Entry 69: Moving On

August 3rd: Afternoon

Standing outside a small house in a residential district of Tokyo, I was a bit nervous. No. I'm practically shitting myself right now! The house I was in front of was owned by the Namatame Family. Seth's family. "Hey, we can stand here forever, or we can get going. Your choice." Shiro was standing next to me. Today, he was wearing a normal black three piece suit and... I didn't like the look of it. If he was ever wearing anything relatively normal or not an outrageous color, it meant that some serious shit was going to go down. Didn't help that he asked me to wear the same thing. "Ready?"

"...let's get this over with." Taking in fifteen deep breaths, I was finally the slightest bit ready. Walking into the small house, I thought about everything that led me to this. How I decided that I shouldn't run away from the consequences of what happened if I want to put everything behind me. The five hour thinking session I had given over what I should do. All of that went right out of my head when I walked into the small living room to see Seth's mother and Father sitting on the couch. They were both similarly professionally dressed to myself and my brother. Seth's mother couldn't have been over her thirties. She looked so young, especially with her long black hair. But the thousand yard stare she had one along with the black dress made her seem more at place at a funeral than here. Same went for Seth's Father. Actually, his step father. Unlike his wife, he seemed alert and ready, however too much so. His brown eyes were wide and seemed to notice every single movement that my brother and I made. His black hair was slicked back in an attempt to look as professional as he can.

"Helloooo! How ya doin, Mister and Misses Namatame?" I didn't know whether or not to be mad at my brother for being so tonally insensitive. Because as he did that, the two parents became typically less tense. "How're ya doin today? Look, I know this is a whole serious issue and all, but that doesn't mean you two have to be so tense!" Sitting down on the couch opposite of them, he patted the seat next to him. Signaling me to sit down. I did so, but was far too nervous to look at the two adults. "But seriously. Please relax. The fact that we are here means that nothing too drastic will happen. Okay?"

"Y-Yes Sir. Thank you so much for being so understanding." Bowing in his seat, Seth's step father practically had tears in his eyes from Shiro's proclamations. "Thank you! Thank-"

"I wouldn't thank me yet. Just because I said nothing drastic will happened doesn't mean it won't be serious." Almost immediately, his friendly demeanor was thrown out the window. Sitting next to me was Shiro Ogata, current head of the Anti-Yakuza underground group known as Library. Built in order to put a stop to the very underground that it exists in, they will do anything to achieve this goal. The leader of this group was sitting in front of the parents of one of the few young kids that trusted enough to put into his small group meant to symbolize the future of Library, and that same person spitting on that group and betraying them. "What your son did was serious. Not only could he have killed my brother here, but he's also been working to undermine my organization for about a year now and purposely been assisting someone whose goal is the exact opposite of mine. If he had succeeded, then it's very possible that all of Japan could have been plunged into a Yakuza war."

"..." The two middle aged adults sat in silence, processing what my boss had just said. "Are... are you sure?" His mother asked. It seemed more of a rhetorical question. No... it was like she was hoping that my brother was wrong. That something was misunderstood. But-

"I know this for a fact. I'm sorry." It was Shiro's turn to bow to the parents. "If I had noticed something was off, perhaps I could have stopped his behavior before it became too serious. You trusted me with your son and I failed you. I apologize."

No, that's not right. It's my fault! I was his leader. I was the one who ignored him and live a fucking rom com while he was apparently planning my and Library's downfall. I should be the one up for the fucking chopping block, not him! But... as much as I wanted to say this and actually become the one to blame, I know my brother would never allow it to happen. Yes he did some things wrong and made mistakes but, he's still Seth. Right? He's still my friend, right? I just failed him, I just... what could I have done differently to never be put in this situation? Sitting in front of the two grieving parents, I felt like utter shit. There had to have been something that went wrong on my part. But whether it was because of my own bias or stupidity, I couldn't think of it. Why? Why?!

