Chapter 12

Ride the Fire

Akira walked out onto the riverbank as dawn broke over the tree line, and as expected, there sat Sotaro Komaki, cross-legged and looking out over the water meditatively. Some fish swam downstream as waterfowl congregated on the opposite bank, quacking and chirping energetically.

"You've arrived," Sotaro said without looking at him. "I see you have not forgotten our arrangement."

"Been a busy couple days. And it's about to get a lot busier. Sorry."

Sotaro nodded and stood to his feet. He stretched his back and cracked his neck with a content sigh. "Will you see your mission through, Kurusu?" he asked seriously, his face stony and scrutinizing the younger martial artist. "Do you still swear, after all you have seen of his band, that you will set these things right?"

Akira clenched his fists and nodded resolutely. "I will. I swear."

The slightest bit of a smile sneaked to the old man's withered face, beneath his wise yet tired eyes. "Then we will continue." Sotaro adopted his fighting stance, and Akira assumed the Dragon stance. "Today, young man, you will be taught the ways of the Tiger Drop, the Komaki school's most precious technique. Only by mastering this technique will you be able to best my grandson and save your town."

"I'm ready," Akira declared, cracking his own neck as his gaze narrowed on his teacher.

"You have already experienced it once before. Tell me how you believe the Tiger Drop works."

"It's a counter, thrown just as your opponent's attack is about to land to maximize the impact force, right?"

"Correct."

"Focused on the center of the body between the core and lungs. Perfect for either incapacitation or dramatically weakening the opponent in an instant."

"That's right. You understand the technique theoretically. Now you will learn how to apply it. Steel yourself, young man, and come at me."

Akira knew this was about to hurt. A lot. But he focused, readied himself, planning to bait out the counter, anticipate it and maneuver to a more advantageous position. "Here goes," he muttered, and charged.

He expected Sotaro to counter on the first punch, but two punches in, and nothing. Akira pivoted back threw out an extended kick from a safer distance, but Sotaro only weaved out of the way, readying his own attack. Akira determined this was more than just a demonstration of one technique and blocked the attack, then the following two. He moved forward, pushing with his braced leg and spotted a brief opening. He took advantage of it, his instincts taking over, and aimed his punch directly for Sotaro's chest. But he barely perceived the old man crouching down, and then only the breath being knocked out of his lungs.

Akira stumbled backward, keeping his footing but clutching his chest as he tried to regain his breath. It had not been a strong attack, just enough to stun him, but he knew it was the same technique that Sosuke had used on him, just held back considerably. He looked up as he could finally straighten himself out from being hunched over in pain, and Sotaro was crossing his arms as if the sparring had never happened.

"You were attempting to coax out my counter. Very good. But you lost control and pushed the advantage immediately upon it being opened. I imagine you did the exact same thing with my grandson."

"I can't hold back every attack just to anticipate one counter," Akira protested. "I have to take the offensive at some point."

"Yes, you do. That's why you must make sure your opponent does not hold such power over you with one technique; why you must learn to utilize it, and use it against them. Turn their greatest strengths against them. Surely you learned that from your teacher."

"Yeah, right," he nodded. "She did. So, how do you use this technique anyway?"

"I will come at you this time, and I won't stop until you successfully counter me. Wait for the window to open, the throw a short, fast punch at my center of mass at the last possible moment. All my strength will be turned against me. And even if it does not cripple your opponent, it will at least leave them entirely open for your own assault."

"Understood."

"Excellent. Now prepare." Sotaro got into his fighting stance and they lunged at each other again. Strikes, kicks, blocks; they fought in perfect rhythm with each other. Akira made better use of Sotaro's small windows of opportunity, pressing his advantage when wise to do so and pulling back when the scales just slightly shifted, and the old man found himself under pressure. He threw a feint that flowed like water into a great punch coming down from overhead, but Akira recognized the motion instantly. And in a flash, barely a blink, he lowered his stance and punched from his own center of mass, connecting right with Sotaro's… elbow, which he had raised to block the attempted Tiger Drop.

And again, Akira then found himself on the ground, pain throbbing in his temple.

"A good attempt," Sotaro said sternly. "But you focused too much on anticipating the opportunity than seizing upon it. Your mind may have been ready, but your body was not."

"Yeah, I got that," Akira groaned, rubbing his head. "Alright, again?"

"Until you succeed, yes. Again."

This continued for some time, with some attempts getting far closer to a perfect Tiger Drop, and some missing entirely. Yet Komaki noticed that Akira did not give up nor get discouraged no matter how many times he came up short. He grew to anticipate the timing better, react with greater accuracy, and get his aim closer and closer to Komaki's chest. "Getting tired, old man?" Akira taunted. "You're slowing."

"Not a bit. You're just getting faster."

"Hell yeah, I am," Akira smirked, and they engaged each other again.

It was four more attempts, as the town began to awake while the morning dragged on, when Akira finally saw the perfect opportunity, adopted the proper stance, and struck with excellent force. Sotaro was not flung back like Akira had been, nor did he crumble to the ground, but he did stop mid-punch, briefly stunned, allowing Akira to follow up with a mighty strike accompanied by what one none the wiser may have believed to be a small, localized clap of thunder. Sotaro stumbled backward with a surprised groan, clutching his chest as he slowly stood up. Akira watched to see if he had gotten too enthusiastic with his attack, but Sotaro just shook his muscles, cracked his neck, and smiled approvingly.

"Well done, pupil," he nodded. "Well done indeed. That was an excellent Tiger Drop. Not quite the strength needed to cripple my grandson, but a mighty blow, nonetheless. A less experienced opponent would have keeled over entirely, maybe even ending the match right there."

"That was…" Akira looked down at his fist, throbbing with discomfort from punching a man so hard in the sternum, yet he was not dissuaded by it. "Incredible. How did you even develop a technique like that?"

"By fighting men far bigger than me and needing a way to turn the tide in my favor. Just happens to be effective against virtually all combatants when applied properly."

"I can see that. And feel it," Akira shook out his hand. He looked to the horizon, recognizing that more time had passed than he realized, and it was likely about time for everyone to wake and prepare for the coming operation. "Wish I had time to train more, but unfortunately, I have to go chase after your grandson more today. But thank you, sir, truly, for teaching me this technique. I already believe it will be invaluable," he bowed respectfully, and Sotaro did the same.

"Apply the Tiger Drop when you can, but do not rely on it yet. You have only gotten a grasp on the fundamentals of the technique; it would be remarkably foolish to attempt it in most fights at this time."

