▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

𝟏𝟎 || 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄 ||

•

•

•

The young lady falls to the floor abruptly, her son being quick to encircle his arms around her neck to offer comfort.

    Shinichiro, along with the other three teens, snap out of their trance and get to their feet. They approach the mother and son swiftly, anger pouring off of the gang members in waves.

    Who the hell could've done this?! Why would someone do this?! When, in any kind of situation, would it be ok to beat a lady so ruthlessly?! A mother nonetheless.

    By the time the four teens got close to Katsumi, her arms were already wrapped around Takemichi, pulling him close to her chest as the boy continued to cry his heart out. Katsumi finally lifted her head and...

    She was glaring daggers at Wakasa, Benkei, and Takeomi. Shinichiro crouches in front of the lady, ready to ask her questions, when someone interrupts him.

    "What the hell happened?! Who did this to you?!" Benkei interrogates, his loud voice bouncing off the walls of the garage. Benkei doesn't seem to notice the untrustful gaze settled on him.

    "...Who the h-hell are you three?" Katsumi asks, eyeing Benkei, Wakasa, and Takeomi with stone cold blue irises.

    Takeomi sighs, finally aware of the thoughts swimming inside Katsumi's head. "We're Shin's friends, now who the hell did this? We'll fuck him up for you," Takeomi explains, but it still fails to put the shaking woman at ease.

    Hesitantly, Shin places a hand on top of Katsumi's head, causing her body to jolt and snap to meet his gaze. He recoils at her violent reaction and smiles softly. "They're just trying to help, I promise. You can trust em'," Shinichiro reassures with a pleading expression.

    She stares into Shinichiro's eyes for a long time (he battles the rising blush away with sheer determination alone) before switching her gaze to the crying boy in her arms.

    "...Just some guys who don't know what no means," Katsumi starts with a roll of her eyes. "They were wearing blue gang uniforms...I think they're still around the block or—"

    Wakasa cuts her off with a sneer. "The Itazura Unagi Gang? What the hell are those damn eels doing over here?!" He exclaims loudly, walking past Katsumi with an outraged look plastered on his face. He turns around and calls out to the young lady again, this time with soft lilac eyes and a mischievous smile.

    "Don't worry ma'am, the Black Dragons will take care of them," Wakasa then gestures to Takeomi and Benkei, waving them towards himself. "Let's go beat some ass!"

    Takeomi and Benkei both were wearing menacing smirks on their faces.

    "Hell yeah!!!"

    "LETS MURDER THOSE BASTARDS!!!"

    And just like that, the three teens ran out of the shop in search of the douchebags who abused Katsumi, leaving Shinichiro alone with the mother and son.

    "...Let's get you patched up, ok?" Shinichiro offers a helping hand to Katsumi. She stares at his hand with her brows scrunching up—

probably in contemplation—and heaves out a tired sigh.

    Katsumi attempts to untangle her son from her body to stand up, but the boy refuses to move. Takemichi tightens his grip around her neck and his sobs get louder, clinging to his mother like a leech. She once again tries to remove his arms from around her neck, earning a strangled cry from Takemichi's lips.

    Takemichi isn't gonna budge. How on earth is Shinichiro gonna tend to Katsumi's wounds if her son doesn't move? He could try to forcefully pull the boy away from his mother, but that might make things worse. However, he needs to patch her up.

    Just as Shinichiro reaches to grab Takemichi, Katsumi's soft voice catches him off guard, stopping his movement.

    "Baby—sweetie—you need to let go," Katsumi whispers, rubbing Takemichi's back soothingly. The small boy shakes his head no and buries his face into her exposed collarbone. Her hand then moves from his back to his curly hair, scratching his scalp to help him relax. "Mama can't get better if she doesn't get patched up," she cooes childishly, talking in third person. Takemichi responds with another shake of his head as he moves to settle down comfortably in her lap.

    "...If y-you don't get up, then I'm gonna bleed out!"

    "NO! NO YOU CAN'T!!!" Takemichi shrieks, holding onto the young lady tighter than he did before. "Y-You can't l-leave me!!!" He cries out in agony; it was almost enough to make Shinichiro tear up.

