(A/N: I do not own anything from this franchise only this fic of mine. Respective ownership goes to Ken Wakui for this wonderful manga. Set in alternate universe and in a future timeline of Bonten wherein Takemichi joined Bonten after a failed attempt of saving Mikey from his dark future. Please do mind the tags and questionable themes of this fic before proceeding to read the whole story. There will be explicit sexual content. If all of this makes you uncomfortable, please refrain from reading further. If all is well from your end, then continue reading it. This is more of an introspective style of work focusing on a specific character just like what I used to do with my previous novels and short stories in the past. Sort of like a stream of consciousness style that I'm quite fond of. There will still be plot and drama to keep things moving into the fic, but they're not overtly drawn out and speedy. Kakucho is one of the most interesting characters in the franchise and he reminded me of Draken like he's the heart of Izana since he's the voice of reason for him and his loyalty with him knows no bounds. But I will be focusing more on his childhood past and relationship with Takemichi as there are certain glimpses in the manga that is intriguing for me, but it's not been expanded more by Wakui after the Tenjiku arc. I just hope that Wakui can also focus on their dynamics in the final arc since it's got a lot of potential aside from the great partnership of Chifuyu and Takemichi ofc. Additionally, I tried to make Kakucho IC and not OOC in this since I know that he's not really a philosophical person in general, but he struck to me that he had his moments of thinking deeply on some things when he's alone or not being bothered with gang related stuff. Lastly, credits to ( _itseuni) in twt for this beautiful art of Bonten Takemichi).


Chapter 1 – Speakeasy

By: Aztec999


The faint noises of the vehicles in the middle of the night lulled against Kakucho's hearing as he watched the city from the outside of his window, sitting at the windowsill with one of his feet dangling into the midair. He inadvertently made a pass of not attending their usual hangout every Friday of the week seeing that they already got wasted the other day and his head was still aching from the blaring noises and scraping sounds from the crowd at the bar. He also had enough witnessing Sanzu doing some weird shit when he was intoxicated and high as a kite and being goaded by the Haitani brothers seeing that they'd always like to be the goddamn daredevils and incited more ruckus and chaos altogether.

This was one of the few times that he could just be still and let his thoughts wandered aimlessly like the breeze of the wind dancing in the cold night of January. Kakucho had idly wondered when had the time had gone through… even though that it only flowed in one, direct line… neither going backwards nor taking another turn at another side.

Time had been a constant thing in this world.

People may come and go. Civilizations may rise and fall. Things will erode and fade away like a flick of dust in the ground.

But time had always been there.

A silent reminder that nothing was in eternity and can always run out of your grasp if you don't handle it properly.

Izana had a funny relationship with time. Sometimes it's within his grasp. Sometimes he's chasing it like the shadows of his dark past.

But it was never enough.

Never enough to fit all his ambitions, dreams, anguish, misery, and revenge into a one capsule of steady flowing of numbers that trickled into seconds, minutes, and hours of his decaying life.

Both shared hopes and ambitions for the future… to build a kingdom solely for outcasts like them… the bonds of orphaned children can never be understood by any society.

It was inevitable for his demise.

Regardless of if a mere servant like him tried in futile to save his own king.

Izana thought that time was on his side.

But it never was.

Time was a statue of liberty with blindfolded eyes and judged every person neutrally regardless of if you're rich or not. Smart or a hopeless case of idiocy.

When it ran out. It just does. And your life faded away like a sand and the world kept on spinning and spinning around as if it's an everyday occurrence.

He thought that he was liquidated that day along with his king and finally be free from the world that held nothing but misery and anguish for them. It turned out that it's not his time yet.

He woke up in the hospital and was greeted by the familiar set of wide, expressive eyes that had the loveliest shade of blues and a smile that was the epitome of sunshine beyond the horizon despite the fading bruises and nasty marks that lingered on his youthful face.

Hanagaki Takemichi was there.

He was there.

And he was the first person that he saw after the tragedy of the Kantou Incident.

It felt like a lifetime but not really. It reminded him of those days when Takemichi saved him from those bullies like a dashing hero with a glittering cape coming to his rescue. Several years had passed and Takemichi was there again, fulfilling his role and a promise even though there isn't… His existence reminded him once again of that hope he should cling on to when he forgot on how to do so a long time ago.

