Cherry Blossom Colour Season

Story by: @nowayyyreally

Art by: @alisyons_
In a particularly tense meeting, Mine Yoshitaka is reminded of how alone
he is and that his only worth is in his ability to bring money. Time and
time again, the people surrounding him say the same message - except the
Tojo Clan Chairman.

This story contains the following content warnings: humiliation, violence,

(public) smoking.

5
To the untrained eye, Mine’s jabs and punches to the punching bag seemed precise,
almost as if he were a professional boxer. His eyes were focused on the bag in front of
him, brows furrowed in concentration with sweat dripping down his face.

But this was anything but a focused workout.

Mine was furious, upset, and felt utterly embarrassed. Each day he grew to regret
becoming a kyoudai with Kanda, resenting him even more with each passing meeting
with the Chairman. At first, Mine had the most basic respect for Kanda. He appreciated
the man’s loyalty to the yakuza and the concept of brotherhood. Hell, he even
appreciated the physical aggression Kanda doled out to annoyances that wouldn’t bend
to Mine’s will financially.

Today’s earlier meeting was one of many, where Kanda didn’t learn his place. Kanda
had the nerve to mock Mine.

Mine threw another hard punch to the bag as he recalled Kanda spitting as he talked.
He claimed it was his financial success leading the Tojo Clan, not Mine’s, not any other
patriarch, but the Nishkiyama Family carrying the Tojo Clan. And to add salt to the
wound, Kanda went as far as saying Mine’s financial contribution had no part in the
family’s success.

It reminded him of his days as a venture capitalist. How hollow those days felt, and how
people only saw him as anything but important. Those days reminded Mine of how
insignificant he was. Kanda, like his past colleagues, only saw him as a piggy bank –
they could constantly take and betray him, and they knew he wouldn’t fight back.

Without another thought, Mine’s fists tore through the punching bag. Streams of
shredded cloth pooled to the ground, as Mine watched, breathing heavily. His chest
heaved rapidly as he tried to steady himself. His rage seared through his body as he
threw his boxing gloves across the room. The sudden noise disrupting his once quiet
office. He became acutely aware of how heavy he was breathing - the bustling streets of
Roppongi Hills barely reached him.

As Mine grabbed the towel by the armrest, his phone rang. Another flash of anger
crossed Mine’s face until he saw the Caller ID.

The Chairman? Why is he calling me at this hour?

But without hesitation, Mine answered his phone.

6
“Mine-san, do you have time later tonight?” Daigo inquired. “There’s some matters I’d
like to discuss with you, if you have time.”

“Yes. I’m free after 7 pm, Chairman.” Mine heard Daigo let out a small chuckle, “ – I
mean Daigo-san.”

“Seven is fine. I’ll be at Nakameguro, by Yamate Dori Avenue.”

“Ok. I’ll be there,” Mine answered firmly, with his breath evening out. Shutting his flip
phone, he stared at the distorted reflection of himself on the window. The sunset was
peeking through the tall skyscrapers, letting Mine know he had a bit of time before he
would meet with Daigo. He was curious as to what Daigo wanted to discuss with him,
but with today’s incident, a seed of anxiety grew in his mind. Would Daigo tell him to
leave the Tojo Clan? Did he actually agree with Kanda?

It crushed Mine to think about that.

Mine knew from his quiet observation of Daigo, that he was a man who preferred to
meet and discuss important matters with someone in-person rather than over the
phone. Initially, Mine held a low opinion of Daigo – he came across as weak-minded,
introverted, and withdrawn. But then Mine witnessed Daigo’s subordinates die in front of
him.

It made him wonder who this man is – who would be willing to die for another person
like that without hesitation.

Which is what led him to Kanda and the Nishkiyama family. Some days – like today –
made him regret meeting with the blubbering buffoon. While Kanda had some days
where he would say Mine and him were kyoudai, more than often, Kanda treated him
with disdain. But Kanda served his purpose – and Mine was granted an introductory
meeting with Daigo.

And that meeting was ingrained into Mine’s mind for as long as he lived.

The Chairman of the largest yakuza group in the east, not only treated him to dinner,
but also treated him with respect. It clicked in his mind, why those men would die for
Daigo. He saw himself as equal to these men, he listened to them and never belittled
them. He gave words of encouragement when needed, but also confidently stood up for

7
himself when most disagreed with his actions. Like the time Daigo warned Mine that his
and Kanda’s financial work would get them killed.

Mine thought Daigo was naïve at that point, his and Kanda’s aggressive tactics would
work and once they had secured enough money, Daigo would relent and support them.
But that was far from the case. Daigo was right and they were ambushed – with Daigo
taking a bullet for Mine in exchange for Mine’s life.

It left Mine stunned. Someone would die for him. From that point on, Mine grew to learn
more about Daigo. Recognizing what the different looks in his eyes meant, to the way
he spoke to various patriarchs. The man impacted Mine in ways he didn’t quite
understand.

Taking another deep breath, Mine headed up the stairs to get ready for his meeting.

Mine had been caught up with Kanda’s antics as of late, that he didn’t realize it was
hanami season. As he walked down Yamate Dori Avenue, he took a glance at the
blossoming trees lining the Meguro River. The lanterns illuminated a soft yellow light,
reflecting the pink of the delicate blossoms onto the river. The light laughter from the
people walking up and down the street, with some stopping to take a picture of the trees
with their phones. Couples, children, families, friends – Mine felt like an outsider.

The people, through no fault of their own, made him feel alone. He felt like he was
watching them from the outside looking in. The whole area felt like an unusually surreal
dream to him.

8
It also reminded Mine of some of the happier memories from his childhood with his
foster father – but Mine didn’t have time to dwell on those memories anymore – he
continued his walk down the avenue. The mixture of nostalgia and loneliness combined
with the soft pink and yellow lights made Mine’s head spin.

Walking through the people crowding the sidewalk, Mine managed to find Daigo leaning
against the railing along the river. He wore a black brimmed hat, dark sunglasses, and a
face mask. It was a strange getup Mine thought, but he understood if Daigo wanted to
protect his identity tonight.

As he came closer to Daigo, he wasn’t sure how to approach him – did he address him
as “Chairman”? No – that would defeat the purpose of the disguise.

“Daigo-san?” Mine hesitated, his hand reaching out.

Daigo turned his head and Mine noticed the face mask lift up. Daigo took off his
sunglasses and put them in his coat pocket.

“Thanks for meeting with me, Mine,” Daigo said, walking towards him. He patted Mine
on the shoulder and Mine felt his face become warm.

Must be the lanterns, he thought to himself.

“Why don’t we watch the blossoms for a bit? I personally haven’t had time to watch
them this year,” Daigo explained, his hands gesturing to the river as he walked next to
Mine. Mine nodded in agreement, unsure of what to say.

Is he going to tell me to leave with people around us?!

The gnawing pit of anxiety started to grow in Mine. If Daigo wanted him to leave, surely
he would have chosen a quieter place. Unless, like Kanda, Daigo was a fan of
humiliating Mine in front of others.

Mine grimaced.

“What’s the matter?” Daigo asked, staring at him, “you’re making a face.”

“Oh it’s noth-“

9
10
“You can be honest with me, Mine. We can talk somewhere else if you’d like.” Daigo
stopped walking. They were under a particularly heavy blooming tree. Some petals
swirled in the light breeze surrounding them.

“No that’s not it – I’m just not sure why you wanted to meet with me,” Mine answered,
brushing some of the petals off his suit jacket.

“I wanted to talk about today’s meeting.”

Mine didn’t know if the pit of anxiety within him could grow even more, but unlike a few
minutes earlier, Mine controlled himself – he wouldn’t let his face show his feelings.

A small part of his mind told him that this was inevitable. If he didn’t belong to the
business world, amongst civilians, why did he think he belonged to the Tojo Clan?

Self-doubt washed over him. He wanted to clench his fists, but he stared directly at
Daigo’s face.

Daigo came closer to Mine and brushed some of the petals Mine missed.

“I want to apologize for Kanda’s behaviour today,” Daigo calmly explained.

Mine’s eyes widened. The Chairman was apologizing to him?

Daigo walked over and leaned his arms against the railing, staring into the river as he
took off his face mask. “Patriarch Kanda still has a lot of learning to do. He thinks the
Tojo Clan can rely on strength and sheer force of will alone.”

Mine propped himself next to Daigo and watched the petals flow down the river as
Daigo continued to talk.

“He doesn’t realize that the Tojo Clan needs solidarity. And you can’t form solidarity if
people can’t trust you. Or in his case, belittling your own brother.”

Mine was in disbelief.

“You’re a brilliant man, Mine. I may not agree with the tactics you used to acquire
capital, but you know what you’re doing.” Daigo smiled at him as he kept praising him,
“the Tojo Clan is grateful to have you.”

11
Mine couldn’t say anything to Daigo. He kept staring at the river as the petals danced on
the water.

“There’s also another reason why I wanted to meet with you today,” Daigo explained,
turning his head towards Mine’s profile. Mine felt frozen. He couldn’t trust himself to look
at the Chairman at the moment.

“You’ve proven yourself to be a vital person to the Tojo Clan, which is why I want you to
have your family.”

Mine whipped his head towards Daigo. He couldn’t believe any of this.

Was he dreaming? Was this some hellish nightmare? Was there a deity who wanted to
play tricks on him?

“I also want you to be my lieutenant advisor.”

Mine froze. This has to be a joke.

“Chairm- I mean Daigo-san, you’re joking right?”

Daigo stared intensely at him, frowning, “Why would I joke about that? I trust you with
my life Mine. You’re invaluable to me. While I don’t necessarily agree with all of your
methods, they’ve shown me how much you want to better and aid the Tojo Clan.”

Mine gripped the railings so tightly that he felt them bend a bit, his knuckles turning
white. The sounds of the people around them vanished. Mine could only hear his own
rapid heartbeat and Daigo’s voice.

He wasn’t sure if he should laugh or cry. Clearly Daigo was mistaken. He wasn’t
valuable, he was dead weight.

“I think I need some time to think about this, Daigo-san,” Mine whispered.

“Of course. I didn’t expect an answer right away.” Daigo reached into his coat pocket for
cigarettes, passing the pack to Mine. Mine took out his lighter and lit his, then shared
the flame to Daigo’s own cigarette.

12
The two stood there in silence, the burning ends of their cigarettes glowing a soft red to
match the blossoms surrounding them. No words were spoken, but the tension in the air
was fading.

Mine exhaled smoke and turned to Daigo. He took note of the dark circles under
Daigo’s eyes, the general weariness growing on his face.

No, Daigo-san wouldn’t joke about this. He committed his life to the Tojo Clan, to the
families of the Tojo Clan, and everyone in between. Including Mine.

“Thank you, Daigo-san. I appreciate your offer.”

Daigo nodded his head and exhaled his smoke, staring into the sky.

“Whatever decision you come to Mine, I’ll respect it. You’re an important person to me.”
Daigo finished his cigarette, stomping the butt into the ground.

Important person? To him?

Mine couldn’t stop himself from giving a small smile, “you’re an important person to me
as well, Daigo-san.” He stubbed out the remaining end of his cigarette against the
railing. “I want what’s best for you and the Tojo Clan.”

Daigo gave Mine a smile. “Thank you,” he whispered.

The two continued to stare at the river beneath them, enjoying the silence between
them.

As Mine watched blossoms and petals drop and sway in the wind, it was then that Mine
began to realize why he valued Daigo’s opinion so much. Why his anxiety was
overwhelming earlier.

Mine loved this man.

The Sakura blossoms, as short-lived as they are, provide a brief moment of awe and
happiness to those under them. Mine would do the same for Daigo if he had to.

He wanted Daigo to be happy.

If Daigo was willing to throw his life away for Mine, he would do the same.

13
 Imagine Me and You

Written By: Christine / Queenofpassion

@Kazumajiqueen
archiveofourown.org/users/queenofpassion
Main Artwork by: Brahk
@sotenborimanlet
archiveofourown.org/users/brahkest

ending Artwork by: JB

@JokeTheBloke
 Rating: PG

Summary: Kiryu and Haruka’s day at the

arcade turns interesting when Majima joins
up with them and their feelings are brought
to the surface.

Tags: Kiryu Kazuma/Majima Goro, Kiryu

Kazuma & Sawamura Haruka, Majima Goro &
Sawamura Haruka, Kiryu Kazuma, Majima
Goro, Sawamura Haruka, Fluff, Romance, Happy
Ending, Sappy & Sweet, Friends with Feelings

15
“Oooh Ojisan, do you think you could reach the pink bun-chan?” Haruka looked up at Kiryu
with hope shining brightly in her big brown eyes and he smiled when realizing she was looking
more and more like Yumi every day.

“Of course - you know, I was pretty good at these growing up, but you know who I learned
from?”

Haruka shook her head from side to side, slightly confused.

“Your mom taught our friend Nishiki and I. She really kicked our as- uh, I mean butts the first
time we ever tried. We wrongly assumed we would be better but she ended up with four
stuffed animals that night and we couldn’t even win one between the two of us.” Kiryu saw the
grin that lit up Haruka’s face any time Yumi was mentioned...and it killed him every single
time that she didn’t have her mom.

Kiryu had taken a day to spend with Haruka hanging out in the city and currently they were
trying to win a new set of bun-chans that had recently come out. As Kiryu happened to glance
over towards the entrance for a moment, he saw Majima walking by through the glass
windows. He gave a quick head nod when he saw the grin appearing on Majima’s face at the
sight of him and Haruka and watched as he flung the door open and strolled inside. A year and
a half ago seeing the ex-Yakuza patriarch would already have him annoyed and in a fighting
stance, feeling like he was intruding on his time with Haruka. Now however, Kiryu’s
aggravation had been replaced with affection and instead of his hands balling up into fists, his
palms would get sweaty. His attempts at trying to hide his feelings for his friend were not going
as smoothly as he would’ve liked and Kiryu knew he wasn’t going to be able to keep the
charade up for much longer before he inevitably slipped up.

16
“Uncle Majima!!!” As soon as Haruka saw the eyepatch out of the corner of her eye, she
squealed and abandoned both the UFO catcher and Kiryu, running over to jump up and hug
him. Kiryu genuinely was surprised hearing the warm chuckle - not unhinged shrieking, or shrill
cackling that was usually associated with him - come out of Majima so naturally as he caught
Haruka and spun her around in a circle. The gentle way in which he spoke to her didn’t go
unnoticed either. Kiryu couldn’t help but stare at them, his brain suddenly conjuring up
scenarios with the three of them together, happy and away from the city that had stolen so
much of their happiness. He knew he shouldn’t but that was the problem with brains - they
tended to have a mind of their own most of the time and Kiryu sometimes felt like he was just
along for the ride in the passenger seat with the seatbelts removed, hanging on for dear life.

“Haru-chan! How’s my favorite girl doing?” Majima caught Kiryu looking at them with a softer
gaze than he would’ve expected as they walked over. He had started noticing subtle changes in
Kiryu lately when they were around each other; he was more open and talkative and let more
of himself be seen, which Majima took as a sign that they had definitely become close. He
wasn’t sure if he was reading too much into it or not, but sometimes he would catch glimpses of
Kiryu studying him with such a sweet expression that it made his heart skip a beat. Sometimes,
literally.

“Ojisan is about to get the pink bun-chan!” Haruka beamed up at Kiryu who’s lip curled up
into a smile at her exuberance and confidence in him, sneaking a glance over at Majima and
catching his eye before going back to the controls. They watched as the claw descended and
grabbed the plushie, shakily gripping it. Haruka stood there nervously between the two men as
the arm slowly moved towards the chute and managed to drop it down into the prize
compartment.

“YES! Thank you Ojisan!” Haruka threw her arms around Kiryu before bending down to grab
the stuffed bird.

“Damn I was just about to try and show ya up Kiryu-chan, I should’ve known those big, strong
hands of yers had it under control.” Majima watched as a very light blush crept up Kiryu’s neck
as he looked down, shaking his head.

17
“Uncle Majima, come on! Ojisan has a coupon for the photo booth, you should come too so we
can all have our pictures taken together!” Just as he was starting to shake his head no, feeling
like he was suddenly disrupting their time together, he saw Kiryu smiling and agreeing with her.

“See! Come on!” She looked up at Majima impatiently before tugging on his snakeskin jacket to
follow her, feeling as if his heart was being tugged along as well.

He was still getting used to having a kid in his life, especially one who treated him with so much
love as if he really was part of her family. The first time she referred to him as an uncle it stirred
up his purposely long-buried desire to have kids when he was younger and before he took his
oath which his life turned to utter shit. Haruka warmed his heart up with the natural affection
she handed out to the people she loved; it consistently blew Majima’s mind that she wasn’t
actually Kiryu’s biological child. From their features to their mannerisms and certain aspects of
their personalities, there were so many similarities it astounded him. They both shared an
unmatchable kindness and empathy inside which showed in their soulful eyes despite going
through such traumatic events in their lives. Majima thought the way in which they interacted
with one another was incredibly adorable. Watching Kiryu’s doting face as his deep voice would
softly and patiently explain something to Haruka made Majima’s love for him grow even more
than he thought possible.

Majima waited as Kiryu pulled the curtain to the side and slid into the booth first, then
motioned for Haruka who grabbed his hand before climbing in. As Majima followed her, it
dawned on him just how physically close to Kiryu he was about to be. He lowered his head to
avoid clocking it as he swiveled himself into the cramped booth and right into Kiryu’s broad
frame. Majima immediately felt the warmth of their bodies pressed up against each other as
Haruka hopped up onto their laps and situated herself between the two ex-Yakuza clapping
excitedly, oblivious to their bodies tensing up for a few moments. Majima noticed Kiryu tapping
his right foot nervously as he drew the curtain closed. They watched Haruka scroll through the
different array of backgrounds and emojis before choosing an underwater one with fish
swimming for the first one, a beach with a sandcastle for the second, a space one with an
astronaut floating around for the third, and a pink background with a huge red heart and
little ones strung up around the frame with ribbon for the fourth and final one. Kiryu’s foot
tapping sped up for a few moments while looking at Haruka’s last choice before finally reining
it in and settling for gripping his right knee.

18
As they looked into the camera, both of them could sense the other’s growing anxiety; it felt like
they were about to start a fire where their bodies met and they knew it was probably more
than just body heat causing it.

“Let’s make fish faces for this one!” Haruka opened and closed her mouth to show them and
Majima couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ok kiddo, you got it.” As the first picture snapped, all three of them made funny faces, their
mouths mimicking Haruka’s example.

As the background for the second picture appeared on the screen with a countdown timer,
Haruka’s instructions were to act like they were swimming with scared faces because of a shark
in the water near them. After the second picture had been taken and they moved on to
Haruka’s third choice, Majima could feel Kiryu pressing up against him more, a slightly nervous,
barely noticeable tremor running through him. Haruka remained clueless to the rising tension
that was threatening to burst out of the booth at any moment, both of them now barely
listening to her directions. After they had all pretended to be astronauts - with Majima
pretending to be dead because he lost his helmet and froze with a silly face - and had a
genuine laugh together, both of them temporarily forgetting their situation, the last
background popped up on the screen and the twenty-second countdown timer started.

Faster than either Kiryu or Majima thought she was capable of, Haruka whipped around with
a mischievous grin plastered on her face that immediately told them that she had been
planning something the whole time. She leaned over, whispered something into Majima’s left
ear that Kiryu couldn’t hear and saw his eye widen and his jaw drop slightly. She giggled as she
jumped out of the booth and ducked underneath the curtain, casually letting them know that
she’d be over at the UFO catchers when they were done.

19
Fifteen seconds were left on the timer as Kiryu tried to act casual and smooth and not at all like
he was about to hyperventilate or flee the scene like a coward.

“So...this is weird huh...um, what did Haruka say to you?” He finally turned slightly and glanced
over at Majima who still wore an expression Kiryu could honestly say he had never seen before
on his face. A mixture of shock and something he couldn’t yet identify, but what surprised him
the most was seeing the flush of pink dusting Majima’s cheeks; the light from the camera was
accentuating his sharp features and Kiryu never thought he looked so handsome. He was
about to keep rambling out of nervousness when Majima turned to face him too, finally
looking at him, but in a way that made his heart pound wildly in his chest.

Ten seconds flashed on the screen as they sat there, their faces mere inches apart. As time was
ticking away, the few words Haruka whispered to Majima was causing his mind to bounce
around in so many different directions so quickly he felt nauseous. He opened his mouth to say
something and for probably the first time in his adult life, was rendered absolutely speechless.
Majima saw the countdown timer get to five and nearly two decades of images and memories
flooded over him and in those remaining seconds they helped him come to a decision.

Majima just hoped it was the right one.

Five
It dawned on Kiryu much later than it should have that perhaps he wasn’t as good as he
thought he was with disguising his feelings for Majima and Haruka picked up on it.

Four
“Majima, what did Haruka say?” Kiryu desperately searched his face for an answer, fear
causing his deep voice to pitch up slightly in tone.

Three
Majima saw the trepidation and confusion painted over Kiryu’s gorgeous face, his beautiful
brown eyes wide and darting back and forth like a deer in the highlights.

20
 Two

Kiryu watched as a rosy blush replaced the light pink on Majima’s cheeks; blushing was not
something he had ever seen before in all the years they had known each other. “Nii-san, w-
what is going on?” He winced at the sound of his own voice shaking and stuttering.

One
“Kiryu-chan…” Majima whispered his name with a slight tremble to his voice before leaning
forward to gently cup the side of Kiryu’s face. His lips captured Kiryu’s at the same time the
camera was capturing the memory forever as the flash went off, the temporary brightness
adding to the significance and intensity of the moment. Kiryu was frozen in shock for a
moment feeling them kiss for the first time, but just as Majima began to pull away thinking he
made a gigantic mistake, Kiryu snapped out of it and surged forward, pressing their lips back
together in what he hoped would help convey to Majima how he felt. His arms wrapped
around Majima’s snakeskin jacket and pulled him closer, not yet breaking their kiss. The
muffled sound of surprise made Kiryu’s lips twitch upwards in a smile as he slowly pulled away
to look at Majima, and was completely taken aback when he saw no traces whatsoever of the
Mad Dog facade he had used to protect himself for the last twenty years. Kiryu was seeing the
man he fell in love with - but for the first time without fear or hesitation. Kiryu came to
eventually realize that not only was he the one person Majima let the mask slip around, but he
also noticed Majima dropped it more often as time passed - especially recently - but still never
long enough for him to catch more than a few glimpses here and there before he would realize
he had let his guard down, and the walls would instantly rise back up.

Majima’s heart was pounding so hard in his chest he thought he might just keel over and have
a heart attack on the floor of the cramped photobooth. He saw Kiryu studying him for a
moment before witnessing the greatest smile he had ever seen break out across his face. In all
the years Majima had known him, Kiryu primarily had two different ones; they were either a
half shy smile or a half-smirk depending on the situation but never really anything beyond
that. Majima was completely spellbound seeing Kiryu grinning from ear to ear, his perfect teeth
sparkling brilliantly against the neon glow of the lights. It made the corners of his eyes crinkle
up making him look even more devastatingly handsome to Majima and he wasn’t sure how
anyone could truly comprehend his beauty.

21
22
He tore his leather gloves off, flinging them off to the side, and reached down to take Kiryu’s
hands, feeling his warm fingers thread through his own, only hearing the sounds of their
breathing and tuning out the blaring, cacophonous mixture of video game sound effects, UFO
catcher music and children screaming outside of their temporary haven.

Right as Kiryu opened his mouth to say something, they heard the inaudible sounds of people
approaching the other side of the curtain, waiting to use the photo booth. They both looked at
each other disappointed at the interruption before Kiryu leaned in and whispered, “come to
my apartment tonight around eight o’clock, Haruka will be at a friend’s sleepover party”
before sneaking in a quick peck on the cheek as Majima just nodded, smiling but still wearing a
look of utter bewilderment from what just happened between them. He grabbed his hastily
thrown gloves off the floor and winked - or his modified version of it anyway - at Kiryu before
throwing the curtain back and ducking under the top of the booth. As Kiryu followed, he
noticed the odd looks a few of the people were giving them. Seeing two big intimidating men
whose looks screamed Yakuza exiting a small photo booth all red faced with barely contained
goofy grins wasn’t something most people usually saw in their day-to-day lives. Kiryu’s mind
was so preoccupied thinking about their kiss that he almost forgot the pictures the booth
printed out. He turned around and bent down, hastily grabbing the two copies of the pictures
and slipping them into his pocket without making eye contact with anyone else.

They walked through the arcade together, both still awkward but feeling the happiest they’ve
ever been in their lives. Majima spotted Haruka at a different UFO catcher jumping up and
down, pumping her fists in the air enthusiastically as they watched the arm of the crane move
over to the hole and deposit a red koro nyan down the chute. She bent down and opened the
little prize window, grabbing her new plushie out before turning around and seeing them. They
watched a knowing smile that Kiryu immediately thought Haruka was too young to have
mastered so well spread across her face, one eyebrow cocked upwards as if saying, ‘so…tell me!’.
Kiryu definitely had underestimated her ability to observe and pick up on things that he
thought she was completely oblivious to.

“So Haru-chan, how long have ya been planning this one, eh?” Majima wanted to pretend to
be mad but he was so overjoyed he knew he wouldn’t be able to pull it off convincingly.

23
Her roguish grin returned as she shrugged. “Not long, but I knew you and Ojisan liked each
other for a while...I guess I got tired of waiting for you both to admit it because you’re both
stubborn and bad at dealing with feelings.” Haruka looked away suddenly, staring at the
ground and frowning. “I...I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have done that to you and Uncle
Majima.”

Kiryu bent down to her level, taking the plushies out of her hands and putting them down on
the ground for a moment before holding her small hands in his.

“Haruka, normally I would agree with you and tell you that meddling in other people’s
businesses usually never leads to anything good.” Kiryu smoothed her hair and looked into her
hopeful eyes. “However, I think this time we can make an exception.”

Haruka’s eyes widened as she looked from Kiryu back up to Majima. “Wait...does that
mean...it worked?”

The laugh that came out of Majima was so lighthearted and joyful that Kiryu immediately
knew he would never get tired of hearing it. He turned his body slightly to look back up at
Majima and they both had the same lopsided smile painted across their faces when they made
eye contact. “Yeah kiddo...I’d say it worked.”

The exuberant scream that erupted out of Haruka scared half the people in the arcade but
she was so ecstatic she didn’t even notice. “YES! FINALLY!”

******

As Kiryu paced back and forth in his apartment waiting for Majima to arrive, he had become
such a nervous wreck that he showered twice and changed his shirt three times, finally deciding
on a new royal blue linen dress shirt that he bought after Haruka told him he needed to
expand his color choices beyond just maroon and gray...which after over twenty years of
wearing the same outfit, Kiryu really couldn’t argue with her. Any minute now there would be
a knock on the door and Majima would be standing there...and beyond that he had no idea
what to expect. He glanced at the two glasses and bottle of Bowmore whiskey he placed on
their small kitchen table for about the fourth time as if it was just going to disappear.

24
After dropping Haruka off at her friend's house for the night, he had stopped at Don Quixote
and picked up some cheap pillar candles which he had placed randomly around the living
room and one in his bedroom. He wasn’t sure what music to put on so he picked up a Hits of
the 80’s cd and had it softly playing in the background.

Right as Kiryu was about to look down at his watch, there were five short knocks at the door
and his heart felt like it stopped and restarted just as many times. The angry pep talk of get
your shit together Kazuma didn’t really work out so well as he walked over and took a deep
breath in and out before answering the door. As he turned the knob, butterflies instantly
began fluttering inside at the sight of Majima standing there. His usual outfit was gone and
had been replaced with a hunter-green silk shirt that was partially unbuttoned and black
jeans. They both just stared at each other for a moment, uncharacteristic shyness showing in
their faces. Kiryu rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he opened the door wider and
stepped aside to let Majima in.

“Hey, uh come on in.” Kiryu pushed it closed behind him and had Majima follow him into the
living room. “Can I get you anything to dri-”

Majima kept walking until he got to the doorway of his bedroom before whirling around to
look at him. “Is Haruka over at her friend’s now?”

Kiryu wasn’t done nodding his head yes before Majima was kissing him for the second time
that day, except this time they were alone and had all the time in the world to learn new
things about each other. As they stumbled into Kiryu’s bedroom, their foreheads rested against
one another’s for a few moments, breathless but feeling more alive than either of them had
for most of their lives, Majima whispered against Kiryu’s lips.

25
“Kiryu-chan…

“Y-you can call me by my given name...I mean, only if you want to.” Kiryu’s words warmed
Majima’s heart with the affection he heard contained within them.

“Kazuma...my Kazuma.” Majima already loved saying it.

Kiryu’s eyes were shiny with hope and love. “...and you’re my Goro.”

Majima blew out the candle in Kiryu’s room as they grinned, fools in love.

26
Summary:
Higashi is pulled into one of Yagami’s investigations, and ends
up spending a lot more time with the guy than he’d been
expecting.
Also a lot more cats.

Tags:
General Audiences, Swearing, Fluff
A Not So Total Catastrophe

Higashi was suffering.

He'd gone into work that morning without a single thought towards Kaito
and the rag tag of idiots he spent his days with. Him and his friends were
all adults that could deal with their own shit without him, and Higashi was
basking in the freedom he’d been given. That was his first mistake,
thinking he could finish off the week without seeing any of those weirdos.
Even his desk calendar at Charles knew. It had been six days since
someone from that group had entered his arcade needing help with
some kind of ‘investigation’.

His second mistake was listening to the two who'd walked in shortly after
he'd opened.

'It's just a regular location check,' Suigiura had told him.

'I keep getting hives from something they're cleaning the building with,'
Kaito had continued sheepishly.

'We only need you as a lookout for the hallway.'

How hard could that be? Higashi had agreed with an annoyed huff and a
shake of his head, not even thinking to ask where Yagami was going to
be. Third mistake.

"This is so stupid," Higashi hissed under his breath. The cream colored
cat that was laid out beside him on the couch let out a soft trumpet of a
meow before snuggling closer to his hip. He absentmindedly ran a hand
down its soft back while rubbing the other against his own temple.

“Eh? You say something, Higashi-san?” Yagami’s lap had been taken
over by a large fluff of a cat the moment they’d thrown themselves down
onto the couch, keeping him trapped in his seat. It matched well with the
mop Yagami called hair.

28
Nyan Nyan Cafe was bigger than Higashi had expected, but most of that
space was still taken up by the large number of cats that occupied the
place. The young woman minding the front register was flipping through
a magazine and yawning, a calico settled down next to her that was
trying their best to bat at the turning pages. Multiple toys and cat towers
filled any spot that wasn’t occupied by seating, a safety violation waiting
to happen, he thought with a sniff. Oh well, that wasn’t any of his
business.

Higashi grimaced as another cat smacked a paw at his shoelaces. He

didn’t mind cats, honestly. Choosing to be in an enclosed room with
multiple just hadn’t been on his schedule that day. Being stuck in said
room with Yagami was a banned idea entirely.

“I said this is stupid,” he repeated. “None of you mentioned it was going

to be multiple guys - with guns by the way - and that they were already
onto you stalking around.”

“Huh,” Yagami replied. Higashi watched him attempt to carefully push the
cat off of himself, an embarrassed grunt leaving him as they refused to
budge. His finger tugged lightly at the collar around its neck, flashing the
tag towards Higashi so that he could see the name. Toki. “Is this the
whiskey, you think?”

“Why the hell would I know?” Higashi sniffed. He instantly regretted

doing this as a tuft of cat fur fluttered against his nose, making him cough
at the sensation.

“We’re probably fine here,” Yagami added while Higashi rubbed a hand
over his mouth. “What kind of guy storms into a cat cafe with guns
blazing?”

“Guys with guns don’t really have regulations over where they take them,
Yagami,” he pointed out. “Especially when you’ve pissed them off
already.”

“Hey, I didn’t piss them off.” Toki gave a chirp of a meow before
stretching out across Yagami’s lap, slowly moving its extended paws into
Higashi’s limited space. They’d been quick to throw themselves into the
cafe, grabbing the first open spot they could see and plopping
themselves down. That meant they were almost on top of each other, on
a cat hair zested loveseat facing a window looking out over the city. A

29
shelf near Higashi’s head held two more cats that were content to
snooze, but who knew how long it would be before they noticed there
were people sitting below them.

Toki's sharp claws nicked at the edge of Higashi’s knee that was
dangerously close to Yagami’s own, and he leveled his gaze down at
them. This was going on his dry cleaning bill.

“I think the idea of us pissed them off,” Yagami continued. “I got a tip that
the guy I was tailing was hanging out in one of the other places here -”
he ducked his head closer to Higashi, as though he should be worried
that a group of teen girls or an old grandma were going to steal these
secrets. “I’m thinking it might be a new gambling spot. The guys coming
out with guns solidifies it, to be honest.”

Higashi blinked a few times. Really? “Is it the same one that your weird
cop friend was running?”

“He’s not my friend,” Yagami protested. He continued with a huff of

breath at Higashi’s raised brow, “I think he’s been keeping himself busy
with other things. If he was running a new casino he would have told me
by now.”

Toki finished their slow moving crawl into Higashi’s lap, purring contently
and almost smug as he absentmindedly scratched them under the chin.
The flat face was a lot to take in, but somehow it looped back to being
cute. Maybe that’s why people were so pulled in by Yagami. Annoying as
hell, but still captivating because you were astounded by it. It could also
describe a car accident. “And there’s no way for you to just waltz in and
say you’re looking for a guy.”

“Exactly!” Yagami’s shout pulled the eyes of the teens, but their attention
quickly returned to the cats they were offering treats. “They’ll just tell me
to fuck off. I don’t know what the code is to get in, either. No way in
without instantly being the center of attention. Also, the windows are
blocked off.”

That last sentence answered his next question about why he couldn't just
use one of his dumb drones. Higashi let out a frustrated sigh and
slumped back against the couch, Toki curling up more into his lap as he
moved. “So, what? We stay here all afternoon?” Yagami made a
thoughtful noise. “I was joking. Maybe they’re gone already and we can
get the fuck out.”

30
“It’s not that bad here,” Yagami said. A white cat on the other side of him
yawned, stretching out its paws into Yagami’s space. He reached out
and tugged on one of them, earning a confused mewl from the fluff.
“Ahh, cute.”

Something in Higashi’s chest seemed to flutter. Weird, maybe he needed

to visit a clinic.

“I’m going to end up missing my show,” Higashi grumbled. He glanced at

the time on his phone, careful not to smack Toki in the face as he moved
his arm. “It starts in barely half an hour.”

“Eh?” Yagami looked back over at him, a curious look in his eyes. “What
are you planning to watch?”

“Why do you care?” He tucked his phone back into his pocket and looked
back over to Yagami with a frown.

“Maybe I wanna see it too, ya know,” Yagami told him. He leaned in even
closer to Higashi on the couch, not seeming to notice Higashi tensing at
the proximity. “I don’t have a T.V, Higashi-san. I live vicariously through
others in that regard.”

Right, he was a broke bastard as well. “It’s called Sector Nine.”

“That’s a show about space travel and fighting robots, right?” As Higashi
opened his mouth to speak, the white cat Yagami had been harassing
suddenly stood from its perch and stretched, mouth opening wide as it
yawned. It hopped down and landed next to Yagami’s leg, startling the
man. “Damn, I’m not used to every cat I meet being so friendly.”

'They don’t see your filthy office,' Higashi thought but didn’t say. His
attention was grabbed by a tabby trying to crawl up the couch. “Oi, no,
there’s enough cats in my lap.” The cat flicked an ear as it looked up at
him with wide eyes. “Ugh. Whatever.” The tabby joined the pile slowly
growing on the couch.

Yagami was giving him a smile that felt almost fond, if it had been from
anyone else that is. “You’re like a natural, Higashi-san.”

Absolutely suffering.

