Time breaks for the first time and a dreamer awakens in his bed, years into the past. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and reaches out for the pack of menthols on his nightstand. He looks sideways, and from the corner of his eyes, he sees a black embroidered coat draped over the back of his desk chair. Twin silver dragons look at him menacingly, and his heart clenches in his chest. A vision burns his retina and he sees flashes of a future he will never know.
(There's blood everywhere, even in his hair, and a child looks at him with tears in his eyes. He thinks, ah, crime and punishment are both sides of the same coin )
The dreamer lights a cigarette, inhales deeply and the cloying scent of artificial mint aroma fills the air. The end of his cigarette glows red against the darkness of his room, a flickering burning dot in his trembling hands, ashes falling down on his blanket. He watches tendrils of smoke curl in the air and he imagines dark clouds looming outside. He dreams of sleeping again and so he falls asleep one more time.
"Oi, Renge, whatcha doing tonight?" Haruhi calls upon entering the garage Renge apprentices at. It's quiet inside and Haruhi thinks the adult workers must have gone to eat lunch outside with their boss. He knows his friend well enough to guess his current occupation. He must be skipping lunch to finish another paint job.
He walks all the way to the back of the garage, to the small workshop Renge usually occupies. Haruhi softly knocks on the door, knowing full well that although Renge would probably not answer, he would definitely bitch if he entered unannounced.
"Renge? Hey, are you there? There's a meeting tonight, remember? I came to pick you up" A few moments pass, and then Haruhi hears a muffled crunching noise from behind the door immediately followed by a string of curses.
"Come in!" Renge yells through the door. "Careful where you're going through, there's lots of important shit on the floor," he adds quickly.
Haruhi rolls his eyes at him "What the fuck are you doing in here?" he asks, knowing that whatever answer Ren had for him would most probably be bullshit. The floor was covered in loose printed circuit board components, and he was positive there couldn't be any reasonable explanation for that.
"Your boss's gonna kill you, you know it, right?" Haruhi asks rhetorically because surely Ren must have already thought of some way to get away with his bullshit.
As if he had heard his thoughts, Ren throws him an annoyed glance, motioning for him to get in and close the door "Don't just stand there, okay?" he hisses angrily "Help me out," and Haru obliges because he always does, and more importantly because he can see through the cracks in his composure. It was very much like Ren to channel the embarrassment of being caught doing something he shouldn't be doing into aggression.
Haruhi knew that most people tended to be put out by this kind of behavior, but Haru could not find it in himself to be annoyed at Ren. The boy was an idiot who routinely ignored his acute sense of danger to get himself in inextricable situations and had an innate tendency to get involved with the wrong kind of people. But he was also his best friend and he knew that there was very little he wouldn't do for him. Ren's devotion was a beautiful thing when it wasn't deadly.
"I'm sorry," Ren sighs. "I'm being a bitch", Haru scoffs and kneels beside him, throwing his black uniform jacket on the back of Ren's chair, golden lettering catching the last light of day. Haru pauses to pick up a discarded circuit board, "You really suck at welding, you know ?" He points to a wonky diode, "Why do they make you do stuff like that ?" he asks confused.
"They don't," Ren replies awkwardly "It's, erh, more of a personal project," he adds after a beat "I just finished working on another batch earlier," he gestures to the electrical components scattered on the floor, "I just need to put these back now, so please don't step on anything," Renge explains, "You know, I stepped on a transistor earlier because you startled me. I don't have an endless supply of these things," he adds with a scowl, but Renge is so unimpressive that Haruhi can barely feel any remorse about it at all.
"Well fuck you too," Haruhi says evenly, the ghost of a smile floating on his lips, "and maybe find somewhere better to put your important shit. What's that for anyway?" he asks again, hoping to get a straight answer this time around.
"I'm dabbling in electronics," Ren answers cryptically instead, and Haruhi merely raises an eyebrow in disbelief. "I need to figure out how shit works. I told you. It's a personal project," Ren sends him an irritated look and Haruhi instantly decides not to pursue the matter any further.
"Okay. You know what, I'm positive I don't wanna know anything about that." Haruhi shrugs "But tell me if you need help with anything. I can help," he adds as an afterthought because leaving Renge to his own devices was always a terrible idea that was bound to end in disaster.
"You were painting? Is that a custom order again?" Haruhi asks curiously, catching sight of the painting Renge had left to dry on the other side of the room.
The younger boy beckons him closer to show off his painting. He peers at him through a thick curtain of ink-black lashes with a small smirk on his lips, eyes crinkling, and a dark lock of hair falls from his hasty ponytail, momentarily obscuring his gaze.
Renge sighs deeply and Haru wants nothing more than to trace the contour of his face with his fingertips. His hand stills before he can brush over his skin, because he knows the pale glint that flashes in Ren's eyes when he sees him wanting something Ren does not want to give. But Haru always yearns for all that was lost, and moments before his fingers can brush over his crown, Ren moves away and blinks away the dead look in his eyes.
