The date was August 10th.

Seven days have passed after the big brawl against Moebius. Both the Tokyo Manji Gang and Black Dragon teamed up for the first time in gang history to take down another gang.

It was the first time in delinquent history that two major gangs teamed up to fight against an enemy gang. That night—both Tokyo Manji Gang and Black Dragon made delinquent history by agreeing to fight together against a common enemy.

Since the two leaders have grown close, then it was only natural their members would start to develop relations with each other.

Rumors were spreading about a potential alliance between the two top gangs. But they were just rumors for now, but who's to say negotiations weren't in the works right now?

After the big brawl, some Moebius members were arrested by police and charged.

Kiyomasa and his gang were all arrested and charged with serious crimes. Unfortunately, Shūji Hanma managed to not get caught and was nowhere to be seen.

Something told both members of Toman and Black Dragon—they'll be seeing him again.

A prediction that will probably soon come to pass.

Currently, both parties were still relaxing after the fight. Draken was admitted to the hospital due to him getting a fever and slight infection. His recovery impressed the doctors as he only stayed admitted for three days.

Takemichi was resting at the Ryōgi residence. Mikey was relieved to know his friend was resting peacefully. He already owed Takemichi for saving Pah's friend, but now he owes him an even bigger debt for helping Kenchin.

Mikey already decided what he was going to do, even discussed it with the other Founding members. Which is what he was currently discussing with Draken in a family restaurant. Draken was wearing normal civilian clothes, while Mikey was wearing the same gray clothes, with sandals he wore during the festival.

"What do you think?" Mikey asked his best friend.

Draken looked at him for a moment before smiling, "It's not a bad idea. I owe Takemichy my life." The two talked while he was in the hospital, and concluded the reason Hinata stayed by Draken's side the whole time during the fight. Takemichy probably told her to act as his bodyguard in case a member of Moebius decided to aim for his life.

Good call on that one.

Had she not spotted his would-be attacker and called out his name to get his attention—his injured side would have been a lot worse. Takemichi saved his ass that night.

"I wonder if he'll be surprised?" Mikey wondered, taking a bite out of his burger.

"Probably." Draken was curious to see what kind of expression Takemichy would make when they told him about their offer. He'll surely be surprised.

He spotted something out of the corner of his eye, "Ah." Walking past the window was that one blonde from Black Dragon…what was his name again?

"Huh, isn't he from Black Dragon?" Mikey noticed him, too, huh?

The boy stopped suddenly, having noticed them looking at him through the window. Smiling, he waved before moving towards the door of the restaurant. They watch him come inside and walk straight at them, "Good evening. I wasn't expecting to run into the two of you." He took a seat next to Draken, who scooted over to give him some room.

"Yo, you guys doing good after the fight?" Draken asked.

Takuya nods, "We're doing good. Only minor injuries, such as scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious. Moebius were the only ones sent to either the hospital or juvenile detention." He revealed.

"By the way, what happened with the brawl?" Mikey and the others were more worried about Draken and Takemichi to hear how everything ended.

"Due to sheer numbers on our side—Moebius was utterly destroyed." Takuya replied.

Draken smirked, "So in the end, they ended up getting decimated—again."

"Not really all that surprising, really. Unlike them, the odds were more in our favor than theirs," Takuya stated, "After you guys got away from all the chaos, Shizuki gave Hanma a brutal beat down."

At that, Draken grinned, "Damn, wished I was there to see that." Hanma looked like a real pain in the ass to fight. But hearing someone from Black Dragon knock that creepy bastard down was more than satisfactory.

"Senju-chan recorded the one-sided fight if you wanna see it." Takuya suggested to him.

"Sounds good to me." Draken said.

Making a mental note to show Draken later, Takuya continued, "Unfortunately after we started hearing police sirens, Hanma and a select few managed to escape." Senju wasn't happy about that. In fact, she wanted to hunt Hanma down, but they had to persuade her to let it go.

Mikey sported a blank expression. Hanma's still lurking out there somewhere, probably in hiding. Takemichy said Hanma was following his master's orders, so it's more than possible that whoever the mastermind was—they're planning their next move.

Takuya gave him a knowing smile, "No need to worry. I'm sure whatever happens next, we'll all be ready. Besides…the mastermind isn't the only one capable of moving in the shadows." He said, cryptically.

Mikey and Draken were rightfully confused by his words, but figured Takemichi probably had something up his sleeve, and didn't ask any questions.

"Speaking of which, how is Takemichy?" Mikey asked, wanting to know about his condition.

Takuya chuckled, "Doing just fine, in fact. But he's getting antsy being cooped up in the Ryōgi manor all day and night. I was actually on my way there to let him know how patrols are going. Wanna come?"

"Yeah! Let's go see Takemichy, Ken-chin!" Mikey said it in a way that didn't sound like a suggestion.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Draken smiles don't, "Why the hell not? Takemichy's probably bored out of his mind right now anyway." Slamming some money on the table, they get up to leave.

Once they exit the restaurant, Takuya pumps his fist in the air, "Yosh! Onward to Takemichi's house!"

"Yeah!" Mikey joined in.

Draken sighed at their antics.

Location—Ryōgi Residence

Huge.