31
"I don't see why I'm the one playing babysitter," Higashi said in a tone
that definitely wasn't a whine. Kaito had stopped by Charles moments
after Higashi had gotten back from the cafe, a suspicious move that
normally would have had him questioning the coincidence.

If he wasn't so focused on lint rolling his entire body to remove cat fur,
anyway.

"Huh?" Kaito replied absentmindedly. He'd taken over one of the newer
cabinets Higashi had just recently put in, some side scroller based on a
show he didn't recognize, but the kids seemed to love it. And so did
Kaito, who had gone into the game with intense focus. What Higashi had
said seemed to have finally entered his brain, as he continued on, "I can't
go in the building, man. My entire face starts burning from the smell."

Higashi sniffed, "You're not the only person available, Aniki. What about
Sugiura-san?"

"I thought you liked cats?"

"And you know who I don't like, stop fucking around."

Kaito pulled his gaze away from the cabinet, the high score screen
glowing behind him as he gave it a final sneer. "Why is Captain Cop so
difficult?"

"Why are you avoiding my question?"

"I'm not avoiding-" Kaito cut himself off, his brows furrowing almost in
pain. If this had been just months ago, Higashi would have felt bad for
annoying him like this. Looking back on himself and his actions towards
Kaito, he probably would have taken it with no questions asked. He'd
have complained on the inside and spit venom every moment of it, but
he'd have accepted it.

Things were different now, for Higashi at least. Feelings had faded and
shaped themselves into something different.

Friendly annoyance.

33
"If Sugiura-san is bribing you, I'll double it." That was a bluff, running
Charles was barely enough to cover his expenses. Bribes weren't in his
budget, unfortunately.

"Look. I'll tell you the truth." Kaito’s expression hardened for a moment,
in a way Higashi hadn't seen in a long time. It put him on edge, and he
set down his roller brush to give the man his full attention. He didn't know
Sugiura well beyond what had gone down at the hospital, but he could
still worry about the guy.

"I'm worried if both Tak and Sugi are left alone in a damn cat cafe, they'll
end up adopting more of the damn things and putting them in the office.
Or my house!"

Higashi was going to punch him.

“Aniki -” Kaito suddenly dropped a hand onto his shoulder, making him
wince. The man's bottom lip wobbled, his eyes starting to take on a
shine. Was he...about to cry?

“Please, Higashi,” he pleaded. “Do this and I won’t bother you for a
month! Promise.”

Higashi could feel his resolve losing this battle, and he huffed out a sigh.
“If you tape a show for me, it’s a deal.” Kaito smacked a hand down onto
his shoulder again, but he’d prepared himself this time for the assault.

“You’re the best, Higashi!” Kaito gave him a thumbs up and an

obnoxious grin. It made him smile, despite his annoyance.

“Yeah, whatever.”

...Which led him to the now, stuck once again in the cafe. He watched
Yagami pick at a slice of cake with his fork, seeming to try and dissect it
into layers. Weirdo.

“I still don’t understand how this plan is meant to work,” he complained.

Yagami gave him a shrug, his mouth twitching into a smile as he stabbed
his fork into a strawberry on his plate. “How are you supposed to catch
this guy in the act if you still can’t even get into the place?”

34
“Honestly? I’m still trying to figure it out myself.” He popped the
strawberry into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

Kaito was going to owe Higashi money. That was definitely being added
to his demands.

“You’re infuriating, you know that right?” Higashi rubbed his temple.

“I get that a lot.”

Higashi sucked on his teeth harshly instead of speaking, the rage under
his skin flaring up, before settling down again into something like
acceptance. He’s not sure why he was expecting a different reaction
from the other man.

Yagami frowned, setting his fork down. “Is there a specific thing I do that
pisses you off?”

“Do you actually want to know?”

“Honestly? Yeah. Maybe if I can figure that out, we can actually talk
without you getting pissed.”

Higashi dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. “You just...take shit
for granted.” Yagami stayed silent, his chin resting on his other hand.
Listening. “You - you weren’t even part of the Family, you never took an
oath, but you got treated better than most of us grunts.”

He clenched his teeth as he remembered the things that happened after

Kaito left them, when he thought he could bring him back and things
would be back to how they were. Then seeing how Kaito was fine without
them, and spending all his time with Yagami, left a sour feeling in his
chest for months. “And what do you do? You fucking threw it all away,
and everyone’s just...fine with it. It's like why even bother doing
something when you're just going to stumble into shit and make anything
I do seem pointless in comparison.” Higashi’s heart beat rapidly in his
chest, his hands trembling as he finally caught up to everything he'd just
spilled out to the other man. Fuck, this was embarrassing.

Yagami was quiet, the soft purring of the cat between them sounding
almost too loud after Higashi’s vent. He looked down, tapping his fingers
on the table for a moment before he spoke.

35
"I don't really know how to make what I say and do not feel like I'm trying
to one-up you," Yagami said softly. His hand rested on the table close to
Higashi’s clenched fist. "I really mean that." A huff of a laugh left his
mouth, a sound that startled one of the nearby cats. "Can't really prove
that either beyond saying it. I can only honestly tell you that I don't see
myself as someone who's better than you, Higashi-san."

Neither of them spoke after that, the only sounds beyond the purring of
cats being the sound of forks clinking against plates. A cat splayed itself
between Higashi’s legs as his mind ran a marathon in his head.

Having Yagami accept his frustrations and not dismiss them was...weird.
He'd been expecting him to laugh it off, if he was honest with himself.
And his words were another thing. If Yagami had just outright denied
those things, yeah, Higashi would have gotten more frustrated. Him
knowing that Higashi wouldn't have accepted it was also aggravating.

He picked at the frosting of his own cake and chewed on the combination
of strawberry and the idea of Yagami, possibly, being an alright person.

They left a bit after that discussion, Yagami muttering to himself about
possible ways to find the guy without being seen, alternate routes, things
that Higashi could only hear if he leaned in close to the other man. Which
he didn't do. As he made his way into Charles to take over for the closing
shift, he made a note to himself to maybe not take every sentence
Yagami spoke as an attack.

Another day, another visit to the cafe.

After their second day, Yagami finally figured out a plan that involved
more than just hoping the guy would leave at the same time as them in
the afternoon. Every few hours, one of them would leave the cafe and do
a cursory walk around the hallways, in the hopes of catching someone
giving a passcode to the door, or possibly spotting the man himself.

36
They were on week two of this plan, and Higashi was starting to get sick
of the taste of strawberry cake and green tea.

Yagami, seeming to catch on that Higashi wasn't as frustrated by his

existence, had taken to asking him questions about himself. Interests,
things he did as hobbies, T.V. shows that he hated. He'd even listened
as Higashi had gone off on a rant about the new show that Kaito had
fortunately been keeping up on taping for him.

At first, he'd taken it as some kind of interrogation, but Yagami would

follow along and give his own opinions on the things he'd ask Higashi.
They apparently shared a love of bad horror movies, which surprised
him.

Higashi just assumed the man was bored out of his skull and didn't want
to start speaking to the people working there. Or the cats.

"You know, you kind of remind me of a cat, Higashi."

Higashi blinked, narrowing his eyes at Yagami across the table. The
other man was preoccupied with petting the belly of one of the cats that
had basically claimed them as her own once she realized they were
coming in every day. Toki, who Higashi had learned was a girl, was very
particular about who she'd spend time with. She’d been laid out in the
nearby window and had perked up once she noticed them, and was now
completely content with her pets. Her claws flashed in the light as she
kneaded at the air above her while Yagami continued to give her
attention.

Higashi had just finished explaining in depth the plot of a cheesy B-film
that he'd managed to catch that night, and he couldn't tell if the comment
was meant to be a compliment or an insult, and he wasn't going to pry
into it. He didn't care what Yagami thought of him. Really.

"Like, Kaito?” Yagami continued anyway. “He reminds me of a dog, you

know? He's excitable, he's loyal, he's simple. Dog."

"Don't call him stupid-" Higashi was already starting to bristle but pulled
himself back. He'd been working more on giving Yagami time to explain
himself before taking what he said as an insult, even though it was still
something he had to actively make himself do.

37
"I didn't call him stupid, I said he's simple. As in he's not complicated.”
Higashi didn’t see how that wasn’t rude, but Yagami seemed to catch on
that he wasn’t buying it. “What you see is what you get with him. He says
what he thinks. It's what I like about him, he sees things that I overlook
because I get so wrapped up in the tiny details, y'know?"

Higashi did know. It was one of the main things that had drawn his
attention the first time he’d met Kaito all those years ago, when he’d
joined the family. It was endearing. Hell, it was refreshing after the
convoluted mess that happened the previous year, with so many major
players speaking in riddles and puzzles and betrayals. Kaito was a
steady rock in an ocean storm. Higashi hummed instead of responding,
reaching out a hand to pet Toki's head. Her orange eyes seemed to
squint in delight. Or she was blinking. Her squished face was honestly
hard to comprehend.

"But you?"

Higashi glanced back up, caught suddenly in the other man’s gaze.
Yagami tilted his head and the corner of his mouth twitched up,
causing...something to stir in Higashi’s chest. Warmth? Fondness?

He didn't like the implications of either so he settled on ‘indigestion.’

“You act all tough and above it all but you're so much more complex...it's
like that with cats." Yagami slid his hands underneath Toki and grunted
as he lifted her up into his lap. Toki only chirped, entirely content with
being manhandled to Yagami’s chest even as he struggled to get a grasp
on her. “Toki here isn’t the best example, but you know how some cats
are out to scratch your ankles the first few times they’re getting to know
you?”

"Where are you going with this?"

"Cats lash out, and keep themselves at a distance until they know they
aren’t in danger." He ran a hand down Toki’s back, pulling a sleepy chirp
from her mouth. “You have to earn their trust and show them that they’re
safe.”

"So...what, you want me to fucking cuddle with you?"

"No I want -" Yagami cut himself off with a sigh, setting Toki down onto
the table. He looked down at his lap, seeming to think over his words

38
carefully. "You don't have to...be Higashi, the tough Yakuza guy all the
time."

Higashi huffed out a sigh. All that talk and this was the end result? “What
am I supposed to be then?”

“Just Higashi.”

Higashi looked at him blankly, his nose wrinkling. "That still doesn't make
any sense."

"It doesn't need to, I guess," Yagami said with an awkward laugh. "Don't
worry about it. Anyway, you said you were catching up on that alien
show, right?"

"I did," Higashi offered. He couldn't hold back a laugh at the long
suffering look Yagami gave him. "It ended up being a cliffhanger last
week, but the way they finished it -"

Higashi didn't put any thought into what Yagami had said until hours
later, back in his own apartment. He'd gotten into bed, and as he stared
up at the ceiling he couldn't see, he made a realization that made his
face burn.

Yagami had compared him to a cat.

Yagami loved cats.

Did that mean that Yagami -

Higashi shook his head in dismay, before shoving his face into his pillow.
He might have screamed, but he'd never admit that to anyone.

The suffering had returned and it was his own fault.

It had almost become routine at this point.

39
Toki was quick to find him as he walked into the cafe, spotting her new
favorite regular and hopping up onto his lap, purring loudly over his grunt
of pain as she dropped all of her weight onto him. Her eyes glanced
around the room, seeming to be searching for someone. A certain idiot
detective, maybe.

"He’s not here yet," Higashi chuckled. He scratched under the cat's chin
as he continued, "You're stuck with just me for a little bit. Don't know how
you're ever gonna survive."

The cat huffed and flopped even more across his lap, exposing her belly
to him without complaint. Higashi laughed again as he started petting her
stomach, smiling as her paws raised into the air to knead the
nothingness.

"I think I’m getting attached to you," Higashi admitted. The cat stretched
in response. "Him too, I guess." His mouth pressed into a frown after he
said it.

And wasn't that the rub? He had spent so many years building an image
of the other man in his mind, spent so long simmering in frustration and
antagonism that now that he spent more time with him (actual time, not
'solving serial murders' time) he was conflicted.

Yagami was...alright, he guessed. He could be kind, and he did what he

believed to be right with such conviction that it was hard not to be on his
side. He could understand why people wanted to be his friend, and
honestly? The fact that he was enjoying Yagami’s company was
annoying in a way he didn’t know how to deal with. It reminded him too
much of how he’d felt about Kaito, surprisingly. Just thinking of the dumb
smile Yagami had started throwing his way made his chest burn.

"Now don't go running off telling everyone I told you this," Higashi tapped
Toki’s nose, smiling at her indignant grunt. "But he's kind of cute."

"Who's kind of cute? Another cat?"

Higashi jumped at Yagami's voice. He stared at him wide-eyed as he

leaned down to pet Toki. It didn’t seem to bother him that he was
basically reaching into Higashi’s lap to do it. Fuck.

40
"How long were you standing there?"

Yagami shrugged. “Not long, honest.” Higashi let his shoulders slump
back, his body untensing. “Anyway, I’ve brought good news today.”

“Yeah? What kind?”

Yagami gave him a grin. “We don’t have to keep coming here.”

Higashi’s stomach dropped. “We...don’t.”

“Yeah, I didn’t get much of the details, but I guess everything worked out
for them so she’s not trying to find out what he’s up to.” Yagami said
more after that, but Higashi didn’t hear it.

Outside of this place, he didn't really have much of a reason to go to

Yagami. Kaito would swing by the arcade often, sure, but Yagami only
came by when he needed to speak to Higashi directly about whatever
help they needed. Even then, most things were passed to him by the
other two, and Yagami himself only showed up if they needed money. Or
somewhere to take a guy. Or -

"Higashi?" Higashi jumped, his eyes flicking back up to meet Yagami's

worried gaze. He must have missed something.

"Yeah, got it, don't need to run by here anymore." Higashi hoped that it
came out sounding normal. "I already ordered some tea so I'll just -" he
ran a hand awkwardly through his hair. "I'll hang out with Toki."

Yagami pulled the chair out on the other side of the table and plopped
down. "That's a good point. Can't let Toki go through the day without her
attention."

"Right. Yeah."

Higashi didn't know what to say to him.

He was right there, across from him just like always, and for once he had
no idea how to speak his mind. Confusing feelings and thoughts raced
through his mind, and he was too clumsy to catch onto any of them. Did
he want to be Yagami's friend? No, it felt like more than that somehow.
Maybe he was imagining that.

41
Toki peered up at him with her large, round orange eyes, like she was
trying to tell him something. What the fuck did she know? Or maybe she
was just hungry. There were too many maybe's happening here. Higashi
rubbed a hand to his temple and sighed.

"Hey, Higashi," Yagami said after a moment. As soon as Higashi looked

up again, Yagami was lifting his hands to Higashi’s face and tugging
away his sunglasses, startling him with the touch. His mouth tugged up
into a half-smile as Higashi squinted back at him, his heart pounding
from the sudden movement and almost intimate theft of his glasses. “You
don’t have to hide behind these, you know?”

The rapid beating of Higashi’s heart slowed. “W-What?”

“Every time I see you, you’re hiding behind these just as much as you
have with your words,” Yagami explained. “You don’t have to do that.”

Higashi blinked, completely befuddled. Did he think… “Yagami...they’re

prescription.”

“...Eh? You can do that?” Yagami made a curious noise as he looked

down at the glasses, studying them. “Huh.”

Higashi was about to kiss an entire fucking idiot.

“You know, I just assumed you had on contacts,” Yagami continued.

“That makes sense, right? Sunglasses over -”

Toki hopped out of Higashi’s lap with an upset grunt as he yanked

Yagami across the table, his fists clenched tight into the fabric of his
jacket. Their noses bumped uncomfortably together as their lips met, but
he didn’t care. His entire focus was zoned in on making Yagami shut up
for at least ten seconds. Yagami seemed to agree with the plan, judging
by the white-knuckled grip he gave to Higashi’s own shirt, pulling him
closer and not letting go as they kissed.

A throat clearing nearby startled them both, their eyes shooting over to
meet the tired gaze of the sole employee. "Hey, could you guys uh. Do
that somewhere else?" She shrugged awkwardly. "Kissing here is
whatever, but you guys look pretty passionate about it...and making out
is kind of gross."

42
Higashi and Yagami threw a glance at each other, their faces matching
in redness.

"Right."

"We're, uh -"

"We'll leave, sorry."

They ended up staying, Toki curled up once again in Higashi’s lap, the
two of them pressed close to each other on the couch as Higashi
awkwardly finished the tea he had ordered. Yagami would pet her almost
mindlessly, focusing more on making sure his knuckles rubbed against
Higashi’s free hand with each pass. Higashi was about to snap at him to
just hold his damn hand, when he spoke up.

"You know," Yagami said, thoughtfully slow. "Now that I think about it, I
never even met this client in person."

"Huh," Higashi muttered.

"She'd contacted Kaito, and he was passing info between us."

"Hm."

"I'm starting to wonder if this guy even existed."

Higashi sucked on his teeth. "I'm putting all of these food purchases
down as a work expense and giving him the bill."

Toki purred loudly as Yagami laughed.

43
Summary: Saejima Taiga is 15, strong and broke but has an idea of how he
can treat his ill little sister to a little something to keep her smiling as he
struggles to make ends meet fort them. In doing so he meets with another teen
where they become an unlikely duo to get out of some trouble when at least
one oft hem is caught stealing.

Tags: Rated Teen for swearing, violence and underage drinking

Diamonds in the Rough

Saejima had been eyeing the necklace through Le Marche's glass doors
for weeks now. A dainty silver chain with a small hexagonal ruby pendant
hung proudly on a small black mannequin bust. The last rays of the late
evening sun warmed the back of Saejima's neck as he stood near the
large glass doors of the store, taking in his daily look of admiration at the
jewelry.

There it stood centre stage atop a glass display cabinet in the middle of
the store that was filled with elegant little boxes displaying the most
expensive, stylish jewellery Kamurocho had to offer. Yet all the other
trinkets were too flashy. Rings full of gemstones, more necklaces with
intricate patterns and larger pendants that were far too bold and brash to
catch his attention. Yet something about that little red jewel shone just
right in the light of the huge chandelier above it and a thought crossed
his mind.

Stealing was not something Saejima liked to do, but being only 15 with
no job and a younger sister to care for sometimes meant he had to do
things he didn't like for the sake of getting enough money to keep them
fed and to keep the small roof above their heads.

44
45
Money. That root of all evil that Saejima needed to dig deep for. 30
Million Yen to buy a kidney for his sister was no small task, but he'd be
damned before he gave up on Yasuko. Her father is the only one who
can save her right now and is demanding that sum before going under
the knife to secure the kidney that would allow Yasuko to live. The
bastard. That lowlife Omi yakuza wannabe couldn't do one good thing in
his life, he had to find a way to make money out of saving his own kid. It
made Saejima seethe with rage if he thought about it for too long. He just
needed the money. Didn't matter where it was going, it was to save
Yasuko. That's all that mattered. What did matter is where the money
came from however. Saejima couldn't bring himself to do anything too
dirty or too immoral. So, usually he fought for money, it was something
he knew he could do, could get away with and he knew just the right
targets. The stakes of losing were low and the risk-reward was
something that worked in his favour.

He was young, strong and could take on any of the drunken thugs that
thought he was an easy target. He would either offer up himself as a
challenge, winner takes all style gambling or he would 'accidentally'
bump into flashy thugs to initiate a fight that would have them offering up
something to him to stop the pummelling he'd be giving them.

When he found himself in situations like that, he always hoped the

chimpiras would be carrying one of three things. Money, Something
valuable to sell or something he could gift to his sister.

Sadly, the latter never happened. Any objects he won or was 'gifted'
were always something tacky that suited the thugs the items came from.
Too manly, too garish, too loud.

Ever since that dainty little piece of jewelry flashed in his eyes, he
couldn't get it out of his head that it was something he wanted to get for
his sister. They had both been through so much, but with her being even
younger and so ill, life seemed that much more unfair for her in his eyes.
If he could do one good thing for her, to make her smile, he'd do it in a
heartbeat. In an ideal world he would save up and buy it for her, but what
else could he do when every last yen he had needed to go towards their
survival?

Stealing to make her happy wouldn't be too bad, right? Places like this
made so much money, what would one little necklace going missing to
them mean anyway? Besides, such delicate beauty didn't belong in the
middle of the brashness of an overpriced store.

46
'Tsk, Whatever, Come on man, Stop overthinkin'. S'fer Yasuko.'

Clearing those thoughts from his head, Saejima took a deep breath,
brushed his fingers through his shoulder length shaggy hair and
straightened his back. Walking confidently towards the storefront he tried
his best to look interested in browsing as if he came in with a plan to buy,
not with a plan to steal.
Saejima entered Le Marche, instantly feeling out of place. Sure he
looked young, maybe not as young as 15, but not old enough to be
shopping here. That and his simple outfit screamed 'I don't belong here'.
His unironed lime green shirt that was surprisingly well fitting for a thrift
shop find, his black dress pants and shoes were nothing out of the
ordinary and certainly not anything flashy enough to be up to standard of
the typical customer of Le Marche.

He silently hoped the well suited clerk wouldn't kick him out on the spot.

Much to his surprise the guy in the slick three piece suit behind the
counter gave him a small bow with a smile. "Welcome young sir, If there
is anything I can help you with, Please let me know."

Acknowledgement.

As nice (and rare) as that was, it also made him worry that he might be
watched the entire time he was here. The guy was probably only being
polite out of habit and secretly doubted Saejima. Smiling back awkwardly
with a nod, he began fake browsing at some handbags near the
entrance. 'Act natural' he told himself.

With a slight turn, his back now to the clerk he tried to look over at the
only other customer in the shop. Now this guy was clearly not here to
buy. Saejima wondered for a second if this other customer was the real
reason why the clerk greeted him so well. It was at this thought he
noticed the clerk was watching this other guy intently, struggling to keep
the customer service smile on his face as he glared at the other
customer.

If Saejima felt out of place, then this kid, well, he stood out even more
than Saejima. He was slim, tall and scruffy. Couldn't have been much
older than Saejima, maybe even the same age. His slightly greasy hair
styled into a blunt bowl cut, ending just above his ears with a close
undercut. His face was baby smooth similar to Saejima but he sported

47
dark circles, almost a shade too dark for someone in their teens. That's
what gave away his age. That and the light ghosting of a mustache on
his upper lip.

If the greasy hair wasn't the thing to make him look out of place, his outfit
certainly did. The ragged light mustard-yellow collared shirt with the first
few buttons undone, the ill fitting beige suit pants that had seen better
days all topped off with dark brown dress shoes that looked like they
were twice as old as the owner but once could have been fancy in their
prime. It seemed like he was dressing to impress, but clearly failing. A
fake sense of importance. Trying to impress anyone who might look in
his direction.

The way he stood was inconspicuous. His thumb and index finger
gripped his chin as if to look deep in thought as he looked across the
small display of shoes in the middle of the wall before making an 'ah-ha!"
face and strolling over to a tacky pair of black snakeskin shoes with a
weird steel tip.

48
'He ain't even tryin' to act natural. He's here to steal, ain't he?'

For a brief moment, their eyes met. Both of them squinted a sharp,
intense glare thrown towards one another with a clear message. It was
the same message Saejima tried to reply with his own similar stare.

'You better not blow my cover'

Yup, this kid was totally here to steal too.

Saejima sighed internally as he made his way to the centre display,

breaking eye contact. Trying his hardest to bring his face back to neutral
and to quickly glance up to the clerk. Thankfully, the clerk seemed to be
intensely fixed on the scruffy kid.

'This might be my chance'

The necklace hung innocently in front of him. The beautiful jewel shone
in his eyes, ready for the taking. It would be risky, but it would be so
easy. A quick flick of his eyes upward showed him the clerk was still
eyeing the other kid.

Saejima bit his lip and looked back down at the necklace.

Slowly, he raised his hand. Innocently reaching for a closer look. The
slow movement giving him that false sense of feeling invisible. He was
just a curious customer taking a closer look at an item.

Saejima's thoughts were loud as his large hand carefully held the small
gem.

'Just hook your fingers under the chain.'

And so he did.

'Lift it up.'
and so he did.

'and run!'
And so he- "Wait a minute you little shit!"

"Fuck." Saejima breathed, snapping his neck towards the yell.

49
Much to his surprise it was not aimed at him, but the scruffy teen. "I knew
I should have kicked you out the moment I saw you!" The clerk's grip was
strong. He held onto the teen's wrist no matter how much he tried to
wriggle free of the grip.

"Shit, Let go of me yer asshole!" The teen cried out with a weird
sounding Kansai-ben accent. His hold on those weird shoes in his other
hand was as strong as his will to break free. As Saejima watched the
struggle, he quickly pocketed the necklace during the diversion and got
ready to dash towards the door.

"The fuck I am! Boys, get out here!" The clerk yelled and before Saejima
could blink, three guys came bursting through a back door. Two average
built guys with slicked back hair, one with glasses and one without
followed behind a much larger, much more intimidating bald guy. All of
them wore flashy expensive looking suits and that tell tale shine of the
pins on their lapels could only mean one thing. Yakuza.

'Shit, 'course this store is protected' Saejima panicked and pulled open
the door, ready to make a break for it, but before he could leave, he
glanced back at the other guy. The panic in his face caused him to stop.

He struggled even harder against the clerks' hold, but still no closer to
escaping as the yakuza walked towards him, the bigger one proudly
cracking his knuckles with a sinister chuckle.

50
Call it a delinquent to delinquent communication, but Saejima couldn't
leave this guy to whatever fate might befall him if he couldn't escape.
Maybe he was in the same position as Saejima? A young lost kid doing
what he could to get by? A street rat stealing to make money? What'd
happen if this kid didn't escape?

'Fuck it'

With a yell Saejima ran up to the hefty yakuza and before he could take
another step closer, Saejima threw a quick, heavy punch that caused
him to stagger back into the other two. The three of them crashing back
into the counter in an awkward bundle of limbs, trying to keep one
another from failing over.

The scruffy teen finally sprang to action himself by kicking the clerk in the
shin, causing the hold he was in to be broken with the clerk letting out a
sharp cry of pain and surprise. "Fucker!" the kid yelled and elbowed the
clerk with his newly freed arm square in the chest that made him curl up
into the floor.

"Watch out!" yelled the scrawny teen watching the yakuza regain their
footing, quickly making their way towards them. Saejima ducked into a
kneel, avoiding a clumsy punch that swung over his head from the big
guy, but before Saejima could use his position to spring up and push the
guy back into the other two behind him again, the teen swung his leg
around above Saejima, just missing his head as his foot collided with the
burly man. The impact was not as strong as Saejima's punch was, but
still brought them both enough time for the teen to pull Saejima up first
and to sprint towards the door.

"A'ight, fuckin' leg it!" Saejima gasped, clinging onto one another as they
both pulled each other towards the exit.

"Don't just stand there, get the little fuckers!" The clerk yelled as they
flung open the doors and ran for it.

Both of them made the sharp turn to their immediate right to run down
Nakamichi Street, bumping into and shoving passers by as they went.
The fading light from the sun had started to become drowned out by the
bright neon lights of the city, the warm glow of the sun now replaced with
the heatless shine of artificial street lights. They both ran as fast as they
could, ignoring the curses from the Yakuza now on their tail. At least

51
soon they'd have the cover of early night to help aid their escape.

"Shit, Follow me! Down 'ere!" Saejima grabbed the other and pulled him
into Nakamichi Alley, zig-zagging through the smaller streets in hope to
lose Yakuza in the small area of multiple alleyways.

After a few sharp turns and the realization that the sounds of the streets
and yells of the yakuza had died down, Saejima slowed down and took a
few large, slow strides glancing behind him to make sure they weren't
followed before coming to a stop. With a satisfied sigh, Saejima hunched
over catching his breath with his hands on his knees. "Think we're
good."

The scruffy teen came to a similar stop, resting his hands on his knees
too but with his back against the grimy wall of the alley. Saejima couldn't
help but laugh at the sight of him still clutching onto those god awful
shoes, the steel tip shining in the dull light of the street light above them.
"Of all things, ya stole those?" He tried to lighten the mood, pointing lazily
at the stolen goods.

"What, just 'cause yer ain't got taste, S'wrong with them?" The reply
came back through that strange Kansai-ben. What was up with his
accent? Was he putting it on?

"Yer a weird one ain't ya. . . uhh. . .?" Saejima waved a hand back and
forth between them, hoping he'd pick up that he was trying to get a name
out of him.

"Majima." He panted.

"Majima." Saejima took a gulp of air as he repeated the name, finally

catching his breath fully. "Saejima" He replied with his own name, patting
his chest. "And by the way, it's 'ya', not 'yer'"

"H'aw!?" Majima's neck snapped up as he stared daggers at him

"Whaddya mean?"

"Ya said it just now, 'yer', that ain't proper Kansai-ben if that's what yer
going for. Said it back at the store too, 'ya asshole'. not yer"

Majima frowned so hard, his lips exposed his teeth through one side of
his mouth. "Oh yeah? Ya tryin'' to start shit? Ya asshole?" He
threatened, pushing himself off the wall, dropping the shoes to the floor
in the process.

52
Saejima couldn't help but huff out a laugh. "There ya go."

It took a few seconds, but Majima finally cracked a smile and replied with
a small chuckle of his own. In this strangely peaceful moment they both
couldn't help but laugh. Saejima had never had a partner in crime and
somehow had never been chased by yakuza yet either, and yet here he
was, laughing in the fresh hours of twilight with the only other person
he'd truly interacted with since moving to Kamurocho. This weird fellow
teenager who he not only helped commit a robbery with but also helped
fight off the biggest yakuza he'd come face to face with.

It just might have been the most fun he'd had in ages.

With a sideways grin, Majima broke the laughter. "So, Saejima, Whaddya
say we-"

"There they are!" An intense yell interrupted Majima and broke the
moment of peace between them. Both youngsters turned to the entrance
of the small alleyway where the voice had called out from.

"Shit, 'course it's the big guy too." Saejima groaned, pushing himself up
off his knees and straightening himself up into a fighting stance, his arms
flexed and held out in front of him with his hands not quite balled into
fists, but his fingers arched like claws.

"And here comes the cavalry." He heard Majima chuckle beside him as
the other two Yakuza came rushing in as back up.

Looking over at Majima, he had repositioned himself too. His skinny legs
bent ready to spring back into action. Both hands closed into tight fists,
one arm hung low and the other guarded his chest. They both shared
another sharp eyed glance at each other, although the message relaid in
each other's eyes was different this time, it was still easily read.

'You ready?'

With a toothy grin from Majima, Saejima nodded at him with a smirk then
turned to face the big guy and moved first.

Rushing forward, Saejima lunged at him, throwing a punch with the

strength of his whole body behind it. The yakuza had planted his feet and

53
somehow stopped himself from being sent flying backwards but still
flinched and groaned from the power of the impact that landed square in
his gut.

Before Saejima could prepare to throw another punch, from his hunched
over position he felt a weight push against his back and was shocked to
see Majima had jumped and rolled across his back, using the momentum
and height to swing a leg around to bring it down hard against the head
of the huge yakuza.

The sound of the impact was hard and almost sounded like a metal bat
hitting a home run.
'Holy shit' Saejima opened his eyes wide in surprise and amazement.

That must have looked so fucking cool.

As the large man fell down with a thud on his back, so did Majima but
landing on his feet. A flicker of light reflected off his shoes as he shifted
to stand back into his fighting stance from before. The shining steel tip
caught him off guard for a second. Wait, shining steel tip?

"Ya put the fuckin' shoes on? Here? Now?" Saejima groaned, adjusting
himself to be ready to fight off the other two goons.

Majima made a loud 'tsk' as he shifted to position himself to Saejima's

side, both of them prepared to fight. "Shut up, I knew these'd be good in
a fight! That proved it, don't it?"

"Whatever, still gotta work on that accent, bro." Saejima grinned before
throwing another full body punch at one of the other Yakuza running
towards them, he was the smallest of the three.

'Huh, Easy!"

His fist collided with the guy's stomach causing him to double over from
the impact. This allowed him to see the second guy swing towards him
and duck to avoid his punch.

Majima sprang into action, with a quick one-two punch to Saejima's

attacker above, before spinning around to plant his hands flat on the
ground and flinging his leg up to kick the guy square in the jaw sending
him straight to the ground. The Yakuza's glasses flew off his face as he
fell.

54
Saejima couldn't help but be impressed with just how quick Majima was
to move in a fight, his small frame clearly gave him the advantage of
being quick and flexible in battle.

As quickly as the first Yakuza had doubled over, he managed to recover

and try for another go at Saejima. Saejima barely avoided the second
punch thrown at him as he strafed clumsily to one side. Majima pushed
himself up from his position, satisfied that his target wouldn't get back up
and focused on helping Saejima.

With a yell he threw himself at the last man standing, fist drawn back and
swung his arm round wide, but was blocked by the yakuza as he
guarded his face from Majima's attack. Saejima took advantage of this
and kicked his foot forward to strike the guy in the gut, causing him to
drop his guard and finally fall back.

Saejima punched him in his now exposed chest and got ready to swing
toward the sound of the big guy stomping towards them; but before he
could turn his body to hit him he heard Majima yelled out "Stay like that!"

He snapped his neck up to see Majima running towards him, Saejima

now between both friend and foe running at him at full speed. Saejima
kept his arm outstretched as Majima reached out for it with both hands.

As soon as he felt Majima's hands grab him, he flexed as Majima

grabbed hold of him, his legs soared through the air as Saejima pulled
him towards the big Yakuza, giving Majima more force behind his kick. It
felt awkward and clumsy, but totally worth it as Majima's feet landed flat
against their attackers ribs with an audible crunch from the clash and a
strained wheeze.

Majima pushed himself backwards, practically jumping off of the guy

horizontally as Saejima made sure to steady him as he landed back onto
the ground with both feet as the big guy crashed to the ground; this time
fully incapasitated.

Majima let go of Saejima's arm and let out a small laugh, leaning back
against the alley wall. "Shit, can't believe that worked."

Saejima relaxed, leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees and let
out a long relieved sigh. "Right? But I Think we got 'em."

Before he could take another breath in, the now glasses-less Yakuza
sprung up in one last desperate attempt and lunged at Saejima's turned

55
back. Majima yelled for him to watch out as he turned his body sideways,
lifting his leg up high and bringing it down hard on the goon; but as he
did, he somehow managed to catch the edge of Saejima's head with his
steel tipped shoe as he brought his foot down. His eyebrow throbbed
instantly from the forceful impact.

"Fuckin' shit!" Saejima called out, clutching onto his forehead, covering
his eye with his hand.

After quickly looking down to make sure the rest of Majima's kick actually
reached its intended target, once he had confirmed that Majima had
managed to down the goon, he brought his hand away from his face and
inspected the small patch of blood left in his palm.

His eyebrow must have been split open.

"Majima, the fuck?" He exclaimed, showing his bloodied palm to his

attacker.

"Well, sorry!" Majima scoffed "Had to act fast so the bastard coulda done
worse ta ya!"

"Huh, Right yeah, like he'd have been able to do worse!"

"Oh shuddup, You'll be fine, worst case ya get a cool lookin' scar once it
heals, now come on, quick, before they somehow get on our asses
again!"

Majima smiled, yanking Saejima's shirt sleeve as he started to jog further

into the winding alleys of Nakamichi. Saejima nodded back and couldn't
help but smile as he jumped into a jog to match Majima's pace.

"Stick with me, I gotta place we can lay low at, just in case." Saejima
said, making sure to speed up to stay just ahead of Majima as they made
the last few turns through the alley way before appearing into the wider
streets before heading towards an opening that led into Pink Street.

"Hang on, stop a sec!" Majima called out, almost cartoonishly screeching
to a halt in front of a M Store. "Lemmie repay ya for helpin' me out back
there." He said pointing to the shop with his thumb. "Whaddya say to
some 'thank you' snacks? Maybe a few beers?" a wide, cheeky grin
appeared on his face.

