Nana's POV
I wasn't sure for how long I had been staring at Izana's lifeless body after realizing that he was gone for good and was no longer there within us, but I was later pulled out from my daze when Manjiro's voice suddenly spoke up in a tone of authority. As much as he wanted to grieve for his brother, Manjiro prioritized the current matter at hand.
"Members of Toman and Tenjiku. Everyone listen up!" Manjiro stated. "Our dispute ends here. An ambulance and the cops will arrive shortly! Before any of us get into trouble, get out of here as soon as possible! I'll be the only person who stays! Dismiss!"
A majority of the delinquents were still in a state of shock. For a fight to end so quickly, so brutally, it was just unreal and a bit overwhelming to process.
"Stop stalling around!" Manjiro ordered again, insisting both gangs leave the place as soon as possible before it would be too late.
"Mikey!" Mucho called out as he and the rest of Tenjiku's executives step forward with melancholic expressions on their faces. "You get out of here too."
"We will stay here." Mocchi declared, speaking for all of the executives.
"You guys..." Manjiro trailed off in surprise, his eyes widened a bit.
The Tenjiku executives might be brutal and borderline murderous, but even they had morality, too.
"B-But what about Keisuke...?" I stuttered out worriedly in a frantic tone, my voice cracking in the end before looking down at Keisuke who was still laying in my arms.
Keisuke's breath was heavy, short, and quick; blood trailing down from the corner of his mouth; his whole body was now sweaty and quivery while he tried to stare up at us through his half-lidded, blurry eyes. I could tell that Keisuke was half-unconscious at this very moment but was also fighting really hard to stay awake as long as possible. That's how Keisuke Baji had always been through his entire life – stubborn, wild, reckless, stupid, and impulsive yet loyal and loving enough to jump in and take the gunshot for me in order to save my life from that dreadful Kisaki.
"We'll take care of Baji for you, Nana." A familiar masculine voice spoke up from behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner and I looked over my shoulders to face the certain individual; it was Haruchiyo. "You and Mikey should leave as quickly as possible before the police arrive."
"You can leave Baji to us, sis..." Rindo spoke up as he and Ran slowly walked over to us with softened expressions on their faces. "We'll hand him over to the paramedics as soon as they arrive here."
Even though the Haitani brothers and Haruchiyo were on the enemy's side, in the end, I knew I could always have some faith in them whatever the situation was. Letting out a shaky breath, I nodded my head in response and carefully handed Keisuke's wounded body over to Haruchiyo while Ran crouched down beside Kakucho who was still holding onto Izana's cold body in his arms.
"Somehow, I've always admired you, Commander..." Ran stated in a low, hesitant voice before reaching out and closing Izana's eyes for him, showing his respect for his former leader. "Rest well, Commander. I'll hold on to it dearly, the way you lived your life..."
On the other hand, I continued to grieve in silence, thinking about the dear ones that I had lost one after another, starting from my parents to Shinichiro, then Emma, and now Izana. Although later my thoughts were interrupted by a hand that touched my shoulder and I followed my gaze to the person responsible; Manjiro. Helping me to stand up on my own two feet, Manjiro then looked over at the culprit behind all of this mess with rage and disgust.
"I will never forgive you, Kisaki." Manjiro stated in a venomous tone, causing Kisaki to visibly shiver in fright and terror.
I couldn't agree more with this statement as my resentment towards Kisaki grew even more by the minute. The worst part of all these was that Kisaki never acknowledged his killings as wrong-doings.
"D-Don't let that bastard get away, Mikey..." Keisuke whispered out loud while being held by Haruchiyo in the arms as the latter held onto Chifuyu's jacket on Keisuke's wound to stop the bleeding.
"Kisaki!"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Hanma drove in between Kisaki and Manjiro with his motorbike and stole his friend from the scene so that he could help him escape.
"Huh?!" Takemichi gasped out in shock.
"Gotcha!" Hanma grinned as he held Kisaki with a single arm and threw him over one of his shoulders before heading his way out the Yokohama bay. "You owe me one, okay Kisaki?!"
"Fuck! He's escaping!" I exclaimed.
"That fucking Hanma!" Keisuke snarled out in pure rage and just in time, Draken entered the scene with his own motorbike.
"Takemitchy! Get on!" Draken called out in a hurry. "We'll chase them!!"
"Draken-kun!" Takemichi smiled a bit in relief before his eyes traveled over to Hinata, remembering that he would be leaving his girlfriend unguarded. "But Hina..."
"We'll take care of Hina-chan!" Manjiro responded in a reassuring tone with a frowning face as if he read off Takemichi's worried expression. "I leave the rest to you, Takemitchy!"
"Takemichi, please, hurry up! Don't let Kisaki get away!" I quickly added in a desperate tone yet also held a firm look on my face. "We'll keep Hinata safe, I promise!"
3rd Person's POV
Feeling relieved by Mikey and Nana's reassurance, Takemichi wasted no time before he hopped on Draken's motorbike and zoomed away from the scene to catch the ultimate culprit, Tetta Kisaki. As he and Takemichi gained ground on Hanma and Kisaki, Draken vowed to catch them. Remembering his original goal to save Hinata, Takemichi internally promised Naoto that he would finally defeat Kisaki. Thinking back to the countless deaths and pain caused, Takemichi vowed to never let Kisaki get away; even if Kisaki was a time leaper, everything that Takemichi had done thus far would be for naught.
Naoto, we finally have them cornered...
Just to take over Toman, they killed Draken-kun...
Manipulated Kazutora-kun into killing Baji-kun...
Killed Baji-kun, Nana-chan, and Chifuyu in every future timeline...
Ruined the Shiba siblings...
Killed Naoto... Killed Emma-chan and Izana-kun...
And above all, they continue to kill Hina for some reason!!
"I'll not let you get away!!!" Takemichi announced out loud with a frowning face while Draken continued to drive and chase down Kisaki and Hanma.
