Chapter 4: Split Decision

Tatsumaki, for once, was at a loss for words. No pithy comebacks, no snide remarks. An uncomfortable feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he hadn't felt since he watched the trial of Norio Watsuki.

He strode toward Yoroi purposefully, coming to a stop directly in front of the still kneeling boy. The anger he had felt during the duel was cold and sharp, like a finely honed blade. It had given him focus and made him a calculated machine, driven towards his singular goal of victory. Now, he was experiencing a different type of anger; one that was white-hot and explosive. The kind of anger that causes second-degree murders.

"You," he seethed, utterly incapable of holding back his emotions. "You had the gall to stand at that diner and shit talk me to my face, and call my ability and my character into question, all while being the son of a murderer?! You have no right to talk to me or anyone like you did, you worthless piece of shit!" He accented the swear word with a brutal kick to the side of Yoroi's head, knocking him aside and completely dazing him.

"No, stop!" cried Emi, stepping forward only to be stopped by Enzo putting an arm out in front of her.

"You stay out of this!" yelled Tatsumaki, having fully succumbed to his anger. "This is between me and him!"

Tatsumaki rolled Yoroi onto his back with his foot, then stomped on his gut, pressing his full weight into his foot and causing him to cry out in pain.

"Oh, it hurts, huh?!" he shouted, pulling a small knife from his right pants pocket with practiced ease in spite of the rage enveloping his mind. "You don't know what pain is! Imagine how much it hurt to see my mom shot in front of me, to see her bullet-riddled body fall to the ground while your worthless shitstain of a father screamed about how she apparently 'made him do this' because she wouldn't 'appreciate his feelings' for her! You have no right to even be in the same room as me, let alone criticize my background or my ability, and if you don't keep my mom's name out of your mouth from now on, I will kill you where you stand! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

Yoroi barely managed to squeak out a pathetic 'yes'.

"Good." Tatsumaki lifted his foot, putting away the knife and walking towards the stairs at the back of the room.

"What about your vote?" asked Enzo, though he suspected he might know the answer already.

"What?" asked Tatsumaki, having not been paying much attention.

"Your vote. Earlier you said you'd still be willing to vote to let him join. Has that changed?"

"Oh, right. I don't know. I'm gonna have to think about it."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" asked Manda.

"No, just… I just need to be left alone for a bit, guys," replied Tatsumaki as he headed up the stairs. The uncomfortable tension in the air was exacerbated by the slow, rhythmic sound of his footsteps as he ascended.

Emi rushed to her friend's side as he slowly sat up, still coughing and gasping for air.

"Yoroi, are you okay?" she asked, her tone full of worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine," coughed Yoroi. "I've taken worse beatings than that."

"Good," Emi said, and slapped him across the face. "You dumbass! I've told you over and over again to watch that mouth of yours and be more careful what you say! You've mouthed off the wrong people before and paid for it, but this is the absolute worst!"

"I'm sorry, Emi. You're right. I just didn't realize who he was. I never thought I'd meet the son of the woman my stupid father gunned down."

"I didn't, either. Hell, I didn't even know that was who your father was, but that's still no excuse for you mouthing off at him the way you did. Maybe if you would fucking think before you speak for once, you wouldn't have been put on the ground with his foot in your gut. I seriously thought he might kill you, especially when he pulled that knife out."

"What was a pretty boy like him doing with a knife anyways?" wondered Yoroi.

"He intentionally came to the bad side of town intending to join a gang," pointed out Enzo. "Of course the kid would bring some way to defend himself; he'd be stupid not to. I'm honestly more surprised it wasn't a gun. They might be illegal here in Japan, but someone with his kind of money could probably get one anyways."

"Fair point," replied Yoroi, attempting to stand up. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," said Emi. "I think you being around him is just gonna make him mad again. I'll go instead. Besides, I have a few things to say to him myself."

Yoroi thought it over, then sighed. "You have a point. I'll stay here."

"I'll be right back. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

Tatsumaki leaned over a broken window, staring out into the streets below. The night air brought a chill with it. A few homeless folks were gathered around a fire they had lit inside an old oil drum, heating up cans of food to eat. No one would bother them; any potential muggers knew they had nothing worth stealing anyways. Not like him; he'd be a prime target if he were out there.

