Your eyes open after a long moment of pitch black.
Your back was aching. You sit yourself up, trying your best to ignore the pain in your body. You turn and look down at what you were laying on.
This isn't...
You stare at the foreign-patterned sheet that is laid on the hardwood bed. Wrinkled after being slept in. Near the headboard was a flat pillow you were just resting on.
The wind gusts from out the window, which had no glass. Only a plain bed sheet was being used as a makeshift curtain.
You look outside of the window.
I'm... Not in Japan.
You get out of bed and start to panic. Walking out of the room and into the unknown hallway of the place you apparently slept in.
Running outside, the ground was dry and the air was humid. And though the town was crowded with many buildings and trees. It had no sign of other people living in it.
All until you heard a piano, playing in the distance.
You run to the noise. Prying the door open. Courtesy was the least of your concerns right now. You run up the flight of stairs as the music starts to get closer.
Opening the door, you were met with a little boy with a buzz cute sitting on a wooden stool. Playing the piano.
Now that you hear it up front, the instrument seemed to be untuned. The bed in the room was accompanied by a woman, presumably his mother, still sleeping.
"Excuse me!" You called out. The boy continued to play.
You walked closer. "Excuse me!" You said again. "I've... I've no idea where I am right now and..."
You look at the child, "Are you even listening...?" You raise your hand, attempting to slam on the piano keys to get the little boy's attention.
But your hands went through the piano.
You gasp before falling backward, in shock. Even as you hit the wooden floor, it felt as if you fell on nothing.
What the hell...? You think to yourself. Getting up.
"Minami..." The woman on the bed shifts her body. Facing the boy now. "Is it possible to play a little quieter, darling?" Her voice was hoarse. You assume she was sick. The boy complies, playing slowly instead.
You bend down, squatting next to the boy. Watching him play. You were sure the song was familiar. But you couldn't identify the song, with how poorly tuned the instrument is. But Minami didn't seem to care.
Those eyes... I've seen those before... You think to yourself, looking at the kid. The door opens. Both you and the little boy look to see who it was.
"Minami!" The large man's voice boomed. You were surprised the little boy's mother didn't wake up again. "C'mon, I got a job for you," he said, waving his hand to come over.
He was tall, at least a little over six feet. Even with a muscle shirt and jacket hanging over his shoulders, you could tell the whole top part of his body was covered in tattoos. The one on his neck covered part of his left cheek.
"A job...?" The boy spoke softly, "For money?"
"Yeah, of course, what else?" The man replied, sarcastically grinning. He tells the boy to hurry up. Minami hops off the stool and walks to the man. Closing the door behind him.
Standing up, you walk to the woman in bed. Reaching your hand out to wake her but your hand goes through.
What is going on right now... You stare at your hands. They still looked real. Everything looked real.
Yet it was like you weren't even there. Where ever 'there' was. You turn back to stare at the door. You had plenty of questions in your head.
You figured the only way to find answers was to follow the little boy and that man. You walk over to the door and turn the knob.
Opening it, you were met in an alleyway. Bricks from other buildings were on the floor. The walls had graffiti, not written in Japanese. With trash scattered around. This was obviously not what was outside of the room before.
Unknowingly, your hand wasn't on the door knob anymore. You turned back and there wasn't a door at all. Like you were transported into an entirely different area of this town.
You swore you had to be in some sort of dream. Some wild, hyper-realistic dream. You couldn't think of other reasons why this is happening to you. And why you're seeing this right now.
Bang.
You whip your head back to the alley. The young boy you saw playing piano...
Had just shot a man in the head.
You cover your mouth in horror. Looking at the child who now had a bloodstained shirt and face. His expression stayed blank. The same way you first saw him.
"Great job, Minami," the adult man complimented. Getting up off of the rubble he was sitting on. You glare at the man. Disgusted that he would force a child to do this 'job' for him.
He reaches over for a handshake, "From now on, you'll be called South."
"South?!" You let out in shock. Minami shakes the man's hand. As he does, his eyes shift. Staring at you.
Making eye contact with the boy triggered a sharp pain in your chest. You look down. You were standing on a tiled floor.
"How... Could you?!"
You look up immediately. Hearing a muffled voice as well as the pounding of flesh. Minami was on top of the man. The same one who had given him the name 'South'.
The man's face was unrecognizable with how puffed, red and purple he was. But the tattoos along his body and neck were a giveaway to who he is.
Minami was older now. Still beating the man's face in, he cried. And even though he cried, he spoke. As calm as someone seemingly enraged could be.
His voice sounded like he wanted to hold back on his words, but they just kept spilling out.
As you listened, you learned that the man's name was Dino. And he had done something terrible to Minami's mother.
You heard as Minami continued, that he thought of the man as his own father. But not anymore.
BANG.
You turn at the gunshot. You were back in the Minami's home. In the hallways.
"MOTHER!!!"
You watched as a bunch of grown men stomped around. Entering the room. You follow them inside.
South was holding onto his mom, who was paler than ever. With multiple gunshot wounds in her chest.
He was foaming out of the mouth. More enraged than you've seen him before. His eyes hatefully stared back at the thugs who had entered the room.
He quickly gets up and fights the men. You instinctively shield yourself from everything going on.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
You look back and the men were gone. It was just South and his mother in the room.
Your chest moved up and down and you could hear your breathing. You feel your eyelids trembling. Looking around the room.
