Chapter 03: Sumire - Follow Me into the Dark
The crowd turned around to stare at us.
Their eyes seemed to grow to hilarious sizes as they tried to figure out what we were there: the Top Three in Tokyo Manji Gang. From what I gathered from my terrified informant (I broke his nose): they'd managed to keep things secret by inviting the lot who wouldn't tell on their Captains and Vice-Captains, nor someone who would snitch. He didn't know about the next meeting, yet.
Draken went ahead of us, giving me time to scan the crowd for any familiar faces to mark them down. Beside me, I vaguely noticed Mikey being almost through with the snacks he'd stolen from me.
"M-Mi-Mire-nee?!" someone exclaimed, making me blink.
Ah, I easily recognised the purple pompadour in the crowd. Akkun. Michi's best friend and the leader of their small group. He was staring at me in absolute shock, eyes drawn to how casually I appeared to be walking between Draken and Mikey. I was wearing my Toman jacket, which I'd put on a few minutes after we'd left my school, feeling slightly cold. I noticed a shining black eye supporting Akkun's face. The other three were rather easy to spot as well: Makoto, who was staring at me with his jaw dropped, and an equally stunned Yamagishi and Takuya. I'd known Takuya since we were young, although he mostly hung out with Michi since he was too shy around me. How many times had I babysat the two while our parents were out?
I wasn't as familiar with Makoto and Yamagishi as I was with Akkun or Takuya, mostly because the two annoyed the hell out of me. Not sure if they thought they were being discreet or not, but I'd caught them staring at me one too many times. And it wasn't simply staring, but looking in a way that scared the shit out of me.
It's just Michi who's got the burnt of Kiyomasa's shit, I thought with a frown, pocketing my hands in my Toman jacket. My fists clenched, feeling a surge of anger bursting within me. The other four seem to have only minor injuries.
"That blond braid," Akkun said, his eyes on Draken. "And the dragon tattoo on his temple…no friggin' way...the Vice-Leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang, Ryuguji Ken, AKA Draken!"
"Heey, Kenchin, Umi-chan?"
I sighed at the nickname.
"Huh?!"
"Don't call us by that nickname, Mikey!" Draken said, referring to earlier when I'd thrown an eraser at him. It wasn't like I particularly hated the nickname; I just didn't like being called so in public, and the same went for Draken.
Not that there were many who dared to mimic Mikey and call me Umi-chan. At least, not after an idiot tried to push his luck in mocking me. He got beaten up instantly by an infuriated Mikey and was dragged away by Mitsuya's unit. Who knows what happened to him after that. The Second Division was rather protective of me, owing to my long-time friendship and closeness with their Captain, Mitsuya. I did have an interesting ongoing rivalry with the Vice-Captain, Hakkai, much to Mitsuya's surprise. And a slight annoyance.
Especially if you took into consideration that the dumb-ass kept freezing up around girls, besides his sister, Yuzuha. There were times when we got along incredibly well and could be protective of each other, but those times were rare.
"Ya want me to throw another eraser at you? Or maybe a rock this time?" I asked, pointing at the random pebbles on the ground, lying there just tempting me to pick them up.
"I'm all out of Dorayaki ," Mikey grinned, the corners of his mouth covered with crumbs, blatantly ignoring what we said.
"Eh?! A girl?!"
"You idiot, that's Tokyo Manji's Assistant Leader, Hanagaki Sumire! She's Third in command," someone said, looking fearful.
"Huh?!"
"Wait a minute - Hanagaki?!"
Then, the entire crowd besides Michi and his friends bowed down, and a resounding Good afternoon echoed in the park. There were no more chats and no more whispers. The only sound came from Mikey's sandals and from the heels of my boots. Draken had let Mikey walk ahead of us, as he always did during the gang-related meetings. Sometimes, I'd walk behind Draken, sometimes next to him, depending on the mood.
I avoided eye contact with my brother, who was staring at me in complete shock, somewhat ashamed of how Michi had to find out about my involvement with gangs and how wrong he was to push me away. Then again, I did slap him. I hadn't wanted him to find out like this…or at all. I wanted to keep him safe, oblivious to who his sister really was, and the lot I hung out with. Our parents were aware of it all, but it didn't mean they liked it.
I wanted Michi to keep thinking that I was still the same tomboyish sister he knew.
"Good afternoon, Commander!"
"Looks like they do know their manners," I whispered to Draken, who smirked down at me. I was only an inch shorter than Mitsuya, and yet, I still felt like an ant compared to Draken. I cursed whoever allowed him to be such a giant when he wasn't even playing any sports. "But everything else is severely lacking."
"Mi-Mi...Sano-kun!" Nonchalantly, I glanced at the weird hair-styled guy, who was trying to get Mikey's attention. "I...I ride with the number three biker gang! My name's Akaishi!"
I shook my head. Pah-chin and Peh-yan aren't gonna be happy to hear that it was their division pulling this shit.
"Move it," Draken said, not even glancing at him as he walked straight past him. "Mikey doesn't talk to people who don't interest him."