On Hanma's bike, Kisaki implored the former to drive faster, but suddenly, Hanma lost control of his bike and ended up throwing both him and Kisaki to the ground. Letting out a grunt in pain, when Kisaki looked up, he found Takemichi standing over him. When Takemichi told Kisaki that he had finally caught up to him, this prompted Kisaki to run away.
Takemichi tried chasing him but the pain from his foot overwhelmed his entire body. Draken pulled him up, ordering Takemichi to get on his back and as they chased after Kisaki, Takemichi apologized, but Draken stated it was fair, as their roles were reversed last time when Kiyomasa stabbed him. He then remarked that Takemichi knew about his death, telling the time leaper that although he didn't know what would happen in the future, Takemichi had been fighting desperately. When Draken asked if Kisaki was the mastermind behind everything up until now, Takemichi replies yes.
Just then, Hamna caught up to the pair, swinging a metal pipe and although Draken countered the attack, he was now preoccupied with fighting Hanma, leaving Takemichi to face Kisaki all alone. Draken and Hanma prepared to face off, vowing to kill the other while Takemichi continued to chase Kisaki.
As the blonde time leaper turned around a corner, Kisaki came out of nowhere and attacked him on the head with a brick, but Takemichi punched Kisaki in response. After that, both Kisaki and Takemichi ended up punching each other several times before Takemichi chased Kisaki to a parking lot, where they punched each other in quick succession once again.
As they both tried to catch their breath, Takemichi noted that he recognized the area. Just then, Kisaki punched him, telling Takemichi not to lose focus. Responding to Kisaki's attack, Takemichi punched him repeatedly, bringing Kisaki to the ground. He told Kisaki to give up and accept the loss, saying that all he did was manipulate and use others, unable to do anything by himself.
Upon hearing this, Kisaki blocked his punch, arguing that brute force couldn't get one to the top. While headbutting Takemichi, Kisaki explained that a perfect plan was the way to achieve goals. As Takemichi leaped upon Kisaki, he asked if the "perfect plan" was intended to defeat him. They wrestled in the parking lot, with Kisaki ending up on top. He angrily said that he was supposed to be the Dark Hero, explaining his various plans to get to the top of Toman, from killing Draken and Baji to instigating Valhalla and Tenjiku, to destroy Toman. Strangling Takemichi, Kisaki continued to say that all his plans started perfectly, but there was someone who always ruined them.
Takemichi then kicked Kisaki away from him as he explained that he now remembered when he came to this parking lot the last time – standing in front of a fire, he had sworn to become the top of Toman, just right before the Bloody Halloween incident happened. Takemichi then told Kisaki that the parking was where Kisaki killed Hinata in the future while further telling him that they would settle their time-leaping battle. Upon hearing this, Kisaki remarked that his suspicions were confirmed; that Takemichi was actually a time-leaper.
Then suddenly, a scene depicting Kisaki and Hinata appeared in Takemichi's mind meanwhile, Kisaki laughed upon Takemichi's confirmation of time-leaping. Takemichi asked what Kisaki's involvement with Hinata was, as he killed Hinata in every timeline. Hearing this, Kisaki solemnly said that he failed. Visualizing the future scene once again, Takemichi saw Kisaki proposing to Hinata for marriage however, she apologized and turned him down. Before Takemichi could finish comprehending this, Kisaki pointed a gun at him, telling Takemichi that their fate would end now however, he would tell Takemichi everything.
Kisaki began to remember the time when he was called a prodigy in his youth back in the day and that was also when he started to develop a crush on Hinata and was sure that she would like a genius such as him. However, this changed when she first encountered Takemichi, as she fell in love with his perseverance and determination. Since then, Kisaki secretly followed Takemichi and when he witnessed Takemichi telling Takuya about his goal to become Japan's top delinquent, Kisaki became fixated on this goal as well. Researching delinquents, Kisaki met some, such as Osanai, but they were not Japan's top delinquents until Kisaki encountered Mikey.
In the summer of their second year of middle school, Kisaki said he encountered Takemichi and swore to become better than him and win over Hina. Kisaki's plan to become Japan's top delinquent required one important person: Mikey. After this, Kisaki approached Mikey, who processed the potential to become Japan's top delinquent. Kisaki saw him as the "perfect medium" to enable his own rise to the top. Kisaki's perfect plan spanned over ten years, with gaining Mikey's trust in a year, manipulating him over two years, dominating Tokyo over three years, and taking over Japan in four years. After this, Kisaki planned to propose to Hinata.
Pointing his gun at Takemichi, Kisaki demanded to know why Takemichi always thwarted his plans and how many times he had time-leaped. When Takemichi asked if Kisaki killed Hinata after her rejection, this enraged Kisaki, who insisted that Hinata belonged to him. His possessive nature became clear as he continued lamenting, threatening to kill Takemichi if he ended up with Hinata. Kisaki believed he had done so much for her, not understanding why she would reject him. Although he admitted that he respected Takemichi, Kisaki lamented that he did not kill him sooner.
After hearing all of these, Takemichi then kicked the gun out of Kisaki's hand and grabbed it, pointing it at Kisaki. He told Kisaki that it should have been him holding the gun from the beginning, before telling Kisaki to die. As Takemichi kept the gun pointed at Kisaki and was preparing to shoot, he made himself believe that this time around, he could be able to save Hinata's life by killing off Kisaki.
"Takemichi-kun!"
Right before Takemichi could do anything with the handgun, Hinata, Nana, and Mikey came running in as the three of them kept their distance from both Takemichi and Kisaki.
Nana's POV
After making sure everything was okay and a wounded Keisuke was handed over to the paramedics as early as possible, Manjiro, Hinata, and I then quickly made our way over to Draken and Takemichi. On the way, we found Draken going up against Hanma but the other two were nowhere to be seen. Jogging up a little bit further, we saw finally found Takemichi and Kisaki in a parking lot where the former was pointing a gun at the latter. Seeing this, Hinata called out to her boyfriend in a worried tone and this made Takemichi glance over at us.
