A/N:

Tokyo was formerly (until 1868) known as Edo.

If there's any spelling mistakes or corrections to be made, please feel free to comment :)

Ps: Alice from Alice in wonderland is one of my fav Disney characters (I think of her as a Disney princess) 🩵 🐇

⌛️⏳

Suzume noticed that Takemichi wasn't himself, since the night of the Third Division captain nomination ceremony. He was troubled, so was she but she knew how to keep a poker face unlike him. During lunch break instead of being in the cafeteria she found him in one of the classrooms, his head rested on the table. She moved toward him sucking a mint flavoured lollipop. "You okay?"

"Suzume-chan," he lifted weary his head up.

She tossed him a lollipop, "it's root beer."

"Heh?" He glanced at the candy.

"They make them in all different flavours."

The boy unwrapped the plastic wrapping, "like Pokémon's."

"Yeah." She nodded, "gotta lick them all."

He laughed at the sound of that. They stood by the windows and watched the boys playing basketball.

"We've been looking all over for you," Akkun said from behind, the girl turned and saw Akkun and Yamagishi standing by the door.

"Why aren't you answering any of our calls?" Kazushi Yamagishi asked pushing his glasses backward, the nerd of Mizo Mid has mid-length chestnut hair with the bangs tied back.

Suzume slowly pulled the blue lollipop out of her mouth, "I left my phone in my bag."

Akkun eyes slitted at Takemichi. "Hanagaki, so you became a member of TOMAN huh?"

She knew the plum hair boy wasn't pleased because he always wanted to be a part of the gang but he couldn't and a newbie like Takemichi just got in.

Takemichi nodded as a yes.

"The crybaby is now a member of TOMAN..." Yamagishi crossed his arms. He didn't look pleased either, Suzume would never understand the obsession of boys with gangs.

"It's not as good as you'd think." He admitted. "Mikey wants me to bring Baji back from Valhalla, or he's threatening to kill me."

"Huh?" Akkun looked at Suzume, "did Baji left TOMAN, when did that happen?"

"At the new Third Division captain nomination ceremony," she let out a sigh.

Yamagishi rubbed his jaws, "you know why?"

She shook her head as a no, the last person she wanted to talk about was Baji. 

Takemichi said, "to be honest, I don't know anything about the situation inside TOMAN. Much less anything about Valhalla."

The other boys looked pleased.

"Yamagishi," Suzume glanced at him, "why don't you do the honours, you're the expert after all."

"Really?"

"Go ahead."

The boy picked up a chalk and cleared his throat, "TOMAN." He drew on the board, "Mikey is the president and Draken the vice-president. Under them are five Divisions. Each Division has around 20 guys each. They're a large Bosozoku with 100 members total. You know this much right?"

"Wow. I didn't know that." Takemichi scratched the back of his head.

Akkun barked out a laugh. "For real? And you call yourself a delinquent?"

"Make sure you take notes. This will be on the exam!" Yamagishi looked at Takemichi. "Since the former Third Division captain Pah-chin got arrested. And the vice-captain, Peh-yan joined the Second Squad_"

"What? So Peh-yah is under Mitsuya now?"

"Yes."

"We're in the same squad?" Takemichi didn't look pleased at all, "I really can't handle being with him. He scares me."

"In exchange, the new Third Division captain is Tetta Kisaki."

Suzume exhaled, "the boy Takemichi punched."

"What?" Akkun was shocked, "you punched him?"

"Well..."

"Let's not get distracted shall we?" Yamagishi said, "Kisaki is a former Moebius member. Moebius wasn't exactly one solid group to begin with. Apparently, there was tension between Osanai's group and Kisaki's group. After Osanai lost to Mikey, Moebius was essentially disbanded. Then the group lead by Kisaki joined TOMAN. Making TOMAN's numbers jump from 100 to 150. That makes Kisaki's Third Squad way bigger than any other in TOMAN."

"That's why Mikey said he needed Kisaki," Takemichi said thoughtfully.

"Yes."

"So what about the group who was with Osanai?"

"I heard they've gathered under Shuji Hanma." Yamagishi put the chalk down.

"He did say he was Moebius's temporary president during the shrine battle." Suzume added recalling the grim event.

