A few days before Shamshel attack

"The latest reports are in sir, as expected we can see profit growth in all districts. We did take a minor hit in Arigasaki due an influx of Korean gangs, but I'm told a minor family will hit them by the end of the week. By next month the issue should be dealt with, and the Tojo Clan will celebrate three consecutive years of success. All of it thanks to our glorious chairman."

A round of applause deafened the room full of nearly thirty Patriarchs under the Tojo Clan, as it should. The resulting forecast of money flow was a boon to the once starving yakuza organization, who once were threatened to near extinction following the colossal disaster of Second Impact. That time has long since passed, now that the new chairman of the Tojo Clan had rightfully taken his spot.

"Thank you for all your hard work, Chairman Kazuma." A wave of bows washed through the room, as old and young alike paid respect to the leader of the Tojo Clan, Kiryu Kazuma.

The applause was starting to get annoying to him, in fact he felt like even the smallest of victories would be met with overwhelming congratulations. He wondered for a moment if he could ban clapping. Before he could think about it further, he raised his hand to signal to everyone to stop. "Thank you, all of you. These last few years have been gracious to us all, we would be nowhere if it wasn't for the effort put in by our members across Tokyo-2 including you all." Kiryu gave a small bow.

"You are too modest, Chairman." To his close left, a graying man with a scar across his cheek and nose spoke up. He was a long time family friend, and early supporter of Kiryu.

Osamu Kashiwagi
Patriarch of the Kazama Family,
A Tojo Clan Subsidiary

"It is with your wise guidance that the Tojo Clan lives on to this day, were you to create your own clan I have no doubt many would follow you." It was high praise from Kashiwagi and he meant it.

Kiryu only gave a nod before returning his gaze back to the rest of the room. "As a request, I ask that after tonight's meeting, you all return to your families and celebrate as well. Make sure your men are well cared for and know they have my gratitude." His request was met with agreement, if only with a little bit of begrudgement.

The door to the chamber room was opened, as the on-site staff walked in with trays full of glasses of wine. "Before we all leave, a toast." Kiryu said as a glass was handed out to each patriarch including him. "To the continued growth of the Tojo clan." He raised his glass, and all others followed.

Quickly downing the wine, Kiryu stood up and dismissed the meeting. He was more than ready to leave the Tojo Clan Headquarters; a quick look at his watch told him that he was going to be late.

"Do you have somewhere to be, Kiryu?" Kashiwagi asked, noticing the chairman looking at his watch.

"Yes, I do, I'm sorry if I must leave early. I'm sure some of the other patriarchs would like to have a word with me." Ever since Kiryu became chairman he has had a lot of people try and suck up to him. At first it was nice seeing some of the men back over backwards to appease him, but it very quickly became annoying. His words were considered law and were acted upon rigorously, a little too much for his taste.

Not long after he was inducted as the new chairman, he had to furiously persuade a captain of some minor family to not start a gang war after Kiryu voiced his grievance about losing turf. Kiryu quickly learned that his words held more weight than ever, and there were more than a few eager men willing to make a name for themselves. That was a bad combination that almost blew up in his face more than a couple of times.

"I see," Kashiwagi nodded, "Would you like me to call your driver?"

Kiryu thought about it for a moment, he wasn't feeling tired today like usual, "I think I will walk, stretch my legs a little. Too much sitting behind a desk will make these old bones soft."

Kashiwagi chuckled, "If that's the case you will need your cane." He leaned down to the side of Kiryu's chair and handed him a generic steel gray cane befitting of Kiryu's stoic nature.

Kiryu gave a quick 'thank you' as he started limping towards the door, his knee never quite fully healed after that incident so many years ago. After he was shot his knee was critically injured, not even surgery would be enough to reheal the wound left in the bullet's wake. In a way it was a blessing, as the chairman of the Tojo Clan he was now limited in his movement. He couldn't be charging into fights like he used to, he was too important now.