"I understand. I'll be exceedingly careful with it, though it may be good to get some use out of it in the field if possible. Just to see how it really fairs."

"As with the Tiger Drop itself, if the opportunity opens itself to you, seize upon it, but do not go looking for such things. Going into a fight with your main goal being to test out a new technique is a near guarantee of defeat, or worse."

"I understand, sir. Thank you. With all due respect, I must be going now. I'll keep you updated if we find anything else about your grandson."

"See that you do, boy. And be careful. Even his acolytes could prove a challenge for many strong warriors." They bowed to each other once more and Akira took his leave. Sotaro stayed behind, looking out over the water in quite contemplation for a moment. He wondered, as he had many times, whether it may truly be fruitful to settle the matter with his grandson on his own, to just have the whole business done with. He certainly could; Sosuke was not so strong last they fought as to defeat him. But This was about more than just strength or prowess, but about familial healing. And no healing would be had if he treated the boy like the child he behaved as.

…

Yosuke looked out the window sullenly, hands behind his back, as he absorbed what Yukiko had just told him and the others. He shook his head and leaned against the window sill, his fingers clenching the wood until the knuckles went pale and flared with pain, though he did not care. "Saki…?" he asked in a murmur. "This monster got her too?"

Yukiko stood before her friends with her hands clasped in front of her respectfully, as if her own demure posture was holding the situation together, and releasing it would cause it to fall out from under their feet. Part of it also was her own caring and soft nature, honed by her many years working at her family's inn. She learned long ago that a hospitable spirit and a softened voice could go a long way in relieving a tense situation. "I'm afraid so, Yosuke. I saw it on the TV, and there was no mistaking it. Few details seem to have been published yet, but it's certainly the work of the same creep who killed Morooka. I'm sorry, Yosuke."

Yosuke could hardly call Saki Konishi a "friend", per se, being not much more than an older girl he had once crushed over before he and Chie stumbled into each other's arms. But despite their differences, and her own animosity toward him at first as she believed Junes was poaching customers from her family's brick and mortar liquor store, he still felt some affinity for her, especially once they had buried the hatchet when Junes started offering stocking and advertising deals to local businesses. Konishi Liquor had been the first to accept as a sign of peace between the companies.

"We need to investigate this," Yosuke finally said. "Whoever is doing this has shown a pattern of cruelty that we can't just look past. Who knows who might be next? Maybe even one of us."

Naoto spoke up, "This is absolutely concerning. We should not take this lightly, everyone. And to my knowledge, the police have been spread pretty thin in heir attempt to quell the riots to the point that they have only been able to allocate minimal resources to this mysterious killer. The local police have never seen anything to the magnitude of Komaki's uprising; figures that they would be on the backfoot already."

Makoto added, "Is it possible the two events are linked? I mean, it doesn't exactly match the M.O. of the rioters, but the first murder occurred only the day before the riot started, right? It's quite the coincidence."

"And Saki was on the TV being interviewed about the incident, right?" Yu asked. "Morooka was harassing her before he was killed. We saw it when we all went out to eat."

"And now she's dead to," said Yosuke. "Almost like the interview was some kind of signal to the killer. We can't assume these events to be coincidences."

"Certainly not," said Naoto. "There's too much lining up already. The place of the murder was near her home, right?"

"Yeah. Her family lives right by her parents' store, so it's likely it was right between the two spots." Yosuke turned to look at Akira. "Look, bro, I know this whole thing with Komaki is our main priority right now, but I'm wondering if it might be good for us to split up and investigate both events. There's no telling when this killer, whoever he is, may strike next."

"Are you sure it won't put us in his line of fire?" Akira asked, arms crossed. "I'm not saying you shouldn't do it; I'm just making sure we're not taking any unnecessary risks."

"So long as we're not broadcasting ourselves on television, I can't imagine that we'd be in much danger. There's always the possibility that the killer is just some ordinary citizen skulking around, but if we focused on that, we'd never be able to leave the hotel."

Akira nodded, and everyone else seemed agreeable with his position. "That's a good point, Yosuke. You've thought this through pretty quickly."

"I get the feeling we're under the gun now," he replied, his expression turning to a glare. "Can't waste any time paralyzed by the unknown."

"Damn straight," said Kanji, standing up from the floor confidently. Cracking his knuckles, he said, "Just another ass to kick, right guys? I agree with Yosuke. We should split up into two groups, kill two birds with one stone."

"All in favor?" Akira asked the group. All raised their hands, Kanji's air of confidence seeming to spread to all of them. "None opposed then. Alright, everybody, who wants to come with me to the fight and who wants to check out the crime scene?"

Ryuji stood up. "I'm right behind you."

"Same here," said Ann.

"Respectfully," said Futaba, "I might feel better staying in town. I'm not much of a fighter, if it comes to it."

"That's understandable. Anyone else?"

Yusuke, Haru, and Kasumi offered as well.

Chie spoke up, "I feel like I should still go the tournament, Akira. Just in case you need some extra backup."

"With that," said Makoto, "I will stay with the investigation team. I have experience dealing in police issues and can offer physical support if required."

Yu added, "If we'll be interacting with the police, it might be good for me to stay behind to keep things smoothed over with my uncle."

"Same for me," said Naoto. "Looks like it might be advantageous for your yakuza friends to stay with you, Akira, and we investigate the murder with Sakura-chan."

"If that's how it's gotta be," Akira nodded. "Terasawa, you about ready to head out?"

"You know it. Should still have enough people to execute our plan. Alright, let's get this shit over with."

The groups split up by assignment, looking to each other.

Rise spoke up, "Just stay safe, everyone," she addressed Akira's group. "Don't do anything reckless, at least while we're not there to back you up."

"Thanks, Rise," said Akira with a smile. "You guys keep on your guard too. We'll follow up when we get back in the evening. Now, let's all kick some ass."

They said their goodbyes with confidence and set out, with Akira's team heading to his house to find his mother, who happened to be waiting on the front porch in anticipation. "Ready?" she asked her son as they approached.

"Seems like it."

"Where's the others?"

"Change of plans. They'll be looking into the, uh, incident last night."

Anri pursed her lips. "The Konishi thing, right? They better not do anything stupid."

"Same goes for us, doesn't it?"

"That's for sure," she smirked. "Alright, load up, everybody," she gestured toward her car. "Make sure you've all stretched."

…

Their destination was not terribly far outside of town, though Terasawa's directions, while accurate, were quite obtuse. Made sense that the ruffians would not want their secret fighting ground to be found so easily, but it did make the journey somewhat stressful.

