(this is gonna be long and it has two parts (the other part will talk about the fight between you and Mikey) so BUCKLE UP, KIDS.)
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
For a while, Mikey wished for a tv to just fall on his head. Despite the very drastic injuries, at least it would make him pass time in switching through various channels. Yes, he really had nothing to do whatsoever.
Draken, who was supposedly under Mikey's control as of now, went to the store to buy water for himself because it was too hot. And now he was left with all of the Toman members combined, none of whom were saying anything.
At this point, he was simply shifting from heel to toe to just make time pass. "So, has anyone gotten into new fights lately?" Mikey asked and looked around, searching for anyone— just anyone, who would answer. "No?" He inquired once more, but still.. silence. He was seriously considering whether they were playing the quiet game or have all taken a collective vow of silence.
A loud commotion jolted everyone to their very core, and Mikey wondered if he was insane because he couldn't have asked for more. He looked behind his back and so did everyone else, "I'm gonna go see what that is really quick." Mikey said heroically and gratefully.
"Uh, Sir, I don't—" One of the many men spoke and felt instant fear when Mikey met his gaze. He gulped from terror. "I don't think you should go there. It could be dangerous and you might- I'm not sure."
Did that guy really believe Mikey was that cowardly? And all of a sudden, he remembered that vexing voice of hers telling him he's a coward and it enraged him. "Don't question me." Mikey told him and he sweat-dropped.
Mikey walked to the source of the noise, his jaw clenched. His steps were loud and spoke for themselves. Each one repeating 'I am mad. I am mad. I am mad.' and it was as if he wanted them to be heard. "Wait, no way!" In shock, a rather feminine voice yelled. Surprisingly, it wasn't where he was headed. But it was still familiar and that was what drew him in.
Turning around the very last corner, Mikey spotted a likely yet unlikely duo. Emma and Y/n, walking with a piece of paper in their hand. "Emma?" Mikey questioned out loud.
They both looked away from the paper, though it was very hard to. "Oh, hey Mikey." Emma greeted and looked back at the paper. "Y/n and I are just reading each other's kiss lists." She said, very nonchalantly to add.
Y/n's eyes widened in a heartbeat and immediately turned to Emma to see if she had actually meant that. "No, we are not." She returned her gaze to Mikey, attempting to convince him. But the blank expression on his face suggested that he has no idea what that is. "Oh, nevermind. I'm sorry, I live in a very different household and I genuinely thought something was about to go down."
"No, no. That made perfect sense to me. Kiss lists are very self-explanatory." Mikey dropped the finger he held up matter-of-factly. "So Emma, what is it? You're frenchin' people now?"
Mikey grabbed the piece of paper Emma was holding to read what was on it, but y/n grabbed it from him before he read anything. "Woah! First of all, who even says frenching anymore?" She asked and continued, "Second of all, you have no right to read her list. And third of all, that was my list."
His first expression was one of disgust, but it quickly changed to one of confusion. "Are you really sure? Because I saw actual names on there and not 'the poster on my wall'." Mikey made a direct insult.
Even though she was very evidently bothered, she tilted her head and he knew it was going to bite him him in his ass. "Don't tell me you're mad 'cause I kissed Mitsuya first?" Y/n teasingly asked. "My utmost apologies."
He was just staring blankly at first, but when those words finally hit him, his jaw dropped."Mitsuya.. You kissed Mitsuya?" Mikey arched his eyebrows, his mouth agape.
"There's also a guy named Hanma Shuji. His name sounds familiar and I'm pretty sure I met him before but—" Emma said before y/n hushed her with her hand.
Within Emma and y/n's fit about whether or not they could say it, there stood a shocked Mikey. He was still bewildered over the fact that Mitsuya, his supposed friend, kissed the only girl he's ever hated in his life. And it made him realize how much he had missed out on. What happened?
—
(2003)
The sounds of the motorcycle's engines whirling around were all Mikey heard. And the red and black striped t-shirt Baji wore was all he could see. He was sitting comfortably while Baji hit the brakes of his own bike, given that Mikey's was all destroyed by none other than himself. "My GSX250E's the best in Tokyo!" Baji expressed as he ran his finger along the hem of his motorcycle.
A bike pulled up beside them, interrupting Baji's boasting. "Huh? The best in Tokyo?" Draken asked with a snarl, sitting idly on that bike of his. "My Zephyr's the best in Japan, though."
His brows furrowed and he turned at the sound of another noisy engine. "Hey, hey, hey now. I ain't gonna pretend I didn't hear that shit." Mitsuya halted his bike, with a snarky grin plastered across his face. Y/n sat behind him and yawned due to sleeping over at the Sanos' last night. "My impulse is the best in the world, my friend. Y'all think too small."
"You're one to talk." Y/n stated. "Not one bike can compete with my cruiser." She said, unaware that she was sitting on someone else's bike as she spoke and bragged.
That caused Baji to roll his eyes and rev up the accelerator. "Shut up, y/n! Your bike's in the shop, you cannot be talking." He said with a visible and sly smirk. And Draken added to the bullying while Mitsuya and Mikey laughed.
And then came Kazutora, bragging about his bike, the rocket, too. And while the others were arguing and Mikey was dozing off, Pah-chin already rode away, stealthily might I add. "Let's race to the shrine!" Pah-chin told them in a hurry just to get on their nerves.
