(A/N: Mentions of sexual offences – please skip to chapter 23 if it may trigger an undesirable flashback for you. There will be a brief summary at the start of the chapter to allow you to catch up with the story.)
Unfortunately, their fun and laughter did not last for long. The moment they stepped out of the restaurant, a group of gangsters accosted Takku.
"Why, what do we have here?" One of the men sneered sarcastically. "Little Takuya and a bunch of rich pimps. Are you selling your pretty piece of ass, boy? Does this mean that you finally have the money to pay me?"
"Shut up!" Takku growled fiercely. "You keep them out of this, Ueda!"
The man gave him a sickening leer. "Ah, you aren't good enough, then? You can always sell yourself to me, Takuya. I've told you that many times. I'll write-off half your father's debt if you give me a taste of that pretty little bottom of yours."
"WHY YOU LITTLE PIECE OF…" Yankumi shouted at him furiously, before Ren pulled her back.
"Yankumi, you're on probation, remember?" He said in a low tone. That was the Board and the PTA's decision. Yankumi and all of 3-D were to be on probation until the end of the year. If she or the boys got into trouble between now and then; she would be fired summarily. "Let me handle this. Make sure you hold the boys back too."
Ren strode forward to confront the man. "You seemed to have misunderstood something, mister. You mentioned that the debt belongs to Takuya's father, so why are you harassing the boy?"
The man narrowed his eyes at him. "Stay out of this, you snit!"
"I'm afraid I can't. I don't believe in sexual harassment." Ren answered resolutely.
"I'm not sexually harassing him. I'm offering him a business proposition." The man smirked.
Ren responded with equal bite. "Then may I suggest that you offer that business proposition to his father; instead of Takuya?"
"You cocky son of a bitch! Don't think that you can tell me what to do just because you're rich!" The man spat, before suddenly breaking into a sneer. "What say you fight me? If you win, I won't bother little Takuya ever again. But if you lose, you will stay out of my way."
Yamato, Ryu and Hayato sniggered internally. This man didn't know what he was getting himself into.
Ren remained unperturbed. "Now that's just stupid. How much does his father owe you anyway?"
"One million yen." The man stated arrogantly.
Ren turned back to look at Takku. "Is that correct?"
"It's none of your business!" Takku snapped back at him.
"I'm trying to help you here, Takuya." Ren said patiently. "And no," He interrupted before the boy could protest. "I'm not helping you because I think that you are weak or helpless or pitiful. I'm helping you because it's the right thing to do. And because I hate scums like these."
Takku gave a petulant huff but nodded reluctantly.
"Very well." Ren took out his cheque book. "This is one million yen. But—" He held it higher before the man could take it. "On the condition that you do not bother Takuya ever again. Or else." There was a small trace of warning in his voice.
"Alright, alright. Now give me the money!" The man snatched the cheque and left.
"Why did you do that?!" Takku yelled at him angrily. He was embarrassed and humiliated at the experience. Especially with Yankumi, the seniors and all his friends watching.
"You will pay me back, Takuya. With interest. And not only that, until the debt is repaid in full; you will work at my company – without any kind of harassment I assure you – every Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after school. If it is not repaid by the end of the school year, then you will work with me full time until you can pay it off. Is that acceptable?"
Takku swallowed. "Whatever. It's not like you gave me a choice." He responded sullenly and stalked off, his friends following closely behind him.
"Ne, Takku." Kutta persuaded his best friend. "It's not so bad, right? It's not like he's letting you go easily or anything. In fact, it sounds like a hard bargain! You're probably going to have to work your ass off. He doesn't look like the kind of guy who appreciates slacking. And you finally managed to shake off that creep!"
Takku shuddered at the reminder. Yes, that was one part he was very relieved with. That man, Ueda, had been approaching him more and more frequently, with increasingly lewd comments and suggestions. It made his skin crawl. He sighed. "I suppose. He should have asked for my opinion first though!"
"Takku, you were there as well." Another friend piped up. "Not that I'm taking Kazama-senpai's side, but it was obvious that there wasn't much room for discussion."
"Don't worry, Takku. We'll help you repay Kazama-senpai as fast as possible." His other friend added.
Takku nodded gratefully. He was starting to feel better about Ren's help. And surprisingly, none of his friends seemed to think any less of him for it.
A nasty voice interrupted his thoughts. "I knew I have hit the jackpot when I saw you with that rich guy today."
They looked up abruptly to find Ueda and his men surrounding them.