"It's gonna be a true beauty," Ren confesses coyly, tucking wild inky strands of hair behind his ears. All of his previous irritation is gone, he's smiling at his artwork, and the sight is so lovely, Haru thinks the boy himself looks straight out of a painting, with pale skin and silver eyes, all bathed in golden gaps of light. The thought gives him pause. His gaze dips into pale gray eyes and Ren recoils.
Haru recognizes his unease as self-consciousness. Ren never liked standing out due to his foreign appearance and it was especially true now that they were in Toman. He was prettier than most girls he had ever seen, and there wasn't anyone who had not noticed him for all the wrong reasons. Haru had caught many lingering stares, and he knew they weighed on Ren like lead. But what could he do? He was even more beautiful than the boss's little sister, who was half foreigner as well and looked like a summer sky with bright amber eyes and hair the color of sunshine.
"It's a traditional design, but I made my own arrangements," he adds softly, "It's a little taste of home."
Haru remembers from what Ren had told him that his mother had been a foreigner as well, a cold and stately Russian woman who had disappeared from his life when he was still in kindergarten. The boy had inherited her fine features and pale colorings, but for all the time they had known each other, he had never seen Ren with his natural hair color. As far as he knew, Ren had started dyeing his white-blonde hair black with Chinese ink when he was 11 and was tired of being constantly reminded of his mother every time he looked in the mirror.
It did not make him look any less striking and foreign, but it did help him blend in a little easier, and his grandfather had been pleased by that. But maybe it should not have been so surprising. Renge's grandparents had never accepted his mother in the family, and they had always bitterly lamented Ren's foreign features along with the lack of resemblance between them.
"It's another tattoo design," Ren says tracing the outline of twining black dragons with the tip of his fingers, "It's supposed to match the one Yamamoto-san commissioned last month," Ren tells him proudly "It's for his wife this time," and Haruhi hums in understanding "I can't wait to see how it will turn out when Mashiro-san will have finished inking the previous one," Ren says excitedly and his annoyance melts slightly at seeing him look so genuinely happy to talk about his art, "I really wanna learn to do it myself though. It's frustrating not inking out my own designs".
Haru shrugs again, "maybe you should become a tattoo artist instead," he says softly "I'm sure you'd do well. Mashiro-san said he'd teach you anyway"
"My grandparents would never let me. That'd make me happy, so of course, it's off the table" Ren spits out bitterly, and Haru knows at once that he has stepped over one of Ren's boundaries. Talking about the future was tackling a dangerous subject that was bound to cause Ren to lash out at some point. He did not want that to happen now of all times.
"You know, the captain has been saying you were slacking off. You really really should come to tonight's meeting at least," he says instead in a last-ditch effort to redirect the conversation, looking over Ren's shoulder to the growing stack of electrical components on his desk he wonders if Ren had even planned on coming to the meeting "The boss's gonna be here too." Haruhi adds helpfully. "And after we need to go check on the guys messing around near the old square".
"I heard about these guys, a friend told me they beat up his brother pretty bad two days ago." he fiddles with the hem of his sleeve nervously "He's still at the hospital," Ren adds softly. Haruhi had not heard of the accident before Mitsuya-kun mentioned it earlier when he had called to ensure everyone would make it to the meeting tonight, but he knew Ren had many friends outside of the gang. It wasn't surprising that he would know what was going on in the streets even before Mitsuya did and it was even less surprising that he would not tell him about any of it.
"I thought the area by the riverside was the president's personal playground, though?" Ren turns to Haruhi questioningly "Did the Captain really say we should go? Why are we going?" he asks pointedly, resuming his previous task of carefully wiping his tool before putting them back in their place one by one.
"Well, the president's busy. Found a new toyboy, I heard. Not that he would have gone himself to kick some lame punk-ass anyway though. S' beneath him." Haruhi shrugs, a little surprised by Ren's interrogative gaze. It was unlike him to show interest in anything outside painting and lurking around the seediest corner of Tokyo. But apparently, the boss's dubious connections seemed to stir his interest and as a rule of thumb, whatever caught his interest was bound to be bad news.
"A toy boy? I didn't know the president swung that way" Ren quips innocently.
"Who cares? It's not any of our business." Haruhi says flatly, recognizing how dangerous it would be to have this conversation with Ren. "We really shouldn't be talking about him behind his back. Sorry for mentioning this, I was out of bounds," he concedes dryly.
"Chill out, we're alone here. We're free to talk about whatever we want. And it's not like anyone important in Toman can hear. It'll never reach their ears," Ren drawls "And it's not like anyone would care. We're just nobodies talking shit." he says with a smile, leaning forward on his chair to stretch, slowly raising his arms above his head. His spine pops loudly, making Haruhi wince.
"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" he comments dryly.
"It's not meant to be reassuring, that's just how it is," Ren winks at him, grinning widely. He pauses and their eyes meet, "I guess we should go now or we'll be late, right?" He asks cheerily.
