03: Lost in Paradise.
The hand snaked around from behind and came to rest itself on the rise of her hips.
Saki went rigid. She was a little drunk but she wasn't completely out of it. The dance floor was crowded and she was all by herself. She made the perfect target. It reminded her of her time in vice, working undercover as a decoy prostitute to catch unsuspecting johns and ultimately busting a big prostitution ring. Though she was now a detective for the major crimes division, her earlier work experience had taught her more then she would like to know about a man's touch. This wasn't an accidental brush. The man also hadn't removed his hand. But he wasn't trying to grope her. His hands didn't move downwards to cop a feel. It just rested there, comfortably, over the fabric of her expensive dress in a rather intimate manner, like it was completely normal, like it belonged there, like she wanted it. She clicked her tongue in disappointment. Someone was a bit overconfident and cocky. And then it hit her, where she was and who she thought was apparently missing from his own nightclub tonight. Maybe she was a little more drunk than she initially thought if she couldn't recognize him from his touch.
"Your henchwoman wasn't there to molest me tonight." Saki stated as she turned around and looked up at his face. She was wearing high heels but he still towered over her. She had read his files on numerous occasions. She probably had it memorized by now. It shouldn't come as a surprise that he was taller than her. But for some reason it pissed her off every time when she had to look up at that smug expression on his face, like he was enjoying their little conversation, like he was having fun dancing with her when he should instead be cowering in fear, afraid that someday she would gather up enough physical evidence and round up enough witnesses to have him thrown in jail on multiple charges, serving a double life sentence. But for the time being, she forced herself to enjoy their little dance in the hopes that he might accidentally slip up and reveal something which might be important for numerous ongoing investigations. "I thought you were busy fucking her in your office to check up on me."
"You jealous, babe?" Kakeru Tobe wore a rakish grin. Saki scoffed and shook her head. She had to choose her battles wisely and after the first couple of occasions she had given up on correcting the flirty tone he would take with her whenever they talked or the way he called her babe just to rattle her cage and get under her skin. She was pretty sure he knew what he was doing and knew she probably hated his guts even more for being a complete sleaze ball, a womanizing bastard, a misogynistic pig, who used women to further his own sick and twisted goals and build his criminal empire from the ground up. Too bad these moral failings didn't count as felonies in the eyes of the law. Who knew, justice was really blind after all. As she tried not to feel sickened, imagining his rough hands on another woman's body, hours, maybe minutes ago, before coming to rest on the small of her back, his touch, soft, but firm, leading their little dance, he tried to provide her with a thin slice of the truth, to ease her mind and make this intimate display more bearable. "Don't worry. I kept it in my pants. You see I'm holding out for someone."
"I'm not gonna sleep with you." She told him firmly. He had hinted at it numerous times, whenever she was here at his club, trying to mingle, trying to uncover more evidence so that one day she can prove beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a grand jury that this was a front for all his criminal operations. But each and every time he would interfere with her undercover work, spotting her in the nightclub, buying her a fancy blue coloured cocktail with a stupid name and then taking her out to the dance floor to show her his fancy moves. The first couple of times she had humoured him while thinking she had to head back to the drawing board and figure out a better approach to handle this situation. But then the third time, she was a bit more drunk than she would have liked to admit. It was a difficult case, dismemberments always are. She got into an argument with Hikigaya because he wanted Rumi on the case and she wouldn't listen to his sanctimonious bullshit for once. It got out of hand. The following night she came to his nightclub to relax, drink, have fun, and forget about the case, maybe dance with a couple of hot guys and then be on her merry way to wake up to a horrible hangover the next morning. But she had too much to drink and for some reason, all night, the DJ kept playing all her favourite songs. She danced till her feet hurt and shook her ass off to the beat, not caring whether she was making a complete fool of herself or being helluva erotic, making all the guys turn their heads in her direction, wishing they could be with her and have all their crummy hands over her sexy body. As luck would have it, Tobe was the lucky man that night and since then, he had got a taste of her and despite knowing this could become rather troublesome, she kept him on his toes, trapped between a rock and hard place, one of her hand on his chest, feeling his muscles react to her touch as they continued to dance to the tune of the song, 'How to Eat Life' one of her favourites.