"Hina, Nana-chan, Mikey-kun..." Takemichi muttered but little did we know that Kisaki would run away a second after Takemichi took his eyes off of him.
"Kisaki!" Manjiro and I called out in unison to the bastard that was attempting another escape while Takemichi returned his attention to Kisaki, alarmed by the bastard's desperate actions.
"He's getting away!" Takemichi exclaimed before he began to run after him, repeating what had happened minutes before. "It's over Kisaki! Everyone knows what you're up to! No one trusts you anymore! Your pathetic dreams are now gone!"
"Like hell, I'll let it end!" Kisaki exclaimed back as he forced a smile on his face with no intention to stop running, motivating himself so stupidly to continue his reign of terror. "I can start over again and again! One day Tachibana will be mine! One day, for sure!"
Seeing there was no other way, Manjiro, Hinata, and I also started to run and follow the two boys.
"No way!" Takemichi growled out, not letting him get the satisfaction. "I won't let that happen! I won't let you go back to the future again!"
Just as Kisaki crossed the road ahead of him, he came to a halt in the middle.
"Go back to the future...?" Kisaki repeated Takemichi's words before looking back at the time leaper from the corner of his eye, smirking. "You still... think that I'm a time leaper?"
Immediately hearing that sentence, Takemichi's theory was flushed down the drain.
"Uh? You're not?" Takemichi asked in confusion, taking a step forward, at the edge of the sidewalk's corner.
Kisaki, on the other hand, didn't move a muscle from where he stood.
"I..."
Kisaki's sentence remained unfinished when all of a sudden, a truck burst into the scene and hit his body, sending him to the other side of the four-way intersection, while the vehicle crashed into the building that was built at the corner close by. Takemichi didn't know how to react to this.
"Kisaki?" Takemichi called out in a shaky voice, still in shock, noticing that both of Kisaki's arms were dislocated, along with his right leg.
Kisaki started to panic and was also in immense pain, his head gushing out blood that spilled onto the road.
"Huh?! Shit!! Dammit!!" Kisaki began to groan in agony. "What the hell is this?!"
Being cornered was already bad enough, but to meet his demise made things worse and he despised every second of it.
"What is going on? I can't stand up! Fuck!!" He screamed, well aware that wasn't anything he could do.
Just to imagine the mastermind behind every shitty situation up until now got demolished by a truck that just so happened to be driving in so late at night.
"I don't want to die..." Kisaki cried out in a cracked tone.
"Kisaki..." Takemichi mumbled, trailing off in shock and that's when Kisaki took his very last breath and passed away.
Even if it was Kisaki that was dying, it was still unpleasant for anyone at all to be under that circumstance. Goes to show how the world is so unpredictable half the time. Takemichi was completely still, staring at Kisaki's corpse with a look of sympathy. A minute after the accident had happened, Manjiro, Hinata, and I finally arrived at the scene, oblivious to what had happened.
"What happened?!" Manjiro asked Takemichi in concern but received no response.
When I walked up a little bit further, Kisaki's disfigured corpse came into my view and this caused me to let out a loud gasp in shock and horror. That was the only thing we could do at that point – stare at Kisaki's lifeless body in disbelief.
The conflict of February 22nd, between Toman and Tenjiku, was named the Kanto Incident. The fight involved approximately 500 members, resulting in five that are detained, and three deaths. The five that were arrested were Tenjiku's executives, and the three that died were Emma Sano, Izana Kurokawa, and Tetta Kisaki.
Weeks later
A few days passed by since the night of the Kanto Incident. Emma and Izana's funeral was perfectly conducted by the Sano family even though the whole situation was extremely overwhelming and dreadful. At the funeral, Manjiro was resolute and held his head up high. Surely, he was still grieving over the death of his beloved younger sister and his estranged adoptive older brother, but he couldn't afford to make himself look vulnerable to his friends, or his grandfather. He thought he was better than that.
But I knew how Manjiro felt; I felt the same way ever since the incident. And as for the current update of the casualties of the Kanto Incident, in the murders of Emma Sano and Izana Kurokawa, the prime offender Tetta Kisaki and accomplice Shuji Hanma had been found guilty; however, Tetta Kisaki had died and Shuji Hanma was still on the run, continuing to live his life as a fugitive.
Keisuke, who survived the gunshot of Kisaki on the night of February 22nd, got out of the hospital just a few days after the incident and was currently doing just fine like how he always did. On the other hand, my mental and emotional state was all over the place, and for some reason, I was feeling more restless than usual almost every day.
Today, during the afternoon, Takemichi and I met up at the riverside near the neighborhood where we usually hung out together with Keisuke and Chifuyu, and the whole time we were together, I noticed a dazed look on Takemichi's face.
"You know, Takemichi... after Emma and Izana died, and everything else that has happened, of course, you would feel down..." I spoke up in a steady voice from beside him as we sat on the grassy ground of the riverbank. "We all are feeling that way, Takemichi; it's not just only you..."
"Just what kind of person was Kisaki?" Takemichi spoke up with his arms wrapped around his knees.
"Huh?" I asked, giving him a confused look.
"I was wrong. Kisaki wasn't a time leaper or anything." Takemichi went on, looking straight at the river ahead of us. "In just his one life... he manipulated Toman, killed numerous people, and climbed his way to being one of the top delinquents in Japan. How many times did he spend the night trembling for all that? He was weak in a fight, you know? He climbed all the way up using just his brain and courage. He was an incredible guy."
"It doesn't matter if he was incredible or not. After whatever he did to us, he deserved to die. There's no need for you to mull that over, Takemichi." I responded with a sigh and a frowning face.
Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Takemichi let out a scream of frustration before standing up from his spot and rushing over to the river, leaving me in utter shock and confusion.
"Aaaaahh!!!" Takemichi continued to scream before he jumped into the river.
"Wait, Takemichi! What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!" I called out in concern, rushing over to him.
