Nomad, Shin's Story

by Dark Ryuu

Growing up, Shin (Toy) always wanted to do the right thing for everyone that he could, especially those in need. But can he keep from losing sight of himself, his family, and his friends, especially his elusive best friend, Lyla, and new partner in life, Komari? A prequel to Step Toward the Future and Legacy, an alternate universe crossover between all games.

6. Omikuji

Nomad, Shin's Story
Chapter 6: Omikuji

Author's Notes: Oops, missed Wednesday and Saturday in some time zones! Anyway, I'll try to stick to a Saturday update schedule. I've been really into just like…writing this. It gets NUTS.

And please keep in mind that the entirety of the Legacy series is a whole alternate universe to even our own though it has many of the same components. I think of each nation as a melting pot so it's not unusual to have hints of various cultures within each. And it's just a little easier to make it a little more American. I research the culture and try to encompass it correctly but sometimes it makes me uneasy…so yea, sometimes its an unusual crossover. ESPECIALLY with the military aspect, Japan does not appear to have this sort of system at all but, well, again, for our purposes.

Tread carefully: Dark themes and…residual smut? Oh, and this? The smuttiest of smuts is voided out of the middle for . Enjoy!

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"What? You slept in your car last night?"

It was probably the worst night of sleep he'd ever gotten too. Shin rubbed his face, grimacing, his phone pressed to his ear. Koji called him while he was heading to school, apparently confused because while he and Nelly made it an extra point to go missing and not come home sometimes, Shin did not. Shin had parked off in the woods somewhere and listened to music until he TRIED to go to sleep but…this wasn't going to work either.

"Dude, I really don't know what's gotten into you. I never expected you to be so…avoidant."

Shin sleepily looked around at the gray winter sky, shivering a bit under his coat. "I'm the passive aggressive one, right? Isn't this exactly something I'd do?"

"I suppose…"

No, Koji didn't mean 'avoidant', he meant 'irresponsible'. Here he was in a fairly new nice car sleeping in the woods by himself. "I'll come home before I do this again but I hope I can find some work then get a place for a little bit. I…It was a different circumstance, our grandmother kicking dad out, but I think the space might be needed to prove myself."

Koji didn't say anything for a moment before saying…briskly, "Remember what I told you, Shin. All this gloom and doom shit about you meeting your end doing whatever craziness you're doing is irrelevant. You promised me."

"And this is real life, Koji. I can promise you with a thousand percent sincerity but I might get hit by a car and die. It's not realistic for me to promise you anything."

"And I'm not talking about that sort of bullshit, Shin. Fate and all that shit, happenstance or whatever the fuck you want to call it. Dad's putting you in the grave and you're trying to prove to him you're not gonna die. None of it's 'relevant'."

Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Shin shook his head. It seemed strangely naïve for Koji. Or it would if it didn't sound like he'd sincerely come to the afterlife and beat him up if he died. "Okay, Koji."

"Don't patronize me."

Shin leered, "Sorry, kind of hard NOT to sound patronizing when you're making me promise not to get myself killed when I'm in a WAR, Koji. I'm pretty sure no one ever went over to fight and was planning on dying."

"Of course not. I just want you to think long and hard about it."

What now? "Koji, I am…not in a place for this conversation right now, I'm sorry."

"We're Yagami" Koji said simply, "We end up in this circumstance where it looks like we're at the end of the rope, where everything has been exhausted—and when it looks like everything is lost, done, finished, what do you do?"

"…I dunno?"

"And that's the shit I'm talking about, dumbass."

Shin closed his eyes, dropping his head back against the rest. "…"Have you ever been close to tragedy or been close to folks who have? Have you ever felt a pain so powerful, so heavy you collapse? That kind of thing? Because, unfortunately, I would also have to answer 'no'."

"Ha. Yea, I guess it is something like that. You knock on wood or whatever the hell it takes, Shin."

…Mm. "I understand" Shin murmured, "…I can't bow or break to the circumstances. If…if I do fall, I promise that I'd have tried my hardest to keep my promise. Irrespective, I'm going to keep my distance for dad's sake right now. I'm probably just pissing him off."

Koji groaned, "…Whatever. Why don't you go see nee-san and work out some of these 'frustrations'?"

What? "And what sort of 'working out my frustrations' are you suggesting, Koji?" Shin glowered.

"Uh, the fucking kind because any other, I'd kill your ass before you have to worry about any Sechians having the honor."

Rolling his eyes, Shin tapped the steering wheel. After their second rendezvous, he really pumped the brakes on that. It just…wasn't normal enough for him. It was enjoyable, no doubt, but it…didn't sit well on his conscience right now. At the time, though, he was glad she got caught up in the 'holiday spirit' so she wasn't quite so…fixated on them sleeping together. She enjoyed herself and seemed depressed when he dropped her off a few days ago back to that stupid school.

Mm. "…I guess I can possibly go check on her. We can spend the New Year together…PLATONICALLY."

"Or screw into a new millennium."

One track damn mind. Shin turned on his car and grimaced, feeling weird about not having brushed his teeth. No, the homeless car track was not for him. "…Had dad left by the time you left?"

"Yea, the house is empty…you sure you want it to be like this, Shin?"

…No. But…his choice apparently made him a stranger to the only home he'd known. Or, at least a part of it. It…would be a long road but he'd gain his place again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yagami Shin meant to bathe and leave when he arrived at the Yagami Mansion. Alas, after a nice hot shower, brushing his teeth, and a warm bowl of miso while sitting on their couch, well, he woke up and it was about two in the afternoon. It left him a very small window of escape, enough time to get his thankfully prepacked bags and book it, but he guessed his body didn't care anything about any of his conceived issues: this was home and the place let him sleep like a dream. No, he had been through boot camp, he was trying to prove himself to his father, but, should all of his plans to live outside of the house fail, he completely accepted he was too bougie to not come home and live comfortably. Then.

He took the hour and half drive to Lyla's school in his car, figuring it was just way too cold to properly enjoy his motorcycle. When he pulled up, this time it was crawling with young women. Parking off to the side a bit, he used the arrow buttons to go to her contact and call. Hopefully she had her phone nearby…

"Hello?"

"U-Uh, hey, Lai. What are you up to?"

"Hey! Not much, out of class and I was going to go to the store for a bit."

The store? He frowned, suddenly a little…confused. "Oh? Uh, well, I…I had come up to visit but if you're busy-"

"Really? Where are you?" she asked.

Explaining his exact coordinates, hidden because he knew she was at school to learn to not be 'unseemly', he smiled when she appeared, wearing a long red skirt and a pale cream blouse under a long black jacket. She climbed into the passenger seat, sinking down a bit and signaling for him to 'go'. Sheesh.

"You know, I never thought about, well…you leaving the school" Shin droned when they were sufficiently far away enough for her to sit up and put on her seatbelt.

Lyla nodded, taking off her gloves, "Some of the girls don't even stay on campus, they leave and go back to their family's estate. For those of us that do, we have free time until eight in the evening. We can go home on the weekends too."

Huh. "Well, that's…not so bad then."

She nodded before glancing behind her, her brows furrowing, "…Are you going somewhere?"

Great. "Uh…sort of."

Giving him a questioning look, she shook her head, "Where?"

"Um…not sure yet?" he laughed absently. "Let's…discuss that over lunch? I'm starving."

Lyla gave him a leer but nodded, "There's a nice noodle shop about fifteen minutes from here."

Thankful she just spent that time directing him to the place, Shin knew when they parked and were seated, it was game time. Sighing as they pulled into the parking lot, Shin smiled again when she grasped his elbow, hugging his arm. He…couldn't help think about her in all his nonsense. If he started to live on his own, gas was going to be sparse and he couldn't make these trips. That…was one thing to consider.

They were seated by the window overlooking a small lake, the edges slightly frozen. Lyla resumed her questioning expression, stippling her fingers, "So, where to?"

"Lai" he whined, running his fingers down his face, "…I'm dishonoring my father."

"Wha?" she scowled, shaking her head.

"He's…he's pissed with me right now, Lai. I have made several decisions he is not exactly happy about and-and I know why and I'm not able to sit around and disappoint him. The only way I can repair where we're at is showing him I can do it, that I can help people like I want and come back not mangled or dead."

Lyla looked perplexed. The waiter came and took their order before she could respond. He decided on yakisoba while she got dumplings. Tapping her fingertips against the table, Lyla shook her head. "…In all the years I've known your papa, he's…never seemed like the type of person you'd have to prove anything to."