There was another reason he didn't try and fix his leg, a personal one, it was a reminder of his failure. That night when he failed his friend Shinji, it was his mistake that led to the young man's death. He would not let himself forget what his recklessness caused him.

He had just reached the door when it opened in front of him, walking in from the hallway was a face he did not want to see right now. Wearing a white suit with a black shirt underneath was the current patriarch of the Nishikiyama family.

"Leaving so soon Chairman?" The smirking face of the Patriarch greeted Kiryu. Everything about the man in front of him rubbed him the wrong way, but Kiryu could not openly show it so he had to withstand it.

"Hello to you too, Koji."

Koji Shindo
Acting Patriarch of the Nishikiyama Family
A Subsidiary of the Tojo Clan

Koji feigned being hurt as he grabbed his shoulder, "So cold, Chairman, did I do something wrong? Or is your knee hurting again, would you like me to grab some pain killers for you?" His mocking tone grated Kiryu like nothing else, he had met many people like this but Koji was the one he could not punch in the face. No matter how much he wanted to.

"Is there something urgent you require Koji?" His questions were brief and to the point, the less time he had to spend interacting with this man would be for the best.

Koji looked at him curiously, "Only checking up on the search for our dear missing Patriarch and your blood brother, is that not urgent to you…Chairman?" His gaze shifted to one of accusation but Koji did not voice it.

Kiryu frowned, he should have known Koji would have brought up his brother after all it had been fiftteen years since he had last been seen. For Kiryu, he hadn't seen his brother since that night in Kamurocho where he took the fall for killing Sohei Dojima almost two decades ago. Like many people, Nishiki was a victim of the violent world changing event of Second Impact, he had disappeared just like millions of others across the globe. Kiryu was unsure if his brother was dead or not, there was so much happening during that time that Kiryu couldn't even tell where he could have been. Was he crushed under the stampede of people leaving the city centers? Did he fall victim to the nuclear blasts that leveled Tokyo-1? Did he not want to be found? These questions have plagued Kiryu every night.

"As soon as we have any actionable information on your Patriarch's location, you will be the first to know, Koji. Until then, please wait for any news." Koji looked at him with sharp eyes, one befitting a snake like him.

Koji stepped aside and gave a small bow, "Thank you Chairman, please have a safe trip home." His tone did not convey the humility of his words, he was still skeptical of Kiryu but could not show it.

As he left the room Kiryu muttered to himself, "I suddenly don't have the drive to walk home."

As he made his way out of the facility, Kiryu drank in the decor. The new headquarters had finally started to look lived-in; months of renovation successfully changed a few acres of rubble into a compound deserving of the strongest Yakuza clan in Japan. It was modeled after the old headquarters that was lost in Second Impact in an attempt to preserve what was lost.

"Good afternoon sir," His chauffeur greeted him as he approached the gate, "Would you like a drive home?"

Kiryu nodded as he stepped into his vehicle, uneager to interact much anymore after Koji. Speaking with the Patriarch of the Nishikiyama family brought back memories of Second Impact, ones he never liked revisiting.

September, 2000 - Fifteen Years ago

For five years Kazume Kiryu had been serving time in jail for a crime he did not commit but admitted to. The murder of Yakuza Patriarch Sohei Dojima was his fault, he had gone to prison for it so in the eyes of the law he was the murderer. The truth was, however, that Kiryu had taken the fall for his blood brother Akira Nishikiyama.

Nishiki, as Kiryu always called him, had only wanted to protect their friend Yumi after being taken in by the old Patriarch and nearly raped. Nishiki had shot Dojima in defense but that didn't matter in the eyes of the law. Someone had to take the fall, and Kiryu volunteered himself. He could not let his brother go to jail while his sister was still in the hospital, he needed to be at her side in case anything happened.

In a sense, Kiryu rationalized this as cashing out on a long overdue consequence of his actions. Only a decade earlier he had narrowly avoided going to jail for a murder he also didn't commit, a frame-up by Dojima's Lieutenants in order to pursue the famous Empty Lot.