    Katsumi, on the other hand, starts to freak out upon her child's reaction (Shinichiro found it a little amusing), and wraps her arms around his small body, pulling him closer.

    "Oh shit—I'm sorry, I'm not gonna leave you Michi, I promise! Mama just needs to get herself patched up!" She apologizes, planting her chin on the crown of Takemichi's head. "Don't you want me to get better?" She asks frantically.

    Takemichi nods his head with no hesitation.

    "Then you need to let mama go for a few minutes, can you do that?"

    It's silent for a few moments; the only thing that could be heard were the sobs seeping past Takemichi's lips along with Katsumi's soft hums.

    Takemichi begins to finally relax—his body seeming to melt against his mother's figure—and he slowly removes his arms from around her neck, no longer caging the injured woman. He stares up at his mother with big blue glassy eyes and sniffles, letting his forehead fall to rest at the base of her neck.

    "I'll..."

    "Hm? What was that, Michi?"

    "...I-I'll protect you mama, o-ok? I-I'll fight t-the bad guys o-off for you..."

    Shinichiro's eyes widened at the heart wrenching declaration.

    How old was this kid again? Seven, right?

    Katsumi wasn't faring any better, in fact, her blue eyes were starting to build up with tears. The second she catches Shinichiro's watchful gaze, she wipes them away.

    Carefully, and gently, Katsumi removes Takemichi from her lap. Once the weight is gone, she shakily finds her way to her feet and grabs onto Takemichi's hand, pulling him up from the floor as well.

    "...and I'll protect you Michi. We'll protect each other," Katsumi whispers, squeezing Takemichi's hand reassuringly as she walks towards the couch.

    Katsumi...Katsumi is truly amazing...

    With that thought in mind, Shinichiro jumps to his feet and jogs to the back room, beginning his search for the first aid kit.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Patching up Katsumi was both a blessing and a nightmare.

    A blessing because, cmon, it was Katsumi; the gorgeous lady who lives inside his head rent free! Even in her current state, she still somehow manages to look divine and perfect. Being so close to Katsumi, even if it was just to patch her up, felt like a privilege.

    A nightmare because of the heated glares that would pierce his skin every time Shinichiro would touch the young lady.

    Takemichi stayed by his mother's side the entire time Shinichiro was bandaging up her wounds, cuddling up close to her body on the couch. He no longer clung tightly to his mother, but instead took to being the lady's self-certified guard dog. Blue doe-like eyes were pinned to Shinichiro's form, watching his every move. Each time Katsumi would flinch or wince at the drop of alcohol to her wounds, Takemichi would jump and reprimand the teen, telling him to 'stop hurting his mother'.

    "Thanks..." Katsumi mutters when Shinichiro finishes patching up her wounds. Her arms were bandaged and cleaned, as well as her bleeding ankle, the slice on her shoulder, and the scrapes on her beautiful face. Takemichi was no longer watching Shinichiro like a hawk; he crawls into his mother's lap and places his arms around her neck, pulling her into a hug. Katsumi chuckles at her son and kisses his cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark behind. "You too, Michi!" Katsumi adds as she hugs her son back with a gentle smile on her face.

    Shinichiro looks away bashfully, feeling a hint of warmth climb up his neck. "It's—um—It's no problem!" He replies smoothly, like a cool person who doesn't have a weird haircut. "You're free to stay here for as long as you want," he says after a few moments of silence.

    "Good—cause I wasn't planning on leaving right away."

    Surprised at the declaration, Shinichiro turns to face Katsumi, a question on the tip of his tongue, and stops when he sees the sight of Katsumi laying back on the couch. Her body is facing up, head resting on the arm of the sofa, and Takemichi's laying on top of her stomach, his head using Katsumi's chest as a pillow.

    Lucky little shit—

    Shinichiro clears his throat and tries again, this time staring at a random spot in the wall to avoid the—er—delectable view in front of him.

    "Uhh good—cause um, I wouldn't have let you leave so soon!" Katsumi turns her head to stare at Shinichiro, a judgemental look settling on her face.

    "The fuck is that supposed to mean?" She asks, hostility lacing in her voice.

