A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to the first chapter! Enjoy!

edited on december 2nd, 2021 @ 11:41am

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙽𝙴,
𝓡𝙴𝚂𝙾𝙻𝚅𝙴.

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

KEIJI KNEELED DOWN IN FRONT of a very familiar grave. He was currently wearing a black tank top with a burnt orange bomber jacket over it. On the back of jacket is a picture of a scorpion and on the side of the sleeves, "Scorpions" is written in kanji in black. Miyasato Toru, his vice president, stood next to him wearing a similar jacket over a black hoodie.

"Hello, Shinichiro-san. I hope you're doing well." Keiji spoke up, placing a bouquet of yellow roses on the grave. "Sorry I haven't been visiting as much, life has been getting in the way."

"I don't get bullied as much anymore. I know you were constantly worried about that." Keiji chuckled. "And I also am the president of my own gang. Isn't that great? To-chan is a great vice president and best friend too."

Keiji fought back his tears as he remembered the first time he went up to Shinichiro and asked for help.

"You want me to teach you how to fight?" Shinichiro asked the young boy who had arrived at his bike shop and was bowing to him.

"I'm getting bullied by some older kids. My parents passed away so I normally live on the streets now. I want to be able to fight back but I don't know how."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm terrible when it comes to fighting." Shinichiro claimed.

"Huh?! Then what's this about you being a great delinquent then? Man, talk about totally getting deceived. I wasted my time for nothing."

"Hey, kid. That doesn't mean I won't help you. There's a lot more to being a delinquent than just fighting." Shinichiro said, opening the door and allowing the young boy to step in. "I'm Sano Shinichiro."

"Koyanagi Keiji."

"Well, Keiji." Shinichiro began. "Tell me about yourself."

"As I told you earlier, my parents are deceased, I don't have any siblings." Keiji responded. "What about you, Shinichiro-san?"

"I have three younger siblings. In fact, my younger brother Manjiro is your age." Shinichiro replied. "You two are actually really similar in a way. I think you two would be great friends."

"Tch, yeah right!"

Another memory flashed in Keiji's mind. The time where he got his first bike, something he still treasures today.

"Keiji! I got a surprise for you!"

"You do?" A younger Keiji asked as Shinichiro nodded before gesturing the young boy to follow him.

Keiji saw something that was wrapped in cloth as he watched Shinichiro remove it. The young boy widened his eyes when he saw a black motorcycle with a orange tint to it.

"Whoa! Is this really mine?" Keiji asked the older male who chuckled a little at the boy's excitement.

"All yours, Keiji." Shinichiro replied.

"So cool! Now I can be a cool delinquent like you, Shinichiro-san!" Keiji exclaimed as Shinichiro smiled.

"Come on, I'll teach you how to ride it."

Keiji clenched his fist when he remembered what he was told the night of his death. "I've gotten a lot stronger now. I just... really wish you were here to see how much I've improved." He sighed.

He stood up before following Miyasato to their bikes. "Your mentor sounds like a great person. From what you told me." Miyasato stated.

Keiji hummed. "Shinichiro-san helped me out a lot. He was a person you could rely on. He was like an older brother to me, and I never got to thank him." He said, playing with the ring necklace that Shinichiro had given him.

"Anyhow, To-chan. What are we doing today?"

"There's this fighting club that's happening at the park. Apparently, it's being run by Toman." Miyasato answered.

"That's interesting. What do you say we check it out?"

"Sure thing, President."

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

The two of them had finally arrived to the park. Keiji and Miyasato stood in the far back as the rowdiness of the boys all sitting on the stairs grew. Two chosen fighters made their way to the center of the park.

One was cackling with confidence and the other looked like a nervous wreck.

"First to fall loses. Go!"

Just as he said that, erupted cheers came from the crowd, all shouting.

"I bet 500 yen on you, Hanagaki!"

"Beat his ass, tiny!"

"Let's go, man!"

"Oh? I didn't think Toman was like this. They never cease to impress me." Keiji mumbled as Miyasato nodded in agreement, they both watched the blonde whirling his head frantically, appearing lost.

Suddenly, the smaller blonde got knocked down in one punch, successfully making him unconscious.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he doesn't know how to fight." Miyasato mumbled.

"I'll give him points for trying though." Keiji added.

More cheers came through while others cursed and groaned at the scene. Keiji could see money being passed around, before each group began to leave.

