August third. Today's the day that Kenny was supposed to be stabbed and killed. Take somehow managed to get them back on good terms and Toman has become whole again, so he should be safe.
"Hey, Daju, did you bring any cash? I got extra if not," Sayu said as she looked in her wallet.
"I have some left from my winning money." Luckily for Take, I took first place in the tournament and I hadn't spent too much of it yet. Today was also the festival, so we were heading there, Sayu wearing a purple lily-patterned yukata, and I just wearing normal clothes. I didn't own a Yukata and some of the guys from Toman would be there anyway.
"Oh! Danaju, Sayu!" we heard from behind us. We turned around to see Hinata and Emma. Hinata was wearing a pinkish purple yukata while Emma was wearing a blue one.
"Hey, didn't expect to see you so soon," Sayu said as they caught up. "You must be Emma," she said with a smile as she faced the girl. "I'm Sayu, Daju's best friend. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," she returned.
"Why aren't you wearing a yukata?" Hinata asked.
"Um-" I tried getting out.
"Why would he wear one?" Emma asked with her brows furrowed.
"Eh?"
"Hinata," I sighed. "She doesn't know."
"Well, cat's out of the bag now," Sayu sighed.
"I- I'm so sorry!" Hinata apologized.
"You're actually a girl?" Emma asked with a surprised look.
"Yep," I awkwardly chuckled. "Please don't tell anyone. I like to be treated as an equal, y'know?"
"Of course." She nodded. "Wouldn't dream of it."
We finished the ascent to the top of the stairs and saw Take and Kenny at the entrance. We all said our hellos before exploring the stalls. They had all of the usual activities from catching goldfish to shooting for a prize.
We went to a few stalls, playing games, winning prizes, and getting snacks. But, it started raining before long. We ran for cover under some nearby trees. Then, a thought struck me.
"What's wrong?" Sayu asked.
"I just got a really bad feeling... You remember the fight club Kio-whatever was running?"
"Yeah...? What about it?"
"I have a feeling they-" My phone began buzzing, interrupting me. "Yeah?" I asked, answering the call.
"Danaju, I just got a hold of Takemichi about this, but I got some new intel about some of the guys who were in the Mikey faction," Yamagishi said.
"Is someone out for Kenny?" I asked with a sigh.
"Y-yeah. How did you know?"
"Just a feeling."
"Either way, you guys might want to keep an eye on him, just to be sure."
"Yeah, okay," I said before hanging up. "Well, I was right," I sighed. "I hate it when I'm right..."
"Do what you gotta do. Just... don't catch a cold or die, alright?" She smiled.
"Yeah," I chuckled. "Get home safe, yeah?"
She nodded before we parted ways. Now that I think about it... Kio-whatever definitely seems like the type to hold a grudge. Also thinking back on the whole thing with Pah, Peh could definitely be out for blood too since Kenny dragged them away... Shit. We aren't out of the red zone yet... I ran back toward the shrine, hoping that Kenny was still there. When I got there though, I saw Take and Mitsuya.
"Take! Mitsuya!" I slowed to a stop next to them. "Yamagishi told me what he heard."
"So we're all on the same page..." Mitsuya said.
Soon enough, Take and I followed Mitsuya in our search for Kenny. The rain hadn't let up any either, and at this point, I was pretty much drenched. My hair was even sticking to my neck and face.
"Peh feels like Toman screwed Pah and let him take the fall."
"But, that isn't true," Take said.
"What matters now is that Peh got together with some former Mobius guys and told them he was gonna take Draken out."
"So Peh's the one?"
It could be anyone at this point. Just because one person says it, doesn't mean they'll be the one to do it. I'll have to keep my eyes open.
"He's out to hunt down Draken."
"We've gotta find Draken and let him know!"
"But since we saw Peh's ride outside, shit might already be going down."
Didn't I see something about it being in the parking lot? Or was that a different article? I do too much research for this ADHD brain to handle...
"Mitsuya, wait!" Take exclaimed, stopping right in front of me. I stopped in time to not crash into him as Mitsuya stopped too. "The parking lot... Is there another one besides the one we were just at?"
"Yeah, there's a back parking lot," I answered. I've come here a lot, so I know most of what there is to know.
"That's it!" he exclaimed before running ahead.
I huffed a bit before following him, Mitsuya following a moment after.
"Turn right up here!" Mitsuya directed as we got to the road. We were stopped short though when we saw a bunch of Mobius guys on the ground.
"Half of Mobius is here..."
A jumble of voices came from our left and I looked over to see Kenny going against a bunch of Mobius's guys. We wasted no time and ran over.
"Draken/Kenny!" we exclaimed in sync.
"Hey, Mitsuya, Danny, Takemitchy..." He had blood running down his face.
"Draken, are you alright?" Emma asked from behind us.
"Stay back, Emma," I said, keeping my eyes on the guys in front of us.
"So, Peh, you traitor, what the hell are you doing, teaming up with Mobius?!" Mitsuya exclaimed.
These guys look like average high schoolers for the most part... I thought as I looked from one to the other, gauging their strength. Even if it's just the four of us... we can take them.
"Shut your mouth Mitsuya! Or I'll have them kill you too," Peh retorted.
"Oh?"
"Peh, you backstabbing coward! You set up this whole sneak attack on Draken, but you needed all these guys to fight one person?" Emma said from behind us still. Kenny's a tough guy. If someone wanted to take him out, this would be the way... "And you call yourself a man."
Kenny sighed as he dropped the guy he was holding by the head. "Man, I'm so tired..."