"Hanma has gathered the ex-Moebius members along with the anti-TOMAN force to make a new gang named Valhalla, this gang currently has 300 members!"

"300 members?" Takemichi was taken aback. "Is Hanma Valhalla's leader?"

"He's the acting president. No one knows the real president. The face of the president doesn't exist. That's why people call Valhalla 'the headless angel'."

"And Baji joined that kind of gang?"

The girl mumbled. "Baji-san is reckless."

"You know him well?"

Suzume's reply was a slow nod.

⌛️⏳

Kazutora Hanemiya have finally gotten out of juvie and now he's Valhalla's number three. He suddenly showed up at school and took Takemichi to their gang hideout where the boy witnessed a loyalty test; where if Baji wanted to switch religion from TOMAN to Valhalla, he needed to show he's truly ready for it. So Baji punched TOMAN's first squad vice-captain, his most trusted retainer to a pulp.

"TOMAN is Valhalla enemy so if he's betraying his old god Mikey then he needs to stomp his old beliefs." Kazutora had said.

Baji knows what happened with TOMAN when Kazutora was away so after his return he called Baji to join Valhalla and he did.

"We will crush TOMAN and then...we'll kill Mikey." Kazutora and Baji agreed.

Takemichi had tried reminding Baji he's a founding member but instead, the boy had said Kazutora is a founding member as well. Kazutora resented TOMAN because of the summer of their first year in middle school.

When Takemichi was narrating what he'd witnessed, Suzume's mind was leaping from Baji to Kazutora and the summer Baji had mentioned.

***Flashback***

"Sorry we're late," Kazutora apologised as he and Baji walked into the cafe. "Baji hit some punks."

"Hey, don't blame it all on me!"

"Whoa! So cool!" Pah-chin examined the uniform.

"Oh, what is it?" Baji asked moving forward.

"TOMAN's uniform is finally done." Suzume said unwrapping the lollipop, Mikey got for her. He always gives her a piece of candy whenever they meet, always. "What do you guys think?"

"Awesome!" Baji and Kazutora said in unison.

"The design is so detailed!" Baji ran his fingers through the material.

TOMAN's official uniform was a black tokkō-fuku fashioned after the bōsōzoku subculture in Japan. Its sleeves bore the wearer's position or division number with the gang's manifesto embroidered on the upper front section. TOMAN's complete name adorned the backside. In the future to easily distinguish its upper echelon from the division members, all TOMAN Captains and its Vice-Leader wore a white tasuki or sash. Its leader wore a similar sash in the color red, secured on the shoulder straps of his tailcoat.

"This rocks," Kazutora said. "You both did great."

Mitsuya said from across the room, "you guys made us do all the work, Hime wants a cut."

"After we make it, you'll have the largest share in the group." Baji looked at her.

She licked the candy, it was raspberry flavour, "because my dream is to be a part of a gang, Heh."

"Don't say that we need you." Kazutora pinched her cheek.

"All right! Let's change into them and take a commemorative picture!" Draken suggested. "Right Mikey?"

The boy was eating the parfait.

"Ah! You bastard! Why'd you eat all my chocolate parfait?"

"Whoops! I didn't notice." The boy put the spoon down.

"You said you only wanted a bite!"

"Then just order another one," he leaned back.

"That's not the problem here!" Draken muttered. "I wanted to eat this chocolate parfait!"

"Grandma has send me a box full of snacks, we can head over to my place after the photo." Suzume told Draken and Mikey who were in a quarrel.

The boys turned to her, "yes!"

The six of them changed into their uniforms and spread their flag at the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. Suzume was the one who took the iconic photo. But everything changed after that.

***Flashback ends***

"Suzume-chan." Takemichi was staring at her, "you okay? You seemed lost."

She got lost didn't she? "There was a time, where the boys were inseparable...they did everything together, their favourite pass time was to ride their bikes. Mikey used to own a red Moped back then, they'd complain about his ride but he'd call it his 'street hawk' he took care of it like it was the most precious thing..." she chuckled. "Mikey always take care of what important to him, that's the way he is."

"Once they were heading to the beach when the moped ran out of fuel, Baji-san was the one who'd to take it to the gas station but on his way he crossed paths with a gang of seniors...they tried to trash the moped but Baji-san protected it by taking the beatings himself because he knew how much Mikey cherished the ride..."