Since being incarcerated, Kiryu has tried his best to stay low and avoid the other inmates as much as possible. After the first day when he was ganged up on, most other prisoners have learned to give him some room just like today. There Kiryu sat in the cafeteria eating his allotted dinner, it was pretty cruddy but after five years Kiryu had long gotten used to it. As Kiryu chowed down on his food, he looked out the nearby window. Though the prison was surrounded by high walls but when at a certain angle he could just see pass it all, towards the horizon. Tokyo never looked more appealing than when he was inside the walls of a prison.

Like many days, Kiryu just wanted his time in prison to finally be over so he can see what has become of his friends. Was Yumi okay? Did Yuko finally get the treatment she needed? Was Nishiki rising up the ranks? These questions ate at him so much he wished to leave and go out and learn what had happened. Every day his wishes weren't heard…until today.

Kiryu looked back to his plate of food and grabbed his drink, he froze for a moment as he looked at the water. Ripples along the surface edges pulsed from the center and started tilting. Before he could think he heard a rumble, it started small but eventually grew louder and louder. The whole room noticed it too, Japan was not unfamiliar with an earthquake there had been plenty during his time in prison. But this one felt different.

"Prisoners!" Barked one of the Wardens on duty, "Head back to your cells in an order-" He was cut off as the ground itself shook.

Kiryu was thrown to the ground, the clattering of plates, glasses, and utensils were thrown about. He could barely recognize the screaming and shouting of the other men, the earthquake was just that loud. He didn't dare stand up, instead opting to stay low and cover his head from flying debris. The shaking didn't stop for so long Kiryu lost track of time.

Once the shaking did stop Kiryu shakily stood back up, the cafeteria was a mess. People were thrown all about the floor, some of the tables had flipped onto their sides, and food strewn about. He looked back to the window where he could see to the outside, in the distance he could hear screaming and shouting, earthquake sirens blared off in the distance, he could even see some smoke rising as well.

"Pr-prisoners!" Behind him the Warden from before shakily stood up, "Back to your cells, now!"

Kiryu was rushed out of the cafeteria as more guards arrived to help contain the situation, as he left the cafeteria Kiryu had a bad feeling things were about to get much worse.

Not long after the earthquake did the tsunamis start to come and they were massive. The next couple days saw tsunamis hit all of Asia, nowhere was spared. Coastal cities across the continent were hit severely. It got worse when rumors started to spread of just how bad the earthquake really was, one of the inmates said they heard the guards talking about it.

"I'm telling ya, the whole world felt it!" The inmate said as their group cleaned some of the toilets, "The news is saying millions are dead! Everyone is up in arms, like they're about to go to war!"

Kiryu did not dare to believe the inmates' mad ramblings, but his gut was telling him otherwise. It was a kind of dread Kiryu had never felt before in his life. He was never an existential kind of person, Kiryu was always concerned with what he could comprehend. But this? It disturbed him like nothing else.

"Quiet over there!" One of the Guards shouted, in an attempt to look in control however Kiryu could hear the tenseness in his voice.

Up to this point, Kiryu still had illusions of normalcy. That whenever he got out of prison things would be just like the way they were. It was a coping mechanism he found out later, one that was quickly shattered.

The Guard blew his whistle, signaling the end of their shift, "Alright inmates, line u-"

"Look, there's something falling from the sky!" One of the other inmates shouted as he pointed out the window.

Kiryu turned to the window to look at whatever it was that the inmate was pointing to, it wasn't hard to narrow down where it was. The object was like a black almond falling in the bright sunny sky, and it was headed straight towards the city. Kiryu's stomach sank as the realization fell upon him, as the black almond disappeared behind the city landscape Kiryu turned his eyes away just in time as a bright flash washed over the entire world.

