[one-shot] Kanjani8; Things you would never say
Fandom: Kanjani8
Title: Things you would never say
Pairing: Nishikido Ryo x Ohkura Tadayoshi (and apparitions of the rest of Kanjani8 and other Johnnies)
Genre: Yakuza!AU, romance, angst
Warnings:violence, swearing (what would you expect of a yakuza fic? bunnies and rainbows? XD)
Rating: R
Summary: Ryo, the new boss of the Nishikido clan, has taken a tough decision in order to protect what he cares for the most. Will his plans be successful?
Notes: I wrote this for my nee-san's (ary666) 20th birthday ^^ I only had a couple of days to write it after she gave me the prompt, so I'm not really sure about the result D: Anyway, I really did my best until the end and I hope she enjoys it ♥ Oh, and perhaps you shouldn't read it if you're a Ueda fan. I'm sorry, I couldn't help being so cruel XD
More notes I forgot to add: I wrote this before knowing about Club8, so even if it's about them as yakuza, it has nothing to do with it >.< And obviously, this isn't beta-ed, so you'll probably find lots of mistakes especially because I was so stressed and under pressure when I wrote it XD
To Ary: Eres una maldita monopolizadora de musas ajenas y te odio te odio te odio. Por tu culpa, la otra noche estuve un buen rato dando vueltas en la cama sin poder dormir, porque no dejaba de tener ideas, mientras tú roncabas al otro lado. Y encima me mandas macros para presionarme. Toma tus pistolas y tu sangre y disfrútalas. ZORRACERDAPUTA.
First;
“There is nothing more important than my family to me. I will protect it with all my might. So, from now on, please regard me as the new boss of the Nishikido clan,” Ryo's voice finally broke the silence.
The boss of the Yokoyama clan -Kimitaka, the last one in becoming a boss like Ryo, barely a year before him- was the first to jump from his seat and started to clap his hands vigorously, practically pushing the other bosses sitting around the same table to stand up and congratulate Ryo as well. The boss of the Maruyama clan, as usual, made an awkward sound, a mixture between a growl and a laugh, and reached to squeeze Ryo's hand; Subaru, of the Shibutani clan, took his other hand between his and shook it. Shota, the next generation boss of the Yasuda clan, left the seat next to his father's and hurried up to pat the new boss's shoulder, while Shingo of the Murakami clan just imitated Kimitaka and clapped his hands, a smile wide as ever on his lips.
“Thank you. I will do my best,” Ryo smiled modestly.
If the elderly yakuza bosses -their retired fathers, who the old Yasuda boss was about to join in a few months, when his son was ready to take over- were to attend such a reunion, they probably wouldn't approve of such careless, effusive behavior between the leaders of their clans. But they simply couldn't act otherwise, since they had all grown together and dreaming of the day they would all sit around that huge table to discuss about the control of their influence zones across the region. It was impossible to hold in their excitement, especially after this news took them by surprise.
None of them expected such a direct response from Ryo. He had always wanted to become his clan's boss, but lately he didn't seem so determined about it. Most of them thought it was due to the suddenness of his father's decease that he still didn't feel prepared to take over his place; yet being the Nishikido clan the main one in the organization, together with the Yokoyama clan and the Ohkura clan, they couldn't give him any time to get used to the idea. If he hadn't assumed his position that afternoon, they would have had to throw him out and search for another suitable leader in his family. And nobody would have liked to do so.
Therefore, they felt relieved after hearing Ryo's words. Ryo felt somehow relieved too, that at least his plans were working smoothly. However, when they sat down again to speak about how they would celebrate Ryo's ascension to power, all he could think about was the boss of the Ohkura clan. The absence of a representative of that family -even if their subordinates, the Yasuda clan, had sent theirs- was quite a disrespectful way of not showing any recognition to Ryo as a new boss. Of course, it meant nothing, since the rest of clans had already accepted him and all was set. But Ryo couldn't help staring at that empty seat, thinking of how stubborn and helpless that Tacchon was.
Almost a month had passed by since Ryo last spoke to him, so he had a right to be pissed. Besides, Ryo had said something he didn’t like. He knew he should have apologized to Ohkura before that reunion, but he had decided not to. Things were better and easier like that. He wasn't counting on Ohkura for the organization anymore, after all.
Second;
“The young boss said he won't need your services from now on,” Shibutani said, handing a guitar case to the man in front of him. “Please accept this as a token of gratitude for all these years.”
Ohkura Tadayoshi raised his head and looked at it from across the desk, a crooked smile slowly forming on his lips. He looked at Shibutani's eyes, reading nothing but Ryo's will in them; he had come exclusively as the boss of his clan, not as a friend he could ask any questions to. Whatever was the reason Ryo had to do such a stupid thing, it seemed he had managed to fool some of the other bosses to follow him.
That made Ohkura even angrier.
“Which boss? Ryo?” he asked, obtaining nothing but a slight nod in response. “He's not a boss for me yet.”
“Your clan doesn't need to be in the organization anymore. The boss of the Yasuda clan has agreed to leave, too. You can keep your territory as it was before your grandfather joined the organization. We'll divide the new territories and you'll be given your part as well,” Shibutani explained, still holding the instrument over the table.
Shota had already surrendered, huh? Well, he couldn’t blame him. He always did what the rest said, especially if Shibutani insisted. It had to have been hard for him to convince his father. But, anyway, the question depended entirely on Ohkura’s decision. If he left, the Yasuda clan would leave too. But he wasn’t leaving, not at all. There were many things he had to make clear. Ohkura lifted his feet and placed his boots on the table, kicking the guitar to the right. It crashed into the floor with a loud noise. Shibutani closed his eyes before looking down.
“I can't play the guitar,” Ohkura said, looking at the open case. A broken string reminded him of the argument he and Ryo had had the previous month. “Go tell Ryo I will personally give him a response tonight.”