"Ya gotta be kiddin', how ya gonna get 'em to serve yer babyface some

56
beers?" Saejima asked with a smile, fully knowing the answer he'd
receive.

"Who said anything about being served?" That stupid smile on Majima's
smile stretched futher along one side of his face.

Saejima shook his head and felt his own smile spread. "Ya make a habit
of causin' this much chaos? I ain't gonna spend all night saving yer
skinny ass from getting caught at every shop we pass, yaknow." He
replied without protest. If anything his voice had a hint of amusement to
it.

"Shut up" Majima slapped Saejima's arm playfully, "I never get caught.
That back there was probably yer fault, throwin' me off my game. Now
come on, one last job, a quick in 'n out!" and before Saejima could say
anything else, Majima disappeared through the automattic doors.

Huffing out a laugh, Saejima watched as Majima smiled at the guy

behind the counter and waited for him to turn around to restock some
cigarettes on the display behind him before making his move. He
scooped up an armful of snacks from one of the shelves near the front,
hooked his fingers into the cardboard holder of a 6 pack of beers and ran
back out in the blink of an eye.

Before the cashier had a chance to register the leaving chime of the
doors and the hurried shuffling of his feet, Majima was out and running
past Saejima with an obnoxious cackle.

"Let's go big guy!" Majima laughed without looking back, dropping a box
of pocky in his rush. Saejima shook his head again as he skipped into a
jog to start running after Majima. He laughed as Majima struggled to
keep a hold of everything in his arms, giving him an easy chance to take
the lead and guide him through the streets. "My place ain't far, come on!"

Yeah, this was definitely the most fun Saejima had in a long time.

It didn't take long to reach the edge of the Champion District and the
apartment complex that stood there. A small apartment at the top floor
was the place that Saejima called home. Fishing his keys out of his

57
pocket, Saejima unlocked the door, pushed it open with his hip (his
hands were now full with snacks, as he insisted on helping carry some
before Majima dropped them all) and kicked his shoes off.

The small main room of the apartment was barely lit by the last few
fading rays of sunlight coming through the one window opposite them, so
Saejima flicked the switch on with his elbow before making his way to the
small low down coffee table that stood just underneath the window. It
was the only piece of furniture aside from an old beer crate that stood in
as a makeshift stand for the tiny CRT-TV set that rested upon it.

"Ain't much, but make yerself at home." Saejima said, carefully letting the
snacks tumble out of his arms onto the table before sitting with his back
facing the window. Majima closed the door with his foot and looked
around the room, his expression seemed like he was impressed with the
place.

"Eh, not too bad. How'd ya manage to get a place like this anyhow? Yer
can't be old enough to rent proper, must have had to do some shit to get
this place?"

"Ya can't be." Saejima corrected him as ran his fingers through his hair,
shifting to get comfortable. "N'Lookin' older than ya are has its perks, just
lied and said I was a little older than I am but I don't think the guy owning
this place ain't too bothered who lives here, s'long as he gets the rent at
the end of the month."

"Huh, That so?" Majima ignored the correction of his accent and kicked
his own shoes off, carefully as to not scuff the backs of them with his
heel as he did so.

"Think I got fuckin' blisters," He complained with a wince as he made his

way into the room, placing the beers down carefully before opening his
arms wide and letting the rest of his gathered goodies spill across the
table. He then crashed down onto the floor with a relieved sigh.

Majima stretched out his legs and wiggled his toes in front of him before
sitting cross legged and leaning hunched over the table. "Feet are
stingin' something fierce too."

"S'what ya get for breakin' 'em in over a guys face." Saejima smiled while
ripping the beers free from their cardboard holder; he grabbed one, lifting
the bottle cap with his teeth before offering the bottle to Majima. "Still

58
can't believe ya fuckin' changed into 'em back there."

Majima accepted the bottle and tipped it towards Saejima as a silent

thanks. "Hey, It helped, didn't it? That kick knocked that big guy out cold!
That metal part really took him out!" He smiled a proud smile and took a
swig of his beer; but the smile quickly became a grimace as the taste of
the beer hit him. "Stylish and practical."

Saejima huffed "Yeah, sure makes an impact, I should know." He points

towards his split eyebrow Majima had given him and takes a sip of his
own freshly opened beer, also making a face at the taste. Either Majima
had picked up some real shitty cheap stuff, or they were both at that age
where beer still didn't taste quite right. Saejima guessed it was the latter.

"So who ya trin' to impress with 'em anyway?" He was surprised to see
Majima eye him with such an intense, hard stare at the question.

He didn't feel like he asked anything wrong, but it seemed like Majima
was questioning if what Saejima asked was a genuine question. Or
Maybe Majima was wondering if he should open up to him?

After a few awkward seconds, Majima's scowl lifted, but only slightly and
he took another sip of the beer; making a face as he did. "I gotta look the
part if I want in with a family, yaknow. Sure, strength and honour and all
that shit, but ya gotta look good these days too. Ain't just that shit they
look for, gotta be a bit flashy, yaknow?"

"The Yakuza? Really? Ya wantin' in?" Saejima took a swig of his beer,
slowly getting over the bitter flavour.

Majima hummed with a nod, playing with the label on the bottle. He
seemed to be deep in thought before deciding to open up a bit. "They
value that kinda stuff. Power. Honour. Loyalty. Shit like that's hard to
come by and if I wanna find a place to belong, that's the sortta place I
wanna belong to. Going to find a way in, climb that ladder right to the top
and show everyone what Majima Goro can do."

His voice had slowly lost that weird Kansai-ben tilt to it and had gotten
much lower than Saejima had expected from him. So far Majima had
been all smiles and cockyness but the more he talked, the more that fell.

The more seriousness his face held as he spoke and his words laced
with a hidden hint of sadness showed a hidden layer to him that honestly

59
surprised Saejima. It made him wonder what kind of life Majima had up
to this moment. Maybe he really was in a situation similar to himself? Or
maybe something worse?

"Also!" Majima suddenly chuckled with a stretch, switching the mood in

the room instantly to one of lightheartedness and distracting Saejima
from his train of thought. "Ya seen how flashy some of 'em lower rank
bastards are!? The money that comes with the job don't seem half bad
either!" Not only did an element of fun come back to Majima's voice, but
so did his weird accent.

Saejima groaned and took a huge mouthful of his drink, just mentioning
the word 'money' annoyed him lately. Majima must have picked up on it
because before he had a chance to swallow he was bombarded with
questions. "Ah, money yer issue is it? Ya lookin' to swear up too?
Thinkin' of the money ya missin' out on? Guy built like you would make a
ton! That why ya stealin' fancy shit? Fer money? Shit, did ya even get
away with anythin'?"

With a harsh gulp, Saejima reached into his pocket and pulled out the
necklace, laying it gently down on a clear space on the table. Looking at
the dull shine of that little red gem in the yellow fluorescent light, Saejima
felt comfortable enough to open up to Majima as he had done to him.

"It ain't like I ain't thought 'bout it before. Swearin' up." He'd never had a
chance to voice his thoughts like this before. It felt strange, but . . . also
kinda good? Like a bit of a weight off his shoulders was being lifted.

So he continued.

"But I dunno anythin' about gettin' in with a family. Never gave it too
much thought really. S'long as I had money somehow, Guess I thought I
didn't need to give it much thought. Not like I'm against it though, maybe
one day?"

Majima raised an eyebrow and hunched over the table to get a better
look at the necklace. His eyebrow stayed in place as a grin took over his
face. "If money's what yer after, why'd ya steal the cheapest lookin' thing
in the joint?"

Saejima huffed a laugh and looked away from Majima's cocky face,
turning to look towards the closed door in the corner of the apartment.
"Na, this ain't about money. Not this time." He couldn't help me let a soft

60
smile creep onto his face as he thought of his sister, she was probably
soundly asleep in her room. She must be for she usually greeted him
when he came home, no matter the hour; so he'd let her rest and
surprise her with the gift in the morning.
Both of Majima's eyebrows raised at that. "Oh ho, I see! A girlie, eh?
Damn, ya got yerself a fancy bachelor pad, going after money and fancy
gifts? Damn Saejima, puberty got ya actin' up real bad eh?" and he let
out that loud obnoxious cackle like he had when running away from the
M store. "Ya aint stealin' for money this time, but yet ya grabbin' ya girl
the cheap shit?" His head tilted back from how hilarious he found his own
little story.

Before Saejima could interrupt and try to explain the truth, a creaking of
an old door opening made Majima pause mid laugh.

"Onii-chan? You home?"

Yasuko's soft voice called from the gap in the door. She could barely be
seen from behind the door, but it was obvious she had been awoken
from sleep. Her hair was slightly ruffled and her eyes struggled to stay
open, but they shot open wide when she noticed Majima. "Oh, S-sorry,
Didn't mean to interrupt you!" She gasped, pulling the door closer to
herself.

"I just thought I heard you come in, But didn't realise you brought home a
friend!" Her small face beamed a smile at Majima as she bowed in his
direction. Saejima almost wanted to laugh at the way Yasuko had made
Majima freeze completely.

"Hey Yasuko, Sorry 'bout him, he probably woke ya." Saejima smiled,
grabbed a small bag of sweets and threw them at Majima. He frowned at
Saejima for it but it was worth it to hear Yasuko's giggle.

"No, no. It's fine. I wasn't asleep yet."

That was probably a lie.

"I am pretty sleepy though, so I'll head back to bed." She said, rubbing
her eyes with an overly exaggerated yawn. "I'll leave you two alone to
some guy time. I've never seen you bring a friend home before, after all.
It's nice to see you with a friend!" and with that, she disappeared back
into the room as quickly as she appeared.

61
As soon as the door clicked closed, Majima looked down at the necklace
on the table and his focused expression told Saejima everything he
needed to know. Majima realised the necklace was for her, he probably
also guessed the way he spoke about money to keep her safe too.

As if to confirm Saejima's thoughts, Majima spoke. "I get it. Ya doin' this
shit fer real family. I'll get outta ya hair."

He shifted, hands flat on the table, ready to push himself up off the floor
to leave but Saejima reached across the table and grabbed his wrist
before he could.

"Wait."

Majima looked up at him with a sharp stare. "What?"

"Whaddya mean real family? Ain't that what ya want in with the Yakuza
for too? Pride and honour for yer real family?"

An awkward silence filled the room. It spoke volumes accompanied with

the harsh way Majima pulled him arm free from Saejima's loose grip and
turned his stare towards the floor.

Although it didn't need voicing, Majima replied. "Na. Ain't got no one." His
voice was low but firm. "Don't need anyone either, It'd ruin the lone wolf
thing I got goin' on."

Saejima saw the sadness in Majima's eyes that couldn't be hidden by his
words.

"Ya at least got somewhere proper ya stayin'?" Saejima had to know at

least that.

That silence fell over them again.

"Look, If ya really ain't got nowhere to go, why not stay here, 'least fer
now? 'Sides, Yasuko was right too. . . It's kinda nice to hang out with a . .
. friend."

Saejima felt his cheeks grow slightly red, almost embarrassed with how

62
that came out.

Majima slowly looked up to face him, his mouth slightly agape and his
eyebrows were furrowed upwards in a look of shock.

"Uhh, and, well. . . " Saejima reached over the table once more to grab
Majima's beer and hand it over to him, desperate to break the
awkwardness he felt he created. "Ya gotta finish ya beer too, bro!" He
held the bottle out to Majima with a smile.

Majima took the bottle as he closed his mouth, his lips slowly growing
into a small smile. Readjusting himself to sit back down on the floor fully,
he huffed and his smile grew further before he took a sip of the beer.

They both let out a small chuckle and drank another sip together.

"Bro eh?" Majima raised an eyebrow at Saejima and let out a small
laugh. "Man, what if. Could you imagine, If we did swear up. . . Us?
Kyodais?”.

FIN

63
Re
conc
il
e
Wri
tte
n by:Rsaa
h
Artby:Ashl
ey

Chara
cte
rs:
Ki
ryu Kazuma,GodaRyuj
i

Afterthea pocol
ypse,Ki r
yu
triestos tre
ng then the
bond between hima nd a
formeroppone nt.

Contai
ns:Fl uff,Ma l
e
Fri
endship,Fe el
ings
Rea
li
zation,Pos sibl
e
Romance,Ki s
s i
ng,Mi nor
SexualTouc hing
Arest
lessKi
ryust
andsatabaggagecl
aim.He’sanxi
ous,andt
heconceptoft
he
Dr
agonofDoj i
mabeingner
vousmakeshim al
lthemorefi
dget
y.Het
akesadeep
br
eathinthr
oughhi
snoseandouthismouth,t
ryingt
omakehimsel
fcal
m down.

Hekeepsr epeat
i
ngt ohimsel
fthatthi
swashi sownidea,buti
tdoesn’
thel
pmake
mattersmuchbett
er.Givenhi
shi st
orywit
htheman,t hi
scouldgosour
,butKir
yu
reassureshi
msel
fthatt
heonlyr easonhepr oposedt
hevisi
twasbecausethevisi
tor
hadchanged.Buthewasal i
t
tl
ewor r
iedabouthiski
ds…

No-event
hen,af
terwhathe’
sdonef
orHar
uka,t
hat
’
sjustnotl
i
kehi
m.

Kir
yugr owsf
rust
ratedwi
thhi msel
f.Whyisherunni
nghimsel
finci
rcl
esl
ikethi
s?He
hadalreadybeenoverallt
his,evenlongbef
oreheext
endedtheinvi
t
ati
ontocome
vi
sithi
m andthekidsinOkinawa.

Ki
ryucheckshiswat
ch.Thefl
i
ghtlandedagoodwhi l
eago,sowherei
shisguest
?
Everynewcrowdofpeopl
ethatgatheri
nthebaggagecl
aim makesKi
ryust
andat
f
ullat
tent
i
on.

Thenfi
nall
y,t
heotherdr
agonshowedhimself
.Hetower soverever
ybodyel
se,and
hi
sblondehairmakeshi
m easytospot
.Asheappr oaches,Ki
ryucanseehe’
sstil
l
weari
ngthatsameoldsui
t.Hewondersi
fhisguestishot.

WhatKi ryudoesn’tknowi sthatRyujiisj

ustasapprehensi
veashei s.Hetr
uststhat
everyt
hingwi l
lbefine,butdespitebeingthelar
gerofthetwo,Kir
yuremainsthe
superi
ordr agon.It
'
spossi bl
ethingscouldwinduppoor l
y,butRyuj
idoesn’
tforesee
vi
olencehappeni nginfrontofthekids…

Ryuj
ithenspotsKi
ryuamongthecrowd.Oncethei
reyesl
ock,adr
enal
inef
il
l
sthei
r
bodi
es… butther
e’snowher
efori
ttogo.Theybothtr
ytobur
ythefeel
i
ng.

Despit
ethei
rlastencount
ergoi
ngbetterthaneit
herofthem expect
ed,theyareboth
t
ensenow.Whent heywererei
ntr
oducedamont horsoago,Kamur ochowasr ot
ti
ng.
Ryujiwascl
eaningupamesshef el
tresponsi
blefor
,andKiryuneededt osavehis
daughter
.Thei
rgoalshappenedtoali
gnt osomeextent,sotheyworkedtogethert
o
gett
hatdone.

Now,ther
eisn’
tacleargoalf
orei
t
heroft
hem.Theyar
ebot
hst
ari
ngeachot
her
down,notent
ir
elysurewhatt
odoorsaynext
.

“
Goodmor
ning,Ki
ryu-
san.
”Ryuj
ibr
eakst
hei
cewi
t
hasl
i
ghtbow.

“
Goodmor
ning,
”Ki
ryuechoessof
tl
y.“
Howwasyourf
l
ight
?”

“
Itwasfi
ne,”Ryuj
irepl
i
esast
heybot
hst
artt
owal
ktowar
dthet
rai
nst
ati
on.“
Iam
t
ir
edthough.”

“
Isupposei
tst
il
li
sal
i
tt
leear
ly
.Coul
dn’
tsl
eepont
hef
l
ight
?”

65
 "Nah."

··oo you need to stop and get coffee or anything?""

"Should be okay Thanks though"

They fell quiet again as they reached the train station and waited for the next ride. A
few minutes pass in silence.

"Aren·t you hot in that suit?" Kiryu finally asks.

"Ahh. yeah. At least I left the coat at home, heheh··

Kiryu cracks a smile."I'm not sure it'll fit you, but I might have some clothes for you
when we get to the orphanage"

· 1 won't tum ya down on that··

After a few more moments of silence, a train comes into vision down the track. its
shape distorted from the heat It gets less wavy as it draws near.

Kiryu and Ryuji step in together when the train arrives. They stand next to each other
and hang on as the train lurches back down the track. They watch houses, beaches.
and trees roll by

"Tm not sure how the kids will act once we get back," Kiryu says softly

R yuji turns to the other dragon. '"Why's that?""

··1 told them you're big and kinda scary, but you're a nice person··

""Mmmm," Ryuji groans, returning his gaze back out the window. Ryuji is well aware
of the intimidating body he's stuck with. Reminders don't make him feel any better.

"Sorry:· Kiryu interjects ·· I probably should have kept that to myself"

"Nah. "sfine. I kinda appreciate the warning··

"How were they this morning?" Ryuji asks.

"Either sleeping or just waking up, so I'm not sure what the mood is at the moment
They didn't seem too phased when I told them about you, though··

"Guess we'll see then."

"Yeah."

66
67
Anotherawkwar
dsil
encefil
l
sthetrai
nasitrockst
hem backandfort
hal
ongthe
tr
ack.Kir
yusaysnot
hing.Ryuj
isaysnot
hing.Thetensi
onist
hickandpal
pabl
eand
canbecutwithakni
fe.

“
Izzi
tusual
l
ythi
shot
?”Ryuj
iasks.

“Hmmm,Iguessit
’
sali
tt
l
ewarmerthanithasbeent
hepastf
ewweeks,
”Ki
ryu
ponder
s.“
Buti
t’
snott
oooutoft
heordi
nary.
”

“
Damn,”Ryuj
igrowl
s.Hesetsdownhi
sduf
felbagandshimmiesoutofhi
ssuitcoat
.
Heput
sitonthebag,t
hentossest
hebagwit
hhiscoatbackonhisshoul
der
.

Kir
yul ooksathisroast
ingguest.He’sstil
lasmuscul arashewaswhent heyf
ir
st
met.Ki r
yuthoughtitwascuriousthatRyujidi
dn’trolluphi
ssl
eevesunt
ilhenoticed
t
hel eathergl
oves.That’sri
ght,Ryujihasthatprostheti
car
m.He’spr
obablytr
yingto
notdrawmor eat t
enti
ont ohi
mselfthanheal readydoes.

Wai
t
.

“
Ryuj
i
,thatar
m’snotgoi
ngt
ogoof
finf
rontoft
heki
ds,i
sit
?”Ki
ryuwhi
sper
s.

Ryuj
i’
sheartski
psabeat,butt
henheroarsi
ntoaf
itofl
aughter
.Hushi
nghi
stone
agai
n,hesays,“I
t’
sgotasafet
yyanno,j
ustl
i
keanyothergun.”

“
Oh,okay
.”Kir
yuf
eel
sal
i
tt
lesi
l
lyf
oraski
ng,butRyuj
i
’sl
aught
erdoeshel
ptol
i
ght
en
t
hemoodal i
tt
l
e.

Final
ly
,thei
rdest
i
nationroll
sintovi
ew.Astheyst
epofft
hetr
ain,Ryuj
i
’sfacei
s
assault
edbythehot,humidair.Thesunbearsdownonhisbl
ackshir
t.Kir
yu
chuckl
esatRyuji
’sexpressi
on.

“
Heh.Okay
,maybei
ti
sabi
thot
tert
hanIt
hought
.”

Ryuj
imakesasmal
lgr
oani
nresponse.

“
Wel
l
,thewal
kisn’
ttool
ongnow,
”Ki
ryuassur
eshi
m.

“
Breezei
sni
ceatl
east
.”

“
Yeah.
”

Andt hebreezei sref

reshi
ng.Thedragonslookoutontothesurfast
hei
rfeetcrunch
al
ongt hedirtroad.Thesoundsofthewavesandwi ndt hr
oughthetr
eesarecalming.
Ryujismil
esi nt
ot hedeepblueskyanditssparse,f
luf
fycl
ouds.Hewasal i
tt
le
j
ealousofKiryu...howdidhemanaget oscoresuchapar adi
se?

Thesoundofchi
l
dr enpl
ayi
ngstar
tst
omeett
hei
rear
s.Onesound,i
npar
ti
cul
ar,
st
andsoutt
oRyuji:abarki
ngdog.

68
“
Hey
,we’
rehome!
”Ki
ryucal
l
soutt
othegr
oup.

Al
ltheki
dsstopandstar
e.Theygrowqui
et.Ki
ryuwasright
,Ryuj
ii
sbigand
i
nti
midat
ing.Ryuj
if
eel
sthetensi
onwhenallt
heli
tt
leeyesbecomegluedt
ohim.

St
andi
ngatt
heent
ranceoft
heor
phanageyar
d,Ryuj
ibows.

“
Nicet
omeet
cha’
.”

Thebar
kingr
esumes.Ashi
bai
nuappr
oachesRyuj
iwi
thador
abl
efer
oci
ty
.

“
Kir
yu!
”Ryuj
ishout
s.“
Yadi
dn’
ttel
lmeyahadadog!
”

“
Ah,t
hat
’
sMame.He’
sIzumi
’
sdog.
”

Ryuj
i’
sbagfal
lst
othegr
ound,andRyuj
icol
l
apsest
ohi
sknees,i
nst
ant
lypat
ti
nghi
s
massi
vethi
ghs.

“
C’mer
epooch!Heybuddy!
”Ryuj
imakeski
ssi
ngnoi
sesatt
hedog.

Someoft heki
dscan’thel
pbutl
aughatthesightofthi
stough-
looki
ngmanacti
ngso
si
l
lyoveradog.Kiryusmil
es,gl
adthatt
hingsareofftoapret
tygoodst
art
.Ryuj
iis
gr
atef
ulthetensi
oniseasi
ngbetweenalloft
hem.

Mamecomesover
,andRyuj
iscr
atchesbehi
ndt
hedog’
ssof
tear
s.

“
Who’
sagoodboy?You,t
hat
’
swho!Mame’
sagoodboy!
”

“
Ihadnoi
deayouwer
esoi
ntodogs,Ryuj
i
,”Ki
ryul
aughs.

“
Yeah,Il
ove‘
em!
”Ryuj
ibeamswhi
l
escr
atchi
ngMame’
sfl
uff
yneck.

Kir
yuwal ksf
urt
herint
otheyardwhi
leRyuj
icont
inuestopett
hedog.Hefindsthat
sweetspotunderMame’scoll
art
hatmakeshim st
artt
okickwi
tht
hatbl
issful
expressi
ononhisface.

I
zumiget
scl
oserandl
aughs.“
Howar
eyouget
ti
ngMamet
odot
hat
,mi
ster
?”

“
Yougot
tascr
atchhi
mreal
l
yhar
dunderhi
scol
l
ar,r
ighther
e,”Ryuj
ipoi
nts.

I
zumitakesover,t
ryingt
ogetMamet omaket
hatf
unnyfaceagain.Ryujiget
sup
andgrabshisbag,thenfol
lowsKir
yui
nsi
dehi
shome.Theirf
eetpadthroughthe
hal
l,andKir
yushowsRyuj ihisr
oom.

“
I’
mthi
nki
ngyoucanst
ayher
e,i
sthatokay?”Ki
ryuasks.

Ryuj
ishr
ugs.“
Finebyme.
”

69
“
Didyouwantmet
ofi
ndyouamor
ecomf
ort
abl
eshi
rt
?”

“
Yes,pl
ease,
”Ryuj
inods.

“Wai
tri
ghtheret
hen,
”Ki
ryusaysashet
urnsbacki
ntot
hehal
landi
ntoa
nei
ghbor
ingroom.

Aft
erafewminut
esofdist
antshuf
fl
i
ngandmovi ngdoors,Ki
ryur
etur
nsinhandwith
adarkblueal
ohashi
rt
.It
’spr
int
edwithhi
biscusf
lower
sandlushleavesi
nalight
er
hue.

“
Thi
sone’
sali
t
tl
ebi gonme,butIneverbot
her
edt
ogetr
idofi
t,
”Ki
ryuexpl
ains.
“
Whatdoyout
hink?”

“
Soundsgood,I
’l
lgi
vei
tat
ry,
”Ryuj
irepl
i
esast
heshi
rtexchangeshands.

“
I’
lll
eavei
ttoyout
hen.I
’
llbeout
sidewi
tht
heki
ds.
”

Kiryulefttheroom,closingthedoorbehi ndhim.Si ncethemechani smsofhi s

prostheticarm wil
lbeexposed,het osseshisglovesont ohisbag.Ryujistruggl
esto
unbut t
onhi sshir
t,peeli
ngitoffhismassi veform andt ossestheblack,sil
kencloth
ont opoft hose.Hesl i
pshisthickarmsi ntothealohashi rtgi
ventohi m,it
sf i
ber
s
muchmor ebreathablethanbef or
e.Hef indsthatitfit
shim nicel
y… ifonlyhecould
buttont hedamnt hing.It
’sadiffi
cul
ttaskwi t
hamet alr
ighthand,butaftersomet i
me
andef fort
,he’sabletogethimsel fsit
uated.

WhenRyujir
etur
nsoutsi
de,Ki
ryuissi
tt
ingwit
htherestoft
hekids,munchi
ngon
somechi
ll
edfruit
s.Har
ukaisoutther
etoo,andshe’
sthefir
stt
onot i
ceRyuj
icome
backout
side.

“
Ryuj
i
-san!Hi
!”shecheer
swi
thboundl
essent
husi
asm.

Herj
oymakesRyuj
ismi
l
e.I
t’
sni
cet
oseeherf
ami
l
iarf
ace.

“
Nicet
oseeyaagai
nHar
uka-
chan,
”hesayssof
tl
y.“
Howar
eyadoi
n’?”

“
I’
m doi
ngwel
l
,thankyou!
”

Ki
ryuswal
l
owsabi
t
eofwat
ermel
on.“
Looksl
i
ket
hatshi
rtwor
kedoutf
oryou?”

“
Yeah.
”

Theki
dsarel
ooki
ngatt
hei
runf
ami
l
iarguestagai
n,butnowbecauset
hatar
m was
showi
ng.

“Hey,”Ki
ryuscol
ds,pi
cki
ngupanot
hert
reatf
rom t
hebowl
.“Whatdi
dIt
ellyouabout
star
ing?”

70
Someoftheki
dsapol
ogizebutt
heyal
lavertt
hei
reyes.Ryuj
il
aughsl
ight
lyatt
he
si
ght
.Thefl
ockofchi
l
drenmovingandact
inginuni
soniscut
eandfunny.

“I
t’
sfine,Ki
ryu-
san,”Ryujisaysasheapproachestheother
satthetable.“Thi
sain’t
real
lyanormalprosthet
icanyway ,
"asi
ftodemonstrat
e,heuseshisrighthandt o
reachoversomeoft hekids’headsandgrababitofmelonforhi
mself,thentakesa
bit
e.

“
Izumi
,di
dyouhaveaquest
ionf
orRyuj
i
-san?”Ki
ryuasks,t
urni
ngt
ohi
syoungest
wit
hasmil
e.

“R-Ryuj
i
-sama,
”shestammers,“woul
dyouhelpmeteachMamehowt
ofet
ch?”She
hol
dsupar edr
ubberbal
lt
hatlooksverycl
eanandunl
oved.

“
Ooooo,sur
e!”Ryuj
iexcl
aims.“
Doyouhaveanyt
reat
sfort
hel
i
ttl
eguy?”

“Ri
ghthere!
”Shegrabsabagf rom herpocketandshowsittohernewf
ri
end,
t
oweringoverher
.Thefamili
arsoundandsmel loft
hetreat
sareenoughf
orMamet
o
per
kupf r
om hisr
esti
ngplacebythedoghouse.

Thet hr
eeofthem crossthestr eetovertothebeach,guidedbyI zumi.Ryujitakes
theballf
rom herandt r
iestotossi tashortdi
stance.Mame' sheadt ur
ns,buthe
staysathisposi
ti
oni nthesand.I zumitri
eslobbingit
,butMamei snotint
erest edand
start
stowalkaway .RyujiandI zumicallbackouttothedog,beggi nghimtocome
back,andheonl ydoessoatt hesoundofr ustl
ingtr
eats.Uponhi sret
urn,Ryuj itr
ies
presenti
ngtheballtoMame.Hesni f
fsit
,barel
yl i
cksit
,thentur
nst oIzumitryingto
getasnack.

“
Oy,doesMameevenl
i
ket
hisbal
l
?”Ryuj
ifi
nal
l
yasks.

“
Ummm…”saysI
zumi
.

“
Haveyouseenhi
m pl
aywi
thi
t
?”

“
Notr
eal
l
y…”

“
Ist
her
eat
oyhedoesl
i
ke?”

“
He'
sgotal
i
tt
ler
opewepl
ayt
ug-
of-
warwi
th,andhel
i
keschewi
ngoni
ttoo!
”

“
Let
'
str
ythati
nst
eadoft
hebal
l
.”

“
Okay!
”

71
I
zumirunsbacktowardthehouseandRyuj ipl
opshisbuttdowninthesand.Mame
l
ooksathimforamoment ,andRyujibeckonshim,butIzumihasthetr
eats,so
Mamet ur
nshiscurl
edtailandtrotsaf
terher.Whil
eshe'sgone,someoftheolder
boyscomeacrossthestr
eett oplaybaseball
,gearinhand.Theygetsetupont he
ot
hersideoft
hebeach.

I
zumireturnsint
oview,squeal
ingwit
hlaught
er.She'
srunni
ngwi
tht
he
af
orementionedblueropeinhand,hel
dhigh,andMamei sj
umpi
ngandchompi
ngat
i
texci
tedly
.

“
Hey
,that
'
spr
ett
ygood!
”Ryuj
ical
l
sout
.“Wemi
ghtbeabl
etowor
kwi
tht
hat
!”

Mamelat
chesontother
opeasIzumigivesi
ttoRyuj
i
.Mameyanksoni
trepeat
edl
y,
t
ryi
ngt
orecl
aimitfr
om Ryuj
i
’spower
fulhands.

“
Mame!Dr
opi
t
!”I
zumiyel
l
s.“
Letgo!
”

Thedogst
opsmoving.HelookstoI
zumiwit
hhi
seyesonl
y,notmovi
nghi
sheadan
i
nch.Hewatchesherashepull
soncemore.

“
Stop!
”

Mamer
elent
s,andl
etsgooft
her
ope.

“
Goodboy!
”

“
Givehi
m at
reatf
ort
hat
!”Ryuj
isays.

I
zumifol
l
owshi
sinst
ruct
i
onandhandst
hedogadel
i
cioussnack,andhescar
fsi
t
down.

“
Alr
ight
,let
’
str
ythi
sagai
n.”Ryuj
iget
suponhi
skneesandgi
vest
her
opeal
i
ttl
e
t
oss.

Thist
ime,Mamegoesaf tertherope,buthelaysdownwithitandchewsoni
tri
ght
whereitf
ell
.IzumiandRyujipr
aisethepooch,thenst
artencouragi
nghi
mtocome
back… Mamedoesn’ tl
i
sten.

“How’si
tgoi
ng?”Ki
ryui
sapproachi
ngt
hem wi
tht
hel
astgr
oupofki
dsi
ntow.They
alll
ookl
iket
hey’
rer
eadyforaswim.

“
Notgr
eat
,”Ryuj
il
aughs.“
He’
spr
ett
yst
ubb-
”

“
WATCHOUT!
”yel
l
savoi
cef
rom t
heot
hersi
deoft
hebeach.

72
Mit
suoknockedt heballoutofthepar
k,andit’
snowhur t
li
ngtowar
dseveryoneon
t
heot hersideoft
hebeach.Mucht oeveryone’
ssurpri
se,Mameget supandleaps
i
ntotheai r
,cat
chingtheballf
lawl
essl
ybetweenhisjaws.Hespri
ntsbackovertot
he
baseballgame.Ryujibur
ieshishandsinhi
spalmsandl aughs.

“
Guessi
t
’sal
lonMame’
ster
ms,huh?”hecomment
s.

“He’
salwaysbeenagreatout
fi
elder
,”Ki
ryusi
ghswi
thasmi
l
e.“
Anyway
,wewer
eal
l
aboutt
ogof oraswi
m.Wanttojoinus?”

“
Yeah,t
hatsoundsl
i
kef
un.Whatdoyout
hink,I
zumi
-chan?”

“Yeah,let’
sgo!”
Thet wooft hem marchbackupt ot hehousesot heycangetr eady.Ryujiret
urnsto
hisroom andget sdressed,opt
ingt oleavehisshir
tonbutopen.Thatway ,hecan
t
akei toffeasil
ybutsti
llhi
dehisdr agonuntilt
helastminute.Wit
haf orcefult
wistand
uncomf ort
ablegrunt
,heal sodetacheshi sarm andleavesitonhisthi
ngs.

Whenhe’
sreadyher
eturnstothehouse’sentr
ancewhereI
zumii
swait
ingi
nher
swi
mmingsui
tandi
sholdingtowel
sforthem both.Shej
umpsatt
hesi
ghtofRyuj
i
.

“
Ryuj
i
-sama,wher
eisyourar
m!?”sheexcl
aims,poi
nti
ng.

“
Itooki
tof
f,
”thel
argemanexpl
ains.“
Sal
twat
eri
sbadf
ori
t,soIj
ustl
efti
tinmy
r
oom.”

“
Oh…”hereyesar
est
uckonhi
svacantsl
eeve.

Ryuj
icr
ouchesnextt
oher
.“Hey
,rememberwhatyerUncl
eKazsai
daboutst
ari
n’?”

“
Ah!I
’
m sor
ry!
”

“S’
okay.Idon’
tmindi
tasmuchcuzIal r
eadystandoutl
i
keasor ethumb,heheh.I
t
canmakesomepeopl euncomfor
tabl
ethough.But
,weallgetusedtoitevent
ual
ly
.”
Ryujist
andsbackup.“
Anyway,yaready?”

“
Yeah!
”

Izumispri
ngsupandr unsacrossthestr
eet
.Ryujijogsaf
terher
.Onceonthebeach
sheeffor
tl
esslyki
cksoffherfl
i
p-f
lopsasshethrowst het
owelsasi
dei
ntothesand.
Shecontinuesspri
nti
ngdirect
lyi
ntothewaves.Oncedeepenough,theiner
ti
a
makeshert oppl
eintothewaterwit
hagoodspl ash.

“
Uh-
oh,ar
eyouokayt
her
e,I
zumi
?”Ki
ryuasks,comi
ngovert
oher
.

Herr
esponsei
slaught
er.She’
sfi
ne.

73
Onthebeach,Ryujishimmiesoutofhisshirt
,asift
oleti
tfal
lbehi
ndhi
m.He
cat
chesthesleevewithhi
slefthand,thenrest
sitbythet
owels.Hest
ri
desi
ntot
he
oceanandfeelsit
sicyembraceonhi sfeet
.

“
Ican’
tbeli
evethoseki
dscanjustjumpinther
e,”hesaysasheappr
oachesKi
ryu
whoisst
andingabovetheot
hers,super
visi
ng.

“Theyar
eanenergeti
cbunch,
”hesayswit
hasmile.“
Col
dwaterwon’tsl
owt
hem
down.Youdogetusedtoitaf
terawhi
l
e,andyoucometoexpecti
t.
”

I
zumical
l
soutt
oRyuj
i
.“Comegi
mmear
ide!
”sheshout
s,r
aisi
ngherar
ms.

