Lung—Kenta, he corrected himself, as Kagaya Ubuyashiki preferred—sat stiffly in the elegantly minimalist room, the low table between them a barrier and yet, oddly, a connection. The tea was still warm, fragrant in the air as it settled on his tongue, but his attention wasn't on the taste. His gaze, fierce and unwavering, lingered on the man across from him. Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the man who defied every expectation Lung had ever held about leaders, sat serenely, hands folded in his lap, radiating an aura of calm that was as disarming as it was unsettling.
It was the same every time he came over. The moment Lung stepped into Ubuyashiki's presence, the ever-present storm of anger, ambition, and ferocity inside him dulled. There was no other way to describe it. The man was soft-spoken, gentle, and yet...undoubtedly powerful in a way that had nothing to do with physical strength. Kenta could feel it, crawling under his skin like an unfamiliar itch—the respect, the calm, the odd sense of peace that came from being near him. He hated it. He hated how much he found himself wanting to listen.
Kenta took another sip of the tea, his gaze flicking to the masked girl—Blossom, Ubuyashiki had called her—who served it. Her face was covered, identity shielded like a ghost. She moved with quiet precision, her role clearly more than just that of a servant, and Kenta's sharp eyes didn't miss the strength in her movements. Like all of Ubuyashiki's "children," she was ready to act, ready to defend the fragile man who controlled so much without ever lifting a finger.
Kenta looked back to Ubuyashiki, and for the thousandth time. He tried to understand. How could a man so soft command loyalty like this? His subordinates, powerful in their own right, would kill for him without hesitation. It made no sense. Ubuyashiki didn't lead through fear, through dominance. He led through this strange...allure, a peaceful magnetism that held everyone in its grasp, even someone like Lung.
"How is your territory, Kenta?" Ubuyashiki's voice was as soothing as always, the words spoken with the same unhurried cadence. It was a check-in of sorts. After they'd agreed to split the ABB territory, everything had been quiet, almost too quiet for Kenta's taste. The PRT still regarded it all as ABB territory, but they both knew that was only because Ubuyashiki allowed it, the man could have made it very clear to everyone in this city that this territory was his and he had taken it from him, the leader of ABB, Lung himself, and yet the man hadn't done it.
"Fine," Kenta grunted, placing the cup down with a little more force than necessary. "No problems."
"Good." Ubuyashiki smiled, his eyes—those strange, mesmerizing eyes—fixing on him with gentle amusement. Kenta had always been captivated by them. Not in any romantic way, of course, but in the sense that they were almost too otherworldly. Pale, soft, but intense in a way that no mortal should possess. When Ubuyashiki looked at him, Kenta felt seen in a way that unnerved him to his core. As if this man could peel back the layers of his monstrous exterior and gaze at the human that was beneath.
"How do you do it?" Kenta finally asked, his voice rougher than intended. He hadn't planned on asking, but the words tumbled out before he could stop them. "How do you lead people like you do? Without force. Without...fear."
Ubuyashiki's smile softened, and he let out a small chuckle. "It's not something one can explain easily, Kenta. It's not fear that binds people to me, but love. Care. The understanding that I will always do what is best for them. And for you, too."
"For me?" Kenta couldn't help the incredulous laugh that followed. "You're planning to make me one of your children then, is that it?"
"I've always seen potential in you," Ubuyashiki said, his voice never losing its calm. "Not as a tool or a weapon, but as someone who could find peace. You may not understand it now, but in time...perhaps."
Kenta scowled, his fists clenching, though the calming presence still held him back from the full intensity of his temper. Peace. Ubuyashiki spoke of it so easily. But Kenta knew the world didn't allow such things for people like him. For men like him, it was blood and fire, or it was nothing. And yet...
"I don't get you," Kenta admitted, leaning forward, his voice low and dangerous. "I've looked you up. There's nothing. You don't exist in this world. No records, no name that means anything. But here you are, in front of me, controlling people who would tear apart this city if you asked them to."
"Perhaps that's the point," Ubuyashiki replied with a tilt of his head, still unfazed by the weight of Kenta's gaze. "In a world as chaotic as this one, existing quietly is sometimes the most powerful move of all."
Kenta leaned back, frustration bubbling just beneath his skin. He hated how right the man sounded, how every word seemed to reach into him and make him doubt everything he'd ever believed.
His eyes drifted toward the corner, where another figure had stood once, masked and silent—Warden, he recalled, a man of formidable presence who had once been Ubuyashiki's constant guard. That man had since vanished from the room once Lung had earned Ubuyashiki's trust, and yet the absence made Kenta feel no less watched, no less observed.
Kenta's fists unclenched, and for a moment, he stared at the man before him—the one in traditional Japanese clothing, the one whose calm was unshakable. Kagaya Ubuyashiki was a mystery, a man who should not exist and yet commanded enough loyalty and strength to hold territory without violence, well most of the time. It defied everything Lung had ever known. But more than anything, it was the unsettling realization that he wanted to be part of it—part of something quieter, something that offered more than the endless cycle of destruction.
"Kenta," Ubuyashiki said softly, using the name so freely, a name only few dared to speak. "You're always welcome here. Not as a tool. But as family if you desire it Kenta. If you want a quieter life than the one you lead, my door is always open for you."
