~.~
"You don't understand anything until you learn it more than one way."
~.~
[August 1st, 2005 - Monday]
"I can't believe we're actually visiting him," Althea scowled; rolling her eyes as her right arm hooked itself in between (Y/N)'s. "Didn't he ghost the both of us? Now, all of the sudden, he appreciates our company?!" She grumbled.
(Y/N) sighs, "I know you two aren't on the same page right now. But...—" She looks ahead, "...—Takemichi's... changed, and he's trying to atone for all his mistakes." Althea scoffs lightly in retort.
The taller female hangs her head low with defeat before smiling softly. "It would make me very happy if you two at least tried to get along. Just for today," (Y/N) affirmed, sending a soft smirk as Althea's cheeks puffed up with a pout; she was now struggling to avert (Y/N)'s tempting gaze.
She then groaned in defeat, "Fine, but if he does or says anything that annoys me? We're leaving." She mandates. (Y/N) hums with a gureenteed nod. "That's right, we leave."
And with that being said, the pair finally arrived at the Hanagaki residence; letting themselves in thanks to his mother before trailing up toward his rather small and peculiar room.
And with one swing of his door, there he appeared. Takemichi sat in a jet-black swivel chair, his gaze narrowed toward a table containing a jigsaw puzzle. It appeared to be made up of dozens of pieces that needed to be put together. It was undoubtedly a difficult game to complete on your own.
"Uh, Takemichi?" The boy jolts with surprise; nearly flying from his seat entirely.
"WHA—?!" His eyes are wide and full of fear before he scanned the confused expressions that draped over the pair's faces. Takemichi's face then relaxed. "Oh! Althea, (Y/N)! Glad you two showed up."
Althea crosses her arms. "Gusto ko ng umuwi." She grumbles in Tagalog; stomping her foot firmly onto the ground. (Y/N) displays a stoic expression. "Magpakabait ka." She mandated; stealing a serious glance at the shorter female.
The blond is only left further confused before he extended his arm. "Uh... how about you guys have a seat...?" He urged; observing as Althea was the first to plop onto his bed with a pout; making sure that it was plainly obvious how annoyed she was.
(Y/N), on the other hand, takes a seat on the floor, near the jigsaw puzzle. There is a moment of silence before (Y/N) cleared her throat. "Takemichi. Aren't you gonna ask Althea what we came here for?" She backtracked; narrowing her eyes out of aggravation.
He perks up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh right...!" his throat clears, "Althea? Can you—?"
A shadow then suddenly cast across Althea's face. "No." The petite girl dismissed; turning her head in the opposite direction to avoid Takemichi's gaze. "Althea—..." sighs (Y/N).
"No!!" She interjects with a loud groan. "I just don't get it...!" Her gaze turns to (Y/N), extending a finger toward the blond male sitting before them. "Why is it that every time when he needs our help he calls us?!"
Her gaze returns to Takemichi. "...—But any other time, you ghost us?" Her arms then cross and her brows knit. "(Y/N) may be somewhat forgiving, but I'm not. You don't do that to your friends! Especially when they've had your back for years!!"
Takemichi sulks in his swivel chair; feeling as if he had been shot with multiple arrows. His head then narrowed. "I know, and I don't think any amount of apologies can fix that..." He acknowledges. "...—But please, this one time, I need your help— (Y/N) needs your help."
Althea perks up at the accusation and turns her gaze toward the female; she then huffs upon seeing (Y/N)'s desperate expression. It was truly her own weakness. "Fine." She groans. "But I'm only doing it for (Y/N). Nothing more, nothing less." Takemichi grins weakly. "That's all I needed to hear." He uttered; pushing back from the jigsaw game before resting his arms on his lap.
Finally, it was time to get serious.
"—...(Y/N) told me about how you knew of Mikey before she met 'em. And we wanted to know if you knew anything else about gangs overall. The more info, the better." Althea jolts with surprise. "The hell do you guys think I am? Gang encyclopedia?!"
(Y/N) shrugs. "Well yeah, that's pretty much why you're here." She blurts out. Althea pouts before sighing yet again. "I don't know much as that dude Yamagishi does, but I'll try to give you a tiny run-down on some things."
