1990
Shizuka was hiding in the wardrobe.
Her parents were fighting again. Her father had lost a lot of money gambling and her mother had to work extra hours so they could pay rent. Shizuka didn't want to live in the streets.
Sometimes the neighbors would hear the fighting and ask her if she was safe at home. Shizuka always said yes, she didn't want to trouble her parents, she still loved them.
She hugged her teddy bear, hoping that her big brother would come back soon.
"Shizuka? Are you there?" She jumped out of the wardrobe and hugged her brother. He liked entering the house through the window to avoid their parents.
"Onii-chan! Why do they fight so much?" She whispered.
"...I don't think they love each other anymore, Shizuka." He rubbed her back in a comforting way.
"B-but why? Why would they marry if they don't love each other?" The young girl couldn't understand, she refused to understand.
The older kid released her, "You were too young to remember, but I still do…It's been years since I saw them happy with each other but they were a very happy couple once."
"Then…then why did they start fighting? Why can't they go back to how they were?" Shizuka's eyes started to water.
"...It's dad's fault…He ruined our family when he started drinking and gambling 3 years ago! We weren't rich but we had a very comfortable life, now you need to wear my old clothes because we can't buy nice clothing anymore! You look like a snot-nosed brat when you wear my freaking dinosaur t-shirt!" The boy gestured towards her shirt.
"...It's not that bad…" She liked the dinosaur shirt.
"Your clothes are not the biggest problem here, sis. The problem is that mom is the only one putting food on our table, dad's money goes all to his drinking!" Katsuya lay down in his bed and closed his eyes.
Shizuka lay down in her own bed and took off her glasses, she wiped her eyes and let sleep take her. She hoped that when she woke up, her parents would have gone back to being the kind people Katsuya had talked about.
Unfortunately, dreams didn't always come true.
A few months later, her parents got into another fight and her father hit her mother. That was the last straw, she filed for divorce and left.
She was happy that they were leaving their father, but that happiness didn't last long. Their mother was only taking Shizuka.
"M-Mom! Why are we leaving Onii-chan behind?" The young girl cried in the car's backseat.
"Because you need special care and I don't have money to take care of two kids and pay for your eye treatment."
"Then let me go blind! I don't care! Just don't leave him behind!" Shizuka screamed at her mother, her brother was more important than her vision!
"No and this is the last time we talk about this!" Her mother said in a firm tone, making Shizuka cry even more.
They were moving to the other side of the country, as far as they could from her father and with no way to contact Katsuya.
Shizuka never felt so lonely. She could still remember their last fight word by word.
The siblings were hiding behind the door of their bedroom, listening to the intense fighting.
"You fucking witch! You're leaving just because of a slap?" The man grabbed his wife's arm.
"The slap was the last straw, you useless drunk! You not only lose all our money but you also dare raise your hand against me!" She shook him off.
"It's not that bad! We still have food and a roof over our heads, don't we?" He screamed.
"Yes! Because I've been working 12 hours per day!" She screamed higher.
"We wouldn't need that if your fucking daughter wasn't a cripple!" Shizuka winced and Katsuya hugged her.
"Don't you dare call OUR daughter a cripple! We never had problems with money before you started drinking and gambling!"
"I gamble to earn money to pay for your daughter's treatment! I need my booze so I won't go crazy with you bitching in my ear the whole fucking day!"
The woman didn't answer, she just went to the children's room, "We're leaving," The siblings smiled, but their happiness ended when their mother took Shizuka by the arm and left without even looking into Katsuya's face.
"Go! Take your crippled child with you!" Their father screamed as his wife and daughter left.
"Wait for the divorce papers, asshole!" That was the last time Shizuka saw her brother.
The girl hugged her teddy bear, "Wait for me, Onii-chan. One day, we will see each other again!"
1994
Katsuya walked out of the back door with garbage bags in his hands.
Since his mother left with his sister, his father got worse. Katsuya has been the one paying bills and putting food on the table for the last 2 years.
He threw a bag into the bin.
He was still bitter that his mother left him with his father, but as he got older he understood that it was for the best. His sister needed her eye treatment and it was better for his mother to pay for her treatment and give her a comfortable life than to pay for her treatment and live in poverty.
He understood that on a logical level, but it didn't mean that his feelings weren't hurt.
He threw another bag into the bin.
His school didn't allow students to work part-time normally, but he managed to get special permission. Calling himself 'poor' always made him feel less, he wasn't ashamed of being poor, but he hated when people looked at him like he's about to ask for donations. It was humiliating.
He finished throwing the trash out and went back to the restaurant. Today, he was working as a dishwasher, or how he liked to call it, a paid slave. He was hired to wash dishes, not to take the trash out and clean toilets!
"Oi, Jonouchi! Good work today, we expanded our influence even further!" Hirutani, Katsuya's gang leader, slapped his back after a fight.