"What else do you want?" Takku tried to keep his voice even, while pushing his friends behind him.
"Do you even have to ask? You, of course! Just say yes, little Takuya, and I'll let all your little friends go."
"You promised Kazama-senpai that you won't be bothering Takku again!" Kutta argued.
Ueda grinned evilly. "I did, but the rest of you guys are still free game, are you not?"
"Don't you dare touch my friends!" Takku bellowed protectively.
"Why alright, perhaps we can work something out if you come with me…" Ueda was eying Takku like a piece of meat, which sent a chill down all the boys' spines.
"No, Takku!" All of them yelled in unison. "You would have to get through all of us to get to Takku!"
"Guys!" Takku said in a hushed whisper. "Have you guys forgotten that we're all on probation? If we get into another fight, Yankumi will be fired!"
"But Takku…" Kutta protested.
"I'll be fine. I'll run away before he can…" He winced slightly at the thought. "…touch me."
"Are you sure, Takku?" His friends asked worriedly.
Takku nodded. "Go. Now." He raised his voice to speak to Ueda. "Fine. But only if you let all my friends get out of here first."
Ueda gave a disturbing grin. "Run along now, boys. I'll take good care of your friend."
"Yankumi! Yankumi!" A frantic voice called out.
Yankumi and the four stodges (Ren, Yamato, Ryu and Hayato) stopped in their tracks instantly.
"What's wrong, Kutta?"
"They've got Takku!" He screamed hysterically. "Please help him, Yankumi. We don't know what to do… Takku made us leave 'cause we promised not to get into any more fights…"
Yankumi's eyes were blazing in anger. "Those fucking bastards!"
This time, it was Ryu that held her back. "Yankumi, calm down. You can't get involved in this. Even if your actions are justified, it's too soon after today's disciplinary hearing. They simply won't believe it."
Hayato stepped in. "We'll go. Trust us, Yankumi."
"Yankumi, I promise to do everything within my ability to save Takuya if you promise me to stay out of this." Ren said. She recognised the statement. It was similar to how Shin always promised to come back to her as long as she promised him to stay safe.
She wasn't sure how well the others could still fight nowadays, but she knew that Ren was a much more skilful fighter than she was. And everything within his ability meant all the resources available to both Kazama Ren and Kuroda Ren; which was also more than she could offer. "Alright." She conceded. "Please take care of him, Ren."
"Lead the way, Kutta-kun." Yamato commanded.
They went back to the place Kutta had split up with Takku. As predicted, Ueda and his men had left.
"Psst! Kutta!" One of the schoolboys peeked out from behind a bush. "We've formed a human breadcrumb trail. We were afraid that if we all followed Takku at once, we would get caught and no one will know where he is. So we decided to station ourselves every hundred metres or at every turning; up to where he is being kept. That way, even if the person at the final destination gets caught, we'll know the rough vicinity of where Takku is, or at least the general direction they are heading."
Ren was beyond impressed. These high school boys were good. The look on Yamato, Ryu and Hayato's faces clearly showed that they shared his opinion. It demonstrated that the boys actually recognized their greatest strength and weakness; and had used that knowledge wisely. He guessed that their extended time with Yankumi made a difference. Yankumi had been with them for almost 2 years now; as opposed to just 3 months with Ryu and Hayato in Kurogin, and slightly over 6 months with Ren and Yamato in Akadou.
"What happens if they get into a car?" Ren asked.
"Then the last person will text us all the information they can get; for example the number plate, or the model and colour of the car, or the name of their destination, if it is revealed."
'Not bad.' Ren gave a curt nod and the four of them began to follow the human 'breadcrumbs'.
They caught up with Takku just as Ueda was forcing him into a car. Takku was kicking and struggling, but there were too many of them restraining him. Ren knew that they had to move swiftly before Ueda could get away. It would be a lot more difficult to track him down if he had left their sight.
Shooting a meaningful look at his 3 friends, Ren gave a deliberate nod.
It was then that the students from 3-D Aoki Gakuen realized that despite their business suits and ties, these guys were true top delinquents at heart. All four of them sprang into action with the force of a level 5 typhoon. Their fists were firm and merciless against Ueda and the gangsters. They had no qualms about twisting joints or breaking bones. They didn't shy away in fear; even when they saw an unavoidable hit coming towards them. They simply took the impact and retaliated accordingly without as much as a wince.
Kazama-senpai and Ogata-senpai fought like they shared a mind. It was as if they could predict each other's next move even without any words or signals. The Odagiri-senpai and Yabuki-senpai combination was similar. They moved fluidly, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses. Their opponents didn't even stand a chance.
