Oh, hey. You're here.

So look, I'm sorry.

It's been… a while since I've talked about, well, any of this shit.

Truth be told, when you walked up to me the other day, I had no idea that I'd be tellin' ya my whole life story.

I'd only ever seen ya across the yard, so what was it that made ya come and ask me about myself, glorious as I am?

Not gonna tell, huh?

What? Thought I was gonna keep my mouth and pout till you were willin' to say somethin'?

C'mon Kasuga, gimme a bit more credit than that.

Trip down memory lane aside, I'll be 26 next month.

I ain't got the time nor wish to sit & sulk like I did when I was 16.

That said, you're gonna hafta bear with me for this next bit, even after twelve years, it's still a bit… raw.

So it happened in July. The weekend, as I recall.

It was hot as hell, as it tended to be and the semester was just wrappin' up.

That mornin', Mom woke me up at the asscrack of dawn so she could drag me around town.

She brought me to the butcher, we bought some pork loins.

"So how's school been?"

"Fine, I guess."

She took me to the grocery store, we bought loads of shit.

Cabbage, milk, garlic, scallions…

"What do you mean 'fine'? And, 'you guess'? C'mon, Miku, puff out your chest a bit more."

Thud!

"Unf! Why the sudden violence?"

Mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce…

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. I hardly even tapped you!"

"You punched me in the chest!"

"Isn't that how boys your age greet each other?"

"In gangs, probably."

We had a ton of flour at home, but she insisted we pick up a fresh sack.

"Pfft, boys your age. No spirit, I say!"

"You do know how old you sound right now, right?"

Thud!

"Ah! That's my ribs! Why, woman?!"

"Don't act like you don't know what you did."

By the time we'd grabbed the sesame seeds and breadcrumbs, I knew exactly why we were grabbing all that shit.

"But seriously, Miku, how is school? I know it's not what you wanted, but… well… d'ya think that maybe, just maybe, it might be worthwhile?"

I could already smell dinner cookin' while we were walkin'. Back of my mind, I just imagined diggin' in at the table that night.

"...Would you hit me again if I said I don't know?"

"...No. No, I wouldn't."

"...Mom. Am I a fuck-up?"

"No. No more than I am, kiddo."

"Right…"

Flick!

"Ow!"

"Chin up, boya! The birthday boy's got no business looking so depressed on his birthday!"

"By that same reasoning, Birthday boy's mother's got no business beating him up either!"

"Pft."

"Don't 'pft' at me, I'm the one being abused here!"

The old hag just laughed at me. I couldn't help but smile.

And then the screaming started.

BOOM!

What happened after that, I can't remember for the life'a me.

All I remember is the pain and the heat.

I dropped the bags.

Somebody pushed me.

People were screamin'.

Some lady said somethin' to me, said my name.

I blacked out.

Yuna Amano died that day. An unfortunate casualty out of many more in a villain attack.

My mom and I never had Katsudon that night.

I never heard her laugh again.

Huh? Oh, I'm cryin'?

Heh, shit. Just… gimme a minute, yeah?

I still... gotta tell ya the rest, so just… gimme a minute… please.

Ahem, so where was I?

The funeral was about a week later.

Held it at the record shop. Less of a fire hazard than it would be at the apartment.

Mom didn't have any relatives, so I was stuck puttin' it together myself.

I sat by the door, people offered me condolences.

I didn't really recognize anyone. Most of the folks showed up were customers, I think.

Rangin' from old folk to preteens.

Executive bigwigs to Poppo clerks.

Bowlcut geek club to the blonde delinquent pompadour crew.

Mom found a way to bring all those people together to see her when she was alive, and brought 'em all back together to send her off when she died.

That woman was a marvel.

That day went by fast. I could barely tell one person from the other when they came to greet me.

Chisaki came by at one point. With Hiraoka-san.

Neither of them knew my mother. They just came to support me.

Chisaki didn't say much, but Hiraoka-san told me if I needed somethin', the Shie Hassakai had my back.

That gesture was a big deal, and I appreciated it, even if I didn't show it at the time.

Those two didn't stay long. Apparently, there was business to attend to.

After that, I just… waited, I guess.

There was one other person I wanted to see.

I kept my head down, but I couldn't keep myself from staring at the door.

Purple hair, blue eyes.

That's what I was waiting for.

Purple hair, blue eyes.

Some people came to offer condolences. I gave them my attention for a moment and got back to waiting.

Purple hair, blue eyes.

I hadn't combed my hair that day, it kept fallin' in my face. I'd blow it out of the way and keep waiting, only for it to fall in my face a minute later. After a while, I just gave up.

Purple hair, blue-

"Mikumo?"

Somebody called my name. My eyes snapped to them. There stood a man right in front of me.

I didn't know that person, I'd never met them.

Even still, I knew exactly who he was. I was born with his face, after all.

The man in front of me… was Masaru Akatani.

My father.

I didn't have an opinion on the man one way or another.

Like I told you, I never met him and mom never really talked about him aside from telling me how I looked like him.

She seemed pretty fond then, but I chose to believe that she was just seeing me grow up.

So with no opinion on the man, positive or negative, when he asked me to come live with him, I had no real reason to say no.

I'd be alone otherwise.

Not like I can provide for myself.

At least this way, you'll still have a family.

The last one was what I worried about the most.

For as I could remember, it had always been me and mom.

Mom taught me how to read.

"This is your name. This here's the kanji for 'beauty' and this one's the kanji for 'cloud'..."

She helped me learn to walk.

"C'mon Miku! I'll keep holding your hands so just put one foot in front of the other…"

And she taught me how to talk.

"Repeat after me. Yo-Ko-Mi-Chi."

"Yo-Ku-Mi-Ti…"

"Not quite, but you're gettin' there."

It had always been me and her.

