Welcome to Tokyo Bay, the vibrant heart of Yokohama's port.
This spot isn't just any docking place; it's the beating pulse of Yokohama's harbor. Nestled within its embrace is a staggering 30-meter depth, ensuring that ships can glide into place with the ease of a gentle sigh. Yet, we're not here to share the ordinary perspective.
An abyssal expanse right next to the bustling metropolis. It's a perfect abyss for the underworld to quietly dispose of its unwanted baggage.
"Listen up, you insolent swine! You're in Shuei territory now. If you don't want your family jewels to become a Yakuza souvenir, I suggest you skedaddle."
Ryuu, an imposing figure with a dragon etched onto his brawny shoulder, issues his less-than-friendly welcome to a gang of foreign upstarts eyeing a slice of Shuei-clan's Yakuza pie. Ryuu's brown hair, mustache, and left-eye scar, a memento from the Yakuza Great War, paint a picture of a life lived on the edge.
The "Yakuza Great War" is an event that takes on an almost mythical, resembling tales found within their literature.
During that period, multiple Yakuza families recognized the imperative for resolution, leading them to summon an individual to bring an end to the conflict. This individual, known as "The Ghost," operated alone, dismantling their adversaries and then disappearing, shrouded in mystery.
"The Ghost" has since become symbolic of fear in the hearts of them, spoken of in hushed tones within Yakuza circles, akin to a legend.
This is the story Ryuu cherishes above all, a yarn he spins to his young master Ichigo Raku. He holds onto the hope that Ichigo will grow into a man who'll propel the Shuei-clan toward prosperity.
"Is this the reception we get?" Claude mutters his tone a mix of frustration and mockery.
Before Ryuu stands a group of dapper gentlemen, the spitting image of classic foreign mafia attire. Leading the charge is Claude, a tall figure with white hair and sharp glasses, his grey suit exuding a sense of suave danger.
"No need to put on airs, punk. We're the Bee Hive Gang, here to ensure our young lady gets to high school in one piece. Cross us, and things'll get ugly."
Claude's smirk doesn't waver; his loyalty to Kirisaki Chitoge, the Bee Hive Gang's heart and soul, is unyielding.
Tokyo has become Claude's realm as he watches over Chitoge, protecting her from the swarming masses of hormone-driven adolescents.
His guard is up, the result of a haunting past—a botched kidnapping that nearly cost her life, it was a low point for Claude.
Then, like a shadowy savior, the legendary hitman "The Ghost" emerged. The enigmatic figure, a teenage hitman hidden behind a mask, shattered the rival gang and saved Chitoge.
Claude's eyes lock with Ryuu's, recalling that pivotal moment.
"I'll do whatever it takes to repay this debt. Volcano dive? Done. Amazon River plunge? Sign me up!" Claude's voice trembles as he recounts his desperate plea.
"No need," the masked man replies, his gaze cold and penetrating.
"Please! If not, I can't live with this weight."
"Then…" The masked man's gaze shifts, his crimson eye piercing through Claude's defenses.
"Keep that girl safe from the clutches of the underworld," the masked man's words weren't a question, but a statement of his intentions. His desire not to touch innocent burned within him, driven by the need to prevent another from being tainted like he was.
Claude respects the man who left him in awe, a phantom lurking in the corners of the underworld's tales.
As their glares locked onto each other, they surged forward with the intent to kill.
"Then I'm accepting your challenge."
"Haha! Deal."
Ryuu swiftly unsheathed his katana, becoming the vanguard of their attack. His fellow gang members followed suit, lunging forward with various weapons, ranging from knives to daggers.
Claude, on the other hand, drew a sleek dagger from his suit, his henchmen backing him up with equal determination.
The two mafia gangs clashed, driven by their desire to assert their dominance and protect their reputations.
Amidst the chaos of the battle, however, none of them were aware of a certain delusional teenager who was tailing them.
"Uwah! This setting is perfect for my entrance as the Stylish Ruffian Slayer," the teenager mused from behind a shipping container.