Not 5 minutes later, Ueda and all 10 of his men had fallen. Ren walked over to Takku; who had to admit that he was, indeed, shaking in fear this time. He had not been able to make his escape, despite his many desperate attempts. And they had touched him! He felt dirty and used, even if it was through his clothes. "Are you okay?" Ren asked him concernedly.
"Any serious injuries?" Yamato piped up beside him. Takku shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.
Ren looked at Ryu. He had the most experience with traumatised victims, due to his active involvement in human rights abuse and criminal cases. "Shin's old apartment is nearby. Why don't you bring him there? I'm sure Takuya would appreciate the privacy." He tossed Ryu a set of keys.
Ryu nodded in affirmation. He draped his suit jacket over Takku and led him away from the scene.
Ren saw Kutta and the other boys' worried expressions at Takku's departing figure. "He's safe with Ryu; but if you insist, then one of you can follow him." Kutta immediately stepped forward. "I must tell you to remain quiet though – even unseen if possible – and not to speak to him unnecessarily. What he needs right now is professional attention."
Kutta nodded quickly to show that he understood.
A few hours of counselling later, Takku was beginning to recover from his ordeal. Only time and continuous support – which Ryu had assured that he would offer – would heal the rest.
Ryu nodded approvingly at Takku's progress. "Alright then, ready to face your best friend?"
"Please don't tell him anything that I told you."
Ryu smiled. "I've already told you from the start, Takku-kun. No one except the two of us will know what we talked about today. I've told you some of my secrets too, remember? Will you promise to keep it?"
Takku gave a tiny smile in return. "I will. Thanks, Ryu-senpai."
Ren, Yamato, Hayato and Kutta were sitting outside in the living room, chatting comfortably.
Kutta leapt out of his seat immediately when he saw Takku coming out of the room, before remembering Ren's advice from earlier. His steps faltered. "Umm…"
Takku took a deep breath. Ryu-senpai had discussed this with him, about how he should react to his friends. Ryu-senpai had told him that they were not judging him, only concerned about him; and that it would be easier to just tell them directly what was okay and what made him uncomfortable. "You can act normally around me, Kutta. Just don't sneak up behind me for a while."
Kutta nodded and slung his arm over Takku's shoulder as he always did. "I'm glad you're okay, Takku."
Takku looked at the rest of the seniors. "Thanks, Kazama-senpai, Ogata-senpai and Yabuki-senpai." He said quietly.
Ren smiled. "Just call me Ren, and you're welcome."
"Same here, Yamato is fine. And don't mention it."
"Hayato. I should be the one thanking you. I'm so glad that you're okay. I was beginning to worry that Yankumi is going to use me as target practice." Hayato joked in typical fashion.
Ren slapped Hayato's head. "Stop being so selfish, will you? And plus, I would be first in line! At least you would have time to run once you receive news of my disappearance." He grinned.
"Nuh-uh. You know very well that you can protect yourself against her. And you won't allow her to touch Yamato either. Ryu's workplace is full of police and stuff, so she wouldn't go near him if she can help it. So logically, I'm the first choice." Hayato rationalised mock-sternly; drawing the rest of them into a loud guffaw.
"But Hayato-senpai, you work with Ren-senpai don't you? Why would he protect Yamato-senpai and not you?" Kutta asked confusedly.
Ren shot Ryu a questioning look and got a slight shake of the head in response. 'Not yet.' Ren smiled at Takku and Kutta genially. "Yamato and I were classmates and best friends; whereas Ryu and Hayato were our seniors. That's why I'm closer to Yamato than Hayato."
"Who was the leader during your times, senpai-tachi?" Takku asked curiously. It was hard to discern, seeing as all four of them fought so well. He had initially thought that they were all class leaders from different years.
Yamato snorted. "Boy, that's an interesting story." Deciding that the boys needed a distraction, he launched into his story. "Ren and I were from two different classes in second year, and were the 'bosses' of our respective classes. For some reason, the school administrators decided to put both of us into the same class in our third year. Obviously, that didn't go well."
"We were fighting every day." Ren continued. "Our entire class was divided into two factions because of the enmity between us. The worse thing was that Yamato and I had totally different characters. I think that confused our classmates a lot. Some of them weren't directly involved in our enmity, but they still didn't know which of us to emulate. Yamato had this cool persona going on whereas I had the whole energetic concept…"
"Energetic is a gross understatement." Yamato interrupted. "You were practically a circus clown overdosed on caffeine. You jumped over everything and made your sidekicks applause, for goodness sake!"