"...thank you, Mr. Ogata. But what our Seth did was his decision. He chose this. Not you or anyone else." The mother said to my brother. "Please... just let us know what will happen to him now? I... I'm not stupid. I know you're not going to just leave him on house arrest forever. You may not be Yakuza but you are still..." She trailed off a bit, her gaze becoming forlorn before focusing on us again. "Please, just tell us."

Coughing into his hand, my brother looked over to me and nodded. Okay... Taking in a deep breath, I finally spoke up. "After Seth's actions, there were multiple things that were discussed at Library. Most of them being quiet... violent." Maki being the number one advocate for that. She was really pissed. "However, I don't want it to come to that. While Seth may not look at it this way, I thought of him as a friend. And I'm sure that Shiki Ono must have manipulated him in some way. So, I personally don't want a harsh sentence for him."

Before the two could celebrate, my brother spoke up with a smirk. "And seeing how I'm a Bro-con who can't help but do whatever my lil bro wants, I have no other choice but to listen to him! Oh no~" Why do you have to make it weird? Even Seth's mother looked at my younger brother like he was a disgusting piece of trash for that comment. "A-Anyway, my judgment is... Seth will be thrown out of Library. He is also required to pay us rent compensation for that past year. So about 200K Yen. I won't be to strict about payments for now. Also, it must be his own money that he pays for. If I find out that you two helped him... well. Best not to take my generosity for granted."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Seth's dad bowed to us and began to cry. "We won't take your kindness for granted!"

"Thank you, Kuro. Shiro." The middle aged woman smiled at us and practically crushed my sprite with that.

"N-No problem." Standing up, I walked over to the door, ready to leave already. That was until, I spotted the stairs just around the corner of the house. "Shiro-"

"Go ahead. I have a few more things to speak with them about. But be careful."

"...yeah." Nodding, I left my brother and the adults as I walked upstairs into the house. It was fairly easy to figure out which room belonged to Seth. Unlike every other egg-white door, one was spray painted black and had a 'Do No Trespass' sign attached to the door. Knocking on it, I debated announcing my presence before-

"Come in." Could be heard from the other side. My stomach felt like it was going backflips while on a rollercoaster as I opened the door. Inside, the room was very messy. Dirty laundry littering the floor, multiple bags of trash off to the side and a putrid smell filled the room. Instinctively, I covered my nose and had to resist the urge to gag. "...so, when am I going to die?"

"Not happening. Sorry, but you just owe us 200k. Of course, if you try to fuck with Library or me that'll change but, I doubt that'll happen." Looking at him, Seth looked absolutely horrible. His eyes had such deep bags, It looked like he hadn't slept in a few days. His hair was completely disheveled and his now visible face was covered in crumbs. He was sitting at his computer, looking out the window that sat next to him. "Seth, what did I do?"

"..."

"Please. Tell me what I did to hurt you. Or whatever Ono said to you! I know she must have convinced you somehow. What-"

"I did it because I wanted to." He cut me off as he continued to look out the window. "The Nakano siblings were getting on my last nerve. And you continued to listen to their every order. Those brats were nothing more than spoiled pieces of human garbage and here we were fucking listening to their every word like it was fucking gospel. I hated it. And then, you go on to fucking try and live life with them? Be normal? Disgusting." Practically spitting out those words, I began to really feel the malice and hatred he felt for me. "We were supposed to be heroes. Save the world from the Yakuza."

"So you teamed up with someone who wanted to become their de facto leader?"

"For there to be light in the world, there must be darkness. If it meant bringing you to your senses, then I was fine with that."

"Bring me to my senses meant shooting me?!"

"Itsuki was supposed to die then, not you!"

*SLAM* I didn't resist the call to violence that shouted in my body. In fact, I encouraged it. "How fucking DARE you!" Slamming my fist into Seth's face, the bastard flew straight to the ground, a small amount of blood coming from his cut lip. Inside I felt a burning desire to continue to slam my fist into his face. Leaving it in a paste. Shut up! Just... relax. "...I thought of you as my friend. That's why we went so easy on you. But... if you even so much as fucking think about hurting any of them. I'll kill you myself."

