casual sports bag. It was just a reason to skip school anyway.
At the sound of him opening the shoe cabinet, his older brother popped up to send him off.
"You're going, Kensuke?" he inquired.
He had to admit, it still threw him to see his brother without his signature slick-back and piercings. Ever since the incident at his school, it seemed his brother had had a change of heart and had returned to pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor. Now he dressed neatly and even wore those nerdy glasses he detested so much before.
Kensuke grunted a confirmation, stooping to tie his shoe laces.
"Wait-" Kenji narrowed his eyes at the teen, "Why aren't you taking your schoolbag? Are you skipping school again?"
Kensuke scowled. And ever since his brother's image change, his nagging was incessant.
"Yeah." he affirmed nonchalantly.
"Kensuke." his brother intoned, the disapproval clear in his voice, "When I said I was going to be a proper role model for you from now on, I meant it. So I'm not going be so lenient anymore when it comes to things like this. School is vital for your future-"
"-Yeah, yeah!" he snapped, "I get it! God damn, you're starting to sound like our mother. You know I'm only skipping school because the group you insisted me join told me to!"
Kenji paused.
"Oh." he said, expression lightening, "Well if it's friend that's telling you to, then I'm sure it's important. Take care and stay safe then!"
He fixed his brother with an incredulous stare. Then he clicked his tongue.
"Whatever."
He slammed the door behind him as he left, flipping open his phone and pulling up the address and map he'd been sent.
"Why the hell does he want me to go to a shitty-ass, seedy shrine for?" he muttered, "And when the hell did Namimori have another shrine other than Namimori Shrine?"
He punted a stray can and cursed the respect he still harboured for his brother for getting him into this hassle.
But man did he thank him for his free and easy ticket out of school.
Tsuna shifted in his spot at Nami-Middle's front gates, absently tapping his pen against his clipboard. It was the D.C.'s routine uniform check-up, and as their record-keeper it was his duty to jot down the names of any offenders.
And so far there had been three unfortunate souls on the waiting list for discipline, exacted by none other than their Great Leader.
The subject of uniform had his thoughts inevitably wandering to this morning again. It was baffling to say the least, the way his sister had let a chance to tease him over his 'love life' go so easily. With a congratulations no less. He shuddered at the thought.
It was just so completely out of character.
"New guy!"
Tsuna glanced up at Sawamura's ecstatic call. Most likely he had caught another unfortunate offender.
"Look at what I found!"
And sure enough, there the regent-haired teen was, with a student dangling from his fist by the back of his blazer. The poor first-year looked rightly terrified.
"A first-year! Cocky enough to waltz onto school grounds missing his tie!" Sawamura boomed, lifting the student to eye-level and staring him down with all the charisma of a back-alley thug. "He's just asking for discipline ain't he, boys?"
A chorus of 'hear, hear' resounded from the congregation of D.C members currently on uniform duty. Tsuna merely laughed nervously.
"P-p-please! I spilled soup on it and it's still in the w-w-wash!" the first-year pleaded. "Have mercy!"
"Not a chance!" Sawamura easily shot him down, "New guy! You know what to do!"
Tsuna took one look at the first-year's teary eyed face and immediately felt sympathy for kindred spirit. Before he became a D.C member, he too knew the oppressive tyranny of the Committee too well.
"But Sawamura-san, what if he's telling the truth?" he reasoned.
At this, his senior paused in thought. Only to bounce back a moment later.
"Doesn't matter. He will face justice at the hands of Chairman." he declared brusquely, "Tell us your name and class, and you better not lie or we'll know!"
So with great reluctance the brunet scribbled down the sobbing first-year's details.
He wondered if his sister's strange mood and actions had something to do with her insomnia. But then again, in past instances, even at her worst when sleep-deprived she had found it in herself to harass him. It even rejuvenated her.
Tsuna furrowed his brows in serious thought.
Maybe an imposter? A robot sent to infiltrate their household?
He quickly squashed that train of thought, snorting at how ridiculous he was being.
"Herbivore."
Tsuna froze.
"Why are you laughing."
"HIEE! F-f-f-f-forgive m-me C-Chairman!" He immediately shrieked, rapidly dissolving into a flurry of repentant, mercy-pleading bows. "It w-wasn't my intention to s-s-slack off on d-duty!"
He was treated to a full ten seconds of the raven-haired prefect's calculating stare, in which his knees would not stop knocking together, before he was given a short nod.
"Do not let it happen again."
Tsuna nodded all too gratefully, and turned back to his duties with his mind now whole-heartedly on the task at hand. He was lucky to have gotten off with a mere warning.
"Herbivore."
Or so he thought. With returning fear and trepidation, he turned at the prefect's call.
"Y-yes, Chairman?"
He was once again met with their considering look, and began to sweat when the silence drew out. Then the prefect finally spoke.