Ryujisighsandhangshi sheadal it
tl
e.Thegir
lhasalreadywornhim outsomuch…
Hej ustwantsami nutet
orest,butheobligesandwalksovertoherallthesame.He
crouchesintotheoceanandI zumiclimbsontohisback,ki
cki
ngrapidl
yintothe
watertogetther estoft
heway .Onceshe’ sl
atchedaroundRyuj
i’
sneck,she
commandshi mtogodeeperi ntothewater.

Hisfeetsl
owlywalkfurt
herint
othedeep,st
andi
ngfastagainstt
heti
descomingand
going.I
zumilovesfeel
ingthewavesrushagai
nstherbody,buti
t’
snotenoughtopul
l
heroffRyuj
i.Evenifsheletsgo,hehasastr
onggriponher.

"
Ryuj
i
-sama,
"Izumisays,"
youhaveadr
agononyourbackj
ustl
i
keuncl
eKaz!
"

"ThatIdo,
"her epl
ieswit
hmelanchol
y.Shedoesn'
tful
l
yunder
standwhati
tmeans,
andhe'scert
ainlynotgoi
ngt
obr i
ngitup.

"
He'
ssoscar
y!"sher
emar
ks,l
ooki
ngi
ntot
hebeast
'
ssnar
li
ngf
ace.

Ryuj
ii
sn'
tqui
t
esur
ewhatt
osay
.Heonl
yagr
eeswi
thher
.

Forbet
terorwor
se,Kir
yubeckonsRyuj
ibackt
oshal
l
owerwat
ers.Ryuj
iheedst
he
cal
landretur
nswit
hIzumii
ntow.

"
I'
m goi
ngtost
artmaki
ngdi
nner
,"Ki
ryusays."
Isi
tokayi
fIl
eaveyout
olookover
t
hekidswhi
let
heyswim?"

"
Shoul
dbef
ine,
"Ryuj
iresponds.

"
Thankyou.Youguysl
i
stent
oRyuj
i
-SanandHar
uka,okay?Anddon'
tgot
oodeep
i
ntot
hewater!
"

Theschoolofswimmingki
dsallgi
veKiryutheaff
ir
mati
ve.Ashebeginstrudgi
ng
towardstheor
phanage,t
heyoungestboy,aloneamongstal
lthegi
rl
s,asksifhe
couldhavearidetoo…



74
Kir
yui sali
tt
lesurpri
sedatalltheruckusoutsi
dewhenhebegi nstosetthetabl
e.He
nowunder standswhyTaichi
,Koj i
,andMitsuodashedinandoutoft hei
rroomsina
fl
urry:Ryuj
iistossi
ngthem alli
ntothewaterli
kesacksofpotat
oes.Theyar eal
l
gatheredaroundhim cheeri
ngi nexci
tementasthechil
dbeingtossedyell
sor
screamsatt hethri
l
lofit
.

Kiryusmi lesatthesight.Ryuj
iiscert
ainlymorecarefulwit
htheyoungerchi l
dren,but
hest ruggleswithsomeoft hebiggerones.Regar dl
ess,Kiryuisimpressedwithwhat
Ryuj icandowi thonegoodar m.He' sputti
nghisalli
ntothi
s,drivingfor
wardwithhis
l
egs,usi ngallthemuscl esinhist
orsot osupportt
heone,st i
llmuscularar
mf l
ingi
ng
Kiryu'slovedonesi ntothesea.Ryujilur
chesforwardwitheacht oss,cat
chi
ng
himsel fwhenheput sonefootfor
war d.AndKiryugetsakickoutoft hewayRyuj i
rol
lshi sRswhenher oarswit
heacht hrow.

Shi
ro'
stur
n.Ryuj
iscoopsherupandst
art
stobendhi
slegs.

"
Thr
ee,t
wo,one!ORRRRRAAAAAH!
"

"
EEEEEEEEEE!
"

SPLASH!

Taichii
snext.Ryuj
ist
ruggl
estopi
ckupt
heol
destboywi
thhi
sonear
m,andTai
chi
'
s
feetsti
l
ltouchthewat
er'
ssurf
ace.

"
Thr
ee,one!
"

"
What
?!"

"
RRRRRAAAGH!
"

"
AAAAAAAH!
"

SPLASH!

Everyonei
slaughi
ngandhavi
ngl
otsoff
un.Ki
ryui
shappyt
heyal
lwar
medupt
ohi
s
guest.

Andatt hatmoment ,Ki

ryuf
eelsl
ikehe'
sbeenhitbyabul
lett
rain.Havi
ngspenta
goodwhi l
ewat chi
ngthi
sscene,stucki
nthedoorway
,hereal
i
zest hatRyuj
ii
s
speci
al.Thisi
sn'tt
hesameki ndofspeci
alt
hatsetst
het
wodr agonsapartf
rom t
he
under
wor ld… no.Thisi
s-

"Goddamni t
,"Ki
ryugrumbl
est
ohi
msel
f.Hebur
ieshi
semot
ionsdeep,t
hen
cont
inuesset
ti
ngthetabl
e.

"
Ever
yone!Ti
met
oeat
!"hecal
l
soutoncehe'
sfi
nished.

75
Litt
l
ebyl i
tt
let
hekidstel
leachotherthatdinnerisready,andtheexcit
ement
subsidesastheystar
ttowalkbackupt hebeach.I nanor der
lyf
ashiontheyall
distr
ibut
etowel
stoeachother,Ryujii
ncludedi nt
hatgroup.AyakohelpsRyujisl
ip
backi nt
ohisAl
ohashirt
,hi
dingawayt hegol dendragononcemor e.

I
nanuncommonbutpr edict
ableturnofevents,thisdi
nnerisoneofthequietest
mealsatMor ni
ngGloryinal ongtime.But,i
t'
sagoodsi l
ence.It
'
snotasi l
enceof
gri
ef,butoneofpureexhaust i
onandhunger ,signsofasuccessfuldayofplay.Ryuj
i
haddoneanumberont hekidsthatday,andfort hat
,Kir
yuisgratef
ul.Get
ti
ngt hem
t
obedwi l
lbeapieceofcakel ater
.



Thesunhadsetbeneat hthehor
izonlongago.Ryuj
isi
tsont hebeach,acanofbeer
rest
i
ngbet weenhi
sf i
nger
sashewat chesthewavesrol
linanddancei nthe
moonli
ght.Hisshi
rthassi
ncebeenbut t
onedup,andhisprosthet
icar
m poppedback
i
ntoplace.

Kir
yuissti
l
linsi
detheorphanage,tucki
ngi
nt helastoft
hekidst
hatdeci
dedtobe
ext
radif
fi
cul
t.Al
lisdar
kandst i
lli
nthebuil
ding.PerhapsKi
ryuhadfal
lenasl
eepwit
h
t
hekidshimself
?

AssoonasRyuj
ithi
nkst hi
s,Kir
yuemer gesf
rom thedarknessofhi
shome,more
beeri
nhand.Ki
ryu'
sfeetcrunchacrosstheunpavedroadandont ot
hebeach.He
pl
opsdownnexttoRyujiwit
hasi gh.

"You'
l
lneverguesswhowasgi vi
ngmet roubl
eint
her
e,"Ki
ryusaysasheopenshi
s
ownbeercanwi t
hthataddi
ct
ivecrackandpop.

"
Izumi
?"Ryuj
iasks.

Ki
ryul
aughs."
Yeah.Shewasaski
ngf
orheruncl
eRyuj
i
."

Ryujihuf
fsasmil
eandhangshishead,l
ooki
ngatt
hesandbet
weenhi
slegs."
I'
m
al
readyatuncl
estat
us,huh?"

"
Guessso.I
'm surpr
isedathowqui
ckl
yshet
ookashi
net
oyou,
"Ki
ryur
emar
ks,
l
ooki
ngatt
heot herdragon.

"Youcant hankMamef ort

hat
,Is'
pose,
"Ryujicomments.Het akesasipofhi
sbeer
,
eyesstil
lgazingatt
heocean."
I'
m sur
pri
sedtoo,thatmusthavetakenalotof
courage.Eitherway
,I'
m gl
adIwasabletaconnectwit
hthekidstoday.
"

"Li
kewi
se.Thanksf
orpl
ayi
ngwit
hthem t
oday
.Itmustber
efr
eshi
ngt
opl
aywi
th
someonewho'snott
hei
rol
duncl
eKazforonce."

"
Maybe.Theyl
oveyat
hough.Yagot
tagr
eatgoupa'
kids.
"

76
"
Yeah.
"

"
..
."

"So,uuh,howhaveyoubeendoi
ng,Ryuji
?Imean,sincethewhol
ezombi
ethi
ngi
n
Kamurocho,andthel
astt
i
mewemet ,Ithoughtyouwere…"

"Mmm.I'
vebeensur
vivi
n'Iguess.Ci
vi
li
anli
fei
shar
dert
hani
tseems.I
'
m wor
kin'
my
assof
fyetIf
eell
i
keI'
m brokeallt
heti
me."

"
Ifeelyou.Thent
ryhavi
ngni
neki
dst
ofeed,andadog.
"

"
Eh,yagotmet
her
e."

"
..
."

"
Ist
i
llgetni
ght
mar
es'
boutal
lt
hezombi
eshi
t.
"

Ki
ryusaysnot
hingbutl
ookst
othel
arger
,yetmor
evul
ner
abl
eman.

"Dr
eamsli
ke,Igotbi
tbyazombi
eonmypr
ost
het
ic,butsomehowIst
il
ll
osemysel
f.
Iwakeupfeel
i
n'iti
nmyarm."

"
Sor
ry.
"

"
Nah,i
t
'sf
i
ne.S'
justhar
doutt
her
e."

"
Mhm.
"

"
CanIaskhowHauka'
sdoi
n'
?"

"
She'sdef
i
nit
elymor
eunset
tl
edt
hist
ime,butsheal
waysdoesbet
tert
hanIt
hinkshe
i
s.She'
sastr
onggir
l.
"

"
Wasj
ustt
hinki
n't
hesamet
hing.
"

Ki
ryusmi
l
es.Hi
sfacei
sful
lofpr
ideandl
ovef
orhi
sdaught
er.

"
Andyou?"Ryuj
iasks."
How'
reyoudoi
n'
,Ki
ryu-
san?"

"
Youknow,I
'
vebeenwor
se.
"Hesi
ghs.

"
That
'
snotsayi
n'much.
"

Theybothhuf
fasmal
llaugh.Asdepressi
ngasi
tis,Ryuj
i
'snotwr
ong.Theybot
h
havebeenthr
oughmuch,muchwor se.

77
Ki
ryu'
smindraces.Doeshetel
lRyuj
i?Hesaidhewasl onel
y,andsoisKi
ryu.As
ni
ceasthecompanyofhischil
dreni
s,heneedsanadulttol
eanonfrom t
imeto
t
ime.AndRyujipr
ovedhimsel
ftobeawonderfulpar
tner
.

"
That
'
sit
?"Ryuj
iasks,squi
nti
nghi
seyesal
i
ttl
eathi
ssi
l
enthost
.

Shi
t
.Her
ewego.

"You'r
enotwrongabouti
tbei
nglonelyasaci
vil
ian,
"Kir
yubegins."
Evenwithmy
kids,t
heycanbehardtorel
atet
osomet i
mes.Ihaven'
treal
l
ytoldanyoneaboutwhat
happenedinKamurocho… ButIguessnoone'
sbotheredtoask.Theyknowthe
answerisnotgoi
ngtobegood."

"Mmm.Ihearya. "Ryujit
urnshiseyesf
rom Kiryuandlooksbackoutt ot
he
shi
mmer i
ngwaters.
"RecentlyIj
ustmetsomeoner eal
lyni
cethough.They'reki
nd,helpf
ul,br
ave…
someoneIcoul dreal
lyusearoundtheorphanage.Ili
kethem alott
oo."Kir
yu
confesses,hear
traci
ng.Thisi
sgoingtogosopoor ly
.

"
Hooo?Who'
sthel
uckyl
ady?"Ryuj
idoesn'
tgeti
tyet
.

"
They'
renotal
ady…"

"
Oh,di
dn'
tknowyouwer
egay
."

"I
'
m notsur
ehowt
olabelmysel
fatt
hemoment
.Thi
sisapr
ett
yrecent
devel
opment.
"

"
Mm.Iwon'
tpr
ythen,
"Ryuj
iconcl
udes.

"
..
.Pl
easeaskmewhoi
ti
s,
"Ki
ryumumbl
es.

Ryuj
imakesaquest
ioni
ngsound.Hel
ooksatKi
ryuagai
nwi
thani
ntensegaze.

"
Ooookay
,"hegoes,"
who'
sthel
uckyi
ndi
vi
dualt
hen?"

Ki
ryusayssomet
hinguni
ntel
l
igi
ble.

"
Haw?"

"
It
'syou.
"

"
Comeagai
n?It
houghtyouj
ustsai
d-"

"
It
'syou,Ryuj
i
."

78
"
..
."

"
..
."

"I
'
m gunnaneedmorefucki
n'beerfort
his,
"Ryuj
ist
ates,r
eachi
ngf
oranot
hercan
andcracki
ngi
topenswif
tl
y.Hetakesagoodswig.

"
Sorry,
"Ki
ryustammer s,"
nowr
eal
l
yisn'
tappr
opr
iat
eandIshoul
dhavet
houghtt
his
t
hroughmore.Ijust
-"

Ryuj
ipl
ant
shi
snewl
yempt
iedcani
nthesand."
Whatt
hef
ucki
swr
ongwi
thyou?"

"
Eh?"Ki
ryuf
reezes.Thi
sisaboutwhatheexpect
ed,buti
thur
tsal
lthesame.

"
Afteral
lI
'vedonetoyoun'theToj
o,andaft
erallyou'
vedonetome… yat
ellme
t
his?Idon'tgeti
t
,Ki
ryu-
san.Wedon'texact
lygotgoodhist
ory
."

"Iknow,itdoesn'
tmakesenset omeeit
her.Ij
ustsawyouplayi
ngwiththeki
dstoday
andIfeltgood.Warm,happy.Andtheyl
ikeyoutoo.Thatmeansalottome.You've
changed,Ryuji.Despi
teever
ythi
ngyou'
vebeent hr
ough,you'
redoi
ngyourbestto
bebetter.Thatmakesyouagoodman. "

Ryuj
ipausesamomentt
opr
ocesswhathej
usthear
d.

"
Ahf
uck,
"Ryuj
ihi
deshi
sfacei
nhi
sar
ms.

"
Ithi
nkwemakeagoodt
eam,nomat
terwhatsi
tuat
ionwe'
rei
n."

Ryuj
idoesn'
tmove,andhedoesn'
tsayanyt
hing.

"
Ryuj
i
?"Ki
ryu'
svoi
cei
ssof
t.

Ryuj
it
akesadeep,waver
ingbr
eat
h."Neveri
nami ll
i
onyearswoul
dIthi
nkt
hef
ir
st
per
sontosayt
hatt
omewoul dbeyou.I
t-I… Thankyou,i
tmeansalot
."

Ryujidoesn'
twantt
osayanythi
ngmore.Hist
hroati
stootight
,andKiryuhear
si t
.
He'
ssur pri
sedhowfragi
l
eRyuji
'
stoughext
eri
orreal
l
yis,evidentbyhowRyujii
sst i
ll
hi
dinghisfacebehi
ndhismassi
vearms.Thetwoofthem staysepar
ateandsti
llfor
awhi l
e,unmovi
ng.

"
..
.Youokay?"Ki
ryuf
inal
l
yasks.

"
You'
dreal
l
yfor
giveme?Af
teral
lthat
?"

"
Yeah,It
hinkyouract
ionsspeakf
ort
hemsel
ves.
"

79
Ryuj
isni
f
fl
esanddr
ieshi
stear
swi
thhi
slef
thand.

Kiryudeci
destotaket
herisk.Hemovesthebeer,scoot
scloser
,andwr
apshisar
m
aroundtheotherman.Ryujidoesn'
ti
mmedi
atel
yr ej
ecti
t,whi
chisapl
easant
surpri
setoKi
ryu.

Kir
yuwaitspat
i
entl
yf orRyujit
ocoll
ecthimself
.Theyl i
stentot
hewavescomi ngand
goi
ng,overandover.Ryujidoeshi
sbestt ouseitsflowinhisownbreat
hwhi l
eKir
yu
st
aresi
ntothesapphireabyss.Thelongertheysitthere,t
hemoreRyujir
eali
zeshow
comfor
tabl
eheisinKi r
yu'
sar ms.I
shet hattouch-star
ved?Orisi
tsomethingmore?

"Youwouldbesurpr
isedatwhatki
ndofpeopl
ewashuponthi
sbeach,
"Kir
yusays
outofnowher
e."Goodmen,badmen,bot hwi
thapastt
heyneedt
oescapefr
om."

"
Huh?"Ryuj
ihasnoi
deawhatKi
ryui
sgoi
ngonabout
.Heper
ksupf
rom hi
dinga
l
i
tt
le.

"I
t'
sal ongstory
.Atanyr ate,I'
vehelpedt hem bothgetst
art
edwi t
hsecondchances.
AndI '
m hereforyoutoo.Ifthere'
sanythingyoueverneed,l etmeknow."
Ryujigivesinandputshiswei ghtonKiryu,r est
inghi
sheadont heot
her'
sshoulder
.
Kir
yupr esseshischeekintoRyuji'
shair.Kiryuthumbssoft
lyonRyuji
'sbicep.

"
Thanks,
"Ryuj
irumbl
es."
Itmeanssomuch.Ican'
tevenbegi
ntot
ellya.
"

Ryuji
'
seyesf alltoKir
yu'sl
egs.Hedeci
dest ot
aketherisk.Hecarefull
yrest
shis
warm,or gani
cfinger
sonKi r
yu'si
nnert
high.Thesensati
onisal i
tt
leforei
gntohi
m,
soabr eathescapesKi r
yu’
sli
ps.ThesoundechoesinRyuj i
'
sears.Hewant smore,
sohedi gshisfinger
sintot
heotherman'smuscle.Ki
ryumakesat i
nysound.Ryuji
neverwoul dhaveguessedhecouldgetsowor kedupovert hi
ssoeasi l
y.

Ki
ryu'shanddropsfur
therdownRyuj
i
'sarm andexpl
orest
hecol
d,forei
gndet
ail
sof
hi
spr ost
het
ic.Hi
snail
scatchoneachri
dgedplat
eandnotchonhisforear
m.Ki
ryu
st
rokeshisfi
ngersupanddown.

"
Hol
yshi
t…"Ryuj
ihuf
fs."
Icanf
eelt
hat
.AndIknowmybr
ainai
n'
tpl
ayi
n't
ri
ckson
me.
"

Ki
ryuf
reezes.He'
snotsur
ewhatt
odo.

"
Canyouf
eeli
ti
fsomeonet
ouchesyourpr
ost
het
ic?"heasks.

"Ineverknewwhatwasgoin'ont
her
eifI'
m bei
n'honest
.Ithi
nkIcanf
eelthi
ngsbut,
halft
hetimeIdunnoi
fthat
'
sat hi
ngwit
haphantom arm orwhat
… butIcanfeelya,
ri
ghtnow,nodoubtabouti
t.
"

Ki
ryur
emai
nssi
l
enti
nbot
hconf
usi
onandbewi
l
der
ment
.

80
Theyturnandf
aceeachother
.Ryujil
if
tshisheadandcl
oseshiseyesasKir
yutakes
t
hesyntheti
car
m backi
ntohiswar
m pal ms.Helet
shishandswanderal
loverand
wit
nessesRyuj
i
'sf
inger
stwit
chinresponse.

Themor ehewatchesthescene,t
hemoreKi
ryuenj
oyst
hesi
ght
.Hewant
stosee
Ryuj
ireeli
ng.Hewantstodri
vehim mad.

"
Ryuj
i
,"Ki
ryuasksaf
terahar
dgul
p."
CanI
-canIki
ssyou?"

"
Idon'
tfucki
n'car
e."

I
tisn'
taverycl
earanswer
,soKir
yuapproachescauti
ousl
y.Ryuj
i
'sheadi
sst
il
lti
l
ted
upwards,soKi
ryuput
shisl
ipsonRyuj
i'
sthickneck.

"
Ohf
uck…"Ryuj
iwhi
sper
s.

"
Youokay?"Ki
ryuasks,nosej
ustski
mmi
ngt
hegol
dendr
agon'
sski
n.

"
Ican'
tbel
i
evet
hisi
shappeni
ng…"

"
Areyoucomf
ort
abl
ewi
tht
his?"

"
Yeah.
"

Kir
yureachesbacki nandcontinuesli
cki
ngandsuckli
ngatt
hetendonsonRyuji
's
neck.Preoccupiedwit
hmout hi
ngthere,Ki
ryu'
shandsslowt
oastil
laroundRyuj
i
's
arm.Ryujil
if
tshisarm outofKi
ryu'spal
msandsl i
psi
tupunder
neathKiryu’
sshi
rt
.
Thecold,syntheti
ctouchonhisspinemakesKi r
yugaspandst
rai
ghtenup.

Ryuj
iusesthi
sopport
uni
tytoassumet
heposi
ti
onKi
ryuhadonhi
m,pl
aci
nghi
sface
i
ntheazuredragon’
sneck.

“
Yersowar
m,”Ryuj
imout
hsont
oKi
ryu’
sski
n.“
Icanf
eeli
t.
”

Hepushesthet woofthem f
urt
herintothesand.He’sleani
ngoverKir
yuwhose
handsarebehindhisback,Ryuj
i’
slefthandamongt hem whil
ehisr
ightcont
inues
sendi
ngfri
gid,metal
l
icwavesupKi ryu’
sspine.Ki
ryuclawsint
othesandasRyuj i
hashisownt ur
nathim.

Kir
yuadjustshimselfsot hathecanst ayupononear m anduset heot hert
ot ouch
Ryuji
.Kir
yu’shandsst artjustbeneathRyuji
’sj
awandf ol
lowdownhi sneck,thensli
p
underhisshir
ttowardhisshoul ders.Hecomesbackf orwardandf eelsupRyuj i
’s
chest
,outsidehisshir
t.Hi sshir
tcoll
arfl
i
psbackupwhenKi ryu’sfi
ngerti
pstr
aildown
Ryuji
'
sbr oad,muscularpecs.Ryuj i’
sfamil
i
aryetl
argerform alwayscaughtKi r
yu’s
att
enti
on,butneverqui t
el i
kethis.

81
Ki
ryu’
shandst
rai
ll
ower.HepressesandgrabsRyuji
'shi
ps.Hear
tpoundi
ng,he
movesbet
weenRyuji
’
slegsandbr ushesagai
nsthi
ssti
ff
eni
ngcock.

“
Hey
,”Ryuj
imumbl
es,l
ooki
ngdownwi
thl
i
ddedeyes.

Ki
ryu’
sful
lpal
misonRyuj
i
’scr
otchnow.

“
Hey
.”

Ki
ryui
sn’
tst
oppi
ng.He-

“
Hey
,that
’
senough.
”

Ryuji
’smet alhandgrabsKi r
yubyt hewristandpullshim away.Thest r
engt
hofhi s
gri
ptriggersafamili
arref
lex,causingKir
yu’sownmuscl est otenseupandpul lback
wit
haf i
st
.Agasphi ssi
sthroughhi steet
hashisf acetakesonavi cioussnar
l.Ryuji
’s
eyesnar rowinresponse.Thedr agonsfreezeforamomenti nthi
spositi
on:Ryuji
l
oomi ngoverKi r
yu,Kir
yu’shandpul l
edbackt ohischest,boththeireyesabl
azewi t
h
adrenali
ne.

Sl
owly,Ryuj
il
etsgo,andhi sfaceret
urnst
onormal
.Seei
ngt
his,Ki
ryur
elaxesas
wel
l.Ashamed,theyseparateandretur
ntosi
tt
ingf
aci
ngt
hesea.
“
Sorry,
”Kir
yustart
s.“Iwasn’tl
ist
eni
ngtoyou.
”

“S’f
ine.It
hinkwe’
reget
ti
n’aheadofour
sel
vesher
e.Ipr
obabl
yshoul
da’
beenmor
e
clearmyself.
”

Amomentofsi
l
ence.

“
IguessIdon’
ttr
ustyouasmuchasIt
houghtIdi
d,”Ki
ryul
ament
s.

“
Iwasscar
edf
orabi
tther
etoo.
”

“
Sor
ry…”

Apause.

“
..
.That
’
snot
’t
asayIdi
dn’
tl
ikei
tthough,
”Ryuj
isays.

Ki
ryu’
sheadper
ksupandsnapst
oRyuj
i
.“Real
l
y?”

“Yeah.GuessI
’m notsur
ewhatitmeanstome…”Ryuj
i
’swor
dst
rai
lof
fandhi
seyes
dartabout
,asi
flooki
ngforhi
sthought
s.

“
Wel
l
,thatmakest
woofust
hen,
”Ki
ryur
eassur
es.

82
Theyfal
lqui
etagain,bot
htryi
ngtoprocesswhatj usthappenedwhil
ethi
nkingof
somet
hingtosaytotheother.Buti
t’
suseless.Sincethere'
snothi
ngtosay,Kir
yu
awkwardl
yfumblesforanot
herbeer,butcan'tf
indone.

"
Oh,guesst
her
ewasl
essbeeri
nher
ethanIt
hought
,"hesays.

"
Shit,Idi
dn'
thavet
hatmanydi
dI?"Ryuj
i
'seyeswi
denashel
ooksoveratwhat
'
s
l
eft
.

"
Wai
t
-ther
e'sonemor
e,"Ki
ryumanagest
ofi
ndt
hecant
hatst
raggl
edbehi
nd.

"
Oht
hankgod,
"Ryuj
isi
ghs,"
Idi
dn'
twantt
otaket
hel
astone.
"

"Idon'
tmind,
"Ki
ryusmi
l
esashecr
acksopent
hel
astcanandt
akesasi
pfor
himsel
f.

Thenextfewminut
esarespenti
nsilence.Thet
womenar eanxious,exci
ted,and
comfor
tedbyeachother
'spr
esence.It
'sasil
ent
,invi
si
blest
orm surroundi
ngthe
spacebetweent
hem.

Af
terafewminutesobser
vingt
heseaandstar
ingint
ot hestar
ryabyss,Ki
ryushakes
hi
scan.Theonlythi
nglef
tisafewdr
opsbouncingaroundinsi
de.

"
Wel
l
,I'
m exhaust
ed.I
'
m goi
ngt
obed,
"hesays.

"I
'
llcomewit
hya,"Ryuj
iechoes.
Theybothgat
herupthei
rgarbageandbegi
ntot
rudgebackupt
otheor
phanage.

"
Kir
yu,
"Ryuj
isaysi
nal
owvoi
ce,pausi
ngi
nthef
rontyar
d.

"
Hm?"Ki
ryut
urnst
olookatt
heot
herdr
agon.

"Ican'
tthankyaenoughf ort
oday.I
'
mrealhappyt
oo,aboutyou,t
heki
ds… Idunno.
Ifeelgood,"Ryuj
ist
ates,smi
li
ng.Heavoi
dseyecont
actwithKir
yu.

"
Good.I
'
m gl
adyoucoul
dcomevi
si
t.
"

Theycreepintotheorphanage,doi
ngthei
rbestt
otreadquietl
ydespit
ebothofthei
r
massi
vebodi es.Bef
oreKi r
yucansaygoodnight
,Ryujimanagest opresshi
sli
ps
agai
nstKir
yu'scheek.Kiryuret
urnst
hefavoronRyuji
'sl
ips,pul
li
ngawaysi l
ent
l
y.

"
Goodni
ght
,Ryuj
i
."

"
G'ni
ght
."



83
"Awwwwyou' r
eleavi
ngalr
eady!?"Taichii
sshouti
ngatRyuj
iwhohasbagsi
nhand
agai
n,butsti
l
ladornedinacert
ainblueshirt
.Thekidsar
ecrowdedar
oundKi
ryuand
Ryuj
i,whotoweroverthef
li
ghtofkidsbeneaththem.

"
WishIcoul
dst
ayl
onger
,Tai
chi
-kun,butIgot
tagetbackt
oTokyo!
"

"
Why?"asksl
i
tt
leI
zumi
.

"
Ili
vet
her
e!Igot
tagetbackt
owor
k."

"
You'
renotgoi
ngt
ogethur
tar
eyou?"Ayakochi
mesi
n.

Ryuj
il
aughswhi
l
elooki
ngatKi
ryu.Heknowswhyt
hat
'
saconcer
n."
I'
llbef
i
ne,I
pr
omise.
"

I
zumir
unsupandcol
l
idesi
ntohi
slegwi
thahug."
You'
l
lcomebackagai
nri
ght
?"

"
Askyerdad.
"

"
Uncl
eKaz?!Canuncl
eRyuj
icomevi
si
tagai
n?"

Ki
ryuchuckl
es."
Ofcour
se.He'
swel
comeanyt
ime.
"

I
zumi'
sreacti
onisafaceofpur
eexcit
ement,somuchsothatKi
ryu,Ryuji
,andafew
oft
hekidslaughwhentheyseeit
.Ryuj
iwi
llremembert
hatexpr
essionforalong
t
ime.

"
GuessIbet
terbeof
fthen.
"

Theki
dsgivethei
runani
mousfarewel
l,t
hetwodragonssayt
heirgoodbyes,and
Ryuj
it
urnstowalkupthestr
eettowar
dsthest
ati
on.Hefeel
sli
kehedoesn' tdeser
ve
t
obet hi
shappy,buthecan'
tst
opsmili
ng.

84
Autumn Moon
Written by Lolu
Illustrated by saltandbees

A Shinsengumi mission sends Saito

and Okita to the Arashiyama
mountain range on the outskirts of
Kyoto. They take in the scenic
landscape while getting to know
each other more intimately.

Contains: adventure, developing

relationship, pining, confessions,
kissing, and romantic sex.
Okita thinks this: the autumn colors of Arashiyama are beautiful, but not as beautiful as
Saito Hajime, when he gazes at the red canopy above their heads with his eyes wide
and his lips parted in awe.

The afternoon is exceptionally warm and bright for the time of the year; the sun is
reaching its fingers through the vibrant leaves, lazily caressing their skin. Saito dips his
head back and closes his eyes with a contented sigh. The corners of his lips curl up in
a smile. Light paints his features in warm, golden hues, and Okita feels like he is looking
beyond the veil of the material world at something transcendent. He thinks of the
merciful goddess Kannon, whose thousand and one statues line the halls of the
Rengeo temple. He thinks of the sculptors of old who carved the cypress wood into the
mystical faces of the bodhisattva. Were they gripped with the same sense of elation as
he is experiencing now, in this fleeting moment?

His silent reverie is cut short when Saito lowers his head and opens his eyes, shading
them from the sun with his hand. His tone is playful when he says, “Why do you look at
me like that? Do I have something on my face?”

Okita blinks and swallows nervously, racking his brain for something to say. In any
other circumstances, a snappy retort or a nonchalant comment would easily roll off his
tongue. Now he fears to open his mouth because his head is filled with sentences he
cannot speak out loud. Because ‘You’re the most stunning thing I’ve ever laid my eye
upon,’ is not something he can say to a friend, and Okita would surely wither and die if
Saito looked at him with revulsion.

A red maple leaf, making a graceful descent from a branch above their heads, saves
him from embarrassment. Okita watches it flutter in the light breeze like a butterfly,
pirouetting down to land on top of Saito’s head.

“Showing its back, showing its front—” Okita mutters under his breath, extending his
hand to pick the leaf out of his friend’s hair.

“—falling maple leaf,” Saito finishes the poem. “I know this one. I’ve heard it before,
though I can’t remember who wrote it.”

“No, me neither,” Okita says, flustered.

“I didn’t know you were into poetry,” Saito says with a teasing smile.

Okita scoffs and averts his eye. “Poetry? Me? ‘Course, I’m not into it.”

But you make me want to write poems.

He looks down at the leaf he is still holding, pinched between his thumb and index
finger.

87
“Here,” he shoves the leaf into Saito’s hands. “A present.”

“Thank you, Okita.” Saito speaks like he means it and smiles brighter than the sun. He
places the leaf inside the wide sleeve of his kimono. “I will treasure it as a reminder of
this wonderful day.”

Okita feels his cheeks heating up and grunts in reply, before saying, “Let’s keep goin’
before it gets dark.”

He starts walking and soon hears Saito’s footsteps behind him. They climb the winding
stone steps leading up the hill. The forest is dense and brilliant with colors, and the
path looks like an entrance to a fairytale world. They pass more people on their way up,
and the wooden gate to the Daihikaku Senkoji temple is bustling with visitors.

The crowd is even thicker on the viewing platform that juts from the main hall of the
temple overlooking the steep side of the mountain. They make their way to the very
edge of it, and take in the dramatic view. The waters of Katsura River are emerald blue
and shimmer like jewels under the sun; the trees covering the surrounding mountains
are bursting with colors: vivid greens and blood reds and yellows like melted gold. The
view is magnificent, but Okita doesn’t care about any of it. He slumps over the wooden
railing and lets the air from his lungs escape him in a long sigh.

Okita knew he was in trouble the day that Saito first set foot in the Shinsengumi
headquarters. The way the mysterious newcomer wiped the floor with Shinpachi was
impressive, but what really struck Okita’s heart was the look that Saito gave him during
their deathly stalemate, when both of their short swords hovered a fingerbreadth away
from the opponent’s skin. That angry frown and the fire in those brown eyes awakened
a hunger in Okita that he could not stave off ever since.

When Okita understood the nature of his longing, his instinct for self-preservation
kicked in and made him hide behind a mask of indifference and brusqueness. Don’t
ever come near me, he tried to convey. I’ll bite your hand off. But for some inexplicable
reason, the more he snarled and growled and acted like the feral dog that he was, the
more Saito seemed to warm up to him. He befriended Okita, ignoring the incredulous
looks he got from the other captains who sensed their unlikely camaraderie. As for
Okita, before he even realized what was happening, he had fallen completely under
Saito’s spell, wagging his tail, whining at the sight of his extended hand, begging to be
petted.

88
From that moment on, he was all Okita could think about. He followed Saito with his
eye as he went about his business in the Shinsengumi headquarters, devouring his
every movement. During the debriefs between missions, when Saito sat ramrod
straight at Okita’s side and listened to whoever’s boring speech, Okita would imagine
running his fingers down the column of his neck or brushing his lips against his
collarbone. Would his skin be warm or cool? How smooth would it be under his touch?
He would fantasize about brushing his hair and kissing the delicate shell of his ear,
putting his arms around him from behind and holding him close to his chest, resting his
forehead on Saito’s shoulder. He watched the shape of Saito’s mouth when he spoke,
and would suddenly find himself out of breath, taking silent gulps of air to fill his lungs
again.

All Okita wanted was to spend some time with Saito, without the prying eyes of others
and the steady buzz of gossip that his peers seemed to live on between their drills and
missions. His chance had come unexpectedly in the form of a job they had been
assigned to together. Their goal was to take out a group of bandits who broke in and
robbed rich country houses in the western outskirts of Kyoto. Backed by several men
from both of their units, they made their way to Sagano — a region renowned for its
scenic beauty, and as a retreat for the nobles and the members of the Imperial Court
since ancient times.

The robbers, whose camping site they had found deep in the forest of Arashiyama,
turned out to be a ragtag pack of wild men, unskilled with a sword. They were no
match for the two Shinsengumi captains and their task was over before Okita worked
up a sweat. He and Saito left their subordinates behind to clean up the mess and
headed back to Kyoto. They made their way down the mountain and were walking
across the picturesque Togetsu bridge that spanned over the Katsura River, when
Saito came to a sudden halt and caught Okita by the wrist. Okita stopped as well, a
tingly sensation creeping up his arm from the place where Saito was holding him.

As if noticing the shift in Okita’s stance, Saito dropped his eyes down to their hands
and released his wrist abruptly. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s the view. It’s breathtaking.”

Okita shrugged, “Guess so.”