Leaving it at that, I left the disgusting room and walked out of the house. Not bothering to say goodbye to the Namatame family. As far as I know, I'll never see them ever again. I better never have to see your face. It's in your best fucking interest.

Same day: Night

By the time I got home, I was tired as hell. I wanted nothing more than to fall onto my bed, call Nino and Miku and fall asleep to the sound of their voices. So, of course the universe decided to make my day worse. When I opened the door to my apartment, sitting at my table and enjoying a cup of tea was none other than Maruo Nakano. This just isn't my day. "Good Evening, Ogata."

"...hello Maruo. Did you break into my apartment?"

"Ogata. Who do you think I am? Of course not. Maki let me in." Of course she did. Ah well, he's better company than the Namatame family. Throwing my suit jacket onto my bet, I sat across from the doctor and poured myself a cup of tea. "A simple green tea can be quite relaxing. While the more complex flavors are nice, nothing beats something simple. No?"

"You have a point. In fact, I feel like this is just what I needed." The heat and simple flavor somehow made my muscles relax and fatigue flow away. "So, is there something I can do for you?"

"Well, this was mostly a visit to make sure that you were recovering well. Which, obviously you are. But I want to hear it from you. Any issues so far?"

Rubbing my leg, I debated whether or not to be honest. Until I remembered who I was dealing with. It's Maruo. If I don't tell him the truth now, he'll figure it out eventually, use it against me and then mentally torture me. Plus, he is being nicer (?) about my dating his daughters. "Well, my leg still feels weird. Like something missing whenever I walk. But other than that, I'm fine."

Nodding his head, he seemed to make a mental note about that before taking another sip. "I see. Very well. That should go away soon. If not, it may be an issue with your muscles not healing correctly. We'll give it a few more weeks before doing anything."

"Okay... that's good to know."

"Now then, onto other news. I've finally come to my conclusion about your relationship with my daughters." Wait what?

"Wait, what?"

Standing up, the man's indifferent stare turned into a harsh glare. Oh, I'm dead. "While you may have worked for me for a long time and gained my respect. You also went behind my back, lied to me and even hid your relationship with the most important people in my life. Twice. For months." Well... when you say it like that, I sound like an asshole. "Now tell me. Is that respectful behavior?"

"Well... no. Of course not. But-"

"Kuro... I actually see a bit of myself in you." Wait what?! "You were a serious child. Far too much so for your youth. You understand responsibility and consequences." Actually, I've been pointed out to have a little issue with that. "So. I've come to this. Defeat me in a fist fight and-"

"Maruo. You know that is not the best idea, right? You're not the most... athletic person out there. And I'm... you know."

He seemed to actually register what he said just then. Letting out an audible 'Ah' he coughed into his hand and tried to regain any professionalism and authority. "You have a point. It would also be an issue to fight me. I... very well. If you can promise not to do anything that will hurt my daughters. I will accept you. For now. There is still the issue of marriage."

"I promise, Sir. I will do my very best." Standing up to meet him, I put out my hand to shake him. Hesitantly, he took it before squeezing it quite hard.

"...only know that the reason I am being so accommodating is because of your years of service to me. Count yourself lucky for being so unlucky to get hurt protecting my girls. Otherwise...I would have had you wiped from this earth. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Sir." Releasing my hand, I shook the pain away before thinking about something. "So... should I call you father or..."

"...Ogata."

"Sorry."

Scoffing, the man drank the rest of his tea before heading for the exit. Opening the door, he seemed to let out an exhausted sigh before shaking his head. "You and Uesugi are going to be the death of me." Ah, so I'm Taro tier now. That sucks. "Baby Steps, Kuro. Baby steps."

"Wait. So does that-" before I could finish, my former boss slammed the door shut. Huh, so he's open to the idea. Eventually. Maybe he doesn't hate Taro as much as I or even he thinks.

