╰┈➤ ❝ THE GLIMPSE OF YESTERDAY ❞

ch. 58

FLASHBACKS

Hanma's POV

Two months ago, the day before Hanma's death...

"A tool. That's what makes you dumb, yet commendable."

My head fuzzed through the incessant thoughts flooding through my mind. It was distinctly a voice. A consolidated voice, yet it still brings me fear and trepidation to this day.

"A tool. That's what makes you dumb, yet commendable."

It's Kisaki's first and last words to me.

I visited the cemetery after many years. I visited Kisaki's grave again after years.

"It's been a while," I mussitated. It's been a week since Bonten attacked us. I felt like I was mounted on this wheelchair.

"Boss, the preparation for the next attack is still in progress," one of my workers informed beside me.

There are more people standing beside me, also visiting Kisaki's grave. Haru, Mitsuya, and my workers.

"Your tool needs to be sharpened, Kisaki. I need you to stand up from your grave. I don't care if you're a walking zombie at this point," I said, more like pleaded.

The weather has been pretty bad lately. It's a rough day. I believe it's an indication of something, but I couldn't care less about it. The strong wind blew through, with the trees' leaves swinging.

"The three of you, get out for a moment," I commanded.

I heard either Mitsuya or Haru sigh before walking off. I know damn well that they're tired of me.

"A fool tool, huh?"

I remember it all too well. I remember the exact words twelve years ago.

Third-Person POV

"A tool. That's what makes you dumb, yet commendable."

Kisaki blurted out to Hanma. His eyes glared ever so slightly in annoyance and irritation with Hanma's constant bugging and asking for various random things that may or may not benefit them both for their plans.

"I mean, I'm a sharp tool with a sharp brain. A tool that is useful. What could you ever ask for? I'm three in one, ungrateful motherfucker," Hanma bantered.

"You're just playing a scheme, and you might use me as your tool for your own good. Hell, you might even reverse the whole thing and scam me. Fuck off because you're just a thing. Are you that naïve to understand?" Kisaki grunted.

"Uh-oh. No. I won't go," Hanma insisted, like a child pleading to his mother while stomping his feet.

"Oh my fucking— I'm done," Kisaki sighed, giving up. "Bring your things in."

"Yay! I'll move into Kisaki's apartment. A tool. I'm a cool fool tool with a pick pock pool~!" Hanma sang with his own lyrics and tune while walking inside Kisaki's apartment and carrying his luggage with him.

"Only get out of the house whenever I need your mend. Don't think that you have a place here in my home," Kisaki said, sighing heavily in frustration as he also got inside his house.

"Do you really think I give a shit about that?" Hanma replied, a bored expression plastered on his face. "I'll just stay here, c'mon. Maybe for at least a month, or even less than a month. The cops are on my tail."

"Split the bills," Kisaki coldly told him before entering his room and shutting the door on Hanma.

"Okay, as soon as I get a job—" Hanma replied. "Hey! You almost hit my nose with the door!"

"Shut the fuck up. The neighbor is sensitive as fuck. I don't want another criminal record from the delinquent watch list," Kisaki said on the other side of the door.

"Why? Are you going to kill your innocent neighbors if they get mad at you?" Hanma asked, his mouth forming an O shape.

"Again, I don't want another criminal record."

"So that means yes," Hanma hummed. "Alright."

Months have passed since the two delinquents lived together, and surprisingly, Hanma is still bearable to Kisaki, or he could've kicked his guts out of the house.

One thing that Hanma noticed in the changes was Kisaki's constant leaving the house every other day, and he'd always do so without at least telling him about his next mission. What kind of right-hand man doesn't know his follower's commands?

A fool tool? A useless tool?

Hanma didn't take much care of this, and he let himself relax at Kisaki's house. He has enough expenses to make a living for himself, but he just needs to be Kisaki's tool. For what reason exactly?

It was exactly 18:00, and he heard the front door open, showing Kisaki.

"Yo, where have you been?" Hanma asked while laying back on the couch, watching a movie.

"To a hideout," Kisaki nonchalantly replied as he went straight to his room.

Hanma knew that Kisaki was being cautious, he knew that he was on a mission. Hanma wants to fulfill the tool role he has from Kisaki, but why does he feel like doing nothing at all?