It was the middle of the month of Kannazuki, the peak of koyo — the season of the red
autumn foliage — and the atmosphere in Sagano was nothing short of festive. Dozens
of elegant pleasure boats drifted on the river like flower petals, silhouetted against the
stunning backdrop of the vibrant mountain forests. Smaller boats carried couples of
lovers, who whispered to each other as they gazed at the distant peaks; on the larger
ones, groups of wealthy merchants clad in opulent garments celebrated the changing
of seasons with copious amounts of food and sake. Laughter and cheerful
conversations echoed over the water.

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“Ya never been here before?” Okita asked.

“I’ve only seen it in paintings,” Saito replied. “But it’s so much more beautiful in reality. I
wish we could stay longer.”

Saito continued to look around with a delighted expression while Okita’s thoughts
raced in his head. They were ahead of schedule; no one expected them to return
before the following day. And no one would know if they stuck around in Sagano for a
little longer. He could ask Saito to spend the rest of the day with him and take him to all
the famous spots. Okita knew the place well enough to make a half-decent guide. All
he needed to do was ask, and he had to act quickly, before the moment passed.

But why on earth would Saito agree to stroll around in this cloyingly romantic scenery
with Okita of all the people? Saito could have anyone he wanted. He was good and
kind and beautiful, while Okita was… well aware of the fact that — as Saito had once
pointed out straight to his face — he was not nearly living up to the renowned good
looks of his namesake.

He was still battling with his thoughts when Saito turned to look at him with a smile so
radiant it nearly blinded Okita’s remaining eye. Okita’s palms became clammy and his
heart beat so hard in his chest he was sure Saito could hear it. Before he fully realized
what he was doing, he blurted out, “Do ya wanna stay here for the rest of the day? I
can show ya ‘round the place.” He tore his eye away from Saito and fixed it on the river,
waiting for the inevitable axe of a ‘no’ to fall and split his stupid heart into two.

“I’d love that,” Saito said. “Thank you, Okita.”

Okita nearly fainted out of joy and relief. He murmured a thankful prayer under his
breath; it was clear to him that the gods were cheering on him from above. He
promised them this: he would take this opportunity and give it his best shot. If, despite
his efforts, by the end of the day Saito gave no sign that Okita’s feelings were
reciprocated, he would try to let go of this hopeless infatuation. With new resolve, Okita
grabbed Saito by his upper arm and started walking. Saito made a surprised sound but
obediently increased his pace to match Okita’s long strides.

“Where are we heading?” Saito asked with an amused expression.

Okita grinned in reply, “Just trust me.”

He led Saito off the bridge, and for a while they walked along the river bed, then down
winded forest paths, until they arrived in a place where bamboo plants grew densely
along a narrow path, creating a mesmerizing tunnel. The evergreen stalks swayed back
and forth in the wind, soaring up so high that their leaves seemed to be touching the
blue sky above.

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Saito stopped, turned to Okita, and recited, “Storm Mountain, in a thicket’s dense
growth, a line of wind.”

“That’s a famous one, ain’t it?” Okita said.

“I just realized it’s about this place,” Saito said with a glint of excitement in his eyes.
“Arashiyama — the Storm Mountain, and the thicket is the bamboo grove. I never
thought I’d come here one day.”

Suppressing a smile, Okita placed his palm on Saito’s back, touching him lightly.
“Come on, there’s a lot more we gotta see.”

Okita next took him to the Tenryuji — a renowned Zen temple established hundreds of
years ago — where they sat down to rest on the temple’s wooden porch, gazing at the
sprawling landscape garden. Gold and white-red koi fish swam in the blue waters of
the pond, distorting the perfect image of red maple trees reflected on its surface.

“A hundred-year-old landscape — in the garden, fallen leaves,” Okita said, breaking the
silence.

“So you were a poet at heart,” Saito said with a teasing smile.

“What? No—” Okita huffed. “I didn’t just make it up. I must’ve heard it somewhere.”

91
“Either way, it’s perfect,” Saito declared.

Okita jumped to his feet, grumbling “Let’s go,” and marched back inside the building,
ignoring Saito’s quiet laughter.

From the temple, they walked into a crowded shopping district that was lined with
cramped little stores offering a dazzling variety of goods: souvenirs, hair ornaments,
wooden toys, silk fans and kimonos embroidered with seasonal motifs. They stopped
here and there to taste the delicacies the vendors held out for the passers-by to
sample. Saito closed his eyes and let out a delighted moan around a piece of momiji
manju that the owner of a small teahouse handed to him. Okita hurriedly shepherded
him into the shop and bought him an entire tray of maple leaf-shaped sweet pastries.
He would pay any amount of money to hear that sound again. They gorged on the
sweets and sipped aromatic green tea, and Okita had to grip the edge of the table to
stop himself from catching Saito’s chin and licking crumbs of dough clean off his lips.

Eventually, they circled back to the Togetsu bridge. Okita paid for a ride in a small
pleasure boat that took them further up the river bed, where the mountains seemed to
go on endlessly beyond the horizon and the autumn colors reflected on the river were
all-encompassing. When they were getting off the boat at the small pier, Saito stepped
out first and held his hand out to help Okita, who looked at his upturned palm and
promptly lost his footing. He would have plunged face first into the river if the oarsman
hadn’t caught him from behind and pulled him back into the boat. Saito laughed until
tears were flowing down his face and teased Okita for his clumsiness all the way back
to the foot of Mount Arashi.

The weather is so clear they can see all the way to Kyoto; far in the distance, the
Kiyomizu temple’s red pagoda towers over the city like a sentinel. The sun is still
glowing, but it’s close to the horizon now and the light has an orange tinge to it.
Someone rings the temple’s bell, the dull sound resonating throughout the grounds,
and Okita’s heart grows heavier by the moment. The day is quickly coming to an end,
and he has accomplished nothing. Not that he expected things to turn out differently.
It’s fine, he tells himself. At least Saito seems to have enjoyed the day. Okita will count
that as a minor success. He lets out another resigned sigh and stares forward,
unseeing.

“At my feet, sunset’s rays, autumn mountains.” Saito’s voice makes Okita snap back to
reality. He turns his head to the side to look at his friend.

“Thank you for being my guide, Okita.”

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“Don’t mention it,” Okita shrugs like he doesn’t care and averts his eye. “You probably
want to head back, though, don’t ya? We should start walkin’ before it gets dark. Ya
wouldn’t wanna get stuck here with me.”

“Why not?”

Okita looks at him in surprise, while his heart makes a leap in his chest. There’s a
mischievous smile on Saito’s lips and he has the look of a teenage boy plotting to skip
school.

“Why don’t we stay here for the night? We’re not expected back until tomorrow,
anyway. Let’s get drunk, look at the autumn moon, and try to remember as many
poems as we can. What do you think?”

Okita’s lips split into a wide grin. He tries not to look too enthusiastic when he nods
‘yes.’

They descend the mountain side by side, exchanging playful smiles as they walk. The
first two inns they step into are already full because of the high season, but they
succeed on their third try.

An elderly, silver-haired proprietress gives their Shinsengumi haori jackets a calculating

look and says, “We have a room, but the previous guests have just moved out of it.
Why don’t you use the communal bath and freshen up while we prepare your
lodgings?”

Okita freezes in place and tries to think of a reason to refuse; he dreads what the view
of Saito’s naked body will do to him. He will for sure pass out on the spot, or embarrass
himself in some other way. But before he can come up with anything plausible, the old
woman is already pushing wicker baskets full of clean towels and a change of clothing
into their arms, and Saito is walking away in the direction she is pointing to. Not having
much other choice but to follow, Okita trails after him.

In the changing room, he makes quick work of peeling his robes off and shoving them
onto a shelf, carefully avoiding looking anywhere near Saito’s direction. He marches
stiffly to the bamboo door that leads to the bathroom and slides them open. The room
smells of cedarwood, soap, and heated steam, and is completely empty. Okita soaps
himself at lightning speed, then splashes a bucketful of water on top of his head,
spluttering like a wet cat. He can hear the bamboo door sliding open again, and there
are footsteps on the wet floor, then a scrape of a wooden bucket on stones. Saito
hums softly as washes himself and Okita gives up on the rest of the soap, stands up,
and walks toward the bath. He plunges into the scalding water, splashing some of it to
the floor, and closes his eye. After several moments, there’s another splash, and Okita’s
mouth goes very dry when he feels the water ripple toward him.

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“Why won’t you look at me?”

The deep, warm voice makes his eye flutter open. Saito is right in front of him,
emerging from the cloud of steam like a deity. Freed from its usual knot, his hair falls
down to his shoulders in wet locks and his skin is covered in droplets of water. The tiny
lines on the side of his eyes are crinkled with amusement. The remains of Okita’s
strong will leave him all at once, and his eye travels down Saito’s long neck and broad
shoulders, before slipping down to his chest.

Suddenly there are voices outside the room; Okita takes a sharp breath as if he has
woken up from a spell, and lifts his eye to the entrance. The door slides open with
impact, and a group of men spill inside the room, laughing and talking loudly. Saito
glances over his shoulder at the newcomers and Okita thinks he sees a shadow of
disappointment pass across his features. He is definitely imagining things.

With their hair damp and their skin clean and pink from the bath, they wrap themselves
up in monochromatic blue yukatas with the crest of the inn on the back, and then pad
to the main hall where the innkeeper delegates a young maid to lead them to their
lodgings.

Their room is on the top floor of the inn; it’s spacious and well-lit with a large andon —
a paper oil lamp that stands on a wooden frame on the tatami. A painting of a plum
tree in full bloom covers the inside of the entrance door and the delicate branches
extend from the crown and expand throughout all of the room’s cream-colored walls.
The wall opposite to the entrance is made of milky shoji screens, and Okita can see the
pale light of the moon through the translucent panels. There’s a kotatsu with a heavy,
purple quilt embroidered with a pattern of red maple leaves, and a low, lacquered table
set next to it. Two futons are waiting, spread out and inviting under the sidewall.

Okita slumps down on the tatami by the table, while Saito walks over to the shoji
screens and slides them open to reveal a narrow terrace and a large, pale moon
silhouetted against the dark sky. As if beaconed by the moonlight, Saito steps outside.
The maid shuffles toward Okita, silent in her white tabi socks, and kneels down by the
kotatsu. She sets a basket she has brought with her on the tatami, and lifts the quilt of
the kotatsu to inspect the grate underneath it. Okita can feel the heat radiating from the
stove beneath the floor.

Apparently satisfied with the state of the stove, the maid puts the quilt down, then
picks some objects out of her basket and sets them on the table for the guests: two
small cups and a bottle of sake, a couple of rice crackers on a decorative plate, and a
persimmon fruit on another. Still kneeling, she lifts her eyes to Okita, and gives him a
scrutinizing look. He quirks his eyebrow at her, not understanding. She takes
something out of the sleeve of her kimono and extends her hand to Okita: it’s a small
paper envelope with a camellia flower painted on it with ink.

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Realization finally hits him, and he whips his head around to make sure Saito isn’t
looking, then grabs the packet from her hand and hurriedly shoves it under the long
quilt of the kotatsu, his face on fire. The maid smiles sweetly at him, rises from her
knees, and pads backward to the exit, bent in a deep bow. She shuts the sliding door
behind her.

Okita gets his breathing under control, stands up, and walks out to the veranda. It’s a
day or two past full moon, and the orb is large and almost white, suspended over the
dim shapes of the mountains, like a silvery brooch on black canvas. The air outside is
crisp and smells of earth and fallen leaves. Saito stands so close that Okita can smell
the clean scent of soap on his skin. A large brown moth flies past them and flutters
helplessly around the paper lamp. Saito steps back into the room and waits for it to
settle down, then gathers it in his large palms. When he returns to the veranda, Okita
closes the shoji screens behind him, and Saito releases the moth back into the night.

“Autumn moonlight — a worm digs silently into the chestnut,” Okita recites.

“It’s Basho, isn’t it?” Saito says.

Okita shrugs. “Maybe. Let’s go inside it’s gettin’ cold.”

They settle on the tatami, on the opposite sides of the kotatsu, and put the warm quilt
over their legs. Okita lifts the bottle of sake, discovering that it’s still warm. He fills the
cups and passes one to Saito. They make a silent toast, and then Okita drinks all of his
sake at once. It slides down his throat, rich and sweet like honey.

“How about this one...” Saito says, his voice low and seductive. “Squeezing in next to
my lover... a quilt-covered brazier.”

Okita sets his cup back on the table. “Hajime-chan… I—” he starts, but he can’t seem
to find the words to finish his sentence.

Saito shuffles closer, until their knees bump under the quilt. He looks Okita straight into
his eye and it feels like time has stopped. Saito extends his hand to cup his jaw and
Okita’s heart is thumping painfully in his chest. He leans into the touch, his own hand
shooting up to cover the back of Saito’s palm.

“Soji,” Saito says. “When are you going to kiss me?”

Okita’s lips part in surprise and a desperate sound, like a whimper, escapes him.

“Ya really want me to?” he utters after a long moment, when his soul returns to his
body.

Saito smiles. “I’ve been waiting all day.”

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Okita wouldn’t be able to stop himself any longer, even if he tried. He puts his hand on
the back of Saito’s neck and slots their lips together, tilting his head to just the right
angle. Saito’s mouth parts for him in response; his arms wrap around Okita’s
shoulders, pulling him in closer. Okita kisses him deeper, tasting the sweet sake on his
tongue. Saito moans quietly into the kiss and Okita feels dizzy with love. When they
break apart, Saito’s lips are parted and swollen, and he touches his fingertips to his
mouth, as if he is checking if the kiss happened for real. Without lifting his gaze to
Okita, he slowly unties the belt of his yukata and lets the garment slip a little down his
shoulders. Okita’s hands extend of their own volition, pushing it further down, until the
fabric pools around Saito’s waist, revealing his broad shoulders and his sun-kissed
chest. He touches the swell of Saito’s breast like he is something holy. Saito lifts his
own hands and puts them under the open panes of Okita’s robe, caressing his
stomach.

They kiss again, and continue until they run out of breath, then Saito stands up,
shrugging out of his yukata. He is breathtaking, and Okita can no longer think clearly.

Saito walks over to the futon, sits down on it. He makes a beckoning gesture with his
hand and says, “Come.”

Okita scrambles up in a daze, and walks toward Saito, untying the knot of his belt,
losing his own yukata on the way. They sit, facing one another and Saito extends his
hand and touches the leather band of Okita’s eyepatch. When Okita nods silently, Saito
takes the eyepatch off and puts it to the side, smiling. He takes Okita’s hand and slowly
lowers himself down onto the futon, first on one elbow, then on his back, pulling Okita
down with him. Okita can suddenly feel him with every inch of his body and he thinks
he would die if he had to stop touching him now. He lowers his head so that his lips are
right next to Saito’s ear and he says, “Hajime-chan, I want you so badly.”

“Then have me,” Saito replies.

Okita bites the soft flesh of his neck. Saito makes a breathy moan and shivers
underneath him. Okita kisses his way down Saito’s body and takes his length into his
mouth. When he looks up, Saito is pressing the back of his hand over his lips to keep
quiet. After a moment, Okita pulls away and Saito turns to lie on his stomach. Okita
lovingly caresses the back of his thigh, then gets up and walks over to the kotatsu to
fetch the maid’s thoughtful gift. He returns to the futon and tears the paper packet with
his teeth, spilling its contents on his tongue, mixing it with his spit until the powder
turns into syrupy liquid. He coats his fingers with it and eases them gently inside his
lover, opening him up with his touch.

When Saito is ready, Okita breaches him slowly, and doesn't stop until he is deep
inside him. He kisses the back of his neck and moves his hips slowly at first, then
faster, encouraged by the sweet noises that begin to escape Saito’s mouth when he
increases his pace.

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They turn to their sides and Okita strokes Saito’s hardness with his palm. Saito turns
his head over his shoulder and says, “Soji, I’m close,” then adds, “Please,” and Okita
kisses him deeply until Saito stiffens in his hold and grips Okita’s hip so hard it hurts.
Okita shudders against Saito’s back and buries his face in his soft hair, his breathing
ragged.

He puts his arm around Saito, and places his palm on his chest. He can feel his lover’s
heart race under his fingers and his eye grows heavy as he waits for it to calm down.
He is on the verge of falling asleep when Saito says, “I want to see the moon.” Okita
slips out of the futon, snuffs the oil lamp’s flame, then slides the shoji screens wide
open. The orb of the moon hangs large in the center of the window frame, bathing the
room in silver-blue glow. Okita returns to the futon, shivering slightly in the cold of the
night. Saito is lying on his back with his head turned toward the window, his skin
looking pale under the moonlight. Okita settles at his side, wraps his arm around him
and holds him close, relishing his warmth. He touches his lips to Saito’s neck and
closes his eye.

Bright the full moon shines: on the matting of the floor, shadows of the pines.

Annotations:

1. The month of Kannazuki is the tenth month of the traditional Japanese calendar, but it
largely overlapped with the modern November.

2. Showing its back, showing its front, falling maple leaf. (Taigu Ryokan, translation:
unknown)

3. Storm Mountain, in a thicket’s dense growth, a line of wind. (Matsuo Basho, translation:
Jane Reichhold)

4. A hundred-year-old landscape — in the garden, fallen leaves. (Matsuo Basho,

translation: Takafumi Saito & William R. Nelson)

5. At my feet, sunset’s rays, autumn mountains. (Kobayashi Issa, translation: David

Lanoue)

6. Autumn moonlight — a worm digs silently into the chestnut. (Matsuo Basho,
translation: Robert Hass)

7. Squeezing in next to my lover... a quilt-covered brazier. (Kobayashi Issa, translation:

David Lanoue)

8. Bright the full moon shines: on the matting of the floor, shadows of the pines. (Takarai
Kikaku, translation: Harold Gould Henderson)

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Story written by: @msmarquise8
Art created by: @CraneCulture
 Tonight’s performance includes the following cast:

Nishikiyama Akira
Kiryu Kazuma
Kazumi
Majima Goro
Goromi

We advise viewers of the following content warnings:

First Dates
Fluff
Roleplay
Burlesque
Genderfluid Characters
Established Relationship
Threesome
Makeouts
Blowjobs
Praise Kink
Lingerie
Anal Fingering
Anal Sex
Double Penetration
A whole lotta lube
Come Eating

Nishikiyama meets a lovely woman named Kazumi at Earth Angel. He

invites her to a night out to Sotenbori where they come across a mutual
acquaintance and discover more about them.
 Act 1

Earth Angel was a nice little dive bar in the Champion District. Though it wouldn't match up to
Nishiki's favorite bar, Serena, he always had a good time when karaoke and alcohol were
involved. He slid inside a bit too excitedly, taking a seat at the bar where the mama nodded at
him with a smile and got him his usual. He rubbed his finger along the glass, fidgeting, taking a
drink, and hoping to calm his nerves.

As he savored his drink, the mama exited from behind the counter to take orders at other tables.
He glanced down the bar and back, counting the number of bottles in the row, nursing his drink.
Nishiki jumped a little when he heard the mama return, her heels clicking on the wooden floor.
With his drink nearly empty, he hurriedly dug into his pockets for cash to pay and the mama
shook her head at him, smiling.

“Your drink’s already paid for, sugar,” she pointed to a booth behind him, “by that lovely lady
over there.”

His neck nearly snapped to whirl around and meet her sultry but shy gaze, warm brown eyes
staring into his own invitingly. Nishiki’s heart raced; the lowlights of the bar caught glimpses of
her face, soft at some angles and sharp in others. A stray hair fell into her face which she
tucked behind her ear, a flirty smile shot at him like a cupid's arrow. Nishiki stared, and then
downed the rest of his drink and made his way over.

“Hello, this seat taken?” He asked in his flirtiest tone, and she gave a quiet giggle, gesturing to
him to sit down. He sat across from her, a happy twinkle in his eye. “What’s a lovely lady like
yourself doing alone? Did your date stand you up, sweetheart?”

“No,” she responded with a blush, almost too quiet for Nishiki to hear over the din of the bar,
“though I might meet a handsome stranger…” The low timber of her voice as she said this
particularly seductive line sent a delicious shiver through him, a delighted laughter spilling from
his lips.

“Oh? That so? And if I introduce myself, I wouldn’t be a handsome stranger anymore?” She had
a familiar smirk on her painted lips that sent Nishiki to cloud nine. He took that as an invitation to
introduce himself. “I’m Nishikiyama… but feel free to call me Nishiki.”

“Kazumi.” She introduced, and seemed to hesitate for a moment before adding, “I hope you
aren’t going to break my heart and tell me you’ve got a girlfriend.”

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“Wouldn’t dream of it, Kazumi-chan.” He savored her name in his mouth for a moment. “If I had
a girl anywhere near as pretty as you, I wouldn’t be out drinking by myself.”

Kazumi sputtered before laughing, and Nishiki’s brows furrowed a bit (he thought that line was
pretty good!), and she covered her smirk from him. When she spied his expression her laughter
faded off, but her smile remained. "Sorry, that was too cute, Nishiki-kun.” Nishiki glanced away
and was glad the dim lights could hide the coloring of his face.

The two of them continued to flirt quietly between drinks, Nishiki telling grandiose stories of his
childhood with wide arm gestures. She laughed gently, letting him slide into the booth next to
her as the night went on, their voices growing quieter as the bar became more hushed, its
customers slowly filtering out. Nishiki wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to be
smooth and casual about it, and it made Kazumi beam at him delightedly, one manicured hand
resting on his lap.

"It seems to be getting late," she remarked as they noticed the amount of people had dwindled
down and the mama was beginning to clean up. "I should probably head home…" Her tone was
reluctant, her fingers tracing shy patterns on Nishiki’s knee.

“Let me walk you home, Kazumi-chan!” Nishiki said, perhaps a bit too excitedly; he became self-
conscious, face red. “I mean, Kamurocho is a dangerous city for a lovely lady like you. Wouldn’t
wanna see you get hurt.” (They both knew with the amount of muscle peeking from under her
dress that Kazumi could no doubt handle herself, but it went unspoken.)

“Oooooh?” This caused Nishiki to gaze at the shape of her painted lips. “Is that so? Well… I
wouldn’t deny the company of such a kind, handsome man. Thinking of my safety.” Kazumi
cooed, teasing a finger under his chin with a soft laugh.

Nishiki stood up so quickly he knocked his knees into the table, hissing at the pain. She could
only smother her laughter, watching as he finally got out of the seat and offered his hand to her.
She gratefully accepted it, standing with her hand purse tucked under one arm. Nishiki insisted
on paying for the rest of their drinks, watching Kazumi’s eyes twinkle with amusement at his
eagerness to treat her to all the social niceties.

Outside, the night air was cool, and Kazumi could feel goosebumps spreading up her arms. A
warmth fell upon her cold arms, and she glanced up to find Nishiki had settled his suit jacket on
her shoulders. He gave her a cheeky grin that made her warmer than the jacket, and she gently
took his hand in hers. Nishiki pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, the lights of bar signs
making his eyes shine.

They walked the quiet backstreets of the Champion District, their voices barely above a whisper
as they talked. Their steps were gentle as they made it out to Taihei Boulevard, the two of them
loaded on liquid courage when they glanced at each other just as they were hailing a cab.

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Sparks fizzled between them; they were already so in-sync with each other as Nishiki guided
Kazumi into the cab and settled next to her, taking her hand easily in his.

When she told the cab driver the address, Nishiki made an incredulous noise. “What? No way, I
live in that apartment complex, too! Were we this close to each other all along, Kazumi-chan?
Were you hiding from me this whole time?”

“Haven’t got a clue,” she responded, fingers easily slotting into Nishiki’s. “Maybe it’s… fate.”

And when fate brought them to the same door number, exclaiming that wow, their room
numbers are the same, Kazumi couldn’t help but laugh and unlock the door as Nishiki
impatiently kissed the back of her neck.

“You’re unbelievable,” she remarked with mirth, kicking off her shoes as Nishiki took his jacket
off her shoulders, hanging it carelessly and returning to leave a sucking kiss in the hollow of her
neck. “Nishiki…”

“Oh? Kazumi-chan… dropped formalities already?” He smiled into her skin, gently stepping out
of his shoes and wrapping his arms around her. Nishiki got a smack to his arm for his efforts.

“Oi. You were being way too cheesy, I’m breaking character.” Kazumi spun around in his arms,
fixing him with a stubborn frown that Nishiki immediately kissed. "Oi!!"

"I can't help it. Love it when you lecture me, Kazumi. Very sexy.” Nishiki sucked on Kazumi’s
bottom lip, enticing her into a short makeout session while he guided them both to their
bedroom.

Kazumi could never stay mad at Nishiki, especially not when he had that charming glint to his
eye, and their clothing started falling off. The mix of neon and moonlight from the window lit their
bodies in new ways, mouths landing on the curve of a hip or the bend of a finger. Any sweat that
dripped from their skin was just another flavor added to their worshipping exchange, finding love
in each other until morning.

103
104
 Act 2

The streets of Sotenbori were bustling with life, and the smell of food enticed Kazumi as the two
of them explored together. Nishiki had suggested coming after hearing through the grapevine
about a drag scene at a club there, and Kazumi was more than interested. As they made their
way to the club, they picked up some takoyaki at a stand, eating together and chatting about the
giant animatronic crab they’d just seen down the street.

They had been so engrossed with each other, that when they turned the corner they bumped
into another person. “Ah, excuse us--” Kazumi started to apologize, but froze up. Nishiki glanced
her over, concerned she had hurt herself somehow, until he looked over at the person they had
run into.

“Ah, Majima-san…” Nishiki was surprised to see another Tojo man out there, in Omi Alliance
territory no less - he and Kazumi had both agreed to leave their clan pins at home, to avoid any
possible conflicts, and yet… Here was a family captain, sticking out like a sore thumb as he
always did in snakeskin leather and not much else. Nishiki’s number one concern was Kazumi,
an arm protectively around her waist, defiantly glaring down Majima.

“Ooohh, Nishiki-kun!” Majima trilled, a wicked gleam to his eye as he took in the sight before
him. “What brings ya all the way out ta Osaka, haw?”

“Just sightseeing,” he replied tartly, tense, unsure of how to get Kazumi out of this situation.
Nishiki had finally gotten her out of her shell, and this chance meeting with another yakuza? He
didn’t want her to clam up on him again, retreat inside herself. He wanted her to be free to
express herself, and if Majima was a threat to that, Tojo hierarchy be damned, he would fight for
her.

“What, not gonna introduce me to yer girl?” Majima asked suddenly, an amused smile taking in
the sight of a flushed Kazumi, who was looking anywhere but at Majima.

Nishiki hesitated for a moment, trying to gauge Majima before replying. “This is Kazumi…
Kazumi, this is… Majima Goro.” He gave a reassuring squeeze to her side.

“Nice to meet you… Majima-san.” Kazumi said softly, bowing her head. A noise of surprise
slipped her lips when Majima bowed very politely to her, a warm smile on his face.

“Pleasure’s all mine, Kazumi-chan! Can’t believe Nishiki-kun’s been keepin’ such a looker all to
himself.” He straightened, smile turning to a grin. “What sights ya seein’? Any excitin’ events yer
goin’ to?”

105
Nishiki’s not sure if he can trust the Mad Dog of Shimano, but when he felt Kazumi relax in his
arms, he tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“There’s… an event at Club Sunshine we were headed to…” Kazumi admitted, glancing over at
Nishiki.

“Oh!? What a coincidence!” Majima’s arms opened wide and his grin became wild. “I happen to
know some people over there… I can get ya the best seats in the house!”

“Really?” Nishiki looked skeptical.

“Really!” Majima weaseled his way between the two, dropping an arm around each of them, his
grin still wide. “It’s the least I can do for ya two lovebirds. Heard it’s gonna be a great show
tonight, too!”

And then, as quickly as he had weaseled in, he broke free from the two, walking away with a
flourish of his hand and a promise that if they told their names at the club, they’d get the best
seats in the house. Kazumi and Nishiki exchanged incredulous looks, until she gave a small
smirk which set Nishiki into a small fit of laughter.

The club they were looking for was tucked on the corner in an alleyway, and despite its location,
it was bustling with life. Before they knew it, they were swept inside and what could only be the
manager greeted them enthusiastically at the door. As Majima had promised, they did get the
best seats in the house. The booth was front row to the stage, the curtains closed as its
audience was seated.

Kazumi was glancing around curiously, watching as other couples like them settled in, cozying
up together for a drink or chatting low amongst themselves. Nishiki smiled at her and she
beamed excitedly in response, setting his heart racing. After he’d ordered them drinks, the show
was starting to begin.

Nishiki had never been to a show quite as entertaining as this - the men and women on stage
here were strangling the traditional sensual strip dance and adding a twist of humor, fun, and
sexual intrigue. He and his date found themselves smiling ear to ear, happy flush to their
cheeks, partially from the alcohol, as they nestled into each other. The acts sometimes covered
topics that went over Nishiki's head, but he knew this was a celebration of sexuality and gender,
perhaps only a glimpse of it, things that he'd only heard whispers of. And Majima did give them
excellent seats, and Nishiki would have to remember to thank him later.

A sudden hush fell over the crowd after an act, the next taking longer than anticipated to show.
One single, shining spotlight rested on the curtains. Perhaps it was an intermission? But wasn’t
there one a few acts ago?

106
The curtain parted with the flourish of an arm, and out stepped a man in a tuxedo, his gait and
poise that of a practiced politeness. Nishiki gave a bewildered blink as he took in the long hair
pulled in a ponytail and the eyepatch - it was like he stepped back into the late 80s, seeing
Majima on stage like this. The main difference were the high heels, peeking from his pant leg.
He glanced to catch Kazumi’s reaction, and she was just as bemused, if not a little intrigued.

He didn’t say anything, Majima just gave a small bow, and the band played and signaled the
beginning of his act.

Majima danced, his motions as fluid as his battle form - elegant, masculine, a twist of
unpredictability. Nishiki recognized some of it, as he had gone head to head with the man
before. But there were new moves in there, an extra bit of flair. And all in those heels…

A dressing room screen appeared on stage and Majima melted into the shadows behind it, the
music swelling to indicate something new must be coming. A moment later and a long, fishnet-
clad, heeled leg stepped out; a costume change had occurred, and an entirely new person
slinked out from behind the screen.

She had Majima’s face, the sharp cut of his jaw in her own. Her hands wandered up her body,
showing the shapeliness of her costume, into her ponytail and letting her hair fall down over her
shoulders. She applied a coat of lipstick expertly, and her gaze went to their table, causing them
both to start in surprise. The lipstick was suddenly hurtling their way and Nishiki stood and
caught it reflexively.

She had already returned to dancing, much more freely than before, peeks of tattoos on the
flesh of her thighs and chest tantalizing the audience. He flushed as he saw everyone in the
audience staring at him, settling back into his seat.

Kazumi held out her hand for the lipstick, which Nishiki gave to her, and she smiled.

107
108
 Act 3

“Your dance was beautiful, neesan.”

Her eyes drew to Kazumi as she walked into the backroom they'd been escorted to. “It's…
Goromi.”

“Goromi-neesan.” Nishiki could see the visceral thrill that gave Goromi, her painted smile turning
to an excited grin.

“It was a great performance… I was honestly surprised. Thanks for giving us the seats, Goromi-
chan.” Nishiki could forgive Majima their past aggressions from the Empty Lot incident if only for
the radiant look of admiration and respect on Kazumi’s face at that moment. His heart swelled.

“Anythin’ fer you, pretty boy.” She playfully tapped Nishiki’s chin, “Mm, ya like my gift? I think it’d
be a beautiful shade on Kazumi, don’t ya think?” That drew Nishiki’s eyes to her lips, and then
to Kazumi’s, and he stepped back, clearing his throat. She hummed as Kazumi went to his side.

“Don’t tease him.” Kazumi said, giving Goromi a firm look that only has her cackling. “I didn’t
know that you were…”

“An okama?” She shrugged like it didn’t bother her. “It’s been a thing, but never did it out in the
open. Just around my girls here. ‘Til I saw you two, that is.” Before either of them could ask
about that, she clapped her hands loudly and continued, looking at Kazumi. “SO! I was
wonderin’ if ya might be interested in a tête-à-tête… yaknow. Girl talk.”

“Actually,” Nishiki interjected, “I was kinda hoping that this would happen. Having someone for
Kazumi to connect with over this… especially with all of us being…” Gokudo. The unspoken
word lingered between the three of them.

“Ah.” Kazumi fidgeted for a moment, “I was thinking that too… I’m glad I wasn’t the only one
who thought that. Neesan?”

“Great! Might even play a bit a’ dressup, I’ll come get ya later, Nishiki-kun.” Goromi quickly
swept Kazumi out of the room, giving Nishiki a final wave and smile, leaving him with his
thoughts.

He gave a soft sigh, sitting down on a couch and settling his hands into his lap. While he was
left alone, it seemed Goromi had at least gotten a waiter to attend to him and ask if he wanted a

109
drink, which he declined. There was already a bit more alcohol swimming in his system than
he’d intended.

His mind wandered to his relationship with Kazumi - it was risky, coming out with her like this.
Social acceptance was only just beginning, it was the 90s now after all, but it was the fact they
were both yakuza that made it dangerous.

If someone recognized either of them, it would be over for them. Kazama wouldn’t be able to
protect them from the disgusting amount of violence and slurs that would be slung at them.

The manager had the foresight to leave him an ashtray, and he tapped out a cigarette and
started smoking to pass the time. The addition of Majima and Goromi to this mix… he couldn’t
lie, it terrified him a little, but Kazumi had complete and utter trust in them. Nishiki couldn’t see
Majima blabbing about their relationship to anyone, either, but…

The performance filled his thoughts, the way Majima melted into the role of Goromi like it was a
second skin… He felt his face warm.

No, he couldn’t get a silly little crush on them. He and Kazumi’s relationship had never been
properly defined by either of them.

Even if Goromi’s relationship to them wasn’t sexual. Even if it was. Nishiki thought he would be
okay with it.

He tapped ash into the ashtray. A cigarette and a bathroom trip later, Goromi poked her head
into the room. “C’mon, yer gonna wanna see this.”

When Nishiki followed Majima curiously into the dressing rooms, he wasn’t sure what to expect.
The woman sitting at the dressing room mirror was not it - instead of her hair in a messy bun, it
was tastefully pulled up, hairs falling delicately around her face.

Goromi had gone above and beyond with her makeup, stuff she’d always been struggling to
accomplish by herself. Kazumi was almost like a new woman, and she turned to face him, a
radiant glow to her set off by the lights of the mirror.

Her costume was revealing like the dancers that had been on stage, her dragon tattoo peeking
on her shoulders.

110
111
Before he could think twice about it, Nishiki strode into the room and cupped her face in his
hands. “Kazumi… you’re gorgeous.” He gently rubbed his thumb along her jawline, his eyes
searching her dark chocolate ones. “How do you feel?”

“Talking with Goromi-neesan helped,” she replied quietly, her gaze dropping to his lips. He had
to draw back from her or he was going to start making out with her right in front of Goromi. The
alcohol in him was telling him that didn’t matter. “I want to include you in this conversation now,
too.”

“Hm?” Nishiki dropped his hands from her, glancing between her and Goromi. They seemed…
anxious?

“Well,” Goromi started, looking as awkward as he suddenly felt. “I ain’t sure how ya feel about it,
but Kazumi and I… I’unno, we got a connection, it’s difficult to describe? Not sure how ya feel
about a third to yer… dynamic.”

“I wouldn’t do anything without going through you first,” Kazumi added in a rush of air, “If you
say no, that’s the end of it. Goromi-neesan and I can still be friends.”

It took him a moment but he connected the dots and he suddenly fell into a fit of laughter, trying
to cover his smile in one hand. They were flabbergasted by his reaction. “You serious? I was
thinking the same thing just a bit ago. Are you reading my mind?”

“Nishiki!” Kazumi leapt up from her seat, her nerves melted away, reaching out to take Nishiki’s
hands in her own. “You… really want to try this?”

