crystal clear

In the middle of the impending war and traffic jam, Takemichi decided that he needed to put a stop to this mess. Or maybe he unexpectedly started it since Terano was looking at him like he wanted to crush an insect while the other gangsters surrounding them gaped at him as if he had lost his goddamn mind.

"I have no interest...Neither in Brahman, nor Rokuhara Tandai! I am only here to defeat Kantou Manji Gang's leader, Sano Manjirou!" Takemichi bellowed with a determined look on his face. His blue eyes shining in temerity and boldness.

Whispers and murmurs erupted from the onlookers around them.

"I see. So that's why you're here." Kakucho stated calmly.

"Are you insane?! Are you trying to interfere with the three deities?! A small fry like you?!" Terano yelled at him furiously, blocking his path with his imposing stature and wrath.

Takemichi kept his firm stance in front of him even though Terano's imposing figure made him want to back down and stepped away out of reflex.

A punch suddenly went flying into Terano's direction where the latter barely managed to dodged it with his arm blocking his body. But the sudden punch still sent him flying into the other side of the path.

Did he just got hit?!

"If you want to get to Takemitchy, you have to go through me!" Draken shot a proud smile at Takemichi's direction before regarding Terano with a challenging yet mocking grin on his face.

"Come on, let's begin round two!"

"Viiivo!" Terano yelled with a wide grin on his face before he ran towards Draken's direction.

However, the loud sirens of the police cars halted their movements and looked around sharply.

"The cops?!" Takemichi cried, his eyes widening in surprise and panic.

"Tch. Let's settle this some other time, Draken." Terano stated in half disappointment and a matter of fact voice.

"South! I had left the old me in the Tokyo Manji Gang! I'll never join Rokuhara Tandai!" Draken bellowed.

Terano didn't deign him with a response and continued walking away from him.

'You never change Draken. Your heart will always be with Toman.' Takemichi inwardly thought with a small smile on his face.

As Draken and Takemichi watched Kakucho and the other members of their gang followed Terano away, Akashi called Draken's attention and went towards his direction.

"Akashi?"

"Sorry for just standing quietly." Akashi uttered as he patted Draken's shoulders lightly before walking past him.

Draken watched him go although he could sensed Takemichi's surprised and bewildered look into their direction.

He inwardly sighed. One of the reasons why he didn't tell Takemichi earlier about his involvement with the Brahman gang was that he didn't want Takemichi getting into another dangerous fray again. Knowing Takemichi, he wouldn't hesitate to jumped onboard into the dangerous world of delinquency again once he knew everything. It's already alarming itself that Takemichi still wanted to find and save Mikey despite him warning that Mikey had already changed and won't hesitate to kill him if he decided to interfere and be a nuisance towards him.

But he guessed that Takemichi doesn't operate like the other people. He was stubbornly firm about his beliefs and actions especially towards the people that he cared about the most. And maybe that's one of the reasons why he's also fond of their crybaby hero regardless of him being an awkward, lanky lad.