That's the only word to describe what Mikey and Draken were seeing. Takuya told them the residence would be pretty big—he didn't specify just how big ! The property was large and looked like it could stretch for miles.

"Impressive, right?" Takuya saw the looks on their faces and smiled.

Impressive? That's one way to describe it.

Takuya tapped on the screen door. Almost immediately after, it slid open, revealing a tall figure. It was a tall man with a firm expression, wearing an all black suit.

Draken was eyeing the guy. Tall, yet firm posture, a scary mug, and calm demeanor.

'Guy's got yakuza written all over him.' He thinks.

Takuya smiled at the man, "Good afternoon, Akitaka-san." He greets.

Akitaka bowed in greeting, "Good afternoon, Yamamoto Takuya. You've come to see Takemichi-sama, I presume?"

"Yup! And I've brought some visitors with me this time." He gestured over to Mikey and Draken.

Akitaka already noticed the two boys, "I see, and their names are?" He questioned.

Mikey went first, "Nice to meet you, I'm Sano Manjirō." He bowed.

"I'm Ryūguji Ken." Draken also bowed.

"Pleasure to meet you both, I am Suzurigi Akitaka." Akitaka politely introduced himself.

Akitaka led them inside the house, which was just as huge inside as it was outside. Mikey looked around curiously like a child, while Draken was impressed by the interior design.

"Thank you for taking the time to come all this way to see Takemichi-sama." Akitaka thanked them suddenly. It honestly took the two Toman members by surprise by how polite this guy is, but they rolled with it.

Mikey smiled, "Of course, Takemichy's our friend." He proudly declared.

He didn't see it because Akitaka's back was facing them, but the man was smiling at Mikey's words.

"I see…" In his mind, the young master has made such interesting friends he can rely on. This reminds him of when Shiki-sama was in high school and became close with her future husband.

Perhaps mother and son are more alike than they realize.

Akitaka led them to the back of the house where they came face to face with two familiar faces that Takuya knew very well.

Standing there was a young girl with long black hair, and the same blue eyes as their friend. She was wearing a black shirt and matching skirt, stockings and shoes.

Standing next to her was a tall man with light brown hair and different colored eyes. He was wearing a green, short sleeved shirt, black pants and matching shoes.

The girl spotted them first and smiled, "Takuya-nii-san! You came to visit!" She ran up to him and gave the smiling boy a hug.

"Mana-chan~!" Takuya squealed, returning the hug, "You get cuter every time I see you!"

Mana giggled, removing herself from the hug and looking up at him, "As always you know how to flatter someone."

"But, of course." Takuya said.

She looks behind him and spots both Mikey and Draken, "Who are these two gentlemen?"

"Glad you asked, the pale blonde over there is Sano Manjirō. And the tall person standing next to him is his friend Ryūguji Ken." Takuya introduced the two.

Mana had stars in her eyes as she approached Mikey, "So you're the "Mikey" my brother always talks about!"

Mikey smiled at hearing Takemichi talk about him at home, "Mm, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Ryōgi Mana." Mana bowed to Mikey, then to Draken.

Draken got a good look at her, "So you're Takemichy's sister." They really do look alike, especially the eyes.

"Yes, my elder brother and I look the same!" Mana declared proudly, much to their amusement, "You're very tall!"

"Because I drink milk every day." Draken easily said.

Mikey snorted, "Liar."

"Shut up."

Mana's interest was peaked though, "I see, how tall are you right now?" She asked.

Draken thought about it for a moment, "Let's see…I think I'm about 185cm now." He answered.

"Wow, that's very tall." Mana sounded very impressed.

"I know, right?" He grinned.

Footsteps approached them, "You seem to be having a pointless conversation,Young Miss Mana." The nameless man commented, having been quiet up until now.

Mana smiles at him, "Mitsuru-san, I told you before to call me Mana-kun."

"Like I told you before, I'm not humoring you." Mitsuru countered.

Mana had a mischievous glint in her eyes, "As always, Mitsuru-san's speech and mannerisms is that of a hoodlum." Unexpectedly, she hugged his arm, "And I like that about you the most!"

Mitsuru let out a tired sigh, "Do whatever you want…"

Takuya smiled at the interaction, "This person is Kamekura Mitsuru-san. He acts as Mana-chan's caretaker and he's also the author of that popular children's book."

"What book?" Draken questioned.

"Tears Of The Vampire." Takuya answered.

Mikey recognized the title, "Oh! That's Emma's favorite book! She still reads it sometimes." So this guy's the one who wrote Emma's favorite book of all time? He'll be sure to tell her about it later.

"Oh, you should tell him he has another fan. Kamekura-san will probably blush with embarrassment." Takuya grinned as he could picture the older male looking away and grumbling.

Mana turns her attention back towards the others, "My elder brother is in the training room right now. I'll lead you there." She grabs Mitsuru's hand.

"Let's go, Mitsuru-san." Mana proceeds to drag the protesting man away.

"Wait—! Let go!" Mitsuru sputtered out, protesting, "Why do you feel the need to drag me along?!" He complained, but didn't try to make her let go of his arm.

"Because you'll follow me anyway," Mana replied, "Plus, you can't say no to pretty girls."