Before he could regain his composure the ground beneath Kiryu rumbled, not even the earthquake from a couple days ago matched this level of intensity. The building around them shook violently, cracks started to form in the walls, the men around them screamed but Kiryu could not hear them.

Around him the men started running for the door, inmates and guards alike ran for their lives. Kiryu would have followed if parts of the roof didn't fall in front of the door.

"Damn it." He cursed to himself.

The wall facing the city cracked even more, a large fissure nearby one of the windows grew even larger. If given enough force perhaps Kiryu could make the wall crumble. He ran into the wall with all his might, he could feel the wall cave in, but it wasn't enough. Kiryu moved to the opposite side of the room and built up as much energy as he could, years of confinement may have dulled his abilities but he would not let that stop him from dying here.

Kiryu charged at the wall once more, sprinting as fast as he could, the impact reverberated in his bones but was enough to send him through the outside. Finally, Kiryu had gained his freedom again, but he was not ready for the costs it would take.

The horizon that Kiryu looked out towards was obliterated, a mushroom cloud the likes of which he had never seen dwarfed Tokyo off in the distance. The screams of millions polluted the air and ash along with it.

Rushing out of the prison was not as hard as Kiryu thought it would be, most guards had abandoned their duty. Some guards tried to fix the situation but there was little they could do in the face of a tidal wave of men pushing to the exits. Kiryu avoided those exits, instead going for the least obvious doors. Making it outside, Kiryu could finally see the extent of the damage.

It looked like hell. Kiryu was no man of faith, but this was the closest he ever came to believing in the divine. It was too much to put into words, to succinctly describe. It was simply chaos. The kind that was indescribable. It was simply too much.

Kiryu ran, ran through the streets, the crowds, over the bodies of those crushed under the stampede and through the glass covered concrete. He knew only that he had to get to Kamurocho, back to Kazama-san. Would he be brought back in with open arms? Turned away in shame for the crime he took the fall for? He did not know. Frankly there just wasn't many options for him, so he chose what was most familiar.

Kiryu did not stop running that day, it was like a blur to him. He didn't stop until he reached Kamurocho, his feet sore and his breath shallow. Kiryu stumbled to the ground in exhaustion, his eyes looking ahead of him at his destination. Tenkaichi street was just around the corner, he was so close. If only he could just reach it.

"Sir, we have arrived."

Kiryu woke up, he was no longer in Kamurocho fifteen years ago, he was in Midoriko. It was a small district near the outskirts of Nagano Prefecture, well…before the expansion of Tokyo-2. Displacement after Second Impact made districts like Midoriko expand rapidly, there was a lot of work that needed to be done in as short an amount of time as possible.

This of course caused lots of issues, poorly built buildings were a big issue. The Japanese Government outsourced as much as they could, leading to more than a few unqualified contractors receiving the job. To this day, buildings all across Tokyo-2 would partially collapse due to these oversights. Kiryu refused to let this happen to him.

When Kiryu contracted the building of Morning Glory out, he had double - even triple- checked the work done by these workers. Of course, bodily threats from a Yakuza was still an assured way to get things done but Kiryu preferred to get things done respectfully. A man won't do a job to the best of his ability if he fears a bullet to the back of the head.

And so Morning Glory stood like a beacon amongst the cramped, lesser quality buildings on each side of it.

In total the orphanage easily took up two or three lots just to fit every one of its facilities. The main orphanage was a two story home not really that luxurious , all things considered. The real meat of the orphanage lay in the multiple facilities it held. Morning Glory was more like a compound similar to the Tojo Clan HQ than any normal orphanage, Kiryu spared no expense into making sure the kids he took care of received more than adequate room and board.

First was the yard, surrounding the home on all sides. Next, the greenhouse and attached garden for fresh fruits and vegetables. After that was the small gym, it was refit Kenpo dojo but did it's job well enough. The last was a simple theater room, Kiryu wasn't truly the most fond of it to be honest - the chairs made him feel incredibly sleepy and he's heard more than enough complaints from the kids about his loud snoring.

