My name is Seiji Kawashima. I'm an orphan that was taken in by the Kiryu clan during my teenage years. I ran away from home to escape a life I didn't want to live, but the chairman, Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima as he was once called, took me in.
I can't remember exactly how we first met, but back then, I didn't know how to stand up for myself.
I was left to wander aimlessly around the streets of Kabukicho, or Kamurocho as others call it. I saw men like me everywhere, you know? Street kids, vagabonds, and strays. The city for the most part is safe to walk around. But every now and then, there would always be a group of thugs or yakuza looking for someone to corrupt, use, or steal from.
I was minding my own business one day, when I accidentally bumped into someone and they immediately called me out as I was walking onward. "You! Why are you so clueless? Didn't anyone ever teach you how to walk?" The speaker was some hooligan, wearing sunglasses and a black leather jacket and pants.
He looked down at me and started laughing. "Stupid kid. Just looking at you now is starting to piss me off." He growled. I tried to ignore him and go about my day. But soon he started following me, so I kept moving on. I was so focused on avoiding any unnecessary contact that I didn't notice the man and his posse until I was heading towards the next street.
Just as I decided to make a run for it, I soon fell to the ground after getting kicked from behind. "You little brat. Think you can just walk away without a problem? You'll learn that lesson the hard way." He and his goons start walking towards me, preparing to beat me up.
"No! Please! Leave me alone! I'm sorry, okay?!" I pleaded. I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender. He didn't respond, just kept walking towards me, fists clenched. He was getting ready to punch me. I was terrified.
However, just when I thought I was going to get hurt, I heard him grunt in pain, and fall to the ground. "What the?! Who the hell are you?!" I heard one of his cronies inquire. "That's none of your business. You all should know better than to start a fight with a kid." I heard a calm, mature voice.
I partially get up and look ahead to what was happening. Standing around the thugs was a six foot tall man, wearing a suit, a light gray two piece suit, and a maroon dress shirt with a popped collar. His black hair was slicked back, and his brown eyes were narrowed, looking at the fallen man.
~KAZUMA KIRYU~
EX-TOJO CLAN 4TH CHAIRMAN
"Oh, and you think it's okay to just butt in other people's business? You think you're a big shot just 'cause you got a fancy suit? That kid over there bumped into me. So I wanted to give him a piece of my mind." The leader thug said to the guy in the gray suit.
"That doesn't justify anything. You were going to beat up that kid, and now I have to teach you and your friends a lesson." The man in the gray suit argued, readying himself to fight them. "You think you can take on all five of us at once? Ha...! Come on, guys! Let's get him!" The leader thug said as he stood up.
One guy rushes in, and goes to kick straight at the gray suit man, only for him to be deflected. The gray suit man then grabs him, lifts him up, crushes him in a bear hug, and then throws him off to the side. Another guy goes to throw a punch, but the gray suit man blocks it.
He then hits him and another beside him with double roundhouse punches, to which the other guy goes and tries to go around him, only for the gray suit man to sideline him with a lariat punch, knocking him to the ground.
The last two go for the suited man again, but both are deflected, with the other getting hit in the face with a closed fist. The gray suit man deals with the other three as the guy on the ground gets back up, but as the man is punching the other guys, he punches the guy getting up so hard, he ends up flying a few feet away, knocking him out cold.
Suddenly, the man got grabbed from behind, his arms lifted up, leaving him defenseless. However, with his quick thinking, kicks backwards, hitting his grappler's leg, grabs his arm and then throws him over his shoulder. One of the few stranding cronies go to attack him, but he dodges, and soon counters him back with a couple punches.
He grabs the guy by his collar, yanks him around and then grabs him by the back, as the other thug went to throw a punch, but misses him as he dodges it. Before he could even deal with who he's got in front, the guy breaks free of his grasp.
As the two thugs were prepping themselves up to attack him simultaneously, the gray suit man quickly grabs one of them and crushes them in another bear hug, before tossing them aside, knocking them out.
With only the leader left standing, now cowering in fear, the man then goes to finish him off. The leader puts his hands up to block his face from being hit, but the man swerves and hits him from the side, then from down under to his jaw, throws another punch to his stomach, hits the right side of his face again, and then finally knocking him out with a roundhouse kick to his head.