Althea then fixes her posture before turning to face the duo. "Starting with Toman, I couldn't find much information about them because they're still relatively new around here," Althea affirms. "...—But I can confirm that their gang began in 2003. I believe it was formed shortly after the defeat of the most notorious gang of their time."
The duo's brows knit together. "And who was that?" They inquired in unison.
Althea's eyes darken. "The most vicious group of people you could ever encounter; The Black Dragons." She clarified. "...—From what I heard, there have been multiple generations of those bastards. About ten in total."
The pair nods slowly, drinking in this newfound information.
Such big words used for a gang like this seemed about intimidating, not to mention the way the air grew dull as Althea resumed her explanation. "...—They were known to have harmed innocent people simply for entering their territory. And the rumors say? Not long after that, the trespassers were murdered." Althea lowers her head. "Beaten to death, to be more specific..."
A shudder runs down Takemichi's spine as he steals a disturbed glance at (Y/N).
The taller female, on the other hand looked unfazed. "I see..." (Y/N) murmurs; nodding rather slowly. 'They're definitely no joke...'
Althea then shoves her hands in her pockets. "There's no doubt that they're not one of Toman's bigger conflicts. But, they were later dealt with after Toman was formed. I even heard that there was a truce made."
(Y/N) raises a brow at this fact. "A truce? Why in the hell would Mikey make a truce with those bastards?" Althea just shrugs. "Well, that's the part I don't know. My guess is that they must've promised Mikey to never hurt anyone in Toman, and to keep from getting their asses beat again." She sneered.
The taller female amongst the trio grows oddly weary. "Okay, so there's no doubt that they aren't in the top ten, in terms of dangerous gangs that is." (Y/N) mumbles; putting her thumb to her chin. "We definitely can't turn our back on them..." She acknowledged.
Althea nods. "Exactly. But number two is most definitely Moebius. And I don't think I need to go into details on why that is..." She trails off.
A moment of silence circles the room as (Y/N) and Takemichi became lost in thought.
'The Black Dragons must be super well known in these parts if they're capable of gruesome shit like that... even their name sounds familiar to me.' (Y/N) pondered; shifting her gaze back to Althea, who was fidgeting with the strings of her hoodie.
"Althea." (Y/N) called; watching as the petite girl halted before lifting her head. "If this isn't too much to ask...? What else do you know about these "Black Dragons"? In case we ever encounter them..."
Althea pauses for a moment before her lips part. "I think they were a combination of two rival gangs." She holds up two fingers before pulling them close together. "Upon coming together, for some reason, they were rebranded under the name "The Black Dragons", the first generation lasted a couple of years before disbanding."
Althea then lies back in Takemichi's bed. "Soon after that," She stretches with a soft groan. "I think there was a female gang that formed shortly afterward, but they mysteriously disbanded after their first few months together."
The duo jolts; glancing toward one another. "A female gang?!" They uttered in unison; Althea nods, sitting back up.
"I know right?! I couldn't believe it either! But apparently, it's not a rare occurrence here in Shibuya." She shrugs; adjusting her glasses dramatically. "But they moved like ninjas, nobody ever even gets to see what they look like before they're mysterious murdered or run outta town. I guess female gangs are just way better at keeping their identities hidden."
(Y/N) raises a brow, squinting her eyes with suspicion. "But I guess you got some info on them?" Althea smirks; her brow raising as well as her eyes closed. "Guilty."
With this, Althea raises a finger. "...—But first. I'll be needing something." With this, Althea suddenly reached her arm under Takemichi's bed, rummaging for something 'important' while also avoiding any unnecessary "magazines".
She then seized Takemichi's laptop and said. "Hope you don't mind, right, Takemichi?" As her countenance brightened. The blond male shakes his head as he and (Y/N) slowly approached each of Althea's sides, watching as she started to search the internet for something.
And as her tiny fingers got to work, the brighter her grin grew. She was more than excited about her findings. "All the articles for the Black Dragons' second generation appeared to be wiped out when I did my first research," She then shoots (Y/N) a cocky smirk.
