A/N: Some of you may find that Yamato is becoming more and more 'feminine' in character as the story progresses. I assure you that that is NOT the case. He is as masculine as ever, perhaps even more so than the rest of his friends; it's just that Ren is now a super-Yakuza kind of man, so obviously Yamato is not going to appear as tough as he is in comparison. And it doesn't help that Ren is constantly putting himself in mortal danger. So whenever Yamato cries; just imagine him doing so in a very normal, very manly sort of way, alright?

Just had to put that out there because I don't like the typical seme-uke relationships.


They watched as Shin and Ren stood back to back right in the middle of the battleground, both their heads lifted tall and strong. There was not a single trace of fear or nervousness on their faces, only fierce concentration and wilful determination.

Their movements were perfectly in sync as they assumed their fighting stance. It seemed like they were dancing to a tune that only both of them could hear. With exact precision, both their hands gripped their katanas at the same time, paused for a split second; and drew them out with equally magnificent gracefulness.

The first attack, of course, came at Shin. And even though he could have blocked it himself, he twisted himself to the side so that Ren could block it without harming him. It was then that Yamato realized that Shin, too, knew that Ren's first instinct was to protect him; and was using it as a battle strategy. Conversely, but not surprisingly, Shin moved to fend off a slash aimed at Ren instead. As they continued their intricate dance, it was clear to all the observers that neither man was fighting for themselves. They were both fighting for the other. And in some paradoxical sort of way, they complemented each other perfectly. It was because their desires to protect each other were equally strong and equally selfless; that they were able to keep each other alive and free from harm.

All the observers except Tetsu screamed when Shin swung his katana backwards to prepare for the next hit, as they all thought that he was going to accidentally wound Ren; but Ren simply ducked at the exact moment the blade would have cut through him – not a second early, not a second late.

"They will never injure each other by accident." Tetsu said quietly. "They know precisely where the other is all the time, and what their next move will be. Ren knows the exact angle Oyasan will swing his katana, just as Oyasan knows the exact time Ren will throw his tantōs."

As Tetsu predicted, the next moment Shin crouched onto the ground just as Ren flung ten tantōs one after another so rapidly that they seemed to have been launched at the same time. All ten of them struck their intended targets in the exact same spot; which is at the base of the throat, right below the Adam's apple. Yamato was impressed. Ren clearly knew the most vulnerable spot in the entire human body.

The ten attackers who were struck fell abruptly, causing their comrades to falter for a brief moment. Most of them had not seen Ren throwing the tantōs and were wondering if there were other hidden opponents around them. And that one millisecond pause was all Shin and Ren needed. They reached backwards to grab each other's arm in synchronization, before swinging each other powerfully in the opposite direction – causing Ren to lurch towards the attackers in front of Shin; and Shin to land amongst those who were facing Ren.

The sudden foreign presence threw their attackers into further disorder, coupled by the fact that it was a different person from whom they had been focusing on just a moment ago. It took their addled brains an additional second before they could process that this new person, too, was an enemy. Nevertheless, those precious few moments had been irretrievably lost to them. Shin and Ren attacked at least half of them before the realization could even sink in. Twin katanas, gold and black, cut through throats as smooth as a pair of sushi knives. The remaining half of the attackers scampered around wildly, trying to avoid the bodies that were falling around them like a row of dominoes.

With the attackers' formation gone and their numbers dwindling, Shin and Ren pressed forward with increased ease. Shin put his incredible speed into gear, while Ren used his long limbs to his advantage. Ren jumped and somersaulted over the obstacles around him, making himself a constantly moving and inherently unpredictable target. Yamato quietly thanked Kura and Ichi for putting up with all the 'practice' Ren had done in high school.

"Look closely at the index finger on their left hand." Tetsu prompted Yamato suddenly.

Yamato squinted as he tried to stare at Ren's hand. It was difficult, considering that the katana, which he held with both hands; was constantly moving. At last, Yamato saw it. "He's tapping his finger to… something."

"Oyasan is doing it too. Now match the tempo of Ren's tapping to Oyasan's slashes and vice versa."

"They're keeping track of each others katanas!" Yamato realized aloud.

Tetsu nodded. "Yes. When they are far apart, that is how they keep track of the other person's progress. It is easier to follow the sound of the other person's katana than to keep their detection senses fixed on each other; although they can do that too if they want to. So, be rest assured, Yamato. Oyasan is always looking out for Ren."

"How do they know which sound come from which katanas?" Hayato asked. The metallic clangs sounded all the same to him.

"Oyasan's katana is coated with real gold, so the reverberation it makes is higher than your average metal. Ren's katana is coated with obsidian, so it emits a slightly more muted tenor. You can't hear it with a naked ear." He told them to their disappointment. "I can barely hear it too, even after years of training with Oyasan. But Oyasan and Ren are very in tune with each other in every sense. To them, the sound each other's katana makes is as obvious as a church bell tolling in the middle of the night."