"Well, that was boring. But hold on, I want to see what they'll do to the guy." Keiji informed as him and Miyasato decided to hop down from the stairs.

The blonde was slowly waking up, and some words were exchanged before they started beating him up. Both Keiji and Miyasato were still unfazed until the blonde gets up despite the beating he just went through, calls out to the elatively tall and muscular teenager whose prominent feature is a scar upon his left eyebrow. He had black hair that is stylized in a small pompadour and slanted, menacing eyes.

"H-Hey, you're part of the Tokyo Manji Gang, right? Do you think I can talk with one of your leaders, Sano or Kisaki?"

It was silent for a moment before the guy sends the blonde a glare and spoke a few words. Keiji watched as the male began wacking the blonde with a baseball bat one of his friends gave, and Keiji could only scoff as he took off sprinting.

"Oi, Kei, what the hell are you thinking?!" Miyasato called out.

"Hey!"

Kiyomasa looks up, hearing a sudden shout. Before he could register what was happening, he was met with Keiji's knee jabbing into his stomach. Sputters were heard from the blonde and the group.

"Kiyomasa!"

"He got knocked down in just one kick!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Keiji picked up the baseball bat as he swung it around, standing in front of the blonde and looking at the boys from Toman.

"I'm Koyanagi Keiji, nice to meet ya."

"Kei, you're causing a scene again, you know?"

The group looked up and spotted Miyasato hopping down and joining the red head. "Hehe, sorry To-chan." Keiji smirked.

"Those jackets... There's no doubt about it..."

"This is the President and Vice President of the Scorpion Gang!"

"What are they doing here?"

"Oh? I didn't know my gang was well known." Keiji stated.

"What do you want?"

"Picking a fight with us? We're part of the Tokyo Manji Gang!"

Keiji narrowed his eyes at the group. "So you say? Well, the Tokyo Manji Gang has my respect." He said as the group blinks in shock.

Quiet groaning was heard as the raven-haired male looked down to see Kiyomasa slowly getting up, his jaw bruised. "Y-You're gonna regret... picking a fight with Toman." He stuttered.

"Looking forward to it." Keiji smirked as the others began to make their leave, one of them assisting Kiyomasa until they were gone from his sight.

"Hey, you alright?" Keiji asked.

The blonde seems to be in a gaze, his mouth still wide open.

"Who is he? Naoto didn't tell me anything about him..."

"Hey, blondie. Kei asked you a question."

"O-Oh, yeah."

"So... Toman?"

"Yeah... That's Kiyomasa and his posse." The blonde explained.

"What's your name?" Keiji asked.

"Hanagaki Takemichi." The blonde replied, slowly sweating when he realized the situation he's stuck in.

"I have to ask Naoto about him. He doesn't seem familiar to me."

"So what's your deal with Sano or Kisaki anyway?"

A nervous laugh escaped Takemichi's lips. "Haha... Well, I don't know how to explain it!" He replied.

"I see... Well, hope to see you around, Michi." Keiji stated as him and Miyasato walked off.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

"Kei."

"Huh?"

The red head looks at his best friend as he was sucking on a lollipop and his eyes not leaving his PSP. "Do you think it's wise for us to go to war with Toman? I mean, you did beat up one of their members." Miyasato reminded him.

Keiji smirked. "Are you perhaps scared, To-chan?" He teased.

"Of course I am! Toman can easily take control over our gang!"

"I'd like to see them try!"

Keiji began laughing hysterically while Miyasato rolled his eyes. "Speaking of which, have you thought about what I suggested?" He asked.

"I did, and my answer is still going to be no."

"But—"

"The answer is no, To-chan. I won't have some other gang take control of mine. The Scorpion Gang is mine to lead and mine alone."

Miyasato sighed at his best friend's stupidity. "If we don't form an alliance with a stronger gang, Valhalla is going to keep coming for us." He informed.

"Then let them come! I'll kick each and every one of their asses! Especially that stupid Hanma!"

"I knew you missed me, Koyanagi."

Keiji groaned at the familiar voice. "Speak of the bastard and he shall come. What do you want, Hanma?" He questioned.

"I think you already know what I want." Hanma responded.

"And my answer is still going to be the same as the last times you came to me." Keiji stated.

"You know you're going to get tired of denying me eventually."

"No way. Why don't you just take the hint, Hanma? I won't join Valhalla." Keiji said. "Nice chat. But I got shit to do."