"What?" Takemichi mouth's agape. "All that for a moped?"

"That's the kind of friendship, they shared." Thinking about those times made her sad, "but Mikey didn't let Baji-san go on his own, he was trailing him so when he witnessed what really happened, Mikey trashed the precious ride himself, to show them how much he values Baji-san. And then those two boys together kicked the asses of the other seven."

"Wow! So he was always the invincible Mikey."

A sad smile passed her face, "it was the night before Mikey's birthday, Kazu and Baji-san decided to give Mikey something he always wanted a Bobber. They both knew, they didn't have the funds but Kazu had seen the perfect Bobber in S.S Motors and he wanted to steal it...they broke into the shop that night but the shopkeeper had seen Baji-san's face, Kazu didn't think twice he hit the guy on the head with a wrench...Shinichiro died on the spot, he was Mikey's older brother, that was his bike shop. Baji-san tried to call the ambulance but it was too late, the guy was in a pool of his own blood...the boys haven't been the same ever since, they've murdered someone at such a young age not anyone though but their closet friend Mikey's brother. Kazu did stand up for Baji-san, that's the reason why he didn't end up in juvie..." she sighed, "I think a part of Baji-san owes Kazu cos of that, he didn't leave TOMAN on a whim! He was waiting for his friend to return all along."

There was a mixture of sadness, anger, horror and resentment on Takemichi's face. An expression she's so used to. "I need to see Kazu," she told the boy, "you've his number right?"

➿➿➿➿➿

Suzume could see a figure waiting under the tunnel, it was Kazutora. He was taller and he has grown his black hair in a messy wolf cut with yellow streaks throughout. The girl stiffened as his sandy-colored eyes caught her bright amber eyes, "Hime!" He didn't waste a second to move forward and pull her into a warm embrace, she loosened up as he wrapped his arms around her. When he finally let go of her, she took in his tiger tattoo that extended from his neck to his shoulder and chest. Even though half of it couldn't be seen, she knew it was still there.

She nodded at the drop earring with a bell ornament at its tip, "that's new."

"You like it?"

"It suits you, bring out your eyes." It really did, prison do drain a person out they say but not in the case of Kazutora Hanemiya he just peaked in there.

"It's been a long time," he petted her head softly, "but you're still as lovely as I remember."

She pressed her lips, "this fight...you wanna call it off? Whether TOMAN win or lose against you. I won't be happy either way...I don't get it Kazu, why do you hate Mikey? He gave a good testimony for you, you know? You got off early cos of that. Do you know how he felt_"

He placed a finger on her lips, hushing her. "Two years...two precious years of my life...wasted inside those bars. I'm not the same guy I used to be."

She took a step back, "even so, I'm still your friend."

"And I'm yours, I'll always be...this fight is between me and Mikey not you and I."

"But it's affecting everyone."

"You know the first thing I asked Baji when I came out of juvie? He filled me the details of you and Mikey's relationship. Heh. You know well, if I didn't kill his brother back then, you guys won't be together now!"

"Kazu..." how the hell can he even say that?

"He should thank me for getting the girl."

Without a second thought she smacked him hard across the face, how is he even justifying murdering someone?

By the look on his face she could tell, it stung. "You're still as feisty as I remember." He massaged his cheek, "I'll kill Mikey and I'll not be sorry about it." This isn't the Kazutora she knew and she's not ready to accept that a person can change completely. She refused to.

"But I'll be sorry for you," he said as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "The moon is beautiful tonight, Hime." She pushed back the tears forming in her eyes as his footsteps faded away. 'The moon is beautiful tonight' in Japanese means I love you.

⌛️⏳

Suzume's heart was heavy ever since she met Kazutora. She knew he was hurt but he's not thinking straight and because if it he's leading not only himself but everyone else in a path of total destruction. Everything was sprinting out of control. And she was helpless.

"Hime!" Chifuyu Matsuno tapped her shoulder, he's the First Division vice-captain, "you okay?"

One of his blue eyes was staring at her as he tried to arrange his choppy undercut blonde hair. His hairstyle reminds her of Mikey's back then. The boy's loveable face was now covered in white bandages after Baji did a number on him at Valhalla's secret meeting place.