"But you will sleep with Hikitani." Tobe's voice was gruff. She didn't like the note of accusation in his tone. She didn't know what he was insinuating. Despite appearances he was no longer the same idiot from back in high school. But she thought he sometimes forgot that little detail and said things without thinking them through. Hikigaya and her having a romantic relationship, it didn't work out back then, it wouldn't work out right now. He was a complicated guy and she had her own bag full of issues to work with as well, but the two of them having a sexual relationship, just sex and nothing else. No. No, that wouldn't work for either of them. And Tobe would have realized that too if he had been thinking straight. He looked like he had a couple of drinks as well. But it didn't seem to impair his dancing skills. He kept his hands at a respectful place, though his words were coloured by judgment. "I never understood what women see in that guy. You know, I think even Miura had a thing for him."
Saki chuckled. There's no way that could be true. Tobe must be drunk out of his mind. "Whatever you say, babe." She hoped her voice didn't sound flirty. She wasn't trying to flirt. She was trying to use his words against him. He called her babe, now she was calling him babe. It's called being sarcastic. She was making fun of him. He probably felt insulted. Good. That's good. No. No, it was not. She should have come up with something much more clever. Her words needed to sound biting, bitter, full of venom. He called her babe whenever they danced and they danced whenever she was at his nightclub. Babe, oh how she hated that word. It reminded her of her time in vice, dressed up as a prostitute, wearing a tube top, short skirt and fishnet stockings. It reminded her of the casual sexism and misogyny rampant in the police department, how she had to constantly fight for her place in the force and how the job hadn't gotten easier over the past few years. She hoped she had riled him up, gotten under his skin and made him a little angry.
He missed a step while dancing but held her close to his chest and recovered nicely on the next beat. "Touché." He looked happy, a big smile on his face and he was clearly intoxicated. "Is that how you use that word? I always wanted to say that. Hikitani and Hayato use it all the time." He looked a bit goofy and she was reminded of the loudmouth from high school for a brief fraction of a second. But she had to remind herself quickly that even back then he had a mean streak. Hina Ebina, a classmate of hers who gradually weaseled into her heart and became a good friend, Tobe had a crush on her. He liked her, but she didn't like him back. And when, for some reason, Ebina confessed to Hikigaya and he rejected her, things took a turn for the worse. Hikigaya got hurt pretty badly on the Kyoto trip. He told the teachers he had been mugged. His wallet was stolen and the souvenirs he bought for his younger sister were taken. He didn't look too shook up about it. Afterwards Tobe started to get overly friendly with him and he didn't shake him off. It was easy to connect the dots. It was also the first time Hachiman called her clever. And she called him cute. But Tobe had something else to say about him right now. "You know, he's no better than me."
She didn't need to know who he was talking about. Kakeru Tobe wouldn't speak up against his long time friend and benefactor Hayato Hayama. But he would talk shit about their mutual acquaintance Hachiman Hikigaya. Saki wanted to defend him, she really did, but as she reached down, deep within her heart, she couldn't find the words she was searching for to save him, to paint him in a good light and protect him from the usual barrage of insults. He worked for the underworld. He worked for the police. It was common knowledge. She didn't know how he was able to work like this, she didn't know how he managed to survive for so long. He had powerful enemies on both sides. And now he was bringing a young woman into his world, an inexperienced, naïve, innocent little woman, who screwed things up and made a complete mess of an important and sensitive case which she had no doubt would blow up in the media in a couple of days. For some reason, because she was feeling like it, out of some sick and twisted sense of morbid fascination, she decided to tell him what happened on her latest case. "Hikigaya let Rumi carry a gun. She shot Shou Tucker."
He was silent for a while. The two of them gently swayed to the sound of music. The song had changed once more and it was another one of her all time favourites. Dramaturgy by Eve. Now she was certain he had somehow gotten ahold of her playlist and handed it over to the DJ to keep her busy on the dance floor. For a brief second she wondered whether he had paid Hikigaya to make a list of her favourite songs or download her entire playlist and hand it over to him. She wasn't sure whether that could be considered as a betrayal of trust on both their parts. But if that had really happened then Tobe was going the extra mile to keep her happy and she was pretty certain Hikigaya had made the easiest buck he would ever make on the job, working as a fixer for the mob. Tobe needed to learn how to spend his money more wisely. As she would expect he drew the wrong conclusions. "Maybe I should have paid Rumi-chan for the job. I might have gotten a nice bargain. After all, she's young and inexperienced."