"Your sister," he said, causing Tsuna to blink in surprise, "did she skip school today?"
What mild shock he felt at Hibari Kyouya of all people inquiring after his sister was swamped by the greater terror of the prefect somehow knowing that she had broken school rules. He paled at the thought of what would happen to his sister in the name of discipline if he dobbed her in. As a brother, he couldn't bring such a fate upon her.
But his tense silence and expression told the prefect everything. Steely-eyes narrowed.
"I see." he said.
And Tsuna began to pray for his sister's well-being, but the raven-haired teen's next words had him pausing in curiosity.
"So she went." the prefect shook his head in disappointment. "This is why she'll always be a herbivore, she lets sentiment tie her down."
Then he swept away with billow of his gakuran, leaving Tsuna with his confused thoughts.
His sister was alright, right?
When Kensuke had called the place he was to meet up at seedy, he hadn't truly meant it. It was only in the heat of the moment. He hadn't intended for the statement to turn out to actually be actually true.
Now, as he was valiantly locked in a sneer-off in a dingy alley with three thugs who were by no means mere delinquent posers, he made a note to ease off on his potty mouth in the future.
"Looks like a little kid's gotten lost." the one with the sneering mug closest to his taunted derisively, "What's wrong? Did you get separated from your mummy, boy?"
It elicited snickers from his buddies.
His own scowl didn't falter in face of this, but he didn't do anything further to retaliate either. Although he might come off as the typical crass and rough delinquent student, he possessed sense to know not to needlessly provoke these men.
He knew when to fight his battles, and now wasn't the time.
"Just let me get on my way." he said, determinedly hiding the waver that threatened to choke his voice when he caught sight of the pocket knife one of the thugs was toying with. "I don't want any trouble."
His attempt at diffusing this rather worrying situation failed however when they burst into raucous laughter.
"You don't want any trouble?! the thug with the knife howled, shoulder checking him and pushing him back when he attempted to slip away, "That's adorable kid! But the moment you set foot in this place you were already in trouble. Don't you know where this is?"
"He probably thought this was some cool hangout for wannabe delinquent students." his friend grinned sharply.
Kensuke pressed his back against the graffitied bricks of the alley wall, feeling cold sweat break on his brow against his will as the thugs started to close in.
"Lemme tell you how wrong you are kid." the thug with the knife kept a bruising grip on his shoulder. "This is the red-light district equivalent for gangs, crime and everything big and bad- nothing like the little delinquent kiddie games you go around playing. And you've landed yourself right in the middle of it."
The thug pressed the flat of the knife lightly against his cheek, a gentle threat of hurt if he so much as moved wrongly.
"So, are you thinking of crying for your mummy yet?"
Kensuke felt his tongue grow thick with fear. His pupils shrank to pin-pricks as he tried to keep the knife point in sight. The pressure on his cheek increased-
"Oi."
A four heads turned at the new voice.
At the mouth of the alley, steadily stalking towards them was figure that barely reached the shortest thug's chest when they came to a stop before them. But as unimpressive their slight stature was, the glower that simmered beneath the fold of their beanie certainly wasn't.
With a start, Kensuke recognised the arrival as none other than Dame-Tsuna's crazy sister. His supposed, unwilling mentor.
"Piss off." she said, with a jerk of her head to the alley's entrance in emphasis, "He's one of ours."
He barely stopped himself from gaping at her blasé attitude towards three men. They looked capable of crushing her with their thumbs alone for god's sake. She was definitely crazy.
The thugs thought so too, for in the face of such stupidity they immediately switched targets, leaving Kensuke against the wall to surround her.
"One of yours?" the thug with the knife was flipping the weapon before her face now, leering down at her incredulously. "And pray do tell, who is this 'yours'?"
At this, she let out a long-suffering sigh and from the pocket out her pants produced a wooden plaque no larger than her palm.
"Momokyokai." and the name, coupled with whatever emblem on the plaque she'd flashed them seemed to hold enough significance to make the thugs falter.
And as if knowing they would make no further move, she pocketed the object once more and made her way over to his still frozen form.
"Yo." she said, and he stared incredulously at the light-hearted greeting.
She clapped a hand on his back, making him jump and firmly steered him through the unsurely debating thugs.
Just as Kensuke felt they had managed to get through the worst of that predicament, they were stopped.
"Wait."
The thug with the knife had flung out his hand before them, blade skimming under Kensuke's nose. He stared coldly down at them.
"Who said I was done with the kid?"
Kensuke swallowed.
"H-hey, man." one of his friends shifted apprehensively. "They're with the Momokyokai, what are you doing?"
The thug wasn't swayed, even going as far to spit contemptuously at their feet.
"So what?" he snapped, fixing them with a leer, "the Momokyokai's been worth fucking squat lately and you know it."