His words still reverberated inside his skull, manifesting inside his head like a promise of tomorrow.

"Hey. Kaku-chan…"

"In the end, it's always me who survives, huh?" Kakucho replied with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Don't say it that way… Izana saved you, he wouldn't rest in peace if he heard that…"

"Tenjiku's dreams are all shattered now."

"That all depends on you Kaku-chan…"

"Depends on me huh?" Kakucho looked at the window forlornly.

"It's true, Kisaki died. My battle should end… However…" Takemichi trailed which caught Kakucho's attention and turned back to him questioningly.

"Nevertheless… Ever since that day Kisaki died, I can't stop trembling."

Kakucho watched him in silence as the other gripped his shaking fist before he stopped and shot him a blinding smile.

"Kaku-chan please don't waste this second life given to you and live it for yourself okay? I want you to be happy!"

Kakucho smiled bitterly at the onslaught of faded memories back in the hospital with Takemichi.

Nevertheless…

Where did their time had gone?

It seemed like a lost dream. A wistful thought from the deep recesses of his mind as all of it was like an inverted hole of the present time.

He did not expect that Takemichi would join them. He did not expect that he'd go as far in throwing his ideals and beliefs away for someone who did not share the same sentiment of even saving him.

But most of all…

He did not expect that he would kill and dirtied his own hands just to get through Mikey.

Kakucho wanted to question Takemichi's decision making skills and frame of mind when he did that…

…only that he didn't.

Since he realized that it was like looking into the mirror of the past. If Izana was probably alive to this day, he would've followed him to the end of the world. So, he could understand Takemichi's loyalty to their current leader.

But there was still an intangible variable that he couldn't grasp of.

He may understand Takemichi's unwavering concern and loyalty for Mikey, but he would've gotten a glimpse of something else there.

The shards of broken tenderness would surface into his eyes for a mere fraction of second then it would be gone.

It would make you think that you had dream of it. A flitting image of what's there yet nothing to be seen on an ordinary day.

But a lot of things can happen and change people within a certain period. Regardless, if it's short or not.

Wasn't he the one who told Takemichi before during that gang fight with Tenjiku that he wasn't the childhood friend that he used to know a long time ago?

So why did the changes from the raven-haired boy become a niggling, nagging thought inside his head?

A familiar figure down below who was opening the front door of the building with a key cut off his soliloquies when he spotted the tuff of messy, raven locks and those blue, blue eyes that continued to haunt him in his wildest dreams.

It was still early in the night but why was Takemichi already here?

Didn't he accompanied Mikey and the others today at one of the local bars in Tokyo to have some fun?

His brows furrowed further upon seeing the subtle turn of his head from side to side as if he's being careful not to be spotted around even if he sported a calm and placid look on his face. As Takemichi finally entered their edifice, it made questions rose above his mind as if Takemichi being a secretive person was a new discovery for him.

But if he thought back in the previous days if he just paid enough attention to, he'd notice the gradual shifts of the other's behavior. He was still attentive to Mikey's needs and orders since his position in the gang could almost rival or even exceed Sanzu being their number 2 and Takeomi being their advisor. He was almost Mikey's right-hand man. However, there were some days that he'll come back at their headquarters alone in the most sporadic time possible. The others did not pay much attention to it seeing that they're mostly ensconced to whatever fucked up thing that they're doing…even him who mostly focus on his daily tasks as being the number 3 of their gang.

But thinking about it now…

When Takemichi returned to their headquarters it's almost as if he's a shadow blending into the walls. Silent as a muted doll but also easygoing and casual when he spotted the other members who're still awake in the dead of the night. He'd sport that signature shy, little smile and a sheepish look on his face as he rubbed his nape… that made him always got away from whatever curious questions that would probably arise in their minds… since most of them thought that he had retain those fumbling, awkward behavior of naivety and genuine sheepishness hence his blunders would mostly take as normal for the male even if it's happening very often.

Mikey seemed to tolerate it and was mostly satisfied when Takemichi was still by his side and engaging him in inane talk that maybe it reminded their leader of the good old times in Toman when they're young, free, and reckless.