Keiji walked away from the male as Miyasato followed. "I heard there's an underground fighting ring going on. Let's go check it out." He stated.

The two of them arrived at the underground fighting ring as they stood near the back so they wouldn't be seen. Keiji was sucking on a lollipop while playing a game on his PSP.

"Hey, isn't that Michi?"

"Hmm?"

Keiji looked up to see Takemichi down below facing Kiyomasa. "Didn't he learn his lesson last time? Why is he fighting that jackass again?" He asked.

"Who knows." Miyasato responded. "Should we stop him?"

"No."

"Huh? He doesn't know how to fight. You saw what happened last time. He'll get hurt."

"Forget it. I'm still in a bad mood from our encounter with that stupid Hanma."

Miyasato sighed at his best friend's stubbornness as he continued to play his game. He didn't really pay much attention to what was happening as he saw Takemichi get knocked down.

That is, until two very familiar people showed up to stop it.

"Kei!"

"What is it now, To-chan?!"

"Look who's here."

Keiji finally looked up and saw what his best friend wanted him to see. Sano Manjiro, otherwise known by Mikey, the President of the Tokyo Manji Gang alongside his Vice President, Ryuguji Ken, otherwise known as Draken, interrupting the fight.

"Oh? Things just got interesting. Let's go, To-chan. I want to introduce myself." Keiji informed, tossing his PSP to him in which Miyasato successfully caught.

"You're Manjiro, huh? Nice to finally meet ya." Keiji spoke up, getting Mikey and Draken's attention as well as the crowd.

"H-Hey is this really happening?"

"Right before our eyes. This can't be anything good!"

"Am I supposed to know who you are?" Mikey asked.

The red head smirked. "Koyanagi Keiji. President of the Scorpion Gang. Though, I suppose it's not a shocker that don't know about my poor little gang who you can easily destroy with a snap of your finger. Well, if they didn't have me leading them, that is." He said.

"Huh? You think you're enough to defeat Mikey? That cockiness is gonna get you killed." Draken informed, stepping forward, but not before Miyasato pulled out a switchblade and pointing it at him.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Miyasato Toru. Vice President of the Scorpion Gang." Miyasato greeted. "You even think about landing a hand on Kei and I'll slit your throat blondie."

Keiji sighed at his best friend's overprotectiveness. "Put the knife down, To-chan. You're embarrassing yourself." He informed.

Miyasato "tched" before placing the switchblade in his pocket. "I have a proposal to make." Keiji began. "My gang has recently been targeted by stronger gangs. One gang I won't say who, is constantly up my ass. We're not being threatened more like I've been having problems with other gangs trying to make me merge with them."

"Here's my proposal. My gang will become Toman's ally, and in exchange you'll protect us." Keiji finished as everyone gasped at this announcement.

"Is he being serious?"

"He's not like the rumors I heard about him."

"Make no mistake. I'm not merging my gang with yours. I'll still be their President, of course." Keiji added on. "Think of it like if you're stuck in a sticky situation, or you need some sort of extra backup, my gang and I will be there."

"So you want to be partners?" Mikey questioned.

"Precisely." Keiji answered before turning over to his best friend. "To-chan, do you have a piece of paper and pen?"

Miyasato digs in his pockets until he eventually found what Keiji asked for, handing it over to the red head. Keiji takes it before kneeling down and writing something on the piece of paper. Once he was done, he stood up and placed it in Mikey's hand.

"Call me whenever you need us. We'll be right at Toman's aide." Keiji told him as he walked by Mikey before pausing and looking over his shoulder. "Oh, and Manjiro?"

Mikey turned around and met his eyes. "I think it was fate I bumped into you today. Shinichiro-san was right about something, we will be great friends." Keiji finished.

Both Mikey and Draken's eyes widened at the mention of Mikey's deceased older brother. But before Mikey could ask how he knew him, Keiji and Miyasato were already walking away.

"Kei." Miyasato spoke up as Keiji looked at him. "Of all the gangs, why would you form an alliance with Toman?"

"Manjiro interests me." Keiji admitted. "Shinichiro-san wanted us to meet, but never got the chance to introduce us."

"Ah, To-chan! I think this is the start of a wonderful partnership!" Keiji exclaimed. "One that will dominant Tokyo!"

"Red Riot and the Invincible Mikey working together?" Miyasato thinks to himself. "What could possibly go wrong?"

