[One-Shot] The Alliance
Title: The Alliance
Fandom: Bad Boys J
Pairings/Characters: Danno + Kaori, other canon couples (Eiji + Mika, Hiro + Erika, Tsukasa + Kumi), Kenjiro + Jun, hinted Kazu + Kenjo
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Is HET really considered to be a warning ;p
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.
A/N: This is very episodic but I couldn't find a way to connect it all coherently? I hope you don't mind and it still reads fine. Also the longest one-shot I've produced in a while 8275 words.
“To protect the place that the stupid men can return to is our duty.”
After another unsuccessful decisive fight, Danno, Kazu and Harada made their way back to the BEAST lair. A few meters away still, Danno frowned. Something wasn’t right. His instincts told him that something was off. Before he realized it, he was running towards the building.
Once they arrived in the abandoned underground parking area of the building, Danno cursed under his breath. It was a battlefield. People were lying left and right, groaning, injured. More people were apparently getting out from inside the building. Was the fight still going on?
“Oi!” Harada went off to the side to one of the BEAST Ladies. “Even the Ladies?”
Danno didn’t hear whatever else the other had to say. He was making his way inside, pushing his way past whoever was coming out. He coughed and felt his lungs burn when he got closer to the main room. Smoke was coming from one of the rooms. Something had caught fire. Or had been set on fire. He supposed the latter.
Their main room was a mess. Broken chairs, the sofa completely slashed. The BEAST banner, their flag, had already burned down. But the sight of that was not what let his blood run cold when he stepped into the room.
Between broken pieces of chairs and the remains of their skeleton, Danno could make out a pair of boots sticking out from what was left of the sofa.
“Kaori,” he made his way over as quickly as he could but it was too slow.
When he arrived, his breath almost caught in his throat. Kaori was lying on the floor, unconscious, limp and her appearance was battered, broken, bloody. “Kaori!” he picked her up, carefully, and looked around. There was nobody left. And there was still smoke coming from somewhere. Cursing under his breath, he made his way back out. His eyes checked other rooms along the way, checked for other people that could still be inside.
He could hear Kazu shouting orders, could hear other people coming inside to search, could hear the sirens of a fire engine coming closer.
“Danno-san!” Kazu ran towards him once he made it out of the building and then the other’s eyes widened. “Kaori-san…”
“Is everyone outside?” he asked.
Kazu nodded, “We did a headcount and searched the building.”
“Alright,” Danno adjusted Kaori’s limp form in his arms. “I’m taking her to the hospital.”
“I’ll call an ambu-”
“Too slow!” Danno barked and then set off to carry what was most precious to him to the nearest hospital. When he saw Kaori getting wheeled off on a stretcher he swore that he would personally snap off the head of whoever had done this.
~*~
Yoji rose to his feet when Kazu appeared in the door to Gokurakucho’s lair. “Kazu! What happened? You look terrible!”
The other’s face was smudged with black and Kazu’s eyes were red and looked tired and worried as well as irritated from smoke. Kazu let himself sink down onto one of the chairs and closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself.
“Somebody attacked BEAST while we were gone,” he started. “We don’t know who it was.” Kazu opened his eyes again. “They burned down everything. Kaori-san was hospitalized.”
“What?” Yoji’s eyes widened. Eiji and Hisao looked shocked and Tsukasa was on his feet immediately and strode over to where Kazu was sitting.
“Who would do something like that? Where is Danno-kun now?” he asked.
Kazu sighed, “Danno-san is at the hospital with Kaori-san. She hasn’t regained consciousness. We’re trying to find whoever did this, so we can deal with them properly. I wanted to spread the news. If you notice anything weird or anyone suspicious, please let me know immediately!” Then he looked at Tsukasa and Yoji. “We don’t know why whoever did this did it. So be careful that you won’t be next. This might just be another declaration of war against Hiroshima’s Top 3.”
Then he continued, “What I gathered so far is that a group of masked people attacked while we were gone. One or two got in and set the fire, so people ran outside and were then received there by a group who knocked them down. Even the girls weren’t spared. Kaori-san seems to have fought with at least one of them but they overpowered her.”
“What will happen with BEAST now?” Tsukasa asked.
“Your flag’s gone, isn’t it?” Eiji asked.
Closing his eyes again, Kazu growled, “We might have lost our home. We might have lost our flag but we have not lost our pride and we have not lost our hearts. BEAST hasn’t been beaten. If whoever did this thought they could beat us just by burning down our base, then they thought wrong. Danno-san won’t give in to such dirty tactics.”
He rose from his seat, “Well, spread the news. And if you hear something, get back to me. Don’t do anything.” Kazu looked at Yoji. “The beast wants its prey alive.”
“Danno wants to deliver the final blow. Understood,” Yoji nodded. “We’ll keep our eyes and ears out.” Then he crossed his arms, “You should get some rest, Kazu. Or you won’t be of much use when the time comes.”
“I can take care of myself,” Kazu grumbled and then left the four to themselves again.
~*~
When Kaori opened her eyes again, it took a while for them to focus. Her mind was still hazy and the memories were only returning slowly. She realized that she was at a hospital and that she was feeling pain. But there was also something else. Something warm, resting on her hand. Turning her head a little bit, her eyes fell onto the lone figure sitting next to the bed.
“Hide…” her voice was quiet, weak, barely audible.
He looked up at her and shook his head. She need not speak now. Then he rose from his seat and leaned down to kiss her forehead gently.
The gesture told Kaori more than words ever could. A lone tear slid down her cheek.
That Danno was sitting here with her, was telling her to get well meant so much. It meant that despite whatever was going on, whatever was happening outside, was happening to and with BEAST, only came second. She was the most important existence in the other’s life. Him being here with her meant that she had priority that her wellbeing was the first thing on his mind right now. He had chosen her over his duty and responsibilities.
It was rare for Danno to display so much affection, so many feelings. Of course to any outsider the other wasn’t showing anything at all but Kaori could see it all. She could see everything so very clearly in the other’s eyes.
With all the strength she could muster, she entwined their fingers. Danno held her hand and the touch made her feel safe, made her feel at ease, his presence was soothing her.
A soft sigh fell from her lips before her eyes closed again and she fell asleep. She would need all the rest she could get to recover. And she wanted to recover quickly because she did not want to see that worried expression on the other’s face anymore.
~*~
“I envy Kaori. I wonder if Hiro would sit by my side if I got hospitalized,” Erika sipped on her drink as she and Kumi sat at the Oyster Cafe after paying a visit to the hospital the next day. “He’d probably be all happy that I was out and party it up with as many girls he could find.”
Kumi gave the other a smile, “You don’t really think that, do you, Erika-san?”
“I’d love to think it wouldn’t be like that,” Erika sighed. She looked outside. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a person disappearing around the corner again. A smile tugged on her lips. “He doesn’t do all the dirty work himself, does he.” She’d recognized that suit. Only three people in Nights wore those distinctive white suits. “Guess I got myself a bodyguard.”
Then her expression darkened a little. Hiro seemed to be worried about everything that had happened around BEAST. Something was clearly up, all of them could feel it.
The question was what though.
“Whoever messed with this city’s top 3 once again, they sure have gotten themselves into something this time around. Pissing off Danno, they’ll be lucky to make it out of this alive,” Erika observed quietly. “Especially after what happened to Kaori.”
Kumi nodded. After all, she had gotten involved in a similar dirty move before when STP had wrecked havoc at the cafe but none of the guys had really dared to hurt her purposely as she had tried to stop them. Her only injury had been a cut on her hand from a shard of glass. Kaori had been hospitalized with bruises, dislocations, a broken rib and a concussion. She hadn’t gone down without a fight.
She looked at Erika. Kaori was different from them. If the same thing had happened here or at Nights’ club, Kumi wondered how things would have ended.
~*~
Days passed without any notable events. Members of BEAST prowled down the streets, on watch on alert. But even their massive intelligence network could not find the culprit quite yet. Information was slowly but surely surfacing here and there, though. And what little there was, was spread to trusted sources only.
“They call themselves ‘The Alliance’ apparently and it seems like they have a particularly strong grudge against Danno. And Yutaka,” Eiji reported, after coming back from a meeting with Kazu. “If you believe some of the rumors, it’s a team that Danno and Yutaka destroyed together, one of the very first that fell as BEAST started to take over Hiroshima.”
Hisao’s eyes narrowed, “Yutaka? Does that mean they were the ones who tried to sabotage Yutaka’s boxing match the other day? You know, the thing that made the news of someone breaking into the arena and destroying the ring he was supposed to fight in and leaving obscene threats and messages all over the place.”
“It very much seems that way,” Eiji nodded. “I’ll keep you updated but I don’t see why we should get involved further in this, though. If this is a feud against BEAST, Gokurakucho will keep out of it. It has nothing to do with us. Right?”
Yoji frowned, “No. I wouldn’t think of it so lightly. Just think about it. They have a feud with BEAST but what is the ulterior motive behind that? When BEAST falls…”
“Defeating BEAST is to defeat Hiroshima. We’re Hiroshima’s Number 2, we’ll be next,” Hisao caught on with Yoji’s train of thought. “It’s like what Danno did when he and BEAST came to back us up against Eden. He didn’t have to do it but he did and it was because he wanted to get rid of the problem before it became a bigger problem.”
Tsukasa nodded, “I’ll back him up. I think he’d do the same if our situations were reversed. We’re rivals of course but we all do care about the wellbeing of the people who’re important to us and we all care about the city we call our home.”
~*~
Kazu slammed the other against the wall none too gently. His eyes were dark and dangerous when he fixed them on the other male. “I hear you’re quite the slippery guy,” he tightened his grip more when the other tried to resist. “Not so slippery now, are you?”
The other had the guts to glare back at him.
“I hear you side with the powerful. I wonder why it hasn’t occurred to you to side with BEAST yet?” Kazu continued, unfazed. “Do you have any information on a team that might be going stronger right now? Have you heard of it? Of them?” He moved closer. “The Alliance?”
“Why should I tell you?” the other grunted.