"...—But after a while, I think I got my hands on something." Althea's fingers then began typing at an immense amount of speed, and in seconds an unknown webpage popped up. It appeared to be a mini-article with not that much of a description to read off of.
Above the small paragraph of words, it appeared to be one poorly taken photo displaying up to five women seemingly running from the paparazzi. The lighting was dim and judging by the blurriness displayed around the females, they were running pretty quickly.
Althea was right to assume that they were almost like ninjas.
With this, (Y/N)'s brows knit. "What's this? Doesn't seem like much to read. Let alone look at..." She grumbled.
Upon uttering that comment, Althea sighed. "This is the only information I could find. It's the last remaining article on the second generation of the Black Dragons. In my opinion? Someone definitely forgot to remove it from the web, so I suggest you guys start reading it now. And quick."
With that, Althea shifted out of the way, allowing both Takemichi and (Y/N) to lean in.
As stated previously, the image was too blurry, and the paragraph barely supplied any ounce of information or context. It was just a bunch of questions and contradictions. "This is definitely an old photo, I can see that." (Y/N) comments; squinting her eyes.
Even if that part were true, there's no doubt she made that assumption after just scanning nothing but pixels. And with that, (Y/N) popped another question.
"Althea, do you know exactly when this generation disbanded?" She adds.
Althea hums before snapping her fingers. "I'm assuming 1996! They lasted less than a year, according to what I heard." A frown appears on (Y/N)'s face as her countenance wavers. Upon noticing, Althea asks, "What's wrong?"
Following the question, (Y/N) shakes her head in response. "Nothing, it's just..." She pauses. "Don't worry about it."
Althea and Takemichi crease their brows. "Hey, if you have something on your mind, let us know, (Y/N)! Nothing needs to be kept a secret from us!" Takemichi inputs; shifting away from the computer, granting (Y/N) some space. Upon stating such, (Y/N) shortly stares at the duo in protest before finally sighing with defeat.
"It's just that..." her eyes roll. "This may sound weird to mention but..." She gulps. "This all is making my head spin. It's almost as if... I should know all of this information already. It hurts... so much..." She affirms; lowering her gaze back to the photo.
"...It's almost frustrating that this is all we have on this generation. I'm sorry... it's just... too much for my head to process."
The duo frowns, returning their attention back to the computer. It was indeed frustrating, to say the least. They were given almost nothing with this piece of information. It was just wiser to leave it be.
That's when Althea's fingers began gliding over the mouse pad. "Hey, if you want... I can just exit out of the page and—"
That's when Althea's finger slipped, causing the photograph to be enhanced, allowing the trio to see every hidden detail. They all jerk back in surprise as (Y/N) knits her brows. "Whoa—?! Wait a minute, hold up, Althea...." She mumbles, taking the laptop and bringing it closer to her face.
Her eyes squint yet again as she mentally recounts the number of figures located in the photo before reanalyzing their blurred appearances. As previously stated, there were five females located in the image, yet one of them wore a jacket that stood out to her the most.
It had the symbol of a potential dragon on it, though the color was pink and black; symbolizing their femininity. Also, each jacket had different sorts of Japanese inscriptions located on its backsides, similar to Toman and Moebius.
Even still, nothing seemed to stand out to her the most, until her gaze was suddenly drawn to the ostensible leader. They appeared to have long curly hair that reached their shoulders, as well as a brown-colored complexion.
Their back appeared to be turned, yet the camera captured their body figure. They appeared to be in good shape, as well as slim and tall, but it was hardly visible beneath her jacket; which was the longest among the ladies and draped past her ankles.
And to finish the look, the woman's jacket appeared to have the title of Josei senchō; female captain.
Silence consumes (Y/N) as she began to stare deeply at the photo; squinting her eyes more and more. It was as if her brain kept telling her to focus her attention on the leader specifically. And thus, her frustration oddly grew. "Hang on a second..." she whispered again; further concerning both Takemichi and Althea.
"What is it?" They murmur in unison; trying to sneak a peek at what (Y/N) could be seeing. But the female wouldn't stop hogging the laptop.