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

Keiji and Miyasato watched in amusement as they saw Draken beating up their fellow third-years.

"A-Ah, our third-years... Uhm, what exactly am I looking at?"

Keiji and Miyasato both looked over to find Takemichi was in shock at the scene.

"Huh? This? They pissed me off, so I hosed them." Draken replied.

"E-Eh..." Takemichi said in disbelief.

"All of you wimps, line up. Lay down on your stomachs." Draken ordered as they all obeyed. "This is gonna hurt you more than it hurts me."

"H-Huh?"

"What's gonna happen?"

Soon enough, Mikey and Draken stepped on the third-years. Keiji snickered to himself.

"For them, tormenting people is just part of their daily routine. It's the same as washing their faces." Takemichi thought.

"You been good?" Draken asked him. Takemichi looked nervously to the side.

"We just saw each other yesterday..." Takemichi muttered.

"You free today, right?" Mikey questioned.

"Actually, I'm not." Takemichi declined.

"Come hang out with us a bit." Mikey suggested.

"Huh? Mikey-kun, are you listening to me?" Takemichi questioned.

"Okay, let's go." Mikey said until a voice shouted behind them.

"Wait!"

The four turned their heads as Keiji saw an unknown girl with light brown hair marching towards them.

"Who're you?" Draken questioned.

"Hina?!" Takemichi exclaimed in his head

Takemichi smiled nervously. "Sorry, I'm a bit busy today." He said.

Before Keiji knew it, the unknown girl lifted her arm up and slapped Mikey across the face, the sound echoing throughout the hallway. Takemichi had a scared look along with everyone else who was watching. Draken had an irked expression.

The unknown girl grabbed Takemichi's hand. "Let's go, Takemichi-kun. Don't let these people bully you." She ordered.

"Huh?"

"I'll protect you."

"Hina..." Takemichi trailed off as Draken in which he grabbed onto Hinata's wrist.

"Hey, don't make me kill you, brat. You slap him outta nowhere, and now you're peacing out? Who the hell do you think you are?" Draken questioned.

"Who do you think you are?" Hinata shot back.

"Wha?"

"You just waltz into a school you don't go to and try to take him by force. That's not something friends do! Takemichi-kun is injured all the time lately. And if that's because of you two... I'm going to put a stop to it!" Hinata claimed.

Takemichi put a hand on Draken's shoulder. "Let go of her." He ordered.

"What was that? I don't think I heard you clearly!" Draken taunted.

"I said, let go of her, you asshole!"

"So... Who do you think you're talking to?" Draken asked.

"There are things I just won't give up on ever again!" Takemichi claimed as both Keiji and Miyasato gave each other a look.

"Again? What does he mean by that?" Keiji wondered.

"What?" Draken questioned in confusion. "Ever again?"

"Aw... And I thought we could be friends. Now the question is..." Mikey began as he glared. "How do you want to die?"

Takemichi then sweated nervously as Mikey walked up to him. "Just promise me... Just promise me one thing." He spoke up as the three looked at him in question.

"Don't ever lay a finger on Hina!"

Mikey got ready to throw a punch. "What? Like I care." He said until he placed his hand back. "JK!"

"Eh?!"

"Jeez, you're so gullible, Takemitchy. Like I'd ever hit a girl ~" Mikey stated.

"Huh..."

"Michi... You're either really brave or really stupid to threaten Draken like you just did." Keiji spoke up, making his presence known.

"S-Sorry Draken-kun..." Takemichi apologized.

"It's cool." Draken responded.

"Huh?"

"Oh, Kei! Didn't realize you were here." Mikey said as Keiji sweat dropped. "Do you want to come with us? Toman's having a meeting soon, I would like to introduce you to the others as our ally."

"Sure, why not?" Keiji hummed, using his foot to step off the wall. "You're gonna have to give me a few minutes to gather up my gang, however."

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

Once outside of the school, Hinata was bowing to Mikey. "I'm sorry!" She apologized. "I had the wrong idea."

"It's fine. That was one hell of a slap, though." Mikey said, rubbing his cheek.

"I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine to do what you can for the one you like, but don't push yourself too much. Things can go really wrong, depending on who you're dealing with." Mikey said.

"Right!" Hinata replied as Mikey began laughing.

"Okay, I'm gonna go." Hinata said as she turned around back towards the school.