They found themselves at what seemed to be an old farm lot with only a lone couple of buildings set before a large field, isolated away from the rest of the town. Cars were parked on the lawn in front of and on the sides of what seemed to be a large barn or storage shed.

"This really the place?" asked Ryuji. "Looks like a dump."

"Inconspicuous, huh?" Terasawa replied. "This is definitely the place. Let's move." They exited the car and approached the barn with nothing but the sound of the breeze blowing through the field to greet them. "Should be in the barn," Terasawa continued. "If I'd guess, there's probably a big mean bouncer in there who won't be too happy about strangers approaching them."

"So we act like we're here for the show," said Ann, "and if he doesn't like that, we just knock him out?"

"Now you're thinking like a yakuza," said Ryuji, smirking.

Akira said, "Let's try to cause as little trouble as possible before we even get into the venue, alright?"

"This is gonna be a long day," Kasumi muttered.

Sure enough, upon entering the barn, a young man of imposing stature stood before another large door, arms crossed and brow furrowed toward them. "Private event," he bellowed. "No invite, no service."

"I know the organizer," said Akira. "I'm here to see the fight."

"And you are?"

"Someone who knows Sosuke."

The young man raised his eyebrow. "Wasn't told to expect no friends."

Terasawa spoke up, "We're friends with more than just him. We're just here to see the fight, specifically with Akihiko."

"Yeah? You a fan of his?"

Ann replied in a girlish tone, "Oh my gawd, totally! He's, like, a total dreamboat! I've wanted to see him for so long and he's finally in the area! So will you pwetty pleeeease let us by to see him?" she batted her eyelashes his way.

Following suit, Kasumi said in a similar tone, "I think I would actually die if I didn't see him today. My heart couldn't take it!"

The bouncer looked to Akira, who seemed particularly unflapped by their display. "They're fangirls. What are you gonna do, right?"

The bouncer smirked at him then caught Anri's gaze. "And who are you? A fan? A chaperone?"

"A challenger," she replied sternly. "Heard this was an open match. I'm participating."

"Really? You!? Look, lady, I don't know if that's a good idea. You really wanna throw out your back fighting some kids?"

She appeared before him in a flash, shutting him up as she glowered down at him. His heart suddenly began to race before he even realized that he was now awash in her shadow. "You wanna find out?" she muttered.

The bouncer composed himself and chuckled. "Oh, they're gonna like you down there. Oh yes, they will."

"Then don't keep them waiting, asshole."

"Alright, geez!" He turned around and unbarred the door behind him. "Try not to get too pissed with the guests, alright? You want them to root for you, don't you?"

"Who said I cared if they rooted for me?" She walked by him with head held high and back and shoulders straight, imposing.

Akira walked up to him as the bouncer shrunk back away from the woman. "That's my mom," Akira said proudly. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," the bouncer nodded awkwardly. "She's something else."

The group walked past him quickly, descending into a dank old stairwell. Yusuke stopped, looking around at the barn, to say, "A nice pastoral pastiche, would you agree?"

"What?"

"Quite the quaint yet cozy environ. I hope your ruffian brethren have not damaged it anymore than you lot already have damaged the innocent city."

"Just get the fuck out of my face, you skinny prick."

"Touchy, aren't we?" Yusuke shrugged and caught up to his friends.

Haru chuckled, saying, "You might want to run though. We have a tendency for getting rowdy. Don't say we didn't warn you."

The bouncer watched them walk away in utter disbelief. "I don't get paid enough for this shit," he muttered apathetically.

Excited, bloodthirsty cheers emanated from further down the cellar. They came out into some kind of bar lounge, young men and women surrounding a central ring and cheering as the male combatants duked it out. Well, duking it out would be a generous description, as the reality showed a massive man in his twenties pummeling a smaller man to the ground then flinging him over his shoulder by the leg, much to the joy of the onlookers.

"You know," Ryuji remarked, "this might not be so bad. We can even get a drink here."

"Don't forget the mission," Terasawa reminded him. "Let's find my sister as fast as we can. Kurusu-san," he addressed Anri, "you ready to fight?"

"Once we find the MC, definitely." She watched the massive man showboat after punching his opponent in the gut, causing him to crumple to the ground. "Easy," she said.

"Are you sure?" asked Haru. "He's huge!"

"He is," Anri said plainly. She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. "It will be no issue, if I have to face him. He's big, so he's slow, and he's dumb."

Haru and Ann looked at her in awe. "C-can you adopt me?" Haru whispered absentmindedly.

"Hmm?" Anri looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" Haru blushed and looked away, trying to repress the embarrassment welling inside her. She cursed herself vilely, by her standards, internally.

"Oh. Okay." She spied a young man by the metal gate that acted as an entrance to the ring; he jotted down some frantic scribbles before adjusting his gaudy, gold-rimmed glasses. The lavish ensemble look he had represented some kid's idea of a pimp or loan shark, which she found quaint at best. "Hey," she spoke sternly over the crowd. The young man looked up at her face, then down at her breasts, then back up to her. She glowered vilely at him. "Is this where I sign up?" she asked curtly.

"Uh, are you a member of the gang, uh, lady?" he asked, adjusting his glasses again.

"No. But I want to fight. Is this where I sign up?"

The young man looked up and down her body again. She repressed her desire to exert her strength before she was in the ring. "May I have a name?"

"Anri."

"Anri what?"

"Anri 'get me on the list or be the first to get knocked out'." Damn, it's been years since I've been able to act the yakuza big shot. I forgot how much fun it is, even if he can't take his eyes off my tits. Good thing I wore a binding.

The young man took a half step back as her eyes bored into his soul, exuding a shocking power. "You'll be up after this match," he finally said. "The original next contestant ducked out when he saw his opponent." He glanced over at the tall, monstrously built man that continued to pummel his much smaller opponent with seemingly little effort. "Egashira there is so far undefeated." He turned back to Anri. "And you think you can actually beat him?"

Anri looked at the man called Egashira with a raised eyebrow. He wore surprisingly nice clothing for a fight: a sport coat over an expensive undershirt, slacks that matched the coat, and a fedora with a gold and gray banner along the base. He was easily twice her weight, if not more, seeming in his mid to late twenties and sporting a physique more resembling a gorilla than a man, with a brutish and uncoordinated fighting style to match. Given his wild, sloppy, overexerting style, she surmised that he relies entirely on his physical strength to overpower opponents while shrugging off their own offensives. "Yeah, he'll be down for the count when I'm done," she said flatly.