He sported a running jacket and pants, with a mask reminiscent of a bank robber covering his face. With a confident smirk, he anticipated his grand entrance.
"First, I'll climb this container and stand there for ten minutes, basking in the moonlight. Then they'll pause their fight to stare at me, pointing and wondering, 'Who's that fucker?' Uwah~ and thus, my introduction shall commence: 'I'm just the Stylish Ruffian Slayer...'"
Kageno chuckled to himself, brimming with excitement, as he put on his mask and steadily climbed. He began to ascend the container with the help of his two crowbars.
"I'm tired of dealing with those motor gangs, but encountering these mafia guys amid their fight, what a coincidence." As he reached the top, he reveled in his victory over the container's height.
"Alright, time to shine. Well, well, now... let the moonlight shine upon me." He walked to the container's edge, waiting for the moonlight to cast its glow upon him.
Yet, despite his enthusiasm, he wasn't the focal point of this story.
"That sound..." Kageno's attention shifted to a car that had come to a halt not far from the ongoing mafia brawl.
The car's owner stepped out, and the music he played resonated through the air, intertwining with the atmosphere of the scene.
"Moonlight Sonata," Kageno whispered, recognizing his favorite piano composition.
However, what truly captivated him was the silver-haired man in a sharp suit, pacing deliberately as he dragged along a pitiful man in chains.
The man shackled in chains was none other than Hikaru, the twisted puppeteer behind turning Minoru's reunion with Ai and their children into a waking nightmare.
In a vengeance-fueled plan, Minoru meticulously crafted a scenario that promised Hikaru a taste of his own medicine. He bound Hikaru with chains, anchoring five massive 100 kg weights to ensure Hikaru's body was weighed down to the point of helplessness.
With an implacable poker face, Minoru strode through the gang members, leaving Ryuu, Claude, and others from their respective factions dumbfounded.
The atmosphere crackled with awkwardness as Minoru proceeded with unshaken determination as if dragging a filthy animal on a leash.
Meanwhile, Hikaru's desperate attempts to seek help from the gang were stifled by the tape tightly sealing his mouth shut.
"Eh? Who am I? What the fuck is going on?" Ryuu and Claude gaped, their expressions comically incredulous, as they watched the unfolding scene.
Minoru arrived at the edge of the port, his gaze sweeping over the expanse of Tokyo Bay.
"Let's put it to the test, shall we? How long can a person hold their breath underwater?" he mused aloud, fixing Hikaru with a red-eyed stare.
Hikaru struggled and mumbled through the tape over his mouth, his face paling in panic.
"Hmmph! Hmmph! Hmmph!" Hikaru spat out words through the tape.
"Huh? I can't understand what you're saying," Minoru feigned misunderstanding, squatting down and cupping a hand around his ear mockingly.
As Minoru's patience wore thinner than a strand of hair, and with a dismissive grunt that could've cracked concrete, he threw Hikaru into the frigid depths of Tokyo Bay. The impact created a resounding splash, a fitting sendoff for Hikaru as he descended into the dark abyss of the bay's depths.
"Now..." Minoru checked his watch, his focus intent on timing the ordeal.
"Shit, he's breaking the world record..." he muttered, a begrudging nod acknowledging Hikaru's impressive underwater stamina.
With an almost nonchalant demeanor, he turned and walked back to his car. The presence of the mafia gang members barely registered in his mind, his singular objective driving him forward. He disregarded their gazes as he strode past them, a man with focus.
"Wait... do you think you can dump your trash in someone else's territory!? We're conducting business here," Ryuu's hand on Minoru's shoulder halted him.
He didn't bother with a full turn of his head. Instead, he fixed his bloodshot gaze on Ryuu, his crimson eyes shifting sideways to lock onto his target with a chilling intensity, exuding an aura that prompted Ryuu to involuntarily release his grip and take a step back.
'What is this... bloodlust?' Ryuu wondered, his face turning pale and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
'But, this feeling... it's the same sensation I experienced when I first saw my idol. The overwhelming pressure that haunts my dreams, the same weight that humbles me into insignificance.'