“Oh, easy,” Kazu’s look became dangerous. And serious. “If you work with me, I guarantee you your safety, no matter what happens. If you don’t, I promise you I will make your life a living hell and even if you try to slip away from me, I will hunt you down, no matter where you try to run to and hide. Not just within this city but anywhere you might go.”
The other shivered and Kazu could feel it.
“Being strong doesn’t just mean to be physically so. The mind is what counts as well. If you agree to use that cunning mind of yours for us, it would be beneficial for all of us,” Kazu continued. “Do we have a deal, Kenjo?” He loosened his grip again but did not move away from the other to prevent him from getting away.
Kenjo adjusted the collar of his shirt and silver suit. “What if I just want this to be an agreement between you and I?” he looked at Kazu.
There was something in Kenjo’s eyes and Kazu couldn’t quite read it. Or maybe he was able to but chose not to think about it at this time. “That would work out as well.”
Smirking, Kenjo leaned in closer, “You’re a truly dangerous man, Kazu. I can’t say I hate it.”
“We’re not going to get there until you keep your end of the deal,” Kazu kept the other at bay without flinching. He crossed his arms. “If you do your job well, I’ll see what we can do about what you want.” It was his turn to smirk now. “I’m sure you’ll be asking around about me. And I assure you,” he leaned closer to Kenjo’s ear. “I left nobody behind unsatisfied.”
With that he pulled away and walked away for a slightly stunned looking Kenjo. The other had probably not expected such a reaction from him. Kazu’s smirk only grew at that.
~*~
“Somebody managed to get Kenjo under control?” Hisa asked as he leaned against the bar counter to look at Hiro. “You sure this time?”
Hiro nodded, “I am. Although I am not entirely sure how he did it.”
“You know the other person?” Hisa’s interest was perked and he moved closer to the other, so less people were likely to hear their conversation. Not that there were a lot of people around. It was before club hours. Hisa didn’t really dare to come during ‘business hours’. Some people probably still resented him for changing teams.
Twirling a glass with what was probably champagne - his warm-up drink for the night - between his fingers, Hiro replied, “I hear it’s BEAST’s very own number 2.”
Raising an eyebrow, Hisa asked, “Kazu?”
“Yup,” Hiro downed his drink. “Although Kenjo is not part of BEAST. He didn’t join.”
Hisao hummed. “Kenjo is a slimy git but he’s pretty good when it comes to information and getting around. He has his methods. Kazu would want to keep a source like that around and have control over it. It’s something he would do.”
Hiro popped a strawberry into his mouth, “And he has his methods of keeping those sources of information in check, so that they don’t go leaking everywhere. Wonder how he does it.”
“Power can be a strong aphrodisiac sometimes, can’t it?” Hisao thought aloud. “Kenjo is a guy who’s attracted to power. Which is why he always wants to go with the strong ones. I could see why staying on Kazu’s good side would be in his interests.”
“Staying on my good side should be in your interests, too, Hisa. You should leave before the others get here. You and I are a different story than you and the rest of Nights,” Hiro looked at the clock behind the bar counter. “If you want to show your face, Erika should actually be around your guys’ cafe right now.”
Smiling, Hisao pushed himself away from the counter. “Have a ball.” Then he grinned. “When you get your ass kicked next time, you should go to the hospital where my old man goes whenever he feels unwell. I hear the young nurses there like you. They’re cute.”
“Get lost,” Hiro snorted. “At least get me their numbers beforehand.”
Hisao made a ‘roger that’ gesture with his fingers before he went to slip out from the backdoor of the club into the shadows the setting sun had created.
~*~
Elsewhere, two other people were talking in a place hidden by the shadows.
“Are you sure it’s them?” a calm, deep voice asked.
“I’m positive. I don’t forget a friend or enemy’s face easily,” the other answered. “It’s not just them, though. More seem to have joined. I heard they moved outside of Hiroshima to regroup and fly under your radar for a while.”
A fist tightened. “I won’t let them run amok in my city.”
“Your city, huh?” the other chuckled, amusement clearly audible in his voice. “Long live the king. Just see to it that they won’t overthrow you.”
“I keep my promises,” Danno emerged from the shadows again to make his way back to the hospital. Kaori was finally allowed to leave, so he would be taking her home. Once that was done, he would take care of the other matters at hand.
~*~
Jun and Kenjiro were escorting Erika to the club - secretly - when they noticed a commotion in one of the side streets. A group of people was ganging up on one single person. That person looked like they were fighting back quite valiantly but they were going to be overpowered soon. But that was not what caught Kenjiro’s eye.
“They’re not members of our local branch. Also this is not our territory. This is Gokurakucho turf,” he hissed to Jun. “What are they trying to do?”
“What are you doing?” a female voice cut in and the group turned their attention away momentarily to look at the ‘intruder’.
“Shit!” Kenjiro cursed.
“Erika-san!” Jun moved as well.
The group was advancing towards Erika and upon closer inspection, they had pulled masks over their faces. “It would be better not to tell anyone about this, princess. Or you’ll regret it.”
One of them raised his arm but a hand grabbed hold of it.
“If you touch her, I’ll kill you,” Hisao growled dangerously and delivered a well aimed kick in the gut to send the guy stumbling backwards.
“Hisa!” Erika gasped.
“Run, Erika. You shouldn’t get involved with these guys,” he held his side. Hisao had several cuts and bruises on his face and hands and the way he was standing showed that he was in severe pain somewhere further down, abdomen or legs.
“But you’ll be-”
Hisao glared at her, “Run! If you get hurt, I won’t be able to forgive myself. And I’ll never be able to look into Hiro’s face again either.”
Some of the thugs advanced on them again but two flashes of white went between them.
“You’re a bunch of trouble, aren’t you?” Kenjiro looked at Hisao.
Jun cracked his knuckles, “As expected of a member of Gokurakucho.”
“But I can’t hate a guy who risks his ass to save a lady,” Kenjiro grinned but his expression hardened when he looked at the masked group. “You’re in for a bumpy ride assholes.”
“Aah, you’ve gotten him made,” Jun shook his head but then dove right into the fray with Kenjiro. Hisao joined in as well after making sure that Erika was in a safe place. He stayed close to her to make sure none of the thugs would escape unnoticed and try to harm her.
Kenjiro managed to yank the mask off of one of his opponents and his eyes widened in recognition. “Wait a second, you are-”
“Scram!” the guy yelled and pulled himself away from Kenjiro, using the other’s moment of surprise to escape. After putting his mask back on he and the rest of the group ran off and scattered before anyone could think about following them.
Jun went to the other’s side. “Oi, why’d you let them get away?”
Ignoring the other, Kenjiro went straight up to Hisao, who’d slid down onto the floor by a wall, “Oi, Hisa, those guys were-”
“I recognized them by their voice,” Hisao closed his eyes and winced in pain. “Don’t ask me why. Don’t ask me why now. I don’t know. None of them said a thing.”
Erika was crouching by the other’s side. “We need to get him to a hospital. I’ll call a cab.”
“You go with them,” Kenjiro ordered Jun. “I’m going to report this to Hiro-san.”
“But this isn’t our-”
“It very well might be,” Kenjiro said, expression dark. “Besides, they tried to attack Erika-san.”
~*~
“You’re sure about that?” Hiro looked at Kenjiro.
Kenjiro nodded, “I’ve seen his face before. I’m absolutely sure.”
“The Alliance,” Hiro muttered. “What could they want from us?”
“They used to call themselves Rengou. It was essentially a group of people who were cast out of their teams due to misconduct or other. They then started to gather up teams or people who had grown dissatisfied with how things were. One of the teams at the core used to be led by Devil Yutaka. When he left after fighting Danno, they were to be absorbed into BEAST but they refused because they said they hadn’t agreed to that but BEAST pointed out that the rules said that if your top is beaten, your team is void and becomes absorbed into the winning one. I heard it was because they were scared of Danno. The only man stronger than the Devil himself. In the end they joined but then they tried to attack from within BEAST by attacking other members of BEAST and stirring up fights among all of them. Danno tracked them down and cast them out of the team, basically cast them out of the city by making sure no other team would ever accept them. He brandmarked them,” a new voice suddenly spoke up, making both Hiro and Kenjiro turn their heads.
Blinking, Hiro said, “I’m liking our Super Rookie more and more.”
Kenjiro nodded, “I am impressed.”
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Yokogawa grinned. “It’s just, most of the members of STP used to come from there, too. I heard Eden was also part of them. There is no central organization. It’s an alliance after all. I wonder if they got a leader now?”
“A bunch of outcasts who hate the teams in Hiroshima,” Kenjiro frowned.
Even Hiro’s expression was serious, “This smells like trouble. And I don’t like the smell of that.” Then he turned to look at Kenjiro. “I sure hope you guys took Hisa to the hospital with the cute nurses?”
~*~
“Hisa was attacked by The Alliance as well?” Kazu looked at Yoji. “Already...”
“Already?” Yoji frowned when Kazu’s reaction was different from what he had anticipated. “You sound like you know something.”
Kazu looked out over the city. “I’ve gathered more information on what kind of group that alliance is. I heard they are people who hold grudges against various teams, various team members in our city. They’re outcasts, outlaws. They consider themselves the ‘trash of our society’,” he told the other. “Their feelings aren’t unlike those of that guy from STP you fought. The guy who held a grudge against you for not accepting him into Gokurakucho.”
Yoji’s expression darkened.
“They don’t care about teams and this city anymore. They just want revenge. And they go all out because they have nothing to lose,” Kazu continued. “The guys who attacked Hisa must have been people he encountered during his time in Nights. Possible people he kicked out or degraded in some other way.” He looked at Yoji. “It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
Then his eyes turned to look at the city below once more. “People who discard their pride and their honor are dangerous creatures. You better be careful, alright?”
“Thanks for letting me know. Watch your back,” Yoji said.
“Hard to do that on your own. You watch mine, I’ll watch yours in return,” Kazu offered his fist and Yoji bumped his own against it with a small smile on his face.
“Gotcha.”
~*~
Kaori reached out to grab Danno’s hand. “Hide.”
He turned around to meet her eyes and she wrapped her arms around him. Kaori rarely went for the physical contact but right now she felt she needed it, she felt it was appropriate.