"Nana-chan!" Takemichi called out with teary eyes as he emerged from underwater. "I hate Kisaki to death and I can't help but loathe him! And I'll absolutely never like him! But he said it! He said it was all for Hina! That he respects me! That's why! That's why... I wanted to face him man-to-man more!! Damn it..."
His words softened my heart as calmness began to cast over me once again. Starting from the August 3rd Incident way up until the Kanto Incident, every single horrible thing that happened to us was instigated by Kisaki himself. And from all those horrible things came out was Pah-chin and Kazutora's arrest, followed by Emma and Izana's unfortunate death. There was no way I would be able to forgive Kisaki. It was impossible for me to forget everything and move on as if nothing happened. Kisaki's actions scarred me for life and even if I didn't want it, I still had to bear all those traumatizing memories with me till my last breath.
"Get out of the water. You're gonna catch a cold, Takemichi." I stated with a small smile on my face while Takemichi sniffled, tears still running down his cheeks. "Do you feel a bit better now?"
"I just can't do this, Nana-chan..." Takemichi cried out quietly as he wiped his tears away while I helped him to come out of the water.
"Yeah, I get it." I responded calmly before Takemichi let out a small sneeze. "See? Hurry up and get out. No matter how evil someone is... it's just hard when someone you know dies..."
3rd Person's POV (March 8th, 2006)
A few hours before the Toman meeting, Mikey asked Takemichi to meet up with him at the Musashi Shrine.
"Mikey-kun..." Takemichi called out in a soft tone as the said boy stood in front of him on the staircase.
"Sorry for calling you out here." Mikey apologized in advance in a gentle tone. "I wanted to talk to you alone. Will you tell me? About everything you have done since coming from the future?"
Takemichi was hesitant to obey. The fact alone that Mikey had even believed that he was a time leaper was still too good to be true.
"It started with me being hit by a train and dying..."
The two sat on the top of the shrine's staircase and Takemichi began to share everything about his time-leaping abilities, followed by his journey into working so hard to change the future that he came from. Additionally, he would go on about how worse each future got the more he tried to help. And no matter how much Takemichi talked, Mikey sat there, and quietly listened, deeply engrossed with his story.
I wonder how long we talked for... Mikey-kun just sat quietly listening, only deeply nodding his head every once in a while... As I explained more, I remembered what happened then and I started getting more emotional each time.
Just thinking about how often he failed to fight through the hardships of his goal made Takemichi emotional. He didn't want anyone to die, or get hurt. Hell, not even Kisaki. Because at the end of the day, they were all just kids. People who have yet to explore what life had to offer and to have a future of prosperity and peace, revolving around those who cared about them, were all they needed; Takemichi had always sought such a future.
"I'm sorry, Mikey-kun!!" Takemichi began to shed tears like how he was known as, the crybaby hero, as his clenched fists quivered from his overwhelming sadness and he looked down at his lap in frustration. "I couldn't save Emma-chan...! I put Baji-kun and Nana-chan's lives at risk as well! I'm truly sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Mikey, on the other hand, remained unfazed, not even sure how to process everything that he had learned. Part of him was confused, and yet there was another part of him that understood why things became the way they were. Mikey remained completely silent for a moment before he decided to finally speak up again.
"Can you tell me what exactly happened in the Philippines again, Takemitchy?" Mikey asked with curiosity and seriousness.
"It's hard to make your dreams come true. Make a new age for delinquents. Toman was supposed to keep advancing toward that goal. And suddenly, everything ended like this. Before I knew it, things got difficult." Mikey stated.
"Difficult?" Takemichi asked.
"When I killed someone for the first time..." Mikey stated before pausing for a moment. "I didn't feel anything. And I thought that the difficulties of this world can be fixed with murder."
Hearing Mikey's words immediately brought distress to Takemichi's face while Mikey flashed out one of his angelic smiles at the other male.
"All is well when you eliminate those who get in your way." Mikey added and that's when Takemichi's had enough of this nonsense and everything that was involved in it.
"You are wrong, Mikey-kun!!! You haven't changed, Mikey-kun!!! You're still the same!" He scolded his former commander, grabbing onto both of his shoulders.
"Stop it, Takemitchy." Mikey muttered, didn't want to hear his lecturing now of all times.
"I see it in your eyes! Nothing changed!" Takemichi persisted, tightening his grip on Mikey's shoulders.
"Stop..." Mikey warned him again.
"You didn't change... so... so... so stop talking about murder and that bullshit!!" Takemichi yelled as he started crying yet again.
And just at that moment, Mikey formed a fist and clutched onto the collar of Takemichi's shirt so that he could pin him down in one pull.
"What part of this do you not understand?!" Mikey growled through his gritted teeth before pulling out another gun.
Mikey then pressed the end of the weapon on the left side of Takemichi's cheeks as the two men stared down at one another at different heights. Typically, when he was killing someone, Mikey would get the job done on the spot. But when it was Takemichi - the kind, loving boy that had embraced everything about him from beginning to end - he just simply couldn't do it.
The hand that Mikey was using to point the gun at Takemichi was now shaking in tremendous anger.
"Look at me with those eyes. Take that gun, Takemitchy. If you don't kill me, you'll be the one who dies." Mikey demanded, his own tears forming in his eyes the longer he stared at his former underling but seeing Takemichi not moving a muscle put him through even more grief. "We can't go back in time."
Mikey then looked away from Takemichi and hid his eyes with his dark long bangs.
"We can't bring back the past..." Mikey added in a weak tone, gritting his teeth tightly, his vulnerability getting the best of him as he pressed the gun on Takemichi's cheek a bit harder than before. "I killed so many people without any remorse... I abandoned those who cared about me... The girl I loved dearly throughout my whole life left me for someone else... My life's a fucking joke!"
Takemichi had yet to fully understand where he was getting all of these negative thoughts from before suddenly he realized something.
"Mikey-kun... the girl you loved dearly throughout your whole life... are you talking about Nana-chan?" Takemichi asked in a soft tone, his eyes dilating in the process.
