A/N: Holy shit I was right. Well good news is I'm not sick anymore but the bad news was that a shit ton of school work piled up over the week and some of it is still unfinished. I'd like to thank all of you for your patience with this chapter while I was dying trying to catch up. Also typing on a keyboard with freezing hands is agony. Send help.

Review response:

Coolness121:

Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it.

Cooldude/cooldude101011:

Noted. Also thank you for the feedback.

Halo:

: )

(Also yes IK he had the grappling hook detachment handle thingy thing but I completely forgot that it existed when writing the fight. I read your comment after and I just deflated.)

XxxTheHeroxxXCalledLinkxxX:

I appreciate your feedback and while Ik you didn't exactly ask, yes I am planning on giving Roman a semblance and one I feel like would fit him quite well. Just need to get him in a situation to use it.

Ibiolizard:

Thank you so much for your praise. Also while I agree, I didn't want to do that since I myself get really pissy when I'm looking for a story and it's categorized incorrectly. (There's this one MHA story categorized as a crossover with RWBY but it's not and oh boy was I not pleased when I found out I wasted my time. Not to say it was a bad story mind you, just not what I was looking for.) Besides I think I'm doing fine with the amount of favs and follows I have already. : )

Turbulent Totalities:

Thank you for the feedback. Writing Roman in character is always going to be a challenge so I'm glad that you took the time to let me know I'm on the right track!


Chapter Seven: Moving Up In The World


"Just another few minutes boss. Thankfully traffic is light today."

The van Roman was in cruised lightly down the road, the sights of the city passed by them. It was oddly relaxing to sit in one place and watch the world go by. The radio was switched to Present Mic's radio station again, Tsutomu was listening to one of the songs they played. Roman thought he heard the Voice Hero say the songs name was "Polaris" but he wasn't paying too much attention.

It was still fairly early in the morning but not early enough to where there was minimal activity on Musutafu's streets. That was another thing that completely bewildered Roman but in hindsight made sense. Without the Grimm as a constant threat to humanity on Earth, the population was absolutely massive. So much so that some countries were having problems with food and housing.

Roman's hand tried to tighten around Melodic Cudgel but sadly found nothing but air. Torchwick clicked his tongue in annoyance. Melodic Cudgel was actually the reason he was in the car driving downtown today. He got a message from Giran the day prior letting him know that his cane and ID. were finished.

Roman didn't leave the warehouse too much the whole weak because of it. His being used to having Melodic Cudgel was a weakness, one he'd need to deal with somehow sooner or later. Perhaps he'd make another Melodic Cudgel just in case he needed a replacement although he'd obviously name it something else. He was almost giddy with finally getting his cane back and he was thankful that Tsutomu knew Musutafu's streets so well.

Torchwick was brought out of his musings when he felt the van begin to slow down before it turned a corner onto a side street. Roman didn't really have a clue where he and Giran were meeting, or rather what kind of place it was. The only thing Giran told him was that it was "Somewhere safe". Giran had proved trustworthy so far and Roman believed he wouldn't betray the small trust they'd built with each other but that didn't help Roman's anxiety.

When the van stopped, Roman and Tsutomu stepped out, the later following the former. Glad that he was out of the van, Roman dug into his coat and pulled out a cigar, which he promptly lit. He took a long drag of the cigar before exhaling the smoke from his lungs in a satisfied sigh. He'd taken a big liking to this brand and even if he knew he may have started down the road to a smoking problem, he didn't really care. Aura protected him from the worst affects of smoking so long as he didn't overdue it.

With that, he beckoned Tsutomu to follow him before the two approached the door to what seemed like an abandoned building. There weren't any obvious signs of wear and tear. Not only that Roman couldn't exactly tell what the building was for. The best description for it was just a building, maybe some sort of cargo area. He'd find out once he was inside he supposed.

Torchwick gave a specific knock that Giran told him to give if he didn't want to stay stuck outside. 2 quick knocks, followed by 3 knocks with a pause between them, followed lastly by 4 quick knocks and 1 knock with a pause. He took a step back and waited a few seconds before an opening on the door slid open to reveal two narrowed brown eyes staring at him.