“Please be careful. They’re not like anyone you’ve faced before,” she whispered into his shoulder. Kaori had seen the enemy, faced them and experienced the horror they were. “They’re different. And dangerous.”
Danno put an arm around her and took a few moments to hold her silently.
“Hi-” he cut her off before Kaori could say anything.
Eyes widening, Kaori didn’t know whether she was awake or asleep for a moment. Danno’s lips were pressed against hers in a firm and yet gentle kiss.
When the other pulled away again, Danno whispered, “I promise I’ll come back. Just like I always do.” He pressed one more kiss onto her forehead before he let go slowly and turned around to head out of the door.
Kaori balled her hand into a fist and brought it up to her lips.
Seeing a soldier off before he marched into battle was the burden and the duty of a warrior’s woman. She would stay behind and hold the fort.
After she had pulled herself together again, Kaori put on her coat and went downstairs. “Ladies, we need to make preparations.”
“Yes, Kaori-san.”
~*~
Eiji made a face when they arrived at the scene. “Yikes, it looks like a zombie apocalypse!”
“Well, we’re jumping right into it,” Yoji said and started to kick his way through. He’d made a promise with Kazu after all. And he could see the other fighting in the midst of this mess.
From the corner of his eye, Yoji could see Danno beating down a couple of the thugs but when some of them went down, others stood up again to continue fighting and the circle repeated, unless they were well and truly knocked unconscious. But that was quite a feat, even for someone like Danno.
“Kazu,” he arrived by the other’s side.
“They have nothing to lose. They keep fighting until their bodies give in. And if they can take us down by doing that, it’s enough for them. They keep going and going. Some of them are on something. Steroids, whatever,” Kazu was panting and wiped blood from the corner of his lips. “Be very, very careful when you fight them.” He looked over to where Tsukasa was using his Skytree Elbow on someone. “He won’t be able to keep that pace up for long.”
“Maybe releasing everything in one explosion is the better tactic in this case. Trying to pull through with endurance will only play into their hands. You better follow your own leader’s example,” Yoji jerked his thumb over to where Danno just seemed to be mowing down rows of people in rapid succession. “Adrenaline will only keep you standing for so long.”
They fought their way through but as predicted, it was more and more becoming a battle of endurance. The police sirens sounded like a signal from a savior this time around. Whoever was still able to walk disappeared from the scene as fast as possible.
Once they were a safe distance away, Tsukasa looked back, “I wonder how many of them managed to escape and how many were taken in.”
“They’ll come again,” Eiji heaved. “And again and again as many times as they manage.”
Danno clicked his tongue in annoyance. It was obvious that he’d rather have finished and ended things today but judging by how he looked, it seemed like even he had to admit that it would have been an impossible thing to accomplish.
“If we can only keep fighting and hope for more and more of them to get picked up by the police, this will never end,” Yoji pointed out. “There has to be another way to deal with things.”
Eiji let himself fall into the grass of the riverbank everyone had gathered at. “Those guys just know how everything works too well. If they’re really former members of all our groups they know all the habits and all the ways how things are going to be dealt with. They came prepared. They knew there was a risk of the police coming to that place earlier.”
Kazu looked up, “Eiji, you’re a genius.”
“Huh? I am?? Well maybe-”
“Kazu, do you have an idea?” Danno asked his second in command.
All eyes were on the tall male now. “I do. What Eiji just said pointed out a possible flaw in whatever loose plan their alliance might have had.”
“Tell us more about it.”
“We need Nights’ to cooperate as well but I think they will,” Kazu pushed himself up. “The plan is as follows…”
~*~
“Mika, you’re probably the only person around who’s excited about this,” Mina commented.
Mika smiled sheepishly, “I can’t help it! I know it’s serious and I know it’s dangerous but I can’t help but feel a little excited about it either.” They heard voices and footsteps approaching. “Oh, here they come!” Mika bounced a little bit.
Eiji was the first one to come into view. He tugged on his outfit. Trading in his leather vest and jeans for a pair of slacks and a suit jacket felt weird to say the least and he felt a little uncomfortable. Mika was smiling brightly at him though, “Aw Eiji, you look good! I wish I had known this sooner! You should wear this more often!”
“Hell no...I don’t know how to feel about this…” he said.
“I’ll help you dress? This doesn’t really match…” Mika offered.
“Yeah if you want to look like you’re really a part of Nights you need to learn how to dress better,” Jun commented and in turn tugged on his leather jacket.
“Say that again you p-”
“Eiji,” another voice cut in. “You do know Jun does know better in this case?” Hisao walked down the stairs, in a sleek black host suit and navy blue shirt. There were silver accessories firmly in place and he had even put in different earrings. He fit in perfectly with the other members of Nights around them that started to come into the club.
Some of the girls squeaked softly when he appeared.
Eiji had to blink at his friend. This was quite a change from the usual Hisao. “Woah, who are you and what have you done to Hisa?”
“Fufu~ this is just like the good old days,” Hiro sauntered over and put his arm around Hisao with a bright grin on his face. “I see you haven’t lost your touch completely. Or do old habits just die really, really hard?”
“Go and get changed. While this may be a rare and maybe the only opportunity even, this is not the time to marvel at me in a suit,” he threw back at the other.
Hiro grinned, “I love you. I wish I could take you back.”
“Sorry, not happening,” Hisa’s smile was genuine, gentle.
When Hiro had vanished to get changed, Hisao and Eiji gave Jun and Kenjiro their final instructions. It was then that something occurred to the two Nights members.
“So if you’re going to be the Number 2 and 3 of Nights, who’s taking over Hiro-san’s position?” Kenjiro asked Hisao. “I don’t see Kiriki anywhere.”
“Actually, I don’t know,” Hisao admitted. “Whoever it is should be here soon, though. I think Erika was going to give clothing advice to whoever it is. And I don’t actually know if Tsukasa-”
The door opened and a person in a sleek black suit walked in.
Jun, Kenjiro, Eiji and even Hisao blinked and then stared. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?”
Danno looked at the four of them and rolled his eyes in mild annoyance, “Get going. We don’t have time to idle around.” He looked at the rest of the dumbfounded members of nights. “What are you looking at? There’s a party to be held here tonight.”
Eiji looked at Hisao, “Hisa, pinch me. I think I’m hallucinating.”
“Right there with you,” Hisao had to slap himself to snap out of it.
~*~
“I even look good in a worn out leather jacket. Guess it’s not the way people dress after all. There’s natural beauty,” Hiro smile as he lounged around the cafe.
Kazu eyed the other and rolled his eyes. “You shouldn’t admire yourself so much but your girlfriend over there.” He looked over to the counter. “We even had Erika-san cooperate.”
Hiro blinked and looked over, “Woah, I didn’t even notice!”
He was whacked over the head with a tray. “I’ll kill you,” Erika threatened cutely.
“You look really cute, Erika-san. The ponytail and apron especially. Maybe we should do cosplay parties at the club after this?” Hiro grinned. “I bet the other Nights Ladies would look fantastic in maid outfits or maybe with kitty ears...Oh yes! I can’t wait to see them all dressed up for me.”
“There are knives in the kitchen here, Hiro,” Erika smiled at the other. “Want to make friends with one of them in the very near future?”
Rolling his eyes again, Kazu took out his phone to call Harada to ask the other if anything had happened at Gokurakucho’s lair in the meantime.
~*~
“This place is really dark. You’d think after their old place went up in flames they’d move somewhere nicer,” Kenjiro looked around.
Yoji looked at the two members of Nights, “At a time like this all you guys have to say is that you don’t like the interior of another team’s lair? Aren’t you a carefree bunch.” He looked at Tsukasa. “We might have to deal with the toughest opponents. Are you okay with that?”
Smiling Tsukasa replied, “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have agreed to this.” His eyes softened, “I’m just glad that Kumi-chan is in Tokyo for her university entrance exams at this time. So she won’t get mixed up in all of this.”
“That’s indeed a good thing,” Yoji nodded. He checked his phone. “So far things are quiet.”
A crash could be heard from the outside. Their expressions darkened. “Spoke too soon.”
~*~
Kaori smiled and sat down next to Danno on the plush couch. “A change of scenery is quite interesting once in a while, isn’t it?” she put her hand over his and squeezed gently. “But some things don’t change.”
Danno’s lips twitched a bit, “I’d rather be back at our place but it can’t be helped.”
He turned his head over a little bit and took in Kaori’s appearance. She was dressed to match their surroundings as well of course and Danno didn’t mind that change really. Somewhere at the back of his mind he made a mental note to get her another pair of earrings at some point.
“I’m happy to think I look gorgeous tonight,” Kaori chuckled softly and stroked the back of his hand gently. “You really know how to make a lady happy, Hide.”
This time Danno’s lips curled up in a small smile.
A bit further away on one of the other sofas in the club, some of the girls swooned. “Ah, Danno-san is so cool! It’s too bad he’s already taken but I guess you’d have to be someone like Kaori-san to date someone like him.”
“He looks so handsome in that suit. And he’s so dark and mysterious,” another one added.
“I’m so glad I came tonight! Who knows if we’ll ever get to see him wearing something like this again? I also called the others. Can’t miss this!”
Hisao sat in between the girls and chuckled softly to himself as he listened to their conversation. Hiro would be so mad. He absolutely had to tell the other about this. And then enjoy the blond male’s reaction. Oh yes, he was looking forward to that.
Leaning back a little more, he took in the scenery from where he was sitting. This felt so nostalgic. He had a lot of good memories from this time but he still didn’t regret his decision. He wasn’t going to come back here. He was part of Gokurakucho now and he was looking forward to return to his place there once this whole charade was over.
A member of Nights who’d been positioned outside came running over. “Hisa!”
“They’re here, huh?” he got up from his seat and gave a signal to other people standing around. “Showtime everyone.”
~*~
The doors on both sides of the abandoned factory building that Gokurakucho used as their base or lair, fell shut and trapped the group of intruders in the middle. The lights flickered on and they found themselves surrounded by a large group, which was a mix of Gokurakucho members and other faces.
“Oi, Gokurakucho didn’t use these kinds of methods before. When did they get so many members?” one of the masked guys hissed to another.
“Yoji wouldn’t use such tactics! I’m sure of it!” another muttered.