Goromi visibly relaxed too, chuckling as she slid up to both of them. “Ohh, Nishiki-kun…
Perhaps you want a piece of li'l ol' me, too?" She batted the long lashes of her eye - had she
applied those just recently?

The color on his cheeks said it all. “I just want whatever makes Kazumi happy!” Nishiki retorted,
slightly flustered.

“Neesan, what did I say about teasing him…”

Goromi dragged them both into her arms - she was taller than both of them, but even taller in
heels. “Ya are just so easy ta tease! Can’t help it ya both look so good when yer faces are red.”

Their closeness to each other has all three of them at a loss for words for a moment, realizing
how much they liked it, a rush of heat to their faces. Nishiki managed to break the silence. “So…
we booked a hotel room if we wanted to discuss this further?”

112
“Discussion” didn't take long to break down into two gorgeous burlesque ladies exchanging
kisses over Nishiki’s lap.

Goromi was excellent at multitasking, her mouth worshipping Kazumi's and one hand
massaging the bulge in Nishiki's pants. He had an arm wrapped around each of them,
alternating mouthing their necks. One of Kazumi’s hands had fisted into his shirt as she moaned
prettily into their new companion’s mouth.

“Mmm… that’s good, right there, lover boy,” Goromi moaned against Kazumi’s lips as Nishiki
sucked a mark into her neck, rewarding him with a delightful squeeze of his still-clothed cock
that had him shuddering.

“Neesan,” she backed away from the kiss, glancing down at where he was being fondled, “try it
like… this.” Kazumi brushed Goromi’s hand away, stroking her hand along his length in just the
way she knew he liked. His dick jumped against its confines at the sensation, drawing a
surprised moan from him, his hands gripping tight on their clothes.

“Ka… Kazumi…” Nishiki moaned. The fact she was teaching the other how best to get him off?
Oh… he never thought a concept could be sexier.

“Oh ho… I see… Help me get him out of these an’ show me more?” Goromi asked with a sultry
gleam in her eye, directed specifically at him, tugging on one of his belt loops.

She was more than happy to help strip him of his pants and underwear. He took off his jacket
and started unbuttoning his shirt as they discarded his clothes gracelessly on the floor with a
vigor that had Nishiki red up to the tips of his ears. When it was just Kazumi and him, it was one
thing. He knew Kazumi almost as well as he knew himself. The addition of Goromi was a new
and, if he was being quite honest, arousing experience and it made him feel like a blushing
virgin all over again. Who knew what sexual experience Goromi brought to their bed…?

He didn’t have time to ponder it before two mouths were on his shaft, one mimicking the other’s
movements. Laying back, his fingers stuttered over the last few buttons of his shirt, watching
them with lust-blown eyes. Their lipstick started to smudge from their makeout over his dick,
Kazumi murmuring instructions between kisses that Goromi followed to a T.

“L… ladies… you keep this up and I’ll…” He bit his lip, sitting up and sliding further back on the
bed, out of reach of their mouths.

113
“Hey, I was eating that!” Goromi remarked with a laugh, crawling to chase after him. "Heeere
fishy fishy," she paused, something flickering in her eyes and she grinned. "Oh, that's right. I
need ta bait the line, haw?"

Goromi went over to Kazumi, who was pouting over the recent development. “Goromi-
neesan…”

“C’mon, sweetheart, show yer boy the gift we got ‘im, yeah?” She cooed at her, making Kazumi
turn a lovely shade of red. “Ya wanna tease ‘im with it, don’t ya? You can do it, Kazumi-chan!”
The encouragement apparently worked, Nishiki watching curiously as his girlfriend stood and
turned to face him, letting Goromi help unzip the back of her dress oh-so-slowly before it
dropped to the floor.

“Y-you…!” Nishiki couldn’t tell if all the blood was going to his face or to his crotch as Kazumi’s
new lingerie was unveiled. He’d never seen something so delicately sexy, the sheer red lace
showing the outline of her leaking cock, the bra hugging her chest and barely concealing her
nipples from his roaming eyes.

“Heh. Even if ya’d said no back in the dressin' room, ya know I was thoughtful enough to go,
‘Nishiki-kun'll appreciate this l'il number, Kazumi-chan, bet on it.’ ” She trailed her hands along
Kazumi’s sides, casting Nishiki an alluring gaze with one eye that had more seductive power
than most people had with two. His throat was dry, yet he choked on his own saliva.

Goromi smirked knowingly as Nishiki was reeled in hook, line, and sinker, on his knees in front
of Kazumi, caressing her legs and gazing up at her with worship in his eyes. Her hands groped
Kazumi's upper body and Nishiki groped her lower body, the two of them appraising her with
their touch. She’s shuddering between them, in their arms, making soft noises as Nishiki fondles
her ass.

He could barely stand it, so he started pulling off those delicate panties, lips parted as she was
revealed to him.

“Mmm… Kazumi-chan, ya got a pretty cock, ya know that?” He could hear Goromi murmuring
her hot breath into his lover's ear, dirty things that made her red. Kazumi gasped as Nishiki took
her into his mouth, and the hands she wanted to bury in his hair were suddenly caught and put
behind her back by Goromi, causing her chest to jut lewdly against her lingerie.

Between a rock and a hard place, Kazumi could only submit to the pleasure they gave her. At
one point a lubed finger pressed insistently around her hole, making her thrust into Nishiki's
mouth with each pass. He withdrew to watch what Goromi was doing, keeping Kazumi on the
edge by stroking her off with his hand slowly.

114
"Kazumi… look at me." Nishiki drew her attention to him as he lovingly kissed her thigh, eyes
up. She gazed down at him, breathy whimpers escaping her lips. “What do you want, baby? It’s
your night. All yours.”

Kazumi bit her lip as another finger was added inside her, eyes fluttering closed. “I… I want…”
Her tongue snuck out to wet her lips as she gathered the courage to speak her mind. “I want
you both…”

“Gonna have to be a li’l clearer, sweetcheeks.” Goromi interjected, fingers moving faster in
Kazumi’s hole, her other hand still keeping Kazumi restrained. “How do you want us, haw? I
could give ya some suggestions… Spitroast ya on our dicks or... “

“G-Goromi-neesan!” The suggestions, along with the sensations on her dick and in her hole,
have her shuddering and moaning between them. “I…” She seemed to have an idea on her
mind, Nishiki could tell, and he was gonna coax it out of her.

“Anything you want. You name it, we’ll make it happen.” Nishiki kissed her leaking tip, lavishing
the precum with his tongue.

“I want you both… in-inside me.” She announced quietly.

Many things happened at once. Nishiki launched to his feet to capture her mouth with his, her
words setting him on fire. Goromi was cursing and shedding herself of her clothes, the only one
of the three that was still fully dressed. A whole lot of arranging and grabbing and hot, open-
mouthed kisses shared between them had them all on the bed, ready to create a lovely Kazumi
sandwich.

She sank onto Nishiki’s dick first, facing him, splaying her hands onto his chest where he laid
below her, gazing down at him with lust and love in every moan she made. Her breasts were
massaged and pushed together by Goromi’s hands behind her as she bounced on Nishiki’s lap.

“There ya go, Kazumi-chan… let ‘im split ya open…” Goromi pulled back to stroke herself and
admire the dragon tattoo splayed on her back, a living breathing work of art. “Think yer ready to
take me, baby?”

Obviously not trusting her mouth to cooperate, Kazumi nodded frantically, stilling and burying
her face into Nishiki’s shoulder. He grabbed handfuls of her ass and spread her for Goromi’s
perusal. She liberally poured lube down her crack before gently prodding her entrance, slowly
feeding her cock in inch by inch, the two of them listening to Kazumi’s choked moans.

“You’re such a good girl… you’re taking her so well…” Nishiki praised, taking Kazumi's face in
his hands, gently petting her hair and peppering her face with kisses. Goromi hilted herself all
the way, remaining there for her to adjust, mouthing at the tattoo on her back.

115
“S, so full.” Kazumi remarked, Nishiki sneaking a thumb into her mouth which she eagerly
sucked on.

Goromi seemed much more experienced with this than he was, so she took the lead, pulling
out, pushing back in, steadily getting faster and making them all sweat from the pleasure, the
friction. Kazumi made pretty noises that Nishiki eagerly swallowed. Praise and filth spilled from
Goromi’s lips and it stirred them up even more, until Kazumi was crying out that she was
coming. Her hole wrung at both of their cocks as she painted his stomach with her spend, the
both of them following soon after.

After disentangling from each other, they all laid side by side, sweaty and panting. Goromi
somehow managed to flop into the middle of them, laughing breathlessly as she swiped at the
mess on Nishiki’s abs. “Say ah, Nishiki-kun,” she said, pressing her sticky fingers into his
mouth, and he licked them clean. “Heh, good boy.”

“So,” Kazumi said after a moment, trying not to interrupt, “How… will all of this work back in
Kamurocho?”

They were all quiet as they pondered it, this beautiful moment they shared that night now
suddenly cast into the shadow of the lives that they lived.

“We’ll figure it out,” Nishiki replied, “We’ve never thought too much about it so far, so what’s
stopping us now?”

“What he said! Don’t think so hard about it, Kazumi-chan!” Goromi trailed a playful hand up
Kazumi’s side.

Except they all knew they had to think about it. They would think about it. Just not now, when
the moment was peaceful, and the thought of their yakuza lives were far away in Kamurocho.
They would let this night be bittersweet later, but at least now, they knew they had each other.
That thought alone helped them all drift off to sleep comfortably in each other’s arms, ready to
face whatever may come their way in the morning.

Fin

116
Ship: Kiryu Kazuma/Majima Goro, Kiryu Kazuma/Goromi

Summary:
Kiryu always needs to be on the lookout, especially when a one-
eyed, long legged, and flirtatious airline hostess shows up on his
flight back home to Okinawa.

Tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Frotting, Blowjobs, Anal Sex

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hmm…”

Kiryu squeezed his small bag of personal items into the overhead
compartment; space nearly completely taken up by the large, gaudy suitcase
shoved inside of it. He grumbled, but shut the compartment without fuss.
Not worth getting into an argument about on this stuffy plane.

At least the flight back to the island was a brief one.

No more than three hours, at the most.

The plane had filled out considerably, leaving only about twenty or so empty
seats, and he was delighted that his row had been, as of yet, unoccupied.
He’d already changed into his khaki pants and flowery shirt, looking to leave
the light-polluted skies of Kamurocho behind him once again.

He didn’t hate going back by any means, and he had accumulated his fair
share of companions back in the city, but something about the fresh air and
quiet roll of waves outside his door at night made for a calmer Kiryu.

He settled on the middle seat; good space to sprawl out a little, and perfect
chance to move should someone show up to take their seats.
Kiryu had arrived at the gate with minutes to spare. Thankfully, there were
others who had shown up last minute as well, but it didn’t seem like there were
many left.
They would be in the sky in no time.
He leaned back, relaxing his shoulders and neck in anticipation for a short
nap.

When he awoke, they’d been in the sky for a little over fifty minutes.

118
He hoped that his nap would last the majority of the trip, but he was glad to
have whatever rest he could get. The older he’d gotten, the more he
appreciated the moments of stillness.

The rest of the cabin seemed to be resting themselves, with the odd child on
their portable game devices (they have those now??) and older people reading
in silence.

“Can I get you anything sir?”

Kiryu rubbed his eyes...oh, right.

Maybe he was a little thirsty.

“Mmm….water, thanks.”

“Would ya like a side of me with that, Kiryu-chan?”

He nearly flew out of his seat reflexively.

Standing tall in the aisle of...a commercial airplane, was Goromi, dressed head
to toe in what looked to be a hot pink flight attendant uniform from ten or so
years ago.
She even had a little hat on, cocked to the side and pinned neatly in her hair.

“G-goromi?? How…”

A million things came to his mind at once; how exactly she got on the plane,
how she managed to get in here dressed as a flight attendant and mess with
him in the middle of the flight, where she’d hidden this whole time, and why her
legs looked...so fucking good in that skirt.

Well, maybe the last one wasn’t his mind talking, exactly.

“Oh, Kiryu-chan! Yer face is all red! Y’know ya can’t be flirtin’ with the staff like
that!”
She twirled the end of her low ponytail.

“Uh...oh, yes. You just...surprised me is all, Goromi-chan.”

She giggled.
Kiryu always went along with her little shenanigans so well, didn’t he?
Sitting down in the seat to his right, she sat awkwardly angled in the small
space, but looking elegant and sexy nonetheless.

“Ya look real cute in that beachy shit, Kiryu-chan~!”

“Oh, thanks...it’s very comfortable in the sun.”

119
“Ya look like a real DILF babe.”
Goromi poked a manicured finger into his orange shirt, swirling it around and
poking into the skin beneath the thin material.

“Oh...wait, what?”

Goromi chuckled,“Ya don’t know what it means, Kiryu-chan?”

Her voice dipped into a low register, and it seemed as if she was trying to wink
with that one eye of hers.

“N-no...is it something bad?”

She slipped her hand into the collar of his shirt, lightly scratching at the skin on
his neck, and leaned in.
“Means yer lookin’ real scrumptious, Kiryu-chan.”

“Ahh...um, thank you...Goromi-chan.”

She had made her way down to the place between his shoulder blades, the
front of his shirt straining against her rubbing.
He absentmindedly palmed the bit of skin exposed on her thigh, puckering
slightly from the tights that only came thigh-high.
He didn’t even look over to the people that sat in the row to their right,
completely focused on the sensation of her hands exploring his back.

Goromi pushed his hand away, and pulled hers out of his shirt, straightening
the hem of her short dress.

“I gotta excuse m’self Kiryu-chan!”

She rose from her seat,

making sure not to hit the
overhead compartment, and
grinned at Kiryu, sauntering
towards the back of the plane.

Kiryu sat in silence. The heat

of her touch still lingering on
his skin.
How awkward it felt, crammed
in this uncomfortably small
airline seat and thinking about
his scantily-clad girlfriend.

He adjusted his collar.

120
Trying to do so inconspicuously, Kiryu ducked out of his seat and walked back
to where Goromi was in the bathroom.
He knocked a few times.
“Umm...Goromi I need to u-”

With a quickness that only one person in the world could manage, the marker
flipped from “occupied” to “vacant” and the door swung open, fingers grabbing
the front of Kiryu’s shirt and whisking him forwards as the door slammed
behind him.

“Took ya long enough!”

“H-huh?”

“Yer still a little slow on the uptake, aint’cha darlin’?”

Her hands were locked behind his back, and she made a pouty-face.
There was very little room for them both, maybe a foot’s worth of empty space.
The mirror had smudges and cracks, and the motion from the plane made it
feel like they were being jiggled around slightly.

“I just didn’t expect….wait, Goromi…”

She tilted her head.

“Hmm?”

“Surely you aren’t...in here?”

“Aww, ain’t ya ever wanted ta do it on a plane? Not even a little?”

She batted her eyelash extensions playfully.

“N-no? How would...there’s barely any room in here.”

“Aww, Kiryu-chan, so unimaginative.”

She started popping the buttons out of the holes in his shirt and ruffling the
front of his slicked back hair so that it started sticking up and falling into his
face.

“A-are you sure?”

“Sure as shit!”

Kiryu gulped and fumbled behind him for the lock.

He was pretty new to this...explorative...kind of thing, but his interest had
piqued the minute Goromi showed up in that tight pink dress, and the idea of
sitting next to her for another hour without being able to touch sounded kind of
horrible at the moment, so he caved.

121
He stared down, trying to work out the logistics of this in his head.
Maybe on the sink? No, that’s tiny and probably uncomfortable.
The toilet seat was a flimsy plastic-like material...and they were not small
people.

Goromi started howling, laughing, probably (definitely) loud enough to be

heard by anyone who happened to be sitting close enough to the lavatory.
She hiked her dress up to her waist, revealing very sheer black underwear,
leaving nothing to the imagination.

“Oh…”
Kiryu blinked.
That was an image he’d not soon forget.

She chuckled and reached for his beige shorts, undoing the zipper and
shoving her hands into the front.

“H-hah...going a little fast, are we?”

Kiryu backed up against the door.

“As excitin’ as it would be ta get caught by the lovely ladies servin’ us booze, I
packed my cute bikini n’ everythin’! Can’t let that go to waste can I, Kiryu-
chan? Got to get a move-on, babe.”

122
“Yeah, yo- wait what?”

Goromi pulled his pants down mid-thigh, and kissed his nose.
“I’ve been thinkin’...the beach sounds real nice this time of year don’t it?
Nishida always says I need a little vacationin’, and with ya goin’ back to yer
little kiddos and all, I said fuck it! Can’t get a nice, big Kiryu-chan on any other
island, can I? Now take yer cock out already, before we get thrown off the
plane!”

“O-ok.”
He did so, letting his briefs follow the pants.
He was...well, he was aroused, but not near enough yet to do anything,
whatever it is they could do in this sardine can of a bathroom.

She licked her teeth and took him into her hands, stroking his shaft softly and
circling the head with her thumb.
He let out a soft whine.

“Hmm, be a dear for me hot stuff, n’ grab my little handbag over there will ya?”

Kiryu blindly felt around to his left, his gaze fixated on her hands on his
stiffening cock, and picked up a small hot pink bag.
She grabbed it and opened the zipper with her teeth, and handed it to him.

“Lube’s in that little bottle baby”

Goromi “winked”.

He pulled it out and handed it to her, tossing the bag back onto the sink.
“Prepared as always, Goromi-chan.”
Kiryu replied, breathing heavily from her touch.

She pulled her hand away, and pushed her panties down; she was already
hard, her cock thin and curved and almost as pink as her lips.

She slathered her right hand in a copious amount of the clear liquid and
pressed her body against his.
She licked up the side of Kiryu’s bare upper half, shoulder to ear, eliciting a
groan from the younger man.

She pressed their lengths together, lube-coated hand cool and slick.

“F-fuck”
Her hand squeezed at just the right spot, the right amount of pressure.

Kiryu had to cover his mouth with his hand to stifle any sounds.
For once, Goromi didn’t move it; she buried her head into his damp shoulder,
the hair of her goatee tickling his skin as she panted.

123
Something about the place, the situation, the feeling of Goromi’s hands on his
cock in a shitty lavatory amongst god-knows-how-many passengers, made
Kiryu lose it.
Alleyway blowjobs and the Majima Family Office closets were nothing like this.
It was the kind of thing that excited horny, dumb teenagers would do, but Kiryu
was in his 40s and had been deprived of risky sex most of his life.

Goromi steadied herself on the door behind him, boxing them into the tiny
space.
Her hand was moving faster now, the only sounds were of hands sliding on
slick skin and them both struggling to keep their noises quieter than the plane
engine.

Kiryu’s shirt slipped off his shoulder, only two buttons holding it on.
His hands were holding her skirt up over her waist; crinkled and bunched up,
no doubt going to permanently crease the garment.

“Are ya...hah...ya close, Kiryu-chan?”, she panted.

Kiryu shook his head up and down, frantically.

His focus zeroed in on the sensation of warmth and movement, head arching
back on the flimsy door.
He shifted his hips upward, and came with a muffled grunt into the back of his
hand, spilling over Goromi’s hand and onto the floor.

She giggled and brought her hand up to her lips, licking it off as Kiryu leaned
against the door with his eyes closed, coming back to reality.

Before she could finish herself off, Kiryu dropped to his knees and took her
into his mouth, directing her hand to rest on the back of his head.
He pushed down as far as he could go, nose nearly pressing against the skin
of her lower stomach.

She clutched a fisful of his short hair and fucked slowly into his mouth. She
could feel him groan on her cock and the muscles in her thighs tensed before
she spurted, warm and salty into the back of Kiryu’s throat.

She collapsed back onto the toilet seat, head nearly clipping the curved wall
behind her, long legs framing Kiryu’s hunched figure as he wiped the corners
of his mouth.

“Hmmm,” she purred contentedly, “Real nice of ya to treat me so well, Kiryu-

chan!”

His lip quirked upward as he rose to grab two handfuls of tissue from the wall
dispenser.

125
“Didn’t want your dress to get ruined.”

They managed to clean both themselves and the floor quickly, and Goromi
kicked Kiryu out so she could retouch her makeup.

He felt an odd lack of embarrassment walking back to his seat; maybe

because he was past the stage of his life where he would be ashamed, or it
could’ve been the fact that he’d had an orgasm about ten minutes prior.
He yawned, drowsiness washing over him again.

Goromi returned to her seat beside him, tucking her little bag underneath her.

“Ya know, I ain’t been to Okinawa before.”

Kiryu opened one eye.

“Mmm? It’s nice. Haruka
likes the beach.”

Goromi leaned her head

against his arm and
yawned.
“Can’t wait.”

They slept like that the rest

of the short flight, until a
harsh “bump” of the plane
landing jolted them
upright.

Kiryu carried his overnight bag and duffle in one arm, and rolled Goromi’s
large pink suitcase with another, trying not to get the wheels caught on the
roughly paved street that ran perpendicular to the orphanage.
They were dropped off a few blocks too early thanks to the fact that they’d
gotten handsy in the back seat, and Kiryu didn’t want to bother with asking the
poor cab driver to deal with them for any longer, so they walked.

“Augh, Kiryu-chan ya coulda warned me.”

Goromi stumbled along on the uneven ground, heels clacking against each
other.She knew how to walk in heels better than anyone Kiryu had ever seen,
and yet even Goromi had her limits.

126
“Don’t worry. We’re
almost there.”
He offered with a
smile, but she
grumbled and slipped
them off, opting for
dirty feet.

When they got to the

brick gates adorned
with stone Shiisa, the
sound of children
shouting “ojiisan”
echoed through the
hallways of Morning
Glory.

Haruka ran out, arms wide, and wrapped them around Kiryu’s waist.
She was getting taller by the day it seemed, and if Kiryu thought about it for
too long it made him sad.

He dropped his duffle bag and propped Goromi’s luggage against the gate as
he brought a hand down to her head and smiled.
Four of his nine children, Ayako, Mitsuo, Izumi, and Koji, ran outside and
joined in on Haruka’s hug.

Goromi stood off to the side, face downturned and unsure of her place in all
this.
Haruka looked over and walked up to her, bowing and smiling that adorably
Haruka-chan smile.

“Goromi oba-san!”
The one-eyed lady flushed a little at the title.
“I didn’t know you were coming! You look pretty!”

She pushed a blonde strand that fell into her face away and let a genuine
smile wash over her.
“Ehhh...thanks, Haru-chan...yer lookin real pretty yerself.”

Haruka waved the other kids over.

For all the time she’d thought this through, Goromi was still a little anxious
around the kids.
She’d told herself that none of what they would say could affect her, but at the
moment, she felt like a single-celled organism under a microscope.

127
“Goromi-chan?”
Mitsuo tilted his head to the side and she gritted her teeth.

“Goromi-chan!! We didn’t know you were coming!”

Ayako and Koji stared up at her, eyes wide.
“Ojiisan talks about you all the time!” Izumi giggled.

Kiryu’s eyes went wide and he cleared his throat.

“D-did you all eat lunch today?”

The children all started to speak at once, Ayako’s voice the loudest of them,
sternly shushing the others.
“Haruka made us pork dumplings.”

“Yo, yer a little chef now, Haru-chan?”

“Oh...yeah, I like to cook sometimes…”

Haruka smiled bashfully.
In truth, she helped Kiryu make nearly everything, his cooking skills always
leaving a lot to be desired, and she genuinely liked doing it.

“Did you help her clean the kitchen?”

Kiryu looked at the kids, particularly Koji, who was always a little slack on
helping the others clean up.

“Yes…”
They replied in unison.

The children helped him carry his things in, chattering to Kiryu about
Kamurocho, and if he’d gotten them the items they’d requested of him.
He looked happy, happier than Goromi had ever seen him in his life, probably,
and she stood at the steps, brows furrowed, wondering if she should even step
inside.
Running a family was the only thing they could compare to having kids, and
theirs was a group of 25-50 something grizzled criminals, a far cry from the
gaggle of wide-eyed children running around Kiryu as he unpacked his things.

“M-Miss Goromi?” The small girl with cute pigtails, Eri, stood by the doorway.
“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Course I am, little gal, I’m just...lookin’ at the scenery, s’all.”

Eri nodded and skipped back into the building.

Goromi followed her, ducking under a rickety beam that hung low over the
threshold, and eyed the place.

128
It was very traditional, sliding shoji and tatami floors, a greenish-metal table sat
low in the dining area, television barely big enough for two people to watch, let
alone ten or so.
There was a sweetness to it, simple and warm under the scorching sun, the
sound of kids and their father laughing in the kitchen.

“Ah. Here.”
Kiryu appeared in the hallway, pointing her towards the room on the far left of
the orphanage.
He slid the door open, and rolled her large luggage in. His room was sparse, a
few crayon drawings from the kids taped to the wall, a small radio on a table,
and...a picture sitting atop his dresser.

It was a photo strip from one of the SEGA arcades; Kiryu with a begrudging
smile on his face, and Majima, toothy grin and peace sign, crammed into the
small photo booth.
She remembered the time they took it. They’d been at karaoke (at Majima’s
insistence) and Kiryu had been dragged into the booth, and he’d protested
until the camera went off, giving in at the last second and letting his near-
permanent frown lift into a small smile.

It was also,
coincidentally, taken
right before they’d
slept together for the
first time.
Not some strange,
middle-of-the-road
post-scuffle handjob or
a weird bloody kiss
shared in a back alley,
but a culmination of
what felt like years of
something they were
dancing around.

Kiryu didn’t even notice her picking up the photo, too busy stashing away the
precious few pieces of clothing he’d taken with him on his latest trip back to
Tokyo, still slightly rumpled from the flight but no less clean than when he’d
washed them.

“Ya talk about me, do ya?”

He looked behind him, as she held the photo up and wiggled it in his face.

“They ask questions...kids ask questions.”

129
“Haw? And what do ya tell ‘em?”

Kiryu turned back to face the array of multicolored Kariyushi shirts that lined
his wardrobe.
“That...Well, I tell them that you...you mean a lot to me.”

Goromi let out a snort, placing the picture back down on the dresser.
“That what ya tell ‘em huh?”

Kiryu nodded.

Once he had finished unloading his things, Kiryu fished through his wallet for a
wad of cash and walked into the main living area, Goromi curiously following.
Kiryu cleared his throat, every child looking towards him obediently.

“Here, Haruka is going to take you all into town for a movie, does that sound
fun?”

The boys’ eyes lit up, pumping the air with their fists, Eri and Riona clapping
their hands together.

Ayako looked over the edge of her book, frowning.

“Can I stay here, ojiisan? I want to finish my story.”

Haruka shot her head to Ayako and smiled.

“You’re coming with us! I want to see Starlight Boy, it has my favorite idol in it!”

Ayako had a puzzled look, but set her book down and nodded in agreement.

Haruka looked right at Kiryu and smiled.

God, she was too fucking smart for her own good.
He looked away, and placed the stack of cash on the table.

“Um...I’m going to take a shower. Call me if anything happens, okay?”

The kids agreed and he slid the door shut, Goromi cackling from the hallway
as he made his way to the bathroom.

The sun was low in the sky, casting an orange tint on the world.
Kiryu had been checking in with Haruka every hour or so, as the kids went on
what was likely an extended outing headed up by his daughter.
He would have to buy her all the ice cream she could ever want, to thank her
for this.

130
Kiryu had spent the last
couple of hours staking
fish with a comically
large “fork” as Goromi
put it, while she sat on
her flower-shaped
beach towel and made
increasingly lewd
comments about his
ass.

He managed to catch
five fish, slapping them
in a rusty bucket and
getting a clap from
Goromi for his
achievement.
He imagined the dinner he could make with it...well, if he got around to actually
making dinner tonight.

He stood beside where she was sitting. There was no space on the towel, and
he’d learned early on that sand in wet swim trunks was an absolute nightmare.

That afternoon, she’d switched her bright yellow-ish wig for a strawberry
blonde color, braided on the side with an elastic band that matched what she
was wearing; a bikini with ruffles on the top that showed off her colorful
shoulders, and a skirt that tied at her hips and opened completely down the
side.

“So...is this place to your liking, Goromi-chan?”

Kiryu offers a hand.

She took it and he pulled her forward, arms wrapped around her back and
mouth pressed against the side of her neck.
He breathed a long inhale, the light sheen of sweat from the heat mixed with
her jasmine-scented perfume. Perfection, he thought.

“Hmmm...it’s hot as shit and too damn quiet. Real charmin’, Kiryu-chan.”

Her hands travelled down the small of his back, past his hips, and slid fingers
under the band of his swim shorts.

“Mmm...inside.”

Goromi huffed.
“People do it on the beach all the time!”

131
“Have you ever had sand up your ass?”

“Naw....”

Kiryu pulled away and took her hand, walking her past the twin Shiisa, into his
bedroom.
It was significantly cooler, a large floor-size fan oscillating back and forth,
sending shivers down Kiryu’s now-freezing midsection.

He yanked his trunks off and tossed them haphazardly into a small pile in the
corner.

Goromi sat on the futon, legs crossed, and licked her lips.
What an ass, she thought.

Kiryu circled around behind her and seated himself, pressing his hands into
her back in an almost-massage.
Her ink looked brighter. It had been touched up the year prior and the colors
popped against her pale skin, reds, yellows, and blacks swirling around her
body like waves.

“I like this color on you...it’s pretty.”

Kiryu slipped a few stray strands of her hair between his thumb and forefinger.

“Ya really flatter me, Kiryu-chan.”

Kiryu motioned for her to stand, and he untied the skirt from her hips.
The bottom of her swimsuit was waist-high and adorned in polka-dots. The cut
accentuated her muscular thighs.

He rose to his knees and put his hands on her hips.

“Can I?”

She nodded.

He pulled the tight fabric down, and pulled her legs up to slip each foot out of
the holes of her bikini.
He looked up at her, strands of his hair still damp from the ocean, with a pink
tinge on his cheeks and eyes half-lidded.
It was reverent, his gaze.

“Get on yer back, babe.”

Kiryu laid back, head at the edge of where his futon was spread out, feet flat
on the floor.
Goromi reached for her little bag from the airplane and knelt in front of him.

132
She bent slightly, taking one of his strong legs in her palm and kissing the
inside of his thigh.

She slicked up her hand and leaned forward, trailing kisses and licks over his
stomach and chest as she pressed inside of him with her slender fingers.
Kiryu pulled her upward slightly and leaned forward, kissing her, and she felt
his breath hitch on her lips when she slipped a third finger in and applied
pressure against his prostate.

“So good fer me Kiryu-chan…”

“Mmh...Goromi…”

“Yeah, darlin’?”
Her voice lifted into that high-pitched sing-song tone.

“Please...need you to fuck me.”

Goromi giggled half-cute, half-maniacal, and pulled her fingers out.

“Course I will, babe!”
She hovered over him, hiking his legs up and around her, careful not to undo
her tied hair, and stroked herself with a still-wet hand, pressing inside of him
slowly and watching as his lips parted and his chest heaved underneath her.

“Ya know, Kiryu-chan…”

She exhaled, he was full of her entirely, and she in turn was enveloped in his
tight heat.
Her palms planted on his firm chest, pink mouth agape as she moved.

“What?”
He panted in reply.

“Used t’be all...hah...blushy n’...n’modest...hmm, couldn’t getcha...to..hah, tell

me whatcha wanted.”

“Yeah…”

“I corrupted ya, Kiryu-chan...g-gotcha laid out...for me, n’ fuck...beggin’ fer

me…”

“Yeah.”

Goromi cackled and craned her upper half to plant a chaste kiss on his face.
He was never very good at dirty talk, always vocalizing in...less articulate
ways. Regardless of what she might admit to him, she loved it.
It was unfairly adorable and unbelievably sexy at the same time; dangerous for
someone like them.

133
But of course, they couldn’t stay away.
Couldn’t even fathom it.

Kiryu reached up for her frilly top, still stretched across her broad shoulders,
and slid his hands under, thumbing at her nipples.

“You should..w-wear this more often...it looks sexy on you…”

She hissed as he pinched a bud between his fingers.

“I’ll..wear it every fuckin’ day if it turns ya on this much…”

“Ungh...it does, Goromi.”

She fucked him faster, harder, his head knocking against the ground with her
thrusts.
His cock leaked all over his abdomen, and Goromi wanted nothing more than
to lick him all over.
He reached between them and pumped his aching length with a fist, slowly.
He was close, but he wanted to make this last as long as he could.

Goromi leaned forward, letting his legs cross around her back, and bending
him in half.

134
She kissed him; their tongues slipping into one another’s mouth, Goromi
gripping the back of his neck.
They clung to each other as they moved; the room filled with the sounds of
their breathing, the shrill ‘whirr’ of the fan, and Goromi’s skin colliding against
his ass with each motion of her hips.

She felt release wash over her as she jerked her hips up hard, spilling inside of
him and making her limbs feel weak.
Instead of pulling away, she moved his hand away and started jerking him off
until he arched back, coming in spurts of sticky white down his stomach.

Goromi licked her hand clean, and then his midsection, letting her eye dart
upwards to the blissful, blushed face of the man beneath her.
She pulled out of him, cum dripping onto the futon beneath them, but Kiryu
wasn’t even thinking about it at all.

“Ya taste so good, Kiryu-chan.”

“So do you.”
He said with a quirked lip.

She sat up slightly, pulling her frilly top off and throwing it behind them.
Her wig had shifted a little, caught on the sleeves, and Kiryu reached up.

“Wait...your hair, let me…”

She smirked and pulled the pins that held it in place out, yanking it off and
placing it gently on the floor away from the futon.

“Don’t wanna get it all messy, anyways.”

She collapsed forward, head resting on the side of Kiryu’s chest and stretching
her arms out to the side and up under his arms, effectively locking them to the
floor.
He thumbed the soft hair on her neck, freshly cut in the sharp way they liked
so much, and she turned her head, as if she was lying on a pillow instead of
firm muscle.

The fan did little to cool them now, the heat from their bodies making it feel
even more humid than the outside.

Kiryu’s hand travelled further up, threading through thin strands of jet black.

“I love you.”

“Hmm….love ya too, dumbass.”

135
They said it just like that; like neither of them had ever been apprehensive
about it, like it was easy.
Because it really was, but stubbornness and pride always seemed too big a
hurdle before.

But it wasn’t now. Now as they fell asleep at an early hour, in the quiet warmth
of Okinawa, bucket full of fish forgotten and neglected on the front steps of the
orphanage until sunrise.

136
138
 "Somebody's watching you. "

A college girl stumbles at the doorsteps of Club Sunshine in search of a

summer job, and Majima's more than willing to provide, but is she who he
thinks she is, or does she hide malignant intentions?

Before proceeding, watch t he story trailer "the velvet touch - trailer" on

b3ancurd's Youtube channel!

139
140
 It was too dark for a girl to be out on her own, was what
Majima first thouo-ht when he saw her. The sound of smoke
escapino- his lips caused her to turn, her startled face partiall
illuminated b the light on the sign abo e her
''Are a lost?"
She couldn't respond. She looked about in her 20s at most,
probabl a colleo-e o-irl in her arsity t- hirt and her denim
shorts.
"Yer waitin' fer someone?" he asked again.
"I-" she stuttered, with about as much sh ness as someone
who wa n't aware that she shouldn't be alone in a dark alle at
thi hour. "I'm lookino- for a job." she clutched onto the
drawstrings of her bag.
It just so happened that Majima was indeed lookino- for
new cirls for Club Sunshine. One thing led to another and he
found himself manao-ino- the underdoo- cabaret club on the sid
Of cour e, a Manao-er of the reputable Grand, he trul) didn't
ha e time to juggle both, but he found himself enjo) ing the
more relaxed, unwatched activities that happened at Sunshine.
nd this new o-irl ....

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 "I'm swearin' off drug testin' for life!"
Rich words coming from a fucking idiot.