"Who the hell else....?" Mikey mumbled, pursing his lips as his grip on the gun loosened, only a little.
"And the guy she left you for... was it Baji-kun...?" Takemichi asked, furrowing his eyebrows a bit while Mikey remained silent in response. "Mikey-kun, you knew that Nana-chan and Baji-kun loved each other. You knew that they were happy together. They even got married and had two kids together later on. So then, why the hell did you kill Nana-chan and Baji-kun?! Why did you make Kana-chan and Kensuke-kun orphans?!"
And right on cue, a loud bang echoed through the abandoned building, and the time leaper flinched, only to see that the bullet Mikey shot hit a spot right beside his head.
"You don't understand anything, Takemitchy." Mikey debated, straining a wide smile that gave him an intimidating look. "You don't know what it feels like when someone who you loved forever doesn't reciprocate your feelings... First, it was Shinichiro-Nii, and then later it was Baji... It was always been someone else, someone who wasn't me... Nana-chin promised me that she won't leave me. But then later she broke her promise... That cruel girl... She knew what was gonna happen if she left my side..."
"I didn't know you were that obsessed with her..." Takemichi commented and squinted his eyes slightly.
"Nana-chin belonged to me but Baji took her away from me." Mikey stated bluntly which worried Takemichi even more.
"Nana-chan doesn't belong to anyone, Mikey-kun." Takemichi argued back. "She can choose whoever she wants to be with. She's not your personal object..."
"She broke her promise. She left me."
"She didn't, Mikey-kun. I bet she was still there for you as a friend."
"I wanted her as my lover, not as my friend... She left me, she chose Baji over me."
"That's because she loved Baji-kun more than you. But that doesn't mean she left you alone just because of that."
And that's when a sorrowful smile broke into Mikey's facial expression as he stared down at Takemichi with a disheartened look.
"See, Takemitchy... I told you... You'd never understand the pain of unrequited love." Mikey muttered under his breath.
Before the conversation could even continue, a gunshot was launched across the open area, shooting Mikey through the forehead.
"And after coming back from that future, when I asked Nana-chan about her true feelings for you and Baji-kun, this is what she said to me..." Takemichi continued.
"Um... Nana-chan..." Takemichi called out softly, sounding a bit hesitant as well, causing Nana to look back at him with curiosity. "H-How are things going on with Mikey-kun...?"
And this sudden question left Nana in confusion.
"With Manjiro? Yeah, things are normal as usual." she stated calmly.
"What about Baji-kun...?" he questioned again and she gave him a skeptical look.
"Everything's cool with Keisuke as well..." Nana replied before remembering something. "Oh! Also, you might not know this yet, but... Keisuke and I are dating now."
"Eh?! Really?! You and Baji-kun are together now!" Takemichi gasped out in surprise, his eyes went wide open while Nana let out a small giggle in response. "Wow, that's great! Congrats, Nana-chan!"
"Thanks, Takemichi..." Nana smiled at the thought of her dating Keisuke now and this caused Takemichi to smile back at her as well.
"It was obvious that you and Baji-kun loved each other. I'm happy for you guys." Takemichi grinned happily at her while she let out a small sigh of contentment before her gaze shifted from his form and went up toward the sky.
"You know, Takemichi... I'm really happy that Keisuke and I are together now..." Nana stated in a soft voice and Takemichi stared at her, intently listening to her words. "Before Keisuke, I was in love with Shin-chan. He was everything to me. Shin-chan was my life, my soul. After my parents' death, when my family rejected me, Shin-chan took me in and gave me the happy life he thought I deserved. I really loved him, you know. And because I loved him a lot, his death affected me so much to the point where I felt like I would lose my mind and would die with him. Keisuke was the one who helped me and pulled me out of that depressive state. After Shin-chan's death, Keisuke promised me that he would stay by my side till his dying breath and would fill up the void within my heart like how Shin-chan used to do. Keisuke helped me to grow as a person and because of him, I became stronger, both mentally and emotionally. Both Shin-chan and Keisuke took care of me when I was weak and felt abandoned like a stray injured kitten. They were like my guardian angels, you know. Shin-chan and Keisuke are very precious to me and I'm glad I was able to love them both."
"And what about Mikey-kun?" Takemichi suddenly asked and Nana looked back at him with a questioning gaze.
"What about Manjiro?" she asked back.
"Do you love him?" he clarified.
"Yeah. Of course, I love Manjiro. He's my best friend." She replied and Takemichi shook his head.
"No, not that. I mean, do you love-love him?" he asked again and that's when she realized what he was trying to say.
"Oh, you mean if I love Manjiro romantically or not?" Nana stated, causing Takemichi to nod his head in response. "No, I don't. That never happened. I mean I love Manjiro, there's no doubt about it. But what I feel for him is completely friendly and platonic. I never loved Manjiro in a romantic way."
"But why, Nana-chan?" Takemichi asked and she simply shrugged in response.
"I don't know why I couldn't see Manjiro in that way... Just because I've known him my entire life, doesn't mean I'll develop romantic feelings for him. Love varies from person to person. The type of love you feel for people is different. For example, you don't feel the same way for Akkun and Chifuyu as the way you feel for Hinata. But that doesn't mean you love them less than Hinata. You love all three of them equally. Akkun, Chifuyu, and Hinata, all three of them are very important to you... The same case goes for me as well. Of course, I love Manjiro and he's important to me just as Shin-chan and Keisuke are, but my love for Manjiro is completely different from my love for the other two. The passion, the intensity, and the attraction I feel for Shin-chan and Keisuke, I don't feel the same for Manjiro. I couldn't fall in love with Manjiro like how I fell for Shin-chan and Keisuke... I can only see Manjiro as my friend, not as my lover..." Nana explained before noticing how Takemichi's expression was relaxing a bit.
"Oh, I see..." Takemichi trailed off and she gave him a curious look.