"Who is it?" The voice was slightly muffled due to the metal door separating them but Torchwick could still hear him well enough.

"Torchwick. Here to see Giran." The man's eyes looked him over for a few seconds, perhaps looking for some tell of lying. Seemingly satisfied, the man closed the opening, before a series of clicks were heard on the other side. Then the door swung open, allowing both Roman and Tsutomu inside.

"Follow me." The guy who opened the door said. Grey hoodie, black jeans, red sneakers and a brown beanie topped the thugs look off. He didn't question the choice of attire but oh boy did he disagree with it. It lacked all sense of class and intimidation value.

The thug led them through the building, passing a few more people dressed similarly to him. Some had weapons at their waists but most didn't. Roman wanted to assume they were being smart and hiding their weapons but he knew better. Most villains and even many heroes forgoed additional weapons and supporting equipment in Japan. Most of these thugs were no different.

Finally, they reached a door which the thug gave some kind of signaling knock, similar to the one he gave at the front door. He stepped back after finishing, waited a few seconds and then the door opened. Both the thug who guided them and the one who opened the door stepped to the sides, allowing them to pass through. The door closed as soon as they were through, the former thug stayed on the other side.

"Giran's just down the hall. Don't try anything funny." The thug, who was no more than 19, failed miserably at his attempt to be intimidating. His noodle arms were fooling nobody. Roman chuckled to himself and didn't grace him with a response, before continuing on. Tsutomu followed behind him.

"So boss. Mind if you tell me why we're here?" Roman only widened his grin at Tsutomu's question.

"You'll find out. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

Generally, it was a very bad idea to let people know that a cane had a built in cannon in it but it was necessary to tell a few people. Giran was a must since he actually got the cane modified for him and with Neo… absent… Tsutomu was his right hand man in all but name. He did lead the others before they signed on with Roman so it only made sense.

At the end of the hall, was a lone door. Roman checked to see if it was locked by flicking the handle down. Seeing that it wasn't, he gestured towards the door with his head before opening it. The two of them walked inside to see a large open space. Giran stood by a table a few meters away with what looked like Melodic Cudgel placed on it. At the end of the room were what Roman could describe as makeshift targets. Giran looked over as he heard their foot falls.

"Torchwick!" He greeted, his arms spread wide. A cigarette was stuck between his teeth but did nothing to hide his wide and pleased grin.

"Giran. Good seeing you again." Torchwick approached and the two shook hands firmly.

"I have everything you asked for and maybe just a little more. Come and have a look." Roman looked over to Tsutomu as Giran turned back to the table. Tsutomu shrugged and Roman shrugged back, before the two of them followed.

"The cane you gave me was really a work of art. Apparently the chamber you used, while functional, didn't fit the ammunition we were planning to give you. We swapped it out and tested it and may I say it packs a punch. I don't have anything to compare it to since I've never seen your cane fire with the old modifications but I think you'll like it." Giran gestured to the cane on the table.

With a neutral face, Roman walked up to the table and grabbed Melodic Cudgel. The familiar feeling of metal settled into his hand but the cane felt slightly heavier. He looked to Giran with a questioning gaze. "The canes heavier than it used to be. Not by much but it's noticeable. Mind explaining what you did?"

Giran clapped his hands together and almost looked proud. "Of course, of course. The first thing I want to show you is this." Giran pointed to a new button underneath the one that launched the grappling hook from Melodic Cudgel. "First, I want you to press that button. It won't fire the cannon so don't worry about blowing yourself to bits."

After a bit of reluctance, Roman gripped Melodic Cudgel's handle with his right hand and pressed the button with his left. Immediately, something clicked and the handle detached from the barrel of the cane, as a separate trigger extended on Melodic Cudgel's barrel. Roman caught it before it could hit the floor but his eyes widened at what he saw.

Torchwick removed the barrel from the handle, only to unsheathe a blade from the barrel of the cane. It was around 60cm of stainless steel and was a shade of dark gray. Roman brought a finger up and ran it across the blade, his aura simmered as it protected him from the razor edge. Giran must have seen Roman's face because he chuckled.