In total Morning Glory orphanage was worth millions of Yen, but it was all worth it to keep his family safe.

To Become A Dragon

After waving his driver away, Kiryu headed into the orphanage. The lights inside were on and he could hear talking in the kitchen. It seemed the kids were waiting for him, best not keep them waiting.

The first floor of the orphanage was empty save the kitchen, the voices were lively. Happy. From the doorway he could smell something savory, perhaps it was that beef tenderloin he bought a couple days ago. A delicacy these days.

"I hope I'm not late," Kiryu said as he turned the corner.

"Welcome back Uncle Kaz!" The room of teenagers shouted, wide smiles and toothy grins all around.

Kiryu slowly sank into his seat at the head of the table, the plate of food in front of him was full of rice, vegetables from the farm, a slab of meat, and a nice glass of water. He couldn't wait to dig in.

"Thank you, all of you." As his gaze swept the room, he quickly realized there was someone missing. He did a quick headcount, before coming to the realization. "Where is Haruka?" He asked.

Shiro pulled up his watch, "She should be here right about-" The entrance to the building slammed open and shut as the pitter patter of footsteps ran to the kitchen, "Now." Shiro concluded.

Standing in front of the kitchen doorway was Haruka, hands on her knees as she panted as if she had run a marathon, "Sorry…I'm late…" She apologized between breaths.

She dragged herself to her seat on the other end of the table, all but throwing herself onto the chair in exhaustion. "Thank you for the food." She did a small bow before eating.

Dinner commenced in full now that Haruka had joined, the family was all together now. "So, Haruka," Kiryu started as he ate, "How was it?"

Haruka looked up from her food that she was devouring. She quickly swallowed the beef, "It was exhausting, I knew it would be hard work but I didn't think it would be like this."

"Having second thoughts?" Taichi asked.

Haruka quickly shook her head, "None at all."

Eri shot out her hand, looking to ask a question, "Is it true that they're smelly? I heard from a classmate that they smell really bad."

"Not all of them," Haruka said, "Many of them just need a little help. Sometimes it's just a bar of soap and a bucket of water, if they have that you'd never notice them."

Eri diligently nodded her head. "Do you like it?"

Haruka didn't hesitate, "Yes, I have no doubts about it."

Kiryu smiled, today was Haruka's first day at her new job. As a kind soul, Haruka had always been the type to give a helping hand. It was only natural of her to help as many people as possible.

"I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to work at a soup kitchen," Koji said between bites.

"Oh?" Haruka asked, "What did you expect?"

Koji thought for a moment, "I don't know honestly." He shrugged.

"It's admirable work, Haruka, you should be proud." Kiryu told her.

When Haruka approached him with the idea of working at a soup kitchen, Kiryu was slightly hesitant but he knew the kind of person Haruka was. "Tell us more." Kiryu told her.

Haruka went into detail about her work at the soup kitchen, her coworkers, and her boss Shirakawa. As she did, Kiryu could tell this type of work was fulfilling for Haruka. The way her eyes shined as she described helping the poor and homeless of Tokyo-2, it was as if she had found her calling.

As dinner continued, Haruka answered as many questions from the other kids as she could, dispelling any misconceptions in the meanwhile. Eventually, the food was eaten, and everyone's bellies were full. Combined with the good food, Kiryu felt heavy with the weight of today's meetings. His bed was calling to him and he was powerless to stop it.

As Riona walked around gathering the plates, Kiryu stood up to say his farewell. "I'll be heading to bed now, don't stay up too late, you all have school tomorrow." He was met with a 'Yes sir' from the kids. "Goodnight."

Kiryu walked up to his room, a modest, stark bedroom. The walls were bare, save the paint, no TV, just a desk, closet, and drawer near his bed. Kiryu preferred it simple like this, not much to distract him when he was working.

