30th September 2005
"Valhalla, occasionally called 'The Headless Angel'", the guy started, caressing the head he got slapped on moments earlier after your scolding of how he hid his intentions of getting you to join Tokyo Manji, sitting on the chair in front of yours in the empty classroom, "is a motorbike gang formed anonymously and composed of Ex-Moebius members and an anti-Toman force."
"So it doesn't have an actual leader?", you asked, taking the strawberry milk he bought you as an apology in your hand.
"Nobody knows who the actual leader of the gang is", he answered. "But we do know the identity of the acting president and the anti-Toman force's captain."
"Acting president", you muttered, your hand on your chin as you thought of it. "Who is it?"
Shuji Hanma.
It wasn't hard collecting information about Valhalla's acting president, or so-called "The Reaper". From his looks to his personality, his traits, his likes... He really was an oddly dangerous guy, and that made him your perfect target.
You surely weren't searching about that gang out of pure knowledge. Being the next one to challenge Toman, it was the easiest first plan to do.
Help it win.
Of course, that wouldn't be easy to reach. You knew Manjiro wasn't an easy opponent, so if anybody wanted to win against his gang, it had to be dealt with from the inside. And to do so, you had to know how Valhalla was itself.
Getting a guy to answer your every question isn't always assured with blackmail or money, some need to be treated in another form of convincement. Especially if you were a female shooter.
There are three simple steps to get a male on your side. The first is by getting him desperate to have you, the second is by giving him hope for it, and the last is by using his yearning to get what you want.
And that was your strategy to get the bored reaper.
Step one: Building the desperation.
"Hehe, that will be fun!", the guy chuckled sitting in his usual spot in the billiard cafe, a lightened cigarette in his mouth as he spoke on the phone, his hand going through the yellow strands of his black hair. "You're one fucking genius, Kisaki."
The door opened wide grabbing the laughing guy to sneak a peak at it, taking the cigarette into his hand. "Wo...", he whispered, driving the phone slowly away from his ear when he spotted the figure entering the empty colorful cafe.
Jet-black hair flowing down your back, gray eyes looking into the world without hesitation, you walked in with a confidence that comes from a deep sense of self, a red lollipop in your mouth, wearing a white chain strap crop cami top with a knot in front and tight jean shorts, it was no wonder you captured the attention of those in the room. Yet, you focused on only a single one.
You could feel those goldy eyes scanning you up and down as you walked your way to the vending machine. It kind of worried you, but reassured you that it was going as planned as well, making your confidence grow even bigger.
The second you were out of sight of the smirking guy, you let out a quiet sigh of relief, putting the coins in the soda vendor and taking the lollipop in your hand.
Your plan seemed to be going well, you did grab his attention as intended, you didn't want the birthday money you got from Rey and put on buying these clothes to go to waste. Now all you had left to do was walk your way out again, giving him a quick glance to keep yourself in mind for your next meeting.
"Shit", you mumbled, noticing the soda can getting stuck inside the machine. You growled, not knowing what to exactly do in this kind of situation. You would usually kick it till it falls, but you couldn't do something like that in front of that guy, it would ruin the image you wanted to set of yourself. "Damn it, hope I still got some change left-"
"Let me take care of that for you, sweetheart."
Your eyes widened when you saw a tattooed hand find its way to the coin insert on your right, sliding a piece in as you watched the can fall to the pick-up box. The tattoo alone was enough to tell you who it was that stood behind you, and as you turned, you were met with the exhaust same image you had in mind.
The man was leaning forward, his left elbow on the machine behind him, his right hand still on the coin insert, peeking at you closely with a smile on his sly-looking face.
He was so close that you could feel his breath on your face, the smell of cigarettes coming out of him making you almost gag, having no intention of moving any further away.
"Uh... Thanks", you hesitated to speak before you turned around and crouched to the soda can, grabbing it nervously. You weren't planning on having a conversation with him today. That wasn't supposed to happen till the second step.
"You always make a scene wherever you go?", he spoke again, watching you freeze in your spot when hearing him talk, your back still giving to him. "It's making people stare."
That was it. The step you still haven't prepared for has already started. Yet, you managed to pull yourself together. It was now or never. You weren't going to mess this up.
"Oh yeah?", you said with a calm voice, turning around to face him again with a playful smirk, looking at him dead in the eye. "And who told you I haven't done it on purpose?"
He giggled, as if glad that his move was actually going somewhere. "So you want people's attention?"
"Just that of a select few", you corrected, your smile stuck on you while eying him up and down, watching his grin grow bigger and more excited.
"Is that so?", he whispered quietly, leaning in with eyes focused on the grayness of yours. "And why do you think you'd actually get it?"