“Well that’s because it’s not Yoji planning all of this,” Kazu stepped out onto an elevated space a few metres away from the group. “If you guys were looking for a brawl with Yoji, I have to disappoint you. I’m the one you’ll be facing here tonight.” He jumped down and walked into the circle. “Show your faces when we’re fighting with you.”
Instead of an answer, a fist flew. Kazu dodged easily but then gave the signal for the surrounding team members to attack as well - minus a selected few who were guarding the doors to block up possible escape routes for their enemy.
Of course several members of the masked alliance group tried to escape but were then met with a series of kicks. “The star has arrived!” Hiro announced flashily.
“Fuck, what is he doing here? We were going to fight Kiriki and Yoji and not the shitty host dude,” one of the guys groaned. “Although maybe it’d feel good to punch his ugly mug.”
“Ugly,” Hiro’s eyes darkened. “You sir, just said the wrong word.”
Several alliance members went flying and fell down limp and unconscious as Hiro mowed his way through them. Harada and Kazu fell a few steps back to watch the whole spectacle.
“If you think about it, he actually works just like Kiriki does,” Kazu mused.
Harada snorted softly in agreement and then noted, “Either way, it looks like we’ll be able to end this without too much effort, doesn’t it?”
“Good for us.”
~*~
“Eiji!” Mika immediately rushed to the other’s side and knelt down next to her boyfriend. She took in his appearance and threw herself into his arms. “You’re okay!”
“Have more faith in me,” Eiji smiled and put a hand onto her head reassuringly. “If you crush my ribs though, I’m not so sure about being fine anymore though.”
Squeaking, she let go again, “Ah, I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay. It shows how much you worried about me,” Eiji smiled at her and then got up again slowly. He was more tired than injured really and had just been taking a breather on the ground, leaning against one of the pillars. Looking around, there didn’t seem to be a lot of ‘casualties’ on this side. The Nights Ladies were already patching people up.
The other side though, that had been a bit of a massacre. Danno had mowed his way through them as per usual, eyes promising pain and death for everything that had happened. Of course none of their attackers had expected him of all people to be here and none of them had stood a real chance against him. Nor had they expected Hisao and Eiji to be waiting there behind Danno. They had made short work of them, although some had struggled a little bit before they had gone down.
What was left of the group that had attacked them was being taken care of by other members of Nights. Danno and Kaori were most likely overseeing things outside with the police. It was a first in the history of the teams in Hiroshima that they had actually cooperated with the police for real to solve team issues. Although really, he wasn’t sure if this one was still just an issue between the teams. It did have bigger dimensions.
Hisao was supervising both the Ladies and the Nights members in the club and Eiji wondered once again, why the other had left this team because Hisao seemed to fit right in with them. Why had the other traded his spot as Nights’ number 2 for Gokurakucho’s number 3?
“Hisa, he still knows all the names,” Mika commented when she followed Eiji’s line of sight. “I think he was still a member of Nights when I joined but he left soon after. We never met face to face but I heard many stories about him. Erika-san and Hiro-san talk about him sometimes. And when he’s drunk, so does Kenjiro.”
Then she smiled, “But you know, I think he belongs to you guys more than he does here. He seems a bit tense right now and although he seems to have gotten into ‘Nights Mode’ easily it seems more like a shell or a mask. He’s more himself when he’s with you and Yoji-kun and Tsukasa-kun.” Mika put a bandaid onto a cut on Eiji’s face. It had little apples on it.
“I see.” He nodded thoughtfully. What she said made sense. And really, he didn’t want to trade Hisao in for anyone else in the world. They were a team in Gokurakucho and Hisao was a partner he wouldn’t give up to anyone else without a really good reason and or a fight. “Hey what the hell are you putting on my face, idiot? Am I supposed to run around with this?” Eiji had noticed the package with the bandaids.
Mika pouted, “I don’t have any others!”
~*~
“Disregarding the rules just to get your petty revenge and dragging people into it who didn’t have anything to do with it. You were hurting beloved ones and most of all you were worrying Kumi-chan! I will not forgive you!!” Tsukasa roared and then jumped head first into the slightly dumbfounded group.
“He’s an idiot, isn’t he?” Kenjiro commented.
“Look who’s talking,” Jun snorted softly.
Kenjiro’s temper flared immediately of course, “What did you just say, jackass?”
“You two, eyes on the enemy. You can quarrel later,” Yoji snapped at them. “Decide these things off the battlefield. Or on. Whichever you prefer. That is if you two can be useful here at all.” He eyed both of them.
“Ha, bring it on! I’ll see to it that things are done before the girls leave for the night so I can join them for some karaoke,” Kenjiro went to jump into the fray, followed closely by Jun.
Yoji shook his head and wondered once more, how Nights had survived so long as a team.
When the fight was over, Kenjiro was leaning against the wall somewhere in the shadows. It had taken a bit of effort - considering their opponents had expected members of BEAST to be here - but they had pulled through.
“Guess now you’re glad that there are shadows around here, huh,” a familiar voice commented and the next moment Kenjiro hissed when the sting of disinfectant jolted his body.
“Ow, bitch!” he cursed and pretended to kick the general direction to his right where the other person was crouching. “Be more careful, alright? My face is valuable.”
“Don’t tell me, tell the guys who did this,” the other put away the first aid kit. “Although I think I beat the crap out of them for doing it already.” A soft pair of lips was pressed against Kenjiro’s and he closed his eyes with a soft sigh.
When the other pulled away again he sighed, “Correction, NOW I’m glad for these stinking shadows.” He grabbed Jun’s collar, “Want to go and do karaoke?”
“What, now? We look-”
“Just you and me. Then no one will care about how we look and we can get out of these stupid clothes,” Kenjiro murmured and then pulled the taller male down for another kiss.
~*~
The teams had come together to discuss the aftermath of what had happened the previous night. Of course after the largest chunk of The Alliance had been taken care of, the teams had gone back to normal. Whatever was left would be dealt with accordingly. The police was also on a lookout, considering that the mutual interest of both the teams and the police was a peaceful and quiet city. And fires and huge brawls in public spaces weren’t considered peaceful and outside of what usually happened among the teams.
After the important matters had been discussed, people were getting ready to leave again.
“It surprised me that you came alone, Danno. After all that happened, I would have expected you not to let Kaori out of sight again,” Hiro grinned at the other.
“Kaori knows how to take care of herself,” Danno said cooly. “She had other plans, too.”
“You should be nicer to a lady, Danno. Or she’ll leave you,” Hiro chirped obnoxiously.
“I don’t want to hear such things from you, Sugimoto Hirokazu,” Danno looked at the other. His lips twitched a little bit and curled into a smirk when the other fumed.
“When? How? HOW?” Hiro spluttered.
Tsukasa blinked, “Sugimoto?”
“Hirokazu?” Eiji added.
Hisao snorted softly, “Oh dear. How long has it been since I heard that name?” He looked at his team members when they all looked at him in confusion, “That’s Hiro’s full name.”
“It’s so...normal,” Tsukasa blinked. “Unlike him.”
“Which is why he’s hiding it, I guess,” Yoji pointed out.
Kazu raised an eyebrow, “How did Danno-san find out, I wonder. Even I didn’t know that.”
Eiji shivered, “Woah, the guy with Hiroshima’s best information network was beaten by Hiroshima’s Number 1? Danno sure is a scary guy.”
“Which is why he’s rightfully at the top,” Harada pointed out.
~*~
Erika pulled out Hiro’s credit card and paid for her purchases. “Ah, you two are the only reliable shopping partners in this entire city,” she sighed and took the bag from the clerk. “We should do this more often.”
Kumi offered a smile, while Kaori chuckled softly.
“Any time you want, Erika,” she said.
“Well, I’ll let you know whenever I come to visit,” Kumi nodded.
“Oh that’s right! You’re going to study in Tokyo, aren’t you?” Erika nodded and then linked arms with the younger girl. “Ah, to be young and to enjoy university life.”
Kaori crossed her arms, “How carefree you two are. But then again, you don’t have to worry about money and the like with your men being so well endowed.”
“Money doesn’t buy happiness, Kaori,” Erika made a face. “I’d much rather have someone like your guy, who actually values my existence and takes care of me and makes me feel properly loved more than once in a blue moon.” She squinted, “Speaking of your man, isn’t that him over there in the jewelry shop?”
Kaori followed the other’s eyes. “Hide…”
Erika smiled and dragged them away, “Ah, let’s pretend we didn’t see that. I’m sure he wants it to be a bit of a surprise, so do your best to forget about it or act your part.”
“Erika-san!” somebody shouted then.
“Ah, Mika-chan,” Erika’s face lit up and then turned into a grin, “And Eiji-kun.”
Eiji looked a bit flustered but nodded his greetings to the girls.
“Those are men’s clothes, aren’t they?” Kaori noticed the bags the other was carrying.
Mika beamed, “Well, I thought Eiji should have at least one set of nice clothes for when we go out properly. He looked so good in the suit he borrowed the other day.”
“Can’t say no to my girl, now can I?” Eiji muttered and looked a little bashful when he did.
The girls all grinned at him.
~*~
When Kaori got home later that night, she found a little jewelry box on her bed. Smiling she opened it and found a pair of dangly gold earrings inside. She replaced the ones she was wearing with the ones from the box before she went out into her living room.
Danno was standing by the window just in his tank top and sweatpants for a change.
“Hide?” she asked softly, still standing in the frame of her bedroom door.
Turning around, Danno’s eyes fell onto her. He walked over slowly and then reached up to brush some of Kaori’s hair aside carefully. “Are they okay?”
“I like them,” she smiled, “Thank you. But how come?”
“Because I wanted to give them to you,” Danno replied simply. The way he looked, his expression, made Kaori smile a little bit. There was bashfulness and embarrassment and Kaori could read ‘because a guy wants to make his girl happy sometimes and wants his girl to look even more beautiful’ there. It was one of the rare times Danno displayed this side of him.
“I love you, Hide,” she whispered softly and cupped his cheek.
Danno in turn acknowledged that with a soft grunt and then lifted Kaori up to carry her over to the bed. He nudged the bedroom with his foot and it fell closed behind him. Her body was healed and the night was still young.
