hello wow idk what im doing here tbh

so today is my birthday (yay, woo) and i thought it would be fun to post the first chapter of this fic because it's been sitting in my drafts mocking me. i do already have the second chapter written and large bits of the other chapters written already so its about getting the motivation to do it. so heck if yall like this, pls let me know so i can have that confident boost to finish.

anywho, this first chapter is pretty short. don't be alarmed, i already have 10k+ written somewhere else, i just need to get through all the non Majimako parts because tbh, im a slut for them and writing stuff that only includes one of them doesn't sit well. so take this for now. if all goes well, i should be updating this fic every 2-3 weeks, depends on stuff. if i don't then i gotta bunch of other fics for majimako so youll get some form of content.

hellaaa

When Goro Majima was a kid, there were so many things he wanted to do when he grew up. Something that always got mentioned was the expressive way he showed his emotions so he thought that being an actor would be a good fit. He could sing too so it was a perfect combination. And if that didn't work, then he was really good at selling things. Like really good. Sometimes his mom sent him out to sell a few goods they grew in the farm so persuasion and white lies are what got him home empty handed with a bag of coins to show his efforts. And if that didn't work, then a bartender would have been just fine. Goro had superb customer service and knew what drinks mixed well with each other. He could produce the most dangerous alcoholic drink that tasted like the finest of sodas or he could really bring out the deep throated kicks that certain whiskeys produced.

Goro had a lot of talents under his belt that could have led him to have a simple life with an honest income and maybe even a family of his own.

Too bad life wasn't nice like that.

With a hyperactive mind and parents that wished his death than his future, he had to find a new family out in the world. A family that would support him and give him a place to find shelter, regardless of whatever roof that might have been.

And that's what he did. At the ripe age of 16, Goro joined a family under the umbrella Pearl Clan. The clan separated into different factions all over the land and he landed in one closest to the main city of his homeland. They were a group of thieves that operated on stealth and force, though not always in the same moment. Each man had scars and discolored skin that they wore with pride, showing others that they can handle any shit thrown their way. Goro had his own that he gained over the years and he too joined in on the pride fest. Though, there was one that he kept under an eyepatch. People asked questions over and over again about it but all he would ever say is that it was a consequence of messing with the shadows.

Yet, despite the potential mishap that kept him with only one eye, Goro was a master of shadows. Magic spread all around the people in their land and he was gifted the power of slinking in the dark, warping his surroundings around to his figure. He danced with the shadows and carved them in his image. They moved to his command and no one would ever be able to trace back his steps. It happened to be more stealthy than based on pure strength but Goro did have legs that could swing around with such fury that wind would snap.

Which is why he sat face to face with his leader, Tsukasa Sagawa. God did Goro hate his guts. Ever since he saved his ass from the clutches of prison and dumb mistakes, he's put a tab on his head and won't let Goro go until it's met. So far, he managed to get a chunk of it done but unless he came up with the cash up front, there was no way out alive.

So Goro had to give his services to this piss drinking shit stain in front of him. He bit his tongue, waiting for Sagawa to speak.

"Yo, Goro," he started, taking a sip of his drink before settling it down once more.

Goro crossed his arms in a silent way of saying What do you want old man?

Sagawa grinned at his attitude, clearly finding it amusing how much Goro mentally tried to fight back when he was around. Fuck, did he have squeeze his ass cheeks tight before they jumped on his boss' ass. "Jeez, you're always a ray of sunshine. Lightin' up a bit! Life is too short to always have a nasty look on your face."

"Easy for you to say when yer the one who put a price on my head."

"Well, now, who's fault is that Goro?" He gave a scowl and Sagawa chuckled back. "Help doesn't come free, ya know? If anything, I did ya a pretty big solid."

Goro breathed in deeply. "What do ya want? I'm pretty fuckin' busy."

"Oh, well, hopefully you got some time for me," Sagawa played along, knowing damn well on that smug face of his that Goro could never push away a mission from him. His boss reached a hand into his over sized coat and pulled out a map to slide it over to Goro. Taking it into his hands, he could see that it showed a kingdom view an overview look. There weren't any road indicators but he could see how the valley changed into the different towns. Bodies of water were labeled around as well. It wasn't the most direct map he came across but it would have been enough for him to get around. "Ya see that little island thing off to the side?" Goro's eye moved to that location and sure enough there was a little crudely drawn circle that looked to be disconnected from land but also close enough that it wasn't it own island. He responded with a nod. "Now, no one has ever really been there before since it's known to be kinda a dangerous place so I can't confirm the details too much but," Sagawa leaned forward to keep wandering ears from picking up what he was going to say next. "Rumor has it that there's a castle over there and inside is this stone that's worth more than this whole town."

Goro didn't want to be interested but that did sound tempting. He gave a cough to hide the interest resting on his face. "What kind of stone are we talking about?"

"Well, there's a bunch of guesses but my guess is that it's an ancient jewel that got passed down generations. But no one has seen it first hand. At least, none of my sources have."

Now something seemed a bit off. "How come no one's seen this before?" This time, it was Goro's turn to lean forward and his eye squinted. "What's the catch?"

Sagawa didn't respond right away and left a shit eating grin that Goro wanted to slap off his face. His eyes shifted around until he rested back towards Goro. "Let's just say that there might be a little friend that guards that place."

"What kind of little friend?"

"Again, I can't really confirm but some of the locals have said that they've been feeling cold temperatures around there. And not normal winter kinds but more of what could come from an ice creature."

"So you're saying that there's an ice dragon roamin' around, guardin' the place?"

"Sounds like it."

Fuck, Goro should have saw it coming. Nothing was fucking easy with this guy. There had to have been a catch in there to make his life difficult. Depending on who you spoke to (and this applied to Goro), some people said that dragons were the most vile and degenerate kind of species out there yet they were a force not to be reckoned with. His missing eye confirmed that fact and now his boss, knowing all that full well, wanted to pit him into that. What a fucking asshole. "And you think Imma say yes to this easily? Ya must have really lost your mind."

"You might say yes if you knew how much the jewel could pay off your debt."

….Oh he went there. Fuck , he went there. "Enlighten me."

Sagawa turned his head to the side, moving their attention towards a big, burly man speaking with others against the wall. Jokes went around them and his laugh boomed out the most. The voice belonged to Goro's oath brother, Taiga Saejima.

Before all of this, Taiga was more stone faced with only tears of sadness popping through in emotion. A long time ago, Taiga got himself into enough deep shit that not only costed them a fuck ton of debt with the piss drinker but also memories that plagued him in his sleep at night. Goro tried all sorts of ways to make his friend feel better, tried to help him fall asleep, tried to erase the horrible nightmares that repeated in his mind. But nothing worked, leaving Goro to do the only thing he could do to help: repay Taiga's debt and make him free. In the couple of years they've been doing the jobs, he noticed Taiga got better and started actually laughing with others in a temporary distraction but Goro knew better. Taiga had strong aspirations to make a change in the world, to become a teacher for the youth. And he was a damn good teacher at that. Sometimes Goro needed help with the mathematics of certain routes and Taiga was the first one to assist and he actually did it in a way that made Goro understand in that tiny brain of his.

Taiga deserved more than what he was getting right now.

"I can't be totally sure until I get it in my hands but…..well, let's just say it might be enough to let one of ya go."

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

Piss drinker striked again.

"...Alright. I'll do it."

Sagawa gave a shit eating grin. "Glad to be workin' with ya again."