You lifted your hand when feeling his smell get stronger with him getting closer, putting the lollipop right in his mouth, catching him off guard. You smiled again, looking up at him with an eye that he couldn't help but find seductive before leaving the scene. "That was enough proof for me."
It wasn't hard getting to the next stage. Now that you had already made it clear that that man wouldn't be forgetting you anytime soon, you were quick to act up again.
Step two: Handing the hope.
The guy was sitting in the corner of the restaurant. He liked that spot. Could be because of his sense of superiority, that he wasn't one to sit in the middle, or simply for his people-watching habit, that no other place could assure him a better view.
And right after he finished his meal, getting to get up and leave, he spotted a familiar figure not that far away, grabbing her takeout and about to leave herself.
He grinned wide when seeing the same person he now was going to that cafe daily simply to meet again. Calling out, he caught up to you, just got out from the diner, turning with a confused look on your face.
"You...", you let out, eyes wide showing your surprise.
"You still remember", he chuckled in a playful tone, his hands finding their way to his pockets.
"How do I keep finding you everywhere I go?", you joked, smiling at his interested gaze.
"Because you still haven't given me your name", Hanma stepped closer as you held the urge not to run the heck away, looking down at you with the same wily expression.
"You're that desperate?", you fooled, crossing your arms.
"You made me that desperate."
You laughed, looking away for a second before turning back at him, scanning him from head to toe, knowing that he liked that from how he acted the day before. "Aari."
"What?", your sudden answer took him aback.
"My name", you smirked, your eyes sharp enough to cut him in half as you couldn't help but express your gladness that you were actually getting what you wanted. "It's Aari."
Unique. That was the last response you got from him before you left again, not willing to push anything any further and move along with the phases that were made.
Only one step was left. One and you'd get everything you needed. All the information you need to get things go your way.
As you walked your way home, throwing the takeout you bought in the trash without a second look at it, rolling the sleeves of your blouse up with the music blasting loudly in your ears, you felt an uneasy tingle on the back of her neck, a feeling as if someone was trailing closely behind.
You took your headphones off, a lingering sense of paranoia hanging in the air out of the blue. Every creak or rustle of the wind seemed to heighten your nerves, the feeling of being watched intensifying with every step.
Not daring to look back, you took a deep breath. You weren't just suspecting it anymore. It was unavoidable. You were being followed.
Who could it be was all that you wondered as you kept walking ahead, your steps fastening and hearing theirs doing the same. Still, you tried to convince yourself that whoever that was, you were strong enough to take them down.
So the second you spotted an alley, you didn't hesitate to take a turn and enter it, hiding on the side of it, waiting for the unknown stalker to do the same.
Entering your peripheral vision, their eyes not getting the chance to go wide at your surprising attack, you grabbed them by the shoulder, slammed them on the wall, and put your arm on their neck, clutching it hard as you sharpened your stares.
"Shit", he murmured, his bronze eyes barely opening as his dark long hair fell back with the sudden throw. He couldn't do a thing. You were blocking every single movement he wanted to make to set himself free of your grip.
"Who the fuck are you and what do you want from me?", you spoke, your arm tightening even more against his neck.
"Heh", the guy let out a hardly audible chuckle, grinning teasingly at your harsh expression. "That's no way to greet your new captain."
"My what?", you were the one taken aback now. Captain? The heck did he mean by "captain"? Who was this guy?
With your shock, the man took his chance. He quickly pushed your arm off his neck, grasping it more firmly and throwing you on the wall, face pushed into the wall while he held both your wrists behind your back, being the one to block your moves.
"Let me give you a piece of advice first", he spoke, his tone almost mocking as he got closer to make his point even more clear, judging the way you clenched your teeth the second you realized his power over you. "Never let your-"
Before he finished his words, you threw your head back fast, hitting him right on his nose and getting him to take a step back in pain before unexpectedly getting punched in the face hard enough for him to fall on the ground, staring inconceivably at your figure panting hard.
"Let me do the honors", you said in between heavy breaths. "Never get too close to your opponent."
"Impressive", he laughed, spitting the blood he collected in his mouth and standing up, watching you tense your muscles as he cracked the neck you almost broke with that punch. "I knew it was a good move getting you into Toman."
"Huh?", you confusedly let out, your fists slowly falling. "What do you mean by that?"
"What?", he groaned, seeming now annoyed rather than thrilled. "I thought Mikey told you. I convinced him to get you into my division."
"Huuuuuuuuuh?!", you repeated loudly this time, your eyes becoming so round that they almost gouged out. "Your division? Hold on, you weren't messing around when you said you're my captain?!"
