Chapter 3

Funk Goes On – Part 1

All the young adults had begun congregating outside in preparation to leave for the Amagi Inn, but Akira had not yet joined them after making sure his mother and Futaba were alright. They respectfully requested a few moments of privacy before she left, and Akira obliged, having one more thing to check on before leaving. With that, he exited his parents' bedroom and walked down the hall to his own room, stopping for a moment to confirm to himself that this was real, that he was staring at the partially open door of his own lifelong bedroom. It felt surreal and strange to say the least, but that familiar feeling of comfort and safety washed over him as he opened the door and stepped inside.

All was just as he had left it: the bed and the bedding, his desk and bookshelves, his dresser and television placed atop it across from his bed – everything was just as it had been the night he left. This included the most important thing of all: Mona, his cat, asleep on his bed but slowly waking up as he heard the door open. Akira and Mona locked eyes for a moment, the cat's blue eyes sleepily opening and focusing on him. Then it mewled emphatically, and Akira rushed over to his bed to embrace his dear pet. Mona rubbed his face against Akira's hands, purring louder than he ever had before as Akira pet and scratched him, the joy immediately overflowing within him emblematic in how affectionate he behaved with his cat. It had been so, so long, and he missed his dear friend so much. Feeling Mona's soft black fur against his palm and between his fingers warmed Akira head to toe, and he smiled brightly and youthfully down on Mona, listening to his ecstatic purrs.

"I missed you, buddy," Akira whispered to him. "I guess you missed me too. At least it looks like Mom and Dad have been feeding you well, huh?" Mona then deftly climbed onto Akira's shoulder, rubbing his face into his neck, something the cat had not done since he was a kitten. But Akira gleefully scooped him up and pet him as he held him tight, rubbing his own cheek against Mona's. "I'll have plenty of stuff to tell you about when I get the chance," he said to Mona. "Plenty of wild adventures. I'm sorry I've been gone so long, buddy. I'm really sorry, Mona." Mona responded with even more affectionate rubbing and purring.

Akira took a moment to look around his room as he continued to hold and pet Mona. Some of the small details took a moment for him to remember, he had been gone so long and done so much. A small shelf of records next to his own record player was set between the bookshelf and his desk, his headphones still plugged into the machine. Many, many nights, he had relaxed after a long, stressful day of school or work or just life to some of his family's favorite bands, including Pink Floyd, U2, Journey, Styx, to name a few. Many of those records had been given to him by his parents, both of whom were quite the fans of rock, pop, and soul music. His father especially was a rock fan, being able to play many of the greatest hits of the seventies and eighties on his piano, and often took every opportunity he could to show it off and get a group singing session going when company was over.

Akira also remembered having his first kiss to Us and Them by Pink Floyd, right here, on the bed beside him, with a very special girl from what felt like a lifetime past. Right as the saxophone came in after the interlude at the middle of the song, he first felt a woman's lips against his, and they were dainty, light and sweet, in contrast to the normal disposition of that particular girl. And on the desk beside the record player was a framed photo standing upright of himself and that particular girl – he and Marie sitting beside each other on the beach at sunset the evening of their high school graduation, the photo being taken by Anri and developed at their behest. The backdrop of orange and purple skies cascading over the gently rolling waves was picaresque as it framed the two smiling young lovers, enjoying their last moments of blissful youth as their friends congregated in the background. A happy, peaceful, entirely right moment, it had been, and something that made Akira more and more melancholy every time he saw it since she had left back for the States, her home country. He hoped, in a true way, in his heart of hearts, that Marie was happy there, wherever she was now.

Thrice, someone knocked at his door behind him, and Akira turned around to see Ann standing in the doorway, wary of entering. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Oh, hey," he replied just as quietly.

"We're gonna be shipping out in a few minutes and- Wait, you have a cat?" she smiled to Mona.

"Oh, yeah," Akira grinned down at his pet. "He's a real good boy, had him since I was a kid. Here, come pet him. He loves attention, especially from pretty girls."

"Oh, how sweet," Ann crooned almost flirtatiously, walking over to tentatively pet the cat. Mona rubbed his face into Ann's palm affectionately, purring all the way as if Ann was not a stranger at all. "He's a real charmer," she said. "And his eyes are gorgeous."

"Yeah. He was abandoned as a kitten when my friends and I found him, and I practically forced Mom and Dad to let me keep him. He's been in our family ever since."

"Seems like they took really good care of him while you were away."

"Seems like it," he nodded with a smile.

Ann looked around his room as she continued to pet the cat, taking in all the detail she could. "This is your room, huh? It's very nice, and much cleaner than most guy's bedrooms."