Kensuke looked nervously to his only ally in the situation and found them with brows furrowed deeply in irritation. The hand at his back clenched on his shirt and pulled him back behind her. He rubbed at his throat where his collar had dug into his skin, watching tensely as she stalked fearlessly up to the thug, uncaring of the knife he brandished until they were nose to nose.
The thug sneered down at her. She glowered unflinchingly back.
"You are welcome to try that statement." she intoned darkly, her jaw set in a harsh line, "But I suggest you listen to your friend. Considering what today means to us, I'm not in the best of moods and neither is the rest of the Momokyokai. If you choose to cross us, today of all days, then it just might be the last mistake you'll make."
The thug glared defiantly for a tense few seconds, before clicking his tongue and motioning towards his friends.
"Let's go. They're a waste of our time anyway."
Kensuke watched them disappear around the corner with bated breath. But the moment they were gone, it was surprisingly Dame-Tsuna's sister who exhaled in relief.
"I fucking hate bluffing." she groaned, sagging against the wall.
He stared in disbelief.
"You bullshit our way out of getting shanked?!" he spluttered.
"Not all of it was bullshit." she said, fixing him with a demanding stare, "Why the hell are you even wandering around this part of town?"
"Your red-headed friend told me to come here!"
She swore irritably, pushing off of the wall and gesturing impatiently for him to follow.
"Trust Seiji to get fucking outsiders involved in inside matters."
"What's this Momokyokai those assholes were so scared of anyway?"
"A better question would be, why the hell are you parading around in school uniform?" she eyed him over critically, "Ever heard of dressing for the occasion? Not to mention you're just asking to be recognised by these thugs."
He scowled at this.
"Your friend texted me just as I was leaving for school, and I wasn't even informed what the damn occasion was-"
She seemed to straighten at this.
"That's right, you should go back to school, get out of here." she urged, pointing a commanding finger at him, "This thing doesn't involve you. In fact, you shouldn't even be getting involved in this shit."
"What, by myself? And get jumped again? I'd rather stick with you." he snorted, rolling his eyes. "And you didn't answer my question, who the fuck are the Momokyokai?"
Her eyes narrowed, obviously conflicted on what course of action to take. Then she threw her hands up in resignation, rounding on him with a glower.
"The Momokyokai is the goddamn yakuza that controls this area." she said, "And the occasion? We're going to pay respects to their late leader's grave."
Kensuke's mind blanked.
What the fuck.
"Your daughter has been marked as absent without reason today, I'm just calling to inquire whether this was something you were aware of already..?"
"No..."
"It is very regretful to say, but Sawada's number of unexplained has been worrying. In order to graduate from high-school there is a minimum quota for attendance and right now it's not looking good for her."
"Yes, I understand. I'll be sure to talk to her about it. Thank you, good-bye"
Nana gripped the plastic handle of the phone receiver tightly before letting it drop from her fingers to the table.
She was thoroughly at a loss. Just the other evening her daughter had eagerly announced her rekindled determination to pursue a culinary career. Yet now she was skipping school like she cared nothing for her education.
She found herself with brows knitted for the umpteenth time that day.
"Just what is that girl thinking?" Nana exhaled sharply in frustration, "When she gets back I'm going to give her a stern talking to!"
"Aneki."
He twitched.
"Aneki." another chorus.
He looked towards the back of the person these tattooed and suited men so familiarly greeted with calls of 'older sister', and found the owner much too underwhelming.
But what unsettled Kensuke more than being packed into a dilapidated, family-run shrine with mourning yakuza was seeing Sawada's sister, Akira taking it all in stride, as if she fit right in with them.
And she did. Everything about her walk, the way she carried herself, it all suggested that she was long accustomed to this foreboding world.
'Stick close to me', she had told him, 'don't wander off.'
From the furrowed brows and unnerving stares his presence was receiving, he wouldn't have strayed from her side even if she made him. He hated to admit it, but in this situation he was helpless and she was the sole barrier between him and all these hardened criminals.
Akira stopped to talk to a heavily tattooed man with a bulk and face reminiscent of a gorilla, and he, apparently valuing his life more than she did, obediently stayed behind her. The sombre-faced yakuza spared him only a curious glance.
"Akira-san." he greeted with a morose sigh, "You're here.
"Jin-san." she nodded, appraising him carefully and scratching her cheek unsurely, "How are you holding up?"
"Oh, you know..." he trailed off, lip quivering in a way so severely unsuited for a man of his stature, it made Kensuke stare. "as well as I can be, considering..."
As he caught the first signs of the man's eyes starting to water, Kensuke quickly took it as his cue to turn his attention from the conversation and to his surroundings.
It wasn't much of a difference, all around him were gruff-looking men mourning to some degree. It really made him wonder, to think that a crime lord could garner such emotional grief even a year after death. And he had once thought all gang and yakuza leaders commanded with mere fear and power.