August 5th: Afternoon

"..."

"..."

"...so are we just going to sit here or..."

"Give me a moment." I said to the piece of human trash in front of me. Really, what was I thinking? In front of me, with her hands and legs chained to the table and chair was Shiki Ono. Even though she was in such a perilous situation, that damn shit eating grin was still plastered on her face. "You seem well..." Who the hell says that to the person who tried to kill them?

"Well, your brother is surprisingly nice. Though, I wish he would let me have all of my clothes." We were sitting in her 'Room'. Ever since the incident, she's been Library custody for her crime against us. As expected from an organization that works outside the law. The room actually looked pretty comfortable. It was quite similar to a hotel room. A comfortable bed, a kitchen and bathroom. There was even a television. Instead of what you'd expect a prisoner to wear, Ono was wearing a stylish jacket and short skirt. "In fact, this is much nicer than my last residence. I should have turned myself in a while ago."

"You would have saved us the trouble." Most people would find it strange that Library would house it's enemies in such a comfortable area. But it is in our blood to be better than the Yakuza who took advantage of us. They would throw you in a blank room covered in darkness and only give you bread to feed on. We have a professional chef and let you watch game shows. Said chef is Grim, but still.

Giggling to herself, Ono lifted her hands to her face. Resting her head on them. "I must say, the irony of this isn't lost on me. It's almost as if the situation has been switched from last time. Don't tell me you're going to choke me to death too." Her slight jab at our last interaction made me flinch and bring my hands to my neck. The bandages have been gone for a few days now but... it still felt like her hands were printed onto it. "Oh, my apologies. That was a bad joke. After all, I know you could never do that, Mr. Pacifist."

"Fuck you." Why the hell am I doing this? Taking in a deep breath, I couldn't help but wonder why I felt this way. Staring at Ono, all I felt was fear and dread. Completely unlike the pure disgust and anger I felt against Seth a few days ago. "I'm here to tell you your judgment has come down. DO you understand what that means?"

"Ah! My execution date has finally been decided! Finally! It's been on my mind forever." For a split second, she showed it. Fear and pain. For no more than a moment, she dropped that fake persona and showed the scared girl she was. So you are human.

"Fortunately for you, we won't be going that far. I advocated for a lighter sentence for you."

"...you really are an idiot." Practically spitting that sentence at me, she looked like she was debating whether to try and hurt me again. "I don't know if you know this, but you were almost taken from this world by my hand."

Oh I know. As much as I tried to ignore it, I did almost die that day. But so did she. If I were anyone else, she would have had a bullet gone through her head. "There are conditions. I'm not that much of an idiot. First off... you're going to be honest with me. I want to know why you went through all of this. Why'd you even start doing this?"

"Now why the hell woul-"

"Because I want to put this all behind me!" Slamming my hands on the wooden table, I couldn't let her try and run away from this. "I want to live a normal life. But I can't do that until I've finally put everything to rest. Until I know why you put me through hell, why you pretended to be my sister. Why put yourself in the line of fire of Library of all organizations? I hate you, Ono. But I'm not fucking stupid. People don't just do things just because they're bored or they're evil. No teenage girl in existence would willingly go to war with an anti-yakuza org just because. Even if your excuse was that you wanted to be queen or whatever. That'd make no sense to start a war now. So fucking tell me."

She stared at the table for a few moments. Contemplating, thinking, and I'm sure planning. But, all of that disappeared with a sigh. With that breath, she seemed to let go of everything. She let go of the grin and the games that she loves playing with me. Instead, she looked up at me with a tired expression, like she was truly done. "Fine... where to start. Ah, probably, from the beginning. Well, my father was Kenichi Ono. Patriarch of the Ono clan and the one who ran the orphanage you lived in for ten years." You've got to be FUCKING KIDING ME!