"That's new" Haru drawls "you've never worried about being late before" he adds suspiciously "actually I know for a fact you don't give a shit"
"Then maybe I just want to cut this conversation short" Ren laughs and Haru feels a small smile tug at his lips, some of his annoyance dissolving into nothing. Ren stands up in a smooth motion and picks up his abandoned Toman uniform jacket from the floor, throwing him a playful glance over his shoulder. "Let's go, then," he says, sticking out his tongue at him.
"Sure" Haruhi rolls his eyes and throws his own uniform jacket over his shoulders. "Make sure you have a talk with Mitsuya afterward though. Hopefully, that'll get him out of your ass." Haruhi adds critically.
"Woo, someone's being a little optimistic" Ren teases ironically, "I wouldn't count on that if I were you." he adds a little more seriously "I've let you down too many times recently" Ren concedes "I have been busy with work lately. I might have underestimated the workload of the apprenticeship and all"
"Yea, but that's different. You're doing great, no one's gonna get mad at you for that… That's not the reason why he's … annoyed,'' he pauses, carefully weighing his words. Saying that Mitsuya was 'annoyed', was putting it lightly. Mitsuya was pissed, and Haruhi suspected that it only had little to do with Ren's recent lack of involvement in gang matters.
" Oh ?" Ren raises an eyebrow. "What do you think it is then ?" he asks purposely trying to sound disinterested.
"I don't know. S'not any of my business." Haruhi begins, thoroughly annoyed. "But it sure as fuck doesn't help that Shiba hates your guts when Mitsuya trusts him so much, though." he amends, casting a suspicious glance at Ren, "The hell did you do to that guy? You know he's the nice one, right?"
"Nothing" Renge answers pensively and Haru clicks his tongue in response "I swear" he raised his hands in the air.
They reach their motorcycles parked at the entrance of the garage and Haru pauses before starting the engine.
"Just make sure to talk to him soon." he repeats more firmly "Mitsuya won't let you off the hook, there"s something he wants to talk about with you after the meeting" Haru grumbles, making Ren freeze on the spot.
"Eh? What about it?" Renge asks stiffly, making Haruhi want to bang his head on a wall. So he was right to think that Ren had gotten himself in trouble and Haru already had suspicions about what it could be this time around.
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about the shit Kyomasa was pulling at Mizo middle, right? The fight club." Haruhi asks resignedly and Ren, the little shit, has the audacity to look relieved. So he is involved, but it's only part of the problem. Great. "I'll help you remember if you need it. It has something to do with the Prez's new boy." Haruhi insists, already knowing the answer.
"To be fair, he really wasn't hiding anything you know? I would have never thought the Prez's grip on Toman business was so lax so I assumed it must have been okayed by someone important. But then turns out Kyomasa is just stupid enough to use the name of Toman for his own personal gain." He smiles brightly as if what he was saying wasn't blasphemous "Of course, it was a big surprise" he adds suddenly turning serious "So yea, I knew since pretty much everyone in the neighborhood knew. But that's nothing out of the ordinary." Ren shrugs, and what a fucking liar, Haruhi thinks.
"But he's stupid, and I don't think his boys are any smarter. How come their betting pool ran smoothly for months?" Haruhi pushes him, increasingly annoyed "Just wondering" he adds and Ren smiles tightly. There it is, you little shit.
"I suppose they got help?" Ren answers sweetly, glossy black lashes fluttering prettily to hide the laughter in his eyes. The fucker was positively gloating.
"You're so fucking dumb. You're fucked, you know that? If I have doubts, I'm pretty sure Mitsuya does too, and if the 5th division gets involved, you're in for it bitch," Ren laughs airly, as if it didn't matter at all, and Haruhi feels dread pool at the pit of his stomach. Haru reaches out to him, and this time Ren grasps his hand firmly. His small fingers wrap around his wrist and Haru's heart soars.
"I'll be okay. I can't deny I'm involved, but not to the extent you think" Ren soothes him. "It's nothing too bad, so I'm sure it'll be alright". Ren smiles reassuringly "I just gave them some advice on how to manage their little betting pool so that they wouldn't end up losing more money than they can make. It's in Toman's interest that no one takes too much money away from us, right? That's how it works"
"Right." Haruhi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose at the familiar onset of a headache. "You're getting involved in increasingly dangerous shit though." He adds "You're not entirely wrong that most people do not fully realize how things are usually done in the streets, but I get the feeling you're already playing the Yakuza game when we're really only kids" That was the root of his unease. The uncertainty about whether Ren would be willing to stop when things got bad. That's why Toman was the place for Ren and not the Black Dragons, never the Black Dragons.
"You'll get someone killed at some point. Possibly yourself" Haruhi concludes firmly. It was true and it worried him terribly. "All for money," he adds bitterly.
"Right." Ren eases up, glancing at Haruhi with a foreign kind of tenderness in his silver eyes. "But I am careful, and I have you. I know what I'm doing" He reassures him softly, and Haru caves in, "You're probably not wrong, but there is one thing you're just not getting," Ren leans back and raises his hand to poke Haru's cheeks.