Grimacing, Shin nodded slowly, "…He's usually not but I've changed the standard. I've given him something that needs proving."

"But…I've always thought that you and Koji, Nelly, Jill, Tony, Shaun…I always thought you had the freedom to seek what you want to do."

Mm. "You told me yourself, Lyla, you said that nothing was off limits. I think my dad thought that…that it was."

She bit her lip, sighing, "…I do worry about what may happen to you when they send you wherever. I-I think that's natural though, for anyone. But if you're willing to put yourself on the line to do a good thing, don't I have to support you?"

"That's a nice thought, Lai" he smiled grimly, "But, no, you don't have to, really."

Rubbing his hand, she gazed at him with her earthy eyes. "…I know. But I do believe in you."

Shin's heart skipped a bit, flustering, as she played with his fingers, "…I just never really thought Yamada-san wouldn't though."

"…I don't think I've ever told you this, but…but y'know, when I was born? My…my mom, she was taken away immediately. Like, she gave birth to me and…and she was forced back to her family home. I was left in the sole care of my dad, he…he raised me from the very beginning by himself. He…he was really just a kid himself, honestly, like…nineteen and having this newborn while he's trying to work and go to school. I think people often say 'he didn't have a choice' but…but no, my dad did and he chose the absolute hardest one."

Wincing, he gazed down and took a deep breath. That was the other part, he just…he just really, really could not stand to hear and see his father's disappointment. Not after all that. Lyla tilted her head, murmuring, "…You worry about what your papa thinks."

"…Yes. And-and we argued while I was at boot camp like we had when I announced it and—and he called and kind of laid me out last night about it and another decision I'm considering. But…have you ever been to Wasaba?"

She shook her head to the negative. He didn't go often though it was a standard hangout for the twins, probably where Koji was fetching his 'fix', but it was his home once upon a time. It…wasn't great though. "Wasaba…it's a bad area. Like, a lot of crime, a lot of robbery, a lot of prostitution—highest area of killing on the island, really. That's…that's where my dad is from. And…and his best friend growing up, where I got my name, he…he got shot like twelve times and my dad watched him die. It's…it's all a deep memory for him. He made it his mission to get us out of there because honestly? We could have just been shot as bystanders in that place. So, imagine, he…he made sure I wasn't some hapless murder victim…and I just volunteered to be a possible hapless casualty. We're…we're just at a weird place right now."

"…So you're leaving" she whispered.

Shin gasped, startled, "N-Not far! Like, it'll be in the more industrial parts of the city where I can afford to live but I'll still be able to drive and see you, just like this. I'll even try to keep my work hours when you're in school. I-I need to still see my family. And-and I need to still see you…"

Lyla looked relieved, resting her cheek against his palm, "…I'm glad. I'm selfish."

"Not at all" he assured.

"…I don't think your papa will stay like this, Shin. I think he loves all of you so much, the idea of losing any of you probably bothers him—especially after almost losing your mama and watching his best friend die. But I doubt he wants you to lose your endeavors because of his understandable fears."

…Yes. "You're right…"

They chatted about other things as they ate, thankfully. It took his mind off all this mayhem going on and made some of it feel better. Sighing, she opened her purse, "You need to get back so you can find somewhere to stay…and if you can't, Yagami Shin, I want you to go home."

"I will, Lyla" he sighed gravely. Good thing he didn't mention his little stunt last night, she'd have a fit.

He scowled as she paid for him too before giving him a stern look. "You need to pay for a place to stay."

"Meh."

…Feeling awkward all the same, he drove her back toward her school and parked in the same spot. It…it wasn't like they weren't best friends, stupid, why were you going to make this weird? You could ask her anywhere. Just…what are your intentions?

…Okay. "U-Um, Lai?"

"Yes, Shin?"

"U-Uh, New…New Years Eve to Day, um, I-I was wondering if you wanted to go to the New Years Festival with me? I-I mean, if…if you want."

She smiled warmly, "Of course, Shin. I can stay out too since the school will be closing again."

"Oh, uh, great" he rasped, "I-I look forward to it."

Nodding, she grasped his hand, "I'll see you in a few days. And call me as soon as you find a place to stay tonight, please."

"I will" he assured.

In the weirdest consensual moment for them, she kissed him and he kissed back at ease. She skipped out of the car as he sat there, dumbfounded. So kissing as parting and feeling weird asking her to go places with him now because it seemed like a date…?

He jumped, yelping, when his phone rang. Eh? Looking at the number, he made a face when he saw Koji's name pop up. After their last conversation, he wasn't sure he was in the mood. Still, could be an emergency…clicking 'send', he pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Yo, I gotta be quick, I'm at work. Yaya came in for a cup of coffee and she wanted to see if you were available to come have a drink with her."

Eh? "O-Oh. Oh, okay, yea. Tell her I'll be there in a bit, I was visiting with Lyla."

"Mm hmm, 'visiting'" Koji snorted, "I'll let her know."

Shin leered, wishing his 'little brother' could see it as he clicked off. Pulling away, he started driving back toward Subami. Man, he…he completely forgot to tell Yaya any of his plans. She probably would be as pissed as his dad was.

Hamasaki Ayame, also known as 'Yaya', was his basically nanny back when they were in Wasaba. While his dad did a lot, it would have been impossible for him to do it entirely alone. So, while the man was at school or working, Yaya watched him. At one point, she actually lived with them too when his dad started his residency. He couldn't recall exactly when or why, but at some point his dad started to get antsy around her and after they made the move to Subami, Shin rarely saw her. Seeing how his dad was acting now, it could be pure foolishness. Of course, it also could be that seeing his dad working toward being a doctor inspired her to be a doctor too and she was slammed with school. Still though…

Koji's place of work was a small little café like coffee shop settled near a ritzy area. Yagada wasn't too far away, actually, amidst these stone buildings. Pulling into the parking lot of the coffee shop, he entered the tiny establishment. Koji was behind the counter, wearing a black apron over a black button down shirt with gray slacks, messing with a machine before he looked up absently. "Hey. She's seated near the back window. Want to put an order in?"

"Oh, uh…I guess just a black coffee with cream?" Shin didn't know what to do with these fancy options.

Koji smirked, "I'll fix you something, geezer."

Shin stuck out his tongue and meandered through the crowd. There were a lot of couples cozied up, drinking frappy beverages, and people on laptops and reading books. It was a very…calm place to be, he really was not expecting Koji to choose something like this.

He smiled at the woman all the way at the back window, sitting in a booth with her mug in her hands pressed against her lips. She kept her black hair shoulder length now, wearing a pale lavender blouse with a mauve skirt. He always thought Yaya was pretty, really. Strange she never married, she always used to talk about the prospect... "Yaya."

She looked up and smiled…some. "…You know, I still expect to see a little boy when I meet you. I can't believe my baby is a grown man now."

Pouting at that while she stood to hug him, she gasped, "And you're so tall! I guess I should have suspected that with Yamada."

"Ha, yea, I am pretty much his exact height now. He was surprised too…" he sighed, sitting across from her as she settled back down.

"How is he with this army business?"

"…Uh, not…great?"

Ayame nodded, crossing her hands, "I can imagine. He names you after my crazy brother and he's probably thinking history is about to repeat itself."

Hamasaki Shin…his dad's best friend and also the same guy that got gunned down and died right in front of his dad. Making a face, Shin leaned back against the leather seat and drawled, "…No offense, Yaya, I love you, but I'm not taking on that sort of namesake."

"Tuh, please don't" Ayame scoffed, stirring her spoon, "…My brother made such poor decisions, it's hard to see the connection. I understand what you're doing, I had no idea what was going on with him."

"If you understand, can you please explain it to my dad?" he mumbled.

"Shin, your dad has PTSD from living in Wasaba. I will be honest with you: I don't. Yea, I may throw a punch or two or jump when I hear something that sounds like a gunshot but your daddy, he's…he's seen some things, Shin. Things you might end up seeing too."

Shin had raised a brow. "…PTSD? What's that?"

"Oh, sweetie" Ayame groaned.

"I got out of the doctoring track, Yaya."

"And they should have addressed it in the military track" she glowered, looking pointedly at him. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When you experience something traumatizing or disturbing, the event might keep chasing you in your mind."

Shin frowned, slowly shaking his head, "…Everyone gets a little traumatized by something though, right?"