"Mom and Dad have always been sticklers for cleanliness, not that I'm complaining. I can hardly function if my personal space is a mess."

"Well, you definitely keep it tidy. I'm sure your girlfriends have been very appreciative."

Akira chuckled. "'Girlfriends', she says."

"What? You've never had one?"

"No, I've just never had more than one. I've only ever dated one person."

"Oh, I see. What was she—" She caught sight of the picture of him and Marie. "Is that her? She's lovely."

"Yeah, that's her. Her name's Marie; we dated through our last couple years of high school. She's American, and came over here with her family for her dad's work. Barely knew any Japanese – she could only make basic conversation, and only barely. I kinda became her tutor for a little while, and she quickly became part of the friend group, even though she could be quite prickly at times. And, well, one thing led to another, and we had a really nice relationship while it lasted."

"Did she have to leave?"

"Yeah. Her dad's business didn't do as well as they'd hoped, so he was called back to the US, along with his family. Rather than play at waiting for each other, we decided to just… break if off there. We wanted each other to be happy, and we didn't want each other to have to wait on that happiness."

"As hard as that must have been, it shows you really cared about each other. You were very mature about it."

"It was… very hard, yeah. Very hard."

"Well, yeah. She was your first love, right?" Her voice was tender, caring, disarming.

"Yeah, first love," Akira replied, evidently distracted by many a memory. "I haven't spoken to her since."

"Do you ever think about her?"

"I just wish her the best, that's all. I know it was just one chapter in my life, and whoever I'm meant to be with is somewhere else out there. But I'll admit, even though it's been about two years since we broke up, I didn't really feel at peace about it till the last year or so. It hit me harder than I thought I would."

"Do you still love her?"

Akira set Mona back down on his bed, thinking to himself for a moment. "I think a part of me will always love and care about her, but I don't want her anymore, if that's what you're saying. Like I said, it's a chapter in my life that came and went. I'm just honestly glad a lot of my first experiences could be with her. She was… really special."

"I think it's really sweet that you remember her like that, even though it was hard for you to let each other go."

"Yeah, thanks," he smiled lightly. "You ever been in a relationship, Ann?"

She looked away from Akira pensively. "I've dated a couple guys, but never for long term. Slept with a couple other guys, even a girl once, but that was it." She sighed and rubber her temple as if nursing a headache. "Honestly, after all the shit with Kamoshida, it was hard for me to think of being intimate in any way with anyone. It took a while for me to even be open to any kind of relationship, much less a long term one. Can I be frank with you, Akira?"

"Of course."

Before speaking, Ann sat down on his bed, looking away from him and resting her arms on her lap. "At first, having sex was kind of like… taking back control of my body. I felt I needed to do that before I could even try really dating someone. Was it true? I don't know really, but it happened. Eventually, finally, I felt comfortable enough to start actually having a relationship with another person, but it just… didn't work out. The longest I've seen someone was four months."

"Are you unhappy with that?" Akira asked sympathetically.

"I wish I didn't have to do that much healing and rebuilding of myself, but I think it was for the best. I may not seem like it all the time, but I'm much better now than I used to be. I've changed a lot the past year, all for the better, I think."

"I'm glad to hear it, really."

"Thanks," she finally met his gaze, smiling for a moment. "I know I'm definitely not perfect, or even all the way healed, but for the first time since early high school, I'm looking forward to the idea of actually being with someone again. I feel like I'm strong enough now to support myself and someone else. I just wish it didn't have to be such a rough road to get here."

"That's totally valid," Akira put Mona on the ground. "But as my dad always says, what matters in the healing process is the healing itself, no matter how little or slow it may feel like."

"Sounds like a wise man."

"That's what everyone says."

Ann's relaxed demeanor hardened again, seeming uncomfortable and embarrassed. "I'm… sorry if that was too personal, Akira. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't," he replied immediately, "not at all." He sat down on the bed beside her, leaning closer to her. "Everyone's got their own story, their own struggles. And I've been a part of one of the worst parts of it, now that I think about it. You don't need to hide or repress anything with me, I promise." Ann did not immediately respond, appearing taken aback by his soft words. Akira looked away, thinking about something, then back to her, his gaze deeper, more tender than it had been. "We'll talk," he whispered, "when everyone gets settled. I promise."

Ann's lip quivered, her eyebrows fluttering. "Are you sure?" she whispered as well.

Akira nodded. "I promise."