Haru stares at him dumbly, "Uh ?"
"It's not all for money. It never was about the money. It's easy to make money illegally, so it's not worth doing the really dangerous stuff. There are lots of easy, relatively safe ways to make money. That's the thing they don't tell you," he smiles roguishly. "But there's something more important, more precious than money that you can't trade for anything" Ren explains, wrapping and unwrapping a black lock of hair around his fingers. After a beat, he leans toward him again, as if he meant to share a secret.
"Do you know what's more important than money in our world? What's most important?" he asks softly. Haruhi pauses at that. There were many things that could be bought with money. What else could buy the rest?
"Reputation?" Haru guesses, raising an eyebrow at Ren. "Fame. Or infamy in our case," he smirks.
That was the difference between Toman and the other gangs struggling for control over the area surrounding Shibuya. Mikey, Draken, Baji, Pah, and Mitsuya most certainly were the most notable delinquents of their generation, and they were all gathered under the same banner. That alone was enough to give pause to their enemies and command respect from their peers. But that was not enough. After all, there were many fights whose outcome had been decided long before anyone entered the battlefield, Invincible Mikey or not.
"Almost," Ren smiles easily at him, his voice softer than a caress. The moment passes and he sighs. "Quite close, actually" he concedes after a pause. "I'd personally say influence is what matters the most".
"What difference does it make?" Haruhi finds himself asking, a scowl marring his face.
"You need to be influential to exercise authority efficiently. And with authority comes power, okay?" Haru stares at him dumbly "Look, what's authority, to begin with?" Ren asks slowly, twirling a lock of hair on his fingers. Haru remains silent and rolls his eyes
"It's when people obey the strongest person in the room" He pauses "Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be the strongest as in the Mikey kind of strong," Haru corrects himself quickly, "It's what makes a leader".
A moment passes, and Ren pauses to look at his discarded Toman jacket on the floor. " Throughout the heavens, I alone am the honored one", a terribly fitting motto for Mikey's gang indeed.
"I kind of agree. To me, it's an accepted power, yea," He waits for a beat, "Accepted power is the power that people agree to follow willingly. People listen to authority figures because they feel that they are worthy of respect and obedience, that they can trust them to take important decisions in their stead," Ren adds, "They have to think that the objectives and demands of their leader are reasonable and beneficial, or true." He smiles slyly "Why do you think we follow Mikey?"
"Cause he's invincible" Haru deadpans.
"Right. But I don't think that's all because there are very many ways to get rid of someone like him if you're willing to go all the way. No one's really invincible. Even Mikey knows it. he's super charismatic though, and that's his greatest strength as a leader." He reaches out for his pack of cigarettes, the sickly sweet menthols that Haru hates. He throws his lighter to Ren's face. "People are drawn to him 'cause he can be fucking captivating. He inspires everyone to make sacrifices for the sake of Toman, to persevere when things get rough. To strive for something. Well. to tell you the truth, I think most people actively choose to be inspired by him rather than just… you know. Be inspired", Ren sighs deeply, carefully opening the pack in his hands.
He fiddles with his lighter and presses a stick to his lips. He takes a puff and they both watch the trail of smoke slowly rising in the air contemplatively. The cloying scent of menthol fills the air and Ren closes his eyes in contentment. For some reason, he finds the sickly sweet smell of artificial mint comforting. He wonders why, because everyone else he knows seems to hate it. Next to him, Haru gags a little, and Ren playfully blows out volutes of smoke in his face. "'Come on," he laughs "it's supposed to smell nice " and Haru scoffs.
"People follow Mikey because they love the idea of him and because they believe in his vision for the future," Ren blurts out, and it almost feels like an accusation. "He's just a boy," he says, and Haru can hear something in his tone that he cannot name. Ren speaks softly, but his words are deliberately cruel.
"You speak like we're not part of Toman too," Haru snorts, "You know, that's why everyone's up your ass all the time. You're treating Toman like it's a side gig. Things don't work like that"
"Right, right. I was just thinking. I became part of Toman to follow you, but I came to believe it. Mikey's dream speaks to me too. He's got a vision, he wants to create something for us. I want to see it. What he wants to build, it's all I've ever wanted. A place to belong…" Ren trails off, absently pulling on his shirt sleeve. He pauses. "I wonder where this dream comes from," he pulls on a fraying thread until the stitches look about to tear.
"What's your problem with Toman then?" Haruhi insists.
"I don't know. Mikey's great, he cares so much about everyone in Toman, but… I feel like he's always moments away from breaking down," Ren confesses "I can't trust him with myself if I can't see where's his breaking point"
"You think he's weak ?" Haru asks in disbelief "We're talking about the same Mikey, right?" Ren softly snorts.