On that thought, what had his brother been thinking? Handing him over to Yakuza of all people for 'proper education'.
He stared listlessly as a gust of wind blew another smattering of red and orange leaves to flutter onto the carpet already covering the shrine's courtyard.
He really didn't belong here.
"So who's the kid following you around?" Gorilla-man Jin's inquiry had his head snapping up.
Kid? What was with these thugs demeaning him and calling him a kid? He was barely younger than this Akira he had addressed so respectfully a moment ago. He scowled reflexively and let his displeasure be known.
"I'm not some damn kid!" he protested hotly, "The name's Mochid-"
"-Just a brat I'm mentoring."
He glared when Akira swiftly cut across him, only to receive a sharp look of warning back. He scowled for a second longer before grudgingly backing down with a few discontented mutters.
"Really? You're mentoring someone?" Jin seemed to brighten slightly at the news. "I better let you properly show the kid around then."
"Yeah." she agreed, already starting to firmly lead Kensuke away.
"By the way, Natsumi-san's already by the grave." and at the word the man's face fell again, "She'll probably want to see you."
"Alright, thanks Jin-san."
The moment they were out of earshot, Akira pulled him aside to appraise him incredulously.
"Are you stupid or something?" she demanded.
"What-?!" his hackles quickly rose to the insult, but she shot him down before he could protest.
"Were you really going to reveal your name to a bunch of Yakuza? Do you want to get stalked and killed?"
And under the sheer disbelieving look he was given, he was disgruntled into silence.
"Whatever." he finally said, albeit rather lamely, "If there's so many things I can't do why don't you goddamn explain it all to me first? What is this place even? A Yakuza hotspot?
Akira scratched her head through her beanie, seemingly debating whether to tell him anything. She relented, gesturing for him to come closer under the canopy of a tree. She sat on the stone bench, hunching over and resting her elbows on her knees. He unwillingly took a seat beside her.
"See that woman over there?" she pointed with her chin towards where an elderly lady dressed in the red and white of traditional priestess clothing was making her way fearlessly through the crowd of yakuza.
"Yeah."
"Tachibana Reiko. She's the one who runs this shrine, and she's also the grandmother of Momokyokai's third-in-command."
"Tachibana-?!" Kensuke spluttered upon realisation, "You mean that red-haired friend of yours is third-in-command?! "
She snorted.
"Yeah, I get you. Someone like him really shouldn't be in a position of authority, right?" she leaned back against the tree trunk, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "But, because his grandmother is a priestess, he knows the most about the Yakuza's rituals and traditions. Most, if not all have been carried out at this shrine for generations"
"Yakuza have traditions?" Kensuke asked, with a disbelieving curl of his lip.
"Of course they do. They have a whole damn hierarchy. Starting from the boss all the way up top, there's the First-Lieutenant; second-in-command and basically the boss' right-hand, Second Lieutenant; third-in command, orders around the lower ranked members-" she swept a hand towards the suited throng around them, "such as the kyodai, which Jin-san over there is, and the shatei who rank even lower than kyodai. It's kind of like a senior-junior relationship."
Kensuke eyed the milling Yakuza speculatively.
"You can tell usually tell the kyodai from the shatei from the tattoos." she further explained, pointing out a few that sported the colourful ink, "You see, getting those tattoos is like branding yourself a criminal for life. So you'll only find them on the senior and more devoted members."
"So, Gorilla-face over there was a kyodai, then."
If she took notice of the derogatory moniker, she made no comment.
"Jin-san's kind of more than just a kyodai." Akira nodded politely towards the tattooed man when he looked up and met their gazes, "He was the late boss' most loyal subordinate, anything he was ordered to do, he carried out with his life. No-one was more devoted to Atsushi than him. Which is also why he's been taking his death the hardest."
Kensuke watched said man blow his nose tearfully into a hanky.
"Yeah, I can tell." he said wryly. "In fact, a lot of people seem to be crying their eyes out over this dead boss of theirs. Was he that nice or something?"
At the brunette's bark of laughter, he bristled, thinking he was being mocked.
"Nice?!" she chortled slapping her hand against her thigh and fixing him with a mirthful look, "Atsushi was the kind of guy who would kick helpless ten-year olds when they cried and told them to buck the fuck up. Not to mention the toxic levels of second-hand smoking he subjected them to. He was a prick!"
And at the dark expression on her face when she said it, he wondered whether she had been one of those ten-year olds.
"Hell no he wasn't nice. He was the kind of guy that took what he wanted from others and more just 'cause he could. But he was respected greatly, adored even. I've heard that asshole being called the greatest leader the Momokyokai has had in decades." she shook her head in manner he could almost call wistful, "But outside family and friends? He was the most hated and feared man in all of Namimori and its surrounding districts. Momokyokai is a bokuto yakuza after all."