"On what basis?" He questioned.

Mana tilts her head back, smiling, "You and Papa are similar. That's how I know."

Mitsuru gives her a dry expression in return, "What a brilliant deduction." He sarcastically said.

Behind them, Mikey and Draken were amused by the cute interaction between Mana and Mitsuru. The two were very close, and it shows.

Mana acting as their little guide, she brought them to a room and slid the door open. The two members of Touman stood there, watching as Takemichi was swinging an actual sword around.

This was considered training?

Takemichi stopped when he sensed them by the door. Sighing, he turned to them, "Yo, so Takuya dragged you two here for a visit, huh?" He accepted the towel Akitaka gave him and wiped the sweat off his face.

"They were worried and wanted to see how you were doing," Takuya explained, "How could I deny them wanting to see how you're doing?" Though he was planning on dragging them here, anyway.

"So you say." Takemichi gives the towel back to Akitaka before smiling at the sight of his sister, "Hey, Mana. Dragging your favorite person around again?"

"Mm, are you done training, elder brother?" She asked, bouncing over to him before giving the older sibling a hug. Not one to deny his sister anything, he wrapped his arms around her.

"All done. What about you? Are you heading out somewhere and dragging Mitsuru along with you?" He questioned, though he already knows the answer.

"Yes! We're going to a fun place!" Mana replied, sounding happy about it.

Takemichi's smile was still in place, "I see." His blue eyes locked with Mitsuru's different colored ones.

"I'm sure Mitsuru knows this already, but should something happen—

— he'll be held responsible ."

Instead of being worried about the threat, Mitsuru sighed, "Give me a break, Danna. You know very well how troublesome she can be, don't put all her troublemaking on me." So he says, but everyone in the household knows he'd never let anything happen to Mana.

Takemichi's lips twitch upwards a little, "Then, the caretaker needs to make sure his charge stays safe." He joked, but he was being serious.

Mitsuru understood what he meant, "I understand. Don't worry, I've looked after her this long—might as well continue."

Mana was confused throughout the whole exchange, "What are the two of you talking about, elder brother?" She asked, looking up at him with her soft blue eyes.

"Nothing important. Now go get ready." He tells her.

Mana smiled and bounced over to Mitsuru. Takemichi walked out of the room, "I'll go wash up, feel free to stay in my room for awhile. Takuya will show you where it is." Walking in the opposite direction, Takuya escorts Mikey and Draken to Takemichi's room.

As they arrived at Takemichi's room, Takuya slid open the door and was greeted by a familiar fury face. An adorable black cat with orange eyes stood in front of the door.

"Hey, did you wait there so you could greet us?" Takuya said, smiling down at the cat. He almost laughed when the cat decided to move away from the door and sit in the corner of the room.

"Is that Takemichy's cat?" Draken asked, sitting on the ground as they waited for Takemichi to arrive.

"Sort of. The plan was for him to give this little guy to a shelter, but things don't always go as planned." Takuya still wondered why the feline was attached to Takemichi, but figured it had something to do with his natural affinity to act as an animal magnet.

"It's cute." Mikey held his hand out for the cat to take a sniff, but it ignored him in favor of staring at the door, "It ignored me." He pouted.

Takuya laughed, "That's because he only likes his master." All of them tried getting the cat to like them, but so far it only prefers Takemichi.

Lucky bastard.

While they waited, Draken looked around Takemichy's room. It wasn't plain looking by any means, but the whole room had a mature air around it. The books on the shelf for example were pretty interesting as he looked at some of the titles.

Takuya noticed him looking, "Those books were given to him by an acquaintance of his parents."

"Acquaintance?" Mikey questioned.

"Yeah, her name is Aozaki Tōko. Takemichi mentioned her once to me when we were talking about something random." He doesn't go into detail about what they talked about, and thankfully Mikey and Draken didn't ask more about it.

Draken hummed, "What's she like?" He was curious to know what sort of person would be acquainted with Takemichi's parents.

Takuya was thinking of an appropriate word to describe Tōko. While he's never met her, Takemichi's father described her in great detail.

"I think I'd describe her as…" He trailed off, thinking about his answer.

"…someone who is ambitious, yet maichevious." That sounded about right.

"So she's that kind of person." Mikey seemed to understand Tōko, if only just a little.

"You actually understood that?" The only thing Draken was able to grasp was that Aozaki Tōko was someone you probably don't wanna mess with.

Unknown to him, he would be right.

In the corner of the room, the cat finally moved when the door slid open. Takemichi couldn't even take a step before the feline decided to crowd in front of him—nearly making him trip.

"Hey, Mangetsu—!" Takemichi grunted, "Let me get in the room before you decide to jump on me." The little fur ball actually had the gall to try and look innocent.

"So this little guy's name is Mangetsu?" Draken inquired.

Takemichi picked the cat up and held him in his arms, "Yeah, I wasn't planning on keeping him, but this guy had other plans." Mangetsu rubbed his head against Takemichi's chin.

"Where did you find the little guy anyway?" Mikey asked.

Takemichi sits next to Takuya on his bed, "In an alley, back then he was really skinny and could barely walk." He didn't know what possessed him to take pity on the cat, but he did.