For the first time in a long time, Lung didn't know what to say. He only knew that, in this room, in this fragile man's presence, the fire in him burned just a little less fiercely. And maybe, just maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing. But that wouldn't be happening today.
Lung grunted and then stood up, the meeting was done, they had nothing else to speak about after all. Ubuyashiki didn't seem offended that he hadn't answered him, in fact the man seemed almost amused by his actions, he looked at him with such fondness that unnerved him.
Lung huffed and left the room, the door was opened before he could even open it himself, another servant he concluded and continued walking on. It didn't take long for him to get out of the estate and to the car that was waiting for him outside, he got in without a word and he didn't have to signal for the driver to start driving, he knew what to do and where to go.
Though he couldn't help but wonder why Ubuyashiki was so calm around him. Lung could always chalk to the man's powers, he knew the man had a calming effect, it irritated him entirely that he used his power whenever he was around, as if he was a timebomb waiting to go off.
Well, he couldn't blame Ubuyashiki for it, he was a timebomb waiting to go off entirely if pushed. Still it was aggravating. Lung sighed to himself, he needed to get the man off of his mind, it wouldn't do any good to be "stressing" over him and his actions.
Maybe if Lung had been paying more attention he would've noticed that the man hadn't been using his power on him at all.
It was a crisp autumn morning at Winslow High, the leaves swirling in a chaotic dance outside as the bell rang, signaling the start of a new period. Students filed into classrooms, gossiping and laughing, but the atmosphere felt different since the arrival of the new nurse—a striking woman who seemed to embody calmness in a world filled with chaos.
Ms. Takara was a figure that drew attention, not just for her beauty but for the way she moved through the hallways as if she was untouchable. To Taylor it seemed like the woman was just that, untouchable in every way. Taylor saw how the woman moved with such grace, such beauty that she found herself wondering if the woman had powers that allowed her to be so perfect, there were times where she found herself envying the woman. Ms. Takara could've been a model, she had the looks to be one and yet, she was a nurse, at Winslow of all places. It didn't make any sense to Taylor why the woman would want to be a school nurse of all things when she could be something more, more than what she settled for. Taylor came to the conclusion that Ms. Takara just wanted to be a school nurse in the end and she had decided then that she wouldn't continue to think about Ms. Takara, she needed to focus on her school work anyway.
But that's not what she found herself doing in first-period.
Taylor sat in her first-period class, her mind replaying the encounter from the nurse's office a fewdays ago despite her wanting to focus on her work. She had gone in, her heart racing, feeling
the weight of the humiliation from Emma, Sophia, and Madison pressing down on her. The taunts from her classmates echoed in her mind, each word a reminder of her pain.
But when she had stepped into the nurse's office, she found a serene atmosphere. Ms. Takara had been composed, her dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders, framing her face with an almost ethereal beauty. "Are you okay?" the nurse had asked, her voice soft yet firm. There was a soothing quality to her demeanor that made Taylor feel safe, even if just for a moment.
"I…I'm fine," Taylor had replied, it was an automatic response that she said, her voice barely above a whisper. But the truth was, she wasn't fine. When has she ever been fine? And it looked like Ms. Takara knew that but she didn't comment on it and Taylor was grateful that the woman didn't try and pry.
Every time she saw the nurse in the halls, Taylor felt a mixture of admiration and apprehension. There was something unsettling about how calm Ms. Takara was, especially in a place like Winslow. The whispers among her classmates were palpable; some speculated whether the new nurse was affiliated with the ABB because of her Asian heritage. Others marveled at her beauty, Taylor could see why, she even found herself doing the same thing whenever she caught a glimpse of the woman.
There weren't many who could catch the eye of Mr. Richards, the history teacher, didn't think much of anyone during his long five years of teaching at Winslow highschool, that is until Ms. Takara joined the school staff last month in August. Mr. Richards could admit that he had taken a special interest in Ms. Takara since her arrival. He had access to her records, and he was astounded by her credentials. Three degrees, multiple certifications, and a remarkable history of volunteering in underserved communities.
A woman like her could have worked anywhere, in fact, he had no doubt in his mind that she could've just become a nurse at Arcadia highschool if she wanted to but she hadn't. It confused him greatly and he found himself wanting to ask her, in fact, he decided that he would ask the woman after school so he didn't get in the way of any student that needed to visit the nurse's office for any reason and so he didn't distract the woman from her job.
"Why Winslow?" Mr. Richards had asked her after school, the woman was just getting out of her chair to leave, her purse in her hand, curiosity edging his tone while he continued. "You could have worked anywhere."
Ms. Takara smiled gently, her eyes holding a depth he hadn't expected. "I want to help those who need it most. I've seen what happens when no one is there to guide or support young people. Winslow has its challenges, and I know I can make a difference, even if it's small."
Her words resonated with him, but there was something unspoken, an air of mystery that lingered around her. He admired her dedication but couldn't ignore the whispers among the staff about her possible ties to the ABB. However, Mr. Richards doubted those rumors were even true, sure, this was Brockton Bay but it wasn't all that bad and every person of Asian heritage was in the ABB.