At his confused look she elaborated.
"A yakuza that deals mainly in gambling and the like. What the Momokyokai profits the most from is debt. And he, he was the king of them. I can guarantee you that everyone in this town was indebted to him at some point." she twiddled her thumbs, "And debts are powerful, if in the hands of someone who knew to use them effectively. And Atsushi was a very smart man. Which is why the Momokyokai is so powerful."
"If this yakuza is so influential, wouldn't the police know about them already?" he asked, frowning in thought.
"The police is in his debt as well."
Kensuke paused, mulling over that statement, before grinning in muted exhilaration.
"Fucking cool."
At once, her eyes narrowed in displeasure.
"No. It's not 'fucking cool'." she said, heated gaze boring into his, "I didn't tell you all this so you could get stupid ideas to try and join them. I told you all that so that you would recognise that they're dangerous and that you shouldn't get messed up with them, hey-!" she grabbed him by the shoulder when he rolled his eyes dismissively, "Listen! This is a criminal organisation, understand? They do some fucked up shit come night-time, kids like you shouldn't be getting involved with them."
He shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of her stare, shrugging her hand off.
"Yeah, yeah." he muttered, "You sound like my fucking brother."
She pushed herself to her feet at the call of her name from across the courtyard.
"Because your brother's right." she shoved him to get him going, "You've got a good head on your shoulders Mochida, even if that mug of yours ruins it a bit. Don't waste yourself on these things."
To that, he had no reply. Instead, he followed her mutedly towards the pixie-haired woman waving at them from around the corner of the shrine walls.
Mochida was silent through the whole ceremony.
Which surprised her really, since she'd long associated non-stop whingeing and barbed comments with the dark-haired teen. But she supposed the teen had enough manners to show respect before a dead man's grave. Or perhaps he was thinking over her words to him from before. Then again he was a rather stubborn teen, so the chances of it were slim.
He wasn't the only one unusually subdued. Natsumi, although she had greeted her with her usual cheer, retained none of it once they arrived before his grave. Falling instead into a pensive silence with bowed head.
Akira couldn't blame her, she too was part of the family that had adored their late leader. Perhaps it was herself that was too unswayed. She brushed her shoulder against the amber-haired woman's in a pathetic attempt to comfort.
A shock of red at her peripherals alerted her to Seiji's presence, and she found no trace of his usual grin on the planes of his face.
A flash of white to her left, and curiously a splash of red had her eyes travelling to Koutarou's figure leaning against the trunk of a tree with arms folded. The red she realised, was a familiar, traditional ogre mask hanging from his hip, which only raised more questions.
She turned her attention back to Seiji's grandmother who was hovering before the grave. The grave was lain under the arching branches of his favourite plum blossom tree, and the offerings his favourites also, a bottle of sake, and a smouldering cigarette.
The ceremony came to an end with the heady scent of incense still lingering in her nose.
She allowed herself five seconds to take in that grey slab of engraved stone, before resolutely turning away from it.
"Hey." it was Seiji, with a ghost of a grin slowly reaffirming itself upon his face. The red-head was looking around, "Where's the scary kid?"
"Kyouya's not coming."
"I see." he said, before shrugging casually, "I kinda expected it, the kid was always a free-spirit."
"Yeah." Akira agreed, before grabbing his elbow to get his attention once more. "Hey Seiji, do me a favour." she motioned towards where Mochida was brooding in a secluded corner. "Get him back home, make sure he gets back safe. He already got jumped on the way here, and frankly this really didn't concern him."
Seiji stared down at her, about to crack a joke before for once deciding against it at her firm stare. He looked towards the dark-haired middle-schooler and nodded.
"Alright." he said, nodding, "I'll have someone escort him."
And he strode off towards the teen, clapping him on the back with a broad grin and pointing in the direction out of the shrine. They left a moment after, with Mochida shooting an inscrutable look over his shoulder at her.
She wiggled her fingers blandly at him. The resulting scowl was brilliant.
Seeing Natsumi had gone off somewhere with Seiji's grandmother, her gaze drifted to the sole figure of Koutarou again. He hadn't talked to a single person upon his arrival several minutes late in the ceremony. And against her better judgement, she decided to approach him.
What caught her attention immediately, more than the unusual sight of seeing him in something other than his signature white chouran*, was the bandages peeking out from under the top buttons of his dress shirt.
Natsumi had mentioned that he had gotten himself messed up waltzing into another gang's territory by himself. But there were fresh bruises and scuffs on his hands.
"Hey." she said, and at the lack of a reply, she opted to press on. "You're not looking too hot."
He remained silent. She rubbed her awkwardly.
"That mask the reason why you were late today?" she tipped her heads towards the object in question hanging from his waist.
To her knowledge, he never wore it unless he was out on Yakuza related business. Which meant he must have been out doing something risky before the ceremony.