The black haired boy sighed. On one hand, maybe he was overly harsh on Yoroi, but on the other, if he didn't want to get treated that way, he wouldn't mouth off like he does. Besides, his father was the one who killed his mom! If anything, he probably let the little troll off too easy.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hey," said Emi cautiously. "Can I talk to you real quick?"

Tatsumaki looked her up and down. There was nervousness in her voice, but her body language told him everything he needed. Eyes focused, shoulders back, chest out, knees bent, right foot forward.

"I can tell by the way you're carrying yourself right now that you're not gonna leave until you do, so go ahead."

"Good," she said with a sigh of relief. "I was ready to argue with you, so thanks for making it easier for me."

"I've done enough yelling for one day," replied Tatsumaki. "Not really in the mood. So what's on your mind? Pretty sure I can guess, but tell me anyway."

Emi approached slowly, taking a spot next to him at the window. "I know Yoroi can be an idiot and shoot off his mouth when he really shouldn't, and I don't blame you if you hold that against him. God knows I do a lot of the time. But you shouldn't hold his father's actions against him. I know losing your mom must have been really hard, especially since it sounds like it happened right in front of you. But Yoroi isn't his father, despite how he may act."

"I get that, and on some level, I agree," conceded Tatsumaki. "But I don't see myself being able to work with him. When he told me who his father was, it was like I was right back there again. Back at the arena when she died."

"Do you wanna talk about it? I completely understand if you don't."

"No, it's fine. I've told the story enough times now that I can handle it."

"I remember seeing it live on the TV but there's no way the footage compares to having been there."

Tatsumaki sighed. It was true he'd told the story before, but this time, it would be especially difficult.

KaibaCorp Dome, four years ago

"And that's it!" the voice of the commentator carried across the dome. "Rin Adachi moves on to Grand Finals, and in Winner's Bracket! After falling short in top cut the last three years, will this finally be the year she claims the World Championship title?! Stay tuned, folks! You won't want to miss a single second of the action! Coming up next is the remainder of Loser's!"

Backstage, a slender woman tossed her backpack onto one of the many available sofas in the waiting room, then took a seat next to it and pulled out her water bottle. The KaibaCorp jumpsuit she was required to wear for the tournament hugged her figure a little too much for her liking, especially around the chest and the ass, and the leather creaked like a falling tree. She at least took solace in the fact that the male jumpsuits were just as skintight, and at least, as a woman, she didn't have to wear a cup. Those things always looked so uncomfortable. She threw her head back, causing her long, black hair to flip away from her face as she took a long drink. She really would have to tie it back into a ponytail before her finals match.

"Mom, that was awesome!" came a voice from in front of her. Rin Adachi put her water bottle down and fixed her ice blue eyes on the source of the voice, thirteen year old Tatsumaki.

"There's my little tornado! Come here, kiddo! Yeah, that was a tough duel. For a second there, I thought I was gonna get knocked into the lower bracket!"

"Nah, that guy Drake had nothing on you!" said her son, running up and taking a seat next to her, opposite the backpack. "If he ends up winning in Loser's Finals then the World Championship is all yours for sure! American duelists just aren't on the same level."

"I wouldn't be so sure," chided Rin. "He very nearly got me in our duel just now. Just because he's American doesn't mean he can't beat me."

"I'm just saying, there's probably a reason an American has never won the World Championship."

"Oh yeah? And what'll you do if I ever lose to an American?" asked Rin, playfully ruffling her son's hair.

"Hey, stop! You and I both know that'll never happen!"

Rin smiled. To be that young and irrationally confident again. "God, you're just like me when I was your age. Why did you have to inherit my cockiness?"

"Cause I also inherited your dueling skill," replied Tatsumaki bluntly. "You're gonna win the World Championship this year, but when I turn seventeen, you better watch out, mom, 'cause I'll be coming for that title, too!"

"I'm looking forward to it, but you've still got a ways to go before you're anywhere near my level," said Rin with a giggle.