He yawned, sleep was calling to him faster. He quickly changed into sleeping attire, taking careful consideration of his bad knee as always. Once finished, Kiryu slipped underneath the blankets and went to sleep. Before his consciousness left him, Kiryu quietly lamented his lack of energy. He had gotten too used to working behind a desk, his youthful days of running the streets of Kamurocho would tire him out in only a fraction of the time. The realization had come to him not long ago, he was washed up. If today's reports were any indication, he'd have to show some force soon. He'd have to show that the Dragon of Dojima still had some fight in him.

But that was for another day, for now, Kiryu's mind lapsed. Returning back fifteen years ago to Kamurocho.

"Kiryu!"

Standing in front of him was none other than the captain of the Kazama family, Osamu Kashiwagi. The man looked ragged, bruised, and had a few cuts on him.

"Kashiwagi, sir." Kiryu attempted to stand, but his legs gave out on him. He was too tired.

Kashiwagi ran to him and helped Kiryu stand, "Hey you two, get over here!" Kashiwagi shouted toward two men at the corner of Tenkaichi street.

He was dragged to what was once the Kazama family office, inside was considerably more quiet now that the screaming and shouting was muffled by the walls. Kiryu was let down on the couch, allowing him some rest.

"It's like hell outside," One of the men said, looking out on the street.

"It's worse near Tokyo," Kiryu told them, "The whole city is…gone."

Kashiwagi turned to him, "You're not implying what I think you are…right?" His face started to pale.

Kiryu solemnly nodded, "I saw it myself, the shockwave nearly destroyed the prison I was in. I was able to escape. I ran through the crowds, it was awful."

A moment of silence fell across the room, the implications of just what was happening weighing down on everyone. "Where is Kazama-san?" Kiryu asked.

Kashiwagi paused, "Kashiwagi, here is Kazama-san?" Kiryu stood up, his knees shaking.

The Yakuza captain quickly ran to a nearby phone and dialed in a number, "C'mon, pick up." He pleaded. There was no response.

"Kashiwagi!" Kiryu grabbed the man's shoulder and turned him around, "Where is he?!"

"He was at the Tojo headquarters, in Tokyo."

Kiryu's heart sank, "We have to go there now, grab as many men as you can!"

Kashiwagi did not hesitate, "Right, we must retrieve Kazama-san. You two," He pointed to the grunts, "Call in as many men as you can, we are going to the Tojo clan headquarters to save our boss."

"Yes sir!" The two men bowed and ran outside, probably to find their other comrades.

Kiryu's knees started to buckle again, he fell back onto the couch. "You look exhausted, you should stay here." The older captain told him.

Kiryu vehemently disagreed, "I can't, Kazama-san needs us. Every able bodied man. Just give me an energy drink and I'll be good."

Kashiwagi studied him for a moment, the two men stared each other down eye to eye. Kiryu showed no hesitation, no weakness. "Very well, here." Kashiwagi pulled out a Staminan Spark, "This should get you going."

Kiryu took the energy drink graciously and chugged it, almost immediately he felt like he could run a marathon. "I'm ready." He stood up.

Kashiwagi shook his head, "Not quite, you should get out of those rags while the men gather everyone."

Kiryu looked down at his prison clothes, they were dirty and covered in dust. "You have something to spare?" Kiryu asked.

Kashiwagi nodded, "Kazama-san had something for you just in case." The man walked to a nearby closet and pulled out a box, handing it to Kiryu.

Opening it up, Kiryu silently thanked his adoptive father before putting on the clothes.

"Welcome back, Dragon." Kashiwagi said.

Kiryu stood tall, now in his usual clothes, "Let's go save Kazama-san."

This one has a bit of a shorter tail end than the average chapter, but that's only because this is part one of a two parter going into what happened during Second Impact for the Yakuza side of this story. But that will have to wait for a few weeks as next week I will be going back through the story for editing. Anyway, thank you and I hope you enjoyed.