"It's kind of weird seeing you with it, it's been quite a while since you wore it, huh? What's the occasion-"
"-someone has to clean up the mess."
The brusque, clenched-teeth reply had her brows shooting to her hairline. She appraised the white-haired man in wide-eyed surprise. It seemed he wasn't in the mood for talk, if the lack of his usual laid-back drawl was anything to go by. So she ducked her head in acceptance and let the matter go.
But it was him who spoke again.
"I'm surprised you even showed up."
She frowned, catching the spite laced in the comment.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The violent look he threw towards her had her blanking.
This wasn't the usual Koutarou she had come to know. The turbulent and volatile demeanour he was barely suppressing, his cagey posture, and the down-turned corners of his mouth all pointed to the persona that only surfaced when he was behind the mask as Momokyokai's Rampaging Red Ogre.
Yet the mask was clearly hanging at his hip.
"I think you know." he spat.
And Akira knew she was to tread carefully. She leaned against the tree trunk, taking care that even her posture was as passive as possible. She shoved her hands deep in her pockets.
"I might be unwilling to take responsibility and all that," she started, "but I'm not ungrateful. I'd never forget about someone I owe."
Strangely her response seemed to only annoy him further.
"Really?" he scoffed, expression dark.
At this she scowled. She had been trying to keep the conversation civil, but his tone was entirely antagonising.
"What's your problem, man?"
"What's my problem-?" he broke off, before glaring down at her, "What yours?"
"The hell-"
"You say you're not ungrateful, yet lately all you've been doing is act like an ungrateful brat." he loomed over her, aura oppressive, "You pretend you don't know us on the streets, you abandon your surrogate family in times of need, spit on the goodwill of a man you once called your father-figure."
Akira unwillingly followed the forceful sweep of his arm to Atsushi's grave.
Then her own righteous anger spilled forth. Her jaw clenched and she met his glower, fire with fire.
"Do not try to push this on me." she snarled lowly, pressing him back with the flat of her raised forearm, her finger pointed between his eyes as warning of her rising temper. "You are perfectly capable of running this organisation without the help of a fucking high school student."
His eyes flashed. Her hand was knocked away easily and she found herself being grabbed by the collar of her shirt.
"This isnot about you becoming our leader." the anger was rolling off him in waves now, there were no more pretences, "It never was! This is about you showing even the slightest bit of gratitude for everything he's done for you- that we've done for you-!"
She forcefully ripped his grip from her, temper flaring abruptly.
"-I came here today-!" she broke off, running a hand through her hair in frustration, "Regardless of what it would mean for my fucking education-!"
"-out of obligation-"
"Then what- what the hell do you want me to do then?!"
"To fucking care about this family!" he roared, "Like it did about you!"
And Akira reeled back, as if struck.
"To at least have the decency to repay the damn kindness its shown you and help us- now of all times!" he swore, overwhelmed by his own anger, "We're leaderless, we've been leaderless for a year now, and because of it we're at our most vulnerable! Yet in our time of need, you act like a fucking stranger to us!"
"I can't get involved with the yakuza any further." she said lowly, shaking her head back and forth, "It was a selfish decision to do so in the first place- but I know that now. I have my own family to think of, and every time I'm seen hanging around the Momokyokai I'm slowly dragging them into this mess."
He laughed, a harsh, disbelieving sound.
"Your family?" he swiped a hand down his jaw, narrowing his eyes at her, "You would choose the family who you believed abandoned you over the one who took you in?"
She froze.
"Yeah. I heard you crying about it to Boss that day."
"Don't-"
He pitched his voice in a derisive imitation of hers.
"My father's left me."
"I said, don't!"
He followed her when she made to back away.
"My mother's always crying at night."
He shoved her, and her fists balled.
"My brother won't talk to me anymore! I guess you're all just self-absorbed pricks who can't give a shit about the people around them-"
"-FUCK YOU-"
Then they were at each other's throats, without even knowing who had thrown the first blow.
The blood roaring in their ears deafened them to the shouts of the suited men around them, as they earnestly attempted to beat each other's teeth in. They had only one thought on their mind. Make the other hurt.
But before they could deal the other anything more than a bloody nose and a split lip, they were bodily wrenched away from each other by the scruffs of their necks.
"ENOUGH!"
Someone stepped between them, preventing them from getting within striking distance of each other. Still Akira reached for him with her fists, blinded by her fury, until a blow across the head had her twisting to face her new assailant. She stopped.
It was Jin.
The hulking, tattooed man was staring them both down with a look of such anger and disappointment, theirs seemed pitifully pathetic in comparison.
"You both ought to feel ashamed of yourselves." he rumbled, "Boss trusted and loved every one of us equally. And on a day like this, when we should be showing him that we're united, we're fighting amongst ourselves-"
The man inhaled shakily, covering his face with his palm.