Saki had a pretty good idea what he meant by young and inexperienced. He wasn't being a creepy pervert. No, he meant she didn't have what it takes to commit cold blooded murder. She could pull the trigger, but she couldn't kill. She wondered whether he knew about the gun Rumi had dropped at the crime scene, the gun she had later allowed Hikigaya to retrieve despite having second thoughts. It was pretty much an open secret that Hachiman Hikigaya worked with the police as a paid consultant. He also acted as her partner on numerous cases including the Shou Tucker one. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to use a gun to subdue an armed assailant. But Rumi Tsurumi, who acted as his assistant, who was a young woman, a first year university student, her involvement in the case would raise eyebrows. By all accounts she was a civilian. Yet she had shot the alleged child pornographer. She had a registered firearm and she had used it to defend herself against a dangerous individual armed with a knife. But the lawyers could spin this and work their dark magic and make this case about something else entirely and make it sound like an untrained civilian consultant who had no jurisdiction had made a mockery of the justice system and could have seriously threatened the life of a bunch of people in the warehouse with her live firearm. She didn't know how it would work, but she could see them not getting a conviction and that would be another blot on her career which was dangerously spiraling downwards. "I thought you didn't employ kids."
"I don't." And he didn't. Crime was serious business. It required commitment. It required sacrifice. It required grown ass men. Or women, as his second in command liked to point out. He agreed. He knew a lot of badass women. One of them was currently in his arms. But she was saying something which he didn't quite agree with about another young woman. He kept his own thoughts to himself and threw his old buddy under the bus without a second thought. He was a fixer, he could fix small problems like this in his sleep. "But Hikitani doesn't have the same reservations." If he thought he could get away with telling her the truth, he would have told her that Rumi-chan was no kid, she hadn't been one for years. Of course, Hikitani knew that better than anyone. And he used it to serve his own means. "Told you he was no saint."
Fuck it. She was drunk. She decided to risk it. If her little gamble didn't work out she would blame it on the alcohol and walk out. "At least he's not a criminal." The words were whispered and she feared it would be lost to the lyrics of the song and the sound of music. But he heard it. He definitely heard it. And for some reason she had moved closer to him, angling her face upwards, their bodies almost flushed together, her breasts lightly brushing against his chest, daring him to hold her tighter and tell her something which she didn't know about the rotten dead fish eyed loner. If she couldn't learn anything about him or his criminal empire then she might as well learn something about a person who worked both sides, a person who was neither good nor bad and could only be described as being amoral. As far as she was concerned one could never get enough information about the smart mouthed son of a bitch who knew too much for his own good, Hachiman Hikigaya.
"Keep telling yourself that." Tobe scoffed. He thought about leaving her on the dance floor and getting himself another drink. He wasn't drunk enough to have this conversation. The more rational part of his mind kept telling him he was making a big mistake, that he was letting this bitch seduce him with her low cut dress which showed a ton of cleavage and those red fuck me heel and those dark sheer stockings which he couldn't wait to rip from her gorgeous legs and kiss her each and every toe in a playful manner until things heated up and she was beneath him writhing in pleasure. But like she said in the beginning she was not gonna sleep with him. If he remembered correctly and he did, Hikitani and her dated for a very short time in high school. Perhaps there was still something there. Not likely. Hikitani was beyond love. He couldn't be loved. He had said so himself on multiple occasions. In other words she was fair game. "I will let you in on a little secret." Tobe was a smart man. He didn't need to be told the obvious thing. Saki Kawasaki was playing him. She was a cop and in her eyes he was nothing but a common thug who made it to the big leagues. It would take time to change her mind, lots of dancing and drinking at his club. But he didn't have the patience for that. So if he couldn't bring her down to his level, then he could show her someone who was already down to his level and had been living there for quite some time now, someone whom she thought was better than the rest of them and who could never be considered just another criminal. "The Shinjuku Sinners, the biggest gang in Shinjuku, the one which beat the Yakuza and took control of the streets, if anything were to happen to their leader. If he died or went missing." He paused for a second, took a beat, watched her pigeon blue eyes, noticed the small beauty spot underneath her right eye and thought whether he could dare to touch it. "Then," He did, he dared and she didn't wither from his harmless touch. Her skin was so soft. He felt like a sinner to touch something so holy and out of reach and the thought itself brought a small smile to his face. He was a Sinner. But, so were a number of people under his command. She might not have known about it and now she would and he would be here, up close and personal, touching her with his own hands to gauge her reaction from those lovely, beautiful eyes. "Hachiman Hikigaya would become their new leader." He had the gall to wink at her. "I'm sure he would become a real criminal then. At least in your eyes, Saki-chan."