"Now who's being cocky?" asked Tatsumaki facetiously.

"Hey, I did say you inherited my cockiness, didn't I?"

"Fair enough."

The mother/son moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Rin looked down at her son. "Friend of yours, kiddo?"

"No. I didn't tell anyone I was coming back here."

"Who is it?" called Rin.

"It's me, Norio, Miss Adachi." replied the man on the other side of the door.

"Who's Norio?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Just a fan of mine," replied Rin. "Just sit tight. I'll handle this."

She stood up and headed towards the door, opening it. Standing before her was a slightly overweight man with short, dark hair, brown eyes, and a pronounced chin. In his hands he held a rose and what appeared to be a Valentine's Day card.

"I hope I'm not intruding, Miss Adachi," he began, "But I just wanted to ask if you'd maybe like to go out for a coffee with me sometime? Please?"

Rin sighed. "Look, Norio, we've been over this. You're a nice enough guy, but I'm just not interested. I know you like me, and I am flattered, but I don't want to date right now. Please just drop this and move on."

"Please, Miss Adachi!" Norio persisted, bowing his head low. "All I've ever wanted is to go out with you, even if only just once! Ever since my wife got locked up, I've been so lonely, and I just feel like there's something between us! Please just give me one chance, and I promise I won't ask again!"

Rin took an involuntary step back. "Norio, please, can we not do this in front of my kid? I'm sorry to hear about your wife, but I really don't want to spend my time on coffee dates, especially not with someone who can't take 'no' for an answer the first time. Now, please, go away. I'm trying to relax and spend some time with my son before the finals."

"Please!" cried Norio, dropping to his hands and knees. Tatsumaki stood up and walked over to get a better look at the scene playing out before him. Whoever this guy was, he was literally begging for a date with his mom, and there was something about his tone of voice that worried the boy.

"Mom, is everything okay?" he asked.

Rin immediately picked up on the worried tone in her son's voice, and turned her head to look at him. "Everything's fine, sweetie. Don't worry about it." She turned her attention back to Norio's frankly pathetic display. "Seriously, Norio, I don't have the patience for this today. Leave now, or I'll call security and they'll make you leave."

Norio stood slowly, tears running down his face. Then, with almost unnatural speed, he reached behind his back and pulled a police revolver from his waistband, pointing it at Rin.

"You heartless bitch!" he screamed. "No matter how much I pour my heart out to you, it's never enough! Women like you just can't understand a man's feelings!Why can't you just realize I love you? Well, fine, I'll show you!"

"Mom, get away from him!" screamed Tatsumaki as he moved to get between his mother and this psychotic man. His mother, however, was slightly faster to react.

"Maki, stay back!" she cried as she shoved him to the side with all her strength.

"IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, THEN NO ONE WILL, MISS ADACHI! WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST ACCEPT MY FEELINGS?"

The first gunshot rang out before the young boy hit the ground. He smelled gunpowder and saw blood splatter from the exit wound in his mother's upper back, just under her left shoulder blade.

Then, as his shoulder touched the floor and his momentum rolled him over, the second shot echoed around the room. This one struck her in the gut and exited through her lower back, passing through her right kidney.

As he recovered, tucking his feet underneath him and standing back up, the third shot came, this time entering the center of her chest. There was no exit wound.

Tatsumaki got to his feet just in time to see his mother collapse, the momentum from the bullets sending her backwards. The back of her head hit the floor hard, and the sound of cracking skull could be heard. Or rather, it would have been heard, had Tatsumaki's ears not been wracked with tinnitus from the volume of the gunshots. Rin Adachi looked over towards her only child, blood staining the entire midsection of her jumpsuit and running from the corner of her mouth. A single tear flowed from each of her eyes, and she tried to say something to him, but before she could finish her sentence that he couldn't hear anyways, the light left her eyes, and her body became still.

For a moment, Tatsumaki was frozen. Mere seconds ago, he had been chatting with his mother like any other day. Mere seconds ago, everything was normal and right with the world.

And then that man knocked on the door and destroyed it.

That pathetic man just showed up out of the blue, and now the boy would never speak to his mom again.