Shibutani let out a small sigh before leaving the room. He didn’t like to be in the middle of those two, but it was his work as a subordinate of the Nishikido clan. Whenever they fought and didn’t speak to each other, he and Yasuda were the ones in charge of passing on their messages. This time, even though he couldn’t express his thoughts out loud, he wished secretly for Ohkura to do something with his superior’s situation.
Once he was left alone, Ohkura threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, running his hand through his hair. It was hard to stop Ryo once he had chosen to do something, but even like that he wanted to try.
Stupid Ryo. You can't play a guitar with a broken string, not even if you remove it. It just doesn't sound well.
Third;
“You shouldn’t come here anymore,” Ryo said in a calm voice, not even turning his head to look at him.
Ohkura leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms, staring defiantly at Ryo’s back. The first words he had heard from him after those long weeks of no interaction between them were so cold. He had definitely changed after his father’s death, which details and circumstances hadn’t been revealed to any of the bosses yet, not even to Ohkura, who was undoubtedly the closest to him.
According to Shibutani, he hadn’t shown any reaction at all since the old boss’s body was brought home. He neither cried at the funeral, nor laughed or smiled openly like before ever again. And he spent most of the time alone at his father’s study, apparently focused on something he hadn’t told anybody about.
And he still asked Ohkura to leave him alone.
“I want to know why,” he answered, taking some steps into the room.
Shibutani, who was sitting in an armchair in front of Ryo’s, stood up before he was told to and left the room, exchanging a look with Ohkura as he walked by him. After hearing the door click, Ryo turned around with an expressionless face. He looked tired.
“You’re a nuisance to me,” he explained in a low voice. The words came out mechanically from his mouth, as if he had carefully planned them before speaking. “So I don’t want you around me.”
Ohkura walked towards the desk in the opposite side of the room and started flicking through a folder Ryo had left there. There was nothing but bills and random notes inside; towards the end, he found something that looked like a photo of a young man. Before he could catch a glimpse of his face, Ryo took the folder away from him, an intense glare in his eyes.
“That’s just an excuse,” Ohkura said, giving up on the picture as Ryo threw the folder inside one of the drawers in the desk. “I’m asking for an actual explanation. I don’t think you’re being fair with me.”
That was the exact reason why he had gotten mad at him. He couldn’t stand it when Ryo was obviously hiding something important from him. He was never too friendly with anybody, but with Ohkura he had always been different. He had trusted him so far. Proof of it was that nobody but him -not even Shibutani, with whom he lived under the same roof-, knew about his secret passion for music. They had bought their instruments together, and often played them at Ohkura’s house. Ryo loved playing his guitar in front of him, and no one else. Of all the bosses in the organization, he had only really opened up to him.
He couldn’t just push him away like nothing ever happened between them.
“Do you want to know what those papers are for?” Ryo asked, his lips curving into a slight bitter smile, “I’ll tell you.”
“I’m listening.”
“My father made too many mistakes. That’s why he died,” Ryo spoke, his voice as neutral as before.
Ohkura blinked. How could he talk about his father like that? He used to admire him so much. He never considered anything he did wrong. Four weeks ago, when they had met after what happened to him, the only thing Ryo mentioned was hard choices, not mistakes. And now he didn’t respect him anymore?
“Now I have to make up for them, and I need to get rid of all the obstacles,” Ryo added, leaning on the desk, next to Ohkura.
“And I’m an obstacle,” Ohkura replied, incapable of believing what he was hearing.
“If that’s how you understand it, yes,” Ryo nodded lightly. He made a pause before adding, “but it’s not only you. I’m planning on eventually dissolving the whole organization.”
“Why would you do that!?” Ohkura exclaimed, banging his fists on the desk. “Have you spoken to the other bosses? They won’t let you do such a senseless thing!”
“They will understand. Believe me, it’ll make things easier. It might not be permanent, but who knows.”
“WHO KNOWS MY ASS!” Ohkura said, grabbing Ryo by the collar of his shirt. His face was glowing with anger. “How can you make such a decision on you own? Haven’t you considered their feelings? We’ve been waiting so many years to work together, and now you want to end with everything? FUCK YOU!”
“Calm down,” Ryo said, putting his hands on Ohkura’s shoulders. “Of course I’ve thought carefully about it, and there’s no other way. There’s no better way. You don’t need to understand it, just leave me alone.”
Ohkura felt the sudden need to punch him in the face, but he held it in. Instead, he ducked his head until his forehead was pressed against Ryo’s collarbone, still not letting go of his clothes. He should have beaten the hell out of him when they had that first argument, when Ryo said he didn’t want to be with him anymore. Perhaps that would have kicked that thought out of his mind.
“Why me first?” he murmured, slowly loosening the grip of his hands.
“You know that, Tacchon.”
“Don’t call me that if you want me to leave.”
Ohkura lifted his head and looked at Ryo’s face once again. Nothing. He showed nothing. He was stiff like a rock, and Ohkura would swear he was as cold if his warm hands weren’t still placed on his shoulders. Ryo was slipping away from him, but Ohkura wasn’t willing to give up. He was just confused.
He closed his eyes and started kissing him fiercely, forcing his tongue in his mouth, searching for any feelings he could arouse inside him. Ryo struggled to resist, but finally his arms instinctively wrapped around Ohkura's body and drew him closer. They had missed each other so bad they couldn’t stop.
Ohkura's hands slid from Ryo's waist up his back, underneath his clothes. Ryo shook when he felt the warmth against his skin. The younger pressed his lips against his neck, letting out a little moan next to his ear. When he was about to take off Ryo's shirt, the elder pushed him away.
“Go away,” he muttered under his breath, his eyes hidden under his bangs. “Ohkura.”