Nevertheless…

In Kakucho's own assessment…

It was a peculiar event…

There was something off or wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint on what exactly it was.

Kakucho sighed and perched down from the windowsill and went downstairs where his line of sight greeted the raven-haired boy who was carefully locking the door before he turned to face him.

Takemichi seemed taken aback for a moment. He was genuinely stunned for a moment upon seeing him before that usual sunny smile was plastered on his face once again.

It made Kakucho's lips curled slightly, his brows spoke volumes.

It's like looking into the fissures and cracks of his childhood friend into a mirror. The previous parts of his hero melded with his current self altogether making their childhood memories washed away from the shore of his being as if it never existed in the first place.

"You're early. Boring night?" He found himself asking this as his gaze fall upon his smiling face which unnerved him a little.

"Ah, Kaku-chan. You're still here." He chuckled lightly. "I wouldn't say it's boring but… I'm still feeling a bit lightheaded from our recent escapades in another bar the other day. I've told Mikey-kun that I'll be heading out early this night. Koko-kun's there and reassured me that he'll watch Mikey-kun for me tonight." He added, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Kakucho just watched him in silence for the next few seconds. The casual and lax expression on Takemichi's face remained on his face but he could see his fingers fidgeting slightly on the hem of his shirt, a minor but certain tell that his silent stare was starting to unnerve him.

The raven-haired boy was about to speak once again when Kakucho beat him to it with his response. "I see. Rest well Takemichi as we'll be having another mission soon in the next incoming days." He proceeded to turn around and leave but he saw from the corner of his eyes on how the other's expression fell when he thought that he was not looking.

"Of course, Kaku-chan." He murmured before he proceeded to go upstairs.

If he caught the slight crack in his voice, Kakucho remained silent, pondering on it in his own as his mind made up on its own on that day.

And that was to find out what Takemichi had been hiding from them.


If someone would tell him that he would end up being someone's right hand man by one of the cruelest men residing in an orphanage, then the child version of himself would probably laugh his ass off at the ridiculousness of the idea since he couldn't even defend himself properly and needed to be saved by his reckless childhood friend with a fluttering cape from a group of bullies.

But then again maybe he has spoken too soon and tempted fate to play with his life and crossed paths with Izana himself.

Nevertheless…

…even if a freak accident separated his own destiny with Takemichi back then, there would be times that his mind would wander on that period when everything was simplistic and the two of them could conquer the world.

How utterly naïve he was back then.

The first few periods inside the orphanage were hell for Kakucho. Being an orphan had left him in a befuddled and resentful state of why, why, why, why…

…did this tragedy had to happen to him…?

Even though the scar on his face had cooled down into a dull ache of nothingness, he'd felt that it was still searing and fiery against his own skin. A scarlet letter that haunted him even in the deep recesses of his own mind.

Izana had given him a different perspective to cling into when he was amid despair in mourning for his dead parents back at the orphanage. In his own twisted way, he'd pulled himself out of the quicksand of his past that did nothing but to chain him down and drowned him on his wake. He'd tried hard to put his life back into pieces and toughen up his heart that's been bruised and charred not only from the demise of his own biological family but to the peaceful life he had been living together with Takemichi.

His hero. His childhood friend.

There were some days. There were some nights. That the flitting image of a faintly forgotten happy days that he had spent with the raven-haired boy in the playground would resurface on his mind. Bright grins plastered on their faces and sparkling eyes that could rival the glow of the sunlight, they'd play with each other in every recreational equipment that's been laid there. Be it a seesaw, swingset, slide, jungle gym or even trapeze rings.

Takemichi would regale him with his hopes and dreams in life that's brighter than the rays of the sun. He was an idealistic kid. A guileless child who always wanted to be everyone's hero. The protector of the underdogs as they may.

Kakucho would sometimes poke and make fun of him as a kid, remembering on how cheesy he was. Remembering on how Takemichi would pout cutely at him before he chased him childishly for jeering at him like that. But inwardly, he had always admired him. Admired his honesty and sincerity. He was never ashamed for standing up for his beliefs. For what's right and wrong. Regardless, if people would taunt or mock him like that.

And Kakucho found himself being encapsulated by his sunny smiles and warmth affection.