After a long moment, their gazes locked and their breathing slow, she nodded. "Okay," she sighed out. "Whenever you're ready." Akira nodded back. Ann stood to her feet and walked to the door but stopped before stepping outside. "Akira?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

Ann's lip quivered again, but then curled into a soft, delicate smile. "Marie was a very lucky girl" she said sweetly, yet genuinely.

Akira could not help but smile as well. "Thank you," he muttered.

To Akira's surprise, Futaba and Anri were the last to join them outside at the van, their eyes still red from crying. He wondered what they had talked about, but decided not to pry.

Anri pulled him aside as his friends started piling into the van. "Will you be sleeping at the Inn or here tonight?" she asked.

"I'll probably come back here, but we'll see. Don't wait up for me though. I want to make sure everyone is settled first."

"That's fine, just call us if anything changes. I've got a few more errands to run, but if you want to talk whenever you get back, that'll be fine, regardless of how late it is."

Akira shook his head. "I think we all deserve a good rest. And frankly, I'm kind of excited to sleep in my own bed again. Like I said, don't wait up for me, Mom."

She nodded unassured. "Just… be safe, honey. Okay?"

"I will." Makoto started the van, signaling to Akira that it was time to leave. "Guess I'll be off then. I'll see you later, okay?"

Anri pulled him into a hug that he reciprocated immediately. "Take care, Akira. And look after Futaba. She has a lot on her mind."

"I will, Mom. Promise." They parted, and then her son departed with his friends.

It was only a ten-minute drive to the Amagi Inn, a sight that immediately transfixed the new visitors as they approached it from the quiet country road. Nestled on the other end of the river from where Akira lived, the inn was of a historical design, emulating the serene, simple, yet meticulously crafted beauty of Japanese inns from eras past. The sliding off-white panels, the black calligraphic art woven into them, the wooden framing of the walls and porch that led out back into a beautiful field adorned with colorful flowers and Sakura trees fully leaved as it was near the end of summer. There too was a large and proud apricot tree in the middle of the property, some fruit still visible on its branches even from the road.

To maintain the splendor and atmosphere of the inn, parking was across the road, ensuring the image was untainted by modernity. They got out of the van and was greeted by two men in yukata with an old luggage cart. They bowed to the young adults reverently. "Welcome, honored guests," said the older of the two. "We would be happy to take your luggage for you, if you are so inclined." Of course they accepted the offer, and were led into the inn.

The interior opened up to a larger foyer with red wood flooring, and in front of them was a staircase leading to a second level. People dressed in both modern clothing and period-appropriate yukata, seemingly both employees and guests alike, came and went from room to room, as it was surprisingly busy at the inn. Rounding a corner in front of them appeared a radiantly beautiful Yukiko, dressed in her own soft pink yukata with accents of sky blue. She too bowed deeply to them. "Welcome to my home, everyone. We are honored to serve you for your stay. Please allow me to show you to your rooms," she gestured gracefully with her hand.

"My, my," Yusuke muttered, regarding both the young woman leading them and the inn at large. "This is exquisite. The building, the furnishings, the yukata, all of it. Simply remarkable."

"They've kept it up really well," said Akira. "I've spent a lot of time here since I met Yukiko early in high school. Trust me, the hospitality is just as nice as the inn itself."

"I have no doubt." He looked to Yukiko and held his fingers out, framing her. "She would look absolutely stunning were I to paint her."

"Easy, tiger," Akira smirked. "She's a taken woman."

"Ah! The nerve, Akira!" Yusuke placed a hand to his heart indignantly. "My interest in her is purely artistic! I am, in fact, capable of appreciating a man or woman's innate beauty without wishing to 'take them out' or what have you."

"That was a joke, dude," Akira replied, cracking a smile.

Yusuke tensed up in embarrassment. "Well, um, sarcasm was never my strong suit, I admit," he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

Akira nudged him on the shoulder. "Chin up, man. You're doing fine."

They were promptly escorted to their rooms, both directly next to each other, though the girls' room was slightly bigger to accommodate all of them. The guys' room did have three beds though, in case Akira wanted to stay over. The girls quickly went about unpacking their items and helping each other arrange and attend to them, and Yusuke did the same for his own items, while Ryuji just put them beside his bed and fell into it face-first, citing how he had barely slept the night before and the bed was so much more comfortable than Sakura's couch.

Akira said to Yukiko, "You sure this is okay? I mean, the autumn festival is coming up, right? Aren't you already really busy?"

"This is more than just treating guests, Akira. Your friends need help, and the tab is going to be paid, so there's nothing to worry about. Besides, with how much business we already have due to the festival being next week, we're not exactly in desperate need of extra customers right now."

"Just thought I'd ask," Akira nodded.