Ohkura wouldn’t have listened to him if he wasn’t pleading.
Fourth;
“I will be okay,” he said, hanging up the phone before Shibutani could reply.
He was at the place where everything happened, where his father had last been seen alive. Ryo looked anxiously around the empty warehouse and checked his watch for the fifth time in ten minutes. The time was coming, at last.
He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon; he would have liked to hold a meeting first and let everybody know about his plan. However, they started pressuring him even before the deadline he was given was over. Fortunately, he had already come up with a strategy.
The day before, Shibutani had come back home with a slash on his stomach. He didn’t need to tell Ryo who had done that to him, he already knew. What he didn’t know was that they liked foul play that much. Injuring one of his subordinates and sending him back as a reminder of their deal was nothing but an infuriating act. He had enough already. Hopefully everything would be over after a few hours.
As expected, the next generation boss showed up with one of his underlings. His clothes were outrageous as ever -tight leather pants with a huge fur coat and sunglasses. Nothing wearable for a fight.
“You’re here, Nishikido,” he feigned surprise, a smirk on his face. “Have you made up your mind yet?”
“Ueda Tatsuya,” Ryo smiled as well, taking out his own sunglasses. “Of course your father wouldn’t come with you.”
“He has better things to do,” Ueda replied. His underling laughed, standing behind him. “Unlike yours.”
Ryo arched his eyebrows, laughing as well.
“He underestimated a bunch of bastards like you,” he said, rubbing his chin. “But I won’t be the same.”
“Oh, interesting,” Ueda nodded.
“Oh, no! He’s taking revenge! My legs are shaking!” his underling mocked at Ryo.
“Don’t speak, Koki,” his boss glared at him.
“My father was giving you his areas in the south, but I have no intention of doing so whatsoever,” Ryo added.
“Do you want to join that old man, wherever he is?” Ueda smiled, taking off one of his gloves.
Ryo blocked his fist with his right hand before it touched his cheek. His face contorted as a stab of pain ran through his forearm, but he still pushed Ueda back.
“No, thanks,” he said, putting his aching hand into his pocket. “I have to send you to hell first.”
“Ha,” Ueda laughed, snapping his fingers.
Around thirty men appeared from everywhere and quickly formed a circle around Ryo, all of them holding knives and other sharp instruments as weapons. They all stared at him like rabid dogs lying in wait for their prey.
“And you came all on your own,” Ueda boasted, crossing his arms.
“That’s because I’m not a weak coward like you,” Ryo grinned, his hand slowly shifting behind his back. “And I will kill you using my own hands.”
Koki and Ryo took out their guns at the same time. While the boss of the Nishikido clan pointed his at Ueda, the underling’s was pointed at him. Some of the men around them were going to pounce on Ryo, but Ueda stopped them.
“Leave us alone, guys,” he said, without taking his eyes off Ryo. He carefully extended his left hand in Koki’s direction. “Give me that gun,” he asked him, and Ryo accentuated his grin. “Let’s have it your way, Nishikido.”
Now they were pointing at each other with their guns, nothing but emptiness and silence around them, after the sound of steps moving away disappeared.
“You’re not getting anything from my family,” Ryo muttered, glaring at him. “Give up.”
“This is war, Nishikido,” Ueda answered, glaring back at him over his glasses. “It’s not fun if one of us surrenders easily.”
“I mean it, Ueda,” he copied his way of saying his name, kind of a joke, even in that situation. “The organization doesn’t exist anymore,” he lied triumphantly. It wasn’t a complete lie, though. The dissolution was in progress. “And I won’t give away any of my clan’s territories.”
He could see Ueda’s forehead wrinkle in disgust. So he had ruined his plans after all, ha. It was a good idea after all, no matter how painful it was at first. And now it wouldn’t be so hard to tell his friends about his plans from the beginning, after he had sent that bastard’s body to his father like they did with the previous Nishikido boss. His father would be so proud of him.
His finger moved slowly to pull the trigger. His forehead and bangs were wet with sweat, but he didn’t notice. One second. One second and one of his bullets would be inside that bastard’s chest, tearing off his flesh, becoming nothing but smoke coming out of a perfect hole. He took delight in the thought of pulling the trigger several times after that, making sure that man was dead, dead as his father’s body that day when his cousin brought him covered in blood, his face contorted in a horrible grimace.
However, Ueda shot him first.
Ryo felt something colliding with him, something heavier and bigger than any bullet could be. For a moment, he closed his eyes, sure that he was going to see his father’s face, smiling at him, patting his back and saying “hey, you did your best, kid,” as he usually said.
But when he opened his eyes he found himself in the same place.
When he looked down, there was a body next to him.
“OHKURA!!” he yelled, falling down to his knees.
Ohkura half-opened his eyes and clenched to Ryo’s arm, trying to sit up. Ryo pushed him down and carefully helped the other boss rest his head on his lap. Ohkura made an effort to talk before Ryo could even say anything.
“You aren’t… a… al…” he slurred his words, falling unconscious before finishing.
Ryo screamed again.
Ueda just looked surprised, but after a while he looked so full of satisfaction. He took his glasses off and contemplated the scene, wondering at how lucky he had been that stupid man had literally run to his shot. He was only aiming at Ryo’s arm, but apparently he had hit him in a more painful place.
The bullet had pierced through Ohkura’s right shoulder, right over his shoulder blade, and went out at the other side, getting embedded in Ryo’s upper arm. He didn’t notice his own injury until he saw the hole in the front part of Ohkura’s shoulder. His clothes were soon stained with his blood, as well as his hands. How, Tacchon, and why? Ryo felt all the pain he had been holding back suddenly striking him, forming a huge lump deep inside him. First his father and now Ohkura, he could do nothing to prevent their suffering. And the guy responsible of everything was standing in front of him, a damn smirk on his face. Ryo couldn’t control his rage anymore. He just needed to take it out. He picked his gun from the floor and stood up on his shaking legs, throwing away his glasses to pierce Ueda’s eyes with a venomous glare.
