Enjoy!
Kuroo was slinking around a street corner, as one does, joking with his fellow family members. He stretched his arms over his head, today was technically a day off for him. He didn't have to be a bodyguard, no jobs, just him and his brothers and sisters free to run amuck for the day.
He enjoyed his days like this, days where he was allowed to be carefree and immature, he didn't have to wear a suit or appear intimidating. He didn't have to linger in a corner and give off a foreboding aroura. He could just chill and joke with his family as they found ways to past the time however they wanted, on the condition that they kept their ears open and didn't get into any serious trouble. Not that they would have to be worried about that, they were currently deep in Nekoma territory so the chances of them getting into trouble were slim.
He zoned out of the conversation for a minute, thinking back on the time Bokuto had come to The Cat's Meow. It had been a few months since that time, and nothing interesting had happened since. He had seen Bokuto around and had even met him a few times, but was far from being friends with the man; despite that, he still thought that an alliance was a good idea. The Owls were a force to be reckoned with, even with their new boss. He didn't understand why Nekomata-dono had rejected the offer, but he knew better than to question the boss's instincts. To be fair, he didn't reject the idea, he basically said to be patient and try again later. Honestly, Kuroo thought he might have had to actually do his job by the look on Bokuto's face, but he was pleasantly surprised when he left peacefully instead.
Kuroo didn't care too much for being a bodyguard, but he couldn't deny that he had an easy time looking the part. With is height, build, and ominous appearance in poorly lit meeting rooms, he definitely looked much more intimidating than he was sure he actually was.
"Kuroo! The boss wants to see ya!" A voice called, interrupting his thought process and jolting him back to reality.
"The boss? What for?" He was told he wouldn't be needed, and it's not like the boss's grandson was the type to suddenly want to head out into the world. It was much too people-y for his taste.
"I don't know why. He's just asking for ya, let's go! Move your ass!" Kuroo gave a wave to his comrades as he ran over to the man calling out to him. He heard some snickering, and some jokes that he was in trouble, that his teasing had finally landed him in some deep shit as they had always told him it would. He rolled his eyes at them, it was probably just to go over his schedule as a bodyguard. Nothing that important.
The Aobajohsai Family might have been attributed with an animal as the majority of the Mafia gangs were, but they had shed that name long ago, now they were simply known as Seijoh.
Seijoh has just a "pretty face" for a boss, that would annoy most people. Being a boss of one of the biggest crime families out there and mainly being referred to as a pretty face, but not this man. No, this man took pleasure in being referred to as just a pretty face, it made it all that much better when they learned how wrong they really were.
There was one thing that bothered him though. Seijoh's boss was constantly surrounded by strong people, he didn't mind that part. What he minded, was when people claimed that one of them was the real boss and not him. Now that usually involved people getting hurt.
Oikawa Tooru was a simple man, keep up his pretty face facade, and rule his territory with an iron fist. Just looking at him, you might not think he was that intimidating, but that's what he wanted you to believe. That's what made him dangerous. Aobajohsai has the power to influence how you think. It didn't matter if you believed it or not, you would suddenly start thinking whatever they said. They rarely had to resort to violence to get their way, but when they did, they acted quick and skillfully. Finding their opponents weaknesses and picking them apart.
That's why it wasn't surprising that another Mafia boss was currently standing in front of him, trying to gain the knowledge he knew Seijoh possessed. If you wanted to take anyone down, but especially another gang, Seijoh should be your first call. They had dirt on everyone. If they didn't have exactly what you wanted, then they had a way to get it.
"Tell me, what brings a Snake to my door?" Oikawa questioned. He knew the answer already, but that didn't matter.
"I need information."
"Everyone needs information. That's why you're here. Information isn't free. Tell me what you need, and then we'll come up with a price."
"Nekoma." The man hissed out, as if just saying the name was painful for him.
"What about them?"
"Just Nekoma. I need information on them. Everything you can get me."
"That's a bold request. What have you to offer?"
"Our allegiance, and a portion of their territory when we take them out."
"So that is your goal. To take down the Cats; how fitting of Snakes." Oikawa thought it over. He didn't have any bad blood between him and Nekoma, as far as the mafia went- he did prefer the Cats over the Snakes. Nekoma held a large territory though, so it'd be nice to grab some of that without having to actually be the ones fighting for it.
"Nekoma is strong, and we have always remained neutral with them. You'll have to do better than that if you expect us to turn on them." Oikawa informed the man before him.
"I'm aware that they are some really tenacious kitties, that's why we want all of the information we can possibly get. I can offer you products and protection as well. Consider my men yours, however risky the assignment, my men will complete it successfully. If they actually fail, then it'll look like a Nohebi failure and Seijoh can walk away clean. With us, you can operate in secret, and have extra income from our products. All for just some information." Daishou knew he had Oikawa then. The prospect of running any operation without any danger to his men or reputation was too great of an offer to refuse.
"How is your standing with our boys in blue?"
"Oh, I wouldn't be worried about them. I'm confident they'll happen to be looking in a different direction during critical times."
"I'll be blunt, I don't like you Snake-chan, but congratulations. You've got yourself a deal."
"I look forward to the next time we speak." With that the Snake slithered out of the room.
"Are you sure about this?" Oikawa's right hand man asked.