"Just because he's the strongest in a fight doesn't mean he's a strong person" Ren brushes him off easily, "I can't shake the feeling that there's something wrong with him" he adds sharply "I can't read him, I don't understand him, so I don't trust him" he shrugs, "He's like an empty shell. Like he could do anything"
"But he's got Draken, right ?" Haru remarks, "Draken's a great guy. He won't ever let him go too far" Ren looks like he is about to argue, but Haruhi silences him with a glare before he can say anything else on the topic. Ren clicks his tongue in annoyance. "You're not fooling me. That's got nothing to do with what I was asking you in the first place"
"What was it about? I forgot" Ren chirps defiantly.
"The shit you pulled with Kiyomasa," Haruhi prompts him acidly, "tell me more about it'
Ren smiles again prettily, running dainty fingers along the length of his arm sleeve. He pulls at a fraying thread, slightly unraveling the seam of his shirt with a small sigh, "I can explain," he suggests coyly.
"Kyomasa knows how useful I can be. He wants to play the big game but lacks the means to do it. So what's a guy to do? Well, he listens to the people who can help him. He will do as I say and I will trade my advice and resources for the opportunity to rely on his strength so that it is mutually beneficial." Ren tells him easily as if he were not speaking treason.
More importantly, Haruhi wonders what it takes to convince the likes of Kiyomasa of one's usefulness. The older boy was obtuse and proud, a difficult combination at best. Yet from what he had seen, the only reason the fight clubs had been ignored by the top brass of Toman for so long all the while being managed by one of them was that it had been technically operating on the Hell Sons' turf, a small, relatively neutral neighboring gang who had to have been bribed to accept it so quietly. This type of shrewdness was far beyond what the older boy was capable of. But it was something Ren would have been capable of. But why would he do that?
"So you're betting on receiving help from the people you've helped, eh?" Haruhi asks and Ren merely nods, "How optimistic", he says. How unlike you, he really means. "It sounds too simple," Ren chuckles softly. Nothing was ever easy, and that was something Haruhi was slowly starting to learn.
"You really are more trouble than you're worth. How come when shit like this happens, you're always somehow involved? Do you have a death wish?" Haruhi asks, thoroughly annoyed.
"Life is boring if you don't do anything about it." He says as if it were reason enough to play the most dangerous game of all. But there is something more that drives his action that Ren does not tell him, and Haru can feel it in his every action. After all, he had learned a long time ago that Ren was only ever moved by desperation.
Renge smiles again, and it is his true smile this time, something profoundly joyful, vicious, and predatory. Haruhi watches him get onto his shimmering black bike. "Well, what are you waiting for, dumbass ?"
Haruhi follows him and Ren throws him an unreadable glance before dashing through the main road, unbothered by the dissonant concerto of klaxons erupting in his wake.
All the boys are gathered at the shrine, and everyone is waiting with bated breath for Mikey and Draken to make their entrance. Haruhi had left Renge to deal with the pain of parking their bikes in such a crowded place and went ahead to look for their captain.
Haru had been uneasy since the moment they had arrived. This type of meeting was getting increasingly frequent, and it was not a good thing. They were supposed to discuss the aftermath of the conflict between Toman and a neighboring gang neither Haru nor Ren had ever heard of prior to their actual confrontation. The thing is, the RedDevils should have been easy opponents given the sheer difference in numbers between them. There should have been nothing to talk about, yet the situation had gone horribly wrong very quickly all the same.
"I didn't expect you to actually be early," Mitsuya asks from behind him, causing Haru to startle.
"I didn't think I'd be here early either" Haru shrugs, carefully monitoring Mitsuya's expression. The older boy seemed unfazed, which did not mean much. He was more subtle than most people gave him credit for. "Ren got off work earlier than expected," he adds offhandedly.
"Oh, that's good to hear," Mistuya sounds mildly pleased. "I was hoping he would be here today," he pauses, looking intently at Haru "You know, he's quite slippery these days ? I've been trying to reach him, but I never seem to get through to him," the older boy comments airily.
"Renge is Renge," Haru says pinching the bridge of his nose "He's an overall idiot who sometimes happens to be too much of a smartass for his own good. He doesn't mean to cause trouble."
Mitsuya snorts a laugh. "I'm sure he doesn't" the older boy smiles tersely "But you know, he's a whole fucking lot of trouble anyway,"
"Yea, I know." Haru sighs. "I…" he begins, but Mitsuya silences him with a wave of his hand before he can add anything.
"Don't worry. He's not in too much trouble yet, I made sure of it" Mitsuya says and Haru breathes out in relief "But he could be soon. For some strange reason, Mucho is unto him. He's going to ask Mikey to get him back in his division," Haru looks at him in alarm, but the glare Mitsuya levels at him is enough to make him reconsider asking why the fuck Mucho would want to get Ren back. It was bad news. Ren had been terrified of him.
If he were being reasonable, Haruhi knew that sending Renge to the 5th division had been the obvious choice. The 5th division usually dealt with traitors within Toman and more importantly, they were the ones who were in direct contact with all the information brokers who worked with Toman. Renge knew most of them already and Haruhi suspected that his most useful connections to the underworld ran even deeper still.
