Kazuma Kiryu's heartbeat races for a brief moment when the karaoke room's phone ring invades his eardrums. Lost in his own mind, he didn't even notice his time was up.

"Excuse me, sir?" The voice on the other end of the phone says. "Your allotted time is up, would you like to purchase an extension?"

Kiryu takes a good long look at the song selection tablet. The words 'Judgement -Shinpan-' are highlighted. "No. I'm finished for the day."

"Thank you, sir. Please return your microphones to the front desk."

"Thank you. I'll be right there." Kiryu always considers getting an extension, but never does. He also never seems to notice how much time he spends not singing. Without fail he always spends almost half of the time in the karaoke room scrolling down the song list, despite almost always singing the same one song everytime. On the rare occasion he has someone with him he'll feel comfortable enough to sing 'Machine Gun Kiss' or 'Kamurocho Lullaby', especially after a few drinks, but more often than not he comes all alone.

"Thank you, sir. Will we be seeing you again next week?" The clerk at the front desk asks.

"Most likely." Kiryu hands the box of microphones back to the clerk and pays his fare.

"Well we're happy to have you. Have a good night," The clerk waves goodbye.

"Thank you. Have a good night," Kiryu replies before walking into the cold night air.

Kiryu has been coming to this same karaoke parlor every Thursday night without fail for the last 6 months. After faking his death and getting one last look at Morning Glory, Kiryu resigned himself to a very small town in the countryside, far away from any city presence. Unfortunately, that meant the one lone karaoke parlor was quite a ways away from his home. Not that he minded too much, the long night stroll allowed him to collect his thoughts. For better and for worse.

Kiryu continued keeping himself in top shape and making sure his diet never suffered, but the only thing that seemed to center him at this stage in his life was karaoke. It started with him just desperately needing a reminder of the positive part of his former life, and then later becoming a necessity of his current one. The song selection at this lone karaoke parlor was surprisingly deep. It had hits from the past three decades, and scrolling through the list actually managed to bring a smile to his face the first time he visited the parlor and saw so many of his old favorites. However, on that first faithful night, he saw a song he had sung more than a few times over the years, and it became nearly the only song he would sing after leaving his old life behind.

~Sou Tonight konya mo~

~Mata Tonight tameiki tsuku~

Even though all it did was remind him of all that he's lost, it's the only song he could bring himself to sing when he's alone in a karaoke room with nothing but his mind. That song is both the salt that continuously aggravates the open wounds within him, and the medicine that mends those very same emotional scars.

Kiryu often reflects on this. Why is it that that's the only song he can sing? There have been several nights where he goes to the parlor with every intention of avoiding it at all costs, yet it always fails. Only when someone insists to tag along with him can he manage to sing something else, but that's only him hiding from how he's really feeling, and he knows that.

~Naa Tonight chikai no~

~Sou Tonight basho de matsu yo~

Even though he knew this was all for the best, the solitude from his yakuza life had forced to reflect in ways he'd tried to suppress his entire life. Even if he can avoid any more Tojo Clan crises, that didn't stop the crises he had already dealt with from finally getting to him. He fought so hard to avoid dwelling on it, but the reality of just how many he's lost has finally caught up with him. While that song seemed to keep him at bay, on this night, it managed to amplify these feelings as well.

Tachibana. A stranger who chose to put his faith and belief into Kiryu based purely on Kazama's recommendation. A man who sheltered Kiryu and protected him while they fought their way through the Tojo Clan. He became a true friend and ally, and who was killed before Kiryu could save him.

Reina and Shinji. Two of Kiryu's closest friends, one of the only few people Kiryu trusted and felt comfortable without outside of his life as a Yakuza, and the other a protege that originally hated Yakuza, but took a shine to Kiryu, much like Kiryu did for Kazama. Reina was a part of Kiryu's family just like Nishiki and Yumi, and Shinji practically became like a younger brother to Kiryu. Both of them gunned down at the same night, caught in the crossfire of more Tojo Clan power struggles, both of whom didn't deserve such a dirty end.

Kazama and Yumi. Two of the most important people in Kiryu's life. Kazama crafted the picture of exactly the man Kiryu hopes to be, despite Kazama's history as a ruthless yakuza killer, he was still a father to him and Nishiki. Yumi was the first person Kiryu ever fell in love with, and she blessed him with Haruka. Friendships rarely lasted longer than a year for Kiryu, which makes the hole left in his heart by Yumi's death all that much wider for losing someone who's known since childhood. Both of them were people Kiryu cherished, and both were people who spent their final moments in his arms.

Kashiwagi. If Kazama is Kiryu and Nishiki's father, Kashiwagi is their stern uncle. Another influence for Kiryu to look up to, and someone he could actually come to if he needed help. Another loving figure who died working with Kiryu.

Rikiya. Brash, loud, and very naive, but Rikiya trusted Kiryu to the moon and back. Rikiya and everyone from Okinawa tried desperately to help keep his peace and protect Morning Glory. Despite Kiryu's warnings he was too stubborn to let Kiryu fight alone, but after all his personal hell Kiryu needed a friend. Rikiya became a friend to Kiryu, a friend who was willing to take a bullet to the chest for him.

Every death took a part of Kiryu with them to the afterlife. However, there was one that broke something inside Kiryu that's never been fixed.

~Naa Tonight futari de mata aruketa nara~

Kiryu had to take a second to collect his thoughts. He was lost in his own mind so much he nearly lost his balance. Kiryu leaned against a nearby telephone pole to catch his breath. The thoughts made his chest and his eyes heavy and his knees weak, but he managed to keep standing. He looks towards the skies above. There weren't many lights in this countryside town, but he has gone on this route so many times he knew how to get home like the back of his hand. After a short break to regain his composure, Kiryu continued walking home.