When he had finished him off, nobody would recognize that pretty face.
He fired twice even before Ueda could hold his gun properly. One of the bullets hit his right arm, the opposite side of Ryo’s wound; the other one went through somewhere in his leg. He fell to the ground groaning with pain, covering his bleeding arm with his hand.
Ryo grunted. He was aiming at his stomach, but his hand shook after the first shot. His eyes were brimming with tears and he could barely see. He crouched back next to Ohkura. The young man was still unconscious, and his face was turning pale. Ryo took off his shirt and covered Ohkura’s wound, gently pressing it. He ripped off one of the sleeves and put a tourniquet around his arm, as tight as he could, using his opposite hand.
Ueda wouldn’t stop crying the whole while. Just when he managed to get his gun again and was about to point it at Ryo for the second time, the boss of the Nishikido clan got his and ran to him, pressing it against his temple and holding the trigger. Tears started flowing down his cheeks while he spoke.
“You did it, didn’t you?” he growled, panting heavily. “You killed my father, you son of a bitch. Yes, you did it.”
He heard some noises coming from the outside. Steps.
“I won’t let you live after this,” he said, looking at the door for a second. Light. “If anything happens to Ohkura, I swear your father and all your fucking family will die after you.”
Ueda tried to lift his gun once again, but Ryo kicked it away from his hand. The boss of the Nishikido clan pushed down his enemy’s head with the tip of his gun until it touched the floor. Ueda shut his eyes.
Voices. From the corner of his eye, he saw a group of guys walking towards them, dressed in flashy silk suits -black, orange, purple, blue, even red.
His friends had come to help him.
In only a few seconds, Yokoyama had him held firmly from behind, while Maruyama quickly took the gun off his trembling hand. Murakami stepped with his boot on Ueda’s head to hold him down. Yasuda and the still injured Shibutani hurried to help Ohkura.
“My, my, you were having so much fun without us,” Yokoyama complained, leading Ryo out of that place. “Luckily, we arrived in time for the last attraction of the party. Let them take care of the rest,” he added, taking out his mobile phone. “We’re at the opposite side.”
A black car appeared round the corner. Ryo looked back at the warehouse, where Ueda’s screams could be heard again. It seemed like Maruyama and Murakami were practicing their martial arts with him. He would be lucky if he could walk normally after that.
Ryo went into the back seat of the car and waited for a couple of minutes before Yasuda and Shibutani brought Ohkura next to him. Ryo suddenly realized how negligent he had been, selfishly thinking about revenge. He wiped off his last tears with the back of his hand and, even if he probably couldn’t hear him, leaned to whisper some words in Ohkura’s ear.
“I know, I…” he bit his lower lip. He saw Ohkura’s eyelids trembling a bit, “I’m sorry.”
After sending both Shibutani and Yasuda to have fun with the rest, Yokoyama rode on the co-driver seat and told the driver to head towards the nearest hospital.
Fifth;
Ryo was so tired. Ten days after the warehouse incident, his whole body still ached and he couldn’t sleep well. He was debating whether to feel furious because he hadn’t killed that man or glad that his friends found him before he did. Staying home invited him to think too much, so he had gone out for a walk.
He stopped outside Ohkura’s house. He hadn’t spoken to him since that day. He was still shocked after what he had done and didn’t know what to say. All he knew was that he was recovering well from his injuries, and that was all he needed not to worry. They had a pending conversation, but that could wait. Things were different now.
Yokoyama had known everything from the start. The old Nishikido boss had told him about the problems with the Ueda clan, and how he wanted to solve them immediately. Nobody else knew about it. Ryo knew his father was fond of Kimitaka ever since he was little, but he didn’t know he trusted him to that extent. Ohkura went and told him what Ryo had said, and with that it was easy to guess about Ryo’s plan and come up with a counter plan to stop him before he was in danger. However, Ohkura getting to the warehouse earlier than the rest and jumping in the middle to save Ryo wasn’t anybody’s idea but his.
To be honest, Ryo was somewhat angry at Yokoyama for not having told him earlier about his father. But he was also sure that, if he hadn’t, it was because he was most likely keeping a promise. Besides, he admitted it was also his fault for trying to act on his own and be the hero. He had even made Ohkura risk his life.
He felt so frustrated.
As soon as he was discharged from hospital, he called a boss reunion, again without Ohkura. He shared his thoughts with his friends and apologized for not counting on them before. There was a change in their plans. Not only would they keep their areas, but they would also get more. They would all mobilize their men and take over the territories under the influence of the Ueda clan, totally crushing them. If only Ryo hadn’t been so selfish before, they could have prevented that useless fight before it happened.
Well, at least the pain inside him had mostly gone away.
The gate of Ohkura’s garden was open. Yasuda was there, watering the plants while listening to music. He didn’t see the boss of the Nishikido clan. For a second, Ryo considered going in, but then he decided to continue with his walk.
“I got your guitar fixed,” Ohkura said from behind, raising his voice a bit. “I thought maybe we could play together again.”
“You’re always getting things fixed,” Ryo answered, turning back. “You won’t let me do it my way.”
“You acted like a jerk, making such dramatic, unnecessary plans. I still haven’t forgiven you, young boss.”
Ryo arched his eyebrows. He still hadn’t got used to that title. But it sounded oddly well said by Ohkura. After all, Tacchon was still the only one who really knew him.
“And you almost died in front of me, Tacchon. I haven’t forgiven you either.”
“Whatever, just come in and we’ll finish what we started.”
Ryo couldn’t think of a better way of making up with him.