"It's perfectly fine," she smiled. "Just relax today and try to enjoy yourself. And everyone is still excited to meet up for dinner, if you don't have anything you need to do with your family."

"I might stay the night there, depending on how everything goes, but I can still come along. I miss those beef bowls like you wouldn't believe. And the company," Akira smiled, and she beamed even brighter.

"It's great to have you back, Akira. We were all so worried. Even Narukami was quite distraught by it."

"Yeah, guess he and I will have a lot to catch up on."

"Just enjoy the day while it's nice out, and please feel free to call us if you need anything for the rooms. I even gave everyone information brochures for if they have any questions."

"Thanks, Yukiko. I'm sure they'll all have a great time." He heard the girls giggling and chattering from the next room, with Ann excitedly shouting about some makeup product Haru was apparently in possession of. He knew little of these things, but it was nice to hear them all in lighter moods.

Soon after, they enjoyed a light but filling lunch of sushi and dumplings – the meal made far more special by being invited out onto the back porch overlooking the lawn and carefully cultivated garden. The area was usually by reservation only, and was the most expensive seating arrangement at the inn, but Yukiko and her mother had made a rare exception as celebration for Akira being home, himself now feeling like some sort of prodigal son. The special treatment and constant admonishment was growing uncomfortable, but he tried to put it out of mind as he ate his meal, having by some stroke of chance been seated next to Ann. Twice, his hand had brushed against her thigh on accident as they sat on the ground around the table, but she seemed to pay no mind to it. At least, until her hand returned the favor once as they were finishing their lunch. The feeling stuck with him for a long while.

After lunch, they decided it best to retire to their rooms for a rest, all of them feeling ready for a good nap. It was already well into the afternoon, but even Akira felt some shut-eye could not hurt. Ryuji was asleep in moments, signaled by the light but annoying snoring. Yusuke slept as quietly as the dead, and as motionless as well. Akira was so tired that even with Ryuji's snoring, he was well asleep in a few minutes.

The same could be said of the girls, who deigned not even to take up each bed allotted them, and cuddled each other for emotional support as they napped. It was entirely friendly and platonic, in a way the men would find alien, but also completely successful in making each other feel safer. It had been a very long few days, and the quiet atmosphere of the inn made them all finally feel safe for the first time in so long. Such emotional support and comfort had become a rare and priceless treasure to them that they took full advantage of with a rejuvenating nap.

…

The "rum with coke", as Kiyomi had started calling it, fizzed and glistened before Anri as she picked it up take her first rejuvenating sip. By God, did the woman need a drink after the day she had had, but not for entirely negative reasons. She was overjoyed that her son was home, but yet distraught and grieving over the loss of her sister-by-choice. And the letter Sojiro had written for her did little to quell her discontent with the situation, with all his decisions since she had left leaving Anri wondering if he was going senile, or just flat-out hated her for leaving by this point. She could not exactly blame him for this, if that were the case, but it still stung that he whisked her beloved son away to fight a war he had no part in. Even if he was a dragon, he was still a boy, and born into a peaceful life entirely removed from her own past. But it had caught up to her anyway.

Anri took another long sip as Kiyomi cleaned a used glass. A few patrons were starting to congregate in her bar as they usually did on the weekends, but Kiyomi was still paying special attention to her number one customer and good friend. "Have you heard?" Anri asked her plainly.

"Heard what?"

"Akira came home."

"Oh my," Kiyomi gasped. "That's wonderful! Is he okay?"

"He seems to be. No worse for wear physically. But he seems distant and quiet. Something must have happened while he was… away. I'm trying to give him space, but it's eating me alive that I don't know what's going on with him."

"He's always been a mature one, Anri. And you've always been so close with him. He'll come around when he's ready. He may just need time to adjust to being back home."

Anri smirked, but there was no pleasure in the expression. "You sound like you know what he's been up to."

"I don't need to know. I know both of you, and I know you'll work things out. Simple as."

"Right," Anri shrugged. "Simple as. I'll drink to that." She took another swig of her drink. "I at least knew he was alright. My friend went to check on him while he was away."

"That's great. It's a good thing you still have friends you can rely on over there."

"Trust me, I was very surprised. I hadn't spoken to him in years. I was really going out on a limb with it."

"At least he proved that you could count on him," Kiyomi nodded.

"Yeah, at least." Anri put her glass down and stared into space, chin resting on her hand.

"I thought you'd be happier that your son was back, Anri."

"That's not what upsets me. It's everything that surrounds it." She sighed, rubbing her temple. "I don't think I did as good a job of leaving my past behind as I thought I did. And that's… disheartening."