Because…

Before there was Izana into his life…

There was a person in the form of Hanagaki Takemichi who had served him as a guiding light in the murky realities of their lives, and he'd gladly followed him whenever he goes…

But now it seemed like a lost dream that escaped his reality.

Since he was going to follow Takemichi now but not for the same reasons that he had in the past.

The once bright grin that he wore faded into a dull shade of grey of clouds.

The once clear, sky-blue eyes were murkier than the foggy lake of September night.

And for once Kakucho wanted to be the one to pull him up from quicksand of despair and misery.


"I've been telling you that if you didn't waste any more time dilly dallying and just eliminated them quickly, we would've saved time that could be use in a more productive way." Koko scoffed as he put the stack of folders into his table.

Sanzu rolled his eyes at the remark. "Oh, please stop being an uptight pussy Koko. We all know that your workaholic ass only enjoys being productive in front of the screen of your laptop and salivating at the spreadsheets in excel." He drank the glass of wine in one go as he sat on the couch with both of his legs crossed on the top of the table.

"Well, I'm not a maniac like you who spends half of his day getting turned on of torturing the traitors for several hours until they're begging just for you to just off them in the face of the planet." Koko shot back.

Sanzu narrowed his eyes at him. "Oi. What did you say you bas—."

"Stop it you two." Takeomi cut them off and glared at their directions.

"Whatever. I'm outta here. Fucking killjoys." Sanzu stormed out of the room as he carried the bottle of wine with him.

"Someone's not in the mood I see." Ran commented silkily as he poured some whiskey into his glass.

"You should've been used to Sanzu being like that. He's a moody bitch most of the time." Rindou replied nonchalantly as he sat cross legged on the couch.

Kakucho tuned them out as he was used to the usual bickering and bitching amongst them after a grueling task and mission set by Mikey on some days. He just wanted to go to his bed and sleep like a log the whole day. Too bad that he needed to wait for Mikey to provide him a report today.

If he could just—

"By the way, where's Takemichi?" Mochi asked out of the blue.

His question cut off the wandering thoughts of Kakucho and glanced at them. That's a legitimate question. Where was he anyway? He usually rode back with them in the car after their mission together.

"He excused himself that he'll be left behind to take care of the mess." Takeomi shrugged.

Ran whistled lowly. "That guy is something else entirely. Volunteering to take care of the mess? Some benevolent act right there since we're used to Koko taking care of it."

"Hanagaki is just like that sometimes. Leave him be." Koko rolled his eyes as he sat on his chair and booted up his laptop.

"He can't just stop his hero habits sometimes." Kakucho murmured, mostly likely to himself but Koko heard it faintly.

"Seems like you've had a say on the matter since out of all of us you have a somewhat history with him considering that he's your childhood friend." Koko commented idly as he started typing on the keyboard of his device.

"It's a long time ago actually. But I can still remember on how he is prone to saving some people who're like the underdogs and taking care of things as to speak." Kakucho leaned back into his chair, staring at the skyline of the city from their penthouse windows.

Koko hummed softly in response and soon the only noises resounded inside the room was the usual, clicking sounds of the keyboard and the idle conversations between Ran, Rindou and Mochi. Kakucho's mind began to wander around as his eyes roved silently on the surroundings in front of him.

Contrary to what he said earlier, Mochi's question still rang inside his head. It was indeed strange to not have the male to be with them after their mission. Granted that he mentioned to Takeomi that he's going to take care of the mess right after to lessen the tasks of Koko in their group, he didn't say anything beforehand or made his usual declaration to all of them since the male himself was always riddled on guilt easily and not wanting to cause some misunderstanding to all of them on what he might've been misconstrued. Kakucho decided to keep it to himself for the meantime, wanting to get to the bottom of other's peculiar behavior before he decided that he deemed it an overreaction on his part or if his hunches were right.

A faint sigh escaped his own lips as he sunk back on the softness of the couch and stared aimlessly at the glittering lights of the contemporary buildings in his line of sight.

The city was awake. As always. Even in the ungodly hours of the night. It was a silent witness to what's been happening at every corner of its place. From the innocent bypassers in the middle of the day to the questionable moralities and atrocities that performed by people who were alive in the dead of the night.

He wondered where Takemichi had went.

He wondered what he was doing right now.

He wondered if he was okay.