"Why are you asking me all this, Takemichi?" she asked with genuine concern. "Did something happen in the future...?"
"It's nothing, Nana-chan, believe me!" he quickly replied, almost frantically and her concern level was rising more, even though she remained calm and collected from the outside. "There's nothing to worry about... just wanted to confirm something that's all..."
"Confirm something? What? My feelings for Manjiro and Keisuke?" Nana asked and he nodded his head in response.
"Nana-chan... can you promise me one thing...?" Takemichi asked as he looked into her eyes, his gaze held plead and desperation. "Whatever happens, please always stay by Mikey-kun's side. Please never leave him alone."
"Huh? What?" Nana asked in confusion, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I-I'm not asking you to break up with Baji-kun or anything! That's not what I meant!" he quickly stuttered out, correcting himself as he shook his head at Nana. "It's just that... Mikey-kun gets really lonely and vulnerable if you're not there in his life. Mikey-kun needs you, Nana-chan... So, even if you're dating Baji-kun, please don't stop caring and supporting Mikey-kun..."
"Okay, Takemichi... You have my words..."
"I see... I did all of that, huh?" Mikey asked, deep in thought, after Takemichi finally stopped talking. "I'm always causing pain to Nana-chin and Baji in the future..."
Even just thinking about it ached Mikey's heart to no extent. Both Nana and Baji were Mikey's childhood friends; Baji was like a brother to him while Nana was the love of his life. Mikey adored them with his whole existence; he would never seek to hurt them. Nana and Baji were his oldest friends, the ones he knew for the longest time. The bond he shared with them was completely different from the one he shared with the others. So even thinking of hurting them was something impossible for Mikey.
"After the Bloody Halloween Incident, when I went back to the future, Kazutora-kun told me how you committed all the murders in that timeline. At first, I didn't believe those accusations at that moment. Or to be more specific, I didn't want to believe any of these..." Takemichi stated, trailing off a bit. "But in the next timeline, when I met you in the Philippines and you confessed your crimes to me, I had no other choice but to believe in your words..."
The time leaper then looked over at Mikey with a serious yet soft look on his face and continued to speak up.
"Mikey-kun... I don't wanna sound harsh or anything, but you need to accept the truth. Nana-chan and Baji-kun are madly in love with each other. Nana-chan will never reciprocate your romantic feelings in any timeline... Whatever you do to change the future and however you do it, the result is always gonna be the same – for Nana-chan, it's always gonna be Baji-kun and only Baji-kun. I know I have no right to say anything regarding that, but whatever happened in those previous two future timelines, I couldn't help but speak out the facts to you. Lots of things could have happened, more than what your future self lets on. So whatever you feel is the right action, Mikey-kun, whether or not you confess to Nana-chan, I trust that you know what you're doing..." Takemichi added and hearing his words brought a small smile to Mikey's face.
Even though Mikey would never accept it out loud, he knew what Takemichi told him just now was all harsh and dry yet full of truth and hard facts. Mikey needed a reality check, really; whether it was from Takemichi or someone else, didn't matter. Mikey knew. He always knew his love for Nana was unrequited. From his older brother Shinichiro Sano to his childhood friend Keisuke Baji, Mikey always knew that he couldn't compete against them and win over Nana's heart. He never stood a chance, to begin with. Mikey knew everything from the start and it still hurt like hell.
Even though he had his realization a long time ago, Mikey was also aware of Nana's love and care for him. She truly did love him but not in the way he wanted and craved. Whenever he saw Nana and Baji together, his hands felt the urge to hold her, his feet felt the urge to chase after her but he also knew he didn't have the guts to do that. Mikey believed that burning with desire and keeping quiet about it was the greatest punishment one could bring on themselves and Mikey himself wasn't too far from that category. Nana was his first love and first love is always very special even if it's unrequited.
To Mikey, Nana's memories felt like home to him. So whenever his mind wandered, it always found its way back to her over and over again. Mikey never knew true hurt and suffering until today when he finally came to terms with the fact that he fell in love with someone whose love and affection lay elsewhere that wasn't him.
"Now that I think about it, I'm just like Kisaki..." Mikey pointed out, still holding a smile on his face and Takemichi gave him a confused look. "My future self killed off Baji and Nana-chin on several different occasions just because Nana-chin didn't love me back and I couldn't have her. Kisaki was doing the exact same thing to you and Hina-chan over and over again in every timeline... If you think it that way, then Kisaki and I aren't that much different. We became the villains in the lives of the women we love..."
"I'm sorry you've to feel such pain and agony now, Mikey-kun..." Takemichi muttered in a soft tone, feeling pity for the boy who was sitting beside him.
Mikey's fake smile started to falter a bit as an aching presence whelmed deep within his heart. Reality couldn't be any clearer to him than at that moment. Thinking about Nana enabled him to remind himself that she deserved a future that could bring her happiness; a life that she could be proud of and not regret. A future where she would be actually alive and well. Mikey knew that unlike him, Baji could actually give Nana a happy, prosperous life and it hurt him so badly to even admit it to himself because there was no other girl that he ever truly loved more than Nana. Thinking about a future without Nana made his lips quiver a bit as he struggled to keep his fake smile composed and his emotions hidden.
"It's so strange." Mikey commented in a soft tone.
"Huh?" Takemichi asked in confusion.
"When I first saw you, you were getting beaten to a pulp in that fight with Kiyomasa..." Mikey recalled back, changing the topic from Nana to somewhere else. "But your back was larger than anyone else there. As if you were carrying so much on it. You're amazing. You're my hero, Takemitchy... I had thought that I would be the one to create an era..."
Mikey couldn't even imagine undergoing a scenario like Takemichi's. Even if he was strong, he didn't have the patience, mental strength, or commitment required. And it was not just him that had his flaws. Surely, if anyone else were in Takemichi's shoes, they would've lacked much more than what he had. Mikey then stood up from his seat and looked straight ahead with pride and confidence.