Thanks for reading!
Title: Things you would never say
Pairing: Nishikido Ryo x Ohkura Tadayoshi (and apparitions of the rest of Kanjani8 and other Johnnies)
Genre: Yakuza!AU, romance, angst
Warnings:violence, swearing (what would you expect of a yakuza fic? bunnies and rainbows? XD)
Rating: R
Summary: Ryo, the new boss of the Nishikido clan, has taken a tough decision in order to protect what he cares for the most. Will his plans be successful?
Notes: I wrote this for my nee-san's (ary666) 20th birthday ^^ I only had a couple of days to write it after she gave me the prompt, so I'm not really sure about the result D: Anyway, I really did my best until the end and I hope she enjoys it ♥ Oh, and perhaps you shouldn't read it if you're a Ueda fan. I'm sorry, I couldn't help being so cruel XD
More notes I forgot to add: I wrote this before knowing about Club8, so even if it's about them as yakuza, it has nothing to do with it >.< And obviously, this isn't beta-ed, so you'll probably find lots of mistakes especially because I was so stressed and under pressure when I wrote it XD
To Ary: Eres una maldita monopolizadora de musas ajenas y te odio te odio te odio. Por tu culpa, la otra noche estuve un buen rato dando vueltas en la cama sin poder dormir, porque no dejaba de tener ideas, mientras tú roncabas al otro lado. Y encima me mandas macros para presionarme. Toma tus pistolas y tu sangre y disfrútalas. ZORRACERDAPUTA.
First;
“There is nothing more important than my family to me. I will protect it with all my might. So, from now on, please regard me as the new boss of the Nishikido clan,” Ryo's voice finally broke the silence.
The boss of the Yokoyama clan -Kimitaka, the last one in becoming a boss like Ryo, barely a year before him- was the first to jump from his seat and started to clap his hands vigorously, practically pushing the other bosses sitting around the same table to stand up and congratulate Ryo as well. The boss of the Maruyama clan, as usual, made an awkward sound, a mixture between a growl and a laugh, and reached to squeeze Ryo's hand; Subaru, of the Shibutani clan, took his other hand between his and shook it. Shota, the next generation boss of the Yasuda clan, left the seat next to his father's and hurried up to pat the new boss's shoulder, while Shingo of the Murakami clan just imitated Kimitaka and clapped his hands, a smile wide as ever on his lips.
“Thank you. I will do my best,” Ryo smiled modestly.
If the elderly yakuza bosses -their retired fathers, who the old Yasuda boss was about to join in a few months, when his son was ready to take over- were to attend such a reunion, they probably wouldn't approve of such careless, effusive behavior between the leaders of their clans. But they simply couldn't act otherwise, since they had all grown together and dreaming of the day they would all sit around that huge table to discuss about the control of their influence zones across the region. It was impossible to hold in their excitement, especially after this news took them by surprise.
None of them expected such a direct response from Ryo. He had always wanted to become his clan's boss, but lately he didn't seem so determined about it. Most of them thought it was due to the suddenness of his father's decease that he still didn't feel prepared to take over his place; yet being the Nishikido clan the main one in the organization, together with the Yokoyama clan and the Ohkura clan, they couldn't give him any time to get used to the idea. If he hadn't assumed his position that afternoon, they would have had to throw him out and search for another suitable leader in his family. And nobody would have liked to do so.
Therefore, they felt relieved after hearing Ryo's words. Ryo felt somehow relieved too, that at least his plans were working smoothly. However, when they sat down again to speak about how they would celebrate Ryo's ascension to power, all he could think about was the boss of the Ohkura clan. The absence of a representative of that family -even if their subordinates, the Yasuda clan, had sent theirs- was quite a disrespectful way of not showing any recognition to Ryo as a new boss. Of course, it meant nothing, since the rest of clans had already accepted him and all was set. But Ryo couldn't help staring at that empty seat, thinking of how stubborn and helpless that Tacchon was.
Almost a month had passed by since Ryo last spoke to him, so he had a right to be pissed. Besides, Ryo had said something he didn’t like. He knew he should have apologized to Ohkura before that reunion, but he had decided not to. Things were better and easier like that. He wasn't counting on Ohkura for the organization anymore, after all.
Second;
“The young boss said he won't need your services from now on,” Shibutani said, handing a guitar case to the man in front of him. “Please accept this as a token of gratitude for all these years.”
Ohkura Tadayoshi raised his head and looked at it from across the desk, a crooked smile slowly forming on his lips. He looked at Shibutani's eyes, reading nothing but Ryo's will in them; he had come exclusively as the boss of his clan, not as a friend he could ask any questions to. Whatever was the reason Ryo had to do such a stupid thing, it seemed he had managed to fool some of the other bosses to follow him.
That made Ohkura even angrier.
“Which boss? Ryo?” he asked, obtaining nothing but a slight nod in response. “He's not a boss for me yet.”
“Your clan doesn't need to be in the organization anymore. The boss of the Yasuda clan has agreed to leave, too. You can keep your territory as it was before your grandfather joined the organization. We'll divide the new territories and you'll be given your part as well,” Shibutani explained, still holding the instrument over the table.
Shota had already surrendered, huh? Well, he couldn’t blame him. He always did what the rest said, especially if Shibutani insisted. It had to have been hard for him to convince his father. But, anyway, the question depended entirely on Ohkura’s decision. If he left, the Yasuda clan would leave too. But he wasn’t leaving, not at all. There were many things he had to make clear. Ohkura lifted his feet and placed his boots on the table, kicking the guitar to the right. It crashed into the floor with a loud noise. Shibutani closed his eyes before looking down.
“I can't play the guitar,” Ohkura said, looking at the open case. A broken string reminded him of the argument he and Ryo had had the previous month. “Go tell Ryo I will personally give him a response tonight.”