"The grappling hook does still work but you need to re-sheathe the blade in order to fire it, not to mention you can detach the blade from the handle and use them separately. Sadly however when the blade was added, we found out the cane could no longer fire while it was sheathed. At first we added another trigger which would extend when the blade was unsheathed but… Well… then we decided to do this." Giran took Melodic Cudgel's barrel from Roman and pressed another button on it's surface next to it's chamber. In response, Melodic Cudgel's barrel extended the same length as the blade while the chamber moved down it's length to make up for the addition.

"You can now fire the weapon regardless if the handle is in or not with a bonus to range and accuracy. Just be careful that you don't blow yourself up because you forgot to press a damn button Torchwick." The mocking tone almost made Roman lose his good mood. Almost. His grin was wide and gleeful but his expression still held shock.

"This is… How the hell did you manage this?" Giran only chuckled.

"Be a broker in the underworld for long enough, you get to know the right people. Now then, why don't you actually try and shoot the damn cannon?" With a laugh, Roman re-sheathed the blade into Melodic Cudgel but kept the barrel extended. The cane came up to a little above his waist before but now it came up to his ribs while it was extended.

"I had those targets set up just for you. You don't have to worry about setting of any alarms or alerting the cops with your blasts but still try to be careful." Roman nodded and stepped to the side of the table.

Torchwick lifted Melodic Cudgel and pointed it at the closest target. He took a deep breath before pulling the trigger. A white and yellow flare shot forth and screamed across the room, illuminating the floors, walls and the ceiling as it flew by. It hit the target after a few seconds before a resounding boom echoed throughout the room, a large ball of smoke was thrown up at the blast area.

When the smoke cleared, the target had been obliterated and there were some cracks and chips running through the floor but ultimately the blast was a little less destructive than his other flares. On the bright side, the projectiles were faster and, if he understood the differences between Dust and the components used to make this flare, much cheaper. Torchwick fired a few more flares, obliterating a few more targets before shortening the barrel to it's normal length.

"Those were also just the standard flares. I have two more waiting for you and while both are more expensive, one is much more destructive while the other is more incendiary."

He looked over to Giran as he placed his cane between his armpits.

"Satisfied?" The smirk on his face practically dared Roman to say that he wasn't.

"If I were to say no then I'd have some impossible standards to meet." He chuckled before turning over to Tsutomu. "Set the money down on the table." Tsutomu immediately did as he asked. He placed the case of cash on the table before opening it and turning it to face Giran. His face lit up at the sight of the cash but he wasn't done.

"We still have one more piece of business." Giran removed something from his pocket. Roman saw that it was an envelope and he could only guess what was inside. "Open it." Giran said.

"Well shit let's see what this looks like…" With a sigh, Roman tore the envelopes seal and removed the ID from the inside before bringing it up to his face. "Akimitsu Yaketsuku…" He looked back over to Giran. "… Really…?" The brokers grin only widened as he held his hand's up in mock defense.

"Your cane inspired me. What can I say? Your first name means either Bright Light or Shining and your second means Flare. I thought it was fitting." Torchwick couldn't really argue with that and settled for sighing in exasperation. He looked back down at his ID as Giran kept explaining.

"I kept all of the unimportant information identical to yours so unless you plan to get caught then you won't have any problems with retaining your fake identity. Your fake ID is already in the system courtesy of a friend of mine so you're ready to go out whenever you want. I also listed you as quirkless. I don't know what your quirk is but you can't really fake a quirk anyways so it's a mute point."

Roman looked at his picture. In it, he looked very similar, minus some key differences. His hair, spiked and swept back and dyed a white comparable to those of the Schnee family. Unlike the Schnee's, his eyes were a bright yellow instead of the Schnee's blue or his own natural green. He also had a few freckles spread around his face.

"Do you have any way for me to end up looking like this?" He held up the ID gesturing to his fake photo. Giran merely grabbed a case that had been stashed underneath the table. He placed it on the table, opened it and turned it towards Torchwick. Inside was some white hair dye and some white wigs, yellow contact lenses and other various makeup pieces for his disguise.

"That's how." Torchwick wasn't sure if those words were meant to make him feel stupid or not but regardless of that fact, that was how he felt.