He wondered if he was even safe.

He wondered—

Kakucho caught his line of thought and stopped himself before he got carried away by them again. He didn't know if it was right or even healthy to pursue this kind of thoughts. But a small part of him continued to pester him with these questionable concerns and curiosities of the raven-haired man who was now starting to be a complete mystery to him since his current actions and secrecy was out of his scope.

Was this the one of the few things that could do to a person when you've been separated away from them for a long period of time?

The changes were subtle, but it was there.

He was used to be able to read him like an open book.

But now it was like reading a page of inane paragraphs and roundabout riddles of a certain idea that he couldn't quite grasp of.

And this was one of the few times that Kakucho wondered if he ever knew him at all.


Kakucho was sitting in the couch at the living room, reading a sports magazine whenhe spotted Takemichi from the corner of his eye, wearing a grey hoodie and a pair of jeans.

"Going out?" He drawled out.

"Ah, yeah. I just remembered that I need to run an errand." Takemichi replied smilingly even though his hand subtly tightened on the grip of the doorknob.

"Okay." Kakucho feigned nonchalance as he threw a furtive glance at Takemichi who nodded in silence and left the building.

He waited for the next few minutes after the male had left, flipping the pages idly on the magazine as he counted the seconds that passed.

Once he made sure that the other was far away enough not to notice him, Kakucho placed the magazine back on the table and stood up, leaving the building to follow the male.

There was only one route going out of their place, so he didn't struggle to spot him who was already miles away from their place. Kakucho walked briskly but made sure that he won't get caught as he followed the blond.

The itch inside his head wanted to know where he was going. What he was hiding. Kakucho knew that he should stayed out of Takemichi's business and shouldn't invade his privacy. But something was niggling at the back of his mind to search and discover the truth of his secretiveness. And he couldn't ignore the gut feeling within him that something bad was happening… even though he wasn't sure of it… since he couldn't confirm anything yet.

Takemichi swiveled on the right side suddenly which made Kakucho alerted and kept his pace faster. He'd soon found out Takemichi was walking inside a murky alley which made him paused. Where was he going and why was going into this kind of route?

Trepidation engulfed Kakucho's being as he resumed his steps, trying to figure out the reason why as he studiously followed him. Takemichi then went into the left side afterward to which Kakucho narrowed his gaze as he continuously followed him.

Only to be taken aback to find a dead end and a glowing vending machine of beverages and snacks in front of him.

Where the hell did Takemichi went? But he couldn't ponder on it too much longer as he heard another set of footsteps approaching and he quickly glance and hid himself away into one of platforms at the murky side of the alley. He watched with bated breaths as two male figures wearing casual clothes approached the vending machine. At first, they seemed to be casually putting some coins in the machine when one of them pushed a red button located at the bottom left side of it.

Kakucho's eyes widened briefly when the ordinary vending machine turned into a door and automatically opened to reveal a neon-colored bar inside with several people dancing in the middle of the dancing platform.

What the fuck?

It's a speakeasy of all things?

The men quickly went inside, and the door was slowly closing. This made Kakucho leapt from his spot and reacted automatically, slipping inside the bar before the door finally closed behind him.

So, this was where Takemichi was going huh?

It's going to be an interesting night for him.


If Kakucho counted the hours that had passedon his hands, it's probably almost two hours now.

It didn't help that the bar was actually huge and were filled with the crowd of sweaty bodies dancing on the middle of the dance floor. He took his time to survey the place, drinking the glass of whiskey as he sat on the barstool.

Upon inspecting architecture of the place, he found out that there were at least 2 floors of the bar and decided to inspect them only to find out that there were several rows of rooms along the hallways that made him thought if he was really in a bar or in a hotel. He knew that in a bar there were VIP rooms but not to the extent of this.

He narrowed his gaze and looked at each number plastered on the room. With him posing as one of the barkeepers of the speakeasy, he was able to inspect each room with a key card and found out that it was mostly a standard VIP room, or a normal deluxe studio room found in some hotels.

When he finally made his way in the furthest end of the bar, he took a deep breath and slide his card on the slot.

He heart almost dropped at the ground at what greeted his line of sight, completely frozen in shock and speechless.