Kiyomi put her glass and towel on the counter. "We do what we can, Anri. What matters is if everyone is okay."

"But they may not be in the future. Maybe even the near future."

Kiyomi pursed her lips. "That's a valid point," she admitted. "But at least you can look after Akira until then, make sure he's okay."

"True," Anri nodded. "Very true. I'm sorry, Kiyomi, I just… I just have no idea how to feel about all this. And it pains me even more that I can hardly tell you anything about it, even with how long we've known each other."

"I'm not stupid, Anri," she replied plainly. "I get the gist, really. I'm not going to pry into your private matters, but it's not difficult for me to parse at least part of the situation. Which I why I still say that you should focus on looking after your boy while he's here, and make sure he knows everything he needs to going forward. The last thing you'd want to do is drive a wedge between you two."

"I'd sooner go back home," Anri muttered dejectedly. "I just wished so, so hard that he could go his whole life without knowing any of this."

"What matters now is how you deal with it, and how you deal with him. You're a smart woman, Anri. You'll figure out what to do."

Anri did not respond, but raised her glass to her lips again and took a long swig. She held it for a moment in her hand, watching the bubbles and ice float around, listening to the calming music and idle chatter of the other customers. Clear, coherent, complex thoughts were mostly lost on her as she tried to mull over the events of the day and what Anri had said, but it was the knowledge that sometime very soon she would have to reveal all to her son that weighed heaviest on her heart. The mere understanding that such a time was coming felt like a crushing failure on her part as a mother, so much so that she barely registered the crashing sound outside that caused everyone else to jump and yelp.

It sounded like a car had collided with another car, or a wall. People screamed in fright outside, and Anri could tell that most, if not all the terrified pedestrians, ran away in fear. The customers immediately darted to the back of the seating area away from the door, but Anri did not budge.

"Oh god," Kiyomi muttered. "Is it happening? Are they here?"

Anri's grip on her glass tightened, her knuckled paling before the door swung open, slamming against the wall, and in strode six men in their late teens to mid-twenties wearing thuggish clothing and brandishing thuggish grins. Kiyomi ducked behind her bar reflexively, but Anri yet did not move. "They won't be for long," she murmured to her friend.

One thug at the front, a young man with a stocky figure and bruises on his jaw and left eye, was crassly conversing with his compatriots, but stopped mid-sentence when he looked over to the bar. "Well, ain't this the fuckin' shit?" he smirked at Anri's back. "I'd remember that figure anywhere. It's the old bitch that gave me this fucking black eye! I was hoping I'd get to introduce my boys to you, Momma!"

Anri's eye twitched.

"What the hell are you doing back here!?" Kiyomi exclaimed. "Haven't you scumbags done enough damage to mine and everyone else's homes!?"

"Oh no, lady, not nearly enough at all," he swung a baseball bat around in front of his face before driving it downward into a coffee table, shattering the elegant marble. "See, our boss wants this wretched little town to finally have a bit of excitement to indulge in for the first time since it was fucking built. And he's the baddest motherfucker this side of Kansai, so we're more than happy to give him what he wants, since it also means we get to indulge ourselves plenty. Ain't that right, boys?" The other young men nodded and chortled in agreement. "But before we get to the real festivities, how about all of you old fucks empty your wallets and put 'em right here at our feet. And you, barmaid, unlock your cash register, or we'll have to break the pretty thing open!"

"Everyone out the back," Anri interrupted him, still not looking back at the thugs. "Kiyomi, get the door and get everyone out."

"Okay," she did not even hesitate amidst the dire situation. One younger thug tried to stop her by charging her with a pipe, but Anri met his gaze mid-swing, and his whole body froze up, giving Kiyomi time to leave everyone out.

"Y-you got some kind of problem, lady!?" the thug blurted out. "We really gotta ruin that pretty face of yours tonight?"

Anri slowly stood up, clenching her fists which elicited a threatening crack in the knuckles. She looked to the leader, one of the young thugs she had beaten up before when they first accosted Kiyomi's bar, and beckoned him forward with a wave of her finger and a fiery, menacing glower.

"Oh, you got some real fuckin' nerve," he grimaced, tightening his grip on his bat. "After the shit you pulled last time, fine, I'll take the first swing." He started his charge. "DIE, YOU BI—"

The motion was untraceable, but the sound and effect were unmissable. An impact, strong and swift, and the thug leader was sent flying back out of the doorway and onto the sidewalk before he realized what had happened. All the air had left his lungs, and he could only see the blurry image of his friends cowering in fear in the doorway as Anri stood up from a shoulder-forward body-block stance, walked to the door, and slowly closed it, never letting him out of her sight until the door closed. One of his boys screamed, and then there were the sounds of a fight for a few seconds. Someone was thrown against the door with a crash, another slammed against the wall from the other side. A few more punches, screams of pain, and all fell silent on the other side od the door. Then it opened again, and she walked out, towering over him as he crawled away.