The next morning came, and as usual, Kisaki is not at home again, but Hanma decided to wake up early before he can even leave.

Hanma secretly follows Kisaki on his way to this "hideout" he mentioned last night.

As soon as they reach their destination, Hanma peeks through the gaps between those metal railings surrounding the area.

Inside the vicinity, there are bikes everywhere, a familiar uniform on each member, and they're a set of gangs.

It's the Musashi Shrine.

Hanma saw Kisaki wearing a uniform with a symbol on it, and his eyes widened.

It's the Toman uniform.

There, he first saw Mitsuya and Chifuyu. Oh, how he doesn't know what the future has in store for the three of them.

Hanma left the area after witnessing what was keeping Kisaki busy, and it was enough information for him.

As soon as Kisaki came back to his home, Hanma immediately brought the topic up.

"Kisaki, you're in that lame gang?" Hanma blurted out.

"Lame what?" Kisaki asked, furrowing his brows.

"Lame gang. Toman."

"The hell?" Kisaki grunted. "The fuck you mean?" 

"Stop beating around the bush, titties," Hanma grunted in a deadpanned expression.

"The fuck? 'Titties'?"

"Yeah," Hanma muttered, shrugging as he hopped off of the couch. "Anyway, I'm telling you, that gang won't lead you to anything, unless you have other intentions, which is expected."

"You'll never read my plans," Kisaki sarcastically laughed.

"A tool can read what they'll mend," Hanma said.

"Neither of us will gain from your services, thus I don't need any of them. I won't utilize you until I stand to gain from it, got it? I'm not sure whether you won't get it at this point. I'm already being brutally frank here, Kisaki said, without showing any sign of remorse, guilt, or tenderness in his harsh words.

"I know, I know, but I'm a tool. I accepted that title. Of course, I wouldn't just get that title without earning any essence from it," Hanma said, continuing on being stubborn.

"A tool. That's what makes you dumb, yet commendable."

As Kisaki said, a cold breeze came inside the house as silence washed over it.

Hanma sighed and grunted. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll catch up with your plans soon. See you tomorrow."

After two days, Hanma woke up with shoulder discomfort from the prior fight he had the previous evening. His opponent was badly injured, but he was too busy to care, as he just went straight home with blood stains on his shirt.

As usual, the house seems empty today as Hanma got out of his room.

He checked the mailbox outside to see if there was an envelope, and his stomach almost dropped.

"Bills are such a pain in the fucking ass, dude," Hanma yawned as he tossed the paper back inside. "Morning wrecker."

Until this day, Kisaki had gone out for days, and Hanma was left alone in his house.

"Yo?" he called as he went back inside, searching for Kisaki around the house.

"Boi, if you don't answer, I'll call you titties instead," Hanma added.

No answer, not even a single response.

"I bet that motherfucker is with that lame gang again," Hanma said, clicking his tongue.

Just as Hanma was about to get his coat to wander around the Musashi Shrine, he saw that the TV was still on, and it was on the news.

"Can't even turn the electronics off. This is why the bills are increasing," Hanma complained as he grabbed the remote and pressed the off button until a breaking news came in.

"A set of delinquents were found at the city's river, though they were already dead on arrival at the hospital. They were brutally murdered with gunshots and stabs all over their bodies, and packets of illegal drugs. Despite this, an investigation is still ongoing. The last witness was also spotted donning a particular uniform that has a correlation to the root of the dilemma.

Hanma's eyes widened as he saw the photos displayed on the screen.

Kisaki is there.

His stomach dropped more than ever when he saw those bills. His eyes widened more than ever when Kisaki let him stay in his house. His heart dropped more than ever when he got the title "tool" from Kisaki.

Hanma felt furious, and his mind immediately went straight to that one gang.

"Toman," he thought, and that name brought him to anger.

The question is, was it really Toman who caused his death?

After the accident, Hanma spent days investigating, visiting Kisaki's grave every so often. Talk to him as if he's beside him and listening.

He tried to forget the death of him, yet he joined gangs similar to Toman to reminisce about him at the same time. Though, out of all the gangs, he didn't stay for so long. He would leave soon just to bribe some other members, and again, he would profit from it, even if it's unlawful.