"Yes…but some people can't let it go, especially if you don't seek treatment. And Yamada did not seek treatment, Shin."

"…He probably just thought he'd get over it."

"I doubt it."

…What? Shin's brow furrowed, confused. Why would he not want to get over trauma? Was his dad some kind of masochist? Ayame sighed, shrugging, "But your dad's an enigma, Shin. I know he has it but the man functions like a well-oiled machine. You wouldn't even know he'd been through half the stuff he's been through."

"Then how would you know?" Shin questioned, feeling a little…challenging. Granted, they weren't at a great place together right now but it sounded like she was questioning his dad's sanity and he wasn't certain he felt too good about that.

Ayame suddenly smiled. Shin glanced up as Koji appeared with two cups of coffee, setting one in front of Shin and one in front of her, "Another cinnamon latte for you, Yaya. You get a vanilla latte, dork."

"Thanks" Shin snorted, "I'll complain if it's too froufrou though."

"You do that" Koji snorted back.

Ayame snickered as they swatted at each other, "Stop that. Thank you, Koji."

He winked and nodded, taking her empty cup as he left. Shin lifted his beverage to try, figuring he'd choke it down either way…eh, it was okay. Still a little sweeter than what he was used to but it'd fair. Ayame turned her red cup in her hand, drawling, "Don't tell them, your siblings. Don't tell your dad I told you either."

What? "…Okay."

"So, my brother you're named after, Shin? He…dealt cocaine."

…Oh. "…Yea, I…heard about some of that…"

"You see, it's…complicated? I didn't know him that well, Shin and my father, but he ran this casino or bar or something and it was frequented by the yakuza. Well, our dad was killed in the crossfire of some argument or that's what they wanted us to think. I think he was meant to be shot."

…Oh. Shin only nodded, not sure what to say to this very dramatic occurrence. Ayame continued, "Your papa and my brother were…I think 10 or 11 at the time and they both worked there. When our father got shot, Shin ran after the guys that did it and Yamada stayed behind with my dad. He…he made your dad promise to look after Shin because, essentially, father knew early Shin didn't have a good head on his shoulders."

Shin frowned, nodding slowly as Ayame glanced out the window. "…He left when he was about thirteen. I think I was like, six or seven at the time? He moved to West Wasaba which is a terrible part of town but I think he did it to be closer to Yamada. They…they were really close for a time there. Of course, I think he also did it because that's where his clients were."

Ayame sighed, shrugging her shoulders, "…I don't have every piece but your dad met your mom at some point when he was seventeen. His…goals started shifting and he started to consider another lifestyle for himself. Shin wasn't…with that, per se. He felt he was doing great as the slum cocaine dealer working for the yakuza."

And…he was named after this guy why? "…Okay."

"Yamada didn't give me all the details but the guy Shin was working with, he pulled him aside and advised to Yamada that Shin was stealing money from his drug sales. The guy said if Yamada didn't pay the difference, he'd kill Shin."

Wait a minute. "Yaya…" Shin drawled, holding up his hands, "Why are you making it sound like my dad was involved in…this sort of sales?"

"He wasn't technically. Your dad worked legal jobs—the one with the Bryant family. He used that money to fill in the gaps."

The gaps for selling cocaine! Shin groaned loudly, dragging his hands down his face. Welp, no, he guessed he shouldn't be a cop between his brother smoking pot and his dad being an accessory to drug dealing as a teenager! "Look, your dad was doing this to help a friend, no more, no less. The problem became when Shin got addicted to the stuff and Yamada had to start paying more and more. He…he had to stop because…because he had to take care of you and your mama."

Shin recoiled a bit, startled. Wait, he got his dad to stop doing this craziness? Ayame stared at him almost…sadly, "…He told my brother to do it on his own, to get out of it, to…to do better. But…Shin had been doing it the crooked way for so long, he thought he could continue to get away with it. Then, one day, he…he and the guy he was working for, their head came to supervise. When Shin tried to explain the situation of why he didn't have either all the cocaine or all the money, they…didn't accept his reasoning. He bolted."

Oh yea, that…did not end well, probably. "Back then, these…groups, there'd be dozens of people in these rooms, buying and taking the drugs. Other dealers too. So, when…when Shin ran, these heads shot…and killed everyone in the room. The boss, the addicts, the dealers—when they ran after Shin, they killed people that just lived in the apartment."

…Shit. "They…picked Shin up off the street. Uh, they…they took him near the old apartment you were raised in and he pleaded for his life. They…they shot him to death right there. Your dad came out and…and he assumed it was the boss that did it, that had Shin killed for not having all the money, so…he ran…into the carnage. He saw…almost a hundred people shot up and dead on the street. I doubt it was the first dead body he'd ever seen, just…the amount of death…"

…His dad had seen a different kind of battlefield.

Shin pursed his lips, staring down into the tan drink before shaking his head, "…And, knowing my dad, he probably felt powerless in helping all those people."

Ayame nodded in confirmation. Damn. "…I understand completely, Yaya. Just…it's the same for me, I…I can't just see all these people getting killed for no reason and not be able to do anything about it. I just can't."

"I know, honey. You're your father's son even if you can't see eye to eye."

Shin smiled wistfully as Ayame yawned, "Well, despite all the coffee Koji has kindly provided me with, I do need to get some sleep before my next shift. Do you have a number?"

"Ah, yea…"

Giving it to her, she entered hers as well…along with another. "Do you remember Akiyama Jyou?"

"Oh yea, Joe! I was just thinking about him, actually" Shin nodded.

"Must be a psychic link" she teased, "I added his number too, he was saying if I run into you to give you his number and to tell you to give him a call."

"I will do just that. Thank you, Yaya."

"Sure thing, hon…and I'll see you soon, okay? Think about me before you get shipped out, all right?" she whispered.

Nodding firmly, he stood and gave her another hug. Honestly, he…only had one mama but he'd be lying to himself if she wasn't a very, very close second.

Shin sat at the counter on a stool after walking Ayame to her car, bringing his coffee with him. Koji was wiping the kitchen down diligently, not looking up but drawling, "What's the plan, Stan?"

"Yaya gave me Akiyama Joe's number. I'm going to call him and if he lets me crash there tonight, I'll figure out the rest tomorrow" Shin replied.

Koji laughed. "Dude. You got dad pissed about the army, about the cops…now your ass is gonna go stay in Wasaba? He will break your legs and bury you in the basement."

Sulking, Shin leered, "Well, he won't know if someone doesn't tell him, correct?"

"Dad hates it there, buddy, but you forget he's still got connects."

…Oh yea, dammit. "Well, guess this will be first attempt at stealth then."

…Mm. "Koji, let's play hypothetical situation."

His younger brother raised a brow at him before nodding. "So, you have a criminal that has a friend. This criminal gets picked up and dragged somewhere to be killed by people unaware of this friend's location. Chances of this killer dragging the criminal exactly in front of that friend's house?"

"Without the criminal advising where this friend's house is? None unless the friend's house is some hotspot or something."

"…Why would the criminal tell where this friend lives?"

Koji made a face, "This is way too specific for hypothetical, man. I dunno? I would think the friend must know something or has something that the killer needs to know about."

Shin folded his fingers, tapping his hands against his lips. If…the pieces were fitting like he thought they were, he…had literally no idea why he was named Shin. He would be named after a fucking monster. "…Oh well, Yaya was just telling me a weird story. I thought some of it was missing a few pieces."

"Oh yea, I hate those types of stories" Koji droned.

Seriously. Looking at Koji as he hummed, putting cups in a cabinet, Shin's stomach turned as the implication further sank in. No, like…seriously. A…A fucking monster…

"U-Uh, I asked Lyla to come spend New Years Eve with me at the New Years Festival. I know it must be lame to you but you coming?" Shin blurted, needing to change the subject.

"I'm coming for a little while but Keiba is throwing a party and I promised I'd come. But Jill wanted to go to the festival so of course I'm going to escort her and the knuckleheads."

Shin nodded slowly, standing, "Well, if Joe tells me to screw myself, I'll see you tomorrow at home. I am…not a fan of freezing to death in a car."

"That would be 'common sense' when you don't have to, dummy" Koji snickered, gripping his hand, "Call me regardless and let me know where you're at."

"Oh, because you do?" Shin smirked.

"Hey, I am either at a friend or between some hot lady's legs, there's no questioning my location" Koji joked.

Sad. Shin smirked more and waved over his shoulder, "Don't knock anybody up, Koji."