The man turns around and looks at the surroundings, and then at his own body, and sighs in relief. "Are you alright, kid?" He then asks as he approaches me. I nod, and get up. "Yeah, I'm okay. They didn't beat me up too badly. They only kicked me to the ground."
"What are you doing out so late by yourself? Shouldn't you be heading home by now?" He asked me. "I... I don't really have a home." I admitted. "Don't have a home? What do you mean?" The man asked. "I, uh... ran away." I muttered.
The man frowns. "You ran away? Why would you do that?"
I sigh. I hate talking about this. "It's because of my parents. Where I come from, my family was rich. And because of their wealth, they had big plans for me, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to even go through with it. I guess I just wanted a different life." The man nodded.
"So you ran away from home, because you don't know what you want out of life..." He wondered. "Hey, what's your name by the way?" I asked the man. "Oh, right... My name is Kazuma Kiryu." He introduced.
"Kazuma Kiryu... Wait a minute, are you him? The one that everyone knows as the Dragon of Dojima?" I questioned. "That's right. The one and only." He confirmed. "Wow... I've only heard legends about you, but I never thought I'd meet the dragon himself..." I said.
"So tell me, now that you know my name, what's yours?" He asked me. "I'm Seiji Kawashima." I introduced. "Seiji, huh? Hmm. Nice to meet you." Kiryu greeted. "Likewise." I replied. "So Seiji, what were your parents like?" Kiryu asked.
"To be honest, they were actually pretty alright. But they had a lot of pride, and they wanted me to follow in their footsteps. They gave me a lot of money, and sent me to the best schools. I guess I just didn't want to do that."
"Interesting... Do you have any siblings?" He asked.
"Two sisters, one that's very young and the other around my age, Kohaku and Sapphire." I told him. "Sapphire?" Kiryu questioned. "Yes, that is her name, but she also goes by Midori." I explained. "Ah." He understood.
"Seiji, why again did you decide to run away? From what you're telling me about your family, you seem to be pretty well off." Kiryu inquired.
"Kiryu-san, I have to ask you something. Please teach me how to fight." I requested. "You want me to teach you how to fight?" He asked. "Yes. I've never been able to stand up for myself in any situation, even now, when you came in and helped me. I want to learn how to defend myself. I think that if I learn to fight, then I can at the very least be more confident in myself." I said.
"I don't know. I honestly think it might be a good idea for you to return home and try and talk things out with your parents." Kiryu suggested. "You don't seem to be in a place where you're truly happy or safe, and running away isn't going to solve anything."
"I'm not running away because of them! I'm running away because I don't know where to go from here! That's why!" I shouted. "Okay, okay. Calm down." He said. I calmed down, and he continued.
"Look, I don't know exactly what tensions you have with your parents to make you run away from home, but I think it's not good to have them worried about your whereabouts, so the least you could do right now is call them. I'm sure they would want to talk to you. And if you really want to learn to defend yourself, then I'll teach you." Kiryu told me.
"I don't think I'm ready to talk with my parents just yet, but I guess, I'll call Midori-chan and let her know that I'm okay." I suggested. "Alright then." Kiryu agreed. I pulled out my phone, and dialed up for my sister.
[https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/77655803]
"Nii-san?" She answered. "Hi, Midori-chan. It's me." I greeted. "Oh my god, Seiji! You're okay! Where are you?" She questioned. "I'm in Kamurocho right now." I told her. "Kamurocho? Okay, I'll let mom and dad know so we can bring you home." She said.
"No! Don't!" I quickly told her. "What? Why?" She asked. "Just... don't tell them where I am. I need some time to myself right now." I told her. "But they miss you, Seiji. So do I and Kohaku-chan..." She pleaded.
"*sighs* I understand, but I really do need to be alone for awhile, so, could you please do this for me and not tell them?" I asked her. "I promise I'll make it up to you, Midori-chan. I promise."
"Alright... I understand." She said. "But... are you sure you'll be alright?" She asks once more. I look over to Kiryu, before smiling and replying with: "Yeah. I'll be fine. Take care of yourself, alright?"