The wooden floor was covered with blood. Everyone's. His mother's body was lifelessly hanging over the hard bed, the pattern on the bed sheet wasn't visible anymore from staining.
South sat next to the bed. The wall behind him left smeared marks of his blood. He had three bullet wounds. Still oozing out with blood.
You hurled, vomiting at the sight. You couldn't control it nor did you expect it.
You've foreseen visions like this before. You've seen kidnappings, torture, death in visions. But this... This was different.
It felt like you were there. It felt like you were in front of two dead bodies.
You could see them so clearly. You could hear the trees rustle from outside of the window. You could feel the cold night air dry your eyes. As you continued to stare. This felt real.
You slowly walk up to the boy. The boy who once played the poorly tuned piano that sat in the same room. You look down at him. Watching his chest move up and down. Still breathing.
His face lifts and his eyes shoot open. Terrifying you to the point of screaming as you stared directly at each other.
You felt your feet lower, hearing a shattering noise. Like the sound of glass. You looked down and the floor was cracking and crumbling.
"What the-"
The ground shatters. The bottom was dark and empty. You feel your body fall into it. Staring at nothing but darkness.
You blink.
You see nothing but red. Feeling your eyes ooze and tear up. Your breath was rapid. Like your lungs were going to pop out of your chest. Your breathing was so inconsistent, you sounded like you were hiccuping. Choking.
Your ears began to ring loudly. Surrounding sounds were muffled. But you heard a frantic voice talk. Even feeling a cold hand wiping your face.
After knowing someone was with you, you felt a sort of comfort. Your body slowly calms down.
"You're okay..." You hear them repeat a handful of times. Trying to comfort you.
As you gain more consciousness, you feel your head resting on their lap. They were rubbing your shoulder. "You're okay... He's... He's gone now," they said, "I..."
The ringing in your ears stopped. "I'm so sorry...!" She apologized. "If it... If it weren't for me... You wouldn't have-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence, loudly crying. "Takemichi wouldn't-"
You turn your head to cough. It was painful. Like glass shards were scratching and coming out of your throat. The girl stops talking and lifts your body up from your back. Letting you cough more.
Your eyesight started to clear up. You check your surroundings as Senju rubs your back. Not too far from you was Kakucho's body. His Rokuhara uniform was dirtied and his face was bruised. You saw Takeomi as well, lying.
Brahman, Rokuhara and Kanto. All three gangs were down. Men wearing those uniforms scattered all across the wet, muddy ground of the parking lot. In the distance, you could sort of hear someone arguing.
You realized you were back in reality.
"Senju..." You speak hoarsely. You clear your voice, "What's happening...?" You asked, almost whispering.
The girl sniffles and wipes her face with her sleeve. "Mikey... Mikey just... Suddenly appeared!" Senju says, seemingly still in shock.
"Takemichi and I were yelling... Because South was... Saying something about taking your eyes?" She tries to explain. "And Mikey... Tackled him and..."
"Killed him...!" You had already foreseen that. You couldn't feel shocked. You couldn't feel anything. Like your mind had gone completely blank.
"And I can't do anything...!" Senju continued to talk, "I twisted my ankle fighting South... I can barely go to Takemichi!" She tearfully said, "I'm scared that..."
"He's next!"
The rain made the environment hazy. But you could see their bodies move in the distance. Takemichi's voice wasn't there anymore.
Other than the ambience of the rain, the sound of flesh repeatedly being beaten was heard.
You knew it wasn't Takemichi causing those sounds.
"Mikey, that's enough!" Kokonoi yells, even walking closer. There was hesitance in his feet as he approached. "We won! We're retreating now!"
Mikey continues to silently beat Takemichi. They weren't aimless punches. There was clear intent in them. An intent you wanted to doubt. But you weren't an idiot.
"He's- He's gonna kill him!" Senju says your thoughts out loud. Mikey throws each punch, not holding back any of his strength.
As they watched, you could tell Koko and Senju were trying to muster some sort of courage or way to stop him. But they knew their place. And they knew what would happen if they tried.
You knew as well. You watched, horrified. As one of your first-ever friends gets mercilessly beaten in front of your eyes.
Everyone from each gang slowly gets up. Leaving the scene. Not an ounce of worry. Or sympathy. Choosing to ignore the only two people standing.
You thought back about earlier today. Brahman's B1. The idea of two men fighting as a crowd watched. And years ago, when Kiyomasa held a fight club in middle school.
Paying to be a bystander to violence. You were angered that you were being one for free as you continued to sit there.
Your head began to throb, not from pain, but anger. Watching Mikey's knuckles get a fresh coat of blood each punch. Your rage grows with each hit as your breath also starts to quicken and your face strains.
Am I really going to sit here and do nothing?
You raise your arm up ever so slowly. The soreness is still a bother to you. But you proceed anyway, giving yourself a harsh punch in your cheek. As a wake-up call.
"What the-" Senju instantly turns to you. "[Y/N]! What are you...!"
Ignoring the stinging pain from your previous fight. You let your legs wobble, slowly easing them to walk. Each step hurt but you could care less about that.
Your legs started to run again. Giving you more discomfort. But you continue to try to ignore it.
Rushing past Kokonoi, you see Takemichi and him much clearer. As you ran, you extended your arm out. You watch Manjiro turn his head at the sound of your shoes stomping closer. His eyes widened as you made eye contact.
The inner part of your elbow meets with his Adam's apple. With your arm curved around his neck, you force him forward.
Shoving him to the ground.
Chapter eighty-four, end.