Majima Garo volunteers his body to science

for the day and it goes as well as you'd expect.

Written by: Ringoes

Art by: Cherri
Characters:
Majima Garo, Kiryu Kazuma
Ship:
Kazumaji

Tags I Content Warnings:

exhibitionism, mirror sex,
hallucinations (or ghosts?)

215
 'I

��
- \

"I'm swearin' off drug testin' for life!"

Rich words coming from a fucking idiot.
Maybe he was still too soft, to get tangled up in the same thing
twice. Or maybe he was just passionate about progressing the medical
field for the sake of children all over the world. Do it for them!

Or something.

Whatever the case, Majima's wallet was a bit fuller and his mind
was a bit fuzzier, uncomfortably soft round the edges. An hour had

216
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Wr
it
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hat.But
thankinghim wasatleastbel
ievabl
e.

Saeji
mawa sstoi
c,andhisexpr
essi
onba rel
ychangedasheshookhishead.
Daigo,however,c
ouldn'
tst
ophi seyesf
rom dar
tingqui
cklytothedoort
hey
hadjustlef
tfr
om, makingIc
hiban'
she ar
tpound.

"
We'llbesur
etol
ethi
m know.
Buthe'
sabus
yguy,
andyous
houl
dbe
r
est
ing."

Heshoul
dbe ,
buthefel
tthatt
ugagai
n,a
longhi
sent
irebody.
Hewass
o
cl
ose.Maybei
fheplayedi
toff…

"
You'
reri
ght,
"Herubbedthebac
kofhi snec
k,pl
ayingupjusthow t
iredhe
wasandgi
vingoneofhi
ssides
mi l
es,
whi c
hSaeji
mar et
urned.

236
Thelar
gema ncl
appedahandonhi
sshoul
der
,"Fol
low us
.We'
lls
how youa
goodplac
etocat
chasnooze.
"

Ichibanfel
tahor r
ibl eforceke epinghi mf r
om pu inghisfootforwar
d, but
heha dtokee pupt hea ctfornow, s
ohef orcedhimse l
ftotakeastepandf al
l
behindtheot hert
wo. Tha nkful
l yIchibanha dal
waysbe enapr oat
me morizi
ngdunge onl ayoutsint hega mesheusedt oplay.
I twasatal
ent
he'dalwaysbe enpr oudof .Thispl acewa samaze,buthewa sabl
etoke ep
tr
a c
kofthet urnsthe ytooka ndt hedoor stheywentthrough.

Eventuall
ySaejimausheredhi mintowha tlookedli
keanotherpri
vat
eoffic e,
butthisonehadani ceplushcouchi nthecentert
hatIc
hibanha dt
oadmi t
lookedama zi
ngtosleepon. Hewa stempted.Justalilenap.
..
butbythe
timehewokeupt hatguycouldbel onggone .Evennow hefel
tananxious
buzzi nhisvei
nstogetba c
kt othatdoor,af
raidevennow hema ybe
mi s
singhim.

"Thanksman,
"Ichi
bansaid,l
ayingdownont hecouchandt
ryi
ngtohol
d
backthemoanashist
iredmus c
lesr
elaxedi
ntothecushi
ons
.Shiti
twas
goingtobehar
dtogetbackup.

"
Restawhi le,t
henwec ant
alkaboutnexts
teps
,"Daigospokethi
sti
me ,and
I
chibannodde dinr
eturn,c
losi
nghiseyesandtr
yinghisbestt
olookli
kehe
wasdrif
tingoffquickly.

Appa rentl
yitworked,becaus
ethetwoot hermendi
dn'tsayanythi
nge l
s e,
ands implyturnedtol
eave.Ic
hibanli
stenedtot
hesoundofthe i
rfoots
teps
fadinga ndgaveitanext
rafew moments,asmanyashecouldstand,before
l
e apingupofft hecouchandgoingtofindt hatr
oom agai
n.

I
tdidn'ttakelong, evenwhi l
eIchi
banwasbeingc ar
efular
ounde ver
ytur
n,
worriedhe'druni ntoDa i
goa ndSaej
imaagai
n.Brieflyhewonde redwhere
Ma j
imawa s
.Ichibanha dn'tseent
hetwoJ
ima sseparat
edfrom eac
hother
si
nceheme tthem…

Fi
nall
yhewa sbackandfaci
ngther oom hewassur
ethatmanwasin,
and
bef
orehecouldt
hink,orhesi
tat
e,orknock.MaybeIshoul
dhaveKNOCKED.
Hewa spus
hingthrought
hedoor .

The r
ehewa s
,handsome,stoic,and..
.
br eat
hl ess
?Hi ssuitjac
ke twasnowhe r
e
tobes eenandhisdressshirtunbu one df ully,pushedtothes idesothathi
s
flushe dtor
sowa sondisplay.Abul gewa sc lear
lystruggli
nga gains
this
slac
ks. Hesatsprawl
edont hec oucha gai
ns tthefarwa ll
.

Andl eaningoverhi
m, asnakes
kinjac
ke thangi
ngoffonea rm wit
hhis
glovedfinge r
spress
ingagai
nsttheguy'sfirm ni
pples
,wa sMa j
ima,whowas
now eyeingIchi
banwi t
hahunge ri
nhi seyethats
ome how i
ntimi
datedt
he
youngerma n.

Maji
mawa sf
ullyt
urningonhim now,
unas
hamedatbei
ngi
nter
rupt
ed.
In
f
act
,thathungerneverl
efthi
seye.

237
"
Ma j
imanonii
san,
"Themans
pokel
ow,
breat
hle
ss,
buti
tsoundedal
mos
t
l
ikeawar
ning.

"
Yal
ikewhatyas
ee?
"Maj
imaas
ked,
seemi
ngt
oignor
ehi
scompani
onon
t
hec
ouch.

Ic
hibanwassuddenlyawar
eofhisdic
kt witc
hingands
trai
ningagai
nsthi
s
pant
s.Thet
irednes
sinhismusc
lesforgo en.

Hedi
d.

Hedi
dli
kewhathes
aw.

Majima'
sjacketdroppedfull
ytothefloorashes l
owlystal
kedtoward
I
chiban,“Chec
k‘ em out
,Kiryu-
chan.Iknew hewa si
ntoyou.Iknewit.
”He
wasgloat
ing,Ma j
imadidn’teventr
ytohideit.

Ki
ryuKi
ryuKir
yu.Thenamebouncedar
oundIchi
ban’
sheadevenas
Maji
mast
art
edsnaki
nganar
ma roundt
heyoungerman’ss
houlder
.

“I
t’sokay,”Maj
imaprac
tic
all
ypur
redi
nIc
hiban’
sear
.“Ki
ryu-
chani
shar
d
t
or esi
st.
Yawannajoi
nus ?
”

I
c hi
ba nswa l
lowedl oudly,andthathadMa ji
maguffa wing.Kiryuonly
wa t
chedca r
efull
yf rom hisseatonthecouc
h, hi
seyestr
aveli
ngbe t
we en
Ma ji
maa ndI chi
.Ita l
mos tseemedlikehehadapr ot
ect
ivegli
ntinhi seyes
.
I
c hi
ba ndidn’tknow why. Majimacoulddefinit
elypumme lhim,iftheone
eyedma nr eal
lywa ntedto.

Majimaevennow hadagri
pont hebac
kofhi sneckthathadIchi
ban
movingtowar
dKiryuthatwas
n’tcomplet
elyofhisownvoliti
on.Theman
onthecouchl
eanedfor
wa r
d,s
til
lflushed,butbreat
hingevenlynow.

“Whydon’tyagetonyerknees
,”Ma j
imawhis
pe r
edrighti
ntotheshel
lof
Ic
hi’
sear
.Theolderma n’
sbr
eatha gains
thi
sskinsentashivers
hooti
ng
downhisspineandhisdi
cktwitc
hi nginhi
sslac
ks.

“Maj
ima-
san,”Kir
yus
pokei
nanot
hers
ortofwar
ning.
“Ar
eyous
urehe
want
stodothis
?”

Thos
eeyes,Godsthosee yest
akingintheyoung,ex-
Yakuzain.Ic
hiban
al
mostwantedtoescapef r
om t
he m.Theywerealmostt
oomuc h.The r
ewas
t
oomuc hbehindt
he mt hathecouldgetl
ostin.
Theywe resadtoo,andthat
wasshaki
ngIchit
ohi score.

SoI
chi
bans
lideas
ilyt
ohi
sknees
,Maj
imagi
ggl
ingexc
itedl
ybehi
ndhi
m.

“Iwanttodot his,
”Heha dn’
tevenpr oper
lymett
hisman,butther
ewa s
s
ome thi
ngabs olutel
ygr avi
tat
ionalabouthim.Hi
sfri
endsoft
ensaidthat
aboutIc
hiban, butIchisuddenlyknew deeptohi
score,
thatt
hisma nwasa
s
un, andeveryoneor bit
eda r
oundhim.

238
Majimaputahandt
othebackofI
chiban’shead,
fingersgr
ippinginhis
hai
r,readyt
opusht
heyoungerman’
she addown, “Di
ckout,
Ki r
yu-c
han.”

MaybeMaj
imawasamet
eor
.

Ic
hi banputhishandsonKi r
yu’sknees.
Thema nabovehim madeahuffy
noiseatMa j
ima,whoonl ycackl
edinrespons
e,t
henactual
lydi
dundohis
beltandpullthezipperofhi
ss l
acksdown.

Hewouldne verbegint
oa dmiti
t,butIchiban’
smouthbegantowater
.Kiryu
wasimpres
sive,ofcour
sehewa s.Histhic
kc oc
klookedheavy.
Ichi
ban’s
eyest
rac
edave inthatt
ravel
edthelengthoftheshaf
t.

“What
’r
eyawai
tingfor
?”Maji
mawhisper
edinhisearagai
n.“Whydon’
t
youworshi
pKi
ryu-c
hanjus
tthewayhedeser
ves
?”

Ichibanl ookedupa tKiryu,hist

hickbrowsf urr
owi ngi nthemi ddle
sli
ght l
y. Kir
yul ookeddowna thima ndga vehimthet iniestsmi rk,
reassuring.Some how I
chibankne witwa sarealtr
ea ttos eet hatsmirk,s
ohe
gaveal a r
geoneofhi sown, wrappedaha nda r
oundt hegi rthys haf
t,and
tookt hehe adinhismout h,cl
osinghiseyestoreal
lye njoyi t.

239
Kiryusuc
kedinabr eath,finger
sti
ghteni
nga gai
nsthiss
lacks
,whil
eMa j
ima
keptonehandfirmlya tthebackoftheyoungerman’shead,ands
tart
ed
unbu oningIc
hiban’
ss hirtwi
ththeother
.

Ichibanwa swhollyf oc usedont hec oc

ki nhismout h,sl
owlybobbi ngup
anddowna longit,suc kinga ndbe i
ngs uretobeca r
e f
ulwithhisteeth.He
wa sli
bealwi t
hhisdr ool ,lei ngitlubehisha ndashes tr
okedwha teverhi
s
mout hdidn’treac
h. Heha dn'tsuckedal otofdickinhi sday,buthe'dnever
hada nycompl ai
nts.Be s i
des,heha dMa j
imawhi speringsuggest
ionsinhis
ear,andIchibanha dt hedi st
inctimpr es
sionthatMa ji
makne we xactl
ywha t
Kiryuliked.

Wi t
he achbobofhisheadIchibant
ookmor eandmor eoft
helength.Under
him Kiryuwa st
witc
hing,t
ryingnottothrus
tands hovehisenti
redickdown
Ichi
'sthroat
.Theyoungerma nappr
eciatedi
t,buthe'dtrywit
ha l
lhismight
totakeitdowntotheroot.

Majimawa sencouragi
nghim,urgi
nghiml owe randlower.
Hi shandwas
per
s i
ste
nt ,butwhenI c
hineededupforai
rt hathandletup,t
he nwasbac
k
assoona sIchi'
sli
pswe rear
oundKiryu'
ssha f
ta gai
n.

"Yerdoi
ngs ogood,
"Maji
macoaxedhi
sshi
rtoffofhim,fr
eehandexpl
oring
theexpans
eofhi sc
hes
t."
Lookat‘
em.Lookathow flus
ter
edyou'
remakin'
him."

Majimapressedakis
stothespacebehi
ndhisear.Thet
endernessshocked
I
chibansl
ightl
y,butthenMajimagrabbedaroughhandfulofhispeck,
makinghim gaspar
oundKiryu'sdi
cka ndt
hekisswasforgo en.

I
c hibanlooke dupt hr
oughhi sl as
hes.Kiryuwa sevenmor eflus hedtha nhe
wa sbefore,ches
ta ndfaceblushingade epshadeofred,andhi sbreathing
wa sbecomi ngragged.Thedr agon'seyeswe resqueezedshut,perf
e c
tly
shapedbr owspoi ntedupint hemi ddle.Ichi
banc oul
df eelt
hema n'st highs
startt
os hakeunde rhishands. Fuckthisguywa shot.

"Thinkyac antakea l
lofhi m?"Ma ji
mawa sundoingIchi
ban’
sbeltnow,
thenthezipper,glovedha ndpushingi ntocupthethrobbedbul
ges t
il
l
confinedtobr i
efs.Ichibanmoa ned,hipsroll
ingintoMa j
ima'
shand,
despera
teforfrict
ion.Anot hercac
kleinhise ar
,andtheMa dDogpul l
ed
Ichi
ban’sbrief
sdown, rel
e as
inghisachingcock.

Therel
iefwassogreatt
hatI
chi
bangas
pedaroundKi
ryu,
whoi
ntur
nletout
agas
pofhi sown,handsflyi
ngtoIc
hi’
swil
dha i
r.

Theexc
itementemanati
ngfrom Maj
imawa spal
pableatthi
spoint.
Theheat
fr
om t
heirthr
eebodiesbec
omingablis
ter
ingheatinthissmal
lroom.

“Comeon,”Ma jimagrabbedIchibanbythethr
oat,
squeezi
ngt
hesides
c
a r
eful
ly,hisot
herhandwr appingaroundIc
hiban'
sdic
ka nds
tar
tingt
o
s
troke.“Takehi
ma llt
hewa y.”

240
“Goeasy,Maji
ma -
san,”Kiryupa nt
e d,movi
ngoneofhi sbigha ndst
o
Maji
ma ’
sshoulder
.Itwa s
n’tforcef
ul ,
butMa j
ima’shandloosenedsli
ght
ly,
andIc
hibancouldfeelthi
se nergybuz zi
ngbetweenthetwooft hem,asi
f
t
herewa st
hist
enuoust hr
eadt hatcouldsnapatanymome nt.

ThenMaj
imas
nar
led,“Makeme.
”

Andt hehandt hathadbeenlai

donhi sshoulders
nappe dt
otheMa dDog’s
neck,whol etoutabarkofglee.
Ichibanpulledhi
ms el
foffKi r
yu'sdickwith
anothergasp.Holyshit
,theDragonwa sli
fti
ngMa ji
mae ffort
less
ly,justby
hisneck,andMa jimaseemedalltoohappywi tht
hedisplayofstr
ength.

Ic
hi banfellba c
konhi sass,s
lac
ksa r
oundhi st highs,mouthope nin
ama zementa shewa tched.Hewa sshoc kedatfir st,al
mos tpetr
ifiedthat
t
hingsha dgones e r
iousl
ywr ong,butwhe nhes awthes ma l
lestsmi
rkon
Kiryu'sli
ps ,andt heunabashedlus tinMa jima '
se ye,I
chibanunde r
stood
t
ha tthiswa stheirlovelanguage,andt hatthingswe regoingve ryver
yr i
ght
.

Kiryuwasst
andingnow,sti
llhol
dingMaji
mabyhisthr
oat.TheMadDog
st
andingonti
ptoestokeepsomeofthepr
essur
eoff,
"He'snotusedt
ohow
wedot hi
ngs,Goro.
"
241
Ma j
imale toutalow whi
neatt
hes
oundofhisgivenname,di
cktwit
ching
inhisl
e at
he rpant
s.Hewasc
omplet
elyatKi
ryu’
sme rc
y,andcoul
dn’
tlook
happieraboutit
.

Ichi
banwasquic
klycatc
hingup.Heshuffle dfor
wa r
d,pushi
nghisface
betweent
hetwo,nuzzl
ingKiryu’
scoc
kfir s
t,t
henturni
ngtopressahotki
ss
toMa j
ima’
sbul
ge.Ic
hibanlookedup,hi
sfaceburni
nga ndflus
he d.

“Ic
anl
ear
n,”Hemur
mur
ed.

Kiryuwa stakinghimi ncareful

ly, sei ngMa ji
maba ckdownonhi sown
feet,handlooseningfrom ar
oundt heot herma n’sneck.TheMa dDogwa s
grinningwi l
dlydowna tI
chi.Ic
hi ba nstaredba c
k,givinghisbulgeanother
kiss,feel
ingjusthow hottheleathe rwa sagainsthisli
ps.Ma j
imaga vea
groan,start
ingtoundohi sbeltandl eaningintowhi spersomethingto
Kiryu, whonodde da sheli
stened. Whe nMa j
imapul ledawa yKiryuturned
thoseswe lt
eri
nge yesontotheyounge rma n.

“Woulditbea lr
ight…”Suddenl
yKir
yu’sf
aceturnedaflushs
hadeofr
ed,
embarrass
me ntinst
eadofar
ousal
.Maj
imagiggled,
butal
sonudgedKi
ryu
on,“.
..
ifIfuc
ke dyou?”

Ichi
ban’she ar
tstar
tedpoundingwildlyi
nhischest
.He ’
dknownt hi
swa sa
possi
bilit
y.Ofc ours
eitwas.Butheari
ngKiryusayitoutloudmadeitreal
andslightl
yda unti
ng.Hewa ntedi
tthough,
s ohenoddedi naffir
ma ti
on.

Ma j
imamove da wa yandstar
tedrootinga roundint hedeskont hefarend
whileIchibangotf ull
youtofhi ssl
ac ks,s
ii ngna kedont hec arpet.
Kiryu
gotoutofhi sowndi s
hevel
edc l
othingbe forekne el
ingne xtt
oI chiban,one
hands t
arti
ngt ostroketheyoungerma n'
sflus hedc hest
,finge r
spa usingto
st
rokea ndfli c
khi snipples
,whi l
ehi sotherha ndwr appeda r
oundI chi
's
dic
k. I
chibans uckedi nai
rthroughhi steeth,arc
hinghi sbacka tthe
ae nti
on.Theba ckofhishe adknocke dintopowe rfulthi
ghsa ndhes aw
Ma j
imaha dr etur
ne d,abo leoflubei nhisha nd.

"
How di
dyouknow ther
ewasl
ubei
nher
e?"Ki
ryur
umbl
ed,
per
fec
tbr
ows
f
urr
owingqui
zzi
cal
ly.

Ac
ackl
e."
WhatYa
kuzaai
n'tgotl
ubei
nhi
soffic
e?"

Ic
hiba nwoul
dn'tknow.He'dne verevenc
onsider
edhavi
nganofficeofhi
s
own. Kir
yuseemedtoagreethough,onlyshr
ugginghi
sshoul
der
sand
reac
hingfort
hebo le.

"
Your eady?
"TheDr
agonas
ked,
mur
mur
ingt
hewor
dsc
los
etot
he
Dragonfish’
sear
.

Ichi
ba nswa l
lowed,butnodde d.Hewa s.Hisstomachmaybei naknot,but
hisdickwa sachinglyhard,andallhecouldthinkaboutatthispointwa s
ge ingr ai
ledbyKi ryu.Helaiddownont hepl ushcar
pet,assintheair,
baringhims el
ffortheolderma nbehindhim. Ma j
imasatinf r
ontofIchiban,
movi nghims li
ghtlysothathisheadcouldrestintheMa dDog’ slap,
the
leat
he rwarma gainsthi
sface.
242
Kiryus queezedali
be r
alamountofthelubeontohisfinge r
s.Hel etitwa rm
upf orafew mome ntsbeforebegi
nningtost
rokeIchiban'
sope ning.Ichiban
gaveas ma l
lgaspatthesensati
on,buryi
nghisfaceintoMajima '
sabs .
Ki ryu
careful
lypus hedi
nafinge r
,thentwo,pumpingthems lowlyina ndout .
Ic
hi banswa l
lowedawhi mpe rwhentheoldermans queezeda3 rdin.He
wasr eall
yfeeli
ngthes t
ret
chnow.

Ma ji
mar anhisfinger
sthroughthewil
dhairinhislap,murmur
ing
encoura
ge mentasKir
yupr eppedIc
hi.
Heha dn'
tevenpulledhi
mselfoutof
hispantsyet
,buttheanti
cipat
ionwasahugepartoftheall
uref
orhim.

Onc eKir
yuf e l
tIchibanwa sproperl
yl oosene dup, hepul ledhi sfinge r
sout
oftheti
ghte ntrance.Thebodybe l
ow hi mte nseda ndI chibanl etoutalow
moa nofneed. Thisbr oughtas mallsmi rktoKi r
yu'sf ac
e ,andbe forehe
pushedintotheyounge rma nheslidhi sdicka longt hec l
e f
tofthepl ushass
.
Theyounge rma nwhi neda ndmoa ne d,wr appinghi sa r
msa roundMa j
ima,
whopur reda tthea ent i
on. TheDr agonc oul dn'thelpbutt easet heyounger
ma nalilelonge r
,kne adinghisassc heeksa ndpus hingt hemt ogether
aroundhisdic k.

"
Looka thim,Ki
ryu-
chan,
"Majimamurmured,
hisMadDogaffectgonefor
t
hefirsttime.Hehadhi
sglovedhandsbur
iedi
nIchi
ban'
shai
r."
Ain'the
c
ute?
"
Hewa s.
Itwasundeniabl
e.I
chiban'st
hic
kbrowswerepusheduptothe
centerofhisf
oreheadandhisplushli
psredands
hinyfr
om thea ent
ion
t
he y'
dbe enge i
ng.Adorabl
e .

Kiryuc ouldn' twa itanyl onge r,hiscoc

kwa sthrobbi
nga ndbe ginni
ngto
leakpreont oI chiban'sDr agonfis h.Hepul ledba ckenought oaimthehead
ofhisle ngtha tI chiban'sstretchedope ni
ng, doinghisbestnottojustt
hrust
intothehi ltlikehi sbodywa ss c
reaminga thimt odo.Ass oona sKi
ryu
pushe din, themus clesofI chiban’sbackr i
ppleda st
heyounge rman
groaneda ndt riednott otens eup. Ma j
imas oothedhim, r
unni ngahand
downI chiba n’sspine, urginghi mt orelax.

Thehe a tenvel
opedKiryuandhegroane d,l
eaningfor
wa r
duntilhis
foreheadbumpe dagai
nstMaji
ma ’
s,whol eanedoverIc
hibanuntilt
heir
headsme tinthemiddle.Hes
lidinuntilIc
hi’splushas
spusheda gai
nsthis
nave l
,thens t
ayedther
eforafew mome nts
,wa t
chingIchi
bantoma kesure
theyounge rmanadjust
edandwa srel
axed.

“Pleas
e,”Ichibanmoaned.“Move.
”Her ol
ledhishipsi
ntoKi
ryu,l
ooki
ng
backove rhisshoul
derwit
he yest
hatwe repleadi
ng.Maji
macackl
edatthe
look,palmingthebackofIchi
ban’shead.

“Yaheart
hatKir
yu-Chan?Don’tkeephi
m wai
ti
ng!”Ma j
imagr
innedatt
he
Dragon,c
lear
lyeggi
nghim on,
a ndt
hist
ime,
Ki r
yulethi
m.

Hes t
art
edpullingout,t
he nt
hr ust
ingbac
kins hal
lowly,
butsoonhewa s
pushingMa j
imaba c
ks ohec ouldputhi
sha ndsontheMa dDog’st
highsfor
lever
age,s
tar
tingtothr
us tdeeperandharderi
ntotheyoungerman.

Ichi
banwa s
n’tafr
aidtobevoc
a l
,theothertwoquic
klylear
ned.I
chimoaned
andhuffe dever
ytimeKiryuhithissweetspot
,andassoonasKiryu
disc
overedt
hishema desur
etoke eptheangle,
hiingitoverandover
again.

Ma ji
make ptpe i ngands trokingIchi’swi l
dha ir
,a ndnudge dKiryu’sf ace
withhi sownunt ilhecoulds li
dehi slipsalongKi ryu’s,s
hovi nghistongue
intotheot herma n’smout h.Kiryugr unteda tt
his,butope nedhi smout h
easil
y,curlinghisownt onguea r
oundMa j
ima ’
s,neverpa usingthestea dy
slapofhi shipsint oIc
hiba n’splusha s
s .
Be l
ow themI c
hiba nbeganpa nting,
pressi
nghi sfac
ei ntoMa j
i ma ’
sstoma ch.Ma ji
mapul l
edhi sfaceawa yf rom
Kiryu’swi thawe ts mack,as tr
ingofs ali
vac onnectingtheirlips.

“It
hinkhe’
scl
ose,
”Maj
imamur
mur
ed,
lic
kinghi
sswol
lenl
ips
.

Kir
yulookeddownandsawt hatI
chi’
sfacewass c
runchedandconc
ent
rat
ed.
TheDragonst
ill
edhi
shipsandpul l
edout,c
aus i
ngtheyoungermanto
gas
p,eyesflyi
ngopenandlookingbackathim desper
atel
y.

“Wha -?
”Ichi
banstar
tedt
oask,butKi r
yupul l
edhim upbyhisar
mssot hat
I
c hi
’sbackwasflushtohisc
he s
t.Ma j
imawa swatc
hingthem wi
thshar
p
eyes,Hist
eet
h,showingagri
n,sti
llpresent
.

244
“Takeyourpa ntsoff,Nii
-San,”Kiryurumbl ed,Ichiban’sheadcoc
kingin
cur
iosit
ya tthehonori
fic.Kiryuignoreditandke pthise yesonMa ji
ma,who
wasobe yingquickl
y,undoinghisbe l
tandl oweringhi szipper
.Redbrief
s
flashed,thenMa ji
mapul l
edt hos
edownt oo,rel
ea s
inghi scoc
k,which
bouncedhe avil
y.Kir
yu’smout hbegantowa t
er.

TheDragonbur
iedhisnoseint
oIc hi
ban’
sthroat
,takingi
nthes
mel
lofhi
m
bef
oregent
lygr
azingastr
ainedtendonwithhisteet
h.

“Wouldyoul
iket
oswi
tchpl
aces
?”Ki
ryuas
kedqui
etl
yagai
nstI
chi
’st
an
s
kin.

“Wha!
”Ic
hibangas
pedagai
n,“y-
youmeanf
uckyou?
”

Maji
mac ac
kledatt
hesi
ghtoftheflushthatenvel
opedtheyoungerman,
s
tar
tingtost
rokehi
sownachingcoc
k,spreadinghisnow bar
ethi
ghst
o
s
how itoff.

“I
fyou’
dli
ke,
”Ki
ryuans
wer
edeas
ily,
hiseyesl
ockedonMaj
ima.

“U-
uhyeah!
”

Kiryugotonhi skne esinfrontofIchiban,givingMa j

imaoneofhi ssmal
l
smiles
.Ichibanretri
evedthel ubea ndpreparedKi r
yuj ustastheolderman
haddonef orhim. Kiryuletoutas oftsi
gha tthea ention,reachi
ngoutto
wraphi shanda r
oundMa jima ’
scock.Beingbe tweenthet wome nwa s
int
oxicati
ng,givi
ngpowe rupt othetwooft he msome how feltrel
axi
ng,and
hisdickwa st
wi t
chingi narousal.Thiswasar aregif
ttohi m,be i
ngablet
o
rel
enthispowe randl ethimselfrelax.

Majima,al
readyunders
tandi
ngwhatitwasKir
yuwa swant
ing,
gri
ppeda
fis
tfuloft
hedr agon’
shair
,st
art
ingt
opushhisheaddown.

“Giveittohi
m.”Hegrowl
eda tI
chi
ban,wholookedupwit
hhi
sbi
g,gr
ey,
eyes.Fuc
ktheguywascut
e.“He’sr
eadyfori
t,don’
twor
ry.
”

Kiryulowe redhishe adunde rthepr ess

ureofMa jima’
sfist
,nothesit
ati
ngin
takingtheot herma n’
sdi c
kintohi smout h.Majimagrunt
ed,hipsthr
usti
ng
upa ndf orci
ngKi ryutotakeha lfhiscockinonego. Bynow hewas
practi
cedi nthi
sa ndbr eat
hedi ncarefull
ythroughhisnosetoavoi
d
gagging, t
hentookMa ji
mai nther estofthewa y,c
ausi
ngtheotherma nto
groana ndt i
ghtenthefis tinhisha i
r.

“Ohs hit
,”Ichi
banbreat
hedatthes
ight
,andMajimacac
kledatt
ha t
,
grabbingtheDragonfishbythenec
kwithhisf
reehandandyankinghi
m
for
wa rdtosma s
htheirmout
hstoget
her
.

“Now f
uckhi
m,”I
twasagr
owlagai
nstal
readys
wel
li
ngl
ips
.

I
chi
bandid,pushi
nginwi thaga s
pt hatwasswall
owe dupbyt heMadDog,
whobroughtt
hem bac
kf oranotherbruis
ingkis
s,sli
dinghistongueal
ong
t
heyoungerman's
.Ma j
imat as
tedlikewhi s
keyandhi sl
astsmoke.

245
Ichibandidn'tpaus
ebeforest
art
ingtopic
kuphi srhythm.Kir
yuwa s
pus hi
ngba c
ki nt
ohi mencour
agingl
y,soIchi
bangrabbedtheDragon'ships
ands tar
tedmovinghishipsinsl
ow rot
ati
onsthatquic
klydiss
olvedinto
fr
a nti
cthrust
s.

Ic
hibanhadt
opullawayfrom Maji
ma '
smouthwithagasp,pant
ingforai
r.
TheMa dDogwasal
lteet
ha ndtongueandI
chibancoul
dn'tbr
e at
he.

Helookeddowna tthema nbel

ow hima ndtheta ooontheolde rman'
s
backst
aredupa thim. Themusclesflexi
ngunde rskinmadeitlookasifthe
Dragonwasactuallymoving,andtheeyesthatglar
edoutatIchibanwould
havebeenint
imida t
ingifhewa s
n’tal
readyba l
lsdeepint
otheguy.

Ma ji
mas t
il
lha daha ndaroundI chiban’
sthroa t
,butnow s eemedtoo
distr
actedtopul lhiminfora notherkiss
.Hi sbrowss crunchedupi nt
he
middl eandhi smout hopeneda roundas il
entgr untasKi r
yubobbe dhis
headupa nddown, deept
hroatingtheMa dDoge ac
ht ime.Ma j
imahad
star
tedthrustinghiships,fina l
lylei ngoutal onggr oanwhe nKiryuletout
asma llchokings ound,butdidn'ttr
ya ndpul lhishe adup,inst
eadleaning
intohisands wa ll
owingrapidly.

Ma j
imagr oanedde epandlow i
nhisthroat
,curl
ingove rKiryuandleani
ng
hisheadonI chiban'
sshoulder
,los
inghimself,
histhrustsnolonger
shal
low.Hewoul dn'tl
astmuchlonger.Ki
ryukne w how tosuckhim offjus
t
thewa yheliked,andheha dn'
tseenhisDragoninsol ong.Therel
iefwas
imme nse.

Itdidn'tsoundl ikeIchibanwa sfarbehind.Hewa sgaspi

nga ndpa nti
ng,
nuz zl
inghisfa ceintoMa j
ima'sneckwhi l
ehisthr
ustsgotsl
oppi erand
sloppier.Per
ha psMa jimawa sge i ngalil ei
mpatient
,orma ybehej ust
wa ntedtohe arIchibanc um,eitherwaytheMa dDogope nedhi smout h,and
wi t
hz erowa r
ni ng,bitIchibanatthejunct
ionofhisneckands houlder.

Ichi
banthrew hisheadbackandcrie
doutassoona sMa ji
ma ’
steet
hclosed
overhi
sskin.Ichibanthr
ustindeeponemoretimebe for
ehisbodys ti
ll
ed
andhewa scumi ngdeepinsi
deKiryu.Hecoul
df eeltheolderman'swall
s
twit
chi
nga r
oundhi scockanditwasma ki
nghishea dspin.

Kiryus mirkedaroundMa jima'

sdick, gr
oa ni
ngwhe nhef el
tIc
hibanthr
us t
hardt hensti
ll
.Ichiban'sdickpulseda sitfill
edhim withcum.Kiryufinally
reachedbe t
we enhi sl
egsa ndst
rokedhi ms el
f.HavingIchi
banfuckhima nd
Ma jimas t
uffhisc ockdownhi st hr
oa thadbe enal
mos tt
oomuc h.Hewas
surprise
dheha dn' tor
ga s
me dfrom thea e nt
ion.

Itdi
dn'
ttakelongaftert
hefirstfews tr
oke sei
ther
.Hewa sonlyaha ndf
ulof
pumpsin,thenhewa sspil
li
nghi sseedont ot
hecarpetbel
ow. Kiryu
moanedaroundMa jima'
sdick,andt hatseemedtodothetric
kf ortheMa d
Dog,whoc oul
dn'tholdbackanyl onger.

ButMa ji
mawa sn'
tint
eres
tedinspi
lli
ngdownKi r
yu'
sthroat
.Heyanked
Kiryuoffhisdickbyhishairandst
rokedhimselfunt
ilhecameallover
Kiryu'
spre yface.Maj
imaleanedbacktogetagoodlook,andc
ackledat
theglar
eKiryusenthi
swa y.
246
Ma ji
mas t
il
lha daha ndaroundI chiban’
sthroa t
,butnow s eemedtoo
distr
actedtopul lhiminfora notherkiss
.Hi sbrowss crunchedupi nt
he
middl eandhi smout hopeneda roundas il
entgr untasKi r
yubobbe dhis
headupa nddown, deept
hroatingtheMa dDoge ac
ht ime.Ma j
imahad
star
tedthrustinghiships,fina l
lylei ngoutal onggr oanwhe nKiryuletout
asma llchokings ound,butdidn'ttr
ya ndpul lhishe adup,inst
eadleaning
intohisands wa ll
owingrapidly.

Ma j
imagr oanedde epandlow i
nhisthroat
,curl
ingove rKiryuandleani
ng
hisheadonI chiban'
sshoulder
,los
inghimself,
histhrustsnolonger
shal
low.Hewoul dn'tl
astmuchlonger.Ki
ryukne w how tosuckhim offjus
t
thewa yheliked,andheha dn'
tseenhisDragoninsol ong.Therel
iefwas
imme nse.

Itdidn'tsoundl ikeIchibanwa sfarbehind.Hewa sgaspi

nga ndpa nti
ng,
nuz zl
inghisfa ceintoMa j
ima'sneckwhi l
ehisthr
ustsgotsl
oppi erand
sloppier.Per
ha psMa jimawa sge i ngalil ei
mpatient
,orma ybehej ust
wa ntedtohe arIchibanc um,eitherwaytheMa dDogope nedhi smout h,and
wi t
hz erowa r
ni ng,bitIchibanatthejunct
ionofhisneckands houlder.

Ichi
banthrew hisheadbackandcrie
doutassoona sMa ji
ma ’
steet
hclosed
overhi
sskin.Ichibanthr
ustindeeponemoretimebe for
ehisbodys ti
ll
ed
andhewa scumi ngdeepinsi
deKiryu.Hecoul
df eeltheolderman'swall
s
twit
chi
nga r
oundhi scockanditwasma ki
nghishea dspin.