"Uh, sure... Wait, what about our date?!" Takemichi questioned.

"We can do that another time. Your friends came to see you, after all." Hinata responded as she waved.

"Bye-bye! Don't slap me in the face next time!" Mikey told her.

Hinata just smiled as she walked back into the school.

"She seems nice. It's rare to find someone like her. Make sure you take good care of her." Mikey said, leaving Takemichi speechless.

Soon enough, the five of them were riding on bikes. Draken, Keiji, and Miyasato were riding on separate bikes while Takemichi was riding his with Mikey behind him.

"From what Naoto told me, twelve years in the future, the Tokyo Manji Gang are involved in gambling, fraud, violence, and murder. They're an evil organization that'll resort to anything." Takemichi thinks back to his encounters with Mikey.

"Is he really the head of that evil Toman? And what about Keiji-kun? Naoto never mentioned anything about another gang joining up with Toman?"

"Say... Mikey-kun." Takemichi spoke up. "So, uh... Why did you take a liking to me?"

"What a dumb question." Mikey replied.

"Uh... Sorry."

"Well... I have a brother who's ten years older than me. He's dead now."

Keiji frowned at the mention of Shinichiro.

"He was totally reckless. He had no problem picking fights with guys way stronger than him." Mikey continued.

"I see. He must've been pretty cool." Takemichi stated.

"You remind me of my brother, Takemitchy."

"B-But I'm not that cool at all!" Takemichi claimed. "How do I seem like that?"

"Yeah, he definitely wasn't lame like you, Takemitchy."

"Now, that's just mean."

The five of them stopped to look at a creek. "Nowadays, people just think delinquents are lame. When my big bro was alive, there were so many biker gangs around here. You could always hear their super loud bikes as they went by. They all acted super tough. They fought all the time... but they always cleaned up their own messes. What's so lame about that?" Mikey questioned.

He then sits down on the grass. "That's why I'm gonna create a new era for delinquents." Mikey finished.

This made Keiji smirk. "A new era of delinquents, you say? Mind if I get in on that action?" He asked.

"Of course." Mikey replied before looking over at Takemichi. "You should come with me."

He stood back up. "I like you, Hanagaki Takemichi." He finished.

"There are plenty of guys who are good at fighting. But you know... Standing up to anyone for something you won't give up? There aren't many guys like you." Draken said as he walked away with Mikey. "Think about it, Takemitchy."

Keiji and Miyasato followed Mikey and Draken. "I know you have questions, so ask away." Keiji spoke up.

"How do you know my big bro?" Mikey asked.

Keiji let out a long sigh. "Shinichiro-san was there for me when I had no one. I looked up to him. I was bullied a lot as a child, so he taught me that it was okay to stand up for myself." He replied. "Then he had to go and get killed. I never thanked him for what he did for me."

"Did you... ever find out who killed him?"

Keiji narrowed his eyes. "That night... I went to his bike shop to tell him I had beaten those bullies. I saw red and blue flashing lights, and two kids being pulled into a police car. I asked a nearby police man about what happened, and that's when he told me the unfortunate news. Two kids had broken into the bike shop, and killed the owner." He explained.

Keiji then clenched his fist around his necklace in anger, which didn't go unnoticed by Mikey or Draken.

"When I find the kid who killed Shinichiro-san... I'm going to give him hell. That's the main reason why I created my gang. I figured it would be much easier to track him down." Keiji continued.

"Now that I think about it. I do remember Shinichiro mention a kid my age that he somewhat took in." Mikey hummed. "He wanted me to meet him. Didn't know that kid was you."

Keiji laughed. "Yeah. I was a little shit back then." He said.

Miyasato grunted. "Were? You still are." He stated.

"To-chan! How cruel!"

"By the way, Draken. I apologize about earlier." Miyasato added on.

"Earlier?"

"When I threatened to slit your throat."

"It's cool." Draken reassured him, fist bumping him.

"I think you and I will be good friends, Draken."

"Yeah."

"Hey, To-chan! You better not be thinking of replacing me, bastard!" Keiji shouted, head butting his side.

"I can have other friends, Kei." Miyasato sighed out.

"Yeah, but I'm your best friend forever!" Keiji complained.

"I swear, it's like I'm looking after a child..." Miyasato mumbled.

"We really are that much similar, huh?" Draken questioned, chuckling a little.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

A/N: The first chapter is done! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 4027 words.