Inside the room was the familiar lithe figure of Takemichi who was slumped haphazardly on the couch completely naked with stripes of cum splashed all over his body.

Several men were draped over him.

They were completely out of it, and they didn't seem to notice his presence.

With his mind and heartbeat racing inside his chest, he closed the door carefully and made his way downstairs and finally out of the bar.

When he was finally out, Kakucho realized belatedly that his body was shaking as he stumbled along the path and leaned on the walls of the alley, his knees feeling weak from the overwhelming thoughts and feelings that bombarded him.

What the hell was that?

His mind was trying to wrap on what he had just witnessed. Takemichi looked so out of it… so bliss out… and was in the arms of several men. Literally. He was a complete mess. His state was like those people who had an orgy in a wild party several times. His body was glistening with slick, cum and the sheen of sweat and drool pooled around him like a second skin.

Kakucho could feel that his heart was about to leap out of his throat at the mere sight, his head was spinning in an onslaught of dizzying questions and unknown feelings inside of him. Why…

…why

…why was Takemichi there?

…why did he engage in that kind of activity?

…what had he gotten himself into?

It seemed surreal. It was definitely Takemichi. But why did it seem like he was staring at another person who was inside the body and skin of his childhood friend? He cannot fathom the reason on what he had seen…

Takemichi who was awkward, easily embarrass at the presentation of an intimate contact was now in the position that left little to no imagination.

Even if his knees were beginning to feel like jelly, he managed to get out of the alley and went back to their headquarters, heading straight away inside his own room and locked it. He slumped on the back of the door and closed his eyes slowly, his mind slowly coming into a screeching halt as a resigned yet shuddering sigh slipped from his lips.

He was not proficient with regards to a person's innermost motives and behaviors on why they behave the way they do. But he knew that there must be something more to Takemichi's actions on that night in the bar…

…something that he couldn't quite grasp of, and he only knew within himself on why he acted the way he did.

Was it to relieve the stress that he was feeling in being Bonten currently? Was it to get away from being Mikey's unofficial caretaker temporarily? Did he had enough with all the fiasco and clusterfuck that he needed to do and take care of when he entered their world?

To this Kakucho didn't have a definite answer.

His mind started to have an inner war on its own. The grounded, rational part of his mind was telling him to leave Takemichi be and don't meddle with his personal affairs in life. He's an adult for goodness' sake! Therefore, he didn't go blindly into that kind of thing without knowing a single damn thing on what he was entering about. And he didn't usually poke at the other's business if they're doing their own jobs at their gang and not stepping on anyone's toes for that matter. But a small part of himself that still clung to the vestiges of their shared childhood friendship together in the past wanted to reach out to him in genuine concern and utmost sincerity. He had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask him.

But if he will do that, how would he do so without even looking like a prick, meddling bastard?

Just the mere thought of confronting Takemichi about it sent a crippling, uncomfortable sensation within him that screamed that he may overstepping some bounds between the two of them.

Nevertheless, that small part continued to pester him, nagged at him to talk with the raven-haired male…

Even if the stakes were high and that price could be the remaining vestiges of their peaceful yet distant relationship with one another that's akin to mere acquaintances…

The small yet significant realization had made Kakucho taken aback briefly.

Did he even have a right to pursue this and confront him when their relationship from being childhood friends staggered downwards to being just team members and ordinary acquaintances outside their line of work?

Amid his internal crisis and confusion, he remembered his dazzling smile when he offered his hand back then at the playground after being plummeted into nothing by those kids who were nothing but son of a bitches.

And his mind had made up on his own despite the upheaval that he's going to face sooner or later.


The next day proved to be an ordinary yet a difficult day for Kakucho. Even though he performed his usual tasks in the gang flawlessly, there was an internal battle within himself. The havoc and chaos that the raven-haired man was unknowingly causing him. Every time Kakucho's gaze would flit briefly at Takemichi's sunny smile and cheery disposition, that memory of what he saw last night would surface on his head and haunted his consciousness throughout the day.

Nobody seemed to notice the internal struggle and crisis that he carried around within himself since they were used to his taciturn and placid demeanor most of the time.