That pathetic, sad man showed up and destroyed their normal.

That pathetic, sad, psychotic man - no, that monster - killed his mother over something as petty as a parasocial crush.

Something in Tatsumaki's brain snapped, and suddenly, there was no room for self-preservation, no room for conscious thought, no room for any notion aside from hate and revenge. And that notion forced itself to be acted on, immediately. And so, Tatsumaki made a potentially fatal decision.

He charged right at his mother's killer, screaming in a primal rage that had taken all of his mental faculties and put them in a vice grip. The only thought running through the adolescent's head was to murder this man. So all-encompassing was his anger that he didn't even register the man aiming the gun squarely at his head.

Thankfully, before a fourth gunshot that would have invariably killed Tatsumaki could be fired, building security stormed into the room. Tatsumaki was tackled to the ground by one man, and Norio was simultaneously tased by several others, and he dropped the revolver immediately as the volts running through his body resulted in the immediate loss of all motor functions. Norio Watsuki collapsed, still convulsing, all the while Tatsumaki was still screaming, still from sheer unadulterated rage, but also from a profound sense of grief and sadness.

Even as fat tears began streaming down his face, he fought the security team with all his might to free himself and get his hands on his mother's killer, and it took several of them to keep him pinned down, for sheer adrenaline and hysteria had temporarily granted the thirteen year old strength exceeding most grown men. In his enraged state, Tatsumaki even bit one of the security team holding him on the forearm, and not only was the fabric of his sleeve bitten clean through and blood drawn, that particular guard would later need several stitches on the bite wound and two month's medical leave to heal. So enraged was Tatsumaki Adachi, that medical staff needed to bring sedatives for him.

Rin Adachi was posthumously crowned Dueling World Champion five days later, at her funeral. Tatsumaki barely ate or slept for a month after that day, subsisting almost entirely off of coffee. Dark roast with one sugar and plenty of french vanilla cream, which was his mother's preferred way of preparing the beverage.

Present day

"Holy shit," gasped Emi. "I… I'm so sorry." She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. She was obviously struggling to find anything to say. After all, what could be said in response to a story like that?

"You know, I think it would have been easier if he had just owned what he did; if he had just reveled in the kill like those serial killers you see on TV shows. But no, that waste of fucking oxygen wanted to play the victim, act like he was so heartbroken that it drove him mad. And even if that's true, even if that is the case, I don't care. He killed my mom. Anything bad that happens to him from now on is still better than what he deserves."

"I'm not gonna say you shouldn't feel that way," said Emi. "Honestly, I've never experienced loss like that, so I can't really make any statements on how you should feel. I've been on my own from the very beginning. My mom abandoned me at the doorsteps of an orphanage in Tokyo, so I've never met my parents."

"Is that how you ended up meeting that angry asshole downstairs?" asked Tatsumaki.

"Sort of. Eventually, my grandpa on my dad's side found me and took me in. He'd been searching for me ever since he found out I'd been left. He never told me why my parents gave me away, and eventually I stopped caring. Grandpa wasn't well off, but we managed to scrape by. I met Yoroi in school when we were kids, and we've been thick as thieves ever since, even going so far as becoming actual thieves to get by. A little while after we met, my grandpa came down with cancer. Eventually, it got the better of him. I would've ended up on the streets if Yoroi and his mom hadn't taken me in. But, his mom had drug problems, bad. Eventually she got busted for possession and got sentenced, and Yoroi's dad was deemed unfit for parenthood. We would have ended up in the foster system, so we decided to run away together instead, and we've been on the streets together ever since. It's like he said; we've had to lie, cheat, steal, and duel just to get by. Our clothes are dirty and tattered, our Duel Disks are stolen and on their last legs, and we only get the chance to bathe whenever we can somehow scrape together enough money for a cheap hotel room. We've even rented out rooms at love hotels for an hour just for the chance to use the shower."

"So the two of you aren't dating?"

"Hell no! Don't get me wrong, Yoroi is my best friend, and I do love him, but it's not romantic. Besides, he's way too angry for me to ever want to be with him like that. I couldn't handle it."