Footsteps approached from the right. More thugs running over to their companion, ignoring Anri as they helped him up.

"Holy shit, man, what the fuck happened!?" shouted one as they lifted him up.

"Ergh, this bitch clocked all my guys!" he pointed to her furiously.

"What?" asked another thug. "No way! Just this one hot momma?"

Anri spoke up, "Wanna find out?"

The group of five young men chuckled to themselves in disbelief of her behavior and his claims. "Yeah, yeah, alright," said one wearing sunglasses. "Guess we'll play your stupid little game. Or if you strip and show us the goods, we might let you walk with your legs in tact!" They all guffawed and egged her on in agreement at that. Anri did not break her steely demeanor, ignoring them to pull out and light a cigarette. She looked up to the sky, a small puff of smoke floating out from behind her lips, which only agitated the young men more.

The thug cried out in anger and rushed her, but Anri flicked her upward, flinging the cigarette out of her mouth, and it struck the thug directly on the cheek, burning him. He stopped in his tracks and put his hand to his cheek to quell the searing pain, and did not notice Anri walk up to him until she grabbed him by the shirt, cried out herself, and headbutted him between the eyes, shattering his sunglasses and sending him careening to the ground.

The other thugs backed off in shock as Anri cracked her knuckles and neck, shaking out her hands as she hopped thrice, psyching herself up as she had when she was young. "Not your lucky day," she muttered, adopting the Dragon stance before all her adversaries, and feeling a mighty heat well up within her for the first time in so many years. It was fainter than she remembered it being, but there was no mistaking the sensation. Someone was messing with her home, and it was time to take out the trash.

GANG MEMBERS

The thugs tried to steel themselves for their own attack, but Anri struck first without hesitation. Three strikes at the biggest one, then a front kick to the gut, followed by a flawless transition into a mighty roundhouse kick that knocked him clean off his feet. One tried to come at her from behind with a metal pipe, but she caught the weapon out of the air, wrenched it away from him in a flash and used the centrifugal momentum to further empower another roundhouse kick, which she followed by throwing the pipe at another assailant like a javelin, striking him directly in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

Two more came at her. Two more were cast to the ground. She fought like a woman possessed, the years of training with her son having kept her movements and senses sharpened, though not nearly as much as when she was young, nor nearly as strong. But it was enough to fend off these miscreants that endangered her friend, her home. The thugs had never seen anything like it before, and soon all but one were laying on the ground in a daze.

The last one was the first she had fought, regaining his strength one more time. Anri noticed how he was standing next to a metal hitching post for bikes, about a meter high, and she had a cheeky idea. For, as she had told her son many times, there are few weapons stronger in a fight than one's own environment. As he readied an attack of his own, Anri rushed him quick as the wind, grabbed him by the throat, and forced his bodyweight down backward directly into the top point of the post. He let out a high-pitched howl as he hopped around, clinging his hands to his butt and crotch before collapsing to the ground. Anri could swear she heard barley repressed sobs escaping him.

She brushed her now messed up hair out of her eyes, impressed with the fact that she felt barely any exhaustion despite having not been in a fight in so long, and her age. She shook out her arms and turned back toward the city, hearing more cries of people in a panic. Her instincts overtook her, not thinking as to who or why this gang was attacking her home, but simply that they must be shown the error of their ways. The who and why could come later…

…

The small beef bowl joint, Aiya, was bustling as usual when the friends arrived. The smell of succulent ramen, beef, vegetables, and sushi permeated the air as the group was offered bar seating. Well, what few of them could be sat at the bar. Akira was one of the lucky ones able to be sat at the bar, alongside Yu. While his former schoolmate, a nice but quiet and blunt girl named Aika, was making their meals, she finally looked up from her diligent work to see that Akira was sitting before her.

"Oh, hey, Kurusu," she said flatly, the cadence with which she chopped some vegetables never diminishing even when she was not looking at it at all. "When did you get back?"

"Today, actually. We just had to get some of the old reliable food, you know?"

"Thanks for coming by. Are they your friends too?" she looked over his shoulder.

"Yup. Guests. Treat them nice, huh?"

"Of course," she nodded, expressionless. "The usual for you?"

"Please."

"Just a moment, it'll be right out."