Kiryus mirkedaroundMa jima'

sdick, gr
oa ni
ngwhe nhef el
tIc
hibanthr
us t
hardt hensti
ll
.Ichiban'sdickpulseda sitfill
edhim withcum.Kiryufinally
reachedbe t
we enhi sl
egsa ndst
rokedhi ms el
f.HavingIchi
banfuckhima nd
Ma jimas t
uffhisc ockdownhi st hr
oa thadbe enal
mos tt
oomuc h.Hewas
surprise
dheha dn' tor
ga s
me dfrom thea e nt
ion.

Itdi
dn'
ttakelongaftert
hefirstfews tr
oke sei
ther
.Hewa sonlyaha ndf
ulof
pumpsin,thenhewa sspil
li
nghi sseedont ot
hecarpetbel
ow. Kiryu
moanedaroundMa jima'
sdick,andt hatseemedtodothetric
kf ortheMa d
Dog,whoc oul
dn'tholdbackanyl onger.

ButMa ji
mawa sn'
tint
eres
tedinspi
lli
ngdownKi r
yu'
sthroat
.Heyanked
Kiryuoffhisdickbyhishairandst
rokedhimselfunt
ilhecameallover
Kiryu'
spre yface.Maj
imaleanedbacktogetagoodlook,andc
ackledat
theglar
eKiryusenthi
swa y.

"
Yaa l
waysl
ooksogoodpa int
edup,
Kir
yu-
chan!
"Hec
rowed,
pal
mingt
he
Dragon'
shai
raffec
tionat
ely.

Ichibans l
idwor dless
lyoutofKi r
yua ndploppeddownont ohi sass,
tryi
ng
toca t
chhisbr eat
ha ndjustwatchingtheothert
woi nt
erac
t.Itwa s
interest
ingtosayt heleast
.Ma j
imawa ssti
llcac
kli
nga sKiryustrai
ghtened
onhi skne es
,notlookingve r
ypl eas
ed,butIchi
bangotthedi s
tinct
impr ess
ionitwa smos tl
ya nact
.

247
Ichi
banreac
he dforhisjacketandduga roundinhispockets.Behi ndhim
thetwowerenow wr estl
inglight
ly,Ma j
imat r
yingtokeepKi ryu'scum
cover
edfac
ea tbay.Finall
yIchibanfoundwha thewaslookingf orand
pull
edoutthepoc ketti
ssues
. Feel
ingwe i
rdlyshynow,Ichibans huffle dover
andnudgedKi ryu,holdi
ngoutt hetis
sueslikesomesortofoffe ring.

Kiryut ur
nedfrom as ti
llgri
nningMajimaandsmiled.
The rewa sanodd
soft
ne ssinhi
se yesthatcontr
astedwi
ldlywit
hthecum start
ingtodryonhi
s
fac
e ,andIchi
banf elthisthr
oatsuddenl
ygodry.TheDr agontookthe
t
issuesf r
om I
chi ban’sl
impha nds.

"
Thankyou,
"Hemur
mur
ed,
thenqui
ckl
ywi
pedhi
sfac
e.

Ma j
imastooda ndstr
etc
hedwithhi
shandscl
aspedoverhi
shead.Bones
poppedandt heMa dDogletoutas
ati
sfiedgr
oan,"GodsIneededthat
.Been
st
rungsotightlat
ely.
"

I
c hi
banstoodwi
thKi
ryu,
whonow hadac
leanf
ace.
Atl
eas
tMaj
imahad
avoidedge i
ngi
tint
heDragon'
shai
r.

248
"Uhthanks,"Ic
hi banfel
talileawkwa r
d.Hehadnoi deawhattosayt
otwo
menheba relykne wa f
terat
hrees
ome ,
sohegotdres
se dsi
lent
ly,r
unni
nga
handthroughhi shairandwonderingi
fther
ewerebathshere.Ther
ehadt
o
beri
ght?

Thenhenoti
cedtheDragonwaslooki
nga thi
m withthats
mi l
eandthe
sof
tnessi
nhiseyes
.Ic
hiban'
seyesdar
tedtoMa j
ima,whoj us
tlooked
amused,t
henbacktoKiryu,
feel
ingsl
ight
lyuneasy.

Kiryuapproa c
hedIchibanpu i
ngahandonhisshoulder
,thenf
oregoi
ng
for
ma l
iti
esa ndkissi
ngtheyoungermans
oft
ly.I
chiban'
sfacewashotwhen
Kiryupulleda way.

"
Uh-
"

Kiryuchuc
kledandpalmedt
hebackofIchi
ban’shead.
"Youshoul
dgoand
res
t."Hesai
dgentl
y."
Ihavesomec
a t
chi
ngupt odoanywa y.
"

Hiseyess
lidovertoMa ji
mawhoj ustrol
ledhiseyes
,butwa sst
illgri
nning
widel
y.Whe nhi
se yeswe r
ebackonI c
hibantheyweres uddenl
ys er
ious,
"
Youknow myna menow, andthi
sma yseems t
range,buttel
lnoonee ls
e.
I
t'
scomplicat
ed,butit'
simport
ant.
"

I
chi
ba nnoddedhi shead,st
il
latal
ossf
orwor
ds.
Hecoul
df eelhisl
egs
s
haking,desper
ateforres
t,andhewasgoi
ngt
obesof
uckings or
e
t
omorrow,"Iunderstand.
"

I
chi
banbowedsl
ight
ly,andMajimaguffawed,sohes
trai
ght
enedqui
ckl
y,
t
ryi
ngtoi
gnor
etheheatris
ingi
nhischeeksagai
n.

"
Th-
thankyou.
"Hes ai
d,t
henturnedonhisheel
sa ndrushedqui
ckl
yout
t
hedoor,f
aces
til
lbur
ning,butali
ght
nessent
eringhisli
mbsnow.

Onc et
hedoorclos
edbe hindhimIchi
banleanedagai
nstit
,tr
yingtogethi
s
thought
stoget
her.He'
dl ear
nedhi
sna me,
hadbe enentr
ustedwithit
,and
hishear
tpoundedwitht heknowl
edge.

Ki
ryu.Whatal
egend.

END.
249
 The
Nishitani
Effect

Story written by:

Art created by:

 This story is considered NSFW.
It contains the following content tags.
Sex, rough sex, orgies, anal sex, explicit language, fisting, choking, 69ing,
masturbating, fingering, rim jobs, dildos, self-fellatio, hoarding, addictive
personality.
 Chapter 1: Stale Sex

The walk had become all too familiar to Majima. After a long shift at The Grand, he’d
unbutton his shirt, drape his jacket over one shoulder, readjust his ponytail, and walk the fifteen
minutes to Gandhara, the local erotic video store. Majima had no time for real men or women in
his life and certainly not while Sagawa and his men tracked nearly every movement he made.

To the point, he wondered if he should ask them if they wanted to wipe his ass for him too.

So, to find a ‘happy’ medium, Majima started going to the video store. At first, it wasn’t a
decision he felt proud of. He toyed with the idea for weeks. Feeling a bit of shame and
embarrassment that it had come to this point, but a man has his needs. True, sometimes he
would feel that ache of loneliness as he laid awake on his hardwood floor, craving human touch.

But images of Sagawa taunting him. Judging him. Holding anyone he dared to allow
close to him, over his head. Threatening harm to anyone Majima showed any flicker of interest
in.

It wasn’t worth it.

After a while, the thrill of switching between his own left and right hand in the darkness of
his apartment had grown stale. So perhaps visual stimulation would do the trick. Fill that void
within him.

He could care less if he received snide side comments from Sagawa’s peanut gallery for
his sexual escapades.

And at least they couldn’t see his browsing history. All they could do was give him a
judgmental sneer as he passed by his ‘watch dogs’ after exiting the shop. And he’d try his best
to resist the urge to kick them in the rib cage, relishing in the feeling of having a much ‘lighter
load’ within him and a post-nut clarity.

But once a week visits to the store turned into twice, then three times, and soon it
became a daily ritual. For having such a depressing and dark life, the fact his only form of

252
pleasure and happiness was shooting his load off in a small smelly room to videos of naked
chicks and dicks, only made Majima feel that much worse about his living situation.

But as with most things in life, Majima found himself growing bored. He had seen all he
could. He could recognize people within the videos before their name was even revealed. Hell,
he started to recognize some male porn stars just by seeing their dicks before the camera would
pan up to their faces.

It all became so boring.

He liked variety. To spice things up. Try new things. See new sights.

His little guy downstairs was simply not feeling it anymore (and Majima is adamant this is
a figure of speech. It is not in fact ‘little’. Try saying that to his face, would ya?).

It remained flaccid at the biggest of tits. It barely moved a muscle at the sight of large
dicks going in and out of another man’s asshole. He even tried Viagra pills when watching an
intense double-penetration film with a plot that was so touching, he leaked a small tear from his
eye. But… no leaking from his limp and shriveled up dick. It was simply…. stale.

Just like the food in Majima’s pantry.

So today, Majima gained the confidence to ask the clerk behind the counter a very
important question.

“Hey man, ya got anythin’ a little more… excitin’?” Majima asked with a straight face.

“Exciting?” The clerk repeated, blinking a few times as he sized Majima up.

Perhaps trying to get a read on him, wondering what kind of excitement would suit a
man like him. One that brought such a dangerous and mysterious aura with him wherever he
walked.

“Ya…yanno…” Majima coughed, trying to act casual, “like… somethin’ wild?”

“Sir, you’ve rented Slutty Slip N’ Slide Sotenbori five times already. That not wild enough?”

“That’s all ya got then? Ya don’t got a secret menu or somethin’? My junks gettin’ bored
with the same old, same old,” Majima said, faking the confidence to hide the utter
embarrassment coursing through him to be having this conversation out loud.

As if Majima had said a secret code, the clerk raised his eyebrows, pressing his lips
together firmly. Then he disappeared under the counter so quickly that Majima had to rub his
eye to ensure he wasn’t seeing shit. A moment later the clerk stood straight up and slid a rather
lengthy stack of papers across the counter, stealthily. As if they were being watched.

“What’s this shit? I ain’t wantin’ some erotic book or nothin’.”

253
“It’s a waiver. You want the goods, ya gotta sign on the dotted line.”

“Fer fucks sake, why?”

“Liability thing. Read it. Detailed it all right here. Answer any question ya got.”

“I ain’t got time fer that. I got a load that needs to be let loose. Gimmi that shit.”

So Majima, without reading a single thing on the fifty-page, double-sided, size four-point-
seven text booklet, signed away his name.

The clerk snatched away the contract and held out a single VHS for Majima. Majima
swore that it seemed like all the lights in the store had hyper-focused onto the tape, giving it the
illusion that a spotlight was beaming down upon it.

“That’s it?” Majima raised an eyebrow. “What’s it called?”

He noted there was no title on it. No stickers. Nothing.

Just a blank tape held out for him to take. He held it firmly in his hand and stared at it as
if it would give him answers.

“Listen kid,” The clerk said, ironic because he seemed to be younger than Majima. “This
here… is amateur hour compared to the whole collection of shit I got in the backroom. See if ya
can handle this. Then we’ll talk.”

“Well… uh… thanks,” Majima said, his eye shifting back and forth to ensure no one was
watching. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling as if he was breaking the law holding
this tape. That something was off about the whole thing.

Then, he made his way to his usual spot. The small room held a single chair, that large
tube television, a bottle of lotion, and a box of tissues. Majima popped the VHS into the
television’s built-in tape player and sat across from it with his knees spread far apart. He
unzipped his pants, not bothering to take out his limp biscuit just yet. He didn’t want to waste his
time if it didn’t stir from whatever contents this tape held. He had a gnawing suspicion that the
tape would be a huge letdown.

That the clerk was overhyping it all.

Some weird sales tactic, he figured.

He sighed as the screen held fuzzy lines that sporadically went up and down the monitor.

Then…

A dim room was full of red and black colors. Candles lit everywhere. A soft jazz melody
playing from some unseen source.

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 Majima rolled his eye. It already seemed like some dumb ‘romantic’ porno. The setting
was fitting for that of a newlywed couple or the classic ‘love hotel’ one-night stand plot, played
out dozens of times in previously viewed tapes.

The camera panned to a bed with velvet sheets.

What?? Majima blinked at the freshly revealed sight. This was… a bit interesting….

On top of the bed were… five… no six women. All nude, sprawled out giving a look of
yearning off-camera at someone. A few giggles were let out. Seductive eyes blinked innocently
towards….

The camera panned to the other side of the room and—

“The fuck!?” Majima’s entire body jolted forward. He nearly dropped the bottle of lotion in
his hand.

There, in nothing but a banana hammock, was Homare Nishitani.

This… This had to be a fever dream.

His ‘good’ eye must have gone bad. Because there was no way in hell that….

“Hey ladies,” Nishitani smirked, placing his hands on his hips. “How ‘bout this old dog
teach ya some new tricks? Lemme see some tittys, would ya?”

Majima blinked, “….”

Nope. That was definitely Nishitani.

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 Chapter 2: A Hole New World

Majima felt a lump in his throat at the sight of this man who he had fought nearly eight or
nine times at this point in fierce and vicious battles. He had tasted the steel of his blade. Felt the
smack of his fist into his jaw. Felt the rush of their bodies skillfully dodging, jumping, and
crashing into one another.

And now, he saw a massive bulge straining the tiny fabric encasing the man’s dick. The
banana hammock defied all laws of physics and gravity from how well it was containing that
straining lump within it that was only growing larger and larger by the second.

Majima couldn’t believe it.

He simply couldn’t.

This had to be someone else. There was no way Nishitani was in pornography. He didn’t
need the money. So why was he--

He watched with his mouth hung open wide as the women all slowly rose off the bed and
bent over so their asses were held high up in the air, arching their back and looking over their
shoulders with a sly grin.

“Ah…. Rather me feast on some ass then, do ya?” Nishitani cackled.

Nishitani clapped his hands together and rubbed them quickly against one another as if
preparing for a feat of Olympic proportions. Then, he proceeded to go down the line of women
with a shit-eating grin adorn on his face. He smacked every individual ass cheek of the women
like a bongo drum. A loud smack echoed. A red handprint was left behind on their delicate skin.

Once he reached the end of the line, that’s when it got… wild.

Majima watched as Nishitani pulled on the fabric containing his massive dick. It tore out
like an unsheathed sword, sending shards of fabric all down to the floor in tiny pieces. He stood
tall above everyone in the room, looking devilishly proud of himself.

“Try to contain yer eagerness ladies. This cock’s got enough juice fer all of ya.”

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What followed next could only be described as… jaw-dropping.

Nishitani had women touching nearly every part of his body. Worshipping him. Acting as
if each touch to him was a gift he bestowed upon them. Curling their fingers around his hair,
twisting at his nipples, sucking him off, eating his ass. After a few minutes, he was fucking one
of the women from behind --- but what’s this? Another female put on a massive strap-on. The
size sent a chill down Majima’s spine.

It wasn’t your average run-of-the-mill dildo. That shit made Majima’s back hunch forward
as he leaned closer to the television. He couldn’t believe his eye. It was ginormous.

And Nishitani took it with ease. It slid inside him as he let out a groan of ecstasy. She
didn’t even give him time to adjust. She just slid the whole god damn thing in at once.

“That all ya got baby?” He grinned arrogantly over his shoulder at her. “This ain’t daddy’s
first rodeo, yanno. Show me whatcha got.”

She pounded into his asshole relentlessly as he pounded into someone else. They all
matched pace in fast rhythms. Moans echoing out. Nishitani growled like a feral beast, egging
the woman pegging his asshole to speed up. Taunting her that she was ‘going easy on him’.

And that was just the beginning.

Nishitani clapped his hands together as if beckoning for room service.

“You ladies ain’t seen nothin’ yet... Oh boooooooyysss,” He called in a sing-songy tune.

The doors opened and a line of extremely well-built naked men strode inside. The ladies
let out over-exaggerated words and moans of approval. Beckoning them over with a single
finger in the air.

Soon the men were entangled in the mix and a full on free-for-all occurred. Hands were
full, stroking dicks and flicking clits. Nishitani’s mouth also held… something within it nearly at all
times. Sometimes a dick. Sometimes his tongue was buried between a woman's legs. And other
times, suggestive fruit like a banana or zucchini was stuffed in his mouth. Even a ball gag was
thrown into the fiasco.

At one point Nishitani was doing a handstand sixty-nine with another man, all while
taking another massive dildo in his ass.

The position and sheer strength required to perform this made Majima rooted to his chair
in complete shock. Eye glued to the television screen, worried that he’d miss something if he
blinked.

And Majima didn’t even realize he had been stroking his own throbbing cock the entire
time. It slipped out of his boxers, sticking straight into the air and his hands found it without

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hesitation. He pumped wildly at it, watching in fascination as Nishitani defied laws of physics,
gravity, morals, ethics, and probably broke about three Japanese laws in the process.

Majima was entranced.

Amazed.

Bewildered.

He saw moves that he didn’t know were possible and from a man, he knew in the flesh.

To think he held conversations with this man. To think he had fought this man to nearly
the brink of death. This man… this… sex god.

And when Majima came, it was so hard that small bits of his cum ended up on the
ceiling. It shot out like a clogged faucet finally able to burst out a steady stream. Like a jug of
milk that exploded. He couldn’t help it. It was like nothing he ever experienced before. He stared
back and forth in awe at his mighty load dripping down from the ceiling, hitting his cheeks lightly.

Total bliss.

An overwhelming feeling of an entire body high.

 Chapter 3: The Nishitani Effect

After that day, Majima became… obsessed.

Addicted even.

After his shift at The Grand, his feet couldn’t get him to the store fast enough. As he
panted from the sprint over, barely holding himself up with his forearm propped on the counter,
the clerk looked at him with a deadpanned look.

“I know what you’re here for,” The clerk said. “Take it ya took a shine to that tape, eh?
Well then….” He sighed as if this was all too familiar to him, “Follow me.”

The clerk led him down three hallways, two sets of stairs, one underwater hallway, and a
randomly placed escalator. At the end of one more hallway was a large set of double doors.
Wooden. Historic looking. Two torches burned dimly on either side. It felt like he was being led
to some cult’s sacrificial altar.

“Happens to everyone. Once they get a taste of Nishitani’s sexual prowess, they want
more. So, we have the… backroom. Can’t have people hearing or seeing this shit. Might
overwhelm the weak ones…. take this.” The clerk handed Majima a large rusted bronze key.
“We have to put them in the keyhole at the same time and turn it three-fourths counterclockwise
while standing on one foot. On my mark--”

Majima stood in front of one of the two keyholes placed underneath the torches on either
side of the door. Once the clerk gave him the go-head, the two inserted the keys in tandem and
did exactly as the clerk requested. But that wasn’t the last of it.

Then a small panel in the stone wall revealed itself, showing a fingerprint scanner to
which, the clerk placed his entire right hand. Lastly, a small circular hole in the wall appeared
and Majima looked away frazzled as the clerk unzipped his pants and nonchalantly inserted his
dick into it.
 Finally, the sound of a latch unhooking signaled the door was unlocked. The clerk
quickly put his dick away and readjusted himself.

“This…. is the Nishitani room.” The clerk said as he swung open the door in a similar
style to Willy Wonka showing off his chocolate room in his chocolate factory.

The first thing Majima noticed was the overbearing musty smell, followed by how every
step he took caused his snakeskin shoes to stick to the floor.

But… it was beautiful.

Like a museum of fine art, except it was all the face of one man….

One wall was full of VHS tapes organized meticulously by genre and ‘hardcore’ level.
Another wall held all sorts of products endorsed by Nishitani. Dildos, vibrators, cock-rings,
leather bondage, you name it. They held puny sorts of titles like “Nishitani Nippleflickers” or
“Tani Tassles” and even “I can’t believe it’s not Nishitani” which was a dildo encased in a
cardboard box showing Nishitani giving a thumbs up, claiming its identical to his dick. Of course,
the synthetic cum to fill the dildo up was sold separately.

It was like a wonderland of products. Things Majima had never seen before or heard of
before, all lined up at reasonable prices. He had so many questions. So many thoughts ran
through his brain at once, he felt at a loss for words. Incoherent noises left his lips as his eye
would focus on a new and interesting thing every other second.

And the best part?

The flat-screen high-definition television set (one that hadn’t even been ‘invented’ yet or
so they want you to think in the 1980s) held a comfortable leather seat with fifteen built-in
massage and heat options. Even a cup holder for when you need to rehydrate. And a built-in
lotion dispenser.

“Whenever someone comes in here…” The clerk said, pulling Majima from his awestruck
state, “… if we don’t hear from you in three days, we do a courtesy wellness check.”

“What? Ya think a guy’s gonna whack himself off ta death down here or somethin’?”

The clerk didn’t say anything, but his eyes went to the golden plaque on the wall with a
picture of a smiling middle-aged man waving happily. The plaque said “In Memorial of our
number one customer. You’ve done Nishitani proud. RIP.”

“I ain’t gonna go that hard,” Majima waved a dismissive hand feeling a bit awkward.

But Majima did go that hard.

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 Majima found himself in that room nearly every damn day. He couldn’t help himself. His
feet would just start walking automatically towards the shop after every stressful shift at The
Grand. Which was every shift.

It was like the Great Library of Alexandria. Majima had shelves upon shelves of video
content to sift through. Any spare cash Majima held instantly went into a purchase of another
Nishitani product. Even items he knew he would have no use for, the urge to buy outweighed
the logic in it all. His apartment, which was a sullen and empty room, now held boxes and piles
of sexual knick-knacks. Soon he barely held enough space to walk through his apartment
without tripping over a dildo or two. He lost access to his kitchen weeks ago from the mess.

And the content he consumed in that dungeon-styled Nishitani Sex Room, was opening
his mind. Expanding his knowledge. Making him feel like he would walk away with not only
empty balls, but a full mind.

Nishitani was a talented individual.

Each tape held a new experience.

Majima couldn’t even say for certain what his favorite was.

He could see how Nishitani’s skills and flexibility in the heat of a battle, transferred to the
heat of his body slamming into another’s.

In one tape, Nishitani was in a sex swing. He swung back and forth laughing maniacally
for a moment, while a woman was seated on his lap, positioning herself just right between his
legs. Then he took a deep breath in and started jerking his body so quickly and violently, the
swing started to go upside down. Full 360s around the metal bar the swing hung from at
incredible speeds were performed. Nishitani and the lady were nearly a blur of skin and hair had
it not been for the second camera mounted to the swing, allowing inside viewing of their sexual
act. All the while Nishitani was pumping himself in and out of the woman. Managing enough
friction between their bodies to stimulate her into an over-the-top orgasm.

Another day, another tape.

Nishitani was sucking two dicks at once. Filling his mouth to maximum capacity. Stroking
off two more dicks in either hand, only stopping to fondle their balls, causing his partners to arch
their backs, trying not to cum at his mercy. Just when Majima thought there was no way to make
this even more extreme, Nishitani kicked off his socks and his big toe on either foot, lined up
perfectly with two women, who spread their legs wide. He tickled at their clits. Made them cum
time and time again while his male partners started to shoot their loads all over his face. He
smiled gleefully, licking some off his lips. As if he couldn’t get any more talented, another person
within the porno shoot pulled out a small electric keyboard and placed it on the ground in front of
Nishitani.

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 The man then proceeded to play classical music by slamming his dick down on the
keyboard, while still managing to flick the clits, suck the dicks, and give hand jobs.

Truly, an artist Majima felt unworthy of seeing. He put Motzart to shame.

It was appropriate that the tape was called Nishitani Party Trick, because that was
indeed a trick and skill that was unmatched. Perhaps never performed on this earth even prior
to this.

A tape that left Majima itching to battle Nishitani once more, was a back-alley porno
filmed with Nishitani eating someone’s ass while also flailing his arms and legs out and
attacking thugs that were trying to fight him. It looked so realistic, Majima didn’t know if the
pornography shoot was simply interrupted by these thugs and then Nishitani decided to just
keep slurping up that booty and ‘take out the trash’ at the same time.

It only was confirmed to be the case, when he came up for air after slapping the ass
cheeks. He looked around at all the men passed out on the ground from his ‘battle’ and said to
the camera, “Well…. Fuck it. Keep that in there. Boys just unknowingly made their sex tape
debut.”

He winked, rubbed his hands together, and then proceeded to shove his entire fist in the
person’s ass. Met of course with a moan of approval.

Today’s tape that really sent Majima over the edge was called RollerHoes.

Nishitani was apparently very skilled at rollerblading because of course, he was. At this
point, it seemed easier to list what Nishitani couldn’t do.

Set in a roller-rink, that God only knows how they rented out and managed to get
enough men and women equally skilled and willing to be naked for a film within, Nishitani held a
spotlight on him in the center of the rink and started spinning around and doing flips in the air as
he smiled from ear to ear.

He was dressed in a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads.

“Safety first,” he said, tapping the solid surface over his elbow. Even his balls held a
custom-made ‘ball pad’ that allowed his hard throbbing cock to poke out untouched, all while his
balls were protected and encased should he wipe out and fall.

Whatever materials the ball pads were made of, when he slid across the floor of the
roller-rink, they sparked blue flames.

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265
 Everyone ended up holding onto one another as they skated in tandem in a long line,
conga-styled. Except their movements held jerking motions as they fucked each other while
skating around the outer circle of the rink. Sometimes, they’d all kick one leg out to the beat of
the disco-styled music blaring and seemed to match their pace of entry to one another’s holes
by the beat of the song.

It was a marvel. The line was obviously led by Nishitani who was taking a decently sized
dildo in his ass by a hot big breasted woman behind him. He was stroking his own cock while
leading the line, bending down at one point to suck at his length. Never breaking pace or
seeming to falter in his skating.

And after that day, Majima knew… he needed it.

Every time Majima closed his eye, it was Nishitani.

Every time he stroked at his cock, his mind was plagued with thoughts of Nishitani.

Thoughts of the tapes full of him fucking gilfs and milfs. The tapes of him performing
thirteen back handsprings in a row, ending with a flip, and his dick inserting itself into a perfectly
placed watermelon. The tape of Nishitani skydiving with a team that performed dancing and
fucking routines mid-air all to Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

The tape of Nishitani fucking a girl in the front seat of his car, while managing to drive
and jump over a large gap, with flames and sharp objects littered at the bottom, just to make it
all that much more dangerous.

The tape of Nishitani rock climbing up the side of a mountain while another man’s dick
was up his asshole. No ropes or safety gear connected the duo, nor did the other man attempt
to assist the climbing. It was a raw showing of Nishitani’s strength as the only thing keeping the
man connected to Nishitani as he climbed up was the ass cheeks Nishitani clenched together
so tightly to prevent the man from falling down the cliff.

Nishitani was simply an addiction for Majima.

After watching him perform, Majima wanted a taste.

Well… he had tasted the artificial dick, that claimed to be the exact size and ‘flavor’ of
Nishitani. But that got old. No longer did he want rubber in his ass. He wanted the real thing.

After about two months of going to that store every day, the clerk informed Majima that
he reached a milestone. Before Majima could grab the key for the backroom, the clerk slid a
small card across the table as well as a purple pin.

“What’s this? I ain’t----”

“You’re invited to join the elite status, Majima-san. Congratulations.”

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“The fuck is that?”

“You’ve been here long enough. It’s time you became part of the Nishitani Fucker Club.
Or the NFC, as we call it.”

“NFC?” Majima took the card and stared at it, wondering if this was a joke.

“Just trust me. Ya want in on this shin-dig. Wear that pin in public. Right next to the
button on your pants. The right people will notice. Fellow club members will know that you’re
good people. Shit will benefit you.”

Majima dismissed the idea but took the card and pin anyway.

It sounded like a prank. A cruel joke. A scarlet letter the clerk was putting on him, to
tease how often he’d be at the shop.

But after a few days of staring at the pin next to his bed, he shrugged and wore out in
public. He thought nothing of it and due to its placement, he almost forgot he wore it.

It wasn’t until he started to notice a small purple dot on a few others’ pants that he
realized there were a lot of NFC members. He started to notice that some of the most
unassuming people held the pins right next to the button of their pants.

Men. Women.

Old. Young.

Married couples. Police officers. School teachers. Priests.

There was simply no ‘average’ type of person when it came to admiring the skills and
pure sex that Nishitani radiated into his products.

He wasn’t sure what the ‘benefits’ were as the clerk mentioned until he went to one of
his favorite ramen shops and received larger portions, a free drink, and even a free dessert. The
same thing happened when he went to another restaurant. Sometimes he’d receive entire
meals for free, just because the person behind the counter noticed his pin.

When he went to buy a new bowtie for his suit, they offered a free wash and dry, and a
discount on future purchases. Gave him a free fruit platter as he waited for his suit to be
cleaned.

He was obtaining VIP status treatment everywhere he went.

They’d say small subtle comments to show they were in fact members of the NFC. “Got
that Tani, I see.”

Or...

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“You’re a man of taste, brother.”

A few customers at The Grand that were trying to start a fight with Majima, stopped dead
in their tracks upon seeing the small purple dot on his pants. They profusely apologized and
even offered to buy the most expensive thing on The Grand’s menu to compensate for the
disruption.

It dawned on Majima as he stared at the men bowing to him and feeling shame that
Nishitani’s reach was everywhere. Hidden perfectly in plain sight.

It felt like an entire secret underground cult existed and he had been too blind to notice it
for this long. How famous was this man? Did Nishitani’s fame extend beyond the city?

Whatever the case, Majima’s life seemed to improve the moment he decided to wear
that pin. His dark and bleak world held at least something now that he could look forward to.
Something to brighten the gloomy routines of dealing with Sagawa’s constant nagging and The
Grand’s constant stream of annoying customers.

Speaking of Sagawa….

A knock at his apartment door one morning held the old man waiting outside with his
hands behind his back. Instead of a cocky, punch-worthy, shit-eating grin that typically plastered
itself on his face, Sagawa looked serious… for once.

A look in his eyes that seemed unreadable to Majima.

“…Sir?” Majima stuttered out of formalities, wondering and running memories through
his mind at high speeds trying to recall if he made a dire mistake at work that he forgot about.

“We need to talk, kid,” Sagawa let himself in, his shoulder hitting Majima’s rather briskly,
but Majima bit his tongue.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Majima said between his teeth. When he turned
around, Sagawa was staring out his window, his back facing him.

He was silent for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh. “I know whatcha been up to lately.”

Majima said nothing.

“See that look in your eye,” Sagawa looked at him over his shoulder. “You got it bad kid.”

“Got what bad?”

“Don’t play stupid, Majima-chan.” Sagawa shook his head. “You’ve been visiting that
damn video store every day the past month and a half.”

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 Majima tried to contain the blush staining his cheeks by putting on an angry face, “What I
do in my spare time ain’t none of yer business. I give ya the profits ya want.”

“Ya think I’d come here to judge ya beating your meat? It ain’t that part of it kid.
Surprised ya ain’t taking home some chicks though if I’m being honest.”

“You watchin’ my ass every wakin’ moment might got somethin’ ta do with it,” Majima
pressed his lips together. It was growing more and more difficult to remain quiet.

“I ain’t gonna judge ya for bringing home a lady. Probably congratulate ya at this point.
Anything to get ya to stop going down this path your on.”

“And what path am I on?”

“You’re obsessed with Nishitani. You’re addicted Majima. It ain’t healthy.”

Sagawa stared at the pile of boxes in the room containing all the Nishitani sex toys and
products. Majima must have forgotten that his apartment was littered with it due to how focused
he was on Sagawa’s presence. He hadn’t realized that it took Sagawa pushing boxes out of his
path to make it to the window. That there was only a tiny bit of floor visible making a make-shift
path leading to the other side of the apartment.

That a suction cup dildo was stuck to the window and ironically extremely close to
Sagawa’s mouth.

Majima’s eye darted around, growing more embarrassed by the minute.

Did he… have a problem?

“I ain’t here to make ya feel bad.” Sagawa was suddenly in front of Majima. He put a
hand on his shoulder. “Kid, I had it too. Bad. Took me two years to get clean. Two years to stop
watching the shit that fucker would put out on VHS.”

Sagawa reached into his pocket and pulled out a purple pin. The same pin on Majima’s pants.

The NFC.

Majima gasped and looked at Sagawa with a frown, “You… You were…”

Sagawa put it back into his pocket and sighed, “He grabs ya by the balls and keeps ya
reeled in like a fish stuck on a fucking hook. He makes ya want more. Makes ya lose control of
your own mind and desires. Like a siren luring in ships at sea….” Sagawa sounded so
uncharacteristically poetic. “I don’t judge ya. I get it. But take it from me Majima…. Ya gotta
stop. For your own good.”

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 “I almost lost everything, Majima. All ‘cause I couldn’t stop…. The whole reason I
became a yakuza was to pay off the debt that man put me into.” Sagawa was at the doorway,
ready to leave.

And suddenly it all made sense why Sagawa hated Nishitani all these years. It wasn’t
because of rivalries or yakuza clan issues, it was simply because Sagawa spent so much
money on Nishitani products that he almost lost himself in the process. For one brief moment,
Majima felt bad for Sagawa. It was short-lived remembering the shit treatment he still receives
from him, but still.

This was a topic he could fully understand.

Majima was addicted. He did have a problem. He had to stop giving in to his urges to
consume everything Nishitani.

The only way to escape the Nishitani Fucker’s Club was to grow hatred within yourself.

Majima tried to stop.

For some reason, having Sagawa open up to him at that moment and admit a weakness
of his, really affected Majima. Gave him an insight into the path he was straying down.

He managed to go three days without going to that video store, but… he fell off the
wagon hard on the fourth day.

Ended up cumming so many times that he passed out in the chair. His shoe got stuck to
the floor from the way his cum dried and cemented him to the tile. He had to walk home with
one foot bare, in utter shame.

He knew he had to quit, but the idea of trying to hate Nishitani in order to achieve this
wouldn’t work for him.

He pondered what to do and it wasn’t until he was about halfway through Nishitani’s
latest sex tape depicting him in scuba-diving gear fucking against the coral reef while swapping
and sharing the oxygen mask between a group of three people, that it dawned on Majima.

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 The only way to beat this addiction, this obsession with Nishitani… was to go directly to
the source itself.

Majima stood up, cock still in hand, and proudly exclaimed, “I hafta fuck Nishitani…”

With a new goal set, nothing would get in Majima’s way. Not even that bashful
embarrassment he felt picturing approaching Nishitani with such a request. This was not only
the man he fought numerous times, but now the man he could fill three rooms with the number
of loads he blew to him.

But he had to do it. He was breaking out in cold sweats if he attempted to walk home
after his shifts and not make that left turn towards the video store. He couldn’t sleep anymore
without putting Nishitani’s numbing cream on his nipples and basking in the sensation as he
fucked himself with his vast dildo collection.

He was going to beat this.

One way or another.

Finding Nishitani wasn’t as hard as he pictured it to be.

A few phone calls, a few lucky guesses, and Majima’s newfound ability to recognize the
scent of Nishitani’s cologne (since he bought three bottles of it already) assisted Majima in
tracking him down at a local bar.

Nishitani was in the back, two girls on either side of him, looking smug, whispering in
their ears and grabbing at one’s tits.

It didn’t take long for him to notice Majima standing there with a blank face across the
table, trying his hardest to not let the blush creep on his face, but failing miserably.

“Majima-kun!!!” Nishitani’s entire body jolted. His arms dropped off the women’s
shoulders and tits, practically pushing them off of him. “What a surprise. Haven’t seen ya in a
while, try’na get some adrenaline pumpin’ and finish off that fight we had a few months ago---”

But Nishitani’s eyes suddenly dropped to the purple pin on Majima’s pants.

“... whatcha got there Majima-kun? Looks ta me like yer interested in getting some blood
pumpin’... but not with our fists,” Nishitani chuckled.

“I… uh…” Majima stammered, not expecting the conversation to take this turn that
quickly… or publicly.

“Unless yer asshole can handle a fist, Majima-kun.” Nishitani grinned wickedly and
suddenly Majima could see the growing bulge in Nishitani’s center.

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To be continued….