The only thing keeping Nakano out of bed is the sleeping man who has his arms wrapped securely around her waist and his head snuggled into her nape. She wants to cherish this moment, knowing that this peace won't last much longer. It's been hours since she's woken up, but even being in this bed with him feels like a dream.
There's a feather-light touch at her nape and the hold on her waist tightens. Nakano smiles and rolls over to face her husband. Despite the dimly lit room, she can see the small smile he gives her. His hair is a mess, but it suits him. If anything, it reminds her of the night he stayed with her after the Moebius incident. This brings another smile to her face.
"Good morning," she whispers to him.
Majiro reciprocates the smile, leaning in to touch his forehead against hers. "You're still here."
"Of course I am." Nakano's heart skips a beat, and she gazes down at him with admiration. "Did you sleep well?"
"I slept. I think that's an accomplishment in itself." He sits up and shuffles to the end of the bed. "Do you need light?"
Nakano nods, having been in the dark for the past few hours. Manjiro presses a button on the wall beside him above the nightstand, and an electrical whizzing sounds on the opposite side of the penthouse. The curtains along the tall walls all fold their way to the sides, allowing the sunlight to pour into the spacious area. She squints her eyes, adjusting to the sunlight that pours through the windows.
"I'll call the maids to make us breakfast."
"There's no need." Nakano gets out of bed. She stretches out her back before smiling at him. "I'll cook for us today. What do you want?"
A smile beams on Manjiro's face. "Whatever you want. I've never had your cooking before, so surprise me."
The couple heads down the stairs together and heads towards the kitchen. After taking a look at what they have in the fridge and pantry, Nakano gets to work making a traditional Japanese breakfast. Manjiro helps her by gathering whatever she needs and helps her prepare some of the ingredients as well. In no time, the table is set with steaming hot food ready for them to eat.
They sit across from each other, enjoying their food in comfortable silence. As Nakano sips up the miso soup from her bowl, she watches Manjiro eating his fried salmon and rice with delight before his eyes meet hers. He smiles at her with the food still in his mouth, causing his cheeks to puff out, much like a chipmunk.
Nakano sets her plate down, laughing lightly at Manjiro's appearance. "You like it?"
He swallows the food, hastily going for another bite. "Yeah! You're such a good cook, Kano-chin!" He scoops more food into his mouth with his chopsticks.
Nakano laughs under her breath. 'You're such a child.'
She continues eating, but can't help but watch the man across from her. The more she looks at them, the more she's reminded of the young Manjiro she had a second chance at childhood with. This is him, just grown up. Nothing like the yakuza leader that tried to strike her last night.
Shaking her head, she chooses not to dwell on the thought any longer, and to enjoy the peaceful morning that is sure to end soon.
Once they're finished with their food, they bring it back to the kitchen sink. Before they can start washing the dishes two maids walk in. Their eyes are wide when they see them in the kitchen.
"Oh, please allow us to do this!" One of the maids exclaims as she hurries toward Nakano and takes the plate she's about to wash.
The other maid does the same with Manjiro. "I'm so sorry we didn't come in time to cook for you, Sano-sama. We came earlier but Kakucho-san said you were both still asleep and ordered us to leave you be."
Nakano can sense the panic coming from the two women and does her best to calm them down. "It's alright. We chose to cook today. If you really want to wash the dishes for us, we'll leave you to it."
"We insist, Sano-sama." The maids both bow and they switch places with Nakano and Manjiro.
The couple leaves the kitchen and returns to the loft bedroom to prepare for the day. As Nakano is brushing out her long black hair, Manjiro is getting dressed.
"Have you gotten used to being called Sano, yet?" he asks her in a somewhat teasing manner.
"Not really. My name has changed a lot recently." Nakano smiles as she sets the brush down and starts braiding her hair into her usual side braid. "Hanagaki, Kurokawa, and now, Sano."