It was a few hours later and Roman was shitting himself at present. Now, Torchwick was a master at remaining calm no matter what and even when that didn't work, he absolutely, always, 100% of the time kept up a calm facade. If he wasn't calm on the inside then at least he made sure everyone around him thought he was. That was exactly what was happening right now.

Across from him was a plain, unremarkable middle aged man in a black business suit. Roman was sitting in an office in his new disguise, with some documents and a briefcase filled with money placed beside his chair only an arms stretch away. The man had properties for sale around Musutafu. Roman was planning on buying some of them. Specifically, warehouses and other large buildings he could use as safe havens and covers for any less than legal operations.

Of course, he wasn't going to be using more than one of them at the moment but Roman had some money to spend and he wanted to be prepared for the future. Eventually, he'd need places to lie low or store loot and cash so why not take care of a problem before it even became a problem. He'd met up with the man easily enough and now they were simply finalizing the deal. That didn't mean Roman wasn't metaphorically sweating bullets.

His fear, while irrational was both simultaneously justified he felt. Roman had brushed up on the general information about Earth but that didn't help ease his worry. He'd bought property before under false names back on Remnant and while everything was going well enough and things seemed similar give or take, he couldn't get rid of the sense of dread that he would screw something up. It was even worse because he wasn't even a wanted man yet! No one knew his face and still here he was quaking in his boots for some stupid property purchase!

After the man had finished going through some documents, he set them down and looked straight at Roman. There was nothing special about him, Roman could easily escape and get a new fake ID assuming the worst happened but that gaze felt like he was staring into Roman's soul. After a few seconds of tense silence, the man opposite him gave him a small smile, before extending his hand.

"Looks like everything is in order." Immediately, the tension left Roman's body and he stifled a sigh, eagerly grabbing the man's hand. The two shook and he slid a paper over which Roman picked up and began to read over. Nothing more than terms and conditions. After making sure he wasn't being cheated, he signed the paper with a false signature. As soon as he had, the man slid over some more papers. The deeds to the properties.

"I appreciate it. Thank you." The man gave Roman a nod. Torchwick stood up and grabbed the papers, before rolling them up and tying them. He grabbed the briefcase, opened it and placed it on the table. The man looked through it, presumably counting it and making sure it wasn't fake. He looked back to Roman once he was done.

"Sorry if you feel offended. Better to be safe than sorry. It was nice meeting you Mr. Yaketsuku." He gave Roman an apologetic smile which Roman waved off. Roman made sure he had everything he needed, before leaving the room. The second the door to the office close, Roman slumped against the door and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

After calming himself down from something that had no right to be as nerve-wracking as it was, Roman steadied himself on his feet and started walking down the hallway towards the exit. The people he passed gave him nary a glance as he walked through, proving the disguises quality. Even if his real identity wasn't known yet, the lack of questioning glances let him know that nothing looked out of place with his disguise.

When he got out of the building with the suns heat falling onto him, Roman took out his scroll and gave Tsutomu a call. While the call connected, Roman began walking down the street, trying to find somewhere he could remove his disguise without drawing suspicion. The ringing on the phone abruptly halted signaling that the call had gone through.

"Hello?"

"Tsutomu? It's me. Everything's ready on my end. How are the others?"

"We're all ready to move boss. Do you want me to come pick you up?" Roman hesitated for a moment, throwing the suggestion around in his head before coming to a decision and replying.

"No, go straight to the place I told you about and get settled in. I'll make my own way there."

"Alright boss. We'll see you then." There was a click before the call went dead. Roman placed his scroll into his bag before conveniently finding a public bathroom to use.

Roman walked inside before looking around. To his immense relief, the place was empty, allowing Roman to change without a hassle. Torchwick walked into the stall at the back after which he closed and locked the door. He threw off his wig and his suit, replacing it with his signature white coat. He wasn't anywhere near notorious enough for him to be recognized by just a coat just yet.

After finishing up and finally placing his bowler hat on his head, Roman unlocked the stall door and stepped outside. He was about to leave when his eyes caught his own in his reflection. He still had his contacts in. With a very frustrated sigh, Roman stepped up to the sinks and placed his bag on the counter, before beginning the painful process of removing his contacts.