"No", he spat, annoyed. "Why would I?"
"You're Baji?!", you asked, jaw slack. "Baji in like Chifuyu's "Baji-San"?!"
Before his answer got to you, you were already sitting down in the corner of a nearby cafe, looking at the man in front of you dumbfounded, your mind still not able to wrap up anything that was going on.
You met him. You met the guy you thought of as your winning card. Yet, you never felt more nervous in your life.
Not only had you punched him in the face and almost broke his nose, but he even followed you for probably the entire day. He may have even seen the scheming you were doing with Hanma. Anyone who saw you at that moment would understand that you were definitely up to no good.
Positive thoughts. Think only positive thoughts, Y/n.
You kept repeating as you looked at the guy scanning the menu in his hands. Maybe you were wrong. Maybe he only noticed you earlier and tried to introduce himself properly, but he was feeling slightly shy. Even though he didn't seem like the shy type at all...
"It's nice finally meeting you, Baji-San!", you broke the silence, voice cheered up you never thought of yourself ever using. "Thank you for admitting m-"
"Drop the act. I know what you're planning."
Your wide smile as well as body and mind froze the second he spat out those words. He said it calmly. So calmly you felt a shiver down your spine when hearing it. "Excuse me?"
"I said...", he sighed, closing the menu and meeting you in the eye. "I know you're going after Toman."
"Oh" was all you could say in response. You were doomed. You were caught, and not by anyone, but by your captain aka a founding member of Toman and Manjiro's childhood best friend. There was no escape from this one. He was totally convinced. It was obvious from the seriousness in his gaze that almost made you regret following him into this cafe.
"We crossed paths that day", he started, almost sighing as he explained. "The day you came to visit Draken for the first time. I saw you leaving the room."
"Y- You did?"
"You seemed so...", he bit his lower lip, looking around, trying to come up with the exact term to describe the image he had of you in his head. "What's a word that means sad and angry and scared at the same time?"
"Uh...", you let out, not sure how to act. "Melancholic?"
Baji clicked his tongue for a moment, just staring. "The fuck does that even mean?" He whispered, not giving you a chance to talk and continuing his talking. "Whatever. With how you were and what Red said, I say it's pretty obvious."
"Uh huh...", you let out, slowly nodding and watching him adjust himself to his seat, eyes not leaving your sight as you thought. Who is Red again?
"You even look familiar", he said all of a sudden, leaning into the table. "We've met before, haven't we?"
You blinked at him, confused. "I...", you tried to speak, your voice getting back with a cough. "I don't think so."
"Then why are you after my gang?" He argued.
"And why did you get me into it if you know I'm after it?" You argued back.
"I see", he said with a mocking giggle escaping his throat, purposely nagging you. "Using reverse psychology. Clever but not enough to fool me."
"Reverse psy- What?", you shook your head at his weird conclusion, once again demented with his saying.
"What? You don't know what reverse psychology is?", he laughed, ridiculing you.
"I do know what it is, I just can't see what it has to do with whatever we're talking about."
"What's so complicated about it?" He spoke, sounding more annoyed than ever. "Are you that stupid really?"
"I'm not, it's just...", you tried to come up with a conclusion other than the one you had in your mind, yet, none came up, and you had to ask. "Are you sure you know what reverse psychology means?"
"Hey! I'm the one asking questions here!" He shouted, pointing at your blank face that you didn't know what to show with it but unbelieve, as all that went through your mind was one single and simple sentence.
Holy crap, he's dumb!
"Welcome to our humble cafe", the kind sound of the old waiter stopping by your table was what interrupted you and the supposed-to-be winning card. "May I take your orders please?"
"Sure", the guy started, handing him the menu. "Strawberry smoothie with extra frosting, please."
"Okay", he murmured, writing it down in his small notebook and turning to you with a warm smile. "And for the sister?"
"Ah- I'm not his sister."
"Why the heck would you think she's my sister?"
"Oh I apologize, you two just seemed kind of alike for my old eyes", he said, seeming to feel more guilt than you thought should be felt in such a situation. "Hope I didn't ruin your little date because of that."
"Ew! I'm not dating her!" Baji shouted with a disgusted tone that got you to feel a bit offended and the man to apologize again, turning to you who was shaking your head down at the scene he was causing.
"Anyway", you spoke, almost sighing. "I'll get whatever he's getting."
"Just so you know", the guy said after the waiter finally left. "I'm not paying for you."
You shrugged. "And I'm not waiting for you to do so."
"Hey!", he shouted once again, making yet another scene. "Respect your superiors!"