"Those guys are nothing to the Yellow Devil!" One of the gang members yelled while pocketing his fallen opponent's wallet.
"I told you to not call me that stupid nickname." Katsuya smirked, he was one of the strongest delinquents in the region, his battle prowess and blonde hair earned him the nickname of 'Yellow Devil', he found the nickname stupid but it did make him a little proud.
"Why not? I saw you beat up high schoolers! You're definitely a devil, Jonouchi!" Another gang member lit a cigarette and offered it to Katsuya, but he refused.
"Let's go to the club, we deserve a few drinks!" Hirutani called the gang to his bar. Well, not literally his bar, he just intimidated the owner enough for him to disappear from sight when the gang walked in.
"Can't do, gotta run now. See you guys tomorrow." Katsuya waved to his companions and left, he was late for his job.
After turning a corner, Katsuya bumped into his friend Hiroto Honda. The tall boy wasn't a gang member but he was as strong as Katsuya himself.
"Jonouchi, I told you before and I'm telling you again: Stop hanging out with those assholes, they're trouble!"
"Out my way, Honda. I'll be late for my job, besides? What's wrong with them? They're not worse than any other gang, the difference is that they're the strongest." Katsuya liked being a gang member, it made him feel strong, it made him feel safe. When he was fighting, he didn't need to think about what he was going to eat for dinner.
"You're better than this, man," Hiroto grasped his shoulder, but Katsuya pushed his hand away, "Yeah, whatever." He said, leaving his frowning friend behind.
"I'm home." Katsuya entered his apartment, happy to see his father passed out at the kitchen table.
He doesn't need his father extorting him further when he already paid the energy bill of the month.
Katsuya sighed, happy that he ate at work, he didn't want to go anywhere near the kitchen when his father was sleeping there.
He wished that his mother hadn't left him.
A few weeks later, Hirutani's gang had fully conquered the region. Now, they spend their time drinking, smoking and fighting among themselves.
With nothing better to do, Katsuya decided to hang out with Hiroto. They were leaving school when they heard someone screaming.
"Jou, I think we should check that noise out," Hiroto stopped walking.
"Why? It's probably the gang mugging some loser." Katsuya kept walking.
"Dude, it was a woman's voice."
Katsuya froze.
"Let's go." The duo ran towards the sound, but what they found made their blood boil.
Hirutani was holding a girl by her arm while some of his henchmen watched, her nose was bleeding and her clothes were messy.
They didn't need more information to know what was happening.
"Let me go, you piece of shit!" The girl kept struggling, but the futile effort only made them laugh.
"I didn't want to hurt you, but someone needs to teach you what happens with people who say no to me!" Hirutani raised his fist, but Hiroto held his arm.
"Hirutani! What the fuck is happening here?!" Katsuya screamed at his boss.
"Hey, Jonouchi! Want to have some fun? But I saw her first through…" He grinned and easily freed himself from Hiroto.
"Let her go right now or I'll beat the crap out of you!" Katsuya yelled in his face.
Hitutani's grin turned sour, he released the girl and stared at the shorter boy, "Did you just threaten me?" He asked in a low tone.
"What if I did?" Katsuya glared at his boss with defiance, Hiroto stood by his side.
"Get out of here, bitch. We'll have our fun later." The girl looked at Katsuya with a silent 'thank you' and ran away.
"You know, Jonouchi…You were always my strongest and most trusted underling, but I forgot something…I forgot to teach you respect."
"Then come and teach me!" Katsuya went for a punch, but Hirutani dodged. A henchman tried to grab the blonde but Hiroto punched him.
"You're strong, Jonouchi! But you two can't beat us all!" Hirutano punched Katsuya, disorienting his opponent. A henchman grabbed Katsuya from behind, but he headbutted his attacker with the back of his head, stunning him enough for Katsuya to free himself and do a follow-up attack.
Meanwhile, Hiroto dodged an opponent, making him clash into another one. Then, he punched Hirutani, but the burly teenager barely flinched. He grabbed Hiroto and threw him at Katsuya, sending both to the ground.
The gang started beating the fallen teenagers for several minutes, until someone yelled at them, "Stop! You're all coming with me!"
The gang looked up, the one who called them was a policeman accompanied by the girl from before.
"Fuck! Run!" Hirutani's gang ran away, being chased by the policeman while the girl helped the fallen duo.
"Are you okay?" Hiroto asked the girl.
"Yes, but I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you two. Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Katsuya got up and limped away. Hiroto chased him.
"I told you that those assholes were trouble."
"Shut up, Honda. I didn't think that Hirutani would ever do that crap, I used to respect the guy."
"No more gangs?"
Katsuya took a deep breath, "No more gangs." He would need another way to release tension, maybe he should join a club? Nah, he would be a High Schooler in a few months, joining a club now would be too much of a bother.
After the incident, Katsuya never saw Hirutani again.