"You belong to many families." Nakano feels a weight on her shoulder, and a warm breath at her ear as Manjiro appears behind her. "And maybe soon, we could start our own."
Nakano turns around, eyes wide at his suggestion. "You seriously want to start a family?" Her face then drops. "In a world like this one..?"
"I know this kind of life isn't safe. Not yet, anyway."
"Yet?" Nakano catches sight of him kneeling down next to her at the edge of the bed, as he holds a tender gaze for her. "What do you mean?"
"Once we defeat Kitsune, there will be no one left to oppose us. Our friends will be safe, our families will be safe." Manjiro leans down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Our kids will be safe. I promise you. I'll defeat Kitsune and give you the life you deserve."
"When we defeat Kitsune," Nakano corrects him as she stands, taking him with her. "We're in this together, remember?"
"I already told you, Kano-chin." Manjiro's gaze hardens. "I won't let you fight anymore. This is my battle now."
"But I-"
"It's final."
Nakano is taken aback by his sudden harshness, but she doesn't think about backing down. "At the very least let me assist in the investigations. I'll work from behind the scenes with Bonten. I'm not going to hole up and do nothing while others fight for me."
Manjiro pauses, regarding her as if he's thinking over her proposal. Ultimately, he lets out a sigh, running a hand through his bleached white hair. "Fine. There's really no stopping you, is there?"
Nakano walks past him, hiding her victorious smile as she heads toward the closet. "Not a chance."
━─━─━━─━「卍」━━─━─━─━
Nakano walks into the meeting room, her hand laced through Manjiro's. Upon their entrance, the executives stand from their seats and stop before they can bow. Some of their faces show shock, while others are impressed with their appearance.
Unlike the usual matching black t-shirt and sweatpants, Manjiro is dressed in a proper suit made up of a black button-up and dress pants, a dark red vest and tie, and a crisp black jacket on top of that. Nakano's colours match his. She wears a red jacket and dress pants, with a black button-up blouse. She also adorns the brooch with the Toman, Black Dragon, and Tenjiku symbols over her heart as she did on the day of her debut in Bonten.
After gawking for a moment, the executives get their shit together and bow to them. "Good morning, Boss, Ma'am."
Manjiro nods at them, and the King and Queen of Bonten at their seats at the head of the table.
The meeting commences, and the problems immediately arise. Takeomi is the first to bring his information to the table.
"One of our clubs got raided early this morning, around 2 am. Kitsune guys shot up the place and left about thirty people dead, including Bonten members, club-goers, and staff."
Nakano clenches her fists in her lap, eyes narrowing at the polished wooden tabletop. 'All of them died while we were asleep in the warmth of our bed...'
Koko also brings up his concerns with the financial drop because this club was one of Bonten's largest sources of income. Chaos then ensues around the table, some executives don't see much problem because they have other establishments, while others are concerned that this will happen again to different Bonten locations, while another yells about how he's going to find the guys who terrorized the club and describes his methods of killing them.
"All of you. Shut. Up." Manjiro doesn't yell, but his stern voice wavers above every head in the room, silencing everyone immediately. "There's nothing we can do about that massacre now. We strike one of Kitsune's bases tonight. If that doesn't force them out, then we'll keep destroying their hideouts and establishments until they have nowhere else to hide from us. In the meantime, I'll go and do something about the weak security at our other establishments."
"I'll get to work gathering answers as well." Nakano turns her head to where Koko and Rindou are sitting. "The Kitsune member you got the information from; do you have any idea of his whereabouts?"
"Not a clue. If anything, he probably got killed for selling information," Koko answers.
Takeomi speaks up. "Not like you would've gotten anything useful out of him anyway. He was just one of the lowly members. If you think you think you're decent at interrogating, we have another promising guy you could try."
"Oh, you're talking about that guy, aren't you?" Ran snickers as he swirls the whisky in his cup, that is way too early to drink.