Claude felt a similar sense of déjà vu, his pulse quickening as the familiar sensation washed over him.
The other gang members might not have recognized the handsome bastard in the fancy suit, but a twisted sense of unity sparked between those two rival crews. Their pride had been trampled on, and they sure as shit weren't about to let this dude swagger away like he owned the fucking place, completely disregarding their holy war.
No way in hell was they just gonna stand there, watching like dumbasses while Minoru strolled off, acting all cool and collected as if their existence meant jack shit to him. Nah, that was a slap to their damn pride, and they weren't about to take it lying down!
"Fucker! Let's fuck him down!" One voice rose above the others, and the gangs surged forward with aggression.
Minoru halted, his awareness honed as the fight encroached upon him. As a man who couldn't bow his head or retreat from a battlefield, he braced for the imminent clash.
'Well, it's alright to put them to sleep. Killing mafia members won't be the right move.' Minoru pondered, his head shifting to the left as a punch sailed past his right side.
He countered with a swift elbow strike that shattered the attacker's nose. The nose, sensitive and vulnerable, couldn't withstand the force of the blow.
"Argh!" The man howled in pain, his face contorted.
Capitalizing on the opening, Minoru aimed a swift kick to the man's knee before delivering a decisive chop to his neck.
Three more men lunged at him, their movements coordinated.
One of them launched a punch, which Minoru deflected before retaliating with a powerful blow to the man's abdomen.
"Uh! Ugh!" The man doubled over, and Minoru seized the opportunity to grasp his head, yanking it down to collide with his knee. The sickening crack of breaking bone followed, accompanied by a rush of blood.
A roundhouse kick arced toward Minoru's face, but he evaded it with a swift dodge. In one fluid motion, he ducked low and aimed a fast jab to his opponent's gut, followed by a spinning elbow strike that caught the guy off guard and knocked him out.
The fight unfolded at a breakneck pace, Minoru systematically incapacitating each attacker.
The ground was strewn with bodies, bleeding and unconscious. As the fight settled, the last individuals standing were Claude, Ryuu, and Kageno who had been observing from a distance.
Minoru's expression remained unchanged despite the battle's aftermath. His crisp white shirt was impeccably neat, seemingly untouched by the mayhem. Minoru straightened his shirt sleeve with a casual motion, his gaze shifting to the two remaining figures.
"Let's go, you two. I assume one of you is their leader," he stated matter-of-factly, approaching them, accidentally stepping on a face in the process.
'There's no mistake...' Ryuu and Claude thought, as they reached into their back pockets surreptitiously.
'Man, they've got guns...' Minoru's suspicions arose, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized them.
"Please give me your autograph!" Ryuu and Claude bowed, offering Minoru a notebook and pen.
'Where the hell did that come from? Autograph?'
Minoru wondered, his gaze momentarily flickering toward Kageno's location.
'He must have left by now, what a weirdo...' Despite this, Minoru remained ignorant of why they sought his signature, oblivious to his star-like reputation in the underworld.
"The fuck... I don't know what you're expecting, an autograph? Do I look like some boy band member to you? Just fuck off," Minoru retorted, his tone laced with exasperation as he turned his back and strode toward his car.
"Yes, thank you, sir! Have a good night!" Ryuu and Claude exclaimed in unison, their voices laden with respect.
They bent over in a deep bow like they couldn't give a shits anymore about the chaotic gang brawl as their whole focus had shifted thanks to their encounter with Minoru, and it was pretty damn obvious that they were big fans of his work.
---
(Yanagi Minoru pov)
Things spiraled faster than I expected.
In the end, I'm glad I didn't resort to killing any of them.
Keeping my poker face in check was vital, as I couldn't risk anyone connecting me to 001.
But what's bugging me is how the hell someone managed to sniff that out. Could they have crossed paths with me before? I'm well aware of them. It's the freakin' Shuei Clan and the Bee Hive Gang.