Takku watched the two graceful figures on the battlefield in breathless awe. If not for the very realistic, bright-red splattering of blood, the scene before them could very well qualify as an extremely well-choreographed dance recital. 'This is not a fight,' He thought. 'It's a battle royale.' At that very moment, Takku fully understood why Shin and Ren had joined the Yakuza. It was their art, their calling, their Moirai. They did it, because no one in this world could do it better than them. They did it, because they were the ones who could. And lastly they did it, because no one else would.

Down on the battlefield, both Shin and Ren swung their katanas one last time in perfect unison, felling their last two opponents. Once again they reunited with one another in the centre of the battlefield, this time with only the two of them left standing. Holding each other's gaze unwaveringly; they sheathed their katanas in one beautiful, harmonized chime.


Yamato was the first one to run down the stairs to meet the two warriors. "Ren!" He threw his arms around Ren in a muffled sob.

Ren couldn't help it. He laughed. "Yamato…" He knew that they had been watching from the observation deck upstairs. "You should be saying 'my hero' and exalting me! I did just save everyone's lives." He joked, although he rubbed Yamato's back comfortingly.

"Shut up, you horrible person." Yamato sniffled. "Do you know how worried I was?"

Ren smiled. "I know, Yamato. But I'm fine, see? I'll always come back to you, I promise." He kissed him on the forehead. "Now that you've seen me fight, would you trust me to do that?"

Yamato wiped away his tears and nodded. "Thank you." He whispered to Shin. He knew that it was thanks to the man that his boyfriend had survived this long.

Shin smiled at his almost-brother-in-law affectionately. "Always, Yamato. You have my word."

"That was… amazing, guys." Ryu breathed. Hayato and Takku nodded furiously in agreement.

Shin gave them a sorrowful, melancholic smile. "Thanks. Sometimes, though, I wished we didn't have to."

"Ah, of course, forgive me for being so insensitive." Ryu apologized.

"That's not what Aniki meant, Ryu. We're way past that stage already." Ren clarified. "He meant that sometimes he wished that there wasn't a need for us to be so 'amazing', in your words. We didn't train to kill like that as a hobby. We trained because there was a need, because of the level of threat that we knew was out there, and because we had to survive. That was what that hurt the most during our training, you know? Not the wounds or cuts we sustained, but the thought that one day we would have to kill merely to survive another day. And the knowledge that the better we became at defending ourselves, the more people would die under our hands—"

"Ren, that's enough." Shin interrupted gently. "We both made the choice. We'll have to live with it."

"Yes, Aniki. My apologies." Ren bowed his head respectfully.

"I'm sorry our meal was interrupted yet again, Yamato." Shin said remorsefully. "Please feel free to adjourn to another venue, all covered under my tab of course."

"Don't be silly." Yamato huffed at Shin through his still-wet eyes. "As if we're going to allow you two to wallow in self-pity for the rest of the day!"

Hayato grinned. "Exactly. We'll be continuing our party! Except now it will be… a cosy get-together."

Shin smirked. "If it's going to be as cosy as that night in the bar, I would rather stay out of it please."

"Shin!" Ryu rebuked, closing Takku's ears. "There's a kid around!"

Shin rolled his eyes. "Ryu, he just watched us kill 30 people in cold blood. I don't think sex is that new of a concept in comparison. Though I must say that that was quite raunchy." He winked suggestively.

"What? What? What did you guys do?" Takku asked excitedly.

"Nothing you will know, young man." Ryu said sharply, throwing everyone in the room a warning glare.

All of them sniggered. Ryu was becoming worse than Yankumi.

"Alright, mother hen." Ren chuckled. He pulled a very reluctant Yamato off his chest. "Yamato, I need to change." He said softly. It was only then that they noticed that the front of his kimono was drenched in blood.

Shin too, made to leave the room. "We'll be right back."


30 minutes later, they stood beside a freshly showered Shin and Ren as the two brothers threw their soiled kimonos into a furnace.

Yamato had managed to recollect himself. "Now I know why all your Oedo clan kimonos look so new, Ren." He joked.

Ren smiled sadly. "Yeah. We hardly get the chance to wash them. But –" He looked at Shin. "One day we will, won't we, Aniki? None of Ojiisan's kimonos are hardly new, even back when he was still the Kumichou."

Shin smiled as he gave a silent nod in agreement. That was their common goal.


A/N: Credits to MaiaAlcippe for the phrase 'smooth as a sushi knife' – I finally got to use it! Sorry it came so late. :)

Next chapter will be the finale! I'm feeling sad and excited at the same time! :/