But, it's a good thing she did. Because, from (Y/N)'s perspective, the woman appeared to have a slight similarity to someone she knew, further confusing her. And with that, her brain began to yell at her. Screaming at her to put the pieces together.
"Is it me...? Or is that—?"
That's when the door to Takemichi's room slammed open, scaring the trio as the laptop slipped from (Y/N)'s grasp and collided with the floor, causing the battery to knock itself loose; shutting the entire computer down instantly.
"No!!" (Y/N) exclaims, scurrying to the device as she began frantically shoving the battery back into place. And after some attempts, the computer powered back on but the webpage was blank.
The webpage had been taken down.
"Damn it!" (Y/N) roars; fiercely slamming the device on her lap with a scowl. The duo is quick to rush to her side as they plant their hands on each of her shoulders.
"(Y/N), what's the matter?!" Althea inquired; observing as her friend raked her fingers through her braids, they now messily draped over the girl's aggravated expression.
"I saw it! I know I did!" (Y/N) screamed out; shaking her head with fury. Confusion builds, "Saw who? (Y/N)— what did you see?!" The duo bellowed; struggling to get a direct answer from their tall friend.
And with this, the brown-skinned girl paused; huffing as her rage suddenly turned to confusion. Now, it appeared almost as if her brain had shut off, its constant screams were finally silenced, and her perplexity returned once more.
She then began scanning the entire room; her eyes soon landing on Takemichi's group of friends; The Mizo Mid Five. They all seemed to be dead silent, with worried expressions on their faces. Not to mention, that Makoto, the black-haired boy, was the one who slammed the door open in the first place.
Without another word, (Y/N) then drops the laptop to the floor, groaning with aggravation. "I think I saw... I thought I saw...—" But before her sentence could be completed, suddenly, an agonizing headache struck (Y/N), sending her stumbling back into Althea's arms.
The petite girl gasps, roping her arms around the taller female as she sunk into her chest; clutching her temple for dear life, "Whoa, (Y/N)?! You gotta slow down!" Althea asserts, "Did you take your meds before we even got here?!"
"Fuck those meds...!" Mumbles (Y/N) as she relaxes her body into Althea's arms. "It's like every time I take them... my headaches just get worse."
Althea huffs with slight disappointment, her eyes softening. She then started caressing the sides of (Y/N)'s temple, allowing a sense of comfort to wash over her before she returned her focus to the group of boys.
"Can one of you go fetch (Y/N) an icepack? And a glass of water?" Althea inquired, observing as both Yamagishi and Akkun were the first to flee the room. After a while, the boys then arrived with the requested items, which they carefully handed to Althea and (Y/N).
~.~
The brown-skinned girl sighs; a cool sensation now resting on top of her head. The icepack was a little unpleasant at first, but it did relieve the aching, "Sorry for scaring you guys earlier." (Y/N) mumbled; resuming to rest her body on Althea's chest.
The quartet of males laughs as their heads shake, "We should be the ones apologizing," Makoto affirmed, "And we should've knocked," Akkun added.
A pout is given in retort by Althea before Takemichi's voice speaks over them, "Well since you guys are here... any updates on the whole "Mikey and Draken" situation?" He asked.
The room is instantly filled with silence.
"Uh, sorta..." Takuya inputs with a frown, followed by the four friends pursing their lips. The obvious worry in their tone just made things worse. "So, things are bad?" Takemichi assumed; a hint of pain in his tone.
Another voice comes from behind them before Takuya could respond. "Uh... What the hell is this?" Makoto blurted out, surveying the massive completed jigsaw puzzle. He had totally lost track of what the conversation was mainly about.
And with that, Yamagishi took a seat across from Makoto, not too far from the table where the jigsaw puzzle rested. He then analyzes the puzzle with a finger under his chin. "Maybe you can move this piece here," Yamagishi added, preparing to remove a puzzle piece and relocate it somewhere else.
Takemichi is quick to protest as he springs from his swivel chair and scolds the boys with a loud scream, "Don't touch that! That took me three days to finish!" He roared; gritting his teeth.