"I brought it home and got it back healthy again. Then I decided to send it to the shelter where they can find someone to adopt it." He sighs at the next part.

"But before they could do that—this sneaky cat decided to run away and somehow ended up in front of our house." How the hell it even managed to remember where he lived was beyond him.

Mikey and Draken busted out laughing as he finished his story. Takemichi didn't find it all that funny—even Takuya joined in, despite already knowing about how he ended up taking care of the damn cat.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Mikey calmed down enough to talk normally, "You're a riot, Takemichy!" He chuckled.

"Shut up…" Takemichi grumbled, scratching the top of Mangetsu's head.

"In the end, you ended up keeping the little guy." Draken said.

"Didn't really have a choice, and since he'll probably end up coming back here again, I might as well keep him." Having a cat around wasn't so bad. Both his dad and Mana took a liking to Mangetsu, while his mother looked like she was recalling something troublesome.

She probably had her own encounter with a cat like Mangetsu once upon a time.

"Anyway, what are the two of you doing here?" He asked them.

The two blonds both side eye each other then look at Takemichi, smiling.

"Ne, Takemichy, let's form an alliance!" Mikey suggests, smiling.

Takuya grinned a little, "…well, shit." What else could he say?

Takemichi just rolled his eyes.

"That broad seriously pisses me off!" Peh complained for what was probably the hundredth time.

Once again he was the one that had to go get Mitsuya from his afternoon club, and once again the same girl opened the door and yelled at him. As usual she insults the way he dresses, and tells him to stop bothering Mitsuya.

Why the hell does she always yell at him?!

Pisses him off!

Peh was walking with Pah, Mitsuya and Hakkai. All of them opted to hang out for today, the aftermath of their showdown with Moebius still fresh in their minds. If it was just Touman fighting against them they still would have won somehow, but having Black Dragon as backup really helped them out.

"Now, now, she means well. And you don't need to get so mad all the time." Mitsuya said, rubbing the top of Pochi's head. Pah decided to bring his dog along on their leisurely walk.

"But, she really irritates me!" Mitsuya found it amusing how Peh would get so worked up, oblivious to his own feelings.

It really is cute.

"You two are just too cute sometimes." Mitsuya smiled when Peh started cursing again and denying the cute comment. He was only proving his point though.

"But still, that fight with Moebius was intense." Pah changed the topic by talking about the brawl, "Felt good to have Black Dragon back us up. This generation's a real badass."

Mitsuya was in agreement, "They're different from when Madarame Shion led them." Madarame was a sociopath in his opinion. A cruel, bloodthirsty bastard who only cared about beating his opponent to a bloody pulp. His next target was Mikey ironically, but all of them—Mikey included—destroyed both Madarame and the Ninth Generation of Black Dragon.

Pah's face contorted like he tasted something sour, "Crazy bastard. Wonder where the hell he is right now?" After they dismantled Black Dragon back then, Madarame disappeared. No one's heard a peep from him since.

"Who knows? We're better off not knowing." Mitsuya didn't want to see that crazy bastard ever again in this life or the next.

Hakkai was curious about something, "I still wonder how Ryōgi-san became the new leader of Black Dragon though." It had been on everyone's mind in Touman, but no one's said anything out loud. Last he heard, his older brother was supposed to take over as the next leader, so how did Ryōgi-san end up being the commander while his brother wasn't?

"Good question." Mitsuya didn't get all the info on that, but hopefully they'll hear the full story.

Peh-yan noticed a familiar face, "Huh? Hey, isn't that…" he pointed at the individual and prompted the other three to look at who he was pointing at.

Walking ahead of them was a familiar individual. He was wearing a warm dark jacket, dark grey trousers and black boots.

Mitsuya recognized him, "That's…that guy. He beat down Hanma like he was nothing." Mitsuya was impressed that someone of his size was able to beat Hanma.

"Really? Him?" Hakkai found it hard to believe, but Mitsuya doesn't lie.

"Oh! I saw him knock Hanna's ass out!" Peh-yan grinned, remembering how that guy flattened Hanma.

Suddenly, Pochi barked before rushing at the young man, much to the surprise of the four Touman members.

"Ah, wait—Pochi!" Pah called out, running after the dog.

"See?! I knew it was just a matter of time before that stupid dog attacked someone!" Peh exclaimed, running behind Pah.

"Fuck you, Peh! Pochi wouldn't attack anyone!"

"Bullshit!"

Mitsuya sighed, "Not the time, you two." Hopefully they'd catch up to Pochi and stop the dog from—huh?

"Huh, why'd you stop, Mitsuya-san?" Hakkai asked.

"Look and you'll see." Mitsuya pointed.

The three looked back over at Pochi and saw the dog was being petted by Shizuki.

Shizuki can sense just about anything, so when he sensed something come running up to him from behind—he was on alert. But when he sensed it was just a harmless dog that wanted to play, he relaxed.

"Good afternoon, where did you come from?" Shizuki asked, rubbing both sides of the dog's face.

"Arf!"

"I see." He can understand how an animal feels by their emotional response to their surroundings. This dog was happy to see a new face and wanted to say, "hello."