But there was no more her, so what was gonna happen to me?

So that's why, about a week later, I rode the Shinkansen into Osaka. Where he said he'd be waiting for me at the station.

It was a two hour trip, I spent most of that convincing myself that leaving behind everything I'd known back in Tokyo was the right decision.

I'd mulled it over in my head so many times leading up to the day, but it just never seemed so… real until it was happening.

I didn't tell Nemuri or Chisaki about the move. I just felt like it'd make it harder to leave.

But despite all the worries, I was real hopeful.

Even if it wasn't ideal, it was a new life.

A new life with just me and my dad.

A new life that wasn't meant to be.

A new life that shattered before my fucking eyes, when I saw Masaru Akatani on the platform, cuddled up to a heavily pregnant Yuka Akatani.

I don't know what I was thinkin' after that.

What I do know is that I didn't end up going home with them.

Though if I had, maybe I wouldn't've ended up here.

Ah shit, I'm getting ahead of myself, there's still a bit between then and now.

So let's fast-forward about to about a month after that.

I was in Sotenbori.

THUD!THWACK!THUD!THUD!THWACK!

Okay, correction, I was getting my ass kicked in Sotenbori.

It seems you're confused, so lemme give ya some context.

This group of assholes was walkin' down an alley. There were about five of 'em, total.

I happened to be stumblin' down that same alley in the opposite direction.

I wasn't payin' attention and bumped into one of 'em.

I wasn't one to start shit back then and I really just wanted to find a comfortable nook to nestle in for the night after a day of checking under vending machines for loose change.

I tried to apologize and go about my business, but apparently that wasn't good enough for them.

One of 'em grabbed my bag, which held my dinner for that night, and started around in it, sayin' shit about 'compensation' and 'makin' it up to 'em'.

I had had a bad day, those guys were makin' it a bad night. I could feel my fists clenchin'.

THWACK!

Before I knew it, I'd socked the fucker that took my bag right in the jaw, and both he and my bag went flyin'.

THUD!

He hit the ground hard, my onigiri and C.C. Lemon spilled out of the bag next to him.

There was a moment of sheer shock from everybody there, especially from me.

That was the first time I'd ever hit anybody.

The other guys got over it quicker than I did.

"YOU FUCKER!"

THWACK!

First punch hit my cheek, knocked a tooth, sent me sprawlin'.

THWACK!

Next came a kick to my gut, made me wanna puke up all the food I hadn't eaten that day.

And after that, fuckers just started stompin' me.

"Fuck you think yer doin', ya little shit?!"

THUD!THWACK!THUD!THUD!THWACK!

"Bet ya thought you were hot shit, huh?!"

THUD!THWACK!THUD!THUD!THWACK!

"C'mon, fight back ya dumbass!"

THUD!THWACK!THUD!THUD!THWACK!

Four feet, comin' at me from all directions. It went on for so long, I thought I might actually die that night.

But then-

"Oi, what's goin' on here?"

There was this boomin' voice in that alley all of a sudden, a voice of authority.

A voice that said, 'Stop whatever the hell yer doin' and listen to me!'

It was like a dragon's roar.

"Huh? Who fuck are you?! Get outta here, this ain't a show!"

At that point, my face was swelling and I was bleedin' down my face, so I couldn't see too clearly.

But I could hear the sounds of a fight soon after that.

Nah, fight'd be too charitable a word.

I heard a massacre.

Those same guys that'd been kickin' my ass just a minute ago, were gettin' slaughtered by this newcomer.

Just gettin' thrown around like ragdolls, screamin' for him to stop.

And then it was over, the newcomer dropped this one guy whose face he was beatin' in and he turned.

"Little shits, learn to show some respect on someone else's turf."

When I saw this man's face, scar on his lip, blonde hair, with steel in his eyes, I was starstruck.

You couldn't go a day back then without hearin' about the Go-Ryu Clan in Sotenbori.

Least of all, the blonde haired leader.

The Dragon of Kansai.

Ryuji Goda.

That alley was dark, but he may as well have been shining through.

"You alright there, kid?"

And at that moment, I saw my life's path ahead of me…

"Can I… join you?"

"Huh?"

I stood up as best as I could on shaky legs, and I fuckin' bowed.

"PLEASE SIR! LET ME JOIN THE GO-RYU CLAN!"

"They knock a couple screws loose, kid?"

"NO SIR!"

"Lower yer goddamn voice."

"Yes sir!"

"Stop callin' me 'sir'."

"Yes, Goda-san!"

Through the whole exchange, I stayed bowed down.

I could feel his stare burnin' into me. It almost felt like I was bein' judged by a god.

And then, "Oi, look me in the eye, kid."

I did, I matched his gaze and didn't turn away.

Through blood and swells, I stared into the eyes of a golden dragon.

And the dragon stared back, for what seemed like an eternity.

Until finally, "Fine. Welcome to the club, kid. Come with me, I'll introduce ya."

He passed me, pattin' my shoulder, before stridin' off.

It took me sec to realize what had just happened, but when I did, the dumbest grin cracked across my face.

And I ran to catch up with him.

And that, Kasuga-san, is how I became Mikumo Akatani of the Omi Alliance.

What's wrong, Kasuga-san? Things different now that you know I'm Omi?

Well, ex-Omi now. The same as you, ex-Tojo.

Yeah, I know about that. People talk, Kasuga, and you've been here twelve years.

It's only natural they'd have somethin' to say about you, especially if ya ask nicely like I did.

Oh, you're leavin' now?

Okay, see you around...

I hope.

Sorry that this is late and sorry there won't be another chapter this week. Your boy's turnin' twenty, so I'm takin' a break to go sing karaoke and do real estate. I'll see ya next week though. By the way, there's a poll on the profile. You should check it out or somethin'.