"Yeah. We captured a Kitsune member a couple of weeks ago who was the messenger and errand-runner for one of the executives, so he knows a lot more details on how Kitsune functions, and is always in the know of their plans."
Nakano crosses her arms, furrowing her brows in thought. "If you still don't know as much about Kistune, he must've sealed his mouth shut tightly."
"He won't cave under any amount of torture. Tch." Mochi takes a long drag of his cigarette, smoke puffing out of his mouth with every word he speaks. "At this rate, I think I'll actually spill his guts for him."
"That won't be necessary. I'll try to crack him."
Takeomi raises a brow at her. "Hm. If you think you can do it, I won't stop you."
"Nakano has a way of getting through to people," Koko comments. "Trust in her."
Nakano gives her old friend a thankful smile and glances around the room. No utter or any other indication of protest. That is until she notices the pink-haired man sitting on the other side of Manjiro. She can feel the daggers he sends her way with merely his gaze as if he's carping her very existence. This doesn't unease her, since she could tell he wasn't very fond of her the moment they met. But even still, she doesn't get what the issue is with him.
"Very well. Sanzu, Mochizuki, Ran, Rindou, and Koko, you'll come with me. Kakucho and Takeomi, accompany Nakano on her interrogation. We'll reconvene at the end of the day when we go to strike Kitsune. Have the men prepared by then. Dismissed." Manjiro stands, and Nakano mimics him, and the rest follow after them.
Nakano feels a warm grip on her hand, and she glances over at Manjiro. "Good luck."
She nods at him and gives his hand a quick squeeze. "Thanks. You be safe out there."
"I'll try."
Nakano watches as Manjiro leaves but when he walks past Sanzu, she notices him still holding a harsh gaze on her. Not wanting to make enemies within their ranks, Nakano sends him a polite nod and turns towards Kakucho who's by her side.
"You really think you can crack him?" Kakucho asks her after the door clicks shut. "I don't mean to doubt your ability to, it's just that we've been trying to crack him for days now."
"Before him, the longest anyone could withstand Mochizuki's torture was only a few hours," Takeomi adds. "Still think you can do it?"
"That almost sounds like a challenge you're proposing."
"Maybe it is." Takeomi sticks out his hand, grinning at her. "Wanna bet on it?"
Nakano glances at his hand. 'Well, this was much easier than I thought.' She gives him a confident smirk as she clasps his hand. "Why would I refuse a bet I will win?"
✧･ﾟ:* Flash *:･ﾟ✧
The air is chill as the light from the buildings across the river dimly lit the park Nakano is standing in as she views Takeomi's memories. He's not alone. There are three other people with him, and Nakano can vaguely recognize them. She remembers them from the picture she accidentally found in Emma's room.
"Well then, Sano Shinichiro," Takeomi drags out in a bored tone. "What did you bring us here for?"
"I was thinking..." Shinichiro turns to face Takeomi and the other guys he's with. "We should make a team!"
"A team?" asks the guy with white hair. "You mean some sort of gang, right?"
Shinichiro grins brightly. "Yup!"
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. We can get our former members into it," another guy, the largest of the four, remarks. "And you'll lead all of us, Shin."
"Sure, but I'll need some help." Shinichiro locks eyes with Takeomi. "You, old friend, will be my right-hand man."
Takeomi, taken aback by this, widen his eyes and points to himself. "Me? Are you serious?"
"Of course I am."
"But why do you want to do this so suddenly? I mean, didn't you defeat Benkei and me because you didn't want there to be violence?"
"That's not the whole reason I stopped you, Wakasa. You were practically tearing up my neighbourhood, and my little siblings and their friends almost got caught in the crossfire. But this time, I'll make a team that'll protect them, and everyone else who needs protecting."
"What are you, some kind of hero?" Takeomi shakes his head as he smiles to himself.
Shinichiro shrugs. "I dunno. Maybe. Women like heroic men, right?"
"Pft! Alright, Shittychiro." Takeomi slings an arm around his childhood friend's shoulder. "Wherever you go, I'll follow, you crybaby hero."