"What the hell?! Why's it so attached to this guy?!" Peh complained, sounding a little jealous because out of everyone he's still hated.

Shizuki noticed their approach and smiled, "Hello." He greeted them.

"Hey, sorry about Pah-chin's dog. Guess he got a little excited." Mitsuya apologized.

Shaking his head, Shizuki stood up, "I don't mind. Normally animals don't come near me, but he's different." He rubs the dog's head.

He introduced himself to the other three, "Hello, I'm Sōjūrō Shizuki."

Pah rubbed the back of his head, "Y-Yeah, you can call me Pah." Why was he acting so nervous?

"Peh-yan." Peh introduced himself next.

"Um, I'm Shiba Hakkai." Hakkai said.

"I don't know if you remember me from the brawl, but I'm Mitsuya Takashi." Mitsuya went last.

Shizuki remembered Mitsuya, "Mm, I remember you from the fight. I'm glad none on our side were badly injured."

"Only ones badly injured were Moebius." Mitsuya shrugged.

"Glad to hear that." Shizuki breathed a small sigh of relief.

'Yamagishi has been keeping a close eye out for any suspicious movements from Hanma or news of any new gangs appearing lately.' Shizuki was glad to hear that no one from Touman was targeted yet, same with Black Dragon members.

But being too quiet is never a good thing, either.

"Sorry, were you headed somewhere?" Mitsuya's innocent question pulled him from his inner thinking.

"Yes, I was heading to the hospital." Shizuki replied.

Hakkai became worried, "Oh, are you really sick? Should you be walking by yourself?" He started firing off so many questions, Shizuki wondered if he was breathing.

"There's nothing wrong with me," He assured a frantic Hakkai, "I'm on my way there to pick up my mother."

"Is she sick?" Mitsuya's paternal instinct was kicking in.

"No, but due to her condition it's not safe for her to walk around by herself." Shizuki explained, feeling grateful for the concern.

"Nice of ya to help out your Ma like that." Pah said, smiling in respect.

"Thank you. Would you like to come with me, if you're not too busy?" Shizuki asked.

"If you don't mind." Mitsuya saw this as a chance to get to know one of the members of Black Dragon. Thankfully, the other three agreed to also come along.

Misaki Town: Hospital

Mitsuya found Shizuki to be a pretty cool guy. He had more respect for how patient he was with both Pah-chin and Peh-yan. Both of them were telling Shizuki how cool he was during the brawl against Moebius. It was odd to see the most normal looking person in Black Dragon act a little shy when complimented on his fighting skills. He likes guys that are down to earth and humble, and Shizuki was the embodiment of just that.

They arrived at the hospital where Shizuki went up to the front desk to let the staff know he was here to pick up his mother. Apparently they got here a little bit earlier than planned, so Shizuki suggested waiting outside.

While waiting outside, they all decided to just chat for a little while. Shizuki decided to tell them a little about his background, which frankly…had floored Mitsuya.

"Wait, so you were originally raised in the mountains?" Mitsuya could hardly believe it, but some part of him believed it made sense in some twisted kinda way.

Shizuki looked a little sheepish, "I wouldn't really say raised, but I did have to fend for myself. That means fighting to survive out in the wild alone, protecting myself from enemies, and other things." He didn't go into much detail, but to be honest—Mitsuya really didn't want to know anymore.

Hakkai looked at him sadly, "Are you—I mean—were you…" he trailed off.

"Well…I don't know if calling myself an orphan is accurate, but it doesn't matter anymore." Shizuki said, smiling, "I eventually left the mountains and found myself here in Misaki City. But, my condition wasn't the best and I became unconscious, but a good samaritan helped me."

"Was that how you met your new ma?" Pah-chin asked.

"Actually, I met her after. The person who found me unconscious was my adoptive father. He works here at this hospital." Shizuki revealed.

"Seriously, talk about lucky." Peh-yan said.

Smiling, Shizuki continued, "He put himself in charge of my care when I was admitted here. It was when I was showing signs of improvement that he asked if I wanted to become a part of his family."

"And you said, "yes." Mitsuya knew where this story was headed.

"Mm." The small smile Shizuki gave them made him look more innocent and pure, "I soon met my mother and two siblings."

"Oh, you've got two siblings, too?" Mitsuya perked at this new information.

"Twins. One boy, one girl." Shizuki replied.

Mitsuya laughed, "My little sisters look similar, too. Both of them have unique personalities."

"You should meet Takemichi-san's little sister Mana. She loves every person she meets." Shizuki will never forget the first time he met the sweet little girl, and she hugged him out of nowhere with a bright smile.

"One of my little sister's is named Mana, too." Mitsuya smiled at the similarities between not just him and Shizuki, but Takemichi, too.

"I think Takemichi-san wouldn't mind scheduling a play date if it means his sister can make friends." Shizuki said.

"Sounds good. I'll get to him on that." Mitsuya responded.

Hakkai fidgeted a little on the bench, "Um, if you don't mind me asking. How did Ryōgi-san become leader of Black Dragon?" He asked. Hopefully his sudden question didn't come off as rude, but he really wanted to know and it was bugging him for awhile now.