"No arguments about him being angry," replied Tatsumaki with a slight chuckle. "Even so, sounds like he's had your back ever since you were little."

"We've both had each other's backs. He's really a good person at his core; he's just been through a lot and he has enough chips on his shoulder to sell by the bag at gas stations."

"Yeah, I get ya," laughed Tatsumaki. "If he's stuck by you all this time, then that's a testament to his loyalty to his friends, is that about the gist of it?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up, I guess. He's been there for me no matter what, ever since we were little."

"Well, that is a nice quality to have. And I gotta admit, he does have talent as a duelist. He had me on the back foot several times during our duel. He never gave up, even when I had him against the wall. As much as I don't care for his personality and his attitude, not to mention his family name, I do have to respect that."

"Glad to hear that," replied Emi with a smile. "I understand if you don't want him in the Breakers with you, and I won't hold it against you if that's the case. But I'm always gonna have his back, because he's always had mine."

Emi turned and left the room so Tatsumaki could think things through on his own. As she descended the stairs, Enzo and Yoroi walked towards her.

"How is he?" asked Enzo.

"He's fine; just a little shaken up after everything."

"How are you?" asked Yoroi.

"I'm okay. He told me about the day his mom died, and I told him about how you and I met and grew up together."

"What did he say about all that?" asked Yoroi.

"I'll let him tell you when he gets down. I don't think it's really my place to say," replied Emi.

"Fair enough. Any idea when he'll be down?"

"Nope. I left him to think things over."

"I just met the kid today, so I don't know him too well yet," said Enzo. "But he doesn't strike me as the type to get mad like that, not normally. I hope he's okay."

"Aren't you a gang leader?" asked Emi, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Worrying about kids doesn't seem very 'street' of you."

"Just 'cause we're criminals doesn't mean we're heartless," said Enzo indignantly. "Besides, he's a Breaker now, and we look after our own."

"Fair point," admitted Emi. The three took seats on the old lounge chairs that had been left behind in the lobby.

A few minutes of tense, awkward silence later, Tatsumaki descended the stairs, striding directly towards Yoroi.

"After thinking it over, I've decided to cast my vote in favor of you joining, under two conditions."

"What are the conditions?" asked Yoroi nervously.

"For one, if you're going to be one of us, you're going to have to drop the attitude. You've got a smart ass mouth and you're way too quick to anger, and I can't in good conscience support the idea of you joining us if that's going to be a source of conflict within our own ranks."

"And the second?" asked Emi.

"You will never, ever speak of what happened between our parents again. I understand that you're not your father, and I shouldn't hold you to account for his crime. That being said, as far as I'm concerned, you still have no right to speak of her. Don't mouth off at your fellow members and keep my mom's name out of your mouth, and I'll be willing to overlook everything you've said and done up to this point. Do we have an understanding?"

"I understand," said Yoroi. "I'm sorry for how I treated you before. I've always been bad about letting my anger get the better of me, and I need to do better."

"Good. Let's shake on it and then get to the voting." Tatsumaki and Yoroi shook hands, and then the voting process began.

"Alright, then," began Enzo. "All in favor of Yoroi joining the Breakers say 'aye'. Those not in favor say 'nay'."

"Aye," said Tatsumaki.

"Aye," said Emi.

"Aye," said Manda.

"Nay," said Ryo.

"Aye," said Jo.

"Nay," said Taza.

"Nay," said Kiri.

"Four to three, eh?" said Enzo. "As the leader, my vote takes precedence in the event of a tie, so I guess it comes down to me." He looked Yoroi up and down. He could see genuine remorse on the kid's face and in the way his shoulders drooped.

"What the hell, we already have two teenagers, so what's one more? Aye. Welcome to the Breakers, kid."

Yoroi released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank you, everyone," he said, standing up to properly address the entire room. "I'm sorry for letting my anger get the better of me, and I understand why some of you voted against me joining. I hope to prove to everyone that letting me into the Breakers was the right decision."

"Well, now that that's all taken care of," said Tatsumaki as he turned and started towards the exit. "Let's go to my place. If we're gonna ever make our way into the big leagues, I can't be the only one who's well dressed and groomed."