"You're joking, right?" Saki tried to remain calm. She wasn't even upset that he called her by her first name and used the honorific –chan, trying to act overly familiar with herself, despite knowing better. She would get to that later. But what he was telling, if it was the truth, and it was a big if, then she had learned something big tonight. Over the years the metropolitan police and the members of the organized crime division had come to accept the Sinners as the largest street gang in Shinjuku. But they still treated their acts as gang activity and thought if they could take out their leader and a bunch of high level operatives, then the rest of its members would scatter like roaches in a sinking ship, back to being small time crooks and low life scum, easy to arrest and put away in prison. But what Tobe said right now didn't bode well. He made the gang sound like an organized unit, a well oiled machine, which had an established hierarchy and a solid chain of command, people ready to step in and replace those who were put out of action. Her worst fear came true. They weren't dealing with a street gang with no discipline. No, they were dealing with a crime syndicate which would live on even when their leader, the head of the family was removed. But still she had a hard time believing who he had picked to be his successor. Hachiman Hikigaya as a crime boss, no way in hell. He had to be lying. "What about Minami Sagami? Your right hand man."
He chuckled dryly. "I might be okay with her running my operations. But," He let a small smile run past his lips and she wondered whether there was more to this relationship then he felt comfortable sharing with the likes of her who could use it to her advantage. She was the enemy after all even if his pupils were dilated and he had made it perfectly clear with his body language and the hand on her hips, guiding her through the song how he was lusting after her at this present moment, even though she detected another woman's perfume from his clothing a few minutes ago. He hadn't had sex, she was sure of that, but they had definitely touched, maybe a tight hug, a small kiss, maybe something else rather intimate. She didn't want to think about it. She also didn't want to think how his touch was affecting her, lowering her inhibitions and making her feel rather reckless. She tried to focus on his words, rather than his lips. "The guys don't like taking orders from a woman." Judging from his words he didn't suffer from the same problem and he said so using his horrible sense of humour to bring levity to the conversation. "Not me though. I think it's hot." And a genuine moment where she thought she made a breakthrough was ruined by his own doing. He didn't seem to like being vulnerable. He liked to appear strong. And yes, intelligent too. "Why the sudden interest in Sagami? Are you guys friends now?" He asked with a toothy grin, knowing more than he should about the different players involved in the latest fiasco. "Did you two kiss and make up after what went down in the warehouse?"
Saki scoffed. "Keep dreaming, Tobe." What's up with guys and their fantasy about having two women kiss and make out like a pair of lesbians in a porn flick. Oh, wait, he had meant that as a joke, something metaphorical, not to be taken literally. She should pay more attention to his words. She was a cop, he was a criminal and Minami Sagami was as promiscuous as they come. She didn't want her hands or lips anywhere near her. She was a whore and proud to be one with a tendency towards reckless violence and not a care in the world for the safety and security of her own being or the others involved in a small makeshift truce to put an end to a child pornography ring. When Hikigaya brought her along as reinforcement to take care of the goons at the warehouse, she knew the entire operation would be jeopardized. That woman didn't know restraint. "Sagami put three guys in the hospital. Multiple fractures. Concussions. For god's sake, she whacked a guy with a crowbar." She didn't mean to sound it as a threat, but it was what it was, there was nothing she could do about it. "She is seriously demented. Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't arrest her?"
"Because it would torpedo your case." Tobe told her and for once he didn't seem distracted by how fantastic her hips looked wrapped around in that tight little dress. He might want to fuck her but if she thought she could get away with threatening one of his friends, a woman he loved in his own way, someone he trusted with his dear life and his criminal empire, then she had another thing coming. "Because I would have her out in a second." It was time to bring in some home truths and let her come face to face with the ground realities of the situation. "I know why you are here tonight." He murmured, lowering his face, until he could see his very own reflection in her eyes. The music seemed like a dull noise to both their ears all of a sudden and the words he said next were clearly audible, the thud of her heart palpable. "You came here to forget." His lips didn't touch her skin, it didn't brush against the corner of her mouth as she stood there gaping like a fish who had somehow found itself on dry land. "You shot a couple of guys. And you killed a man." He said with a note of finality. "Things don't look good for you either." A thin smile surfaced on his lips and it stayed there for more than a fraction of a minute. "You might face another hearing. Use of excessive force in the line of duty." He shook his head and he actually looked miserable. "What a load of crap."