Shocked, they shouted and attempted to rush after him hurriedly. Despite the commotion, Mikey's head fell back and he eventually slept with his mouth wide open. "Hey! Why the hell are you asleep, Mikey?!" Baji shouted when he realized the silence behind him was significant. "You're gonna fall, you dumbass! Wake up!"
It was painful. Carrying Mikey all the way up the stairs hurt Baji. He huffed, puffed, and grunted but Mikey just snored ignorantly. And when reaching the last step of the stairs leading up to the shrine, he sighed from relief. "We finally made it." Baji said tiredly.
"And you're last."
"Slowpoke."
Baji looked at them in disbelief. "It's not my fault! He was passed the hell out! The whole time!" He tried to defend himself, but they shook their head disapprovingly. So he dropped his arms to his side.
"Excuses much?"
"Pretty lame, dude."
Their teases nearly killed Baji. He was considering the world 'betrayal' in his vocabulary as of now. But he thought to himself, Sticks and stones. Sticks and stones. "Just please do your thing." He pointed his hand in front of him lazily, sensing his legs giving out with each passing moment.
Y/n breathed and groaned in defiance. "Do I have to?" She asked Baji with a tilted head and he nodded his head in exhaustion. "Thought I'd stop being an object in Y2K but here I am, an alarm clock." She whispered under her breath and walked over to an exhausted Baji.
She faced Mikey, probably having the best dream of his life, who was laying on Baji's shoulder. And in a short second, she didn't want to wake him up. But she did anyway, by blowing a cold puff of air on his face.
The rest, other than Baji, watched in amusement. This was definitely not their first time seeing this but it surely shocked them every single time he woke up. "Huh? We made it?" Mikey said groggily.
"They plotted this! This was plotted!" Pah pointed at them accusatorially, and then raised his hands up in surrender with a cheeky smile on his face. "It surprises me every single time. Because how does that even work?!"
While Pah continued to blabber about how intense it was and how they were actually street magicians who had pretended to be their friends for this very moment, y/n crossed her arms infront of Mikey. "That's as close to a kiss as you'll ever get." She stated.
Mikey let out a very long yawn, stretching his limbs out in the process, and ending with an upside down smile. "What did you want to talk to everyone about, Mikey?" Draken asked, reminding him of ever calling everyone to the shrine in the first place.
He sighed and sat on a railing of some kind, parting his legs and dangling his arms in between them. They all stood and sat in a small circle beside him. "Have you ever heard of the Black Dragons?" Mikey asked them and y/n noticed Kazutora tense about the subject.
She glanced up, away from him, and saw Mitsuya looking right back at her. "I heard that they're brutal as hell. Three years older than us, right?" Mitsuya asked, slowly turning from her.
She furrowed her eyebrows but, nevertheless, waited for Mikey's answer. "Yeah." Mikey said and then faced Kazutora's 'trying to act nonchalant' face. "Why didn't you talk to us, Kazutora?" He asked with sympathy, and Kazutora finally looked at Mikey, his tense shoulders relaxing. "Baji told me. You have been fighting the Black Dragons alone, haven't you?"
Everyone seemed baffled. Pah-chin assumed Kazutora was living on the Black Dragon's turf and Mitsuya was very obviously surprised. "You've been fighting them alone?!" She asked him.
Distressed, Baji looked over at the both of them to see if anyone was angry with him. "I see." Draken mumbled. "Wait, are you planning to throw down with the black dragons, Mikey?" He asked, his face contemptuous. Because he was certain Mikey would do it. Or would have done it. No matter the idiocy.
Mikey placed both of his hands on the railing and simply said, "Yup." He stood up. The black dragons were ruthless and his desire to fight them was just plain idiotic. "The Black Dragons are huge. If we're gonna do this, we need a good reason."
Kazutora's eyebrows knitted in pure confusion, a sweat dripping from his face. He felt shocked, though it wasn't shocking. No. What if someone gets hurt? That's just.. That's just unacceptable. "I've got an idea!" Baji grinned. "Let's start a gang."
That's just even worse to Kazutora. Because what if he decides to leave them? What if he becomes like his father? And acts completely deranged? Genetics isn't a joke, right? Would anyone even defend him? Would he even be able to defend himself? "A gang? Us?" Kazutora asked.
But Baji nodded, to Kazutora's dismay. And pretty excitedly. "Huh, that sounds pretty awesome." Draken said, the idea sinking in and him liking it.
But the fact that everyone agreed to the idea disappointed Kazutora. Sure, it's for him but it wasn't his idea. He didn't want to entertain it. "We've already got everyone's positions figured out." Baji looked over to Mitsuya who was equally excited.
"Our commander's gonna be our most powerful in the universe, the cocky little shit, Mikey!"
Mikey clicked his tongue, feeling flattered. "You're gonna make me blush." He smirked cockily.
"Our vice president is gonna be our dependable big bro, Draken."
"Mikey's advisor, y/n, is gonna make peace between any unresolved fights."
"Our mediator, Mitsuya, is gonna command our elite guard."
"Our powerhouse, Pah-chin, is gonna carry out our banner."
"You and I will be the attack unit, Kazutora!"
Looking back, it was all fine. Better, even. It was tranquil.. and serene. What went so wrong?