The warm smile Shizuki sent his way told him the other boy didn't seem to mind, "I was wondering when one of you was going to ask me." It was almost amusing to see them tip toe around the subject they deemed to be forbidden to ask.

Shizuki looked ahead of him as a nurse was helping an elderly patient walk around, "At first, there were rumors about Black Dragon starting up again. I'd already met and become friends with Takemichi-san and the others at this point."


"Eh?" Shizuki blinked, his sandwich half eaten as he was listening to Yamagishi tell them about a gang that's starting back up again. All of them were eating on the rooftop of the school when Yamagishi suddenly brought it up.

Sucking on his straw, Yamagishi elaborated, "Like I said, Black Dragon is starting back up again. And word on the street is, they haven't selected a commander yet, so the slots open."

"For real? So they plan on starting up without a commander?" Makoto questioned, leaning against the fence.

Takuya looked thoughtful, "Come to think of it, Inui-senpai did say they were looking for new members to join them in hopes of finding someone to fill in that role."

"Koko-senpai was trying to recruit some people, too." Akkun added.

Hinata smiled, "Why don't we try joining? It could be fun." She suggested.

Akkun gave her a dry expression, "You only want to join so you can cause chaos. I see right through you." His face was telling her he wasn't falling for the banana in the tailpipe.

"Akkun, do you really have such a low opinion of me?" She faked looking hurt by his doubtful tone.

"Yes." He replied.

Meanwhile, Takemichi was laying on his back and just watching the clouds drift in the blue sky. He was only half listening at this point, and was almost about to fall asleep.

"Say…how about we join Black Dragon? Just to see what it's like?" Yamagishi was following Hinata's example, it seems.

"Huh? Why the hell would we?" Makoto looked at Yamagishi like he was an idiot, even though he is.

"Come on, think about it! Okay, sure they were corrupted at some point, but when it first started out—they were the strongest and most respectable gang out there back in their heyday!" Yamagishi persisted, trying to convince them that this was a good idea.

Takuya didn't look all that convinced, "This sounds like more trouble than it's worth." They were fine not joining a gang for now.

"It really does sound like fun!" Hinata was all for it, no surprise there.

Akkun sighed, "This is a bad idea." He said what some of them were thinking.

Shizuki thought about it for a moment, "Would it really be so bad?" He got some confused and curious looks thrown his way, "If we were to join Black Dragon…then maybe something will change." There was a hidden meaning behind those words.

Yamagishi then looked over at the silent Takemichi, "What do you think, Takemichi?" He asked, wanting to hear his opinion.

Takemichi didn't say anything for a minute, still focusing on the white clouds. His mind appeared to have wandered off elsewhere for a moment.

"Fine by me…" He replied.

Their eyes widened.

Did he really just say—?!

"Wait a minute! You mean you'll really join Black Dragon?! Like for real?!" Yamagishi was both surprised and excited by Takemichi's answer that he might pass out right now.

Takemichi sits up, "It sounds like a pain, but not the worst thing in the world." He said.

Yamagishi cheered, "Hell, yeah!" He yelled, doing a victory pose to top it all off.

The other three, minus Hinata and Shizuki groaned.


"So that's how it started." Mitsuya said, wanting to know more of the story.

Shizuki continued, "Inui-senpai and Koko-senpai were surprised by us joining Black Dragon, but accepted it." Even now, he could still see their flabbergasted expressions.

"I can see that." Mitsuya laughed.

"So, so, what happened next?" Pah-chin was eager to hear more of the story of how they joined Black Dragon.

"Yeah, don't just stop there!" Peh-yan was also interested.

Hakkai's eager face said it all.

Amused by their curiosity, Shizuki did indeed continue, "Inui-senpai and Koko-senpai were already named vice-captain and elite guard captain by the time we joined."

"We weren't given any positions since back then we were considered grunts. Black Dragon only won brawls against other gangs because we had Takemichi—in fact—his very presence gave many members morale." Shizuki explained, his tone expressing fondness.

"He made being in Black Dragon fun and exciting. All of us have such fond memories because of him. There are a lot of members that look up to him, and seek advice on what to do in the future." Takemihci became a symbol of hope and strong leadership that was desperately needed in Black Dragon at the time.

"Everything was peaceful for the moment…but then the time came for a commander to be chosen." Shizuki's tone became grim as he remembered the chaos that unraveled.

Hakkai tensed, his whole body stiff and rigid that he almost resembled a living statue, "Did—was my brother…" He trailed off, finding himself unable to finish what he wanted to say.

Shizuki looks him dead in the eye, "Shiba Taijū was nominated to become the 10th Generation Commander of Black Dragon, yes." He confirmed.

"And I'm guessing Takemichi was the second to be nominated." Mitsuya said it as a statement.

"Yes, there were two factions. The Taijū Faction and The Takemichi Faction. Naturally, we agreed that Takemichi should be Commander over Taijū for various reasons." He said.

"Reasons?" Pah-chin questioned.

Shizuki looked up at the clear blue sky, "Back then, Taijū-senpai was extremely violent and abusive towards the lower members, even to his own squad. The only ones that were promoted to captain were him and Takemichi, but the difference in the way they lead their squads was obvious."