She shouldn't be affected by his words. He knows how to sweet talk women. She had read his file. She has been studying him for months, all those drinks, all those dances, all those subtle touches and glances. She will not be duped. But she tells herself that she is drunk and he is a good dancer, and his hands are strong and firm and they make her feel certain things which she is not comfortable putting into concrete words that could not be taken back at a later date. Besides she is not telling him something he shouldn't know already. It's all over the news. But he doesn't seem like the type to watch it. Maybe he doesn't know it yet. "The media is calling me Miss Macho." She slurs and it hurts to move her feet. How long had they been dancing. She doesn't really care much. "I'm the face of police brutality and everything that's wrong with the force, apparently." Her voice grows an octave lower. She has no idea why she is telling him all this but it loosen something trapped in her chest. "According to them, I should be fired from the department immediately and sent to the same prison where I locked up criminals from previous cases I worked on."
He chuckled and for a moment she thought he was making fun of her miserable plight. But he seemed to have noticed the anger flashing across her eyes, because he quickly adds, while resuming a slower tempo, because he doesn't want her to step on his shoes on purpose and ground her heels onto his toe. Like she said, he is a smart man. "Well, the media is full of idiots. Don't they know women have their own prison?" She waited for him to add something else, but he has nothing further to add. But he is drunk, so as expected he said something which made absolutely no sense. "Come work for me."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I think you are in the wrong profession. Come work for me." He repeated. The two of them are dancing really slow. They are just moving on the dance floor, back and forth. The music is not a hindrance. It adds to the mystique of his offer. He seemed rather confident. She doesn't know where he gets this idea. It sounds stupid, really, really stupid. But he is unstoppable. "I don't want to brag, but I think I am a great boss." He had a twinkle in his eyes, a shot of inspiration, fueled by alcohol and a saucy wink which promised a good time. "Just ask Sagami."
"Not interested." Saki ground out. What was he thinking, was he thinking at all or was he just spouting utter nonsense. She worked hard to be a detective at the major crimes unit. She had to wrestle her own private demons. She had her share of nightmares. She made her mistakes and owned up to them. She was doing fine. She was handling it. Things would get better, they had to. For a moment she thought he would bring up Hikigaya's name, say how he couldn't make it in the force even though he had an army background. But she wasn't like Hikigaya. She wasn't like anyone. She was her own person. And she had to remember where she stood. Tobe was a criminal, she was a cop. Intimidate those who intimidate others, she hated the motto of the organized crime unit, but she could use it to good effect. "You know you told me a lot of things tonight." She began steadily, ignoring the hand on her hips. "I can link you to the Shinjuku Sinners. You all but admitted to being their leader. And Sagami is your right hand woman. I don't know why you sent her to the warehouse to help us, but you made a mistake." Her voice was barely above a whispers, her lips hovered deliciously below his parted lips. He thought he imagined her darting her tongue out and licking her lips in a sinful manner. "I don't know if she told you but we ran into an ambush." She was tempting him. And he was almost tempted. "Someone had tipped them off." But he was quickly reminded of who she was when she barred her teeth and growled. And he really shouldn't find this hot, but he did. "If I find out that you were involved with these men -"
"Hey!" His voice carried a little and a few people looked at them with surprise. He didn't care about them. At the moment he wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. He was a criminal. But he was no monster. "I don't hurt little kids." But he knew she wouldn't just believe his words so he made her see reason. The alcohol in his system didn't work. His head was fussy and he didn't like that her hips had stopped bobbing in his hands. He liked her hips. They were a good distraction. But if he needed her to see him in a better light, he had to come up with something more logical. He started to gather up his thoughts and spell them out for her in a correct order. "Did you forget, I asked Hikigaya to look into the matter. He does what he does best and when he had enough evidence, he contacted you. I knew you couldn't get your superiors to sign up and catch these bastards with proper police backup, so I sent Sagami in as reinforcement. Now, let me ask you something." Saki knew what he was about to ask. It made complete sense. "Why would I risk the safety of my own personnel to tip off the enemy?"