When he had put them in, he'd swore up a storm at the stinging in his eyes that had persisted for around a few minutes and was very adamant that he not repeat that torture. After a bit of prodding and careful planning, the contacts had come out without too much fuss and Roman gave out a sigh of relief, before storing them away.

Once he was back on the street and feeling much more like himself, Roman hailed a taxi, stepped in and rattled down an address that was close enough for him to walk to where he needed to go. The taxi started down the road and Roman was left to his musings once more. He couldn't help but grin at the fact that they'd be moving into a proper and legally purchased warehouse. No more ruined couches or heaps of dust, no sir.

The question was though, what to do after that? The first step was obviously to get a, for lack of a better phrase, base of operations for Roman to use. Torchwick had just bought the building he'd planned to use for that and had sent the others there with his call to Tsutomu. Now he'd just need to meet them there.

He already had a small group of people to do things with but that wouldn't be able to last. The 5 of them, while suitably capable for now, were not enough to substitute even a few dozen people. Roman needed to build up influence in some parts of the city and to build up influence, he needed bodies. Yet ironically, to gather bodies, he'd also need to build up some more influence.

Torchwick was brought back to reality due to the taxi driver tapping his seat to get Roman's attention. "600 Yen please." Roman shook his head and dug into his pocket, grabbing some Yen which he gave to the driver. "Have a nice day." The man said and Roman opened the door, not before grabbing all his things, and stepped out. The taxi drove off right after.

It took a little bit of time, around 20-30 minutes but Roman eventually made it. He turned onto a side street which took him to where Tsutomu and the others should have been and arrived to see the man himself directing the others who were unloading a few things from the van. Tsutomu saw him and gave him a nod, before turning back to work.

Torchwick watched them for a little bit, before moving inside and looking around. The place was big, not huge but still big, able to hold a large amount of goods no matter if they were stolen or bought supplies. There were also many empty side rooms that could be repurposed for other things such as sleeping areas and the like. This one was the biggest of the ones he'd bought but all of the other properties were of a similar size and could be used just as this one would be.

Pieces of furniture were strewn around as were a few supplies but not everything they had at the old location was here. It looked like they'd have to make multiple trips in order to move everything but that was fine. Roman eventually found the room that he'd use as his private office and set the deeds to the properties in a safe that he'd purchased in preparation for this.

He looked up at the newly added desk that was in the room and smiled at the sight of Melodic Cudgel propped against it. With everything taken care of for now, Roman simply sat down at the desk and began racking his brain and going over some more papers. He still needed a convincing cover and what better way to dismiss suspicion at warehouses than using them for a business… Roman sighed as he got to work, the day was still young and god knows there was much to do.


Roman stubbed out a cigar on the nearby ash tray and let it rest before letting his head fall onto the desk with an audible thump but not before he moved all of his papers to the side. He proceeded to lay there, face down, for the next minute, simply trying to rest from the last few hours of doing absolutely nothing but reading through paperwork and writing out new documents or fixing errors if necessary. Curse his paranoia. It was exhausting but Roman preferred to be careful right now rather than get caught from an incredibly small yet stupid mistake.

After a moment, Roman picked his head up and rubbed his eyes a bit out of habit, much to his dismay as his eyes only started to itch even more. He ignored the annoying sensation as much as he could and picked up one of the papers and decided to look it over one more time. "Yaketsuku Movers and Storage" the paper read. A boring company name but more than enough for what he wanted.

It was the ideal cover for what he needed. Who was going to question the hypothetical and completely ludicrous idea of an assortment of stolen goods when clearly they were 100% legally obtained and he was only storing said items for good people who didn't have the means to do so on their own. There was absolutely nothing suspicious about it and anyone who thought otherwise was only a paranoid lunatic.

Roman snorted to himself and brought a hand up to his face before proceeding to slump back in his office chair. He was glad that it was as comfortable as it was or else he might have been sore all over by now. Deciding that he needed to stretch his legs, Roman gingerly stood up, grabbed Melodic Cudgel and left the room aiming to take a look at what the others were doing. They might have not been useless idiots but idiots most of them still were and he needed to make sure nothing had gone wrong.