She examined him closer, "I don't know how you're even talking right now?"

"Baji's a badass, right?"

Does she have to answer that?

"Suzume-chan!" Takemichi was waving at her from the other side of the road, he was late. The boy jogged upto them pointing at Chifuyu, "he's the guy Baji beat up to a pulp!"

"So are you." Chifuyu pointed back at Takemichi. "You better thank Baji. You ruined the Third Division captain nomination ceremony. Worse things could've happened to you if Baji hadn't punched you."

Takemichi just stared at the boy in an unreadable expression.

"Baji beat me up to join Valhalla. But he didn't join them for crushing TOMAN. He has some other goal in mind. It's Kisaki."

"Bubba believes that Baji-san joined Valhalla so that he could get a clue in Kisaki." Suzume looked at Takemichi. The girl have been calling Chifuyu 'bubba' ever since she heard his mother call him that nickname.

Even though Suzume and Baji grew apart ever since the S.S Motors incident, she still keep tabs on the boy through Chifuyu. In the years, she'd formed an in separable bond with the vice-captain.

Dark clouds loomed above them as they left the park and then it was raining. Mikey had informed her, he'd be with Draken at the cemetery. Every week the boy visits the Sano family grave to pay respect to his late brother. Mikey squatted in front of the Sano family grave stone, his eyes closed and lips moving in prayers as Draken hold an umbrella above him.

Chifuyu, Takemichi and Suzume stood at a distance and watched them. "Everyone knows that nothing can be done about the incident. Neither Baji-san nor Kazu wanted this to happen but deep down, Mikey still can't accept it."

How could he? She couldn't blame him, if she was in his shoes she might go gaga by now.

After Mikey said his prayers he rose up and headed towards the girl with a smile on his face, "it's raining unexpectedly Heh, little sparrow."

Her boyfriend gave her a piece of candy and took the umbrella from her. It was a grape flavoured hi-chew candy, everytime they meet the boy tries to give her something even if it's a little piece of candy or a gum, that's his thing and she adores him for it.

They all moved away from the graves. Suzume had told Mikey last evening that she'd narrated Shinichiro's tragic story to Takemichi because the boy needed to know the truth about what went down if Mikey wanted his help.

The rain was still pouring as they stood at the parking lot. Mikey was gazing at his bike. "The Bobber Baji and Kazutora tried to steal was my brother's. He was planning to give that to me as a birthday present. That Bobber is a memento from my brother. Now, it's my beloved ride."

"It's been two years since then. I've forgiven Baji but...even if he didn't know, even if it's too late to change the past. I will never forgive Kazutora for killing my brother!"  

"Mikey_" before the girl could even say another word, he said, "and I can't forgive Baji for siding with Kazutora, either!"

The boy's undivided attention landed on Takemichi. "I asked you to bring Baji back. So why is his squad's vice-captain here...but Baji isn't. Just what do you want to accomplish? Do you really want to die that badly Takemichi?"

Takemichi trembled in fear.

At times like this, Suzume could see the darkness that creeps into Mikey. She put a hand on his forearm, "they're with me...we have this thing."

Mikey turned to Suzume, his expression softening. She smiled at him, "we have to go now but I'll see you tomorrow after class?"

The boy nodded, "sure."

She gave him a quick peck on his cheek, "I'll call you." As she waved at Takemichi and Chifuyu to follow her.

➿➿➿➿➿

Takemichi wiped a sweat off his brow, "you saved us back there."

"She's our life boat." Chifuyu flashed her a smile.

The girl unwrapped the soft candy Mikey gave her and tossed it into her mouth. "We need to do something about Baji-san and Kazu as well..."

"Baji is trying to investigate Kisaki by joining Valhalla because he thinks there's a connection between them, to do that he has to investigate from within. So I'm going to investigate from the outside."

"You need to help bubba. Takemichi!" Suzume said to the yellow hair boy.

"What?" He was taken aback.

"If we don't do something...Baji-san will fly out of control on his own soon enough."

"Did Baji himself tell you that he went to investigate Kisaki?" Takemichi asked Chifuyu.

"No, he didn't but I can tell. I know how he thinks. I've stuck with him for a long time, after all."