"Yeah, you don't look so good. You okay?" Take asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'll be alright, but I'm at my limit. Can you guys finish this for me? Danny, Mitsuya?"
"My pleasure/ of course," we said as we stepped in front of him. It'll be a bit harder with the two of us, but not unmanageable. I wonder how good of a fighter Mitsuya is...
"My head hurts..." he trailed off as he sat down.
"You little shits really think you've got a chance against all of us?" One of the guys asked.
"You're all about to find out." Mitsuya grinned as a smirk formed on my face.
"Kill all four of them," Peh said as some guys began cheering. Then, as if this was some dramatic show, the sound of a familiar motorcycle drew near. I hadn't been around it too much yet, but once a sound gets engraved in my memory, it stands out
"I think company's comin," Kenny said.
"I know that exhaust sound," Mitsuya added.
"That's Mikey alright."
On the other side of the parking lot, a motorcycle skidded to a stop, the bright beam now illuminating us. A second later, the light shut off along with the sound of the engine, and he got off. "I get it now. You had me called away for one reason, so you could ambush Kenny," he said as he approached. Huh, he's surprisingly perceptive. "And then you were planning to pin the blame on me, in order to try to split Toman in half."
"I'm just doing this for Pah!"
"You know this isn't how we do shit! Tell me, who tricked you into doing this, Peh?"
He thinks there's someone controlling Peh? Wait... What Osanai said before... Yeah... If Peh was good friends with Pah, Mikey, and Kenny, he wouldn't probably have gone this far. He would've been mad and sour about it for a while, but not many people would go to this extreme on their own.
Someone new started walking up from behind Mikey. "Wow, I'm impressed. I guess you're not just brawn after all." He was tall, slender, smoking a cigarette, wore a single gold-chain earring on the left side, and had short duo-toned brown and blonde hair. He was part of Mobius as well, by the looks of it since a bunch of other Mobius guys were behind him.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Tired..." he said after taking a draw from his cigarette. The hand he was holding it with, his left, had the Kanji for sin tattooed on. "But it really doesn't matter much who I am. All that matters is for now I'm in charge of Mobius. I'm Hanma."
"So you're the creeper who's been pulling the strings lately."
"You really are a serious smartass, Mikey-" In the blink of an eye, Mikey had aimed a kick for Hanma's head, but somehow, it was blocked.
"No one ever stops Mikey's kick..." Mitsuya muttered in surprise.
"No need to be in such a damn hurry, Mikey," he said as he shook the hand Mikey had made contact with. "Crushing Toman is our long-term goal. But it's so much work, we thought we'd get you to fight yourself," he continued as the guys that had been with Peh stood with the others behind him. "I mean, it works out the same in the end. This way just had an added bonus: I get to kill the invincible Mikey with my own two hands!" He covered up the right side of his face as he grinned. It was a sadistic grin, and the hand read: Punishment.
He's supposed to be the guy behind this?
"Mobius has a hundred men here! While pitiful Toman has a measly five! Don't you dare wuss out this time, assholes," he turned back to his guys. "If you do, you'll find out I'm not a softie like Osanai." They all shouted a "yessir." "And if you dare run away, I'll hunt you down and smash your teeth down your throat." He received another chorus of"yessir" before turning back to us. "Mikey, and Draken, and their little friends... You're as good as dead!"
I thought this was supposed to be an internal conflict that caused Kenny's death. When I read the article, it actually didn't say anything about Mobius... Could this be the result of our actions of getting Mikey and Kenny on good terms again? Could it be a fucked up thing like Final Destination? Or is there something else?
The sound of more motorcycles interrupted my thoughts. It sounded like...
"They just made it," Mitsuya said in relief.
"Thank God," I sighed in relief.
Everyone pulled into the lot, shining something like a ray of hope on us. The captains led the group, giving their own comments as they walked up. "Hey, assholes, the Tokyo Maji gang is here now," Baji said with a challenging smirk as he looked past us at the Mobius guys.
I can see why Mikey appointed me under Baji.
"So who wants to die first?" Smiley, if I remembered right, asked.
"Peh, you're the one I wanna kill!" the fifth division leader, who I had forgotten the name of exclaimed.
I had to admit, this fight was a first for me. In the past, I would always fight alone against anywhere from one to even twenty guys at once. I always had to rely on myself. But now? I could rely on someone to have my back. ... I just need to make sure I don't hit one of our guys on accident.
From next to me, Kenny got up. "So we're getting a big ass brawl on the day of the festival?" He started to step forward. "I can feel my blood pumping already. You ready to rock and roll, Mikey?" he said as he came to a stop.
"Oh, you know it, Kenny."
From less than a foot away, I could feel the nervousness radiating off of Take. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him," I quietly said as I stepped over a bit, catching his attention. "He might feel better cause of the adrenaline, but he's still human. Just keep an eye on him, and he should be good."
"Right," he said after a moment of hesitation.
I haven't been hit over the head personally, but the adrenaline boost is just delaying the effects. The moment he calms down, even for a second, it'll all come rushing at him. No matter how strong he is, he's just a human.
"Let's go!" Mikey shouted, leading the charge. All of the Toman guys followed right after, including me. My first fight in Toman, and the fight to decide Kenny's life or death... was just beginning!
~A little earlier with the post this time! Oh, and did you guys see the announcement on season 3? I am so ready for it! As of posting, I've already started writing the Tenjiku arc. I'm taking some more breathers though and working on a future book, but I'm still working on future chapters(even though I have 2 months worth that's ready to post...) Anyway, hope you guys like it so far! And feel free to comment, I love reading them! Till next time:)~