"Oh ho, quite confident, aren't we? You some kind of former martial arts competitor or something?"

"Something like that. I'll fight him."

"Well, fuckin' a! Just stay right here and you'll be on in—" the smaller fighter's desperate, pained cries followed by pleading for mercy cut him off, "just a couple minutes."

"Good." She crossed her arms and watched Egashira march around the arena showboating for the crowd. "However, I've heard about this one fighter you supposedly have here: Akihiko. Is he on the list?"

"Oh, you ask dangerous questions, lady. Hardly anyone wants to fuck with Aki. Egashira is basically here to weed out the wannabes so Akihiko can find a real opponent to fight."

"Just another reason to kick his ass. I'm ready."

The attendant looked behind him to see the smaller fighter being hauled away by two other men, his bruised and bleeding body completely limp as Egashira adjusted his suit. "Are you sure you're ready?" the young man asked her.

"Just open the ring."

"Yes, Ma'am." He entered the ring as Akira and his friends were making their way through the stands.

Terasawa surveyed the area, keeping his mask on and ignoring the confused stares that came as a result of it. "Wait," he suddenly spoke up, stopping his friends. "Look, I think that's Emi," he pointed across the room to a makeshift box seating looking over the ring. A group of men and women surrounded a man with white hair sitting in an expensive leather chair like a throne; he watched the parading gorilla of a fighter intently, resting his chin on his hand in thought. He wore only a cloth jacket over his torso, and was obviously very built. Beside him knelt a young woman with red hair, massaging his arm and shoulder with looks of adoration toward him that he seemed not to notice as he sipped a glass of wine.

"That's gotta be her," Terasawa said. "And that's definitely Akihiko."

"Looks like a tough cookie," Ryuji muttered.

Akira said, "He might be half the size of the other guy, but he looks a lot more controlled. Probably got that box seat for a reason."

"He's a monster when he wants to be," said Terasawa. "I've known some people who have seen his fights. The guy could lay out most pros."

Ann asked Akira, "You think your mom will be alright if she had to fight him?"

Akira nodded. "Absolutely. She's got her own tricks up her sleeve that even he can't contend with."

"I hope you're right," Kasumi muttered.

"What's the plan?" Yusuke asked.

Terasawa explained, "Wait until the venue is distracted and make our way over there. When Akihiko comes down to fight, and I'm sure he will when Akira's mom wins, we swoop in and talk to Emi."

"At least we get a nice show beforehand," said Haru. "Just be on your guard, everyone. We're in the lion's den, after all."

"Hey, look," Kasumi interjected, "Kurusu-san is getting ready to fight, I think."

The attendant took to the ring causing the crowd to begin cheering again, excited for the next bloody beatdown at the hands of Egashira. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he declared with a showman's candor. "We have a new mysterious challenger to introduce you to all, one who promises that she – and you heard that right – will be able to utterly annihilate our heavyweight champion, Egashira!" The crowd cheered once more. Akihiko seemed slightly more interested now. "I hope you're all ready for a hell of a show! Please give it up for our newest combatant, Anri!"

The crowd immediately went wild when they saw the beautiful mature woman take to the ring, strutting forth confidently to stand opposite the massive Egashira. Anri noted that he looked even bigger at this closer proximity but felt no more apprehension at fighting this big, shaved ape.

Egashira sized her up as well, seeming confused yet also unimpressed.

"What?" she asked curtly. "Don't tell me you have reservations about fighting a woman."

In a deep yet plain voice, he responded, "I don't give a damn what you have in your pants as long as you can fight. Can you?"

"Wouldn't be here if I couldn't."

"Most who say that to me think they can take on the world after only three karate classes."

"Jokes on you. I've taken four."

Egashira chuckled just as slowly as he moved. "Oh, you'll be a fun one then. Just don't start crying or pulling the woman card when I pummel you into the earth."

"What a strong man you are," Anri smirked. "So strong you can even take down a middle-aged woman."

Egashira sighed in frustration and put up his fists. "Just fight me, dammit."

"I thought you'd never ask." Anri adopted the Dragon Stance and the crowd cheered again.

"Here we go," Akira muttered.

"And… FIGHT!" called the announcer.

Egashira lumbered toward her, arms outstretched like a threatened bear. She stood her ground, not moving a muscle until he tried to bring his fists down on top of her, wherein she sidestepped away and transitioned perfectly into a roundhouse kick. It connected forcefully with his side but he seemed unphased. He spun himself around, nearly catching Anri with a haymaker but she managed to dodge it as well, though only barely. She felt the wind fly past her from the force of his swings.

She went on the offensive, forcing him to block multiple blows, but he suddenly shifted his weight forward and charged, launching her off her feet before she could react. Anri tumbled backward with a cry, and the crowd cheered as she landed on her back.

"Oh no!" Haru exclaimed.

"She'll be fine," Akira reassured her, though concerningly sternly. "Let's just get to Emi. Mom can handle it."

Anri quickly rose to her feet and cracked her neck with her hand. Egashira was still steadying himself after a moment, confirming to her that he relied entirely on strength and stature to win his fights rather than any kind of technique. He just waited and turtled until a break came that he could exploit with an explosion of physical force, and she would need to watch intently for it.

Egashira lumbered a few steps toward her then stopped, waiting for an attack just as she had expected. Instead, she stood her ground and waited. And waited. The beast before her stared her down, occasionally rotating his foot on the ground like a bull readying a charge, but nothing happened. Anri even stood up straight and shook out her arms, loosening the joints in confidence that Egashira would not attack. The crowd began to boo in boredom.

"What is it?" Egashira called out to her. "Finally realized the mess you're in? Giving up?"

"Have you? You haven't moved since I got up."

"I'm just waiting for you to come at me. Show me that strength you were so confident in!"

"Why don't you do the same if you're so strong?" Egashira seemed suddenly appalled at her question. "If you wanna fight, then step up!"

Egashira bared his teeth at her and lowered his stance slightly. "Fine, if you're so damn confident, let's see if you can take this!" He charged her again, arms held in front of his face like a battering ram. Anri immediately got back into her stance and readied herself for the impact.

Screw this.

She sidestepped out of the way again, and just as she anticipated, Egashira tried to use the force of his own attack to swing his momentum around toward her in another wild haymaker. He expected to send her right to the ground with a crushing blow, but did not realize until he was already being knocked off his feet that she had ducked to counter the blow.