✧･ﾟ:* Flash *:･ﾟ✧
"Disband!?"Takeomi's voice seemingly blows right over Shinichiro, who gazes out across the dark water of Tokyo Bay. "You've gotta be kidding!! Just when we've made it to the top?!"
"We'll just be bullying the other guys beneath us, and besides." Shinichiro faces him, a content expression resting on his face. "I think my job here is done anyway. Everyone is safe, there are no more threats now that we're at the top, and the young guys will carry on the legacy for us."
Takeomi grumbles under his breath. "But still, you'd throw it all away just like that?"
"I have to be there for my family. I'm eighteen now, so I gotta step it up as the man of the household." Shinichiro smiles as he begins walking towards his motorcycle. "Manjiro and Emma are growing up, and gramps is growing old. Time won't wait for me."
✧･ﾟ:* Flash *:･ﾟ✧
The ring of the bell brings Takeomi's attention to the person who had just walked into the shop. Nakano watches through his eyes as he looks up from the motorcycle he was checking out, to see Shinichiro walking into the room filled with motorcycles.
"You asked me to watch the shop while you're off dancing in the rain?" Takeomi takes a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket. "I have a life too, you know?"
Shinichiro doesn't say a word, not even uttering an apology. Despite his entire body being drenched from head to toe, walks to the back door into the tiny staff room, leaving behind a trail of water. Takeomi doesn't follow him, but instead grabs a towel that's hanging off of the handle of one of the motorcycles and brings it to the back room for his friend.
Upon entering, he can't quite tell if Shinichiro is wiping away tears or drying his face from the water. Takeomi tosses the towel his way.
"Where were you?"
Shinichiro pats his face dry quickly before answering. "Remember that kid I told you about?"
Takeomi pauses, trying to remember. "Uh, the one who lives at the institution for kids with no families? Didn't you say he became the Black Dragon's most recent leader?"
"Yeah..." Shinichiro drapes the towel over his head but doesn't bother to dry his hair. "I thought, at the very least, he could live with me."
"I get you're trying to be a good guy, Shin, but these kids are made of something else, especially that guy. I think you should just leave him be."
"No." The sudden sternness in Shinichiro's tone takes Takeomi aback. He takes a deep breath, sitting forward to prop his arms on his knees and lean against them. He mumbles something under his breath, as a stray tear rolls down his cheek.
Nakano tries to make sense of this memory as it begins to fade. 'Shinichiro wanted to bring back Izana to give him another shot at having a family. What does any of this have to do with my current situation?'
✧･ﾟ:* Flash *:･ﾟ✧
Nakano doesn't have time to answer as she's brought to the next memory. She's now standing before Manjiro. His face is solemn, almost uncaring. Not a single emotion is evident in his eyes. He's drenched by the rain pouring down on him.
"Look at what you've done, Mikey!" Takeomi yells at him through the barrage of droplets falling from the sky. "Is this how Shinichiro would've wanted you to turn out!?"
"I don't know. I could say the same thing to you." There's no tone in his voice either. "But that doesn't matter now. He's dead."
"But what if he wasn't!? If he were here-"
"You heard Mikey! He's not here! He's dead, so that shit doesn't matter!"
Takeomi can't find the words as he's silenced by who appears to be the younger version of Sanzu. He doesn't know what to say now. In his tongue-tied state, Sanzu continues.
"Shinichiro couldn't stop this, even when he tried. There's no stopping destiny."
"Destiny, huh?" Takeomi clenches his fists as his voice raises again. "So Senju was just destined to die!?"
"She got in the way of Mikey's destiny." Sanzu glowers back as he takes a stance in front of Mikey, his katana held firmly in both hands.
"I didn't want this to happen to Senju. It's not like you could've stopped it either." Mikey steps forward, moving Sanzu out of the way. "I don't care what you do from here, but you have one option I'll give to you. Join me, and get revenge for your sister. You can think it over, then you can discuss it with me again."