The duo deadpans.
"Huh?" Makoto hummed, staring blankly at Takemichi's ridiculousness. "Damn, you must've been bored." Yamagishi comments; narrowing his eyes.
Takemichi simply sulks back into his chair and crosses his arms obnoxiously, "What else was I to do? I was told to stay in bed, and for most of my stay, (Y/N) had both work and school. So she wasn't able to entertain me either." He explained, extending a hand to the woman who was resting.
(Y/N)'s eyes then began to twitch as she laid in Althea's grasp, "So, you were gonna use me for entertainment?" she hissed; emerging slowly behind Takemichi with an irritated expression, startling the blond a bit.
Althea's eyes darken, "Tatapusin ko na ang buong bloodline niya," She grumbles in Tagalog.
Upon uttering such heinous words, sweat begins to pour from Takemichi's neck, "No! Of course not! I was just— anyways, that's not the point here!!" He stammers; waving around his hands in defense.
Everyone within the room laughs a bit except for the girls as (Y/N) retreats back to her seat back against Althea's chest. But with time, the laughter instantly died down.
"In all seriousness guys..." Takuya inputted; staring down toward the floor.
"Things are really bad between Mikey and Draken..." Akkun adds with a frown; leaning forward on Takemichi's bed. "Really?" Takemichi murmurs; leaning forward in his swivel chair; resting his hands on his lap.
The wine-haired male nods; closing his lids with a huff, "Their relationship's irreparable, and they won't even talk to one another," Akkun claimed, causing (Y/N) to perk up with stupefaction.
"Irreparable?! You're kidding. You have to be, Akkun...!" The female protested; resting the icepack on her lap as she sat upright. But upon giving her protest, she is gifted a firm head shake in retort.
"It's true... they're saying it's only a matter of time before Toman splits up." Takuya proclaims; frowning as well.
With such a statement, (Y/N) couldn't help but use her right hand to rake her fingers through her braids again, throwing her head back with a mixture of frustration and disbelief.
Althea, too, grunts with slight aggravation, "This is stupid...! They're supposed to be the "Mikey and Draken"! They can't just split up over some petty feud." The petite girl interjected; shaking her head.
(Y/N) huffs at the proclamation, "it wasn't exactly some petty feud, Althea," she slightly hissed, recollecting the catastrophe that just occurred not too long ago. "...—Their reason for arguing is justified... I'm just surprised that it was enough to split them in half like this..." Her tone lowers.
'Even I hoped that they wouldn't react like this due to Pah's arrest. More or less... I am sorta the reason behind it...' (Y/N) pondered, fidgeting with the icepack.
Desperation was beyond high at this point. Even Takemichi couldn't help but slump his head towards the ground, "So that's it...? They're really not gonna go back to normal after this...?" He inquired; observing as the room filled with utter stillness once again.
And with that, he had his answer. It was over. And with such a claim like that, it was only logical to conclude that Mikey and Draken's futures would soon be irrevocably determined. With this, dread immediately filled the air.
Or so Takemichi thought.
Because at that exact moment, seemingly out of the blue, all four of the boys, including Akkun, started giggling. Tears now filled their eyes as they squeezed their stomachs and held up their index fingers. They were... mocking them.
Takemichi, Althea, and (Y/N) just sat in confusion as to the boys continuously mocked them. "Huh? What?" They all shouted in unison. They now collectively made the exact same expression as they observed as the Mizo Mid completely poked fun at them.
"Sorry, we're kidding." Akkun apologizes; snickering some more.
Dumbfounded couldn't even begin to express the trio's confusion. And as they collectively exchanged glances, they quickly returned their gaze to Akkun. "Huh?!" They exclaim in unison yet again.
Another giggle emerges. "They're fighting, but apparently, that happens all the time." Takuya inputs, grinning from ear to ear.
Collective sighs could be heard throughout the entire room. "Ugh! You assholes." Takemichi snickers, feeling a wave of relief consume him. Despit the joke nearly giving them a heart attack, it was nice to know that it was all just that, a joke.