Fandom: Bad Boys J
Pairings/Characters: Danno + Kaori, other canon couples (Eiji + Mika, Hiro + Erika, Tsukasa + Kumi), Kenjiro + Jun, hinted Kazu + Kenjo
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Is HET really considered to be a warning ;p
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.
A/N: This is very episodic but I couldn't find a way to connect it all coherently? I hope you don't mind and it still reads fine. Also the longest one-shot I've produced in a while 8275 words.
“To protect the place that the stupid men can return to is our duty.”
After another unsuccessful decisive fight, Danno, Kazu and Harada made their way back to the BEAST lair. A few meters away still, Danno frowned. Something wasn’t right. His instincts told him that something was off. Before he realized it, he was running towards the building.
Once they arrived in the abandoned underground parking area of the building, Danno cursed under his breath. It was a battlefield. People were lying left and right, groaning, injured. More people were apparently getting out from inside the building. Was the fight still going on?
“Oi!” Harada went off to the side to one of the BEAST Ladies. “Even the Ladies?”
Danno didn’t hear whatever else the other had to say. He was making his way inside, pushing his way past whoever was coming out. He coughed and felt his lungs burn when he got closer to the main room. Smoke was coming from one of the rooms. Something had caught fire. Or had been set on fire. He supposed the latter.
Their main room was a mess. Broken chairs, the sofa completely slashed. The BEAST banner, their flag, had already burned down. But the sight of that was not what let his blood run cold when he stepped into the room.
Between broken pieces of chairs and the remains of their skeleton, Danno could make out a pair of boots sticking out from what was left of the sofa.
“Kaori,” he made his way over as quickly as he could but it was too slow.
When he arrived, his breath almost caught in his throat. Kaori was lying on the floor, unconscious, limp and her appearance was battered, broken, bloody. “Kaori!” he picked her up, carefully, and looked around. There was nobody left. And there was still smoke coming from somewhere. Cursing under his breath, he made his way back out. His eyes checked other rooms along the way, checked for other people that could still be inside.
He could hear Kazu shouting orders, could hear other people coming inside to search, could hear the sirens of a fire engine coming closer.
“Danno-san!” Kazu ran towards him once he made it out of the building and then the other’s eyes widened. “Kaori-san…”
“Is everyone outside?” he asked.
Kazu nodded, “We did a headcount and searched the building.”
“Alright,” Danno adjusted Kaori’s limp form in his arms. “I’m taking her to the hospital.”
“I’ll call an ambu-”
“Too slow!” Danno barked and then set off to carry what was most precious to him to the nearest hospital. When he saw Kaori getting wheeled off on a stretcher he swore that he would personally snap off the head of whoever had done this.
~*~
Yoji rose to his feet when Kazu appeared in the door to Gokurakucho’s lair. “Kazu! What happened? You look terrible!”
The other’s face was smudged with black and Kazu’s eyes were red and looked tired and worried as well as irritated from smoke. Kazu let himself sink down onto one of the chairs and closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself.
“Somebody attacked BEAST while we were gone,” he started. “We don’t know who it was.” Kazu opened his eyes again. “They burned down everything. Kaori-san was hospitalized.”
“What?” Yoji’s eyes widened. Eiji and Hisao looked shocked and Tsukasa was on his feet immediately and strode over to where Kazu was sitting.
“Who would do something like that? Where is Danno-kun now?” he asked.
Kazu sighed, “Danno-san is at the hospital with Kaori-san. She hasn’t regained consciousness. We’re trying to find whoever did this, so we can deal with them properly. I wanted to spread the news. If you notice anything weird or anyone suspicious, please let me know immediately!” Then he looked at Tsukasa and Yoji. “We don’t know why whoever did this did it. So be careful that you won’t be next. This might just be another declaration of war against Hiroshima’s Top 3.”
Then he continued, “What I gathered so far is that a group of masked people attacked while we were gone. One or two got in and set the fire, so people ran outside and were then received there by a group who knocked them down. Even the girls weren’t spared. Kaori-san seems to have fought with at least one of them but they overpowered her.”
“What will happen with BEAST now?” Tsukasa asked.
“Your flag’s gone, isn’t it?” Eiji asked.
Closing his eyes again, Kazu growled, “We might have lost our home. We might have lost our flag but we have not lost our pride and we have not lost our hearts. BEAST hasn’t been beaten. If whoever did this thought they could beat us just by burning down our base, then they thought wrong. Danno-san won’t give in to such dirty tactics.”
He rose from his seat, “Well, spread the news. And if you hear something, get back to me. Don’t do anything.” Kazu looked at Yoji. “The beast wants its prey alive.”
“Danno wants to deliver the final blow. Understood,” Yoji nodded. “We’ll keep our eyes and ears out.” Then he crossed his arms, “You should get some rest, Kazu. Or you won’t be of much use when the time comes.”
“I can take care of myself,” Kazu grumbled and then left the four to themselves again.
~*~
When Kaori opened her eyes again, it took a while for them to focus. Her mind was still hazy and the memories were only returning slowly. She realized that she was at a hospital and that she was feeling pain. But there was also something else. Something warm, resting on her hand. Turning her head a little bit, her eyes fell onto the lone figure sitting next to the bed.
“Hide…” her voice was quiet, weak, barely audible.
He looked up at her and shook his head. She need not speak now. Then he rose from his seat and leaned down to kiss her forehead gently.
The gesture told Kaori more than words ever could. A lone tear slid down her cheek.
That Danno was sitting here with her, was telling her to get well meant so much. It meant that despite whatever was going on, whatever was happening outside, was happening to and with BEAST, only came second. She was the most important existence in the other’s life. Him being here with her meant that she had priority that her wellbeing was the first thing on his mind right now. He had chosen her over his duty and responsibilities.
It was rare for Danno to display so much affection, so many feelings. Of course to any outsider the other wasn’t showing anything at all but Kaori could see it all. She could see everything so very clearly in the other’s eyes.
With all the strength she could muster, she entwined their fingers. Danno held her hand and the touch made her feel safe, made her feel at ease, his presence was soothing her.
A soft sigh fell from her lips before her eyes closed again and she fell asleep. She would need all the rest she could get to recover. And she wanted to recover quickly because she did not want to see that worried expression on the other’s face anymore.
~*~
“I envy Kaori. I wonder if Hiro would sit by my side if I got hospitalized,” Erika sipped on her drink as she and Kumi sat at the Oyster Cafe after paying a visit to the hospital the next day. “He’d probably be all happy that I was out and party it up with as many girls he could find.”
Kumi gave the other a smile, “You don’t really think that, do you, Erika-san?”
“I’d love to think it wouldn’t be like that,” Erika sighed. She looked outside. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a person disappearing around the corner again. A smile tugged on her lips. “He doesn’t do all the dirty work himself, does he.” She’d recognized that suit. Only three people in Nights wore those distinctive white suits. “Guess I got myself a bodyguard.”
Then her expression darkened a little. Hiro seemed to be worried about everything that had happened around BEAST. Something was clearly up, all of them could feel it.
The question was what though.
“Whoever messed with this city’s top 3 once again, they sure have gotten themselves into something this time around. Pissing off Danno, they’ll be lucky to make it out of this alive,” Erika observed quietly. “Especially after what happened to Kaori.”
Kumi nodded. After all, she had gotten involved in a similar dirty move before when STP had wrecked havoc at the cafe but none of the guys had really dared to hurt her purposely as she had tried to stop them. Her only injury had been a cut on her hand from a shard of glass. Kaori had been hospitalized with bruises, dislocations, a broken rib and a concussion. She hadn’t gone down without a fight.
She looked at Erika. Kaori was different from them. If the same thing had happened here or at Nights’ club, Kumi wondered how things would have ended.
~*~
Days passed without any notable events. Members of BEAST prowled down the streets, on watch on alert. But even their massive intelligence network could not find the culprit quite yet. Information was slowly but surely surfacing here and there, though. And what little there was, was spread to trusted sources only.
“They call themselves ‘The Alliance’ apparently and it seems like they have a particularly strong grudge against Danno. And Yutaka,” Eiji reported, after coming back from a meeting with Kazu. “If you believe some of the rumors, it’s a team that Danno and Yutaka destroyed together, one of the very first that fell as BEAST started to take over Hiroshima.”
Hisao’s eyes narrowed, “Yutaka? Does that mean they were the ones who tried to sabotage Yutaka’s boxing match the other day? You know, the thing that made the news of someone breaking into the arena and destroying the ring he was supposed to fight in and leaving obscene threats and messages all over the place.”
“It very much seems that way,” Eiji nodded. “I’ll keep you updated but I don’t see why we should get involved further in this, though. If this is a feud against BEAST, Gokurakucho will keep out of it. It has nothing to do with us. Right?”
Yoji frowned, “No. I wouldn’t think of it so lightly. Just think about it. They have a feud with BEAST but what is the ulterior motive behind that? When BEAST falls…”
“Defeating BEAST is to defeat Hiroshima. We’re Hiroshima’s Number 2, we’ll be next,” Hisao caught on with Yoji’s train of thought. “It’s like what Danno did when he and BEAST came to back us up against Eden. He didn’t have to do it but he did and it was because he wanted to get rid of the problem before it became a bigger problem.”
Tsukasa nodded, “I’ll back him up. I think he’d do the same if our situations were reversed. We’re rivals of course but we all do care about the wellbeing of the people who’re important to us and we all care about the city we call our home.”
~*~
Kazu slammed the other against the wall none too gently. His eyes were dark and dangerous when he fixed them on the other male. “I hear you’re quite the slippery guy,” he tightened his grip more when the other tried to resist. “Not so slippery now, are you?”
The other had the guts to glare back at him.
“I hear you side with the powerful. I wonder why it hasn’t occurred to you to side with BEAST yet?” Kazu continued, unfazed. “Do you have any information on a team that might be going stronger right now? Have you heard of it? Of them?” He moved closer. “The Alliance?”
“Why should I tell you?” the other grunted.
“Oh, easy,” Kazu’s look became dangerous. And serious. “If you work with me, I guarantee you your safety, no matter what happens. If you don’t, I promise you I will make your life a living hell and even if you try to slip away from me, I will hunt you down, no matter where you try to run to and hide. Not just within this city but anywhere you might go.”