The idiot was startled.
"Thanks for confirming you're from the Third Division, dumbass ," I said, pulling out my phone to fill out a report to the Captains and Vice-Captains, since I did turn to them for these matters as well. "It just makes tracking you lot down much easier."
"Ah," Akaishi looked stunned. "S-Sorry. T-track me down?"
"Of course ," I faked a smile at him, fingers still typing as I spoke. "Did you think you'd be forgiven for this shit? I'll be the one to decide if you'll be handed off to Mucho or not ."
"Even Red-kun didn't talk back to them," I heard Makoto say, in full disbelief at how easily we'd taken command here. How easily we'd terrified Kiyomasa and Akaishi. "And Mire-nee's actually threatening him, just who is she?"
"Apparently Tokyo Manji's Assistant Leader," Akkun answered, making me bite my lip.
I nearly missed out when Draken kicked Kiyomasa in the stomach, " - That's how low you should bow when greeting the President," he said, before following Mikey.
On the other hand, Mikey seemed to be far more interested in my beaten-up brother than Kiyomasa, making me slightly wary of his intentions. I swore to beat up whoever got those five idiots involved with Kiyomasa!
Kiyomasa, the dumb-shit, watched us passing him, holding on to his stomach in intense pain. I paused, gave it a thought, and turned to him, wearing the fakest smile I could muster up. "Don't think of taking off. There are still things we need to discuss. Such as your punishment, ne, Kiyomasa~ ?"
My words promised death if he dared to disobey me.
With that, I turned my attention back to Mikey and my brother, who had fallen on the ground. Whether it was from the shock of our presence or his body was finally letting him feel all the hits from Kiyomasa, I couldn't tell.
"What's your name?" Mikey asked, hands pocketed, staring at my brother with a look I knew more than well. It was a look of interest. A curiosity. And it would mean absolutely nothing good for those involved.
"Ha-Hanagaki Takemichi," Michi answered, eyes widening and glancing at me. However, I was adamantly ignoring him. It was bad enough that our gang members had been harassing my brother and his friends. Not that they knew it.
The matter still stood.
I could feel both Draken's and Mikey's eyes on me, silently asking me if it was the same Michi who'd gotten me wasted — who'd gotten me all annoyed and frustrated to the point I'd been on the edge. If it was the same brother I'd slapped and then cried about, feeling immense guilt for the matter.
"Okay, Takemitchy," Mikey said, suddenly smiling as if he had come to a decision. Takemitchy? I narrowed my eyes at him, ignoring Draken's subtle attempts to find similarities between me and Michi besides our blue eyes.
My brother had bleached his hair blond, while I had mine as burgundy violet. My hair was dark if there was no light, and bright under the sun. I could still remember how our parents stared at me in shock after I got home from the hairdresser. It had resulted in a pretty bad fight, and while I got to keep the hair, I ended up grounded for two days. Mikey hadn't been happy about not seeing me that long; he, Draken, and Mitsuya had ended up sneaking in when everyone else was asleep. Just to check up on me, he'd said.
"Huh?" It would seem that Michi lost his ability to talk. I shook my head, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"If Mikey says so, then that's what it is. Takemitchy," Draken said, with a finality in his voice, giving me a look that promised a serious talk after this. I nodded, knowing there'd be no running.
"Huh?!"
I almost face-palmed, before I peeked over at Mikey and glanced down at my still-shocked brother. "Takemitchy is how they'll be calling you from now on, Michi ," I said, ignoring the pang in my heart. "If Mikey calls for you, then you'd better answer. That's how things are done here in Toman."
"Nee-chan!" Oh, we're back to nee-chan? Since the slap, he'd been calling me either Sumire or Mire-nee when our parents were around. There was something strange about the way my brother was staring at me, I thought, noticing the way he couldn't tear his eyes off of me. Weird.
I stepped back from them, not trusting myself to be around Michi any longer. Instead, I put my focus on the notifications on my phone. One of them was from Mitsuya, asking where I was and what was going on. Another was from Pah-chin, expressing his dislike over the matter and asking me if he should take care of it or not. Mucho and the Kawata twins had replied with a simple, understood, word while Baji gleefully stated how he'd been right to trust his guys.
"Are you really in middle school?" Mikey suddenly asked, leaning down and grabbing my brother's head. Mikey's hand rested on his leg, making me wary of his intentions. "From now on, Takemitchy - you're my pal, 'kay ?"
I snapped a quick picture of the crowd, focusing on Kiyomasa and Akaishi, and sent it to Pah-chin and the rest of the Captains. I sent a quick reply to Mitsuya that I'd tell him later since my brother, somehow, got involved with it.
"Are you the one organising these matches?" Mikey turned to Kiyomasa, no longer smiling, and the idiot confirmed he was.
Mikey's kick nearly sent Kiyomasa flying, before he grabbed Kiyomasa's head and started to beat the shit out of him. No one dared to do or say anything, too stunned that someone like Kiyomasa got the shit beaten up by Mikey. An invisible Mikey. A true beast when angered and awakened.