"VOLCANIC VIPER!" she cried out with her uppercut, a trail of orange flames erupting from her arm and shoulder so fast that most onlookers did not even believe what they had just seen, all gasping and crying out in shock as Egashira was knocked backward. He did not lose his footing, but did find himself kneeling before her. He looked up only to see something like a red flash approaching him at blazing speed. "FAFNIR!" she punched him straight in the jaw, a more discernible trail of flames following her punch. Egashira was knocked back by the wallop of a strike immediately and fell to the ground on his back in a daze.

The crowd erupted into a cacophony, mostly of confusion rather than excitement. Akihiko jumped up from his seat in disbelief at what he had just seen.

"Holy shit!" Ryuji exclaimed. "That was amazing!"

"She can do it too?" Ann asked. "Akira, is that where you got your powers!?"

"I think so," Akira nodded with a smirk. "She's not bad, huh?"

"Exemplary!" Yusuke shouted. "Absolutely mesmerizing!"

Anri shook out her hand as it hotly stung her. "Damn, haven't done that in years," she muttered to herself. "That was a lot easier when I was eighteen."

Egashira stumbled to his feet, rubbing the quickly swelling welt on his face as he glowered at her. "I… can't believe this. There's no way you're that strong!"

"The bruise on your dumb face says otherwise."

Egashira's entire upper body rose and lowered with his heavy breathing as he tried to keep himself from lashing out. "You don't get to fight Akihiko until I'm down for the count, so get re—"

"Enough!" another man's voice called from behind him. Egashira looked over his shoulder and Anri followed the sound to the white-haired young man now standing in the box seat. "Take a shower, Egashira. I'll take this one. Whatever she's got, I'm starting to like it," he smirked at both of them.

Egashira shook his head in frustration. "That ain't our deal, Akihiko! I'm not done yet!"

"She just laid you out on your ass, man. You lost."

"I'm still standing, aren't I!?" He turned over to Anri. "Round two, bitch!"

"Dammit," she rolled her eyes. "Fine! I'll just keep knocking you down until you can't stand!"

They charged each other, Anri preparing to roll out of the way before making contact. She tucked and rolled as Egashira nearly trampled her like bull over a rider, dodging away from and behind him. She came to her feet closer to the box seating Akihiko had been in, barely catching a glimpse of another figure dashing past her. She looked over her shoulder. Akihiko now stood between her and Egashira, who was only just turning around, out of breath.

"You're out of your damn line, Egashira," Akihiko chided him. "Take a shower and let met have this one."

"But, Akihiko-!"

"Wasn't a request! Now beat it!"

Like a scolded dog, Egashira marched off after a moment, head hanging low as the crowd cheered far more for Akihiko than they had for him.

Terasawa said, "Looks like it's our time. Akihiko is even distracted. C'mon!"

"What are we going to say to her?" asked Makoto.

"Just let me do the talking first. She's my sister, after all."

"And how do you plan to get into the box? You can see that they have security."

"Scale over it, of course."

"Are you sure you want to do that? Maybe we should try being a bit more subtle about it."

Terasawa looked to her incredulously. "I take it you have an idea?"

Makoto proudly adjusted her collar and walked past him with a confident smirk. "Watch and learn, gentlemen."

"Oh, god," Akira sighed.

"So, you're Akihiko?" Anri asked. "I hope you're more fun than your dancing gorilla." She caught a glimpse of Akira and his friends making their way to the box seating. Nice going, kids.

Makoto approached the security guard by the box seat. A young man of only barely above average stature standing with his arms crossed. Obviously putting on a show of strength, she surmised to herself. This should be easy. She cleared her throat as she walked up to him, and asked in an extremely flamboyant, flirty, and outright unintelligent valley girl-type voice, "Like, excuse me, big boy," she batted her eyelashes at him.

The security guard immediately seemed flustered. "Uh, can I help you, Miss?"

"So, like, I was wondering if you could, like, let me in to have a quick chat with Emi. It's, like, totes super duper important."

"Uh, are you on the list?"

"Like, nah, but this is more important than some dummy list," she waved her hand, putting on her best mix of "dumb bitch" and "prissy bitch".

"Sorry, I can't let anyone pass right now if they're not associates of Akihiko, as much as it pains me to say it."

He's eating right out of my hand. "Ugh, fine," she scoffed. "Then could you at least, like, pass a message to her for me? Didn't you hear when I said it's important?"

All her friends watched on from a distance in stark confusion.

"And… that would be?"

"Just, like, tell her that I went to the doctor after she and Rika-chan and me had our fun little drunken threesome 'cuz my cunt was itching like a bitch and I, like, totally got the clap right before we met up. So, if you could tell her that, that would be totes great!"

All her friends' jaws dropped in disbelief.

The security guard rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Um, maybe you should tell her that then. That might be inappropriate coming from someone else."

Makoto smiled widely. "Thank you, baby!" She blew him a kiss before he let her into the box.

"Holy shit!" Terasawa exclaimed.

Akira muttered, "That was… new for her."

Ann crossed her arms and looked away. "I could have done that."

Kasumi asked, "You mean you could have been a better bimbo than Mako-chan?"

"Yes!"

"Okay," Kasumi raised her arms defensively.

"Still rather impressive though," Yusuke stroked his chin.

"She's a woman of many talents," said Haru. "It's almost like she's done this before."

Makoto entered the box seating and approached Emi with a bubbly smile. To her pleasant surprise, the other girl seemed to be relatively intoxicated, indicated by her flushed face, swaying motions and imbalance on her feet, and slowed, slightly slurred speech.

"Hey, babe!" Makoto drawled toward her, getting her attention. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Oh, hey!" Emi called out. "How have you been… uh, babe?"

Makoto suddenly dropped the act and looked to her seriously. "Someone is here looking for you. It's important. If you'll follow me, please."

"Um, who are you again?" Emi tried to fight through her drunkenness to get a grip on the situation.

"Someone whom you know wants to speak with you. Please, follow me."

"And who the hell would this be?" she crossed her arms over her chest impatiently.

Makoto leaned forward and whispered, "Your brother, Terasawa-san."

Emi looks to her in shock, the news piercing the alcoholic haze veiling her world. "Fumiya is here?" she asks slowly.

"He's worried about you. Just wants to talk. Please."

"What, are you, like his girlfriend or something?"

Makoto rolls her eyes in exasperation. "Ugh, come on," she grabs her arm and leads her out of the box despite her protests, which were far less severe than Makoto had expected.