He decided to visit Musashi Shrine once again.

To his surprise, they were holding a meeting, and at the front, a blonde-haired man was standing, wearing the notorious uniform hanging on his shoulders.

"The Tokyo Manji Gang is disbanded!"

The words that slipped out of Mikey's mouth were orotund and full of spirit.

"After what they did to Kisaki?!" Hanma thought, fury and agony lurking in his mind.

This is where Hanma started to let his heart control his mind.

Toman wouldn't just kill anyone.

But Hanma thought of the opposite, and that's where his hunger for vengeance and bloodlust started.

After a few sessions in their meeting, it finally ended, and Hanma was just eavesdropping behind the bars.

"Come out," a voice said.

Hanma furrowed his brows and turned around lazily. "I get it, I'm caught. What?"

"What are you doing in here?" Mitsuya asked in a strict tone.

Hanma looked around and groaned. "Snooping around, beast boy."

Mitsuya scanned him, and his eyes narrowed. "Bad news, tsk tsk."

"I don't bite," Hanma said, shrugging.

"That pointy claw dinosaur-looking teeth of yours make you look like you bite ankles," Mitsuya retorted.

Hanma gasped and covered his mouth. "I am mourning a death, and that's what you call me?!"

"Death of?" Mitsuya asked, his ears perking up.

"A guy with glasses. I don't need to drop a name," Hanma whistled.

Mitsuya's eyes widened, and a familiar description went straight to a person in his mind. He stayed cautious in front of Hanma, his shoulders tensing up.

"What is he doing here?" Chifuyu asked behind Hanma.

"Blind ass," Hanma whispered.

"Look, I'm not bad news, but it's really sad news about how Toman disbanded, yeah?" Hanma said, faking a pout and a sad expression.

Chifuyu and Mitsuya just looked at him with a nonchalant, bored expression.

"Oh, right! Chifuyu, The Hanmas! Where yo friend Takemichy at?" Hanma asked as he slung an arm around Chifuyu's shoulder.

"Don't include him in your nefarious schemes," Chifuyu groaned, pushing him off.

"My credibility is really that low," Hanma sighed. "Whatever."

"Who would keep up with you in the first place, anyway?" Mitsuya rolled his eyes.

"The two of you," Hanma grinned. "You both have potential."

"Don't include us with your shits."

"I'm sure we'll build a strong alliance in the future," Hanma said with full confidence.

"How can you guarantee that?"

"I don't know. I choose what I choose, and I chose you two. Look, you have no occupation. Toman has disbanded," Hanma explained with a glint in his eyes, a luring look.

"I'm leading you two on the right path," Hanma added.

Mitsuya and Chifuyu looked at each other, then quickly averted their gazes to Hanma.

"Make sure that our skills will be sharpened if ever," Chifuyu said, and Mitsuya nudged him.

"It will sharpen the tool. It will sharpen me," Hanma thought. "Yes, of course. You two will be sharpened. You two will totally be enhanced."

And it started that day. The day when he really let his heart control his mind. Where he'll even use people for years, just like how Kisaki was using him.

It was late afternoon, and it was currently raining as Hanma finished visiting the shrine. He's currently walking down the dark road, going somewhere.

A large gate was what met him, and a cold breeze with rain welcomed him as he went inside the cemetery.

He easily spotted one of the tombstones where he'd usually stay before completely going home.

It was currently raining, and he let the rain soak him. He looked down at Kisaki's name carved on the tombstone.

"I used two motherfuckers this day," Hanma nonchalantly said. "Making people a tool isn't that bad, yeah? As long as you benefit, there's nothing wrong with it."

Hanma laughed menacingly as tears freely flowed from his eyes as he stared at his grave.

"When I saw them, they had no slightest remorse plastered on their faces. No mourning. No guilt. Nothing. They were there as if nothing, that Sano disbanded it as if nothing happened,"

Kisaki is gone, and now he really felt like a useless tool.

"I'll kill them one by one, or whatever organization Mikey builds in the future. I will surely kill one of them," Hanma said, chanting it like a mantra with full fury in his chest.