Takemichi looked unconvinced.

"We want to help Baji-san, I know you do too so please help bubba okay?"

"Uhhh...if you say so Suzume-chan."

The boys shook on that.

"First of all I want to properly investigate the connection between Kisaki and Valhalla." Chifuyu said leading the way.

"When will this rain stop?" Suzume grumbled as she shook her feet, wrong day to be wearing her new pair of white sneakers.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"Aren't you the gallant one?" 

"Is that a yes?"

She shook her head as a no, "you've only one eye at the moment, we'd end up in a ditch."

"That's the only way we'd end up together in this life." Chifuyu chuckled as he pushed the door of the carpenter's shop.

A guy was hammering a table. He was none other than Nobutaka Osanai, Moebius ex president. Suzume suddenly remembered about Pah's friend and his girlfriend, she wanted to smite him where he stood. Chifuyu saw the shadow that passed her face and hold her hand, she relaxed.

"What do you want?" The guy put the hammer down, he wasn't pleased at all to see them.

"We've come to inquire about Tetta Kisaki." Chifuyu looked at Osanai.

"What do you want to know about him?"

"Everything!"

Osanai, stared at them. The girl didn't think the guy would even speak. "On first impression, he was just some plain kid. He told me if I was with him I can rule Tokyo in no time. He didn't need any reward, he'll take it himself. 'The moon can't shine on its own' he quoted...before I met Kisaki; I beat up anyone I didn't like. And there was nobody who could stand against me. But before I knew it, I was alone. That's when Kisaki approached me. As weird as it sounds everything went smoothly whenever I listened to what he said. In just a year, I went from an idiot who was only good at fighting...to the guy in charge of Shinjuku."

"In just a year?" Takemichi gasped.

"So you're saying that you became Moebius leader...thanks to Kisaki?" Chifuyu asked.

"Yeah. You can't make a gang, if winning fights is all you got."

"So that means Kisaki was your confidant?"

Osanai clenched his jaws, "I was nothing but a stepping stone to Kisaki! I learned that during the Musashi shrine battle."

"You mean the fight where Draken got stabbed?" Takemichi looked at him.

"That fight was all arranged by Kisaki in the first place! He drove Pah-chin into a corner and created a reason for TOMAN to fight. And he made it all my fault!"

So what Osanai is saying: is everything that happened was all Kisaki's doing? Suzume knew that Kisaki's smart, he's the smartest person she'd ever come across. He used to be an introvert nerd back then when they first met but his looks and behaviours drastically changed. But that doesn't mean the boy is that evil and should they be even trusting Osanai? He might be making all these stuffs up to save his own ass?

"Then after I got stabbed...he approached Mikey, saying he didn't like how I did things. And he said he'd get Pah-chin pardoned to curry Mikey's favor."

Chifuyu crossed his arms, "why would Kisaki go to all that trouble?"

"Kisaki's plan was to get Draken killed...and to take his place as TOMAN's second in command!"

Are they really going to buy Osanai's story? All these seemed ridiculous to her. She was there when Kisaki approached Mikey, she was the one who told Mikey she knew the boy from cram school and he's a genius. And that's how the boys formally got introduced before Kisaki joined TOMAN.

"Kisaki abandoned me. But now he's got a new weapon. His new weapon..." they could see the veins on his arms, "it's Shuji Hanma!"

"If you know that much then why didn't you take down Kisaki?" Suzume stated the obvious. "He completely made a toy out of you!"

"If he was just someone who's good at fighting, or someone a little bit crafty, I'd be dealing with them. But he's different...I don't know how to describe him...but he's dangerous! He's the kind of guy who could kill people without getting his hands dirty! If I mess with him, who knows what he will do to me. Anyway, I don't want to be involved with Kisaki anymore. I've left that life behind."

And as they left the carpenter's shop, the girl thought to herself. Is Tetta Kisaki really the bad guy? Should they be even believing the evil rapist Osani? How did things even come to this? She needs to concentrate on Baji and Kazutora at the moment, and not this.

May 20, 2023.

⌛️⏳

Kazutora Hanemiya (Valhalla number three).

Chifuyu Matsuno (TOMAN First Division vice-captain).

Kazushi Yamagishi.