Crows Zero

Chapter Two

Sumi knocked her knuckles on his desk. "Fukuoka-sama. Hand it over."

He laughed—or hacked, more like it—and held up his hands, drawing obvious attention to their emptiness. "Is that any way to treat a man you ask a request from?"

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "You and I both know you're just as interested in Tamao as I am. But I have things to do, and little time to sit here to start on another long pilgrimage of life. I love you, old man, now give it to me."

Fukuoka laughed harder than ever, smacked his palm jovially on the desk, and winked. "You're a good kid, Sumi-chan. Tamao's a lucky man to have you so close by." He opened a desk drawer and withdrew a yellow envelope. "Take good care of these now, would you? The market's pretty rough these days."

She accepted the parcel. "Arigatō, Ryuichi-sama." She smiled briefly, winked back, and left, taking heed to hold her breath as she passed through the stuffy cloud.

The rooftops of Suzuran were always the best place to find Tamao and his gang, but Sumi honestly never understood its appeal. All the same, stepping out on it now, she admired the open air and setting sun. Her purse felt heavy with value as the large envelope peeked out; she only hoped that Tamao would see it that way.

Then Tamao came around the corner. He stopped at the door and raised his eyebrows at her. "Sumi? What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

Sumi winked. "How could they operate without me?" She took the yellow enveloped from her satchel purse and handed it to him. "This is for you."

He questioned her silently but took out the papers and glanced over them. "Housing deeds?"

"Yeap. In Hokkaido. The place'll be ready for living by the end of graduation."

Tamao slid the papers back in the envelope and extended it to her. "I don't want em."

She looked around nonchalantly, hands tucked behind her back. He sighed, and she smiled at him. "What're you doing up here at this hour, anyway? Admiring the sunset?"

Tamao frowned, threw the parcel at her feet, and stomped off. "Get to work," he snapped evenly.

She blinked at his shrinking back and picked up the envelope. "What's eating him?" She shrugged it off and walked around the fencing, excited to see Tokio alone.

Tokio always won brownie points from her, not only for his loyalty to Tamao but for his calm, intelligent disposition. They had been sweethearts for a while when they were freshmen, but things changed—he made a choice. He chose fighting over her, so she ended their relationship abruptly, but she could never neglect him for long. He was, after all, her first love. Now, she still felt an unbridled tenderness for him, and a different love took precedence over any romance; a protective, affectionate love, much like that reserved for the dearest of friends and family.

Sumi rounded the corner and squinted against the sunset. "Tokio-kun?" It took a few blinks to clear her vision, but when she finally made out Tokio's figure against the orange flames of light, he was hunched on the ground, grabbing his head and squeezing his eyes shut with gritted teeth as his skin broke into a cold sweat. "Tokio!" She rushed to him, but her hands hovered just above his shoulders. "What's wrong?" Tokio gave a brief, mumbled cry, and she jumped up. "I'll get Tamao!"

But she didn't move. His claw-like fingers pressed into her forearm as fast and strong as talons. He panted uncontrollably, working to subdue the apparent pain, and looked up at her. "Don't tell Tamao."

Sumi frowned but kneeled back in front of him. "Why? What's wrong with you?"

"Please, Sumi." Tokio released his grip and touched her wrist. "Don't make me."