Meanwhile, Akihiko continued to explain the nature of his combat history.

"Egashira makes sure I don't end up taking down anyone too far below my skill level. Yeah, he gets a bit overexcited sometimes, but the kids that come up looking for a fight thinking they're some big ol' badasses sometimes deserve to be put in timeout like that."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can see where you're coming from."

"You, however, are no kid, and you've got some crazy strength behind those punches, lady. Seeing that last blow knock Egashira flat on his ass got my blood pumping like you wouldn't believe!" Akihiko punched the air three times in front of himself in a boxing stance, psyching himself up. "Finally, someone I might be able to really cut loose with. I've been waiting for this!"

Anri could not help but smirk at the young man's enthusiasm. "You seem quite a bit nicer than the rest of the rabble you attract. Why are you running with them when you could be hitting the circuit with your skills?"

"Simple: I wanted to fight truly strong opponents in real fights. I've done my time in regulation rings around Kanto and Osaka; never found anyone remotely as strong as our boss. He kicked my ass when I fought him, and I knew I had to follow him if I wanted to get stronger."

He's talking about Komaki – must be. If Komaki could beat Akira, and he also beat this guy, then maybe I should go a bit easier on him. It's safe to assume he's not even as strong as my son. "Then I hope I can meet him sometime."

"Hell, you beat me, and I'll introduce you myself. Now, you ready?" he raised his fists and compressed his stance, befitting his boxing style.

Anri lowered herself into the Dragon Stance. "Give it everything you've got, kid."

"Make sure I need it."

With far more grace and control than Egashira had displayed, Akihiko bobbed and weaved his way toward Anri, trying to keep her focus off before lunging forward with a jab that transitioned into an uppercut. Anri blocked the jab and stepped back, anticipating the combination but surprised at his speed and force. She kicked outward as she backstepped, stopping his attempted pressure before lunging forward herself and punching thrice. He blocked the first two and dodged the last.

They continued to trade blows, barely giving an inch to each other as their fight seemed almost like a choreographed dance. He's good, Anri thought. He's damn good. Even when I hit him, it's almost punching a brick wall. I've fought bigger, but I've rarely fought someone with such intense muscle tone. And he can still move like that? He's on a whole other level than I expected.

He suddenly shot forward into a chaotic combination of high and low strikes, deliberately putting pauses and rushes in his rhythm to throw her off but it was not enough. She blocked most strikes, with only the fastest but weakest ones getting through. Then she found an opening and exploited it, quickly punching Akihiko upward in the jaw then throwing herself forward into a flying roundhouse kick. "BANDIT REVOLVER!" she cried out, her heart fluttering with exhilaration as the crowd cheered at the display. I haven't done that in years! I'm glad I remembered how to do it!

Akihiko landed on the ground but immediately rolled backward onto his feet. "Not bad," he smirked, wiping a stray trail of blood from his lips. "You're the real deal!"

"So are you."

They collected themselves and stood at the ready for another round of blows, with Makoto and Emi reuniting with the group as they fought. Akira found it particularly difficult to focus on the familial reunion while his mother fought what seemed to be a bonafide prize fighter.

Emi joined them in distinct confusion at what was happening; Makoto guessed that the primary reason she had been able to coax her out of the booth was that she had been drinking. Emi looked over the group with suspicion, obviously not seeing anyone that resembled her estranged brother until her gaze fell on the strange masked young man hovering in the back. He matched Fumiya's height and could barely make out his eyes through the holes in his gaudy, rather off-putting mask.

The masked young man stepped before her slowly, each other looking into their eyes for a long moment. He slowly raised his hand to his mask and pulled it from his face as he pulled down his hood, revealing to Emi a familiar face and familiar hair. She covered her mouth, eyes widening in shock as she looked upon the face of her younger brother. "Fumiya?" she asked to confirm to herself that this was really happening.

He nodded, forcing a smile to his face in spite of the concern and repressed anger her felt toward her running off in such a way. "Hey, Emi," he said. "I'm… glad you're okay."

"Y-yeah… you too." Their gazes fell to the floor awkwardly. Everyone else did the same. "Why are you here though?" she finally asked quietly, only barely audible over the crowd.

"To…" He nearly said that he was there to take her home but felt there may be a better way to say it. "To check on you. Make sure you're alright."

Emi pursed her lips. "Well, as you can see, I'm doing okay." The roaring cries of the fighters cut her off. "But I know that you didn't come out here just to see me, Fumiya. You want me to come home, right?"

"We should talk about that somewhere else. Can you leave?"

"Of course, I can, but what makes you think I want to? I have good things going here, Fumiya! And I don't need you keeping tabs on me! I'm an adult, if you and our parents have forgotten."

"I'm not saying you're not an adult, but look at where you're at, Emi. This can't be good for you!"

Emi was about to respond strongly when the crowd cheered once more with greater fervor. Everyone turned around to see Akihiko and Anri locked with each other, holding each other's arms as they pushed and pulled against their opponent's strength. Anri had noticed that Akihiko fought exceptionally as a boxer but had difficulty adapting to less direct fighting styles and thus feinted him into a hold that he now was forced to try to work around. Negating his ability to strike quickly and dictate the rhythm of the encounter put her in an advantageous position, but she still could not quite keep him on the backfoot without fully engaging her Heat, which she was trying to avoid. She did not want to significantly injure the kid.

Deciding to put an end to this, she swiftly pivoted her foot behind Akihiko's leg and used the momentum to push herself forward, putting him off balance and tripping him. He tumbled to the ground with a grunt, finding himself pinned under Anri, her knee painfully digging into his ribs. He sputtered out a few weak coughs before suddenly pushing back against her, throwing her off balance in turn and forcing her off of him with his surprising strength. They rolled away from each other with Akihiko keeled over on the ground trying to force the air back into his lungs.

"You're pretty good," Anri said as she stood to her feet. "Now, why don't you give it up and we can all get on with our day?"

"I'm not down and out yet," Akihiko finally made it to his feet and rolled his shoulders to loosen up his joints. He looked to Anri confidently, then something distracted him behind her, looking at it in confusion. She turned around as she heard some kind of rumbling noise rushing toward her, getting louder and louder in an instant, but she was too slow to react and suddenly was flung to the side, feeling as if a great club had just pummeled her in her blind spot. She shook the daze from her head, her ears continuing to ring when she saw Egashira having suddenly appeared in the ring furiously arguing with Akihiko.

"What the hell?" she muttered, rubbing her tensing shoulder.