"Religious he may be, he enjoyed tormenting his opponents and didn't care for the well-being of his squad or any member of the gang." He explained Taijū's former personality.

"Piece of shit!" Pah-chin glared, seething with rage.

"And they wanted to make that asshole Commander?!" Peh-yan looked ready to murder Taiju—his much largr size be damned.

Mitsuya was more worried about Hakkai. The younger teen looked visibly sick to his stomach, but willed himself to keep listening.

"Despite his brutality, Taijū-senpai can be charismatic, which is why there were some that followed him with such loyalty." Shizuki said.

"Takemichi-san is his opposite in every single way. He led his squad with confidence, and treated some of his opponents with respect. When it comes to worrying about others?" Shizuki huffed, amused, "He tries to hide it, but he really cares."

Mitsuya chuckled, "He's a tsundere, huh?" Now isn't that just cute.

"In fighting started happening, and that's when Inui-senpai and Koko-senpai decided to ask Takemichi if he would consider becoming Commander to end all of the chaos." He said.

"And he agreed, right?" Peh-yan asked, leaning forward a little.

Shizuki let out a nervous chuckle, "Not exactly…" He trailed off, the memory of what happened when Inui and Koko went to Takemichi and asked him to become Commander.


Takemichi stared at Inui and Koko with a blank expression as the others around them were quiet and waiting with anticipation in what his answer was going to be.

"…sounds like a pain."

All of them nearly fell flat on their faces when he finally answered. In retrospect they should have known he was going to reject the offer, but still…

"Takemichi, normally I would agree with you, but now? I really think you should go for it." Akkun practically pleaded.

"I'm with Akkun on this, as well as Inui-san and Koko-san. If anyone should be Commander—it has to be you." Takuya added his opinion.

"Hell, we only joined Black Dragon because of you! Same as joining your squad! We'll only follow you!" Makoto said, firmly.

Yamagishi fixed his glasses, "Shiba Taijū is unworthy of being in command of anything."

Takemichi still didn't look convinced.

Inui was giving Takemichi a pleading expression, "Takemichi, you of all people know that we wouldn't spring this on you on a whim. I firmly believe you should be the one to lead Black Dragon."

"Same here. I refuse to follow Shiba or pledge any loyalty to him, but you're a different story." Koko smirked.

"…"

Hinata smiled at him, "Think about it this way, Takemichi-kun. If you do agree to become Commander…then you can fulfill that promise you made." There was a hidden meaning behind her words, but from the subtle twitch on Takemichi's face, it seems to have had an impact.

Letting out an exasperated sigh and running his hand through his black curly hair, Takemichi made his decision.

"Alright."

And that was that.


"After that, it was decided both candidates would have a duel to decide who would be the 10th Generation Commander," Shizuki smiled, "And the rest is history."

"Ohhhh!" Pah-chin and Peh-yan both clapped their hands as the story ended.

Mitsuya was amused by the whole thing, "So, Takemichi ended up being the commander by beating Taijū." Sounds like it was an interesting duel, too.

"It was a good fight. Neither of them held back, but in the end—the victor was Takemichi-san. Taijū-san accepted defeat, but instead of leaving Black Dragon like most of us expected…Takemichi-san allowed him to stay." Shizuki revealed.

Mitsuya's eyes widened, "Are you serious? Takemichi allowed him to stay?" Why would he let Taijū stay with Black Dragon instead of kicking him out? Wasn't he worried about being betrayed?

A mysterious smile appeared on Shizuki's face, "Deep down, Taijū-senpai really respects Takemichi-san." He said.

The doubtful expressions on their faces were amusing.

"The reason he accepted his defeat and was allowed to stay in Black Dragon was because like the rest of us—he held Takemichi-san in high regard. I believe the reason he wanted to have a duel with Takemichi-san was so that he could free from his own demons." Shizuki whispered the last sentence to himself, sounding a little melancholic.

While Pah-chin and Peh-yan were confused about the meaning of his words—Mitsuya and Hakkai understood. This left them with something to think about in how they should view Taijū now. He really did seem like a completely different person, calmer, and more in control of his actions.

Hakkai would find it hard to believe, but then his older brother left the house they grew up in—leaving parting words for his older sister's ears only.

'Has—has he really changed?' A part of him could only hope.

"I hope this gives you some insight about Black Dragon and Taijū-senpai." Shizuki said, hoping his story helped them find a new perspective about Taijū.

"Yeah, it did. Thanks for telling us." Mitsuya thanked him.

"You're welcome."

"Oh, here you are Shizuki-kun." A new voice got their attention. Walking towards them was a slender, yet beautiful woman with red eyes and long purple hair, tied in a mid bun. She was wearing a dark green kimono, a yellow scarf wrapped around her waist—the ends looping around each arm. What got the members of Touman's attention was the walking stick.

And her eyes.

'So, she can't see anymore.' Mitsuya respected Shizuki for coming here to pick her up.

"Mom, you didn't have to come all the way out here. I could have escorted you." Shizuki quickly got off the bench and hurriedly walked up to his mother.

She smiled in his direction, "You don't have to go out of your way to do that. Doing this much isn't a problem for me." Her soft and soothing voice rang in Mitsuya's ears—same with Hakkai.

Soft and pleasant.