And indeed, in just a moment, before him was a medium beef bowl with extra vegetables, steaming hot and with a scent calling to him like a song from his childhood. He took a slow, succulent bite, savoring the familiar flavoring, and immediately felt his belly, chest, and face warm with oh so savory nostalgia and comfort.

"Damn, this is great!" Ryuji exclaimed from down the bar. "This beef is fantastic! Way better than even the restaurants in Kamurocho."

Haru was sat at a table behind them with the other girls, having ordered a vegetable and tofu bowl. She took a deep breath in, smelling the perfectly marinated meat. "Heavens, that would be dangerous for me to eat," she muttered.

"How come?" asked Chie, mouth full of beef already.

Haru looked down to her lap. "I fear I'd maintain even less control of my figure if I let myself indulge in that. I have a problem with it as is."

"Who told you that?" Chie replied emphatically. "You have a gorgeous figure, Haru! And don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"

"Certainly," added Yukiko with less exuberance but no less conviction. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Okumura-san. You shouldn't be afraid to enjoy some delicious food."

Ann added from beside Haru in a caring voice, "They're right, you have nothing to worry about, Haru. You deserve to do whatever you like without fretting over other people's dumb opinions."

"Who was it!?" Chie exclaimed. "Some asshole boyfriend, I'll bet," she stuffed another mouthful of beef in her mouth. "Jush poin' me 'is direction!" she slurred through her full mouth. "I'll show 'im what for, you can count on it!" she swallowed the meat loudly with an impassioned glare.

"Thank you, dearly, but please," Haru smiled awkwardly, "there's no need for violence. It's… already been taken care of, I think. He can't… hurt me from…" she trailed off, looking down at her food. Her frown faded in an instant and was replaced with a look of determination. "One large beef bowl, please!" she called to Aika.

"Coming right up," the girl replied flatly.

"That's the spirit!" Chie exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "Screw that guy enjoy the finer things in life! Though, uh, don't actually screw him, Haru. He doesn't deserve it and never will."

"Here here!" Makoto raised her chopsticks in the air, and the rest followed suit.

At the bar seating, Akira was slowly eating his meal, noticeably lost in thought. Yu looked to him and asked, "How are you holding up, man?"

"Hmm?"

"You get some rest at the hotel?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I feel a lot better now, thanks."

"That's good to hear." He looked to their shared friend group and the new additions. "They seem like great people. I'm glad you were able to make some friends while doing, uh, all that stuff."

Akira nodded, swallowing some beef and greens. "Yeah, definitely. Were it not for them, I don't know what would have happened. And they really are great people, Yu. I wouldn't have brought them here if I didn't trust them."

"I believe you."

"And they needed it. We all did."

"We saw some of it on the news over the past couple days. I still can hardly believe you were involved in all that."

"Me too, honestly. What all happened is hard for me to believe even today, and there's… stuff that didn't even make it to the news."

"Like what?"

Akira sighed. "A lot of—" He cut himself off, grunting and holding his head for a moment.

"Whoa, you alright, Akira?" Yu pressed him. "What's wrong."

"It's nothing," Akira snapped back. He breathed out and shook his head side to side, then rubbed his temples. "It's nothing, just a headache."

"That didn't look like—"

"Not now, Yu," Akira interrupted him.

Yu was taken slightly aback, then looked back to his beef bowl. "Sorry," he said, not thinking of anything else to say.

Akira became visibly more angry, but only with himself. "No, I am. I'm sorry."

Kamoshida's voice finally subsided, along with the migraines.

"Whoa, look," Kanji spoke up, pointing to the TV hanging over the bar. "Holy shit, is that…"

A male newscaster spoke as a picture of a late-middle aged man with massive front teeth and a thinning comb over appeared beside him. "Tonight, Kinishiro Morooka, retired teacher at Yasogami High School, was accused of sexual battery by a former student of the high school who has elected to remain anonymous."

"What the hell!?" Yosuke exclaimed. "King Moron!? No way!"

"Who, or what, the hell is that?" asked Ryuji.

Yu explained, "One of our former teachers at high school. We called him King Moron cuz he was… um…"

"An asshole?" Akira added.

"That's one way of saying it."

The newscaster continued, "The victim claims that the former teacher repeatedly touched her inappropriately while extremely intoxicated at a bus stop near her place of employment. It was late at night, and he had been ejected from the store due to becoming a nuisance to the customers and employees on account of his drunkenness. When the victim left work after her shift, he found her at the nearby bus stop and attempted to assault her when three of her coworkers found her and chased him off before calling the police. Both the victim and other witnesses claim that Morooka fled while spouting tasteless insults their way and was apprehended not long after. He was held overnight at the police station but was allowed to return home in the morning under constant surveillance. He will be appearing in court next Thursday, though multiple witness accounts as well as video evidence provided by the place of employment leaves predictions regarding the case strongly in the victim's favor."