Shibutani let out a small sigh before leaving the room. He didn’t like to be in the middle of those two, but it was his work as a subordinate of the Nishikido clan. Whenever they fought and didn’t speak to each other, he and Yasuda were the ones in charge of passing on their messages. This time, even though he couldn’t express his thoughts out loud, he wished secretly for Ohkura to do something with his superior’s situation.
Once he was left alone, Ohkura threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, running his hand through his hair. It was hard to stop Ryo once he had chosen to do something, but even like that he wanted to try.
Stupid Ryo. You can't play a guitar with a broken string, not even if you remove it. It just doesn't sound well.
Third;
“You shouldn’t come here anymore,” Ryo said in a calm voice, not even turning his head to look at him.
Ohkura leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms, staring defiantly at Ryo’s back. The first words he had heard from him after those long weeks of no interaction between them were so cold. He had definitely changed after his father’s death, which details and circumstances hadn’t been revealed to any of the bosses yet, not even to Ohkura, who was undoubtedly the closest to him.
According to Shibutani, he hadn’t shown any reaction at all since the old boss’s body was brought home. He neither cried at the funeral, nor laughed or smiled openly like before ever again. And he spent most of the time alone at his father’s study, apparently focused on something he hadn’t told anybody about.
And he still asked Ohkura to leave him alone.
“I want to know why,” he answered, taking some steps into the room.
Shibutani, who was sitting in an armchair in front of Ryo’s, stood up before he was told to and left the room, exchanging a look with Ohkura as he walked by him. After hearing the door click, Ryo turned around with an expressionless face. He looked tired.
“You’re a nuisance to me,” he explained in a low voice. The words came out mechanically from his mouth, as if he had carefully planned them before speaking. “So I don’t want you around me.”
Ohkura walked towards the desk in the opposite side of the room and started flicking through a folder Ryo had left there. There was nothing but bills and random notes inside; towards the end, he found something that looked like a photo of a young man. Before he could catch a glimpse of his face, Ryo took the folder away from him, an intense glare in his eyes.
“That’s just an excuse,” Ohkura said, giving up on the picture as Ryo threw the folder inside one of the drawers in the desk. “I’m asking for an actual explanation. I don’t think you’re being fair with me.”
That was the exact reason why he had gotten mad at him. He couldn’t stand it when Ryo was obviously hiding something important from him. He was never too friendly with anybody, but with Ohkura he had always been different. He had trusted him so far. Proof of it was that nobody but him -not even Shibutani, with whom he lived under the same roof-, knew about his secret passion for music. They had bought their instruments together, and often played them at Ohkura’s house. Ryo loved playing his guitar in front of him, and no one else. Of all the bosses in the organization, he had only really opened up to him.
He couldn’t just push him away like nothing ever happened between them.
“Do you want to know what those papers are for?” Ryo asked, his lips curving into a slight bitter smile, “I’ll tell you.”
“I’m listening.”
“My father made too many mistakes. That’s why he died,” Ryo spoke, his voice as neutral as before.
Ohkura blinked. How could he talk about his father like that? He used to admire him so much. He never considered anything he did wrong. Four weeks ago, when they had met after what happened to him, the only thing Ryo mentioned was hard choices, not mistakes. And now he didn’t respect him anymore?
“Now I have to make up for them, and I need to get rid of all the obstacles,” Ryo added, leaning on the desk, next to Ohkura.
“And I’m an obstacle,” Ohkura replied, incapable of believing what he was hearing.
“If that’s how you understand it, yes,” Ryo nodded lightly. He made a pause before adding, “but it’s not only you. I’m planning on eventually dissolving the whole organization.”
“Why would you do that!?” Ohkura exclaimed, banging his fists on the desk. “Have you spoken to the other bosses? They won’t let you do such a senseless thing!”
“They will understand. Believe me, it’ll make things easier. It might not be permanent, but who knows.”
“WHO KNOWS MY ASS!” Ohkura said, grabbing Ryo by the collar of his shirt. His face was glowing with anger. “How can you make such a decision on you own? Haven’t you considered their feelings? We’ve been waiting so many years to work together, and now you want to end with everything? FUCK YOU!”
“Calm down,” Ryo said, putting his hands on Ohkura’s shoulders. “Of course I’ve thought carefully about it, and there’s no other way. There’s no better way. You don’t need to understand it, just leave me alone.”
Ohkura felt the sudden need to punch him in the face, but he held it in. Instead, he ducked his head until his forehead was pressed against Ryo’s collarbone, still not letting go of his clothes. He should have beaten the hell out of him when they had that first argument, when Ryo said he didn’t want to be with him anymore. Perhaps that would have kicked that thought out of his mind.
“Why me first?” he murmured, slowly loosening the grip of his hands.
“You know that, Tacchon.”
“Don’t call me that if you want me to leave.”
Ohkura lifted his head and looked at Ryo’s face once again. Nothing. He showed nothing. He was stiff like a rock, and Ohkura would swear he was as cold if his warm hands weren’t still placed on his shoulders. Ryo was slipping away from him, but Ohkura wasn’t willing to give up. He was just confused.
He closed his eyes and started kissing him fiercely, forcing his tongue in his mouth, searching for any feelings he could arouse inside him. Ryo struggled to resist, but finally his arms instinctively wrapped around Ohkura's body and drew him closer. They had missed each other so bad they couldn’t stop.
Ohkura's hands slid from Ryo's waist up his back, underneath his clothes. Ryo shook when he felt the warmth against his skin. The younger pressed his lips against his neck, letting out a little moan next to his ear. When he was about to take off Ryo's shirt, the elder pushed him away.
“Go away,” he muttered under his breath, his eyes hidden under his bangs. “Ohkura.”