Akira Nishikiyama. Kiryu's best friend and sworn brother. Them swearing an oath meant far more than simply having a fellow yakuza conduct business with you, this was a love and brotherhood that Kiryu treasured more than anything. No matter all the horrible things Nishiyama had done, and the vile man the yakuza world turned him into, Nishiki was and always will be Kiryu's brother.

Kiryu often spent hours wondering about if on that fateful day Nishiki killed Dojima, if he would have done anything differently. He has many regrets, but taking the fall for Nishiki isn't one of them. He wanted nothing more but to protect Nishiki and Yumi, and it was the only way. He only wishes he had a chance to speak with Nishiki while he was in prison. Maybe he could have pulled him away from the brink, like Nishiki did for him back in the raid against Shibusawa.

Kiryu thinks back to that time in the woods outside Tokyo, the day Nishiki tried to mercy kill him. While Nishiki cried at Kiryu's feet, Kiryu's only goal was to protect Nishiki by pushing him away. He wondered if he made the right decision in rejecting any of Nishiki's help for so long. Even after abandoning Nishiki, he still chose to fight alongside Kiryu against The Dojima Family, the family he was a part of. Kiryu couldn't help but wonder if he really deserved his help after he tried to keep Nishiki away from him.

Even further back, the day Kiryu and Nishiki told Kazama they planned to become yakuza. The beating Kazama gave them was one Kiryu will remember for the rest of his days, a beating that maybe should have been even harder. Maybe if Kiryu and Nishiki listened, Nishiki would still be right by his side. The two punk kids wanted only to grow into the ideal men they spent their life in Sunflower idolizing, men that exude spirit and respect, but did they really choose the right path.

It's 2017 now. It's been 12 years since the 10 Billion Yen Incident. Kiryu's left with very few ways to mend the hurt inside him. One of those is through karaoke. Yet whenever he goes, all he's reminded of is his pain, and the only way to mend that pain seems to be to keep singing. Even after all these years, he still dearly misses his brother.

~Mou ichido restart from tonight~

No matter how many years pass. Whether it's the night in the Millenium Tower, the night in Serena where they reunited, that night in the Dojima Family office, that night in the forest, or that night outside Sunflower, all Kiryu wants is to be able to restart and save Nishiki.

Despite doing this very same walk every week, this walk felt exponentially longer than normal for Kiryu. After finally returning home, Kiryu notices the lights are on within his house. He's surprised to see his occasional karaoke partner is still awake. Kiryu opens the door.

"Oh, you're finally home." Kaoru Sayama turns her head after hearing the door to her and Kiryu's home open up. "Seems a little later than normal. I was beginning to think I'd need to go out and drag you home," She says with a snarky grin.

"How come you're still awake? Don't you have to go to the station tomorrow?" Kiryu asks.

"I took tomorrow off, remember?"

"Oh. I must have forgot."

"You always tend to forget things whenever you go to karaoke. I'm surprised you can even make it back home when I'm not with you."

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Kiryu takes a seat beside her.

"Oh relax. It's not like I don't know that you can handle yourself. Plus this place doesn't seem to see much crime anyway."

"Is it too boring for you?"

"Pfft, after spending almost a decade in America, a nice calm town like this is exactly what I need."

"Did you guess I would be here?"

"Wouldn't have been my first choice, but I have connections. Not even Date and all his experience and hidden dealings could keep you from me." Sayama turns to face Kiryu and looks him in his eyes. "I told you when I came back I'd find you."

Kiryu wanted to smile, but that night's walk still continued to haunt him.

After reuniting with Kiryu, Sayama could tell Kiryu had changed since she last saw him. The weight of the world on his shoulders only grew heavier, and his guard cracked more and more with each passing year. Lucky for her, this taught her more how to read him. "You're lost in your thoughts again, aren't you? Did something happen?"

"Nothing new."

"Is that so…" Sayama thinks for a moment. "How come you never sing that song in front of me?"

"Hm?" That got Kiryu's attention.

"You told me there's a song you always sing when you go to karaoke alone, but when we go together you say you don't sing it. I wanna know why."

"It's a lot."

"You think I don't know what a lot is? We've been through alot. Not to mention I read up on everything that happened after I left. I know you never stopped fighting. There's nothing you can tell me I can't handle," Sayama assures.

"Hm." Kiryu brushes off her insistence.

"Except, there is one that I'm fuzzy on the details for. The 10 Billion Yen incident."

That caused Kiryu's ears to perk up.

"That one was real personal for you, wasn't it?"

"...yeah," Kiryu finally speaks up.

"And that yakuza who was working with Jingu, Akira Nishikiyama, you two grew up together, right?"

Kiryu's fingers nearly dig into his knee. "...yeah."

"You two were close, right? How come you never talk about him?"

"Talking won't bring anyone back. The grief…" Kiryu sat motionless for a moment. "The past has to remain in the past."

"If it's still affecting you now then it isn't the past. It's your now," Sayama pressures him. "It doesn't look like you're leaving the past in the past."

Kiryu lowers his head. "I guess not."

Sayama gently lifts his head. "It doesn't have to be this way. After all these years I thought you'd learn, but you can trust people. You can trust me. Leaving everything in your head alone isn't going to make it go away. I want you to talk to me. I want to help you."

It must have been the brutal night of reflection, but for once, Sayama's pleas seem to actually get through to Kiryu. The personal hell he put his mind through, the dragon desperately needed to fly out of it. Sayama was throwing him a line and he needed to catch it. "It's a long story." Kiryu nearly smiles.

Sayama smiles back at him. "I've got all night."