For some utter reason, Takemichi thought it would be a good idea to call you out early in morning just to 'catch up.' Seriously, what was wrong with him? He was just lucky you decided to pull an all-nighter to finish off your homework.

And so, here you were – the one waiting for him on the park swings outside your apartment building. He was the one who called you, yet you were the one waiting. Damn that boy. "Takemichi-san, if you don't come in the next five minutes I'm going to kill you. It's still so cold out..."

"[last name]-san!" Speak of the devil himself, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. I ran all the way here from my house." He dropped down onto his knees panting from how fast he travelled. "Sorry for asking you out here so early."

"Well, knowing you"—you stopped pushing yourself on the swing—"it must be important. Take a seat on the swing next to me. Or continue to kneel like a dog in front of me. Your choice."

"...I'll take the swing." He stood up from the ground and plopped his ass onto the seat. "I just... wanted to see you again." You had to stop yourself from gagging from his disgusting statement. "I don't meant it like that! It's because... I thought I wouldn't be able to see you again."

"Takemichi-san, are you feeling okay? Did you take something you shouldn't have? Let it be a reminder that you're still fourteen-years-old. You shouldn't be doing anything that–"

"No! I'm not doing what you're implying. In a way, I guess I had a bad dream that you... died. I wanted to make sure you were okay with my own eyes." Should you have found his words sweet? It kinda was.

"Luckily for you, I'm still alive. Is that all you wanted to call me out for?"

"...Not really." Takemichi had to swallow up his fear. He had been avoiding this topic since he wasn't sure whether or not it would be appropriate to talk about. You and him were good friends, but not to the extent of him being so casual with his words. "Your brother!"

"What about him?"

"Can... Can you tell me about him? Recently, Mikey-kun has been sharing stories about his own brother to me. I was curious about yours... since you bring him up every once in a while." Would you believe that half-lie of his? He did engage in a deep conversation with Mikey the day after Christmas, and it gave him the idea of asking you this. The hard part was getting you to agree–

"If you wanted to know, you should've asked me when we had warmer weather." He took in a large gulp of his saliva, "But since you asked nicely, I can tell you about him."

"Thanks, [last name]-san." And so, you began to tell him how good of a brother Kazuya was—how he was brave and what he did in his life. Takemichi took all of this in, cramming it into the crevices of his mind. He didn't want to forget even one word; this was all going to help him in the near future. After all, in this new timeline, you were going to die within two months from now.

"...Did that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Yeah, it did. It also explains why... you were so reluctant at first to Toman and stuff. I did hear some facts from Mikey-kun before, but hearing them from you is much better." You tilted your head at what he said, unsure of what he meant. "Can I ask you one last thing?"

"What is it?"

"Do you remember why exactly your brother got into the conflict with his gang? Like, what was the cause of the problem?"

"...I guess I can tell you that." His eyes lit up, "I was digging through some of his old stuff a few weeks ago and I found out what gang he belonged to. It was called 'Hisuibi'—the Jade Snakes. They had a group out here in Tokyo so he joined that after we moved from Yokohama. I remember reading something about how they had gotten into a fight with... that's right... the Black Dragons."

"The Black Dragons?!"

"Yeah, Kazuya said that they had started a fight with them because of territorial rights. The Snakes had taken over too much and so the Dragons retaliated. But in the end, a peace agreement was called... however, it was a trick of some sort. Those who wanted the ceasefire were labelled as traitors and were to be purged. I presume it's because the leader of the Snakes just wanted to keep fighting. Amongst those who wanted the ceasefire was my brother, and so... you know where the story ends."

"I'm sorry, [last name]-san."

"You don't have to be, Takemichi-san. I hope that cleared up some assumptions you had of me. I don't have a clean history or background to me. It must disappoint you."

"No! Not at all! You're a good person, and that's what counts!"

"...'A good person.' That's probably something I'd never describe myself as." You stood up from the swings and bowed towards your friend, "I'll hopefully see you again soon, Takemichi-san. Have a nice rest of your day."

"Wait! [last name]-san!" You didn't stop when he called your name, you didn't want to speak about it any longer. "...What did she mean by that?"

———

You weren't sure what day today was, but the city was bustling. On your way to the shrine, people were either running away or towards Shibuya station. Well, it wasn't your problem... so you continued along your day as usual.

"I wonder what everyone is up to today." With a sigh, you continued to clean your hands at the water basin before standing in front of the Shinto bell. You clapped your hands together and bowed. Perhaps you should head home – you didn't want to get into trouble with the whole commotion out in the streets.

When you looked up at the sky, you noticed that it was a little cloudy. Even the world was telling you to go home. As you were about to turn around, you heard a sudden click in your ear. "Don't move." You recognised that voice from somewhere. However, there wasn't any time to think when the head of a gun was placed behind your head. That click you heard must've been the clock of the gun. "Hands behind your head."

"I don't have anything on me. But, whatever you say." You followed his instructions, taking a peek at whoever was behind you. "...I should've known."

"You just love this place, don't you? [last name]."

"I thought you got fired from Toman, Kisaki-san. What are you doing back here?" You faced forward, not daring to take a second glance at him.