"What did I even do?", you whined. " And why should I? You already found out my plans and are getting me kicked out of the gang anyway!"
He fell silent for a second, blinking at you blankly. "Who said anything about getting you kicked out?"
"Y- You won't tell Mikey and the others about me?" You asked, this time, genuinely confused.
"Surprisingly enough", he breathed out, crossing his arms. "No. I won't tell anyone."
As your mind began to whirl with conflicting thoughts, your face contorted, as you struggled to make sense of everything he just said. "Why?"
He sighed loudly, more like groaning, his face making an expression you couldn't point to the emotion coming from it. "Y/n", he called, voice chilling, leaning on the table. "As much as I hate to admit it, I need your help."
"With what?", you asked, feeling the tenseness of the situation.
"I've got this... friend", he explained, not meeting you in the eye. "And I'm swearing on saving him. But I don't think I can do it alone."
"Okay", you nodded, waiting for more explanation. "And how am I able to help?"
"You won't do much", he shrugged. "I'm going to join Valhalla and you'll spy on Toman for me. Easy."
Maybe it was the words or the air conditioner being set to a really chilly level, but the second he ended saying his sentence, you could feel a freezy breeze blowing on you that you couldn't move a muscle. "I beg your pardon?"
"Well, I want you to spy on one specific person", he said again. "I know he's the one causing all this hassle for-"
"You're betraying Toman?!", you shouted, his idea finally getting into you and making you slam your hands on the table and stand up, flinching the man.
"Calm down, geez", he soughed, annoyed by your loudness.
"How do you expect me to calm down when you're saying you're joining Valhalla?!", you yelled again, watching him get more irritated by your behavior.
"I'm not really betraying it", he hissed, grabbing your wrist and dragging you down to sit back. "It's just an act for Kisaki!"
"Kisaki?", you wondered. "Who the heck is that?"
"The new third division captain", he said, crossing his arms once again. "And the one I'm suspecting created Valhalla."
"What?", you confusedly sounded. "Why is the one who created Valhalla a member of Toman? And what does that have to do with the friend you said you're helping?"
"Ugh, you ask too many questions", he complained, rubbing his temple. "It's giving me a headache."
"You say that after dragging me to help you betray Toman", you murmured, rolling your eyes.
"Aren't you planning on betraying it in the first place?", he grumbled.
"Yeah, but not in a good way!"
"As if I'm letting you do that", he mocked, watching the old waiter bring your orders with a nervous and uncomfortable smile.
Taking a sip from the milkshake, you looked at the guy, crossing your fingers on the table. "So...", you broke the silence. "You said Kisaki is the real traitor of Toman since he created Valhalla. Right?"
"I don't consider that guy a traitor", he said, taking another sip. "I don't even consider him part of Toman."
"Can you just explain things to me?", you lamented. "You're confusing me here."
"Fine", he whispered to himself, loud enough for you to hear. "You have a pen on you? Since you seem too stupid to understand things without them being written?"
"I think so...", you reached for your bag and took a black pen out, handing it to him as he took a napkin and pulled it closer to the middle of the table.
"To start, we have Mikey, the Toman leader", he said, writing down on it. "Him and-"
"Oh god", you looked down all of a sudden, covering your eyes with your hand, confusing the guy. "This definitely won't end well. I'll end up dead for sure."
"What are you babbling about?", he groaned, before you grabbed his wrist and looked him dead in the eye.
"I swear to you that if we die, I'm going to spend the rest of our afterlife reminding you that this was all your fault."
"No one is gonna die", he clicked his tongue, freeing his wrist from your touch. "It will work. Stop whining, it's annoying!"
"Dude, I'm dumb and you're dumber. You can't even spell leader right!", you whined, pointing to the word 'lidar' written on the white clean napkin.
"Shut up!", he shouted, clenching the napkin and throwing it away. "You're the dumb one who asked me to write things down for you!"
"I literally didn-"
"Whatever", he interrupted. "I'll explain things to you slowly. So pay attention. I'm not repeating."
"Harsh...", you whispered, leaning on the table as well.
"As I was saying", he started. "Tokyo Manji was founded by six guys in 2003. Mikey, the leader. Draken, the vice-leader. Me, the first division captain. Mitsuya, the se-"
"I already know that though", you cut him midspeech, smiling blankly. "I did my research."
"Should have seen it coming", he sighed. "Then I'll move on. You know that Pah-Chin got arrested so there's no third-division captain now, right?", Baji asked, watching you nod.
"And do you know about Kazutora?"
"The founder who was kicked out of Toman?"
"He wasn't kicked out!", he snapped. "He's still a member of it!"