Ren was tempted to add 'and you still fell in love with me', but held himself back for Takku's sake. He settled on sticking his tongue out at Yamato.
Yamato, however, had seen the hidden message in Ren's eyes all the same and blushed slightly. "Anyway, we were fighting like cats and dogs. And guess what?" He asked Takku and Kutta rhetorically.
"Yankumi came in and did something, didn't she?" Kutta volunteered.
"Another understatement." Yamato grinned. "She practically locked us into a closet and forced us to reconcile. No, I take that back. Even the closet would have a lot less painful. Her great reconciliation plan led to Ren getting arrested by the police and almost getting expelled, me getting beaten into a pulp, me beating someone into a pulp, my sidekicks and I getting beaten into a pulp, Ren and his sidekicks getting beaten into a pulp, and finally ending with all of us getting beaten into a pulp together."
"Well, I'm not going to complain. It worked." Ren said humorously. "For some reason, we became best friends almost instantly; so we just kinda shared the whole leadership thing afterwards. We never disagreed, so it wasn't a problem."
"Ours is similar, but slightly more complicated than that." Hayato commented. "Ryu was the former ringleader of the class and I was his best friend and most loyal sidekick since like forever – yeah, a bit like you, Kutta." He said when he noticed the look Kutta was sporting. "Due to a massive misunderstanding, however; we got into a fight and… I kinda drove him out of school and took his place."
Kutta looked absolutely scandalized at that thought. He could never imagine himself turning against Takku. And to usurp his position! That was simply unthinkable.
"What do you mean 'drove him out of school'?" Takku asked. "Did you get him expelled?"
Hayato gave a sardonic laugh. "Me, the nobody Yabuki Hayato, getting the great Odagiri Ryu expelled? No way!"
"Why, what's so special about him? No offence, Ryu-senpai."
"None taken, Takku-kun. Don't worry. And I'm not special. Just have a nosy father who used to intervene in all my affairs."
"I have to say though, Ryu; I'm glad that your father was rich and powerful enough to force the superintendent into allowing you to stay in school. I mean, where would you be today if not for that?" Hayato asked. "But having said that; yes, his dad is a total bastard." He informed the two boys.
"Thanks for the glowing review of half of my genetic make-up, Hayato." Ryu said sarcastically.
"No worries!" Hayato called back. "So… the thing is, we reconciled once the misunderstanding was cleared, of course; but that left us with two leaders in a class that was used to only having one alpha. I couldn't back down either, because that would just throw the entire dynamic of the class off-balance. By then, I was already their leader for a good 6 months, you see. I was literally pulling at my wit's ends when Ryu told me that I can keep the position. He settled into becoming my best friend and somewhat co-leader, although it wasn't really official like Ren and Yamato."
"So basically all of you were joint leaders." Takku concluded.
"Yeah. If you want to talk to a true alpha, I suggest you try Shin or Reita."
"Who's Shin?" Both Takku and Kutta asked in unison.
Ren glared at Hayato. That man tended to be too quick with his mouth.
Kutta belatedly recalled something he had overheard earlier. "Wait, you mentioned that this is Shin's apartment, right?"
Ren opened his mouth to speak, knowing that the others would not dare say anything after Hayato's disastrous slip. "Yeah. Shin is… I trust you guys can keep a secret?" He waited until both of them nodded before continuing. "Shin is Yankumi's husband. And before you ask – yes, he is her former student; and no, she did not persuade him to join the Yakuza in any way. In fact, she fought hard to make him leave when she found out that he had joined the Yakuza. He simply refused to back down."
Takku and Kutta were mirroring identical looks of shock and horror on their faces. "But he was a student… like us!" Takku finally squeaked in an undignified manner.
"It's different, Takuya." Ren tried to explain. "You have to remember that Yankumi was more than 10 years younger than she is now. The age difference between them is not that great. Honestly, if you met a girl just a few years older than you who is confident, strong-spirited, matured and caring – would you not fall in love with her as well?"
"I guess…" Takku conceded, although he still looked slightly disconcerted. "Why did he join the Yakuza then?"
Ren sighed. "I'm afraid that's a personal question, Takuya. But all of us can tell you that Shin is the best leader we've ever met. There used to be a legend about him, that he can freeze people in their steps just by walking into the same room and silence a riot with a single word. Sounds farfetched, yes? Well, we can tell you first-hand that it is true."