Mikey then turns to leave, saying nothing else. Sanzu orders all of his members to leave the scene, as sirens blare in the distance. Everyone begins clearing out, as Takeomi stands in the cold rain, feet rooted to where he confronted Mikey. He glances back over at the body lying lifeless just a few feet away from him, as the droplets racing down his face begin to feel warm.
✧･ﾟ:* Flash *:･ﾟ✧
Nakano returns to reality, facing the scarred, middle-aged man before her. He's grinning at her as if they had just made the bet.
"Mochi already did some work on him, so be prepared to see some morbid shit."
"I'm more than prepared, I assure you," Nakano says casually, acting as naturally as possible. "Now bring me to him."
As Takeomi and Kakucho lead her to the prisoner, she ponders the memories she saw, trying to make sense of them. There were quite a few of Shinichiro, and even the last one mentioned him quite a bit. She attempts to replay them in her mind again to the best of her ability, but they're too hazy and come back to her in bits and pieces. Until one of them pops into her mind and stands apart from the rest.
"Shinichiro couldn't stop this, even when he tried. There's no stopping destiny."
'Even when he tried.' Nakano repeats to herself. 'Did he know about Manjiro's dark impulses and he was trying to stop them? There has to be more to Shinichiro than the stories I've been told about him... And it seems like Sanzu might know about it.'
━─━─━━─━「卍」━━─━─━─━
After a long elevator ride to a basement floor, and a few minutes of walking down a hallway made of only cement, they make it to a steel door at the end of the hall. Takeomi types a code on the keypad above the handle that makes a beep sound with every number until a click is heard.
"Before you go in, he might be hostile, so keep your guard up."
Nakano nods. "I will. You guys can wait out here. I'll call you in if I need you."
"Are you sure?" Kakucho inquires her with a hint of worry in his voice.
"I'm sure. Open the door."
Takeomi heaves the door open. Immediately, the familiar iron scent overwhelms Nakano's nose, but she doesn't falter for a moment. She steps into the dim room, her footsteps echoing off the walls. Her eyes are quick to adjust to the darkness.
In the center of the room, the man she's about to interrogate is restrained to a chair by chains wrapped around his torso and arms. A puddle of blood gathers beneath the chair he's chained to. Her gaze softens for a moment but remains solemn as she approaches. She hears his ragged and shallow breaths as she approaches him until she's close enough to see the damage done to him.
He's missing all his fingers, and his face is swollen with blood seeping from open wounds. His eyes are so puffy, she can't tell if he's asleep or awake and unable to open his eyes. Some patches of skin on his forearms seem to have been flayed off.
She goes to check his wrist for a pulse, as she's currently unconvinced he's still alive. Just as her fingers meet his flesh, he flinches. That's enough to know that he's still alive.
"You're a fighter," she utters in a soft tone. "I admire that. You've endured a lot. I'm very sorry."
The man cranes his head up to look at her. Well, maybe he can look in her direction, but she doesn't think he can see her in the dark with her eyes swollen so severely.
"My name is Nakano." She bends down to his height. "I'm here to set you free. Can you tell me what happened?" The man doesn't respond. Nakano moves behind him and begins fiddling with the chains. "Tenko will hear about your loyalty and fortitude."
The man tilts his head as if he's trying to look back at her. "Ten...ko..?"
Nakano makes work on the chains and gaining this man's trust. "Yes. Our master sent me to save you."
"There's nothing left... To save..."
Nakano freezes. Something about those words. They felt too real to her.
"Don't say such things. I won't leave you here. Tell me what you know so I can tell our master when we return."
"Bonten... Has a new queen... I do not know her name... But she is Sano's weakness."
Nakano undoes the chains, and by that, she rips them apart with her bare hands. 'Weakness, you say...'