If my life was a Twitter feed, it'd seem like the men named Ryuu and Claude were tailing my every move in the underworld. Almost like they're my paparazzi. Well, what did you think of me? Even still I faked my identity and hid behind masks, people like them can sniff like dogs and recognize me instinctively.
Surviving down here demands careful steps.
With rumors blazing like a damn forest fire, my safety net happens to be the Ruska Bratva syndicate. They're a bit like a secret society of mercenaries. They handpick missions for me, helping me avoid the spotlight in the underworld.
But, damn, I wish I had one of those face masks from the movies.
---
After a while, I'm back at Ai's place.
Should I bunk at a hotel? It's a tough call. Ai's looking for me all the time, and it worries me she might still be hanging on. I glance up at her apartment building, lost in thought.
Shit, one seriously long day, all just for a meet with my kids. Is my luck always this crap, or is the universe playing games with me? Is it too much to ask for a tiny moment with my flesh and blood?
If I make it through this job, maybe I could figure out how to be around them, as a dad and husband. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; first things first, I need to figure out where Ai stands.
Now, I'm almost at the apartment door.
The blood on my hand is history now, but I can't shake off the worry for those three.
And then there's this unfamiliar rage bubbling inside me. I'm not used to this—normally, I bottle up emotions, or I drown them with alcohol or a one-night stand.
My life's a rhythm of missions, food, drinks, and quick flings. Rinse and repeat.
Yeah, I've done the whole university thing, but making friends? Nah, not my thing. I'm more of a 'class ends, head home' kinda guy. Or 'off to another mission, and make more money' if you wanna be precise. The home's a fuzzy concept for me anyway.
Let's clarify, though. I've got properties galore, but no one's waiting for me there.
Guess I owe Ai a bit of thanks.
But she's so damn similar to me. No parents in the picture, just living life on our self terms.
Anyway, I won't keep her up all night waiting for me. Then again, part of me wants her to do exactly that.
Just as I'm about to hit the doorbell, the door swings open. There's Ai, looking right at me.
"Minoru-kun... why so late?" she asks, her smile a tad forced but still perfect.
Why does she keep that smile on?
"Had a hospital thing. And you? You okay? Sorry if I stirred up the kids."
Her eyes drop to my bandaged hand. Her smile wavers, but she tries to keep it in place.
"I'm fine~ Aqua and Ruby are out cold, probably exhausted from all that crying... They must've been scared. Thanks for having my back, Minoru-kun. I'm sorry, seems like my fans become weird lately~"
She's doing a good job masking it, but I see the turmoil underneath.
When life's on the line, regrets come pouring out.
I can't figure out why she's still clinging to that smile. It bugs me. I want her to let it out, whatever she's holding in.
She's got regrets, but she's not showing them.
Fear's got her, but she's putting up a strong front.
Her facade? She makes everyone happy with that smile, even while she keeps her feelings hidden. She's fooling herself into thinking it's fine as long as everyone around her is happy.
I put my hand on her shoulder, silently telling her I'm not a fan of this act.
She needs to put herself first for once, instead of everyone else.
"Can you drop that smile?" I ask her.
Ai blinks and tilts her head, looking cute.
"Um~ you don't like it?"
I do.
"Your question is a bit off, Ai. How can I truly feel joy in your radiant smile when I know you're hurting inside? You don't have to pretend for anyone else and take a moment, just for yourself."
"..."
Her smile starts fading as I talk.
She tugs at her skirt, showing a hint of frustration as she tired.
I pull her into a hug and run my hands through her head, coaxing her to let go of the facade.
"..."
"It's alright, Ai. You're doing great. You're allowed to be selfish. If you're scared or sad, let those tears out and stop lying to yourself. I didn't show up here just for the kids. So, you can lean on me now."
"Is it... is it a-alright if I'm selfish?"
I can feel Ai trembling in my arms as her sobs muffled against my suit.
"Absolutely. I'm sorry, Ai. I should've gotten here sooner so you wouldn't have to carry that burden alone."
Damn it, I'm a bit out of character here, but how can I call myself a man if I just stand by and do nothing when she's like this?
---
Did I write correctly about Ai? Comments.