    Shinichiro gulps, but doesn't back down from the intimidating lady. "It means that I wouldn't have let you leave with all those injuries," with newfound courage, he continues on—trying to ignore the pointed look she was giving him. "There's no telling what could happen to you if you leave now feeling like complete shit."

    "...I don't feel like complete shit..." Katsumi defends stubbornly with a scrunched brow, a small pout present on her face.

    Shinichiro fights the urge to roll his eyes at the injured lady. "How can you say that when you literally fell to the floor the second you stepped into my shop?" Shinichiro counters quickly, earning a frustrated face from Katsumi.

    "...you're so lucky Michi is on top of me right now," Katsumi threatens, her arms reaching up to wrap around her son. "I'd beat the shit out of you and your weird ass hairstyle with my other heel, you fiend."

    Is—Is his hair really that weird?!

    Instead of feeling scared over Katsumi's threat, Shinichiro self-consciously touches his hair, a grimace settling on his face.

    "Is my hair really that bad?" He questions out loud.

    Katsumi scoffs. "Are you kidding me?" She asks with an incredulous expression. "It's the most hideous thing I've ever seen. I honestly have no idea why pompadours are so popular these days..."

    "Wait—seriously?!"

    "Yep, your hair looks crunchy as fuck," she states with a smirk on her lips. "You'd be a hell of a lot more attractive if you got rid of the hair gel."

    E-Eh?!

    Shinichiro instantly feels a blush rushing to his cheeks. Was that a compliment?! Well, er, it was probably more of a backhanded compliment than anything else, but he'll take it!

    "You...uh...you really think so?"

    "Uh, yeah!" Katsumi then turns her head so she could look up at the ceiling, her hand moving from Takemichi's back to his head to comb through the boy's hair absentmindedly. "You've got a nice face, y'know? It'd be a shame to let it go to waste just because of some silly ass hairstyle."

    Shinichiro short circuits at the words falling from Katsumi's lips. Was—was he really hearing what he thought he was hearing? She—the goddess, the angel, the drop dead gorgeous lady laying down on his sofa—thinks he has a nice face?!

    Ok Shinichiro, calm down! She's just rambling on about who knows what without any care in the world! Just relax, breathe, inhale—exhale, and—

    "Hey, you good over there? You're hyperventilating like a maniac," Katsumi asks, a hint of worry evident in her voice.

    Shit, was he really breathing that fast and loud? Shinichiro seriously needs to get a grip.

    "Y-Yeah! I'm fine—just dandy!" Shinichiro's awful attempt at reassuring the black haired lady seems to have been successful with the way she hummed back, content with Shinichiro's answer.

    "Hey Sano-San, I got a favor to ask of you."

    "Y-yeah?"

    "Wake me up when your three friends come back. I wanna thank them before I leave," Katsumi whispers, blue eyes fluttering shut as she readjusts her hold on Takemichi.

    Dread pools at the pit of Shinichiro's stomach, stopping him from answering the young lady right away. Is it really a good idea to let Katsumi leave? Should he offer a place to stay at the dojo? Maybe he and the guys could escort her home. Or...or maybe he could let Katsumi spend the night in the bike shop?—no, what is he thinking? That's completely out of the question. If anything, the bike shop is the easiest place to break into and—by extension—the worst place for Katsumi to be.

    "Ok?" Her soft voice pulls Shinichiro out of his thoughts.

    ...he'll discuss it with her later.

    "Sure."

    "Hm...thank you..."

    "...no problem. Get some rest, ok?"

    She doesn't respond back after that, already being swept away in a world full of dreams, memories, and whatever else her tired mind is conjuring up in her head.

    Shinichiro reaches forward to grab a magazine from the coffee table, and leans back to get comfortable in his chair.

    Shinichiro then flips through the flimsy pages as Katsumi sleeps soundly across from him, bringing a satisfied smile to his lips.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

"Should we really be waking her up right now? I mean...she did have a pretty rough night," Takeomi inquires while gazing at the sleeping woman on the couch.

    Shinichiro only shrugs his shoulders and continues to stare at both Katsumi and Takemichi's sleeping forms. Even after the three black dragon members came back covered in blood and victorious smirks, Katsumi and her child were still fast asleep.