Yamato decided to speak up. "You've seen today that whatever our occupations may be, we're all delinquents at heart. We fight hard for the things that are important to us. What you will learn over time is that fighting is not just limited to physical combat; but it can be a mental and emotional struggle as well. I pushed myself through medical school and became a doctor, not because I was smart or ambitious; but because I couldn't bear seeing my friends getting injured and not being able to help them. Ryu defied his father's wishes and became a public defence lawyer, because he wanted to do something to help the underprivileged. Ren and Hayato too, have their own motivations for doing what they are doing right now. I can assure you that none of us chose our respective jobs just to make a living. Shin, too, is a true delinquent at heart; just as much as you and I. He protects what is dear to him. However he chooses to do so is none of our business."
The boys nodded slowly. They had a lot to think about.
"Ryu, a moment please." Ren beckoned his mentee to the kitchen.
Ryu got up and joined him. "What's up, Ren?"
"What do you suggest we do with Takuya's attackers?" Ren asked.
"Hmm. You want to ask Takku-kun but you're not sure if it's safe to bring them up." Ryu deciphered.
Ren nodded. "Should I ask him? Or should I just make the call myself?"
Ryu scrunched up his forehead. "It's going to be a little distressing for him, but I think he would prefer to have his opinions sought. Tell him that he can leave the decision to you if he doesn't want to think about it."
They both walked back to the living room. "Takuya, there's something we want to ask you." Ren gave a meaningful look at Hayato and Yamato, who promptly led Kutta away from the discussion.
Takku shifted uneasily. He didn't like the sound of that. "Umm. Okay. Feeling a little uncomfortable now by the way, but I think Ryu-senpai knows that."
Ryu sat down beside him. "You can stop the conversation anytime. Just tell me if it gets too much."
Ren took a deep breath. "We want to ask you how you want those scums punished."
Takku frowned. "What do you mean? Don't the police decide that?"
Ren smirked. "I'm sure you've realized by now that the most beautiful thing about being a delinquent is that we don't tend to follow the rules, Takuya."
"But that's illegal!" Takku argued.
"Only if you get caught." Ren said shortly. "No." He answered before Takku could ask the question. "I'm not revealing any more than that. So, what's it going to be?"
Takku fidgeted slightly. "What will happen if you hand them over to the police?" He asked finally.
"Ryu?" Ren directed.
Ryu thought for a while, weighing all the facts of the case. "We'll lodge a formal police report, and the state prosecutor will charge him with sexual assault and attempted rape of a minor. If he is found guilty by the judge, he will be imprisoned for a minimum of 13 years with 10 years non-parole period, and registration as a sex offender for up to 30 years."
"Chances of a guilty verdict?" Ren probed.
"Depends on how good his lawyer is, Ren. Objectively, it's about 50-50. If all of us step forward to testify, maybe around 60%."
Takku spoke up in a small voice. "Will I have to testify too?"
Ryu looked at him apologetically. "Yes. And as you will be coming of age soon, we can't interview you in a separate room either. You'll have to stand in court. I find it prudent to inform you as well that the entire trial will take 2 to 3 years at least, including the intermittent waiting periods."
Takku burrowed his head into Ryu's side. "I don't want to see him again." He said in a muffled voice.
Ryu reached out to pat his head. "Would you rather Ren deal with them then?"
"What are you going to do to them?" Takku asked Ren, his face still hidden.
Ren's heart ached to see the once so defiant young man becoming so vulnerable. "Anything, Takuya. Imprison him, beat him, cripple him, castrate him, kill him – you name it." Ren was usually a lot more merciful, but this man had deliberately disobeyed his warning and hurt someone under his protection, not to mention that the offence was committed on the Oedo clan's turf; so Ren decided that he was fair game.
"Will I get into trouble for that?"
"No, you won't be laying a finger on them, so you'll be fine."
"Will you get into trouble then?"
Ren brooded momentarily, considering how much he should reveal. "Probably not. I don't have to touch them either if that makes you feel better."
"Then how…"
"I have my ways." Ren said with a tone that brooked no further questions. "If you're not ready to make the ultimate decision, Takuya; then you can leave it to me. Be rest assured that they will be sufficiently punished. I just wanted you to choose between legal and… private methods."
"Takku-kun, will you consent to leave the decision to Ren?" Ryu prodded gently at the bundle that had planted itself firmly in his side.
Finally, a head peaked out and gave a tiny nod before disappearing again.