"On a day like this..."
She let her fists drop to her sides, and across from her, Koutarou did the same.
She didn't go straight home. Not when she could feel the sheer frustration still boiling away beneath her skin. She couldn't take this anger home.
She needed to be away other people. She needed to take it out something before it consumed her. She needed to be some place away from the Momokyokai and all of its fucking influence.
So it was inevitable that she found herself here.
Namimori's junkyard.
The single scrap-metal jungle tucked away in the outskirts of Namimori that had served as her hideout many times in the past. No one came here, and no one cared. But she was in no mood for a nostalgia trip.
She stalked through the haphazard piles and towers of metal scraps and empty car shells, searching for something- anything to get rid of this incessant roaring in her ears.
She punted an empty can into oblivion- but that only leaves her unsatisfied.
She kicked another, and when that ends with the can only rolling a few steps away from her she snarled in irritation. She goes to run her hands through her hair, but found that obstructed by her beanie.
"Fucking-!"
In a fit she tore it from her head and threw it carelessly to the ground.
Breath coming heavy, she spun on the spot, entire body coiled tight like some caged animal, eyes raking the heaps for an outlet. A dented metal bat caught her eye, she grabbed it.
Then there was no holding back. She smashed everything she could get her hands on. Every swing fuelled by this maelstrom of anger. A fucking hurricane in human skin.
She smashed the glass bottles on the broken fridge, relishing in the way they shattered into a billion tiny pieces.
"-fucking Koutarou-" she gritted out.
She broke the windscreen of a rusted truck.
"-fucking Momokyokai-"
Then the headlights.
"-fucking Yakuza-"
Then the side mirrors. Her leg hit an old rubber tyre and she pummelled that. Each strike jarring her shoulders. Once. Twice. Three times.
"-fucking - Atsushi-!"
Four.
She swiped the back of her hand across her mouth then stalked off further into the junkyard. She stopped when she caught sight of a peeling advertisement billboard for a long passed movie.
The Happiest Family: Buy your tickets now!
She took one look at the depiction of the smiling parents and children and sneered.
"You know it's all bullshit and acting, but you'd still willingly pay for it."
With a swing of the bat, she bashed the father's face in.
She continued, stopping before a rusted orange motorcycle next.
"You can somehow reform an entire school of gangsters overnight, but yourself?" she barks a harsh laugh, hefting the bat, "Oh no, Akira, you're fucking asking too much."
She smashed the tail-lights and kicked the accursed machine over. It crashed into a barrel and in turn caused that to topple as well.
A voice that sounded suspiciously like Wada-sensei's echoed in her head.
You need to keep that temper in check, Akira.
"Yeah well fuck you too!"
She locked onto a dilapidated stove next. Chef, her ass.
"I'm sorry Mum, but I guess I'm destined to forever be a worthless disgrace-" she kicks in the oven window, "- who can't even- fucking dream because of her insomnia."
She swung the bat down at the stove-top, but miscalculated and the rebound's impact sent her stumbling back.
"-FUCK!"
In a final fit of anger, she hurled the bat away from her and collapsed onto her back, digging the heels of her palm into her stinging eyes.
She knew the hot ache at the back of her throat, she felt the wetness through her eyelids, and she loathed it. She loathed it so much she fought against it with every fibre of her being. She glared up at the sky, blinking furiously against the stinging, defiant through it all.
But her anger inevitably boiled over and drained, leaving but desolation in its wake. Her defiant front crumpled, yet still she screwed her face up, refusing to let the tears spill.
She didn't hear someone approach until they spoke up.
"It's been a while since I've seen you lose it like that."
Akira looked to the side in surprise and found Natsumi standing some ways off, her discarded beanie in one hand and a first-aid kit in her other. She quickly looked away, throwing her arm across her eyes to hide any sign of her break down.
The crunch of gravel by her ear alerted her to Natsumi taking a seat beside her, and a second later, gentle but firm hands pulled the beanie back over her head.
"You two really did a number on each other."
Akira let her continuing talking, the silence would have been stifling otherwise.
"Here, you probably want to patch yourself up."
She felt the first-aid kit being set down next to her head, but she didn't move. Natsumi sighed, and she heard her start picking at the ground.
"… did you really mean all that?" the amber-haired teen began tentatively, "About leaving the yakuza for good, I mean."
Akira didn't answer, but she felt the beginnings of a lump rise up in her throat again. She didn't want to have this talk, not so soon. The more she thought about leaving the more she was remembering things she shouldn't be. She hated that she was beginning to feel guilty.
Natsumi took her silence as a confirmation, and didn't speak for a while.
"I guess it's been quite the long run, huh?"
And god damn it all, she could hear how wistful she was, it was painfully clear. And she knew that if Natsumi so much as asked her to stay at that moment, she would have. She knew it, and it was why Kyouya called her sentimental, a 'herbivore'.