With this, Yamagishi crosses his arms, flashing a cocky grin, "As if Mikey and Draken would actually have a real fight." He adds; his tone was a little too confident with that statement.
But, before another word could be uttered, the door to Takemichi's room swung open again, but this time it was someone unexpected.
Draken, the vice-commander himself, was now leaning against the doorframe of Takemichi's room. "What the hell is going on in here, and who are you twerps namedropping now?" Draken spoke up, his gaze falling on Takemichi.
The group of males immediately stiffen at the sight of the vice-commander, instantly perking up with shock and slight fear. "Um—!" Takuya gurgles; unable to retract what he just spewed.
(Y/N), on the to other hand, raises a brow as she sets the icepack off to her left. "Speak of the devil..." She mumbled; pushing herself to her feet, all the while maintain serious eye contact with the tall blond. With this, Draken's eyes narrow.
"(Y/N)..." he breathed out.
"Draken." (Y/N) replied; stiffening along with everyone else.
They could practically feel the tension between the two tall figures. Not to mention the nasty stares they were granting one another. Their gazes were sos harp they could kill, it almost put everyone within the room into a dark trance.
And the reason behind these gazes was simple, lack of trust.
Following the incident with Moebius, specifically Osanai, (Y/N) viewed the entire situation as a burden. The reason for this was simple: she was now involved in gang activities, which she had previously stated she did not want.
And yet, both Draken and Mikey have continuously disregarded that simple request.
And now, in a way, it's gotten not only herself involved in this mess but her friends as well. Once again, innocents were being pushed into the fray. It angered the female.
And after a while the tension and silence became unbearable. With this, Althea clears her throat and stands to (Y/N)'s side. "So, (Y/N)...!" She interjected, "...—mind introducing me to... you know?" her hand gestures toward the tall blond male.
(Y/N) instantly breaks eye contact with Draken before nodding slowly.
"Yeah, um..." She sighs, reaching out a hand toward her petite friend, "This is Althea, Draken." She stated with a monotone voice. "Althea, that's Draken, vice-commander of Toman. There, introductions over."
Althea displays a look of defeat after the rather short prefaces. And with that, (Y/N)'s gaze was quickly drawn away from the pair as she gradually returned to Takemichi's bed, completely stealing Akkun's seat.
The female's nonchalant attempt at introductions had now caused the tension in the room to grow thicker.
But luckily, in order to brush away from such things, Draken finally stepped into the doorway. "So..." He began. "—...I came to see how you're doin', Takemitchy!" He added humbly, scanning around the room before inhaling lightly.
"Damn, it's hot and smelly in this here. Guess that's what happens when there's a bunch of dudes in one room." He comments, fighting the urge to make a gagging expression.
Upon uttering the statement, (Y/N) scoffed; resting the icepack back down on her temple. "Yep. One thing's for sure, it's definitely not us," she inputs; pointing a finger from herself to Althea. This comment somewhat brings a smile to Draken's face.
"Well! Anyways, what're you all just standing around for?" The vice-commander exclaimed, lifting a large fruit wrapped in rope. It was definitely a fresh watermelon.
The entire room lit up upon seeing the size of the delicious fruit, and wasted no time ushering to form a circle in the center of Takemichi's room.
Besides, who would miss an opportunity to eat?
~.~
It was just seconds later until the seven friends completely demolished the watermelon. Now, it was barely anything was left on the rind and everyone's bellies were beyond full. But, to put the icing on the cake, Takemichi soon left to offer his friends some iced tea to wash it all down.
And, in a matter of moments, the environment appeared to have slightly improved. It was unexpected, but Takemichi enjoyed it a lot. It was truly a blessing to see the tension in the room dissipate.
But, of course, as things progressed, the discourse quickly returned to its serious state.
Thus, this allowed Draken to begin his overall explanation; the overall aftermath of Pah's arrest. "Pah's in the slammer, gonna be there for a year, at least..." He affirmed with a sorrowful expression.
The mere mention of that information made everyone within the room frown, but it was good to finally have that closure. Not to mention, it was going to be for a short amount of time.