    Shinichiro remembers the favor Katsumi had asked of him, but could he really bring himself to stir the woman and her child awake? They both look so adorable snuggling up on the sofa together that the thought of breaking them apart felt downright villainous.

    But she'd probably be furious if he doesn't do as she says...

    Shinichiro sighs, reaching forward to place his magazine on the coffee table as he eyes each and every teen who has come back to the shop.

    Wakasa was looking over some papers at the front counter while Benkei and Takeomi stand beside Shinichiro, their brows furrowing in contemplation and hesitance the more they stare at the sleeping mother and son.

    "...she asked me to wake her up once y'all got here but..." he decides not to finish the sentence, the silence and scene before then being more than enough to fill in the blanks.

    "...yknow—'' Benkei starts, his eye brow arching up as he continues to observe the sleeping pair, "—when I was thinking 'milf', I was thinking-like- a woman in her late twenties not...well..." Benkei gestures to the young lady on the couch with wild hands, earning a few deadpanned looks from the three teens.

    "What? Someone around our age?" Takeomi finishes for him, sounding just as taken aback as Benkei. "Hey, Shin, do you know how old she is?" His childhood friend asks him, sending dread straight to Shinichiro's stomach.

    He...he doesn't. Could she really be around their age?! But how—she would have been in her pre teens if—

    "I—I don't...to be honest, when I first met her, I thought she was Takemichi's older sister," Shinichiro confesses, scratching the back of his nape anxiously.

    It's silent for a moment before Wakasa decides to walk away from the counter to stand beside the three teens, his lilac eyes also observing the young lady.

    "...she's probably in her early twenties," Wakasa comments offhandedly and well, yeah—that makes the most sense.

    But if she's in her early twenties...then how old was she when she had takemi—

    "I thought I told you to wake me up when they got here."

    Everyone freezes as Katsumi rises from her slumber, her arms still tightly wrapped around her son. Her curly hair fell over her face and her blue eyes squinted as she tried to adjust to the bright lights. Takemichi followed shortly after, his hands coming up to rub his eyes awake tiredly.

    Shinichiro observes the way her gaze scans the three teens in front of her before finally landing on Shinichiro who, for some reason, feels himself grow nervous under her heated glare.

    "Were you even planning on waking me up?" Shinichiro's eyes immediately move to his shoes as a way to avoid her piercing blue eyes.

    With guilt crawling up his throat, he opens his mouth to respond. "I—I was! It's just...you needed your rest so—" Katsumi clicks her tongue, bringing Shinichiro's gaze up to meet the young lady whose expression is scrunched up In annoyance.

    "Yeah, yeah, I got it," she interrupts dismissively, her arms tightening around her child protectively. Her blue eyes then settle on Wakasa, Benkei, then Takeomi.

    Shinichiro catches the nervous look on her face as she examines the men standing over her.

    She then bows slightly, her forehead resting on the crown of Takemichi's head. "...Thank you for um...taking care of those guys for me."

    Without waiting for a response from the three teens, she lifts her head and looks back over at Shinichiro, causing his body to go rigid. "...and thank you for patching me up."

    Shinichiro forces himself to smile, because what else can he do? She's obviously uncomfortable with the black dragon's presence with the way she keeps eyeing them suspiciously from her peripheral vision.

    "It's no problem at all!" Shinichiro says back, hoping to get rid of the nerves and tension in her shoulders. He fails.

    Benkei stares at the young lady with a lopsided grin and throws an arm around Shinichiro's shoulder, drawing him closer to his body. "There's no need to thank us! If anyone bothers you again, just tell us, ok?" He asks while nearly suffocating Shinichiro with the smell of sweat and oil.

    "Hey—let me go—"

    "...sure."

    From the corner of Shinichiro's eye, he observes the way Katsumi swings her legs off the sofa and stands up with her son cradled closely to her chest.

    Wait is she about to—

    "Well, I'm gonna head out. Thank you, again, for helping me," and with that, she begins limping towards the exit with a grimace on her face.

    "Hey!" Wakasa shouts from behind her. "You shouldn't be on your feet so soon—"

    "I'll be fine, but thank you!" She interrupts