"Forget about me-" The man coughs, causing blood to spray from his throat. "I-I will have no more use... To Tenko... Or Kitsune... It's time to strike... Bonten... Tonight..."
When Nakano unwraps the chains she drops them, making them clatter on the ground. "Tonight? Tell me. What do we do for Tenko?"
"All nocturnal divisions... Will strike... The Gold Dragon... Casino... Go with them..."
"I will."
"But first... Kill me..."
Nakano looks up a the man, eyes widened. "You want me to..."
"Don't let them get... Anything out of me..."
'Not this again... What have I gotten myself into?' Nakano clenches her eyes shut. "You're sure about this?" She locks eyes with the man and lightly grasps his hand.
✧･ﾟ:* Flash *:･ﾟ✧
Nakano finds herself amongst the crowd of hundreds, or rather, thousands of men. They all gather in front of what looks to be a stage, where a figure stands. She's close enough to see that the figure doesn't show its face by wearing a kitsune mask. The base of the mask is white, while it's painted with red spider lilies, and twelve tick marks around the right eye slit.
✧･ﾟ:* Flash *:･ﾟ✧
It's a memory that comes as quickly as it came. 'So that was Kitsune's leader? Doesn't help that he wears a mask.'
"Please..."
She's suddenly brought back to the dire situation she was brought to. She's being asked to take another life.'Will it ever end?'
Nakano steps away from the man for a moment, and towards the small metal table that she noticed in the corner of the room. She skims over the options she has and picks up the largest knife she can find. She holds it tightly in her grasp as she returns to her victim. She makes her footsteps light as she steps carefully toward him.
"Any last words?" There's a moment of silence before he simply shakes his head. She positions the knife at his neck and utters one last thing to him. "Thank you."
Blood sprays from his neck as Nakano makes a clean slit. His last breath comes out as a gurgle of blood as his body goes limp. She catches him and sets him gently on the ground.
She rises to her feet, her eyes flicking toward the blade in her hand. She tosses it to the ground and makes her way out of the room.
The door opens, and Kakucho is standing right in front of it, while Takeomi is leaning against the wall with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The scarred man glances over at her.
"Well?"
"Get Manjiro back here now. It's important." Nakano doesn't spare him a glance and walks past the two men. "Tonight we need to be on defence, not offence."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Takeomi questions her.
"He told me that all six of the nocturnal divisions are going to go after the Gold Dragon Casino tonight, so we need to beat them there before they can kill more people."
She can hear the stunned silence from Takeomi, and Kakucho's snicker. "Seems like you've lost the bet, Akashi."
"But, how did you manage to crack him?"
Nakano keeps her head forward, forcing back the tears of the trauma she had to relive. "Humans have their limits. Sometimes it's the good things that make them break. His was peace."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hullow!!
Finally some Nakanjiro fluff. I lied about there being no fluff chapters but I need them in my life right now.
A lot has been going on in my life, and I'm about to tell you two of the biggest achievements as of this present time.
Drumroll please...
KEEP FIGHTING REACHED THE MILESTONE THAT IS 100K READS!!!!!
ON TOP OF THAT, I WAS ACCEPTED INTO MY TOP SCHOOL OF CHOICE FOR CREATIVE WRITING!!!!!!
LIFE IS GOING GREAT FOR ME RIGHT NOW!!!!!
You wonderful people have been on this journey with me for almost two years now, and so much of my motivation has come from you!!! I can't say this enough, but thank you all so much!!!
Although it's been up for a while, I want to make a proper announcement. I made an instagram for this account so I could share some behind the scenes of my writing! I'd also be happy to take suggestions from you on what else I could post on this instagram! So feel free to follow @tokyoavenger_wp on instagram for behind the scenes and sneak peeks!
Speaking of behind the scenes, I also have to catch up on the blooper book as well... And the Heir and the Spare... Ooohh boooyyy...
I hope you can keep me on my toes! Until the next chapter my lovely readers!!
- tokyoavenger 💜