"What's going on down there?" asked Yusuke. "Where did that brute come from?"

Akira looked around the room, trying to gauge what had just happened before his eyes fell on a familiar crown of orange hair far off to their left. The young man, accompanied by two imposing guards, watched the confused scuffle with an unimpressed glower. "Komaki is here," Akira said.

Everyone else looked where he pointed and saw the miscreant himself. Fumiya muttered, "Maybe we can end up killing two birds with one stone after all."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Akira cracked his knuckles, ready to finish this mess now before Ann grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Look! Your mom!" she pointed back down to the ring.

Egashira and Akihiko suddenly looked back at Anri as she steadied herself on her feet. Akihiko seemed just as confused as her, but when he got into his fighting stance, she knew whatever was about to happen would not be good. Egashira smiled vilely at her, raised his arms, and charged. Akihiko followed behind him, readying a mighty strike.

Kasumi cried out, "Oh my god!"

"They're both going to fight her!?" Haru exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands.

Anri cried out as she was launched backward by Egashira's haymaker, with Akihiko moving in from behind and striking her in the gut just as she barely found her footing. Her stomach stung; she could feel it in her throat as her eyes bulged and her legs buckled.

Akira looked on in horror. "No fucking way…" He prepared to leap into the ring himself, but suddenly felt a dark stare from his side. Komaki watched him intently, glowering at him with narrowed eyes from across the seating. He shook his head, silently threatening him not to intervene when Akira heard his friends yelp in surprise. He turned around. Three more bouncers stood behind them, large and brutish, staring at them with equally threatening auras. "So, that's how it's gonna be," Akira muttered under his breath. He looked back at Komaki and cracked his knuckles again, glaring at him.

One of the bouncers said, "The officiator of this fight encourages all of you to behave in an orderly manner until its completion, or the other guests might be disturbed."

Ryuji scoffed and spat on one of their shoes. "You sure you assholes don't wanna run? The countdown to your painful knockouts just started."

"Trust us," said Kasumi, "you have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Please enjoy the show," the bouncer said, ignoring them.

Akira "tch-ed" and looked back at his mother. The fight was not going well.

Anri tried to resist Egashira's powerful charges, but Akihiko stayed on her without missing a beat, preventing her from effectively counterattacking or even guarding. Three quick jabs from one side, a two-fisted baseball swing from the other. She could not effectively defend against both at the same time after the damage she had already taken. She blocked another strike from Akihiko, crying out as she threw a punch from her guarded stance to get him off of her, but then Egashira grabbed her, picking her up like an unruly sack and lifting her into the air.

"Let me go, bastard!" she wriggled against him, kicking her feet and beating down on his arms to no avail.

"Komaki sends his regards, you old hag!"

"Huh- !?"

Egashira huffed and threw her across the ring with shocking strength and force. A crash, a shot of pain across her entire body, as Anri collided with the opposite wall and tumbled to the ground in a heap. "Mother fu-!" she exclaimed as she forced her senses to keep from completely defocusing. She clutched her middle in pain, pulling herself up to a kneeling position. She found herself bent over, looking to the ground as the pain in her back and ribs tensed her whole body; her ears rang deafeningly as the migraine took over, blurring her vision.

Egashira walked over her with Akihiko strangely standing back, looking up to the stands. He seemed surprised and even afraid when he saw Emi surrounded by strangers, though he recognized the three burly goons standing behind the group. He looked between Anri's crumpled form and the mysterious young adults quickly, seeming just as confused about the situation as everyone else.

"The hell's going on!?" Akira exclaimed. "Why are they both fighting her!?"

"Additional entertainment," said the thug flatly. "The boss was bored, and the bull wanted out of his cage."

Akira growled, catching everyone's attention, in frustration. "You guys have no idea what you've done," he muttered. "She's hardly begun to fight."

"The boss was hoping for that."

What the hell is Komaki doing?

Egashira stood over Anri, his shadow cast over her whole body. He breathed heavily, already exhausted from the physical force of moving his own egregious form so much. "I train every day to be the strongest creature in the world," he declared. "I've fought countless opponents these past few years, but not even Akihiko could punch like you. I fight every day to surpass him, and then to surpass Komaki himself – the only two people that could ever beat me. But I guess whatever the hell kind of punch you had was just a fluke, huh? Maybe I just underestimated you, but not anymore." He brought his fists together and raised them over his head. "I'll make sure you can never pull a trick like that again."

She remembered something from long ago. Long, long ago. Conversations, advice, instruction. From two men. Long ago…

When the beast has you cornered, said Saejima, you have to fight just as strongly as them when they get pushed back. They'll lash out, get wild. You can too. It's only ever over when you truly can't fight anymore, Kiryu-san.

So too spoke her father, It's about time I showed you my powerful technique, and my most secretive. I've seen you tap into it before, but you can only use it in dire situations. I always tell you about control, grace, and skill, but not every enemy will honor such things. When that happens, that fire within you needs to burn brighter than ever. But be careful, because it will burn all at once.

Anri breathed deeply, in and out, the Heat rising within her chest and core. Egashira roared in victory as he prepared to crush her. Akihiko stood by, merely observing in… fear?

"Ride the fire…" Anri hissed under her breath.

A flash blinded Egashira, a sudden heat burned him and sent him reeling back with the force of an explosion. Anri was suddenly on her feet and threw her head back, her fingers curled inward like claws with her arms at her sides.

"DRAGON INSTAAAL!"

The crowd gasped and roared in utter shock as Anri was suddenly glowing bright orange and red, awash in a flaming aura all across her body, her own form a barely perceptible silhouette amidst the raging flames.

"OH MY GOD!" Ryuji exclaimed.

Akira was completely speechless. His friends cried out in shock and amazement, but his mouth merely gaped in loss for words.

Egashira was nearly blinded by the flash, and his eyes only burned more as the pillar of flame before it charged toward him, knocking him off his feet and carrying his 320 pound body across the entire arena with ease, blowing right past Akihiko sounding like a great, angry gust of wind. "Grand…" Anri called out as she carried him away, then uppercut him with her other arm, sounding like a mighty explosion, "VIPER!" Egashira flew into the air over her head and she jumped up to meet him, spiking him back to the ground shouting, "BANDIT BRINGER!"

Egashira fell to the ground so hard that the dust beneath them exploded into the air, unable to even come close to collecting himself before he was lifted from the ground by the raging demon with one hand. He stared into its blinding light. Anri looked back at him with the most terrifying glare he had ever seen; her eyes seemed to be a flaming red as well. "BREAK," she grunted then threw him to the ground over his shoulder, causing another crash and explosion of dust. He could not see straight, could barely think as his ears rang and his vision blurred; he nearly vomited on himself from the sheer force of her unnatural attacks.