"Never!"

Ha, yea right. Shin settled into his car, about to call his oldest friend aside from Lyla. He stared at the little gray screen before glancing up. He could sort of still see Koji moving around, briefly laughing at something someone said.

…Being that they were children, only some things were evident about the way it used to be. His mother was snatched away the day he was born and only allowed infrequent visits because she'd been forced to marry someone else. Kamaishi. The Kamaishi were a huge pharmaceutical family or…so they said. So…they said.

If…Hamasaki Shin told those yakuza he was working for where Yamada was? They…they could have been looking for his dad but something tells him this story would be a little different if they were. No, they…they were probably looking…for his mom that was also in the apartment. Hamasaki Shin sold his mom out for his life.

Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Shin shook his head, weakly gazing back into the small little café where Koji was now cleaning a table. PTSD…

…Looked like his namesake caused a lot of that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Man, you did WHAT?"

Yagami Shin leered some as he sat in the apartment that was just pure nostalgia. It was the exact same apartment building where he was born and raised for a period of time. Not the same number, no, but just a floor above it. It was…way nicer now, they were almost a luxury in comparison. Really, this felt way more like the neighboring city than Wasaba. Akiyama Joe teased him and said not to 'get it twisted'. "We're still in Wasaba, bro."

Akiyama Joe was going through his refrigerator, humming, before standing all the way up. Joe was strangely tall, about 6'2" which was bewildering to Shin, being he was almost the tallest one in any given crowd now along with his dad and brothers. When Shin asked about Joe's dad, he joked that all he knew was his dad was some 'British wank that had some nut to bury and run'. Okay.

Shin accepted the beer Joe handed him before plopping down on the sofa, twisting the top off like a master. "Well, I heard someone else's crazy ass joined the army, thought it sounded interesting and I did the same."

"You are a damn LIAR" Shin declared, popping the top off of his and drinking the foam quickly.

"Nope! Leave in two weeks! Got my gear and everything."

Shin glanced over near the door and shook his head. He wasn't sure if he was surprised or not to see the familiar green duffel bag. "Joe, the army isn't some flighty joke thing, man. You just don't join because you heard somebody else did, dummy."

"I'm kind of pulling your leg, man. I got some old warrants for petty theft and stuff. Ol' Bacchus heard about it from your dad's ol' gang that you had joined the military and suggested it so I can get that stuff cleared off my record" Joe shrugged.

Yeesh. The redhead scratched his chin, cutting his golden eyes toward Shin. "Well, from what I heard from the grapevine, your old man isn't feeling your idea either."

"Nope. He is very, very much against it" Shin muttered.

"Can't blame him. Took you somewhere where the future should look a lot different than running the possibility of dying on someone else's chessboard."

Shin groaned at that, exasperated, "Is that how we're supposed to live, Joe? Just thinking 'this might kill me today'?"

"Ah, yea, you're a Subami kid now. That's Wasaba thinking" Joe nodded.

…Mm. Joe smirked at him suddenly, "Speaking of, how's your little girl friend that replaced me?"

"She did not…"

"Psh, whatever, bro. I would have let her replace me too" Joe laughed.

While Shin had about a half dozen or so friends in Wasaba, it all sort of drifted into oblivion when he left. Except Joe. It was rare and probably insanity but Joe, starting at six or seven, would set out from time to time to come the HOUR to their house on his bike. That was ACTUALLY the reason Shin got lost and ended up in Okamoto Lyla's yard, he was trying to pull the same stunt with clearly not half the navigational skill.

All the same, Joe was like a…four times a year visit. He had met Lyla a few times as well in passing but generally she was always busy at that time so they didn't know each other that well. Joe advised him when they were eleven, alas, that she was going to be 'hot' when they got older. Figures.

"She's all right. They have her at some 'wifeliness' school or something bogus. I ate out with her before I came here" Shin muttered.

"So like, 'ate out' or-"

"No. Food. FOOD."

Joe grinned mischievously, "You can tell me, friend: you two bumped nasties before?"

Gaping lightly, Shin shook his head, "…I don't know what that means."

"Bumped and grinded in the sack, put fish in her net, saddled your pony-"

Holding up a hand, Shin droned, "…If it'll end your metaphorical shenanigans, yea, we have…twice. And that's it. I'm…I'm not really comfortable with our relationship going in that direction, she's my best friend."

Of course, what he was feeling today didn't seem to be following that thought process… Joe also snorted. "Oh really? So what if I coaxed her into the vertical tango with me?"

… "What?"

"I invite her over one day, we talk, I get her interested in riding the train, boom. You cool with that?"

Staring at Joe for a solid minute, Shin tried to process the mere premise of Lyla having any sort of relations with Joe. Really, he…had no actual idea of what Lyla's type was. He was her type, apparently, but that seriously could have just been because they'd known each other their entire lives. She never mentioned if she thought Parsley was attractive or anything…

…It wasn't like them having sex had much preamble so she may actually be okay with a quick flighty thing? And if Joe was her type, then…

Shin's eyes narrowed, drinking his beer slowly. It was a little…different with Parsley. He was probably more jealous than he was ready to willingly accept but it wasn't the same. There were new pieces at play now and…

"…Nah, I would not be cool with that."

"Well, at least you can be that honest with yourself" Joe snickered.

…Meh. Joe picked up his house phone, "I'm about to order a pizza and get some more beer. I haven't eaten since like eleven this morning. Trying to leave my saving's account a little stacked while I'm in boot camp."

"Oh, that's a good idea" Shin blinked.

If he'd been thinking about it, he would have worked a job like his brothers and had a stash away too so he could have just gotten an apartment. Guess he wasn't thinking he'd need one though…

"Hey, you mind if I crash here tonight, Joe? I'm…I'm not trying to keep putting this drain on my dad right now."

Joe pressed the receiver to his ear, his bushy brow drooping but he nodded. "Of course, man."

The glutton proceeded to order like three pizzas and advised he'd pay the delivery man extra if he stopped off and got them some Kirin Lager. Oh boy.

When Joe was done with the call, he tapped the phone to his chin suddenly. "…You know, I have the lease on this apartment for three more months. It's the same old super from when you and your dad were here, I bet he'd let you sign the additional three months until you ship out if you wanted to take over."

…Eh? "O-Oh. You…you think that'd be cool?"

"Yea, I'm only paying like five thousand pieces a month and utilities are stupid cheap. You get a basic ass job, you should make it easy. And it's Wasaba of course but like, no one comes here to pull any shit because they'd be caught right damn away. It's peaceful enough."

In a backward way, he got what Koji was saying now. The Yagami way was there would be some stupid amount of obstacles and some heightened case of danger or potential death. When they thought they were down and out, they…just needed to hold strong and something kind of just neatly dropped in their lap. He wasn't certain he trusted that mercy for when he was out serving his tour of duty but…he got it. Don't give in until it was absolutely over.

Of course, his dad was going to murder him for moving back to Wasaba but hey…the Yagami way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…I thought you stopped drinking liquor."

Yagami Yamada stared into the distance, swirling a glass of whiskey as he sat in the chair near the large glass doors leading to the balcony in his shared bedroom with his wife. She had just gotten in from something or the other, wearing a blue dress and a pair of heels. He gazed absently into the amber liquid as he pressed it to his lips before shrugging.

"Well, my son is back in Wasaba so guess I might as well go back there too."

Dana groaned, sitting on the end of the bed some paces away and taking off her shoes. "Yamada-"

"It's not logical—it's actually pretty stupid, really, but, sometimes, I think of Shin being my son and the twins being your sons. They're all our sons equally and we've raised them together more than we raised them apart but my mind makes that distinction" he muttered.

Shrugging, Dana reached up to take off her earrings, "It's fine, sometimes I do think the same thing myself. It is what it is."

"Yea, well, I always thought your sons would be doing the insanity. Yet, here we are."

Giving him a look, Dana stood to walk over and cross her arms, "Our son is an adult now and is making decisions for himself."

"Stupid decisions, Dana!" Yamada leered, "Dana, it may not have seemed like it, but I was coming to terms with the army part. I researched on the internet, got into fights on forums with people calling these poor kids 'boots on the ground' like they're just robots out there or something—honestly, there are tons of military fields I thought would be excellent for Shin! He could have been a medic like my grandfather if it struck him or a translator—solid jobs! Yes, it seems like he's leaning more toward the combat but…I was coming to terms, I was getting okay with it."