"Okay. I love you, Seiji." She said. "Love you too, sis. Bye." I hung up the phone, and looked at Kiryu.
"Alright, Kiryu-san. I'm looking forward to training with you." I told him. "Likewise. Come with me, I'll bring you to stay at my clan headquarters." He said.
For the next year or so, I would stay with Kiryu's clan. I would fight alongside him and his members, and I would practice and practice and practice, until I was a better fighter than I had ever been in my life.
In that time, I had learned more than just hand-to-hand combat. I had learned Kiryu's strategies and philosophy and, most importantly, I had learned compassion.
Also during that time, there was one person who over time, I ended up growing a brotherly bond-of-sorts with while roaming around Kamurocho. His name was Yuya Dojima.
Yuya was around my age, and we had both come to the big city to find ourselves.
When I was doing odd jobs for the Kiryu clan, he would always be right on my tail, just to see what I was up to.
Most of the time, we'd be fighting each other, just for the fun of it. We would mess around and try to kick each other, or pull pranks on each other.
But even when we weren't fighting, we were still looking out for each other. If I was in trouble, then Yuya would help me. If he needed help, I would help him too.
And he was one of the only people in this massive city that I could really call a friend.
One day, however, Kiryu called me in for an errand.
"I've heard that some leftover members from JUSTIS have fled to Asakusa and are now trying to rebuild themselves there. Someone over there called me, saying they had a run-in with a few of them. He's looking for people to protect the cafe he runs that's around the area they've set up shop in. I'd like for you to head over there and meet with him. I'll also have Kido drive and accompany you there. You'll be there in at least half an hour." He explained.
"Okay. We'll head there right away." I nodded.
On the way to Asakusa in Taito, I decided to chat some with my older partner. His full name was Takeshi Kido.
~TAKESHI KIDO~
REFORMED EX-YAKUZA, FORMER JUNIOR LEADER OF KANEMURA ENTERPRISES
About twelve years ago, he was once a member of Kanemura Enterprises, a second-tier Tojo Clan subsidiary under the Shibata Family. He got involved in an escalating turf dispute between the Tojo and the Ueno Seiwa Clans, which eventually lead up to him and his fellow captain getting arrested and thrown behind bars for five to ten years.
Since then he's turned his life around and is now working alongside Kiryu, me and the rest of the clan.
"Kido-san, I know you've had ambitions back then, but have you ever thought about settling down at some point? You know, maybe find a woman, go for a night out or something? That would allow you to have some fun." I asked him.
"Oh, I thought about it a few times, back when I was in jail. After what I went through back then, what's the harm in just living a little?" He agreed.
"Yeah... And hey, there's no better time than now." I convinced. He smiled.
The rest of the way to Asakusa was uneventful. However, everything felt awfully quiet as we were driving into the city. I peered my head out from the window and noticed a bunch of drones flying above us. "Wonder what's up with all the drones?" I said.
"Drones?" He asked, confused. "Yeah, I saw them buzzing past us while we were driving. What are they doing?" I asked. "Beats me." said Kido.
BACKGROUND MUSIC: Flirt With Bomb (from Yakuza/Like A Dragon: Kiwami)
As we kept on driving, we suddenly heard sounds of a machine gun going off from above, and as it was firing, shards of glass came crashing down to the ground below.
"Holy shit! What's going on?" I asked. Kido slammed on the brakes as he stopped the car in front of the building to our left. We both got out the car as we looked up to towards the sixth floor of the building, and saw all the windows shattered to bits.
"What the hell do you think was happening up there, Kido-san?" I asked him. He looked at me with a terrified expression on his face. "I don't... I don't know, Seiji." He said. "That was some serious firepower."
"Should we go up there and investigate?" I questioned.
"I don't think that's be a good idea, Seiji." He rejected. "Why not? There had to have been something major going on up there. It's not everyday that a building gets shot up to shit." I reasoned. "Exactly. And that's why we're not going up there." Kido argued. "Man, I can't help but wonder..." I expressed.
As we continued staring up at the aftermath, I heard some guys from behind that seemingly came out from the side of the building. "Come on, let's get out of here!" "Oh, oh! Wait! Let's take that car!" They shouted. Kido and I quickly glinted at each other, realizing what they were referring to. The car! Our car!