"I'll talk to Koutarou." she said suddenly, "I'll convince him that a high-school student isn't necessary to run a Yakuza."
But she didn't. That's enough to make Akira pause and drop her arm.
"What's that look for?" Natsumi seemed almost bemused, "You didn't really think I would force you to stay in this messed up world of ours, did you? I mean I know I wasn't the best senpai back then, dragging you into a criminal organisation in the first place."
"Hell, I still think there's nothing wrong with this life I lead, I'm still caught up in the thrill of it all, and I still want to be able to run around, ignoring responsibility, doing what the hell I want without care for consequences-"
She broke off, looking down at Akira with a wry smile.
"I guess you're more mature than me in that regard. I've never even thought of living a straight and true life. But to be honest, that's what we all should be doing, huh?" she rubbed the back of her neck, "Momokyokai's era is coming to an end. We ought to really be sorting ourselves out on our own instead of dragging people with futures ahead of them into our mess to try fix it."
Akira almost wanted Natsumi to tell her to stay, to help them, because even if she denied it Momokyokai was her family too. But like before, she didn't. In that way, perhaps it was her who was more mature.
And because Akira was still watching her with that lost, wide-eyed look, Natsumi grinned and reached over to pull the lip of her beanie over her eyes.
"From now on, this senpai will take responsibility!"
Deprived of her sight, Akira listened to Natsumi get to her feet and leave. She was struck with the acute realisation through all of that, she couldn't even bring herself to say a single word back to her friend. Natsumi who had followed her all the way out here out of concern for her, even after everything she did, pushing them away. Natsumi who came her to give her an easy way out yet here she was, still unwilling to take it.
She swore, pulling her beanie down lower.
She really was just an ungrateful piece of shit.
Tsuna perked up from his spot against the kitchen counter at the sound of the front door opening and shutting. He waited curiously, until a familiar face passed through the dining room doorway.
"Akira-nee." he greeted in pleasant surprise. "You're back!"
Then he caught sight of the numerous plasters and the signs of swelling on her face.
"HIEE! W-What happened?!" he exclaimed, making move to stumble over to her in worry.
She waved him off.
"I'm fine." she said, "Ran into a pole that's all."
"...right." he was completely dubious of course, but he wasn't a stranger to the feeling of coming home with suspicious injuries, so he let the matter drop as she wished. "Mum's out getting the groceries for dinner if you were wondering."
"Right." she nodded absently, before turning her attention to him. "So what were you doing?"
"Oh, um- I was just getting a drink of water." he lifted the glass in his hand, almost sloshing the contents onto the floor. "Homework was making my head hurt. You know how I am with maths, or any subject really."
"Which bit?"
"A-all of it..." he admitted, face flushing.
"Need help?"
He blinked in surprise, having expected her to tease him about it even a little.
"I-I guess? Yeah! Thanks!"
He watched her rub gingerly at her jaw from his seat across the low table in his room, and he could already see the beginning of bruising starting to appear. When she caught him looking, he quickly ducked his head and turned to his homework again.
"What's up? Stuck again?"
"No." he said quickly, quickly scribbling onto the paper to prove it.
Contrary to his expectations of being laughed at when she saw the level of the questions he was having trouble with, she had merely took it in stride, patiently re-explaining the theory even when he made the same mistakes over and over again.
She was definitely in a weird mood today, and it was even more pronounced than in it had been at breakfast. He inwardly pondered the reason for how unusually subdued she was being. Perhaps she had something on her mind?
He shook his head, he had to focus on his work. So he furrowed his brows as he painstakingly worked away at the next question, tongue poking out in concentration.
"Hey! I think I'm the hang of this!" he exclaimed, pleased at his progress. He pushed the paper over to Akira for her to check.
"Yeah, yeah you are." she mused, "You're getting them all right so far. Good job." she handed it back to him. "Keep at it."
And he did so with significantly more enthusiasm than before.
"Hey Tsuna?"
"Yeah?"
"Keep at it alright? This school stuff I mean."
He blinked.
"Okay...?"
"You're not dumb, you just need to put in more effort than others. So don't give up on your chance at education, alright?" she said, fixing him with a solemn look. "If you're finding it hard, just ask me for help and I'll help you."
He watched curiously as she buried her head into the cradle of her arms against the table-top.
"I'll help you, so please." and he caught the quaver in her voice even if her face was hidden, he heard the raw edge to her words. "Please don't turn out like your sister."
A/N *CHOURAN: A long version of the gakuran, almost like a coat rather than a jacket.
I don't know if anyone will be interested but I'm working on a tumblr page that will provide background information on this fic, character profiles, organisation structure, context etc. It's still in progress but I'll post a link once its done.
And as always, thank you very, very much for reading.
EDIT 21/03/18: general touch up, additional scene