The other shivered and Kazu could feel it.
“Being strong doesn’t just mean to be physically so. The mind is what counts as well. If you agree to use that cunning mind of yours for us, it would be beneficial for all of us,” Kazu continued. “Do we have a deal, Kenjo?” He loosened his grip again but did not move away from the other to prevent him from getting away.
Kenjo adjusted the collar of his shirt and silver suit. “What if I just want this to be an agreement between you and I?” he looked at Kazu.
There was something in Kenjo’s eyes and Kazu couldn’t quite read it. Or maybe he was able to but chose not to think about it at this time. “That would work out as well.”
Smirking, Kenjo leaned in closer, “You’re a truly dangerous man, Kazu. I can’t say I hate it.”
“We’re not going to get there until you keep your end of the deal,” Kazu kept the other at bay without flinching. He crossed his arms. “If you do your job well, I’ll see what we can do about what you want.” It was his turn to smirk now. “I’m sure you’ll be asking around about me. And I assure you,” he leaned closer to Kenjo’s ear. “I left nobody behind unsatisfied.”
With that he pulled away and walked away for a slightly stunned looking Kenjo. The other had probably not expected such a reaction from him. Kazu’s smirk only grew at that.
~*~
“Somebody managed to get Kenjo under control?” Hisa asked as he leaned against the bar counter to look at Hiro. “You sure this time?”
Hiro nodded, “I am. Although I am not entirely sure how he did it.”
“You know the other person?” Hisa’s interest was perked and he moved closer to the other, so less people were likely to hear their conversation. Not that there were a lot of people around. It was before club hours. Hisa didn’t really dare to come during ‘business hours’. Some people probably still resented him for changing teams.
Twirling a glass with what was probably champagne - his warm-up drink for the night - between his fingers, Hiro replied, “I hear it’s BEAST’s very own number 2.”
Raising an eyebrow, Hisa asked, “Kazu?”
“Yup,” Hiro downed his drink. “Although Kenjo is not part of BEAST. He didn’t join.”
Hisao hummed. “Kenjo is a slimy git but he’s pretty good when it comes to information and getting around. He has his methods. Kazu would want to keep a source like that around and have control over it. It’s something he would do.”
Hiro popped a strawberry into his mouth, “And he has his methods of keeping those sources of information in check, so that they don’t go leaking everywhere. Wonder how he does it.”
“Power can be a strong aphrodisiac sometimes, can’t it?” Hisao thought aloud. “Kenjo is a guy who’s attracted to power. Which is why he always wants to go with the strong ones. I could see why staying on Kazu’s good side would be in his interests.”
“Staying on my good side should be in your interests, too, Hisa. You should leave before the others get here. You and I are a different story than you and the rest of Nights,” Hiro looked at the clock behind the bar counter. “If you want to show your face, Erika should actually be around your guys’ cafe right now.”
Smiling, Hisao pushed himself away from the counter. “Have a ball.” Then he grinned. “When you get your ass kicked next time, you should go to the hospital where my old man goes whenever he feels unwell. I hear the young nurses there like you. They’re cute.”
“Get lost,” Hiro snorted. “At least get me their numbers beforehand.”
Hisao made a ‘roger that’ gesture with his fingers before he went to slip out from the backdoor of the club into the shadows the setting sun had created.
~*~
Elsewhere, two other people were talking in a place hidden by the shadows.
“Are you sure it’s them?” a calm, deep voice asked.
“I’m positive. I don’t forget a friend or enemy’s face easily,” the other answered. “It’s not just them, though. More seem to have joined. I heard they moved outside of Hiroshima to regroup and fly under your radar for a while.”
A fist tightened. “I won’t let them run amok in my city.”
“Your city, huh?” the other chuckled, amusement clearly audible in his voice. “Long live the king. Just see to it that they won’t overthrow you.”
“I keep my promises,” Danno emerged from the shadows again to make his way back to the hospital. Kaori was finally allowed to leave, so he would be taking her home. Once that was done, he would take care of the other matters at hand.
~*~
Jun and Kenjiro were escorting Erika to the club - secretly - when they noticed a commotion in one of the side streets. A group of people was ganging up on one single person. That person looked like they were fighting back quite valiantly but they were going to be overpowered soon. But that was not what caught Kenjiro’s eye.
“They’re not members of our local branch. Also this is not our territory. This is Gokurakucho turf,” he hissed to Jun. “What are they trying to do?”
“What are you doing?” a female voice cut in and the group turned their attention away momentarily to look at the ‘intruder’.
“Shit!” Kenjiro cursed.
“Erika-san!” Jun moved as well.
The group was advancing towards Erika and upon closer inspection, they had pulled masks over their faces. “It would be better not to tell anyone about this, princess. Or you’ll regret it.”
One of them raised his arm but a hand grabbed hold of it.
“If you touch her, I’ll kill you,” Hisao growled dangerously and delivered a well aimed kick in the gut to send the guy stumbling backwards.
“Hisa!” Erika gasped.
“Run, Erika. You shouldn’t get involved with these guys,” he held his side. Hisao had several cuts and bruises on his face and hands and the way he was standing showed that he was in severe pain somewhere further down, abdomen or legs.
“But you’ll be-”
Hisao glared at her, “Run! If you get hurt, I won’t be able to forgive myself. And I’ll never be able to look into Hiro’s face again either.”
Some of the thugs advanced on them again but two flashes of white went between them.
“You’re a bunch of trouble, aren’t you?” Kenjiro looked at Hisao.
Jun cracked his knuckles, “As expected of a member of Gokurakucho.”
“But I can’t hate a guy who risks his ass to save a lady,” Kenjiro grinned but his expression hardened when he looked at the masked group. “You’re in for a bumpy ride assholes.”
“Aah, you’ve gotten him made,” Jun shook his head but then dove right into the fray with Kenjiro. Hisao joined in as well after making sure that Erika was in a safe place. He stayed close to her to make sure none of the thugs would escape unnoticed and try to harm her.
Kenjiro managed to yank the mask off of one of his opponents and his eyes widened in recognition. “Wait a second, you are-”
“Scram!” the guy yelled and pulled himself away from Kenjiro, using the other’s moment of surprise to escape. After putting his mask back on he and the rest of the group ran off and scattered before anyone could think about following them.
Jun went to the other’s side. “Oi, why’d you let them get away?”
Ignoring the other, Kenjiro went straight up to Hisao, who’d slid down onto the floor by a wall, “Oi, Hisa, those guys were-”
“I recognized them by their voice,” Hisao closed his eyes and winced in pain. “Don’t ask me why. Don’t ask me why now. I don’t know. None of them said a thing.”
Erika was crouching by the other’s side. “We need to get him to a hospital. I’ll call a cab.”
“You go with them,” Kenjiro ordered Jun. “I’m going to report this to Hiro-san.”
“But this isn’t our-”
“It very well might be,” Kenjiro said, expression dark. “Besides, they tried to attack Erika-san.”
~*~
“You’re sure about that?” Hiro looked at Kenjiro.
Kenjiro nodded, “I’ve seen his face before. I’m absolutely sure.”
“The Alliance,” Hiro muttered. “What could they want from us?”
“They used to call themselves Rengou. It was essentially a group of people who were cast out of their teams due to misconduct or other. They then started to gather up teams or people who had grown dissatisfied with how things were. One of the teams at the core used to be led by Devil Yutaka. When he left after fighting Danno, they were to be absorbed into BEAST but they refused because they said they hadn’t agreed to that but BEAST pointed out that the rules said that if your top is beaten, your team is void and becomes absorbed into the winning one. I heard it was because they were scared of Danno. The only man stronger than the Devil himself. In the end they joined but then they tried to attack from within BEAST by attacking other members of BEAST and stirring up fights among all of them. Danno tracked them down and cast them out of the team, basically cast them out of the city by making sure no other team would ever accept them. He brandmarked them,” a new voice suddenly spoke up, making both Hiro and Kenjiro turn their heads.
Blinking, Hiro said, “I’m liking our Super Rookie more and more.”
Kenjiro nodded, “I am impressed.”
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Yokogawa grinned. “It’s just, most of the members of STP used to come from there, too. I heard Eden was also part of them. There is no central organization. It’s an alliance after all. I wonder if they got a leader now?”
“A bunch of outcasts who hate the teams in Hiroshima,” Kenjiro frowned.
Even Hiro’s expression was serious, “This smells like trouble. And I don’t like the smell of that.” Then he turned to look at Kenjiro. “I sure hope you guys took Hisa to the hospital with the cute nurses?”
~*~
“Hisa was attacked by The Alliance as well?” Kazu looked at Yoji. “Already...”
“Already?” Yoji frowned when Kazu’s reaction was different from what he had anticipated. “You sound like you know something.”
Kazu looked out over the city. “I’ve gathered more information on what kind of group that alliance is. I heard they are people who hold grudges against various teams, various team members in our city. They’re outcasts, outlaws. They consider themselves the ‘trash of our society’,” he told the other. “Their feelings aren’t unlike those of that guy from STP you fought. The guy who held a grudge against you for not accepting him into Gokurakucho.”
Yoji’s expression darkened.
“They don’t care about teams and this city anymore. They just want revenge. And they go all out because they have nothing to lose,” Kazu continued. “The guys who attacked Hisa must have been people he encountered during his time in Nights. Possible people he kicked out or degraded in some other way.” He looked at Yoji. “It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
Then his eyes turned to look at the city below once more. “People who discard their pride and their honor are dangerous creatures. You better be careful, alright?”
“Thanks for letting me know. Watch your back,” Yoji said.
“Hard to do that on your own. You watch mine, I’ll watch yours in return,” Kazu offered his fist and Yoji bumped his own against it with a small smile on his face.
“Gotcha.”
~*~
Kaori reached out to grab Danno’s hand. “Hide.”
He turned around to meet her eyes and she wrapped her arms around him. Kaori rarely went for the physical contact but right now she felt she needed it, she felt it was appropriate.
“Please be careful. They’re not like anyone you’ve faced before,” she whispered into his shoulder. Kaori had seen the enemy, faced them and experienced the horror they were. “They’re different. And dangerous.”