He was in the middle of perusing the documents handed to him inside the van when his line of hearing caught the faint yet muffled voice of Takemichi talking to someone over the phone in the backseat of the car. He had been covering his mouth while he talked, his eyes flitted now and then at the front of the car. It was just the two of them inside the car and Kakucho couldn't help but to steal a subtle glance on Takemichi's frame at rearview mirror of the car and made sure that he won't get caught. He could faintly make out the string of words that slipped from the other's lips.

"I see… Thank you for reserving it to me Suzuki-san… I'll send the rest of the payment later when I get there…"

Kakucho's mind was racing with some new possibilities on what Takemichi had meant on that call. Was it a room in that hidden bar on the alley where he discovered him last night that was he talking about? Or was it a group of men that he'll have sex with later when he gets to the venue itself? It's somewhat a common knowledge to have the patrons or clients from a bar to also reserve some of their well-known gigolos for their loyal customers.

It could be either of these two things or it could be both depending on what he would discover next time when he tailed him again tonight.

Kakucho paused.

Was he for real? He's going to follow him again? Was the one time not enough to made him reach to a clear conclusion on what the other had been hiding and doing for these past few weeks?

'What the hell am I thinking and doing in the first place anyway?' Kakucho questioned himself inwardly.

So, what he will do with this kind of discovery? Stop Takemichi? Berate him for doing that? It seemed like a hypocrisy on his part. Takemichi had killed a person in front of them for Pete's sake! All of them are doing much nastier shit than this! So why they fuck he was so hung up on it? He was goddamn invested that it reached to a point that it made him uncharacteristically indecisive when it came to Takemichi and this piece of information that left him in a jarring state.

Maybe he should—

"…chan… Kaku-chan…?" Takemichi's hesitant voice jolted him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the present.

He tried not to let his surprise show as he faced Takemichi at the backseat of the car.

"Yeah?"

"Sanzu-kun was knocking on the front window of the car. I think he wanted to get in, but it was locked…? So, he was trying to get your attention to make you open it." Takemichi winced as he heard another loud and insistent knock on the window where Kakucho was located.

"Ooopppsss… I'm damn focus on these files that I didn't notice him." Kakucho replied easily as he turned back and opened the front door of the car revealing a pissed off Sanzu glaring at him.

"I know that you're itching to solo Hanagaki in the van, but for fuck's sake get your head out of the gutter!" Sanzu griped as he went inside the van and slammed the door shut.

Kakucho rolled his eyes. "Shut the fuck up. I'm doing something important here when you knock on the window." He shot back as he went back to what he was doing and controlled himself firmly from blushing madly at his innuendo.

Here he was having a damn internal crisis on how he should confront Takemichi about his late-night activities and yet this pink haired man had vulgarly spouted some shit like that? Kakucho tried to maintain his inner self control even though he was close to combusting because of the overwhelming thoughts and feelings swirling inside of him.

"Yada, yada, yada. Koko have been rubbing off on you. Now we have two workaholics—."

A loud knock from the door of the car cut off Sanzu's ramblings and he turned around to open the door in annoyance.

"Fucking finally." Mochi let out an exasperated breath as he went inside the van followed by the Haitani brothers.

The usual bickering and ruckus ensued afterward to which Kakucho shook his head in resignation and tuned them out while his eyes lingered slightly on Takemichi's easy yet quiet demeanor through the rearview mirror. His usual, sunny smile was plastered on his face as he pitched in some short sentences in their conversations here and then. But Kakucho would see the glimpses of hidden downcast look on his sapphire eyes when no one was looking at him directly. A faraway look would cross his face for a fleeting moment before it was back yet once again into a miniature of a smiling statue in front of them as if there was nothing weighing him down and he was carefree in what was happening around him.

In that moment Kakucho had decided…

…he needed to get to the bottom of the situation and if he needed to tail Takemichi later this night then he will.

Even though the raven-haired man might despise him in the future.


It was the same speakeasy that Takemichi went to the last time.

It looked like he really was one of the patrons and an important client around here. He began his pretense once again as part of their staff, observing his surroundings quietly.

Upon making sure that no one will pay attention to his actions that night, he started walking upstairs and did an investigation on his own part.

He found out earlier throughout the idle conversations around him about serving several men to their "clients" who ordered them in their own designated VIP rooms at the highest level of the bar. Aside from the usual services that they offered to their patrons, there are special privileges that they can use of to which the patron and the ordered men were only aware of since it cannot be divulged outside the room premises.