He got a little lost, he wasn't afraid to admit that but eventually, he found the main area where the others were sat. Roman looked around and noted that basically everything had been moved over and now they couldn't get arrested for squatting as he actually owned this building. Well, technically at least.

As for what the rest were doing, they were simply lounging around and Roman noticed that they looked more cleaned up in comparison to when he had first met them out in the slums. They went from rough and disheveled to clean and presentable. They all got chances of clothes as well. That just then gave Roman an idea but it was something to look into later.

"Tsutomu! Has everything been moved?" The man in question looked up from whatever he was doing, it looked like he was writing something but Roman didn't care enough to ask.

"Uh, yeah boss! We've been done for about 2 hours now. Is there something you need?" Roman looked towards the others who kept doing their own things. Emiko had earbuds in and currently looked like she was having the time of her life. Her humming only reinforced that thought.

Isao and Takeo were off in a corner smacking the shit out of each other but as far as he could tell, they were doing it more for fun and to learn a thing or two in a sort of impromptu spar rather than to actually harm each other if them not using their quirks or any weapons was anything to go by. Roman nodded internally since it was a good idea.

Hanako wasn't in the room here but if the grunts and shouts of effort from one of the rooms he'd passed were anything to go by, she was probably doing some exercises. That was another thing Roman needed to start doing too whenever he had time. If how villains were handled here in Japan was a sign of anything, he'd need to be ready to fight back.

"I'd like to discuss some things. The others can keep doing what they're doing for now but make sure you tell them about it afterwards." Roman turned on his heels and gestured to follow with his head. "Let's go." Tsutomu quickly stood up and jogged to catch up to Roman, before he fell into pace with Roman.

The two walked in silence until Roman walked into the room he used as an office. This Room was also going to be used as the planning room, for lack of a better term. Off to the side, Roman had an assortment of white boards and a few bulletin boards as well as thread and pins to help organize the inevitable mess that would materialize on said boards.

"Right then…" Roman walked over to the boards and grabbed a marker before uncapping it and turning back to face Tsutomu. "I haven't exactly told you why I bought all of this stuff right?" When Tsutomu nodded, Roman continued. "Well, let me explain it to you."

"All of the property I just bought is in preparation for something but we're not ready to do anything just yet. What I want you and the others to do over the next few days, maybe a week, it doesn't matter how long it takes as long as it isn't a really long time and we don't go broke." Roman pointed to a map of Musutafu that he hung up earlier.

"Anyways, what I want all of you to do is go around and…" Roman brought a hand up to his chin and turned contemplative for a moment. "I guess the best way to put it is something like this. To put things simply, we need men. I'm trying to build up my influence and to do that, I'm going to need people to support this little house of cards I'm building." Roman drew a very rough stick figure pyramid, the one on top held a cane and wore a bowler hat.

"Anyone you can think of, any place you deem suitable, I want you to recruit people. We don't need too many people just yet nor do I expect too many people to accept your offer but that isn't the point. The point is, I want rumors of an up and coming gang to spread. Once enough time has passed, we're going to make our move. If we do our job right, street rats and back alley thugs should be clamoring to sign up once all is said and done."


"Alright I can manage that. There's this one place I frequent, the people there know me. A handful should take my offer with my word alone."

Tsutomu walked down the street in the slums of Musutafu late at night. The full moon shone down on the sidewalk and illuminated the surroundings with the help of streetlights and other light sources. Eventually, the large man turned into an alley and walked down it's length. At the end, stood a single thug guarding a door to a bar and a small illegal casino. It was a criminal hotpot which he frequented often.

The thug guarding the door took one look at him before the door opened and he stepped aside, letting the man in. Tsutomu gingerly walked in and was blasted full force with the smell of booze, smoke and sweat. The sounds of laughter, shouting, the clinking of glasses and the crash of chips onto a dealers table were more than audible. There were even a few muffled moans originating from somewhere throughout the building.


"Isao's personality should definitely help him convince a few people, even if they'll want to deck him in the face at first. I'll give him a few places to try."

"Oy! Barkeep! Give me your best beer!" The barkeep turned around and scanned the counter, before finding Isao sat on a stool a little ways away. With a nod, the bartender grabbed a bottle and a glass, filled the latter with ice and then slid both down the length of the bar, both of which Isao grabbed. He poured the entire bottle into the large glass and chugged it, giving an impressive showing.