"He had a good offer. For now we'll play along. Besides I'm hearing some rumors of some interesting things happening with the Cats that I want to dig into further."
"One wrong move, and we break it off with the Snakes. Our neutrality with Nekoma is more important."
"Don't worry Iwachan, I have no intentions of starting a war."
"I-I- WHAT?!" If Kuroo wasn't already sitting in a chair he was sure he would've ended up on his ass just now. This was crazy! They couldn't seriously be considering this!
"We must protect the next boss. Kenma has remained hidden all this time. He's only been known as my grandson or the 'next boss.' He doesn't have the look or the voice of a boss, but he can lead." Nekomata calmly repeated. He was expecting and prepared for Kuroo's reaction.
"But why me?!"
"You've been seen with me and you've been all around high importance meetings and operations. You are the most believable person to do this. Nekoma needs a face to survive. With you as the face, and Kenma being able to remain behind the scenes, you two will be able to lead Nekoma to new heights."
"I might have been around, but I've just been the bodyguard! No one would believe that!"
"They will. With no information being out there about Kenma and you always being there, it's only natural to believe that I was grooming you to lead this entire time. Now you and Kenma would have to joint-lead in order for this to work, but I don't see any problems there. Kenma could always be there in your ear if you needed him, otherwise, you'll be the face that Nekoma needs." Nekomata and Kenma had already agreed to this, now it was just a matter of getting Kuroo to hurry up and wrap his head around this. Kenma had absolutely zero intention of doing really anything public, and he wasn't one for fancy speeches, but he knew that the Cats needed that. No one would want to follow the quiet thinker they knew nothing about, they needed someone they could really look up too. Someone who resonated power and control and looked good in front of a camera. Someone who could nonchalantly deal with police and the media when needed.
That person wasn't Kenma. It would never be him. He could plan, and plot, and scheme like nobody's business, but he couldn't "lead." That's where Kuroo came in; he was smart and skilled enough to run things if Kenma wasn't there to help him. As a bonus they got along well enough, and most importantly, he had the look and the attitude of a mafia boss that Nekoma needed.
"Kuro, you're the only person I trust to do this." Kenma spoke up to give the final push.
"Me? Be Nekoma's boss?"
"Well you'd be one of Nekoma's bosses, but to everyone outside of the higher ups, you would be."
"Alright. Alright, if it's for the good of the family, I'll do it."
"Attaboy Kuroo-kun. Now, let's do something about that attire." Nekomata patted him on his back.
"My- what?" Kuroo rattled off another question.
"Well you're the boss now. We can't have Nekoma's boss running around in a leather jacket and biker gloves, now can we? Let's go." Nekomata pulled him along as he walked.
"Nekoma's boss" oh boy, that was going to take some getting used to. Never, did Kuroo ever expect that to happen. Being boss wasn't his dream, unlike many others, he was happy where he was. Even now he wasn't looking forward to being the boss, but he could never force Kenma to play a role he would be miserable in. His family meant everything to him, so even if it meant giving up his current life, his current normal; he would do it.
"My team will become yours, and with their recommendations, you can have them create anything you wish to wear. I took the liberty of ordering your first official boss suit." Nekomata added a glare at the "their recommendations" part, but otherwise his face remained calm and happy. Seemingly uncaring that he just essentially announced his retirement. Kuroo looked appreciatingly at the mannequin set before him, say what you wanted about Nekomata-dono, the man knew how you design a suit. It consisted of comfortable black slacks, dress shoes with reinforced soles and heels, hosting plenty of padding for comfort whether he's in meetings all day or running around on an op. The top portion was a plain black dress shirt with a black tie, there was also a tie bar in the shape of Nekoma's symbol to hold it snuggly against his shirt. What really caught Kuroo's eye was the suit jacket- it had a dark red base, with a bright red paisley pattern covering the entire jacket. It was a suit fit for a boss.
"Try it on. I want to show you a few secrets." Nekomata encouraged.
After Kuroo slid into the suit, Nekomata showed him hidden pockets and weapons storages, explaining the material and how he already had a jacket for colder weather ordered. Showed him how he could fit hidden body armor under his suit if he needed the extra protection. Taking his time to show Kuroo how he could use a clasp on the jacket to secure it to his shoulders, but not actually have to wear it, allowing him to roll up his dress shirt sleeves up to his elbows to keep him even cooler. Once satisfied that Kuroo knew all of the secrets his suit had to offer, he introduced him to his personal tailors to make sure the suit fit properly before dragging him along again.
"Now, we must announce the change. I have already called a meeting, and the family should be gathering now. Once we announce it to them, it won't take long before the other families catch wind of it, so be prepared. Any questions?" Kuroo made a noise of disbelief, not expecting the exchange of power to happen so soon, but honestly, he probably should have expected that.
"No? Good, let's go." Kuroo found himself getting dragged by the older man for the third time in an hour and didn't bother resisting any more. It was useless at this point.
Nekomata made the announcement, yells, cheers, groans, and whispered broke out all at once. People didn't know how to feel, but it wasn't as bad as Kuroo was fearing it to be. For the most part, people seemed to be surprised, but didn't mind too much.
That's right, I'm on display for all you fuckers to see. Kuroo thought, now everyone's attention is securely on him, and Kenma's identity is secured and he could help him lead from the shadows.
Chapter 3 is in progress! See you next time!
~Kiera540