"Hey! Don't you dare!" Takeshi threatened the presumed assailants. "We were just passing through, sorry!" They said, hurrying to the car and getting in. "If you were passing through, then why the hell are you leaving in such a rush?" he demanded.
"You just saw what happened up there, right? Those people were slaughtered like sheep. If we stick around here, we'll be next! So we're just gonna take this car and go!" One of the men explained.
Kido and I looked at each other once more, both of us knowing we couldn't let them drive off with our only form of transportation. "Hate to break it to you guys, but that's OUR ride. And you ain't taking it on our watch." Kido threatened.
"Oh, so you guys aren't gonna give it up without a fight, huh? Looks like we'll just have to take it from you both by force!" One of the men taunted.
"I wouldn't try anything stupid if I were you." I warned. "Really now? Hmph! Let's RUFF THEM UP, BOYS!" The leader thug ordered.
Kido and I both put up our fists, ready to take them down. We were outnumbered here, but we weren't going to just roll over and get stranded. We were ready to give as good as we got.
Kido threw the first punch, and the man had the guts to try and respond. The rest of the men piled on, and we proceeded to beat the shit out of those punks. Eventually, we were able to knock them all down.
Kido was able to hold his own, though I personally had a few scratches of my own after all that fighting. I soon heard sirens coming from up ahead. "Takeshi-san! It's the police!" I shouted to him. "Alright, Seiji. That's our cue to get out of here. Come on!" Kido responded as we got into the car.
"We ain't going anywhere, you dumbass!" one of the men yelled from the ground. We both looked back in the car to see that a few of the men had gotten back up. "Kido! Floor it!" I shouted. He slams his foot on the gas pedal, as the car begins to peel out and drive off into the opposite direction, leaving the thugs behind as the police was on their way.
"Whew! That was a close one." Kido expressed. "Too close, you mean." I responded. "Those assholes could've really hurt us."
"Relax, we made it out okay." He assured. "Even when we're out from Kamurocho, we end up getting caught up in fights out of nowhere. It's just something that we've gotta keep an eye on. We could've been killed. Hell, I could've been killed." I said.
"Seiji, you worry too much. Besides, you seemed to have held your own pretty good back there. I think you're alright." He assured me.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. After all that training with Kiryu-san, I shouldn't be worrying that much." I shrugged. "Where did Kiryu say we were supposed to go?" Kido asked. I checked my phone for where we were supposed to be headed.
"Cafe LycoReco. That's where we're headed." I reminded him, showing him the location. "Alright. Shouldn't be too long then before we get there." He affirmed as continued to drive along the road. We continued on like that for a while.
Eventually, we arrived to said Cafe LycoReco.
"This is it." He confirms. "The sign says it's closed. Should we knock first, before we turn the knob to see if it's unlocked?" I asked.
"Maybe. We don't want to just barge in and surprise them, do we?" He wondered.
"Yeah. Let's be smart about this." I suggest. I go and knock on the door three times. "Hello?" I called out.
The door opens as a black man with dreadlocks, wearing a purple kimono, stepped forward.
~MIKA~
CAFE LYCORECO OWNER/MANAGER
"Can I help you two?" He asks. "Greetings. We're with the Kiryu clan over in Kamurocho. We got a call from the owner of this cafe, saying he was looking for help in keeping an eye on this place and making sure it's safe and sound." I explained to him.
"So, Kiryu-san sent you two over to guard the place?" He asked. "That's right." I respond as Kido nods. "Well, it's good to have you both here. My name is Mika, I'm the owner of this cafe. May I ask what both of your names are?" He inquired. "I'm Seiji Kawashima, and this is my partner, Takeshi Kido." I responded.
"Alright, then. Please, come inside. Make yourselves at home." He welcomed us in. We enter the cafe, which seems to be rather spacious from the inside. There's quite a few tables and chairs inside.
"Wow, this is a nice cafe you got here, Mika-san." Kido commented. "Thanks. Have a seat if you'd like. I'll make you two some coffee." He offered. Suddenly, we heard a female voice over by one of the tables ahead of us.
"Ugh...! And here I am with the talent of being a mother, thwarted only by this tiny obstacle called getting married!" She whimpers, looking to be half-drunk.