So it was truly the best place to ensure Renger would be under constant surveillance while being put to use to the best of his abilities. It was a bet with little risk involved – Ren had come from nowhere and had a somewhat sketchy reputation, but he had a good sense of tactics and seemingly many useful connections. It made sense that Mucho would be able to keep an eye on his dealings and rein him in if needed.
It was overall a terrible placement for Ren, who would have been forced to get even more involved with increasingly dangerous people. So it was a good thing that Haruhi had quickly managed to spark Mitsuya's interest and got a position in the 2nd Division because then Ren had been able to convince Mitsuya to accept him into his division alongside him.
"I'd prefer to keep Ren, but there's nothing much I can do if Mikey decides to give him to Mucho. I'll try to talk to Mikey first, but Ren has to behave in the meantime" Mitsuya tells him seriously and Haru feels shivers run down his spine.
"Let's not talk about it anymore, that's something I'll discuss directly with Ren when the time comes. I'll see you later then," Mitsuya waves at him dismissively before leaving.
"What did Mitsuya want with you?" Ren asks Haru, panting out, hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"He wanted to talk about the RD, tell us to be careful and not go out on our own, stuff like that." Haru lies easily. Renge seems to believe him instantly, which causes a twinge of guilt to twist at his guts. Renge would not do well with the information Mitsuya had shared with him. Mucho was dangerous, it was inevitable that Ren would panic and Haru knew full well what a panicking Renge was capable of. He would go to Mikey directly and forgo talking to Mitsuya first entirely, which would be a terrible idea in more ways than one.
"Hum, that makes sense," Ren says hoarsely "The RD is down for the count, but there's no telling what really went down. Fuck, things are going to get rough," he adds pensively, and Haru can only agree with the sentiment.
It was true. The situation was getting worse by the day.
When looking back, Ren realizes that there had been many signs that things would turn to shit. Firstly, it was odd that some no-name gang would try to seize parts of Toman's territory. It would have been suicide in the eyes of anyone with half a brain functioning. In their world, violence was both a question and the answer so it was not entirely surprising that some would try their luck at defying the odds. But it was strange all the same that they would not hesitate even a little before starting a war they had to have known they could never hope to win.
In their defense, on this particular aspect, they had been stronger than expected. In fact, the RedDevils core members who were most involved in the conflict had been surprisingly competent fighters. They had to have had some experience in martial arts, which was unusual, to say the least. Their boys had also been generally older than what could be expected for a small street gang based on such shitty territory sandwiched between much bigger gangs, including Toman and The Black Dragons. Competent older fighters as a general rule tended to gravitate toward Taiju Shiba at some point. That so many of them had stayed quietly in such a small, by all means, no-name gang was positively mind-boggling.
And why had the Red Devils been a no-name gang if they had such competent fighters among them in the first place?
Their location had been shit, but they could have easily overtaken other small gang's turfs to grow stronger and gain more people and resources instead of attacking Toman head-on and losing badly. The outcome of their fight had been catastrophic: a dozen boys from Toman had ended up hospitalized for minor wounds and five of the RedDevils' fighters had been critically injured and thus evacuated by ambulance. There had been rumors that one of them had died at the hospital and the others were still hanging between life and death, though he knew for a fact that it wasn't the case.
The sound of whipping fabric followed by a choir of salutes tore Ren from his thoughts a moment too late, and before he could do anything about it, Haru's hand had hit the back of his head and grabbed his uniform collar to drag him into a proper bow for the Commander and his Vice.
Silence fell on the assembly while Mikey and Draken made their way to the shrine and climbed up the stairs. Mikey sat at the top of the stairs, Draken silently standing next to him. From the moment Mikey would begin to speak, no one would dare to say anything.
"You all know why we've gathered here tonight, don't you ?" Mikey asks, and the crowd remains silent. He smiles tightly.
"The Red Devils were defeated. We won" he bites out fiercely, penetrating gaze probing the crowd "But now what is left of their men are trying to take revenge on us. We won't let them," Mikey sweeps the assembly with a burning gaze and they roar in response. "I will admit the fight was unfair, but now we have to end what they've started" he adds, and Ren feels his heart skip a beat at the admission. Why the hell did the RD pick a fight with Toman knowing that they would lose. They might have managed to cut down their numbers, but what had made it worth it? It was maddening not knowing.
"We cannot let our guard down," he adds decisively, dragging his coal-black gaze through the crowd " Let's show them that nowhere is safe for those who hurt one of ours, " he shouts, anchoring his attention on each and every one of them and a shock of adrenaline runs down Ren's spine.
Mikey's smoldering gaze dips to Ren, and for a moment, breathing feels like drowning. A blinding white flash pierces his retina and his eyes roll to the back of his skull -
A man is looking down at the city at his feet longingly, and he thinks that for one brief, glorious moment, he loves and loves and loves passionately, until he loses everything and grief becomes another name for love. Ah, the things he survived.
"... Don't go off on your own. Until the situation is resolved, anyone could be a target. Be careful. Don't let yourself get caught up in this" Mikey warns "We'll meet again on the 2nd of August."