"I'm paying a little visit to some people, along with my new gang—Tenjiku—from Yokohama. Now turn and face me." You did as he said and now had a gun pointing at your forehead. You then noticed his new attire, he still had those stupid glasses coupled with a red coat. It was probably the gang uniform. "Speaking of Yokohama, isn't that where you came from?"

"...What about it?"

"I've heard stuff about a certain gang that was disbanded two years ago. Heard about... the Hisuibi? I bet it rings a few bells."

"Perhaps. Why do you bring it up? And what you do get out of threatening me with that?" You were quickly hit over the head by a second person behind Kisaki. Of course, it was Hanma.

"You don't get to ask the questions, girlie."

"Hanma, stand the fuck back." He dropped the gun from your head, but kept it secure in his hands. "I thought it would be nice... to get rid of you." Oh no, you were in trouble. Your phone was right in your pocket, but you wouldn't be able to touch it if he was still in front of you. "Shut your mouth real quick, huh? Learn where you stand." Kisaki lifted his left hand and swung it across your face. Your head had turned to the side due to the impact of his slap. You bit your lip to stop yourself from saying anything.

"Why do you want to kill me?"

"You're getting in the way of my plans. Besides, it'll be pretty fun to see the faces of everyone in Toman after your death, especially Mikey. I can imagine it now. They'll all be devastated, and that's where I'll come in." He ran his fingers in his hair, "How about I send you to your brother? I'm sure you'll like that."

What were you supposed to say to that? "Yeah, thanks for that Kisaki! You're doing me a favour." Or maybe, "I don't want to die yet."

"Now I must say, you must be the shittiest sister in the world. Perhaps I shouldn't kill you for your brother's sake. Having a sibling that sided with the ones who betrayed you... I'd be haunting you for the rest of your life."

"Kisaki-san, get to the point."

"I know the real truth, [last name]. How your brother really died, who was in charge of the Black Dragons at the time. I'll give you a clue... the person who led the eighth generation of the Black Dragons—the one who caused the initial conflict with the Hisuibi—is Tenjiku's leader. Doesn't that rile you up?"

"It's... in the past. I don't hold a grudge against the leader of the Black Dragons... or Tenjiku, whatever."

"I bet you still feel remorse over your brother's death though. After all, you were the one who killed him, right?" The four-eyed freak covered his mouth and laughed at your face – you were afraid, of him? Maybe. But he loved that expression; all the trauma and shock in the past had revealed itself within one second. He wanted to see this side of you more.

"How did I hear the 'fake' story again? Hm... Oh, that's right. It was May 28th, you and your brother were supposed to meet here, but he showed up all bloody. You called an ambulance, and apparently he died at the hospital. However, that's far from the real truth. You two did meet at the shrine... right here, where we're standing actually. He showed up with with two gun wounds—one in the thigh and the shoulder. He fell into your arms... and handed you his gun. You were the one who killed your brother with your shitty gun skills. You caused him to bleed to death. He died in your arms that day."

"Kisaki-san." You had to stop yourself from smacking him right then and there. He was making your blood boil more than it already was. However, it would be incredibly stupid on your end if you gave into his provocation. "What do you get out of explaining this? You don't think I know what I did?"

"It's simple really, I just wanted to see how you would react. Seems like you can still hide your real feelings." Kisaki calmed himself down before going back on track, "So, since you're already a killer... why don't you take my job? Don't make my hands dirty."

"What are you saying?"

"Kill yourself." Your jaw relaxed as your brain tried to comprehend what he just said. "...If you don't, then I'll take your parents as hostage. Better yet, I'll kill them too. How about I put in Mikey's sister and Hina in that mix?" Kisaki lifted up his gun and held it up to you. "What do you say?"

You didn't even hesitate to grab that gun and point it towards your head. "Goodbye." You pressed the trigger, and braced yourself for the pain. However, even though you knew you shot the gun, nothing came out. "...I thought you wanted to kill me."

"What the fuck?" Kisaki was without a doubt not expecting you to be so willing to kill yourself on the spot. He, as well as Hanma who had been watching from the side, were frozen. Kisaki's original plan wasn't actually to kill you today; he only told you to shoot yourself as a joke. He was ready to laugh at you for the second time if you didn't take up the gun.

"There aren't any bullets in here, Kisaki-san."

"Fucking bitch." He snatched the gun out of your hands and slapped you again. This time round however, he put all his force into his strike. As a result, you were flung off to the side and onto the floor. "Meet me here again in week. If you don't I'll make sure to pay your parents a visit."

"Damn you." You rubbed your cheeks and kneeled on the floor as you looked up at his back. He wasn't facing you, nor did he have a loaded gun. You would be able to take him down – then again, Hanma was only a few metres away from you two. "Say, Kisaki-san... how the hell did you find out about the real truth?"

"I have my ways. Be ready."

"You were the one who wasn't ready. I seriously want to kill him."

word count—2223
yes, you thought correctly. i did get inspiration from banana fish lol

also, this is a reminder that i am only writing up to the tenjiku arc