~MIZUKI NAKAHARA~
CAFE LYCORECO EMPLOYEE, FORMER DIRECT ATTACK INTELLIGENCE DIVISION OPERATIVE
She had long light brown hair, brown eyes, and wore red-rimmed glasses. She was wearing a green kimono, and appeared to be around Kido's age. "It's not enough at all! I'm sick of just waiting around! Where's my Mr. Right?!" She further whined.
"Who's that, Mika-san?" I asked. "That's Mizuki. She's an employee of mine." He told us. "What did you say?!" She randomly spouted out, towards the TV. "Hey. Are you alright?" Kido asked, approaching her. "Who said that?" She turns around, surprised. She freezes in place as she gazes at the man in front of her.
"Oh, uh...! Hi. I didn't know we were having customers coming in so soon. Who are you?" She asks. "I'm Takeshi Kido. And actually, your boss requested for my partner and I to guard this cafe." He introduced to her.
She doesn't respond to him as she continues to gaze into his eyes, slowly blushing. "Um, miss? Are you okay?" Kido asked her again. Suddenly, Mizuki throws her arms around him and hugs him tightly. "Wha-! Hey! What the-?!" Kido mumbled. "Ah! My days of waiting are finally over! I can finally get married!" She exclaimed in joy.
"Married?! Whoa, hey! We just met, alright? Cool it for just a second, okay?" Kido calmed her down. "Huh? Um... Right, sorry about that. I got caught up in the moment there. I got desperate is all." She apologizes. "It's alright. We just met, after all." He tells her with a smile.
"So, are you two here to stay with us for a while?" She asked. "Well, we don't exactly know how long we'll be here, but until we end up taking care of business here for our boss, then..." I explained. "Because I won't mind as long as he's around." She said, flirting with Kido, making him blush with her being so close to him.
"Well uh, maybe I can call Kiryu-san sometime and see if we could potentially expand our horizons and set up shop here." I wondered.
Just then, a girl with long dark-brown hair and purple eyes entered the cafe.
"Um..." She muttered. Kido, Mizuki and I turn around to see her. "Hey, who are you?" Mizuki questioned. "My name is Takina Inoue. I was transferred here."
~TAKINA INOUE~
SECOND CLASS LYCORIS AGENT
OPENING THEME: Hidenori Shoji ft. MAKOTCH - Receive You
A/N: Hi. I am The Rocket Gamer. Thank you for checking out my fanfic on Lycoris Recoil. This isn't actually my first ever, I've been all around, on FF.net and AO3, done fics for anime such as Strike Witches, Love Live!, and as of late, Hibike! Euphonium. I just felt like posting here because hey, maybe I might get some traction here, even with the casual vibes I'm feeling browsing through this site.
I caught wind of LycoReco while scrolling through Twitter, and seeing that preview of Takina gunning down those guys had me interested in checking the show out. I'm definitely liking it and I'll watch all the episodes as I write this story.
I made the custom logo for this story, with the Lycoris emblem ripped straight from the show's logo, and typed out the Japanese characters, which roughly translates to this story's title. On a side note, I could've uploaded and used the original anime intro with Receive You over it, but copyright bots got its claws on me, so you all will have to bear with the original Yakuza Kiwami opening that I edited myself.
Speaking of Yakuza, I just could not stop connecting that and LycoReco to one another. They just work together, if you know where I'm coming from. Also, one of the characters is named Majima. Coincidence? I think not! And regarding the major inclusion of Takeshi Kido from Yakuza 4, I just couldn't help myself. I thought it would be fun to throw him in here and get involved with what's going on in LycoReco, and give him some more moments that he should've gotten from the game he came from.
One more thing I also should mention, also regarding Yakuza, or Like A Dragon, as it's now being referred from here on out, I'm so excited for Ishin Kiwami to finally come stateside (though I wish Kenzan could've gotten a remaster, at the very least), the eighth mainline entry, Ryu ga Gotoku Gaiden, and I'm definitely gonna have to get my hands on the Judgment duology, now that they're on Steam.
Anyways, I think I've rambled on long enough, so I'll leave you all here. Thanks for reading. See you in the next chapter!