"Stand up, Takemitchy." Mikey stated and Takemichi quickly stood up before noticing that everyone from Toman began to arrive, gathering into one big crowd. "Can you hear it? The footsteps of an era! No matter how many times you were beaten down trying to save everyone, you didn't give up and fought and created this era today! This is your era. That's why I have decided this..."
"Huh?" Takemichi trailed off again in confusion.
Nana's POV
As we all gathered around at the footsteps of Musashi Shrine, I noticed Manjiro and Takemichi already present there Manjiro looked all confident and gleeful while Takemichi looked confused as if he didn't what was happening at that moment. To be fair, even the rest of us didn't know what was happening either.
"Listen up everyone!!" Manjiro addressed the crowd and started talking. "While we have made some huge sacrifices, we defeated Tenjiku and Toman is now at the top of Japan. We have created an era that will be talked about for generations to come... That's why I want to end this while we are at the peak!!"
"Huh?" I asked in confusion.
"What's Mikey on about?" Keisuke muttered from beside me, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as well.
"As of today, the Tokyo Manji Gang is disbanded!!" Manjiro concluded with a bright smile on his face and instantly we all froze in our spots in shock.
We never anticipated Manjiro to propose a declaration like that, not even after we had gained such a high ranking among the delinquent community; after all, we were at the top now.
"Huh?!" Mitsuya gasped out as I stared ahead at Manjiro with widened eyes.
"Disbanded?!" Peh-yan exclaimed, as well as the other captains and vice-captains.
"What?! What are you going on about all of a sudden?!" Draken asked in disbelief.
"Captain of the First Division, Takemichi Hanagaki! Step forward!" Manjiro called out, still smiling as brightly as ever and with hesitance, Takemichi walked up front. "If we are going to change the future, this is the best way, right?"
"Mikey-kun, but...!" Takemichi was about to say something but Manjiro beat him to it.
"Captain of the Second Division, Takashi Mitsuya! Step forward!" Manjiro called out, causing Takemichi to step aside and Mitsuya to walk up front. "Toman was only able to come this far because of you."
"Hold on a second, Mikey...!" Mitsuya tried to intervene but Manjiro again cut him off.
"Acting Captain of the Third Division, Ryohei Hayashi!" Manjiro called out and this time, Peh-yan went forward. "You have worked hard during this time without Pah-chin. You were the greatest acting captain."
"Mikey..." Peh-yan only mumbled to himself in disbelief.
"Captain of the Fourth Division! Nahoya Kawata!" Manjiro called out and Smiley walked up to him. "For everything you have done till now to support Toman, thank you."
"Don't say that, Mikey. I don't like it." Smiley stated in a quivering voice with tears in his eyes.
"Captain of the Fifth Division! Yasuhiro Muto!" Manjiro called out Mucho's name but as Mucho wasn't present there, Manjiro continued his speech. "Although he's not here because he got arrested, I will remember him as a Toman member to the end!"
After finishing that, Manjiro then looked over at where all the captains and the vice-captains were standing.
"Former Captain of the First Division and the current Right-Hand-Man of the Advisor! Keisuke Baji!" Manjiro called out to Keisuke with a warm smile on his face, causing Keisuke to silently walk up to the commander with a stoic yet soft expression. "You were the one who created Toman in the first place and Toman exists because of you. You embodied the principle of Toman and you were always willing to sacrifice yourself for your friends while ensuring that Toman doesn't lose its way. You said it yourself back then – 'All for one and one for all; we put our lives on the line for each other' – And you lived up to your words till the very end. Toman is the way it is all because of you. Your sacrifices will always be remembered. Thank you for everything, Baji!"
"So, you're really disbanding the gang, huh? For a moment, I thought it was a joke. Fucking asshole." Keisuke stated with a bittersweet smirk.
"Sorry, man." Manjiro replied with a bittersweet chuckle, radiating the same energy as Keisuke before his dark eyes trailed over to me. "Advisor of the Tokyo Manji Gang, Nana Osaki!!"
As soon as Keisuke stepped out of the way, I walked over and stood in front of Manjiro.
"Words can't describe how much you've done for the gang, Nana-chin." Manjiro stated and my eyes softened at his sight. "When we formed Toman three years ago, I literally forced you to join the gang, because I always knew that we would need someone like you to guide us to the right path. You were our moral compass. You always kept us grounded and checked. Your intelligence, guidance, and moral principles helped Toman to reach its peak and excellency. And we all will remain indebted to you for the sacrifices you made for the sake of Toman. Thank you, Nana-chin, for everything... Thank you!!"
"Same goes for you too, Manjiro. Thank you for everything." I responded with a bittersweet smile causing Manjiro to return the gesture to me as I slowly began to feel overwhelmed by the current situation, tears forming in the corners of my eyes.
So this is the end, huh... It's finally happening... Back then, I didn't want to be a part of this gang... I had to join once I lost to Manjiro's nagging and stubbornness... Now, look at me... about to become a sobbing mess at any moment... Never realized how and when I began to love this gang... Toman isn't just a gang... Toman is my family... Our family...
"Lastly, Vice-President of the Tokyo Manji Gang! Ken Ryuguji!" Manjiro called out to Draken and the said boy went up front after I moved away from the spot.
"Manjiro Sano..." Draken suddenly spoke up in a monotone yet firm voice. "You're fucking egotistical and think 'I alone am the world honored one'... But we were pulled in by that charisma and were brought this far..."
Then a proud, wide smile curled up into his lips before Draken continued to speak.
"I have no objections to the leader's decision!!" Draken stated out loud this time and bowed down to Manjiro. "Thank you for everything up to today!! Our leader!!"
"Thanks, Ken-chin..." Manjiro responded with another warm smile, accepting Draken's words, glad that his vice commander had approved his decision.