Ohkura wouldn’t have listened to him if he wasn’t pleading.
Fourth;
“I will be okay,” he said, hanging up the phone before Shibutani could reply.
He was at the place where everything happened, where his father had last been seen alive. Ryo looked anxiously around the empty warehouse and checked his watch for the fifth time in ten minutes. The time was coming, at last.
He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon; he would have liked to hold a meeting first and let everybody know about his plan. However, they started pressuring him even before the deadline he was given was over. Fortunately, he had already come up with a strategy.
The day before, Shibutani had come back home with a slash on his stomach. He didn’t need to tell Ryo who had done that to him, he already knew. What he didn’t know was that they liked foul play that much. Injuring one of his subordinates and sending him back as a reminder of their deal was nothing but an infuriating act. He had enough already. Hopefully everything would be over after a few hours.
As expected, the next generation boss showed up with one of his underlings. His clothes were outrageous as ever -tight leather pants with a huge fur coat and sunglasses. Nothing wearable for a fight.
“You’re here, Nishikido,” he feigned surprise, a smirk on his face. “Have you made up your mind yet?”
“Ueda Tatsuya,” Ryo smiled as well, taking out his own sunglasses. “Of course your father wouldn’t come with you.”
“He has better things to do,” Ueda replied. His underling laughed, standing behind him. “Unlike yours.”
Ryo arched his eyebrows, laughing as well.
“He underestimated a bunch of bastards like you,” he said, rubbing his chin. “But I won’t be the same.”
“Oh, interesting,” Ueda nodded.
“Oh, no! He’s taking revenge! My legs are shaking!” his underling mocked at Ryo.
“Don’t speak, Koki,” his boss glared at him.
“My father was giving you his areas in the south, but I have no intention of doing so whatsoever,” Ryo added.
“Do you want to join that old man, wherever he is?” Ueda smiled, taking off one of his gloves.
Ryo blocked his fist with his right hand before it touched his cheek. His face contorted as a stab of pain ran through his forearm, but he still pushed Ueda back.
“No, thanks,” he said, putting his aching hand into his pocket. “I have to send you to hell first.”
“Ha,” Ueda laughed, snapping his fingers.
Around thirty men appeared from everywhere and quickly formed a circle around Ryo, all of them holding knives and other sharp instruments as weapons. They all stared at him like rabid dogs lying in wait for their prey.
“And you came all on your own,” Ueda boasted, crossing his arms.
“That’s because I’m not a weak coward like you,” Ryo grinned, his hand slowly shifting behind his back. “And I will kill you using my own hands.”
Koki and Ryo took out their guns at the same time. While the boss of the Nishikido clan pointed his at Ueda, the underling’s was pointed at him. Some of the men around them were going to pounce on Ryo, but Ueda stopped them.
“Leave us alone, guys,” he said, without taking his eyes off Ryo. He carefully extended his left hand in Koki’s direction. “Give me that gun,” he asked him, and Ryo accentuated his grin. “Let’s have it your way, Nishikido.”
Now they were pointing at each other with their guns, nothing but emptiness and silence around them, after the sound of steps moving away disappeared.
“You’re not getting anything from my family,” Ryo muttered, glaring at him. “Give up.”
“This is war, Nishikido,” Ueda answered, glaring back at him over his glasses. “It’s not fun if one of us surrenders easily.”
“I mean it, Ueda,” he copied his way of saying his name, kind of a joke, even in that situation. “The organization doesn’t exist anymore,” he lied triumphantly. It wasn’t a complete lie, though. The dissolution was in progress. “And I won’t give away any of my clan’s territories.”
He could see Ueda’s forehead wrinkle in disgust. So he had ruined his plans after all, ha. It was a good idea after all, no matter how painful it was at first. And now it wouldn’t be so hard to tell his friends about his plans from the beginning, after he had sent that bastard’s body to his father like they did with the previous Nishikido boss. His father would be so proud of him.
His finger moved slowly to pull the trigger. His forehead and bangs were wet with sweat, but he didn’t notice. One second. One second and one of his bullets would be inside that bastard’s chest, tearing off his flesh, becoming nothing but smoke coming out of a perfect hole. He took delight in the thought of pulling the trigger several times after that, making sure that man was dead, dead as his father’s body that day when his cousin brought him covered in blood, his face contorted in a horrible grimace.
However, Ueda shot him first.
Ryo felt something colliding with him, something heavier and bigger than any bullet could be. For a moment, he closed his eyes, sure that he was going to see his father’s face, smiling at him, patting his back and saying “hey, you did your best, kid,” as he usually said.
But when he opened his eyes he found himself in the same place.
When he looked down, there was a body next to him.
“OHKURA!!” he yelled, falling down to his knees.
Ohkura half-opened his eyes and clenched to Ryo’s arm, trying to sit up. Ryo pushed him down and carefully helped the other boss rest his head on his lap. Ohkura made an effort to talk before Ryo could even say anything.
“You aren’t… a… al…” he slurred his words, falling unconscious before finishing.
Ryo screamed again.
Ueda just looked surprised, but after a while he looked so full of satisfaction. He took his glasses off and contemplated the scene, wondering at how lucky he had been that stupid man had literally run to his shot. He was only aiming at Ryo’s arm, but apparently he had hit him in a more painful place.
The bullet had pierced through Ohkura’s right shoulder, right over his shoulder blade, and went out at the other side, getting embedded in Ryo’s upper arm. He didn’t notice his own injury until he saw the hole in the front part of Ohkura’s shoulder. His clothes were soon stained with his blood, as well as his hands. How, Tacchon, and why? Ryo felt all the pain he had been holding back suddenly striking him, forming a huge lump deep inside him. First his father and now Ohkura, he could do nothing to prevent their suffering. And the guy responsible of everything was standing in front of him, a damn smirk on his face. Ryo couldn’t control his rage anymore. He just needed to take it out. He picked his gun from the floor and stood up on his shaking legs, throwing away his glasses to pierce Ueda’s eyes with a venomous glare.