"Right", you arched your eyebrows, baffled by his reaction. "Then where is he?"
He didn't answer, the man only looked down, taking a deep breath, trying to collect the words to say. "He's...", he breathed out. "He's just having some kind of... disagreement with Mikey at the moment."
"Disagreement?", you repeated. "What kind of disagreement?"
"Not important!" He said with a higher tone, almost spilling the milkshakes on the table. "What's important is to fix it. That's what our focus should be on."
"Ooookaaaaay...", you nodded, trying to brush the curiousness off your head. Yet, it seemed like you weren't the only one who hated Manjiro. That guy appeared to have way more enemies that wanted him dead than you thought he did.
"The problem is", he spoke again, exhaling loudly. "Kazutora is Valhalla's anti-Toman force's captain."
"Ah", you sounded out of the blue, clapping your hands. "And you want to join Valhalla to talk things out with him, don't you?"
"No", he answered blankly. "That's dumb."
"Oh", your excitement was cut short as you rubbed the back of the neck. "Then why are you joining Valhalla if it's not for that?"
He put a spoon filled of frosting in his mouth, taking another deep breath before continuing. "Kisaki", he said first thing, clenching the spoon still in his hand. "I want to destroy that asshole."
"Oh my goodness", you gasped, jaw open so wide that you had to cover it as the male stared at your stunned figure.
"What?", he spat.
"Did Kisaki kill someone really really dear to you and you fell into deep despair for so long and some kind of voices appeared in your head telling you to destroy him so you think that's the only way to get them out of your mind because they are driving you mad every day and now you're wondering if they're even real or if you're just crazy and blame everything on him so you plan to kill him but couldn't and turned it into destroying his gang to make him suffer even more for making you like this?"
Silence filled the table which was the cause of the hiatus in the cafe. The man blinked at you, face showing a mix of disbelief and confusion. It took him a couple of seconds to finally open his mouth and say something.
"The fuck?"
"You didn't hear anything", you looked down, fidgeting with your fingers and signaling him to continue.
"As I was saying", he said, still dementedly staring at you. "Kisaki is our main target. He created Valhalla and is now joining Toman as a third-division captain."
"So he's the unknown leader of Valhalla?", you asked as he nodded. "But why is Mikey making him a captain? That's stupid!"
"I know right!" He said, rolling his eyes simultaneously with you in nuisance. "That dumbass is brainwashed, I'm telling you."
"Alright, so taking down this Kisaki is your goal", you said. "Then why are you joining Valhalla? And what does it have to do with Kazutora?"
"Kazutora wants me to join him, So joining Valhalla and getting more information about Kisaki wouldn't be that suspicious", he started, taking another sip from the drink. "I'll expose Kisaki then, and get Kazutora back into Toman. And I'll kill two birds with one stone!"
"Cool cool", you nodded, sipping from your drink as well. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
He lifted his hand, pointing right at you with a smirk. "Your main target is Mikey."
"What?", you arched an eyebrow. "What does he have to do with anything?"
"He has to do with everything", the man corrected, leaning back on his chair. "If he's convinced Kisaki is bad news, then that guy is over."
"I thought you said I have to keep an eye on Kisaki", you babbled, puzzled. "Why am I now supposed to convince Mikey of anything? How do I even do that?"
"You are going to spy on Toman for me", he said, trying to fill the spoon with frosting yet again. "And you're not convincing him of anything, you're just going to get close to him and tell me what his thoughts of Kisaki are."
"So you're telling me I have to get even closer to Mikey...", you said, glaring at him staring back, both your eyes tense when meeting the other's. "No", you laid back. "Have Chifuyu do that cuz I'm no-"
"I'll tell him about your betrayal if you don't."
"You bastard", you looked back at him, slowly leaning on the table with an open mouth. "That's why you got me into Toman. So you can blackmail me into doing what you want, right?"
"Took you long enough to get that", he put the spoon in his mouth, pointing at yours with his eyes. "You're not eating that?"
You sighed, your hand going through your hair, brushing it off your face. "When this is all over, I will definitely need my sanity back."
"We both will", he whispered, sipping the milkshake. "We both will..."
***
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting, Baji."
"Well, you sure did!", the black-haired guy shouted, getting you to almost close your ears. "You left me rotting here even though I came after meeting Kazutora. What took you so long?!"
"Sorry, I was doing my job for you, asshole", you whined, limping your way to the front door.
"What happened to your foot?", he asked, standing next to you as you searched for your keys in your pockets.
"Fell down a tree", you answered.
"Why the fuck were you on a tree?!"
"Long story", you sighed, opening the door wide and inviting him in. "Let's talk about it all inside, shall we?"