It didn't take him long to knock the asshole down, standing up with some of Kiyomasa's blood splattered on his cheeks.
"Okay," Mikey turned around, signifying that he was done here. Our eyes met briefly, letting me know that this was punishment enough even though I was a bit disappointed, I nodded. "Let's go, Kenchin, Umi-chan!"
I notified Pah-chin that Kiyomasa was out of Toman, along with his followers.
"Fighting rings are stupid," Mikey said, pocketing his hands.
"Don't ruin Toman's reputation," Draken added, loud enough that his voice could be heard by everyone present, with a glare.
"Those who got dragged into this by Kiyomasa and his gang can consider themselves free and pardoned. Those who followed him, thinking they're part of the Tokyo Manji Gang, can consider themselves kicked!" I bellowed, faking a grin at Akaishi. I seemed to be doing that a lot, faking how I really felt. "Trust me, you don't wanna know what happens if I hear anything about idiots going around and sullying Toman's name ."
"Takemitchy! See ya !" Mikey waved at my younger brother, who'd somehow managed to stand up and was staring at us, speechless and shocked that this marked the end of his slavery to Kiyomasa. That it was that easy to free him, and his friends, from nightmares.
I gave Michi a long look, but stayed silent.
"Quit staring and disperse already, you idiots!"" Draken commanded, gesturing for me to hurry up.
...卍...
"So, that was the infamous Michi we've been hearing about," Draken said, once the three of us were alone, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I almost flinched at his tone. There was a warning not to try and weasel my way out of it.
Especially not when he had to deal with the drunken me and an equally annoyed Mitsuya.
Or the aftermath of that little abrupt party we threw.
"Mh? Oh, that younger brother you've mentioned?" Mikey repeated, watching me shove Draken off with a fond look. "Takemitchy?"
"Yeah, the infamous Michi she's been complaining about for the past month or so."
I snorted. "You're making it sound like I don't talk about other stuff."
Draken smirked. "Oh yeah? Michi and Mitsuya?" I flipped him off, cursing the day Mitsuya decided to run away from home and I tagged along. It was to keep an eye on him, to prevent him from doing anything stupid.
It was also the day we both met Ryuguji Ken AKA Draken and then discovered that the said boy lived in a brothel — that was the reason why it had been so easy for us to acquire some alcohol, despite being underage. The girls had merely grinned at us and told us not to do anything they wouldn't. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.
"Fuck off," I glared at him. "Not like you're any better, Emma this, Emma that."
Mikey watched us with amusement, even more, as I brought his sister into it. Sort of fair, considering he made Michi his friend.
Draken raised his hands in mock surrender. "Now there, you're making things up, Sumire."
"Need me to remind you of the things you said when we got drunk?"
"...I'm still annoyed that you three went and got drunk without me," Mikey grumbled, making both Draken and me stare at him. "What?"
We burst out laughing, shaking our heads and mumbling how Mikey should stay as Mikey, and never change.
"You bastards!" Mikey growled, crossing his arms as he pouted. "You're making fun of me, aren't you!"
"Nope."
"Not at all."
"You so are!"
Still chuckling, I grabbed a napkin from my pocket and handed it to Mikey, gesturing to the blood on his cheek, which he accepted.
"But still, Sumire, is Takemitchy really your brother?" Draken pretended to wipe tears from his eyes, making me glance at him. "The only resemblance I saw were your eyes."
Out of the entire Toman, Draken and Mitsuya have known me the longest. I seldom used my family name, often only giving people the name Sumire.
"Yeah, and we're both born in June," I said with a nod.
"Takemitchy seems to share your streak of stubbornness," Draken commented, referring to what we'd witnessed from my brother and my situation with Mitsuya. I bit my lip, refusing to look at him. "Even though he looks so weak compared to you, Sumire."
I snorted.
"Michi's strong suit isn't to win fights but not to give up on the things that matter," I said, recalling the moments in our childhood when he'd pretend to be a hero, only to end up staring at the sky, beaten and crying. He stood up for what he thought was the right thing to do even when he knew he'd lose. I admired that part of him.
"There aren't many who would refuse to back down when facing an opponent much stronger than they are," Mikey said with a strange, glossy look. "I respect that in a person."
I sighed, running a hand through my burgundy violet hair, tugging on the ends to tighten the ponytail. "I wanted to keep him out of gang life," I admitted to both Draken and Mikey, glancing up at the darkening sky. "I wanted Michi to keep living without seeing what we see daily. Without knowing just how cruel the delinquent world can be. All because he's my younger brother."
A small silence fell at my words until Draken let out a rather long sigh.
He pulled me to him, ruffling my hair, and ignoring my protests. "If he's anything like you, Sumire, then he'll be just fine!"
"Kenchin's right. Plus, it's gonna be fun to see what he's made of!" Mikey grinned, joining Draken in on messing with my hair even more. The two of them blatantly ignored my protests and attempts to get free. The air was filled with me shrieking and the boys laughing, silly smiles plastered on our faces.
A sight that was perfectly normal to us, but somewhat startling to everyone else.