"And what happened with Osanai?" Takmeichi inquired; shifting forward in his seat a bit. (Y/N) nods along with the blond male as she sips her beverage. "As much as I despise the sick bastard..." She comments, "he didn't die, right?"
Draken holds up a cup of tea as he takes a subtle sip, "He lived. If he died Pah would've gotten ten years. And he would've stayed there until he was an adult." The vice-commander affirmed; a hint of relief in his tone.
Althea nods slowly while setting her cup down on the hard floor, "That's a relief...! Wouldn't want a good guy like Pah to just ruin his life like that..."
(Y/N) fights back a scoff. "I wouldn't say "good guy", Althea." She hissed; slightly side-eyeing the tall vice-commander.
A sharp sense of annoyance is traced through the air.
"What exactly do you mean by that, (Y/N)?" Draken asserts; tilting his head to the side.
With such venom in his voice, everyone within the room began taking subtle yet anxious gulps as their attention turns back to the brown-skinned female.
The mere question was enough to make (Y/N)'s gaze darken, "Well, let's not forget why Takemichi was even in the hospital, to begin with," She sizzled; sitting upright with a slight attitude.
Upon doing so, Althea begins to chuckle nervously, "Uh, how about we talk about something else guys—?"
The vice-commander nods; his gaze still glued to (Y/N). "Great idea, Althea." He interjects; taking a much harshly sip of his tea. "How about we discuss something like expressing ourselves? So we can reflect on the things we say and how they affect others."
A scowl drapes over (Y/N)'s face. "Well, I wholeheartedly believe that expressing yourself takes trust. In which must be mutual, y'know? Should the case occur where one or the other gets stabbed in the back...!"
A vein protrudes from Draken's brow. "Well, sometimes words hurt more than a knife." He bites back.
Despite such claims, the female didn't back down. "But, at least one of those things doesn't actually kill a person...! Or get innocent people involved in your bullshit...!!" (Y/N) bellowed.
That was enough to finally snap the thread lingering within Draken's mind. A grunt then escapes the male's lips. "If you have something to say then say it, (Y/N)! Stop being so damn apathetic!"
(Y/N)'s eye twitches. "I'm being fucking apathetic?! Takemichi and I tried to warn you guys of the possible casualties that could occur during this upcoming fight. Yet, you bastards fucking ignored us!" A finger extends, "—...If anything, you assholes were ostracizing!!"
Everyone within the room begins to mentally shrink into their own shells, too fearful to even step in.
A scoff is released as (Y/N)'s lifts her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry for not understanding your little gang or whatever, but it doesn't take much to comprehend the harm you'll be causing others if you keep going down this dumb path." (Y/N) grunts. "But whatever, fuck it. You assholes only care about yourselves after all, so why bother?"
Draken clicks his teeth, "You think you're better than us? Do you even care about the shit you say to us? To anybody?!" He roars; leaning forward. "Thus far you've done nothing but said shitty things toward us without any proper reason—!"
A fire is lit within (Y/N), "I have my fucking reasons! You don't get to just assume shit about me?!" She rang. At the sudden increase in her voice, Althea is immediately the first to step in, "That's enough you two—!"
The vice-commander doesn't back down. "Oh yeah?! Then what is it then? What do you have against Toman? Against delinquents?!" Draken exclaimed; crossing his arms. "Why are you so damn cruel?! Huh, (Y/N)?!"
(Y/N)'s scowl grows as she squeezes the fabric of her pants. The tension now felt like someone had dropped a ticking timebomb on everyone, and that bomb was (Y/N). At any second now, she'd blow.
And with that, Althea's eyes narrowed. "(Y/N), please. Stop...!!" She begged; holding a hand up in her direction; but the taller female only ignored her presence entirely.
"You wanna know what I have against delinquents...?" (Y/N) mumbled; lowering her gaze to her hands. The sound of her tone was now empty, almost emotionless.
Althea scowls, struggling to assess the situation. "Don't say it, (Y/N). It's completely unnecessary right now—!"
(Y/N)'s lips part regardless. "Because you assholes took my sister from me."
The entire room falls silent, you could almost hear a pin drop.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