Ren lets go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
They walk away hurriedly after the meeting, and as they're crossing the square in front of the shrine to meet up with the other boys of the 2nd division, two boys' conversation catches his attention. Gesturing for Haru to follow him, Ren approaches the boys silently to listen in on them.
"... Nah, I don't think Kiyomasa will be back soon. You should have seen his face…" one of them snickers "He had it coming, not gonna lie," he laughs along with the others.
It wasn't a good thing. There were many reasons why being part of Toman could prove to be dangerous in the long run. He knew that his connections were deeply tied to other gangs, who might not have been direct rivals of Toman at this point, but who could become enemies at a moment's notice. He hoped Kyomasa wouldn't talk.
"He's an asshole, right. But what the fuck did he do to piss off Mickey that bad, of all people?" one of them asks.
It would be dangerous to have his loyalties questioned in case of an all-out conflict with the Black Dragons with whom he had most of his contacts outside of Toman. Conversely, the loss of his connections with the Black Dragons would cut him off from his main sources of support and resources.
"He beat up a friend of his, I've heard?"
Ren knew his position within Toman was precarious, and the only reason why he was still relatively safe was that Mitsuya had gone out of his way to protect him at some point.
"Nobody's that stupid" he shakes his head in disbelief.
"Apparently Kiyomasa is… "
Renge startles and Haru looks at him strangely, tugging on his sleeve to redirect his attention toward Mitsuya who is talking to someone else in the distance, with Hakkai nowhere in sight. Ren sees and tries to evade his gaze, but Mitsuya catches sight of him and beckons Ren to come closer.
Glance flickering between Haru and his captain, Ren takes a step toward Mitsuya, guts tightly wound in apprehension. The older boy approaches and stops a few steps away to study him with piercing scrutiny. Ren shuffles on his feet under the weight of his heavy gaze.
"I didn't get to congratulate you on getting an apprenticeship. Good job!" Mitsuya clasps a hand on his shoulder and smiles, but it does not quite reach his eyes. Ren tenses slightly. The hand on his shoulder feels heavier than it should.
"Thanks, I've been very busy lately at the garage. The boss said they might hire me after my apprenticeship is done in two years if I'm good at what I do" Ren says quietly. "It's a great opportunity, I can't miss it".
Something ever so slightly softens in Mitsuya's eyes. He is kind, and he means well. Ren wonders why someone like him ever became a delinquent, then he remembers how vicious the boy can be in a fight and how much he likes the freedom this lifestyle has to offer. Ren feels a little lightheaded when Mitsuya's hand drops from his shoulder.
"That's alright, just do your best, I'm sure it'll work out." Mitusya says confidently. He does not step back and an angry gaze slices through him, belying his honeyed words.
"Haru told me you wanted to talk?" Ren prompts anxiously. "What's up?".
"Nothing much, don't worry" Mitsuya reassures him, but it does little to alleviate his worry. "I don't really care about what you did with Kiyomasa, to be honest" He shrugs "It's something else that's bothering me" Mitsuya looks at Ren calculatingly. "Is there something I should know about the Black Dragons? You might as well be an insider since you have so many friends among them." He asks lightly, and Ren's heart drops.
"Eh?" He answers dumbly.
Mitsuya raises an eyebrow "Don't you?" he asks airily, "you said so yourself". Ren feels dread pool in his guts.
"I do have friends who are part of the Black Dragons. But to be fair, most of them are from the older gen so they don't have much to do with the current BD and when they do, they obviously don't tend to talk about Black Dragons' dealings. You do know about Taiju Shiba, right? He's not someone you want to piss off." Ren says cautiously.
"Yes, I know how he is…" he agrees pensively. "I understand."
"Erh, I can … try asking around? If there's something you want to know specifically?" Ren tries awkwardly. "Though depending on what it is, it could put me in danger, but you know that, right?" He adds and something cold briefly flashes in the older boy's eyes.
"Don't worry about it." Mitsuya finally says, patting his head in false affection. Ren is used to Mitsuya's personal brand of soft aggression that he usually reserves for the people who he finds especially irritating, but there is nothing that could have prepared him for what comes next. Before he can react, Mitsuya has weaved his fingers through his hair and brusquely yanked him backward. Mitsuya clicks his tongue in annoyance, and Ren stands rigidly, head angled backward to relieve the tension from his scalp but he does not move otherwise. Mitsuya looks down at him approvingly, the ghost of a smile floating on his lips.
"I just thought you might have some insight on what they're up to, is all" He lets go of his hair and leans forward until he can feel their breaths mingle. Ren flinches when Mitsuya rests his hand on top of his head again to smooth down his hair with a condescending smile.