Standing to pace, he took a strong sip of his drink before pouring himself some more at their wet bar, "But, lo and behold, I discover he's thinking about being a cop. A cop, Dana. And he is my son so he is going to aim to be a good cop. So either A, he's going to get eaten alive by the congregation of bad cops or B, he's going to run right into some dangerous situation with all his good intentions and get killed. From warzone A to warzone B."

Dana just sighed as he threw his free hand up, "And the cherry on top of this entire whole disaster is now—now, he has moved back into Wasaba. And not only back into Wasaba, he moved back into the very building I moved us out of! It's-it's like he deconstructed and obliterated every literal thing I was trying to get him away from! Your sons, yea, they're all up in Wasaba partying—but they carry themselves back to this side of town after, work over here, and aren't trying to move there! I don't get it!"

She grabbed his hand, pulling him to sit, "…Yama, you are slightly to blame for this. You have a son that adores you and looks up to you, that has always only felt your love and support. Now, suddenly, you've snatched that rug from underneath him, being this hard ass version of yourself. I know where it's coming from but to the kids, this is coming out of complete left field. We have never told our kids they couldn't pursue a particular career or they couldn't live in a certain place. Yes, we've told them not to go to Wasaba but that's just…general. You're just coming off strict right now."

"Then talk to me. Tell me what this-this is. What's the end goal? What's even the beginning goal? Why are you back in Wasaba when I bought a whole damn mansion?"

Dana smirked as he buried his face in his hands, shaking his head, "He's back in Wasaba after you bought a whole damn mansion because you've actually told him you're disappointed in him for his decisions, Yama. You let yourself get so angry you just call him out of the blue to blow up on him and now, he'd rather be anywhere else than this home you secured because you wanted our children to be safe. He doesn't feel secure here."

…Ugh. Yamada surfaced, heavy eyed, before murmuring, "…You said you'd carry my faith, Dana, so I…give it to you. We'll see how it plays out."

She smiled, kissing his forehead before tugging off her dress. "Oh…yea. So, uh, another interesting fact about our son?"

Yamada took his drink down in one gulp, "…What?"

"Um, guess he might have gotten a thing for Lyla at some point?"

With a frown, Yamada glanced around, "…Well, that's…the least surprising thing he's done in a while. Are they…together?"

Dana went to her large closet for night clothing, shrugging, "I don't think so. I think they are in some sort of…test phase, remnant of our early relationship?"

…God. Shin was his son.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Okay, that night? It was on him.

Lyla had been packed and ready to go when he went to get her around seven on New Years Eve, seeming quite excited. Shin was a little concerned because, well, he now had his own place. Joe was leaving tomorrow but he had decided to go visit his mom before he went to boot camp, the woman living in Kyoto with her husband. Interestingly, Joe said he was never quite 'welcome' there, at least not by his 'stepdad'. Putting it into perspective, Shin…may have been being too dramatic with this thing with his dad. Like Koji had said, they could sit down and talk this out. Maybe…tomorrow, he had told himself. Right now? He had an empty apartment with Lyla.

"Ooh, this is so different, Shin."

He blinked as they entered the fairly humble abode. Joe had stored some of his amenities with his grandpa, leaving behind stuff like the couch, television, and pots and pans and asking that Shin make sure he get it sent to his Grandpa Bacchus as well when Shin went overseas. All Shin had to purchase was the bed…

At first, his siblings weren't…too thrilled. He really had just been away anyway and now he had left all together. Alas, that did not last long AT ALL as they realized he was on like the outskirts of Wasaba so he wasn't REALLY breaking dad's mantra and they came and visited him like a dozen times in the three days since he moved in. The twins had ALREADY used him as a place to crash after an apparently very wild night at the club. Glad to be of use, he guessed.

Lyla looked around curiously, still holding her bag. Eh, he…could sleep on the couch? It was only one bedroom so he had no guest space for her and…well, it was rudely presumptuous to think they'd sleep together. Right?

"…I mean, it's like, you have your own space" Lyla remarked, wide-eyed, "This is yours."

"Weird, right?" Shin chuckled, taking her luggage to put in his room. "…I've never been totally by myself, honestly. Even at bootcamp, so…this is really weird for me."

At home, he lived with seven people. Even with his parents being away a lot, he lived with almost half a dozen people. In bootcamp, he was in a barracks with thirty people. Now? Having spent every corner of his life with at least SOMEONE around, he was completely alone and it…

…Okay, yea, it slightly bothered him. He just wasn't used to it, it was so…quiet. He had FIVE SIBLINGS, there was never QUIET. And staying with thirty guys for half a year? NEVER quiet except when they were asleep. But here, there was just walls of silence and he would be left alone with these…thoughts. Like his dad had said, his imagination was apparently way more vivid than he thought it was. He started to just turn the television on for white noise. It wouldn't matter long, he had found a job at the nearby grocery store and would be working six to eight hours a day. Tie in going to visit the family or Lyla and that easily ate up any time he might just be sitting there, daydreaming.

Lyla had frowned though, coming and hugging him, "…Are you sure you don't want to go home? I don't want you to feel lonely."

Lonely… "Well, it's something I need to conquer anyway, Lai. Koji and Nelly are gonna be off at college soon and the kids probably will too. I won't always have people around, y'know?"

She didn't say anything. It'd be nice if she said she'd always be around but…the circumstances weren't looking great.

He put on a cream colored sweater when they were getting ready for the festival, dark colored jeans, and some brown boot-like shoes. Glancing in the mirror in the bathroom, he idly picked up his dog-tags and put them on. Strangely, they…had become sort of normal to him, these…things to identify his body if they needed to.

Cringing, he wandered back out and paused, startled.

Lyla was coming out of the bedroom, carrying a pair of brown boots. "I wanted to wear the heels but since we're walking…"

She…was wearing the dress he got her for Christmas to match said heels, this floral dress that…he wasn't aware would cut that deep in the chest area. She was pulling on a wool lined jean jacket, shaking her curly hair from underneath the collar. Like…damn. "…You look really nice, Lyla."

"So silly" she teased, passing him to put on the boots near the door, "I suppose I should say you're handsome too."

"Only if you mean it" he snickered, picking his keys up off the small counter.

She gazed at him solemnly as he opened the front door to head out, slipping her hand into his. "You're always handsome, Yagami Shin."

…Okay, it was A LITTLE her too.

They drove to Subami to meet the others at the festival. His parents were off in Tokyo at a party for the New Year so, somewhat thankfully, it was just the kids…Shin still hadn't spoken to his father yet since moving.

"Hey!"

Shin looked up, smiling and waving when he saw the twins and kids. Shaun looked FRANTIC. "C'mon! We'll have to wait forever for mochi!"

Jeez. Shin glanced at Jill before finding his brow raising. She was wearing a jean mini skirt over some leggings and a fancy white t-shirt with bedazzled flowers. Um… "You going somewhere, imoto-chan?"

Koji leered as Jill just…beamed. "Kibby's cousin who is my age is having a party in the basement and Kibby invited me so I'm going to the same party as my BELOVED nii-sans."

"A.k.a. I'm not drinking on New Years" Koji sulked.

Nelly just shook his head as Shin glowered. And exactly who cleared such a thing? "Well, I guess I will ALSO be stopping by."

"You guys suck" Jill pouted. "We're just going to be playing DDR!"

"Then you won't mind me checking to see you just playing 'DDR'" Shin said reasonably.

Lyla smirked at him as Jill rolled her eyes, tipping her head, "I'm going to go get some cocoa if that's okay with my MASTERS."

Koji snorted, waving a hand, "Tony's already run off and the kid's chasing candy. You go meander too, just be careful. And if you see Shaun, tell him I'll fight him if he blows that entire five hundred piece I gave him."

Snickering, Jill nodded before skipping off. Shin gazed after her absently before cutting his eyes at Koji, "What the hell is DDR?"

"Wow, I'm going to need you to get it together, nii-san, you act like you're fucking ninety" Koji laughed.

Shin smacked at him as Koji ducked, Nelly grinning and pointing, "THAT'S DDR, Shin."

Wha? Nelly started walking and they all followed. In a tented area, a bunch of kids and teenagers were…stomping some arrows on a mat very quickly to match arrows popping up on the screen. Shin watched for a few minutes before drawling, "…Okay, maybe I DON'T need to go supervise this…?"

Lyla giggled, "It looks fun, silly!"