Slamming the glass down on the counter, the ice inside rattling simultaneously, Isao gave a large relieved sigh before craning his neck to look around the room. People were everywhere, doing anything and everything. Most were drinking, some were eating, others talked or played cards and a few even got into fights. The atmosphere was lively but there was one underlying similarity to everyone here. All of them were thugs, street rats, pickpockets, drug dealers and other undesirables. All of them were villains.

With a sigh, Isao hopped up onto the stool and after moving his glass and bottle to avoid causing a mess, jumped up onto the counter, getting the attention of a few near him, but nowhere near as many as he needed. With a sigh, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the others in the room.

"All of you shut up for two seconds!" That did the trick and everyone in the room swiveled to look at him with mixed reactions. Some were curious, others impassive and more than a few were irritated and annoyed, among other reactions but he didn't care. Isao cleared his throat and began to speak.


"Hanako also has a few friends all around that she should be able to ask favors of. She's a social butterfly except she'd prefer to stay wrapped in a cocoon with a phone and a dozen people in a chat room rather than fly into the world and actually socialize."

"Hanako? Is that you? I haven't heard from you in forever! How are you?"

"I'm doing great, a lot better than a month ago! Things have really picked up but actually, I called to ask you for a favor."

"Oooh! Alright, spill the beans. What do you need?"

"I just need you to spread the word around town about a gang that's starting up. They're looking for manpower, apparently they're planning something."

"Sounds juicy!" There was a hum on the other end of the line. "Although, I'm not sure too many people are gonna join something like that with just a rumor…"

"That's fine. Boss just want's word to spread, he doesn't give a damn if only a few people actually take the offer right now."

"Huh… Well alright, I can let a few people know in a few circles I frequent. I'll try to make sure the wrong people don't find out but even then rumors like this usually aren't taken too seriously with nothing to back em up. But anyways, what is your new boss like? How is he? Is he hot?!"

Hanako couldn't help but snicker at her friends digging and the indignant whine on the other side of the line only broke the camels back and caused her to start laughing out loud. "O-okay fine, he's hot but he isn't my type. Besides I really don't think he's looking for company right now."

"Eh… You let me know if that changes, I'm dying of loneliness and boredom over here. But I'll do what you want. Stay safe girl, you hear?

"Yeah, yeah I hear you... See you around!"


Roman nodded along with what Tsutomu was saying about the others, seemingly pleased before the large man caught a contemplative look and lifting a finger in the air as a questioning gesture and asking Roman something.

"What about Emiko and Takeo? You want them to join the rest of us with this?" Roman froze completely as if he forgot about those two. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms before looking down.

"No. No, no absolutely not. Emiko is a child that I'm sure no one would take seriously at first glance and Takeo gives off a borderline psychopathic aura and not in a good way. No, it'll be safer if they just stay here and do whatever it is they do."


Emiko stared at Takeo who was sat across from her. There was a determination and resolve in his eyes that she matched with vigor. The two were staring hard, analyzing their opponent just waiting for the slightest sign that their mask would falter. Eventually, Emiko took a deep breath and looked at her hand, before looking back at Takeo. Then she asked the dreaded question.

"Got any seven's?"

"…"

A toothy grin overcame the amber eyed young man. "Go fish."

Emiko whined before drawing a card with a pout. The staring match continued for some time until Takeo spoke up.

"Got any three's?"

Emiko's pout only increased.


"Alright Boss, I'll let all of them know." Tsutomu turned and started heading towards the door, Roman sat down and palmed a cigar and his lighter. He flicked the lighter open and lit a flame, before holding the cigar up to the lighter.

Before Tsutomu left the room, he turned back to Torchwick with a question written on his face. "Hey boss, what is it that you're planning exactly?" Roman took a long drag of his cigar, before exhaling and giving Tsutomu a grin.

.

.

.

"I'm planning our debut. MY debut."


A/N: Oh boy, oh boy, things are finally going to start happening. Ik some people have given me positive reviews about the pacing of the story but I think it's time to get Roman out into the spotlight soon. We can't have this dashing rogue hidden from the world for too long now can we?