"What the hell are you!?" he cried out as he forced himself back to his feet shakily. She stood before him, holding a flaming fist out in front of herself.

"I've had enough!" she cried out. The strongest punch he had ever felt, even compared to her attacks from earlier, struck him straight in the gut, launching him off his feet again. "Tyrant…!" Anri pulled back another punch, her fist glowing with incredibly fiery light. "RAAAVE!" A true explosion erupted from her hand as she punched Egashira, sending him flying back several feet and landing on his face to the complete amazement of the crowd. Her flames suddenly went out and she knelt to the ground in a heap, absolutely exhausted.

"Th-that's your mom?" Kasumi stuttered. "That was… real!?"

"I… guess," Akira stammered as well.

Ann asked, "Can you do that? Anything like that!?"

Akira shook his head in disbelief. "I… have no idea."

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life," Ryuji said flatly, still barely able to comprehend what he had seen.

"I love your mom," said Haru in the same way.

Makoto stood with her mouth agape, too dumbfounded to say much of anything.

Yusuke put his hand to his chest. "I almost could have sworn that made my heart stop."

Akihiko too knelt on the ground, looking between Anri and Egashira, though not out of exhaustion. He felt as if everything he knew about fighting, about people, about the whole world, had just been obliterated with her every overwhelming destructive blow.

Akira looked over to Komaki again. He glared at Anri, though not with as much animosity, but instead with concern and disbelief. He stood up before the crowd, and they suddenly quieted at the mere knowing of his presence. "Did you all enjoy the show!?" he cried out to them. They cheered in agreement, though obviously with some trepidation. "Good! Because you witnessed something that I'd only heard rumors of throughout my life. I'm just as pleased to have seen it too. The power to summon one's own soul and manifest in your physical form! Only rumors and legends exist of such a skill, and we've seen it now for ourselves! It's been an honor, Kurusu-san, truly," he addressed Anri. "You are definitely in a league of your own. You'll at least make for an interesting fight when the final stage of our little game comes to fruition."

"The hell is he talking about?" Ryuji whispered.

"I want all of you to return your bases and prepare for the fight to come. If what you've seen today scares you, then I have no need for you. But if you want to make your mark on this town and fight as one, then follow me! Hey, I know I'm not the most standup guy, and we've all got our baggage, but at least I'm not a fuckin' murderer!" he looked to Akira with a demented smile.

"What!?" Akira exclaimed.

"Among us is a gang of criminals, freaks, and murderers. This marvelous hero you may have heard about, Akira, is no more than a ravenous monster! And this town harbors him, welcoming him with open arms out of nothing but ignorance!" He suddenly pointed to Akira. "You think you're a real martial artist!? I know what you did, Kingslayer! Does the name 'Kamoshida' mean anything to you!?"

Akira winced, his head suddenly feeling like it was ready to split open. He heard the damned voice echo throughout his whole body once more.

"Akira, stay with us!" Ann grabbed him by the shoulder, trying to calm him down.

Anri glowered up at Komaki, steadying herself on the ground. "You little bastard!"

"Aki," Komaki said, "dispose of her. Egashira has proven his ineptitude. Make sure she won't be able to use those magic tricks to interfere with us anymore."

Akihiko looked back to Anri. She remained keeled over on the ground, having to fight the exhaustion and strained muscles to keep herself upright. I forgot how hard that damn thing is on your body, she bemoaned her own power. At least it was pretty fun though.

"We have to do something!" Kasumi exclaimed. "We should go down there and help her."

"Wait!" Emi interjected. "Look at Aki."

Akihiko walked over to her, though even Anri could tell, to her surprise, that he seemed entirely unready to fight. He moved slowly, languidly, with no hint of hostility at all. He looked down at her, then up to Komaki, then over to Emi quietly, the gears turning behind his eyes. He suddenly held out his hand, the cloth wrappings starting to unravel themselves. "Let's get you all out of here," he whispered to Anri.

"W… what?"

"Just trust me. I'll get you all out of here myself." He looked back up to Emi. "Move!"

Emi nodded quickly and moved away from the goons. "Come with me!" she commanded her new acquaintances.

"Eh?" said one of the bouncers. "No fuckin' way we're letting you—" Ryuji socked him in the jaw then kicked him in the gut, sending him to the ground. Makoto used her training in aikido to get the other one in a hold from behind and trip him over his own leg, then stomped on his ankle to sprain it. He cried out in pan and Makoto took the lead.

"Quickly! Before the crowd gets any crazier!"

They rushed through the crowd, only some of them trying to hinder them. Akihiko and Anri were not far behind, though none dared to take him on, knowing his strength. Komaki watched on with the same glare. Akihiko looked back to him one last time as the others took on a couple more bouncers with ease and fled the area. Komaki seemed disappointed in him, resentful. Akihiko turned his nose up at him and disappeared into the crowd with Anri hanging onto his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," she hissed. "Just get me to my son…"

"That's the plan, Ma'am."

"Why are you doing this, kid?"

Akihiko shook his head as they exited the barn into the daylight toward the cars. "I found someone stronger, I guess. Stronger than him."

They reunited with the group shortly after, Akihiko giving Emi a quick hug as he passed Anri to Makoto.

"Meet us in town at the inn," she said to Akihiko. "You'll both be safe there."

"We're right behind you."

Fumiya and Emi briefly nodded to each other before they went to their own vehicles.

Akira got back into the van beside his mother, Makoto taking the wheel and quickly driving them away. "You alright?" he asked his mom.

"Just get me an ice pack and I'll be fine by dinner. What about you?"

Akira's eye and hand twitched. Ann watched from beside him with growing concern. "Still hurts," he mumbled. "Still hurts a lot. How the hell could he know about that?"

"He might be better connected than we thought," said Makoto. "We need to be extra careful from now on." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You sure you're up to this? Continuing the fight, I mean."

Akira forced another painful flashback from his mind with a grunt. "It's just another reason to kick his ass," he growled through the pain. "To find out why he knows about what I did."

They all drove off in relative silence after that, thinking on what might happen next, and how the investigation was going. Hopefully better than their little excursion, as exciting as it was…

[This was a hard one to put together. Thank you for reading. All reviews and criticisms are appreciated. I hope you will stick around as we enter the final act of this book.]