…Did it? The knuckleheads made them wait in line for a turn and he knew as soon as he got on the apparatus, he was doomed to failure. Lyla joined him on the other side. He groaned when some super electronica song came on. 'Butterfly'. 'I've been searching for a man all across Japan'. What now?

…Huh, weird. Koji who was standing beside Lyla, munching on chips, suddenly snickered. "Wow, I was expecting you to really suck at this. They have you marching rhythmically in boot camp?"

"Shaddap" Shin huffed, now understanding why the bar was behind them now as he gripped it for dear life.

Lyla laughed, also pretty coordinated as she matched almost perfectly, "Yeesh, I didn't think I was-was this badly out of shape."

"I really SHOULD NOT BE" Shin grunted, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his brow.

Screw jogging, he just needed to set this up in his apartment, damn. Getting through about three songs, he ducked out to give the other kids in line a chance. Wiping his forehead, he groaned, "…I mean, I guess that was fun."

"Well, one thing we are universally not used to is exercising as a video game" Nelly joked.

"I liked it" Lyla pouted, "You two should have played."

"Shit, me and Nelly are going to get a mat for the house when the Playstation 2 comes out in two months" Koji assured, "We're DDR MASTERS."

Shin gaped. "The WHAT? Playstation 2?"

"Yea, seems like Sony isn't going the Nintendo route and renaming the console every time, at least right now" Nelly explained, "It's just the second generation."

Weird…but also weirdly practical. Lyla smiled, holding Shin's arm as they walked through the stalls. "Definitely come a long way from Duck Hunt…"

"Fuck, we were playing that two consoles ago" Nelly whistled, "Man, are we getting old?"

"Says the seventeen year old" Shin snorted.

"We KNOW you're a grandpa!"

"You were born BARELY a year after me!"

These knuckleheads. They wandered around until about 11, locating the younger three so they could start to gather for the countdown.

…That was the beginning of his mistake? Lyla and he were old enough to get wine while the others got juice. At 11:59, Koji jeered and said to get ready for the robot apocalypse and for all the computers to explode. Lyla looked confused so Nelly gave the brief 'concerns' up until the ten second mark. Shin coughed to not laugh when she grabbed his hand tight, seeming alarmed. He squeezed back warmly. Well, if it was about to go down, at least he was with his favorite people in the world. Almost all of them anyway.

At the stroke of twelve, the crowd cheered 'Happy New Year' into the uneventful new millennium. Shin grinned as they all tapped their glasses together and wished each other a good year, the elders laughing and shaking their head at Shaun's disappointment that the Terminator hadn't come. Crazy kid.

"You really coming to Keiba's party, Shin?"

Shin frowned as they started to walk toward their cars, looking to Koji who was driving the other procession. "…I can for a second, I guess? You want to, Lai?"

"Of course. I haven't seen Keiba in a while" Lyla nodded.

"Okay. I'll follow you" Shin nodded.

Wine didn't exactly affect him that hard, thankfully, but…it was alcohol and it was kind of resting there in his system, just…waiting to come snatch him off the rails. As far as he was concerned, whatever actually…happened after he parked his car at Keiba's house was a dream.

So, what may have happened? He walked in and it was packed with high school kids. Tony, Jill, and Shaun rushed off to the basement where the apparently younger crowd was. Shin's entire intention was just to keep an eye on that situation, a lot could happen in a basement party.

Except, oops. "Shin, you gotta try this, man. It's called 'AMF" Koji had said, wandering over with a red cup of some blue colored concoction.

Shin sighed, taking it and taking a sip. Raising a brow, he looked to Lyla who was simply observing. "Want a sip, Lai?"

"O-Oh, I'm not used to drinking" she fretted.

"You don't have to" he smiled, taking another sip. It tasted a little strong but had a good sweet flavor he thought she might like.

Lyla shook her head, taking the cup and drinking it, "Oh! That's okay. What it's called again, Koji?"

"Amf."

"That's a weird name" Lyla blinked, confused.

Koji nodded, handing Shin a cup of something else entirely now as he stood over an inconspicuous tub of punch. "It stands for 'Adios Motherfucker'."

…Shin and Lyla had stared at him as he just casually walked away after that piece of information. Shin sipped the punch and found it didn't seem that strong either. Keiba probably had to make these drinks weak. "…I'm sure it'll be fine, Lai. Just…probably don't drink any more than that."

"Okay" she smiled, following him as he went to find a place for them to sit.

When they sat, Shin noticed some guys had started to look at Lyla. Yea, she was pretty cute right now. Except a lot were kind of looking BACK at her. She…did have a cute butt too but jeez, why be so obvious? He pulled her close when they sat down. While even he didn't know what they were right now, he could give other people an 'idea'.

While it was raucous with the music playing and everything, it was kind of nice. He got up to get a couple more cups of the punch before sitting back down to continue speaking with Lyla. She was probably a lightweight so about thirty minutes into the convo, she started to giggle. "You have such nice lips, Shin. They're so soft and nice…"

He smirked, giving her a kiss. "You don't have to say weird serial killer things to kiss me, Lai."

She laughed, shoving him and rubbing his leg. That's…probably where he really, really lost grasp on reality?

"Shin, are you okay?" Lyla might have asked after another thirty minutes, twirling her hair around her finger.

Lyla had the nicest, thickest legs, the roundest ass, and the nicest tits. He still didn't get to suck them last time. He wanted to suck her tits. He had been looking at all this when she asked. "Wh-Why ya' ask that…?"

"Your eyes are kind of wild" she tilted her head.

"I…I wanna take you home now" Shin drawled, "Lez'…lez' go back to my place, Lyla. I want you back at my place."

Lyla pouted, "But I thought you were watching the kids?"

The kids? The kids were here? He squinted, shaking his head, "I-I don'-I don' think the…the kids are here, Lai. They're babies. Lez…lez go back to my place."

It just so happened that Koji was passing by to probably get a refill when he must've noticed something was off. "Uh…Shin, how many cups of Jungle Juice have you had there, man?"

"Thuh…thuh punch? I-I had like…like five, six cups of thuh punches…"

"Ho-ly shit."

What? It was…just punch. Koji cleared his throat, taking out his phone, "Yea-a-a-a, I'm going to call you a cab."

A cab? He had a whole car! "Do-Don't do that, asshole. I-I have a-a car."

"A car you will very swiftly wreck with the amount of booze you have in your system, bro" Koji THANKFULLY said calmly, "Give me your keys."

"T-Thuh fuck for? No."

"Gimme your keys, Shin."

"No."

"Shin, I WILL fight you."

If any one moment should have said Shin was drunk, it was that one because he challenged, "You think I can't take your ass?"

Well, Shin wasn't THAT gone because Koji smiled at him. Except it wasn't some coddling smile or humoring of any sort, it was very much 'try me, motherfucker'. Shin grabbed the keys out of his pocket and threw them at Koji, "Yo-your ass figh's crazy anyways…"

"I do" Koji agreed, dialing something on his cell phone.

Lyla rubbed his hand, looking concerned, "Shin, are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course I'm okay, Lai" he assured, reaching to stroke her hair, "You're so damn cute, y'know that? I-I won' fight Koji b-but I'll fight ev'ry bastard in here that wants to take you away."

"What are you talking about?" Lyla leered.

Koji blinked languidly, "Yea-a-a, Lyla, he is probably going to be very out of character right now so if you wanna stay until he sobers up…"

"Oh no…well, I'll take him home and get him to bed" Lyla assured, "I think my drink is wearing off a bit."

Koji was RIGHTFULLY concerned but, by some disaster, they ended up in the back of a cab heading toward Wasaba after Koji paid the driver. Whatever version of himself that was entirely wasted was just entirely fixated on Lyla and that fragrant fruity smell she had. In the back of the cab car, he…might have started feeling up her inner thigh?

"Shin" she hissed, glowering rebukingly at him.

"Lyla, you smell so fucking good" he growled into her ear, kissing her neck.

She nudged him away, "Stop it. You can't give me hickeys, I have to go back to school in a few days."

"Tha'z fine…I can give you hickeys everywhere else…"

Giving a sulky moue, Lyla stroked his hair back, "Yagami Shin, you are absolutely out of it right now. I've never seen you act like this."

"Cuz I wanna fuck tonight, Lai. T-The other two times, I wasn't really fucking you like I could but I-I'm gonna fuck you tonight…"

Lyla raised a brow at him as they started to pull in front of his apartment. Yea, completely GONE. But, well, LUCKILY, even the drunk ass version of himself had some scruples. "N-No, wai-wayment. Lai, can I fuck you tonight?"