I'm also kinda excited for Roman to use his modified Melodic Cudgel. When I first really started thinking about Roman's weapon, I thought about Assassin's Creed Syndicate and the cane swords they have and I was like. "... Hey that's pretty cool..." so I wanted to try doing something with it but then I realized that there was a fucking grappling hook in the way and I wanted to bash my face against my keyboard. But THEN I had an epiphany I swear to god.

With some engineering bullshit that would make the British war department in 1943 proud: "If something doesn't fit, well then cut a hole in the back at have it stick out the back" and so that's what I did. (although I didn't do something nearly as blocky or horror inducing to my brains eyes) I decided to give Melodic Cudgel an extension function for some extra range and reach to balance out the bullshit that I threw in that is storing a large knife, grappling hook and a cannon in a cane, but I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as it could have been. Another reason I gave him a blade was because I think aura arcs are really fucking cool and I couldn't picture Roman doing that with a blunt weapon like a cane. Sue me.

Other than that I think I've said everything that needs to be said aside from the obvious. I'd like to thank everyone who decided to read this chapter. If any of you have anything to say, be it positive/negative feedback, a suggestion or if you want to ask something please do let me know. I will always write how I want this fic to go first but great production is a team effort and your words are highly valued. I'm here to learn just as much as I am to have fun.

I'm probably going to take a little more time than usual with the next chapter just as I did with this one so I apologize for the inconvenience. With that said, I wish all of you have a nice day and I'll see you when the next chapter is out.


Omake:

'It's not fair.'

She ran through the streets, navigating the rubble and the corpses that littered the ground before ducking into an abandoned bakery with a large hole in the wall. She quieted her breathing to listen for any sounds that might indicate anything nearby. After staying in a tense and dreadful silence for around 20 seconds, she let out a breath and ducked out the back door, continuing her jog downtown.

'Why did this happen?'

She kept running, her head snapping back and forth to make sure nothing snuck up on her but also as if she was looking for something. Thankfully, nothing that was a danger to her confronted her, leaving her free to continue her search unmolested. Eventually she reached the area where large plumes of smoke rose into the air days before from the fires that had started.

'It's not real. It can't be. It's not!'

She rounded a corner and froze both in relief from finally reaching her destination and also in dread from the sight before her. She ran forward, naked desperation and the faintest sliver of hope etched on her face. She tripped once or twice due to the amount of debris and rubble that surrounded the wreckage. She fell to her hands and knees and started tossing over rubble, not sure if she wanted what she was looking for to be found.

'Please... Please...!'

Finding nothing outside, she ran into the wreckage and continued her search there. She was dirty, tired and exposed but she didn't care. She needed to find something, ANYTHING to prove her fears wrong. Finally, she made her way to the bridge. And that was when she saw it. She felt tears gather in her eyes as she stalked forwards, almost as if she was in a trance. When she reached it, she picked it up carefully but in an iron grip, both as if it was the most fragile object in the world and also as if it would disappear the moment her grip slackened.

'No... No... Why, why, WHY?!'

She sat down on a large piece of rubble that had fallen through the ceiling, opening a gaping hole allowing her to look up into the night sky. She couldn't hold it anymore and her tears started falling. First one, then two, then a few more, before she was openly sobbing. Yet as much as she wanted to scream and cry, as much as she wanted to rage and despair, the only sound that was heard was the sound of her frantic breathing which echoed throughout the room. The whole world was silent at her grief.

Neopolitan clutched Roman's hat to her chest like a lifeline, unwilling to ever part with it, for it was all she had left of him. Torchwick was her only light in a world swarmed by darkness and now that light was gone. She felt hollow. She felt empty. She felt like a piece of her had withered and died. She felt wrong...

She felt alone.

But as much as she hated it, as much as she wanted to simply lie down and let the world take her, she wouldn't, couldn't until she had avenged him. She knew who was responsible and the mere thought of them brought a rage so deep she couldn't keep a lid on it. Her teeth ached from the pressure she applied to them and still the pain did nothing to distract her from her bleeding heart. She'd have her revenge. And then she'd rest.

For without him, what was the point of moving forward in this cruel, cruel world?