That piece of information made Kakucho's mouth straightened into a thin line as he quickened his footsteps and ended up in the highest level of the bar, standing in front of Takemichi's room since he gained access to the information of the occupants of each room on that level through his cunning yet questionable means of obtaining it.

There was a reason why he was the number 3 of Bonten after all.

He slowly swiped the card of the keyslot and the door opened automatically.

Kakucho's heart almost jumped out of his ribcage at the sight.

Takemichi laid there on the bed like he had stepped out of a French, erotic painting. His body may be lithe and small but there are small glimpses of his toned body and pectoral muscles because of being involved in a gang life in the past. And now it was more pronounced since he was actively involved in their questionable activities in Bonten. His body glistened in blended hues of golden and silvery hues of sweat, cum and drool. His body was completely flushed and littered with marks while his face bloomed like a freshly ripe cherry, the sinful reddish hues coating his cheeks and his lips were slick and wet from drool and being thoroughly kissed by the several men who fucked him for God knows how many times.

He could still see his hole gaping and the slick and semen gushed out of him like a waterfall. Takemichi was out of it like a light as he laid there like a ragdoll. The only sign that he was still alive was the short, throaty gasps and faint moans that slipped from his lips.

Kakucho's mind short circuited. Sweat started to form on his temple. His breathing quickened that he felt the need to catch his breath.

For a moment, he stayed transfixed and rooted to his spot before he willed himself away and tried to get his common sense and bearings back.

He was about to finally step in to whisk Takemichi away from this place when he heard some footsteps and voices that halted his actions and quickly stepped away from the room, pretending to do his duties inside as one of the staff inside the speakeasy.

"You're done?" One of them asked him.

"Not yet. I still have to clean some remaining rooms at the far side." Kakucho pretended to be busy with his work.

One of them nodded when he caught the sight of the room that Takemichi was in, and their eyes glittered as if they know something that he didn't which made his brows furrowed slightly at that.

"Oh, you might want to save that room for the last. Since one of our loyal patrons is currently using that room. You know how he always availed the highest and expensive services and packages in this bathhouse." One of them whispered conspiratorially.

'What?' Kakucho's mind grinded into a screeching halt at the information.

"You know, Mr. Hanagaki had always availed the most expensive gigolos and escorts in here. They always got excited when he's around here since aside from you… know…" They wiggled their brows suggestively. "…He's very generous and left a huge tip aside from the standard payment of their 'services' of course." They added with an air quote.

Kakucho resisted the urge to react instinctively at the implications of their blatant innuendo about his childhood friend, but his brows twitched slightly at that remark while he kept the placid expression on his face.

"I see…" He muttered as he kept as he tightened his fists inside his pockets.

Without any word, he walked past them and headed towards the end of the hall.

He'd kept up his façade until the staff left him and chattered their way downstairs.

That's his cue as he made his way towards the nearest fire exit and left the place in complete silence for, he knew the storm that it will brew once he waited and met back with Takemichi at their headquarters.


"Had a rough day?" Kakucho took note of the slightly disheveled look on Takemichi's hair and face, the previous necktie that he was wearing was now gone, leaving the first few top buttons of his shirt undone and wide open and the slightly red marks marred the side of his neck and collarbone.

It made Takemichi stilled for a moment, blinking a few times at his presence as if he was debating with himself if he was real or just an apparition in front of him.

"You're still awake at this hour…?" Takemichi asked tentatively as if the words were scraping his tongue like the sands from the shore.

"And you're still out at this time of the night?" Kakucho shot back easily as he gazed back at him evenly.

Takemichi's brows furrowed. "So, what if I'm out at this time of the night Kaku-chan?" He asked testily.

The scar faced man was tempted to retort a smart, aleck remark but he decided to put out all the pretenses aside and shot right through the heart of the matter.

"I know what you're doing Takemichi."

"What?" Takemichi's face was in half dread and half confusion.

"I know that you're cruising for sex in a blind tiger downtown these past few days."

Takemichi stared at him as if he'd thrown a grenade right in front of him.


(A/N: Reviews are intriguing. So, let me hear them from you).