"You should go now, Haru's waiting for you". Mistsuya says softly against his ear, pulling him in a forceful side-hug. "You have a good friend here, don't do anything that could put him in danger, okay? He's sticking out his neck for you already"
Mitsuya was a competent leader, but had too little tolerance for defiance, especially coming from his boys. Yet out of all Toman captains, he was the most open-minded, and generally tended to allow his boys more freedom of action. Mitsuya did not like it any more than the others, but he was capable of understanding that he neither needed nor wanted to know what they were up to at all times, which was in Renge's opinion the reason Mitsuya was the only choice for him. It was not perfect, but it was enough. The freedom Mitsuya was willing to allow came at a price, but it was one Ren was willing to pay. He knew he would have to suffer the consequences of his actions eventually. But it was still better to be held accountable by Mitsuya than it was to have to answer to anyone else.
Massaging his aching scalp, Renge moves back to the square in front of Mushashi Shrine to look for Haru.
"Hey, what's up?" someone calls out to him and Renge immediately recognizes Yuu, a friend from the 1st division.
"Hi, It's been a long time, right?" Yuu snorts "What about you? Haru told me you got into trouble with Mitsuya-kun." He adds looking at him appraisingly "Didn't think you had it in you"
"I didn't do anything." He rolls his eyes "I swear!" Yuu claps his shoulder and shakes his head disapprovingly. The boy is lean and much taller than him. His longer light brown hair falls into disarray over his warm laughing eyes. Yuu is a devil in a fight, but he had been the kindest when Haru and he first entered the gang. Ren goes to stand on his tiptoes to ruffle his hair, and Yuu bends down ever so slightly to accommodate him.
"There's weird shit going on though, so I guess everyone's a little nervous," Renge says, forcefully putting his hands in his pockets.
"Yea, I figured that much. We've put the RD in their place alright, but I can't help feeling like we're the overall losers at the end of the day" Yuu shrugs "Like, we've won, but the situation's even shittier than it was before" Ren hums.
"Something's wrong. I feel like we're missing something big" Ren begins. "Did you know that some of the leftover RD joined another gang after they disbanded?"
"Oh? Which one?" Yuu raises an eyebrow "The BD? Black Emperor? Do the higher-ups know?" He asks urgently.
"If I know, there's absolutely no way Mucho and Sanzu don't know. And if they know, everyone knows." Ren swings on the ball of his feet "Another lame-ass gang" He finally answers after a long pause "Moebius".
"Some of these guys are fucking demons. They gave beasts like Baji and Mitsuya a run for their money" Yuu says incredulously "Why the fuck would they join Moebius when they could go anywhere they want?" He throws his hands in the air.
"That's what's bothering me. I'm pretty sure I would know if any of them had joined a bigger gang"
"Sounds weird, but I've heard that a really strong guy joined Moebius a few months ago. Maybe that guy's the reason they choose Moebius?"
"A strong guy? What guy? Osanai is strong, but he's no big deal compared with, erh, Shiba, Nishimura or Kanemoto if we're just considering our closest neighboring gangs. The guys in Yokohama are something else…" Ren shivers.
There are definitely new players involved in this conflict. Someone was trying very hard to undermine Toman and its neighboring gangs. But why? And to the benefit of whom?
Moebius had been a pain from the very start but they had a terrible leader. Osanai certainly was a strong fighter, but he lacked vision. His numbers had been growing steadily these past years yet he had been unable to take control of the ….
"You won't have any reason to see him if we don't clash with Moebius." Yuu says cautiously "I've seen him once because my dad actually lives on their turf and the asshole started a fight with a bunch of randoes right in front of his shop" He explains. "The fight lasted approximately zero seconds, he leveled guys twice as big as him and knocked them out each with a single punch. Reminds me of something Mikey would do. They looked like good fighters, but that guy was something else". Ren whistles.
"What does he look like ?" He asks morbidly curious.
"A tall boy with ugly bleached bangs and tattoos on his hands" Yuu shrugs.
Ren hums "Let's try to avoid him then" clasping a hand on Yuu's shoulder. "I'm going back now, Haru's waiting for me," he says, leaving abruptly before Yuu can add anything.
- There's something wrong here.
Renge dreams of something buried deep, nestled at the center of his being. He sees another boy who looks at him with wide eyes and he smells like acid and fear.
The boy cries and cries until Ren can taste the salt of his tears on his tongue, and it feels like drowning. Their vision shifts and they're hiding in a dark room in a traditional estate, their toes digging into the old tatami mat. The other boy looks at him and laughs brokenly. There is blood between his teeth, blood everywhere, even in his hair, and then finally, the beast trapped in the boy's chest roars to life. The boy cries, and they know it will never sleep again.
The boy bleeds and the blood seeps through his hair. His face melts into something familiar, a shock of black eyes. And oh, something dangerous gleams in their eyes, the onset of recognition.
Renge grasps. The world fades to gray and now he's laying on the floor in an empty room that smells of oil and gasoline. A black-haired man stands at the door. The world fades to black, and when Ren opens his eyes again, he's laying in bed in his room at the top of a skyscraper. The boy is sleeping soundly by his side, his back turned to him. Ren looks down and there's a painting on his chest, aligned with his heart.
Ren dreams that night, but as always he does not remember what happened in his dreams, he can only conjure distorted fragments of broken shards of memories.
A tiger. Ren thinks he should paint the tiger caged beneath his ribs.