"Guess he was more of an asshole than we thought," said Kanji.

"The victim was gracious enough to allow a brief interview regarding the incident, and she had this to say."

The scene changed to a blurred and silhouetted young woman speaking into a microphone in a modulated voice. "I mean, he always knew he was a surly drunk," she said in a shaky voice, "but I never thought he was this bad. When I told him to leave me alone, he called me a whore and said this was what I deserved. He said some things about never liking me in school, but I couldn't make out much of it since he was so drunk. He's a dangerous man and deserves to be put behind bars."

Yosuke's eyes widened in shock. "Holy shit, that's Saki Konishi!"

"Wait, the stocker girl at Junes?" Kanji asked. "That's her?"

"It's gotta be! I recognize the silhouette, and while I wasn't there last night since I had the night off, I heard about King Moron coming in and acting up when I went into work this morning. I even saw on her punches that she left an hour early, and she didn't come into work today. It must have been her."

"That's awful," said Yu.

"Did you get to see the security videos?" asked Akira.

"No, the police must have already gotten a hold of them last night. Narukami, your uncle is on the force. Has he said anything about it?"

"Not that I know of. I haven't gotten to see him today, though he was at work longer than usual, so it's probably because of Morooka."

"Tch, that bastard," Kanji gritted his teeth. "He already treated all of us like shit, and now he goes and pulls this? Hell yeah, Konishi-san," he raised his glass of water up, "let King Moron rot in a cell!"

Ryuji added, "I don't know either of those people, but I'll drink to that," and he took a commemorative swig of his water.

"Simply tragic," said Yusuke. "I hope she's alright."

"I'll have to check on her next time I see her," said Yosuke.

Akira leaned his chin on his hand. "Another fucking deviant," he muttered. "At least the cops can handle this one."

The bell at the entrance door rang, followed by the door slamming against the wall, grabbing everyone's attention instantly. A middle-aged man frantically cried out, "Get out of here! Evacuate the restaurant! They're coming!"

"What the hell?" Ryuji muttered.

The man screamed and down the street, and they could see more townspeople frantically fleeing through the windows. Not wasting time asking any more questions, Akira leapt from his seat and dashed for the door. "Wait—Akira!" Yu called after him, giving chase.

Akira barreled through the door and emerged outside, quickly followed by all his friends. Naoto asked the obvious, "What the heck is going on out here!"

Down the street was a group of thugs terrorizing and beating pedestrians, breaking into parked cars, and chasing women down alleys. "What the hell is this!?" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Did I miss anything, guys?" Akira asked.

"We don't know—" Chie started. "Wait, is this related to that gang attack a last week?"

"If they are, then they've made the worst mistake of their lives," Kanji cracked his knuckles. "Let's get these assholes bent!"

"Back inside, everyone," Akira commanded. "I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"And leave you to fend for yourself?" asked Yu. "No way. Besides," he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at their friends, "numbers advantage, right?"

Akira thought over it for a moment, then heard the group of thugs getting closer. "If you're sure about this."

Kasumi stretched her arms over her head. "Looks like vacation is already over, huh?"

"I guess so. Rise, take Futaba back inside and anyone else who wants to sit this one out. No one's getting hurt tonight."

"That might be a good idea," said Rise. "I was never the best fighter out of our friends. C'mon, Futaba-chan, let's find a good seat."

Futaba pulled on Akira's shoulder. "Be careful," she whispered to him. He nodded with a soft smile, and they fled back into Aiya.

Ryuji patted his right fist against his left palm. "I wonder if they've ever had to fight some real fuckin' yakuza before," he smirked brashly.

"Whatever they are," Makoto raised her fists, "we've fought worse."

"And we're no pushovers either," said Yosuke. "We can pull our weight, don't worry!"

Chie started bouncing back and forth, psyching herself up like a boxer. "Gonna punt these dickheads all the way out of town! Booyah!"

Akira stood up straight and cracked his neck side to side, then slowly adopted the Dragon stance. He guessed he would not likely even need his Heat for this fight, which would at least mean that such a difficult conversation could wait a little longer. "Everyone ready?" He faced down the charging thugs, and everyone else seemed inspired by his strength, adopting their own fighting stances. The thugs seemed entertained by their defensive display and started swaggering up to them aggressively. "You want a fight?" Akira asked them. "Then step right up. LET'S ROCK, BABY!"

[Reviews are always appreciated.]