When he had finished him off, nobody would recognize that pretty face.
He fired twice even before Ueda could hold his gun properly. One of the bullets hit his right arm, the opposite side of Ryo’s wound; the other one went through somewhere in his leg. He fell to the ground groaning with pain, covering his bleeding arm with his hand.
Ryo grunted. He was aiming at his stomach, but his hand shook after the first shot. His eyes were brimming with tears and he could barely see. He crouched back next to Ohkura. The young man was still unconscious, and his face was turning pale. Ryo took off his shirt and covered Ohkura’s wound, gently pressing it. He ripped off one of the sleeves and put a tourniquet around his arm, as tight as he could, using his opposite hand.
Ueda wouldn’t stop crying the whole while. Just when he managed to get his gun again and was about to point it at Ryo for the second time, the boss of the Nishikido clan got his and ran to him, pressing it against his temple and holding the trigger. Tears started flowing down his cheeks while he spoke.
“You did it, didn’t you?” he growled, panting heavily. “You killed my father, you son of a bitch. Yes, you did it.”
He heard some noises coming from the outside. Steps.
“I won’t let you live after this,” he said, looking at the door for a second. Light. “If anything happens to Ohkura, I swear your father and all your fucking family will die after you.”
Ueda tried to lift his gun once again, but Ryo kicked it away from his hand. The boss of the Nishikido clan pushed down his enemy’s head with the tip of his gun until it touched the floor. Ueda shut his eyes.
Voices. From the corner of his eye, he saw a group of guys walking towards them, dressed in flashy silk suits -black, orange, purple, blue, even red.
His friends had come to help him.
In only a few seconds, Yokoyama had him held firmly from behind, while Maruyama quickly took the gun off his trembling hand. Murakami stepped with his boot on Ueda’s head to hold him down. Yasuda and the still injured Shibutani hurried to help Ohkura.
“My, my, you were having so much fun without us,” Yokoyama complained, leading Ryo out of that place. “Luckily, we arrived in time for the last attraction of the party. Let them take care of the rest,” he added, taking out his mobile phone. “We’re at the opposite side.”
A black car appeared round the corner. Ryo looked back at the warehouse, where Ueda’s screams could be heard again. It seemed like Maruyama and Murakami were practicing their martial arts with him. He would be lucky if he could walk normally after that.
Ryo went into the back seat of the car and waited for a couple of minutes before Yasuda and Shibutani brought Ohkura next to him. Ryo suddenly realized how negligent he had been, selfishly thinking about revenge. He wiped off his last tears with the back of his hand and, even if he probably couldn’t hear him, leaned to whisper some words in Ohkura’s ear.
“I know, I…” he bit his lower lip. He saw Ohkura’s eyelids trembling a bit, “I’m sorry.”
After sending both Shibutani and Yasuda to have fun with the rest, Yokoyama rode on the co-driver seat and told the driver to head towards the nearest hospital.
Fifth;
Ryo was so tired. Ten days after the warehouse incident, his whole body still ached and he couldn’t sleep well. He was debating whether to feel furious because he hadn’t killed that man or glad that his friends found him before he did. Staying home invited him to think too much, so he had gone out for a walk.
He stopped outside Ohkura’s house. He hadn’t spoken to him since that day. He was still shocked after what he had done and didn’t know what to say. All he knew was that he was recovering well from his injuries, and that was all he needed not to worry. They had a pending conversation, but that could wait. Things were different now.
Yokoyama had known everything from the start. The old Nishikido boss had told him about the problems with the Ueda clan, and how he wanted to solve them immediately. Nobody else knew about it. Ryo knew his father was fond of Kimitaka ever since he was little, but he didn’t know he trusted him to that extent. Ohkura went and told him what Ryo had said, and with that it was easy to guess about Ryo’s plan and come up with a counter plan to stop him before he was in danger. However, Ohkura getting to the warehouse earlier than the rest and jumping in the middle to save Ryo wasn’t anybody’s idea but his.
To be honest, Ryo was somewhat angry at Yokoyama for not having told him earlier about his father. But he was also sure that, if he hadn’t, it was because he was most likely keeping a promise. Besides, he admitted it was also his fault for trying to act on his own and be the hero. He had even made Ohkura risk his life.
He felt so frustrated.
As soon as he was discharged from hospital, he called a boss reunion, again without Ohkura. He shared his thoughts with his friends and apologized for not counting on them before. There was a change in their plans. Not only would they keep their areas, but they would also get more. They would all mobilize their men and take over the territories under the influence of the Ueda clan, totally crushing them. If only Ryo hadn’t been so selfish before, they could have prevented that useless fight before it happened.
Well, at least the pain inside him had mostly gone away.
The gate of Ohkura’s garden was open. Yasuda was there, watering the plants while listening to music. He didn’t see the boss of the Nishikido clan. For a second, Ryo considered going in, but then he decided to continue with his walk.
“I got your guitar fixed,” Ohkura said from behind, raising his voice a bit. “I thought maybe we could play together again.”
“You’re always getting things fixed,” Ryo answered, turning back. “You won’t let me do it my way.”
“You acted like a jerk, making such dramatic, unnecessary plans. I still haven’t forgiven you, young boss.”
Ryo arched his eyebrows. He still hadn’t got used to that title. But it sounded oddly well said by Ohkura. After all, Tacchon was still the only one who really knew him.
“And you almost died in front of me, Tacchon. I haven’t forgiven you either.”
“Whatever, just come in and we’ll finish what we started.”
Ryo couldn’t think of a better way of making up with him.
Thanks for reading!