Danno put an arm around her and took a few moments to hold her silently.
“Hi-” he cut her off before Kaori could say anything.
Eyes widening, Kaori didn’t know whether she was awake or asleep for a moment. Danno’s lips were pressed against hers in a firm and yet gentle kiss.
When the other pulled away again, Danno whispered, “I promise I’ll come back. Just like I always do.” He pressed one more kiss onto her forehead before he let go slowly and turned around to head out of the door.
Kaori balled her hand into a fist and brought it up to her lips.
Seeing a soldier off before he marched into battle was the burden and the duty of a warrior’s woman. She would stay behind and hold the fort.
After she had pulled herself together again, Kaori put on her coat and went downstairs. “Ladies, we need to make preparations.”
“Yes, Kaori-san.”
~*~
Eiji made a face when they arrived at the scene. “Yikes, it looks like a zombie apocalypse!”
“Well, we’re jumping right into it,” Yoji said and started to kick his way through. He’d made a promise with Kazu after all. And he could see the other fighting in the midst of this mess.
From the corner of his eye, Yoji could see Danno beating down a couple of the thugs but when some of them went down, others stood up again to continue fighting and the circle repeated, unless they were well and truly knocked unconscious. But that was quite a feat, even for someone like Danno.
“Kazu,” he arrived by the other’s side.
“They have nothing to lose. They keep fighting until their bodies give in. And if they can take us down by doing that, it’s enough for them. They keep going and going. Some of them are on something. Steroids, whatever,” Kazu was panting and wiped blood from the corner of his lips. “Be very, very careful when you fight them.” He looked over to where Tsukasa was using his Skytree Elbow on someone. “He won’t be able to keep that pace up for long.”
“Maybe releasing everything in one explosion is the better tactic in this case. Trying to pull through with endurance will only play into their hands. You better follow your own leader’s example,” Yoji jerked his thumb over to where Danno just seemed to be mowing down rows of people in rapid succession. “Adrenaline will only keep you standing for so long.”
They fought their way through but as predicted, it was more and more becoming a battle of endurance. The police sirens sounded like a signal from a savior this time around. Whoever was still able to walk disappeared from the scene as fast as possible.
Once they were a safe distance away, Tsukasa looked back, “I wonder how many of them managed to escape and how many were taken in.”
“They’ll come again,” Eiji heaved. “And again and again as many times as they manage.”
Danno clicked his tongue in annoyance. It was obvious that he’d rather have finished and ended things today but judging by how he looked, it seemed like even he had to admit that it would have been an impossible thing to accomplish.
“If we can only keep fighting and hope for more and more of them to get picked up by the police, this will never end,” Yoji pointed out. “There has to be another way to deal with things.”
Eiji let himself fall into the grass of the riverbank everyone had gathered at. “Those guys just know how everything works too well. If they’re really former members of all our groups they know all the habits and all the ways how things are going to be dealt with. They came prepared. They knew there was a risk of the police coming to that place earlier.”
Kazu looked up, “Eiji, you’re a genius.”
“Huh? I am?? Well maybe-”
“Kazu, do you have an idea?” Danno asked his second in command.
All eyes were on the tall male now. “I do. What Eiji just said pointed out a possible flaw in whatever loose plan their alliance might have had.”
“Tell us more about it.”
“We need Nights’ to cooperate as well but I think they will,” Kazu pushed himself up. “The plan is as follows…”
~*~
“Mika, you’re probably the only person around who’s excited about this,” Mina commented.
Mika smiled sheepishly, “I can’t help it! I know it’s serious and I know it’s dangerous but I can’t help but feel a little excited about it either.” They heard voices and footsteps approaching. “Oh, here they come!” Mika bounced a little bit.
Eiji was the first one to come into view. He tugged on his outfit. Trading in his leather vest and jeans for a pair of slacks and a suit jacket felt weird to say the least and he felt a little uncomfortable. Mika was smiling brightly at him though, “Aw Eiji, you look good! I wish I had known this sooner! You should wear this more often!”
“Hell no...I don’t know how to feel about this…” he said.
“I’ll help you dress? This doesn’t really match…” Mika offered.
“Yeah if you want to look like you’re really a part of Nights you need to learn how to dress better,” Jun commented and in turn tugged on his leather jacket.
“Say that again you p-”
“Eiji,” another voice cut in. “You do know Jun does know better in this case?” Hisao walked down the stairs, in a sleek black host suit and navy blue shirt. There were silver accessories firmly in place and he had even put in different earrings. He fit in perfectly with the other members of Nights around them that started to come into the club.
Some of the girls squeaked softly when he appeared.
Eiji had to blink at his friend. This was quite a change from the usual Hisao. “Woah, who are you and what have you done to Hisa?”
“Fufu~ this is just like the good old days,” Hiro sauntered over and put his arm around Hisao with a bright grin on his face. “I see you haven’t lost your touch completely. Or do old habits just die really, really hard?”
“Go and get changed. While this may be a rare and maybe the only opportunity even, this is not the time to marvel at me in a suit,” he threw back at the other.
Hiro grinned, “I love you. I wish I could take you back.”
“Sorry, not happening,” Hisa’s smile was genuine, gentle.
When Hiro had vanished to get changed, Hisao and Eiji gave Jun and Kenjiro their final instructions. It was then that something occurred to the two Nights members.
“So if you’re going to be the Number 2 and 3 of Nights, who’s taking over Hiro-san’s position?” Kenjiro asked Hisao. “I don’t see Kiriki anywhere.”
“Actually, I don’t know,” Hisao admitted. “Whoever it is should be here soon, though. I think Erika was going to give clothing advice to whoever it is. And I don’t actually know if Tsukasa-”
The door opened and a person in a sleek black suit walked in.
Jun, Kenjiro, Eiji and even Hisao blinked and then stared. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?”
Danno looked at the four of them and rolled his eyes in mild annoyance, “Get going. We don’t have time to idle around.” He looked at the rest of the dumbfounded members of nights. “What are you looking at? There’s a party to be held here tonight.”
Eiji looked at Hisao, “Hisa, pinch me. I think I’m hallucinating.”
“Right there with you,” Hisao had to slap himself to snap out of it.
~*~
“I even look good in a worn out leather jacket. Guess it’s not the way people dress after all. There’s natural beauty,” Hiro smile as he lounged around the cafe.
Kazu eyed the other and rolled his eyes. “You shouldn’t admire yourself so much but your girlfriend over there.” He looked over to the counter. “We even had Erika-san cooperate.”
Hiro blinked and looked over, “Woah, I didn’t even notice!”
He was whacked over the head with a tray. “I’ll kill you,” Erika threatened cutely.
“You look really cute, Erika-san. The ponytail and apron especially. Maybe we should do cosplay parties at the club after this?” Hiro grinned. “I bet the other Nights Ladies would look fantastic in maid outfits or maybe with kitty ears...Oh yes! I can’t wait to see them all dressed up for me.”
“There are knives in the kitchen here, Hiro,” Erika smiled at the other. “Want to make friends with one of them in the very near future?”
Rolling his eyes again, Kazu took out his phone to call Harada to ask the other if anything had happened at Gokurakucho’s lair in the meantime.
~*~
“This place is really dark. You’d think after their old place went up in flames they’d move somewhere nicer,” Kenjiro looked around.
Yoji looked at the two members of Nights, “At a time like this all you guys have to say is that you don’t like the interior of another team’s lair? Aren’t you a carefree bunch.” He looked at Tsukasa. “We might have to deal with the toughest opponents. Are you okay with that?”
Smiling Tsukasa replied, “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have agreed to this.” His eyes softened, “I’m just glad that Kumi-chan is in Tokyo for her university entrance exams at this time. So she won’t get mixed up in all of this.”
“That’s indeed a good thing,” Yoji nodded. He checked his phone. “So far things are quiet.”
A crash could be heard from the outside. Their expressions darkened. “Spoke too soon.”
~*~
Kaori smiled and sat down next to Danno on the plush couch. “A change of scenery is quite interesting once in a while, isn’t it?” she put her hand over his and squeezed gently. “But some things don’t change.”
Danno’s lips twitched a bit, “I’d rather be back at our place but it can’t be helped.”
He turned his head over a little bit and took in Kaori’s appearance. She was dressed to match their surroundings as well of course and Danno didn’t mind that change really. Somewhere at the back of his mind he made a mental note to get her another pair of earrings at some point.
“I’m happy to think I look gorgeous tonight,” Kaori chuckled softly and stroked the back of his hand gently. “You really know how to make a lady happy, Hide.”
This time Danno’s lips curled up in a small smile.
A bit further away on one of the other sofas in the club, some of the girls swooned. “Ah, Danno-san is so cool! It’s too bad he’s already taken but I guess you’d have to be someone like Kaori-san to date someone like him.”
“He looks so handsome in that suit. And he’s so dark and mysterious,” another one added.
“I’m so glad I came tonight! Who knows if we’ll ever get to see him wearing something like this again? I also called the others. Can’t miss this!”
Hisao sat in between the girls and chuckled softly to himself as he listened to their conversation. Hiro would be so mad. He absolutely had to tell the other about this. And then enjoy the blond male’s reaction. Oh yes, he was looking forward to that.
Leaning back a little more, he took in the scenery from where he was sitting. This felt so nostalgic. He had a lot of good memories from this time but he still didn’t regret his decision. He wasn’t going to come back here. He was part of Gokurakucho now and he was looking forward to return to his place there once this whole charade was over.
A member of Nights who’d been positioned outside came running over. “Hisa!”
“They’re here, huh?” he got up from his seat and gave a signal to other people standing around. “Showtime everyone.”
~*~
The doors on both sides of the abandoned factory building that Gokurakucho used as their base or lair, fell shut and trapped the group of intruders in the middle. The lights flickered on and they found themselves surrounded by a large group, which was a mix of Gokurakucho members and other faces.
“Oi, Gokurakucho didn’t use these kinds of methods before. When did they get so many members?” one of the masked guys hissed to another.
“Yoji wouldn’t use such tactics! I’m sure of it!” another muttered.