The cab driver was just making the turn as she absently looked up into the rearview mirror for some reason…before very briefly spreading her legs? Just enough so he could see she was not wearing panties and, well, that pretty much sealed drunk Shin's deal.

He drunk threw MORE money at the cab driver before pulling Lyla out of the cab with him, almost sprinting into the apartment complex. To his dismay, people were on the elevator with them and the ride to the third floor felt like an eternity. He barely let the doors open before he was pulling her through them, grabbing his apartment keys and struggling to get the door open.

…Definitely screwing into a new millennium.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh…my God…"

Shin woke up lying flat on his stomach, his mouth completely agape and drooling, his tongue dry as sandpaper. When he opened his eyes, Satan's sun was there to incinerate them while his denizens hammered a hole into his brain. What in the hell happened last night?

He cringed as he touched his face and…literally everything was sticky, from his fingers to his cheeks, what the hell. And if he was sleeping in bed, where was Lyla?

Turning over onto his side to face the usually empty part of the bed, he stared at Lyla. Her hair was…just wildly thrown everywhere, her lips were swollen and bruised, and that was, a hundred percent without a doubt, dried semen on her face. What in the hell?

While everything in his body said 'no, your dumbass is lying right here until you perish', he forced himself up and picked up his alarm clock. Wow, great, 12 in the afternoon. Dazed, he tugged the blanket tighter over the deeply asleep Lyla and kissed her forehead. "…I am so sorry for whatever I apparently did to you last night."

He dragged himself to the bathroom. The only thing that had mercy on him was his bladder that was shortly about to explode. After, he slipped into the shower and took a long, hot, soak. Okay, try to…remember.

…He vaguely recalled asking if Lyla liked his…wait a minute.

Drying off quickly, he pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, coming back to his bedroom where Lyla was horribly starting to wake up. He almost ran into the kitchen and living room. Dude.

He stared at his clothes and her clothes just scattered across the room near the door. Things were slowly starting to come back. Or, things he had assumed he was just mindlessly fantasizing about but, apparently, no. No, he…very much made Lyla give him a blowjob last night.

Sobbing, he buried his face in his hands, his head still pulsing unmercifully. What hated him so much? Going to his coffee maker to pour the grinds into the filter, he grimaced when he heard the shower turn on, thankful she wandered past him without saying anything. Oh God, he was about to die, he was so embarrassed. She probably remembered every single thing. Why?

"Why would you let me take Lyla home, Koji?"

Having located his cell phone, he immediately called the miscreant that started this whole nightmare. Alas, Koji sounded like he'd drank a box of nails as he rasped, "…Shin, I'm almost ready to answer that question with a 'fuck you' but I am going to attempt to not allow my brain to explode and ask 'why?' instead."

"Was I drunk when I left the party last night, Koji?" Shin demanded.

Koji was quiet for a second…before his light breathing signaled he'd fallen asleep. "KOJI."

"Huh? Oh, uh, yea, you were done, bro. You had like five, six cups of Jungle Juice per your count."

Shin leered, "Jungle Juice is just…just vodka and rum. Yea, it can be rough but-"

Koji chuckled. It wasn't a casual chuckle, it was a sinister chuckle even with his raspy voice. "Koji."

"So, rum? You know Bacardi 151? And Balkan Vodka? Oh, and Everclear?"

Shin wished he could strangle Koji through the phone. "So the damn blackout special then, Koji."

"Oh-ho yea" Koji drawled, "I didn't think you were that heavy a drinker though. When I came down to get some more and you had said something a little crazy to Lyla and you were like 'I've only had five cups', I was like, yep, gotta get him out of here."

"But with Lyla?" Shin hissed, grabbing a mug out of the cabinet, "You know I drank pure damn liquor and let me take her with me?"

Koji suddenly groaned, "…Shit. I told her to stay until you sobered up and I'd take her home but she was like, 'I'm going to take him home and get him into bed'. What…what happened?"

"What didn't happen?" he said under his breath, glancing over his shoulder. The water was still running.

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning, because I apparently became a drunk ass slut bucket last night, I gave her a facial and, if my apparent memory isn't too faulty, we might have done anal."

Koji was smirking, he could see it. "I mean, man, that sounds like a good New Years' night to me. You got me on the anal but I was on the same track."

Gritting his teeth and shaking his head as he poured sugar into his coffee, he growled, "I think I said 'I want my…member in your mouth' to her, Koji. I don't ask for…that. I…take and graciously receive."

He expected Koji to scoff but the slightly younger replied, "I feel you. But I guess the real question is, how does she feel about last night?"

UGH. "Koji, she's in there blow drying her hair right now, I don't even want to face her."

"Dude, just say you're sorry and you were clearly not yourself last night. And also discuss if she felt particularly forced because…damn, anal? I can't convince any chick to let me do anal, what the fuck?"

Shin squeezed the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath, "Koji-"

"Shin?"

Actually squeaking, he quickly wheeled around. Lyla was wearing a white sweater dress now, the sleeves a little big longer than her hands, her hair now kept and recurled, a rather…bland expression on her face. Oh, hell. "U-Uh, I'll call you back, Koji."

Clicking off, he smiled nervously, sipping his coffee, "G-Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon."

She came beside him and retrieved a cup, pouring herself some of the coffee as he awkwardly looked away. Damn it. "U-Um, Lai?"

His—God, his best friend, glanced at him as she poured sugar and creamer into her cup. "Yes, Shin?"

"A-About—about last night, I-I was—I was entirely out of my mind, I-I literally thought I was having some really wild dream. I-I would never—I mean, I-I really, really hope I-I didn't force you into things you didn't want to do. I-I take full responsibility" he insisted.

Surprisingly, she made this incredulous face. "…I was about to apologize to you. You were clearly not in your right mind and I let you do what you want. If I'd said 'let's not do this right now', I think you would have stopped and just passed out. You fell asleep…during."

He did what now? Embarrassed all the same, his face hot, he mumbled, "N-No, I-I mean, I-I put you in danger and that's-that's not good."

"Danger?" she echoed, "I never felt I was in danger or entirely out of control. I mean, you were very spontaneous when an idea crossed your mind but if I didn't like it, I know I could have talked you out of it. You were just…uninhibited Shin."

"Unthinkably uninhibited Shin" he muttered into his cup.

Lyla smiled, setting her mug down and hugging his waist, "Are you really embarrassed?"

"Humiliated."

"Don't be" she pouted, playing with his hair.

He frowned as she kissed him sweetly, murmuring, "I actually really liked it…"

Well, damn. "O-Oh?"

Nodding solemnly, she hugged his neck, "I know your family doesn't traditionally, Shin, but…can we go to the temple today?"

…Oh. "Uh, yea, Lai. Probably will be packed but I-I don't mind."

"Did Koji say he was going to drop off the car?"

"…Come again?"

Lyla's brow rose, "…You know you were insanely drunk last night, right? Koji made you give him your keys."

"…And I'm never drinking again, oh my God."

She laughed, kissing his knuckles and releasing him to pick her cup of coffee up again. She wandered over to the couch, turning on the television like…he wasn't some complete whore last night with her. Swallowing, he dialed for Koji to bring his freakin' car back.

Glancing back at her as she laughed about something on the screen, he took a long relieved breath. Okay, he…

He…was embarrassed. What…really threw him though? Everything that happened last night was…was because…

…He really wanted to do that to her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Koji brought his car back, passing on the invite to the temple when they drove him back home to Subami. "Pray kami kills me before this hangover does. I need to come up with an elixir…"

"You need not to drink MURDER" Shin huffed, driving through the city.

Seriously, if Koji was drinking something like THAT concoction, no wonder he was getting into violent fights. That 'potion' tapped right into Shin's latent…HO side like a drum. Koji snickered, slumped over in the backseat, "I dunno, I love Everclear…"

Figures. "Were the kids okay, Koji?" Lyla frowned, "I don't think anyone was looking out for them."

…Damn it! She was right! Koji groaned, closing his eyes, "I have to say with the most honest dismay that if Jill wanted to go all the way with some little bastard last night, she had ample and absolute opportunity, because, yes, not a one of us went to check on her. Alas, our dear sweet princess played Dance Dance Revolution as she said while even her own stupid twin and brother got into some Mike's Hard."