Warm and kind.

A loving, caring mother.

Shizuki wrapped his arm around her before facing the guys, "I want to introduce you all to my mother—Kishinami Fujino." He introduced his mother to the members of Touman.

"Hello." Fujino greeted them politely with a smile.

Mitsuya responded in kind, "Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Mitsuya Takashi." Even though she couldn't see, he still bowed to her anyway. Blind or not, this was someone else's mom and he wasn't going to disrespect that.

"Ah, I'm Shiba Hakkai." Hakkai followed Mitsuya's example.

"Hayashida Haruki." Pah-chin went next, also bowing.

"Hayashi Ryōhei." Peh-yan was the last one to introduce himself.

Fujino stared at them for a moment and looked pleased, "Such nice new friends you've made Shizuki-kun." Seems she's already taken a liking to them.

"Holy shit…his ma's a beauty!" Pah-chin whispered to Peh-yan.

"Hell, yeah!" Peh-yan may or may not have a crush on a married woman and someone else's mom, but who cares?!

"I hope you all continue to be friends with my son in the near future." Fujino said, her smiling face was radiant.

"Likewise, ma'am." Mitsuya replied, softly.

Fujino tilts her head in Shizuki's direction, "Shall we go? I'm making dinner tonight." She sounded so excited about it.

"I'm looking forward to it, mom." Shizuki smiled at her before bidding the others farewell, "See you some other time."

"Yeah, let's meet up again soon." Mitsuya said, waving goodbye to them as they left the hospital property. All things considered, he had a really good conversation with the other boy and gained some insight about Black Dragon. Whatever worries he had about them are completely gone. This version of Black Dragon was different, and he was sure that in the near future they could count on them to have their backs.

'We can trust them, Mikey.' Mitsuya thinks, confident in his assessment.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Startled, Mitsuya felt his cell phone go off in his pants pocket. Figuring it must be one of the others, he brought his phone out and answered, "Hello?"

"Yo, Mitsuya."

"Draken, what's up?" Mitsuya wondered if Mikey set up another meeting and Draken was calling to let him know.

"Mikey says a meeting is going to be taking place in two weeks."

Guess he was right.

Mitsuya's expression turned serious, "Where are we meeting up?" The others picked up on it and their expressions became just as serious.

"At a park where there's still some cherry blossoms blooming. We're having a get together with Black Dragon."

…uh, what?

Did he hear that right?

A confused smile replaced his previously serious expression, "Seriously…?" Behind him, the other three gave him confused looks.

"Guess he was." Mitsuya muttered as he was surrounded by members of both Touman and Black Dragon—all of them were partying around.

Turns out this wasn't an emergency meeting, just a friendly get-together with the purpose of them getting to know each other better. Which was fine by him because everyone looked so relaxed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hakkai, Pah-chin, and Peh-yan talking with Shizuki. Whatever they were talking about had the Black Dragon member smiling from ear to ear.

The pink haired girl, Hinata was in the middle of talking to—Sanzu?! Since when did those two get so close?! Just what the hell were they talking about that had Sanzu nodding his head and listening with such intent?! Judging by the horrified look on the red head (Akkun, he thinks his name is face)…it was something he really didn't want to know.

'Well…everyone's getting along, so who cares.' Mitsuya took a sip of the juice Takemichi brought.

Sitting a little further away from everyone else was Mikey and Takemichi. Mikey was the one to organize this, but Takemichi went along with it without complaint. Seeing both gangs getting along so well put a smile on Mikey's face. For a long time he dreamed of Black Dragon and Touman being together like this since his brother was still running it at the time. And now, finally—his dream was made into a reality.

"Thank you, Takemichy…" He said, his tone was soft and full of gratitude.

Takemichi huffed, smiling at the peaceful expression on the blonde's face. He could get used to a scenery like this every once in a while, and his boy's seemed to be bonding with some members already.

"Don't mention it." He replied.

Suddenly, Mikey stands up, "Listen up, all of you!" He successfully got everyone's attention, "This get-together with Black Dragon is just the beginning!" He looks at Takemichi, signaling him to stand.

Getting the picture, Takemichi stands next to Mikey, "Dragon's, during the Moebius conflict we lended our strength to Touman and helped them annihilate the rival gang, permanently!" A round of cheers went through, but they weren't done yet.

"Which is why—" Mikey stood tall and proud—his whole aura was full of confidence when he said these next words, "—starting today—Black Dragon is now an ally of Touman!" He announced.

"As the acting Commander of the 10th Generation Black Dragons—I accept being allied with Touman!" Takemichi announced his answer. Silence was heard when they both announced that Black Dragon and Touman would be allies from now on. The silence didn't last, however, as everyone began to cheer and celebrate their new found alliance.

"Touman and Black Dragons are allies now!"

"Hell, yeah!"

"Let's celebrate our asses off!"

Mikey couldn't help but smile as both gangs accepted the announcement, "Let's get along well, Takemichy~" He said, leaning against Takemichi a little bit.

"Too late to be saying that." Takemichi replied, but he was still amused.

Mikey beamed.

For now, all is peaceful—

—but soon…


🎭影に潜む人🎭

(Those Who Lurk In The Shadows)