“Well that’s because it’s not Yoji planning all of this,” Kazu stepped out onto an elevated space a few metres away from the group. “If you guys were looking for a brawl with Yoji, I have to disappoint you. I’m the one you’ll be facing here tonight.” He jumped down and walked into the circle. “Show your faces when we’re fighting with you.”
Instead of an answer, a fist flew. Kazu dodged easily but then gave the signal for the surrounding team members to attack as well - minus a selected few who were guarding the doors to block up possible escape routes for their enemy.
Of course several members of the masked alliance group tried to escape but were then met with a series of kicks. “The star has arrived!” Hiro announced flashily.
“Fuck, what is he doing here? We were going to fight Kiriki and Yoji and not the shitty host dude,” one of the guys groaned. “Although maybe it’d feel good to punch his ugly mug.”
“Ugly,” Hiro’s eyes darkened. “You sir, just said the wrong word.”
Several alliance members went flying and fell down limp and unconscious as Hiro mowed his way through them. Harada and Kazu fell a few steps back to watch the whole spectacle.
“If you think about it, he actually works just like Kiriki does,” Kazu mused.
Harada snorted softly in agreement and then noted, “Either way, it looks like we’ll be able to end this without too much effort, doesn’t it?”
“Good for us.”
~*~
“Eiji!” Mika immediately rushed to the other’s side and knelt down next to her boyfriend. She took in his appearance and threw herself into his arms. “You’re okay!”
“Have more faith in me,” Eiji smiled and put a hand onto her head reassuringly. “If you crush my ribs though, I’m not so sure about being fine anymore though.”
Squeaking, she let go again, “Ah, I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay. It shows how much you worried about me,” Eiji smiled at her and then got up again slowly. He was more tired than injured really and had just been taking a breather on the ground, leaning against one of the pillars. Looking around, there didn’t seem to be a lot of ‘casualties’ on this side. The Nights Ladies were already patching people up.
The other side though, that had been a bit of a massacre. Danno had mowed his way through them as per usual, eyes promising pain and death for everything that had happened. Of course none of their attackers had expected him of all people to be here and none of them had stood a real chance against him. Nor had they expected Hisao and Eiji to be waiting there behind Danno. They had made short work of them, although some had struggled a little bit before they had gone down.
What was left of the group that had attacked them was being taken care of by other members of Nights. Danno and Kaori were most likely overseeing things outside with the police. It was a first in the history of the teams in Hiroshima that they had actually cooperated with the police for real to solve team issues. Although really, he wasn’t sure if this one was still just an issue between the teams. It did have bigger dimensions.
Hisao was supervising both the Ladies and the Nights members in the club and Eiji wondered once again, why the other had left this team because Hisao seemed to fit right in with them. Why had the other traded his spot as Nights’ number 2 for Gokurakucho’s number 3?
“Hisa, he still knows all the names,” Mika commented when she followed Eiji’s line of sight. “I think he was still a member of Nights when I joined but he left soon after. We never met face to face but I heard many stories about him. Erika-san and Hiro-san talk about him sometimes. And when he’s drunk, so does Kenjiro.”
Then she smiled, “But you know, I think he belongs to you guys more than he does here. He seems a bit tense right now and although he seems to have gotten into ‘Nights Mode’ easily it seems more like a shell or a mask. He’s more himself when he’s with you and Yoji-kun and Tsukasa-kun.” Mika put a bandaid onto a cut on Eiji’s face. It had little apples on it.
“I see.” He nodded thoughtfully. What she said made sense. And really, he didn’t want to trade Hisao in for anyone else in the world. They were a team in Gokurakucho and Hisao was a partner he wouldn’t give up to anyone else without a really good reason and or a fight. “Hey what the hell are you putting on my face, idiot? Am I supposed to run around with this?” Eiji had noticed the package with the bandaids.
Mika pouted, “I don’t have any others!”
~*~
“Disregarding the rules just to get your petty revenge and dragging people into it who didn’t have anything to do with it. You were hurting beloved ones and most of all you were worrying Kumi-chan! I will not forgive you!!” Tsukasa roared and then jumped head first into the slightly dumbfounded group.
“He’s an idiot, isn’t he?” Kenjiro commented.
“Look who’s talking,” Jun snorted softly.
Kenjiro’s temper flared immediately of course, “What did you just say, jackass?”
“You two, eyes on the enemy. You can quarrel later,” Yoji snapped at them. “Decide these things off the battlefield. Or on. Whichever you prefer. That is if you two can be useful here at all.” He eyed both of them.
“Ha, bring it on! I’ll see to it that things are done before the girls leave for the night so I can join them for some karaoke,” Kenjiro went to jump into the fray, followed closely by Jun.
Yoji shook his head and wondered once more, how Nights had survived so long as a team.
When the fight was over, Kenjiro was leaning against the wall somewhere in the shadows. It had taken a bit of effort - considering their opponents had expected members of BEAST to be here - but they had pulled through.
“Guess now you’re glad that there are shadows around here, huh,” a familiar voice commented and the next moment Kenjiro hissed when the sting of disinfectant jolted his body.
“Ow, bitch!” he cursed and pretended to kick the general direction to his right where the other person was crouching. “Be more careful, alright? My face is valuable.”
“Don’t tell me, tell the guys who did this,” the other put away the first aid kit. “Although I think I beat the crap out of them for doing it already.” A soft pair of lips was pressed against Kenjiro’s and he closed his eyes with a soft sigh.
When the other pulled away again he sighed, “Correction, NOW I’m glad for these stinking shadows.” He grabbed Jun’s collar, “Want to go and do karaoke?”
“What, now? We look-”
“Just you and me. Then no one will care about how we look and we can get out of these stupid clothes,” Kenjiro murmured and then pulled the taller male down for another kiss.
~*~
The teams had come together to discuss the aftermath of what had happened the previous night. Of course after the largest chunk of The Alliance had been taken care of, the teams had gone back to normal. Whatever was left would be dealt with accordingly. The police was also on a lookout, considering that the mutual interest of both the teams and the police was a peaceful and quiet city. And fires and huge brawls in public spaces weren’t considered peaceful and outside of what usually happened among the teams.
After the important matters had been discussed, people were getting ready to leave again.
“It surprised me that you came alone, Danno. After all that happened, I would have expected you not to let Kaori out of sight again,” Hiro grinned at the other.
“Kaori knows how to take care of herself,” Danno said cooly. “She had other plans, too.”
“You should be nicer to a lady, Danno. Or she’ll leave you,” Hiro chirped obnoxiously.
“I don’t want to hear such things from you, Sugimoto Hirokazu,” Danno looked at the other. His lips twitched a little bit and curled into a smirk when the other fumed.
“When? How? HOW?” Hiro spluttered.
Tsukasa blinked, “Sugimoto?”
“Hirokazu?” Eiji added.
Hisao snorted softly, “Oh dear. How long has it been since I heard that name?” He looked at his team members when they all looked at him in confusion, “That’s Hiro’s full name.”
“It’s so...normal,” Tsukasa blinked. “Unlike him.”
“Which is why he’s hiding it, I guess,” Yoji pointed out.
Kazu raised an eyebrow, “How did Danno-san find out, I wonder. Even I didn’t know that.”
Eiji shivered, “Woah, the guy with Hiroshima’s best information network was beaten by Hiroshima’s Number 1? Danno sure is a scary guy.”
“Which is why he’s rightfully at the top,” Harada pointed out.
~*~
Erika pulled out Hiro’s credit card and paid for her purchases. “Ah, you two are the only reliable shopping partners in this entire city,” she sighed and took the bag from the clerk. “We should do this more often.”
Kumi offered a smile, while Kaori chuckled softly.
“Any time you want, Erika,” she said.
“Well, I’ll let you know whenever I come to visit,” Kumi nodded.
“Oh that’s right! You’re going to study in Tokyo, aren’t you?” Erika nodded and then linked arms with the younger girl. “Ah, to be young and to enjoy university life.”
Kaori crossed her arms, “How carefree you two are. But then again, you don’t have to worry about money and the like with your men being so well endowed.”
“Money doesn’t buy happiness, Kaori,” Erika made a face. “I’d much rather have someone like your guy, who actually values my existence and takes care of me and makes me feel properly loved more than once in a blue moon.” She squinted, “Speaking of your man, isn’t that him over there in the jewelry shop?”
Kaori followed the other’s eyes. “Hide…”
Erika smiled and dragged them away, “Ah, let’s pretend we didn’t see that. I’m sure he wants it to be a bit of a surprise, so do your best to forget about it or act your part.”
“Erika-san!” somebody shouted then.
“Ah, Mika-chan,” Erika’s face lit up and then turned into a grin, “And Eiji-kun.”
Eiji looked a bit flustered but nodded his greetings to the girls.
“Those are men’s clothes, aren’t they?” Kaori noticed the bags the other was carrying.
Mika beamed, “Well, I thought Eiji should have at least one set of nice clothes for when we go out properly. He looked so good in the suit he borrowed the other day.”
“Can’t say no to my girl, now can I?” Eiji muttered and looked a little bashful when he did.
The girls all grinned at him.
~*~
When Kaori got home later that night, she found a little jewelry box on her bed. Smiling she opened it and found a pair of dangly gold earrings inside. She replaced the ones she was wearing with the ones from the box before she went out into her living room.
Danno was standing by the window just in his tank top and sweatpants for a change.
“Hide?” she asked softly, still standing in the frame of her bedroom door.
Turning around, Danno’s eyes fell onto her. He walked over slowly and then reached up to brush some of Kaori’s hair aside carefully. “Are they okay?”
“I like them,” she smiled, “Thank you. But how come?”
“Because I wanted to give them to you,” Danno replied simply. The way he looked, his expression, made Kaori smile a little bit. There was bashfulness and embarrassment and Kaori could read ‘because a guy wants to make his girl happy sometimes and wants his girl to look even more beautiful’ there. It was one of the rare times Danno displayed this side of him.
“I love you, Hide,” she whispered softly and cupped his cheek.
Danno in turn acknowledged that with a soft grunt and then lifted Kaori up to carry her over to the bed. He nudged the bedroom with his foot and it fell closed behind him. Her body was healed and the night was still young.