"...so it was revenge?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Of course not. When you live the Yakuza life, that sort of thing happens all the time. If it weren't you and your brother, then it would have been someone else. No. I didn't go after you for revenge for my father, I went after you, because my father saw something in you." Her father... who was that? Every time I tried to remember any of the adults from the orphanage, all that came up were blurs. Just blurs of pure hatred. Could it have been the principle, or the guy who poured coffee on me? "You were a child doing jobs for the Ono clan. He thought you were a prodigy. If only you weren't recruited by those five brats."

"...so that's why you came after me? Because of a tip your dad gave you years ago?! Are you insane?"

"I needed anything that could revive my fathers family. While I still had some of his connections and money, it still wasn't enough. So, using you would make sense, no?" Ah, so it's a family business? Who the hell makes running a Yakuza family a family business?!At least that explains her connections. But, it did make sense. Not a lot of sense, but more than her just being bored or wanting to become the queen of the Yakuza. "Being a part of the Reapers and the Omi was just some training. Until I finally found you. Helps that you're pretty easy to manipulate as well and its fun to fuck with you." A sad smile made its way onto her face. "If only things went a little different."

"Sorry to say, but there's no way in hell that I would have ever joined you."

"I wouldn't say never. I'm sure if you never met the Nakano siblings, you would have been more agreeable to my plan. Maybe if I spined it as reforming the Yakuza from within, you'd agree." No point in asking what ifs. "Anyway, next comes getting some information on you. Easy enough when there was someone so close to you with a hate boner for the Nakano brats and easy enough to manipulate."

"Seth... that fucking idiot." So he felt that way before Ono even showed up. Dammit. "So that was it. You... but why couldn't you just accept when I said no?"

"Hmph. because you are a fool. Sure, I've given up on you now, but I'm still right. You're wasting your talents trying to live life like a fucking normie. You could have been so much more."

"I don't want to be more." Silence was all I got from her before she scoffed and turned away.

"Well, I'm done now. I told you why I did what I did. As for Library, I honestly didn't think that far. I figured things would have worked out one way or another. Oh, and I wasn't planning on Seth shooting you like a dog. Don't blame me for that~"

I suppose that makes sense. Starting a war this early would be dumb, even for her. I drank in the info before shaking my head. Standing up from my seat, I threw the keys to her bindings in front of her. "Your sentence is this. You are here by exiled from Asahiyama. Should you come close to myself or the Nakano family, you give up your right to live in the eyes of Library. Same goes for if you try to become a part of any prominent yakuza family, but that goes without saying. Leave me alone forever and we will do the same for you. This really is your final warning, Ono."

Picking up the key, her shit eating grin came back. "Aw, so we aren't getting married? You were my first love, you know."

"Good bye, Shiki Ono. I hope I never have to see you ever again."

"You won't. I've had enough of you as well." Walking away from her, I didn't know whether to be surprised or happy that our final encounter ended much more peacefully than mine with Seth. At least, it's done now. God, I'm fucking tired.

Now, the only thing between myself and leaving Library was graduation. Ugh, I need to catch up on my studies.

AN: Hello everyone. Happy Friday, I hope you all had a good week. I've been doing well. But there is one thing that's been slightly bothering me. The fact that I kind of wasted chapter 69! I could have used it for a decent bit, but it ended up being a serious chapter! What a shame. Other than that, the holiday season is fully in session. And while that's great in it's own right, the date I'm really looking forward to is the 26th. The one year anniversary of this story! I want to do something special for the ani but am having a hard time deciding what. I'm stuck between two options... eh. I'll figure it out. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this update!

PoppingMonke: Wow! When I first read this review, I was honestly over the moon. To hear that someone who enjoys my story does something that I find myself doing as well is honestly really encouraging! I can't help but be a little bit curious what you could be thinking as well. Thank you so much for telling me this, makes me want to do better and better to keep entertaining you. Thanks for supporting me and I'll make sure to do my best for you!

TheMist33: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter! I'm going to keep going strong for this story that I absolutely love! Thank you for the review!