The correct answer, he wouldn't. Kakeru Tobe might be a criminal, there was no doubt in her mind that he was one, but at least he wasn't a child pornographer. That's a good thing. But she was still gonna arrest him one day for all the crimes he committed. But for the time being she admired his dancing skills. In another life, he might have become someone worth redeemable. She knew she had insulted him, maybe hurt his feelings a little bit, but he would never admit to that, so she wasn't going to apologize. Apologies make you weak and she didn't want to appear weak before him. But the uncomfortable silence which stretched between them as they continued to dance and his closed off body language made her think of something completely unrelated, something a bit more safe. She couldn't think of anything else. But one thing stuck to her mind, something she had a hard time believing. "What's your relationship with Hikigaya?"
He gave out a small chuckle. "Why? Are you asking for Ebina-san?" He joked. She thought he wouldn't give her a straight answer but he surprised her. As she was learning, he had a tendency to do that more than a handful of times. For the first time, this night, she thought he gave an honest and heartfelt reply. Who knew, he could sound genuine when he wanted to be. "It might be hard for you to believe, with the way I talk about him most of the time, but I genuinely think of him as a brother. He's like Hayato. You have read our files, haven't you? We were in the army together. We served together. We had each other's back. It created a special bond. It's hard to explain." He shook his head and let out a sigh of defeat. "You wouldn't get it."
"You're right. I don't." Saki didn't like to be kept in the dark. Hikigaya wouldn't tell her about his time in the military. Fun fact, he wasn't forthcoming about Tobe or Hayato's time in the military either. Something had to have happened. But she couldn't get ahold of the files, initially. And when she did, they were heavily redacted. There was nothing for her to learn except for a couple of things. "But I know Hikigaya's actions led to an other-than-honorable discharge while you were handed a dishonorable discharge, no surprises there. And while Hikigaya tried his hand at police work, you started to work as a pimp for the yakuza."
"You had to start somewhere." He shook his head and looked at the DJ, sending a nonverbal signal and a new song started to blast from the speakers. Once upon a time, it had been one of her favourites. Lost in Paradise. It was from a popular shonen anime. She tried not to let those old memories resurface. Too late. She had been needling him the entire night. Tobe wouldn't show her any mercy. He was out for blood. "Talked to Taishi-kun lately?"
"You know I haven't." Taishi Kawasaki. Her younger brother. The one who –
"He sent me a couple of letters." Tobe said in a conversational tone. "I know you won't talk to him because he made a stupid mistake and ended up in prison." He had stopped dancing, his hand was no longer resting on her hip. She had a feeling he no longer cared whether she shook her ass in this tight dress. "But the dude keeps sending me these letters addressed to you, even when I told him not to. Talk some sense into him. I think he's going nuts in there." He was now reaching inside his jacket pocket to retrieve something. For a moment, her instincts kicked in and she almost took ahold of his hand, thinking he was trying to reach for his gun. But no, he wasn't going to shoot her in a crowded club. He wasn't that merciful. He would play with her first. The smile on his lips said everything. It was that of a predator which had caught the scent of fresh blood. "But really, you should pay him a visit. He's doing well, all things considered." He brought out a couple of envelops, let her have a small peek and then placed them back inside his jacket pocket, patting his chest in reassurance. "Don't worry. He has my protection."
She had to say it. She had to say it. She didn't have to mean it. But he wouldn't let it go until he heard her say it. "Thanks Tobe." He was enjoying this. She hated him. She hated her brother. He should have known better. He should have known there would be consequences for his actions. For god's sake, his older sister was a cop. He really should have known better. But he didn't and now he was inside a high security prison and she was not prepared to face him. He needed to grow up. But he was doing the exact opposite. He hadn't learnt a thing. When she wouldn't reply to his letters, he started writing to Tobe. She had resisted the temptation when he first broached the subject about these letters, but ultimately she couldn't resist. She was still a concerned older sister. She wanted to know how he was doing, whether he was okay even if he was in prison. She still wouldn't write to him. She still wouldn't visit him. But Tobe must have told him that she got his letters. Otherwise he would have stopped writing by now. There was a part of her which wished that he didn't contact her anymore. There was a part of her which liked to believe she didn't visit his nightclub once a month because of these letters. And there was a part of her which hoped she wasn't making a huge mistake by establishing a connection between herself, her brother and the biggest crime lord in the city. She still had to say it. "I owe ya."
Kakeru Tobe shook his head. "No sweetheart." He lowered his face and planted a wet kiss to her cheek and she could feel his hand wrap around her waist and come to rest on her hips in a rather possessive manner as he growled into her ear those words which she utterly despised. "I. Own. You."
A/N:Updates will be once a month from here on out.
Let me know if you want more chapters with Hachiman or with Tobe or Hayama.