It hurts to say goodbye, to leave a life that we had enjoyed, to end things that just couldn't last forever. Truly, everyone loved being in Toman. Fighting other biker gangs was so thrilling, as well as being with one another, riding bikes late at night – what other lifestyle could compare to this one anyway? Sure, it sucked, but we weren't going to leave in sadness; we were going to leave with pride and our heads up high and move forward on the path of life, rather than looking back.
"Toman!! Toman!! Toman!!" Everyone started to chant off the top of their lungs.
"Today Toman is disbanded!" Manjiro declared as we stared up at him with tears in our eyes. "No matter how amazing a time it is, it has to end one day!! It's just that it's today! But never forget! Toman is forever in our hearts!!"
As Manjiro concluded his speech and the whole gang continued to chant the name of our gang with love and pride, I stared off at Manjiro with a warm smile on my face and pride sparkling in my eyes. At that moment, from my point of view, Manjiro was shining just as brightly as Shinichiro did.
I could still remember the day when Shinichiro disbanded the 1st Generation Black Dragons on their last big gathering. It was years ago when Manjiro and I were still very young. Shinichiro took the two of us to their final gathering and I was so surprised to see such a huge crowd in that last meeting; all of them gathered around one last time just to show their utmost respect to Shinichiro Sano, their leader, and honor the name of their gang, the Black Dragons, and feel proud of it. Everyone shed tears that day and people like Takeomi, Wakasa, and Benkei were no exceptions.
Back then, I didn't understand the sentiment behind it but right now, I get it. I understand what it feels like. And from that night on, Toman was no more. No more meetings at the Musashi Shrine. No more fights for us to get involved in. This concluded an era of delinquents.
Toman truly was great.
After our final meeting came to an end, everyone except for us, the admins, stayed back at the Musashi Shrine, still feeling unsettled by the fact that Toman was now disbanded. It all just happened so fast for us all to process.
"I can't believe this, bro. That Toman is over as of today." Angry stated with small tears in the corner of his eyes.
"I totally get it. But you know, if I was in Mikey's position, I would do the same thing." Smiley replied with a small, sad smile as his eyes trailed over to Manjiro who was standing just a few feet away from them. "He lost a lot of important stuff after all..."
While Keisuke, Draken, and Mitsuya were having a deep conversation among themselves, I noticed Manjiro standing by the side, quiet and alone, with hands in his pockets as he stared off at the horizon ahead of him with a calm expression on his face.
"What are you thinking, Manjiro?" I asked him in a soft tone as I stood beside him.
"Hmm? It's nothing, Nana-chin..." Manjiro replied, looking over at me with a small smile.
"It can't just be nothing if you're silently standing here all by yourself." I pointed out and after hearing this, Manjiro let out a faint chuckle.
"Remember the promise you made to me when my mom passed away?" he asked and I gave him a confused look.
"Yeah... I said I'll always stay by your side..." I replied to his question as Manjiro turned around to face me.
"Nana-chin, let's make a new promise today..." Manjiro stated with a smile. "If we cannot hold each other in our arms, then let's hold our memories in high regard. And if we cannot be in each other's lives, then at least let's live in each other's hearts forever..."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" I scoffed at him in confusion. "You're talking as if you're dying or something. What's up with you anyway?"
But Manjiro didn't say a single word and simply responded with a smile. Even though he remained silent, for some reason he had this look in his eyes; it was melancholic and empty.
"Hey, everyone!" Hakkai suddenly spoke up, gaining our attention. "How about we bury a time capsule to commemorate our disbandment?"
"A time capsule?" Keisuke asked in confusion, raising an eyebrow.
"Good idea!" Manjiro chimed in with a closed-eyed smile. "Then... let's write a letter to our future selves!"
"A letter?" Takemichi asked.
"Yeah. We'll open it in 12 years..." Manjiro insisted while Chifuyu, Keisuke, and I shared a knowing look with Takemichi.
That's right... Now that Kisaki's dead... Takemichi's going back to the future in the next few days... Back to the future in 12 years, meaning 2018...
"In 12 years?" Mitsuya asked in confusion.
"Why 12 years from now?" Angry asked as well.
"Who knows... but it seems like fun!" Smiley grinned in excitement, not protesting against the idea.
"One week from now... bring a letter for yourself and something important. We'll all meet up here." Manjiro proclaimed and we all smiled in response, agreeing with the plan.
A week later (March 15th, 2006; at Musashi Shrine)
"Okay! It's done!"
A week later we all came back and gathered at the biggest tree that was planted near the shrine, going one by one to put our letters and precious souvenirs into the capsule. Once it was all collected, Draken and Manjiro sealed it up and buried it into the hole it already dug up.
"Baji-san, Nana-san, what did you bury?" Chifuyu asked us excitedly with a big smile on his face.
"Moron. Wouldn't be any fun if I told you, would it?" Keisuke replied with a small chuckle before draping an arm over my shoulder and pulling me closer to his side.
"We're keeping this as a secret to one another until we dig out that box 12 years later in the future, Chifuyu..." I added with a smile.
"12 years is a long time. We might forget what we put in it." Angry pointed out.
"For sure. That's the best part about time capsules!" Hakkai confirmed with a small laugh.
"I'm pretty excited about this!" Draken added, grinning as well.
"Yeah!" Mitsuya agreed in a response, excited as well.
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Smiley sang out.
"Where do you see yourself in 12 years, Kei?" I asked my boyfriend who had his arm wrapped around me.
"With you, married, with two kids and two pets, just like how we promised..." Keisuke replied with a smug look on his face, smirking.
"God, you two are so cheesy." Smiley teased us.
"Hey, fuck off." Keisuke countered back with a frowning face while I let out a small giggle at the banter.
Takemichi, on the other hand, only smiled in response but his own excitement was as clear as day because now, more than before, he was confident that the future would change in his and everyone else's favor.
"Don't forget, everyone..." Manjiro spoke with a smile, hands in his pockets as we all stood in front of the shrine in a circle, ready to conclude our last meeting as the members of Toman. "On June 19th, the anniversary of our foundation, 12 years from now... We'll all meet up here!"
Until next time...