"…Koji, what in the hell is 'Mike's Hard'?" Shin said flatly, gazing at the road ahead and starting to get irritated already.

"It's like Zima but lemonade. Like, five percent alcohol."

Shin's brows furrowed. "…Uh, while I don't want them to drink at the tender age of 'just reached teens', five percent was noticeable?"

"Well, if you're still kind of small and drink five of them…"

Damn it! "Koji."

"I was assured by all three, despite it being possible all three were in cahoots, that it was assumed that they were just 'lemonade'. They were drinking them in cups with ice. They weren't even acting drunk. Tony said he had a headache and the kid was kind of giggly. That's it. Jill…babysat all four of us and drove us home."

"I do believe that's irony" Lyla smirked.

It was nonsense, that's what it was. Pulling up to the house, Shin leered as Lyla got out to let Koji out, "Are you DONE drinking?"

"As in, for today?"

"As in for LIFE."

Koji laughed dryly, leaning against the window after Lyla got back in. "You're funny as shit. Mom told me to tell you to come home tonight for dinner, please."

Rolling his eyes, Shin waved a hand, "Tell her I'll be there. We'll see you in a bit."

Lyla giggled as Koji kissed her cheek, droning that she TRY to have fun with 'that wet blanket'. It didn't even MAKE SENSE. The KIDS got tipsy last night! No, no more drinking. That was done. Especially after…

…He GOT it. There was something about losing hold of your inhibitions, the ones that made things more complicated than they need to be. Just, that made him have to come to terms with that fact that Lyla had turned from his platonic best friend to someone he secretly felt VERY strongly sexual about. Last night was not because he so happened to be horny or frustrated, it was because he wanted HER and he wanted HER in those ways.

The first time they had sex felt so, so wrong. It was like betraying ALL of his mandates and what he understood about himself. All the same, he reflected and realized that no matter how he felt a trifle awkward that, he still felt…inclined. Inclined to what exactly? Well, make minor suggestions that they'd have 'the house to themselves' when they first got here. He was relieved when she offset that but in the back of his mind, they…

The second time, he had just told Nelly he'd say 'no'. Koji reasoned that he was a super pushover when it came to Lyla so he justified it with that but, c'mon! He didn't even slightly try to stop her after she asked they not label whatever they were doing.

Last night. Last night is where he was irritated the most. Last night, the second she came out of his room in that dress, he knew she became Lyla, his sexy best friend that he had a casual sexual relationship with. In his mind, if she had tried to seduce him that night, he would have gone along with it so very, very willingly. Last night, instead of HER making advances, when his barriers were crushed, he decided he was going to come onto her and do EVERYTHING he possibly could. She liked it. Great, he just…

He just…might actually true to all want a relationship with her.

Disgruntled as they pulled into the temple, he made a face as he parked, amazed by the amount of people coming to give their prayers and thanks. He needed some prayer, he had no thanks for whatever he was mixed up in right now. Lyla frowned as he unbuckled his seatbelt, "Shin, if you're not feeling well, you can wait in the car."

"I'm fine, Lai" he said wearily, rubbing his brow, "I…I'm just thinking. C'mon."

They got out and, for the first time since that Nirvana concert almost seven years ago, he ALMOST avoided her holding his hand. But, no, if he did that, he'd feel worse than he already did. This…this was his problem.

Like that concert, they weren't actually directing themselves but were being carried along by the crowd. They happened to end up in line for the burning of the omamori but he didn't have one. About to dive out of the crowd, when they got to the flame, Lyla pulled one out of her purse. Oh, right. She dropped it to the fire and pressed her hands together. Honestly, the Yagami family were not particularly…religious or whatever, so he had to admit some confusion beside what he'd seen in cartoons or drama. He just watched her until she was done. She smiled and said she was going to buy a new one and they should get the omikuji. Okay.

Shin groaned to himself as they tried to navigate through all the people to the stalls. He needed a nap. This…this whole thing was frustrating. It felt like all of his established relationships were shifting to some place he didn't really like. Just…

His eyes widened when he felt Lyla's hand disappear from his. Eh? Looking back, alarmed, he saw her pink hair but she was moving well away from him. "A-Ah, Lyla!?"

About to elbow his way back toward her, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, thinking it was just some random person trying to push him out of the way, he froze, startled. Yagami Yamada was patting him on the back. What? What was his dad doing here?

"A-Ah, dad? I-I didn't know you came to temple."

"I don't. But, your mother said an omikuji might be a change from my usual so I came to buy one. Dunno if this is like wishing on birthday candles and I'm not supposed to tell you but I got a han-kyo so, that's great."

"Han-kyo?" Shin echoed, "Half curse?"

His dad shrugged and nodded, "I'm not into this sort of thing."

"Oh, well, naturally I'm not either. Lyla wanted to come though. I guess she's more knowledgeable of Shinto than I realized" Shin rubbed his arm.

"Faith can be dangerous. It also can be greatly rewarding. Just depends what side of the coin you flip to, I guess" Yamada said simply.

…Perhaps. "Y-Yea. You get good fortunes, at least? Or is that a thing?"

"Eh, unrelated stuff. Machibito, usemono. I'm not waiting on anyone and I haven't lost anything, to my recollection."

Hmm. "Maybe…your mom?"

His dad smirked some, "Son, if I was waiting on THAT, I'd be a fool. Nah, it was a fun diversion. I met some old friends and whatnot but…well, I need to build my own 'faith' in matters."

Right. Yamada smiled, patting his shoulder again, "Let me head home and help your mother with dinner. I'll see you tonight?"

"A-Ah, yea, I'll be there" Shin almost blurted. This…was like the least confrontational conversation they'd had? Maybe because they were in public but…

"Good, good. And you two look good together."

What? "Shin!"

Shin looked back, seeing Lyla's pink hair as she tried to get through to him. When he turned back to his father to say something, he was startled to find the man was already heading out some paces away. Oh.

Lyla caught up to him, her face a little pink in the cold. "I got you an omikuji, if you don't mind. I don't think it works if I draw it but…"

Oh. "It's fine, Lai. Thank you."

He accepted the slip of paper from her, kind of just absently opening it. Huh, he guessed the Yagami men were having an unlucky time. Dai-kyo was catastrophic. Reading his 'bad fortune', his brows furrowed. It was pretty grim, something along the lines of he'd look up to see the sun but it wouldn't be there. Damn. Folding it and stuffing it in his pocket, he smiled some. "…Well, that's something."

"Is it good? If it's a bad fortune, you should leave it here" Lyla insisted.

He looked over to the tree, seeing another hoard of people, and shook his head, "Nah, it was fine. How about yours?"

"Great blessings" she gushed.

Smiling at that, he retook her hand. "Which you fully deserve, Lai. C'mon, I want to get a nap before dinner tonight."

"Shin" she frowned deeply, grasping him to hold him, "I know your family isn't superstitious but you should really leave bad fortune here."

"It was fine, Lai, really. I have you as my good fortune."

Lyla pouted at him but let the matter drop. Shin would never commit to say that THAT caused any one catastrophe his life faced in that year. It was still 'superstition'.

…But he had already said he was knocking on wood. If he ever got a bad omikuji again, he most definitely was leaving it behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

End Notes:

'Yaya' is Ayame from Tale of Two Towns. In Dirty, she's the younger sister of Shin's namesake and is inspired by Yamada to become a doctor after nannying for Shin up until he was five.

Joe is from Rune Factory Oceans/Tides of Destiny on the Nintendo Wii/PS3. Joe was a weird guy…but this story is very Rune Factory heavy so expect to see a little more of him as it goes by.

I'm SO DAMN OLD. Dance Dance Revolution is this arcade/video game where you tap the arrows to the beat of a song by Konami. It was all the rage when I was in 8th grade through high school. I sucked so hard at it. The song Shin notices a lyric from is "Butterfly" by .

The good ol' PS2! Interestingly enough, Shin is based off Toy from Save the Homeland, one of the few Harvest Moon games released on the system. Technically his younger brothers are based off the farmers from the older series so a little bit of a flip.

The "Adios Motherfucker" aka "Amf" is a combination of gin, vodka, rum, tequila, lemon lime soda, sweet and sour mix, and blue curacao.

The liquors Koji mentions as being mixed into the Jungle Juice are some of the strongest available proof drinks of their kinds.

I really do not understand the fortune system for New Years in Japan. Let's just call it a loose interpretation.