To this day, he never knew what caused Kisaki's death, but the blatant anger blinded him. He didn't get to avenge for his dead best friend, and revenge was only in his mind at that time.

Hanma carried his repressed anger with him to his grave.

Everyone in their life has partners in crime, but sometimes one of them needs to bid farewell, separating.

Just like Hanma and Kisaki, Haru and Draken, Mitsuya and Chifuyu, Ran and Rindou.

END OF FLASHBACKS

"Who are you?" (Y/N) mussitated cluelessly.

Manjiro wasn't speaking or giving any response to your words. He was too busy finding his emotions in his chest from the heavy boulder of your words.

You woke up. Manjiro was glad; he was beyond happy, but what you said next tore him into pieces.

"Mr. Sano—" the doctors called. They were even contemplating approaching or even calling his name. To say, he's like a ticking bomb.

Even Koko, who's standing beside him, is also left in a stupor and shock. He knew it was just the beginning of Manjiro's dread.

"(Y-Y/N)..." Mikey called out, and his eyes tried to find any reaction from you or even a single muscle move, though nothing came out, but a look of fear in your eyes.

You're awake, but it feels like you're also dead at the same time.

"(Y/N), d-do you recognize me? Please, answer me. I'm not kidding around," Mikey continued to say to you in a brittle voice.

"C-Callista," you whispered.

Mikey's eyes widened from the word that came out of your mouth.

"Callista? Who or what is Callista, may we know?" the nurses asked.

"Callista... (Y/N)'s old name... The Village Callista..." Mikey's head is full of endless thoughts.

"She remembered those?" Koko muttered, brows furrowing.

"Ms. (L/N) had amnesia twice in her life, right?" the doctor said.

Mikey was too busy with you. The words in his ears were a blur and fuzzy as all his attention was only on you. It's like time has stopped as he tries so hard to get that response out of you.

There it goes again. He's always in haste.

"(Y/N)—" Mikey tried to reach for you, but before his hands could even reach you, you suddenly flinched and moved away from him. Your eyes looked at him with fear, and his heart was torn into pieces.

You were unresponsive, and you only gave him a raise of your brow and a stare. That's all. You were motionless. You weren't moving. You're not jittery. You're not talking. You're like a statue. The shell inside you has died.

"Ms. (L/N)'s medical record says here that she also lost her memory almost fifteen years ago," the doctor added.

"W-What's the effect? Please tell me. I need to ensure it. Will she still remember me? How long will it take? A-At least she's okay now, right?" Mikey quickly asked the doctor. You can hear the cracks in his voice and the way he holds his tears back.

"It's possible that she regained her memory before her first amnesia, and she lost all of her memory after that," the doctor answered.

Mikey met you before the church accident... before you lost your memory back then.

"S-So she still remembers me?" Mikey had his hopes up.

"It's a fifty-fifty situation, and if ever Ms. (L/N) still does remember you, the instances are she'll only remember your former physical appearance, presence, voice, and everything else back from then years ago." The doctor informed thoroughly.

Manjiro's chest tightens.

"So, Mr. Sano, the question is, have you changed over the past years?"

Manjiro knew that a lot has changed in himself.

A lot.

He doesn't know if you'll still recognize this Mikey. The cruel Manjiro, a different one from the past you've always known.

"Is it possible if I change myself to what I was before so that she can recognize me?" Mikey asked. He'll do anything just for you to remember him. Even change himself. He can turn into his past self, even if he hates it, and it brings him nightmares.

"Nothing is guaranteed yet since Ms. (L/N) just woke up, but right now, we can test. I just have a question. What were the events that Ms. (L/N) experienced before she had her first amnesia?"

One event immediately popped up in Koko's mind, and he felt his chest getting heavy as he could envision it so vividly.

"When the (L/N) family church burned down in the old Village Callista," Koko answered.

One of the nurses brought out a lighter, and one of them called your attention.

"Ms. (L/N), do you reminisce a certain memory with this flame?" they asked, inching the lighter a bit closer to you.

Your heart dropped, your eyes widening in concussion as you witnessed the blazing flame.

"AHHH!" you screamed in pure fear as you moved away from the lighter, even attempting to cover your head from the small fire. Tears start to seep out of your eyes, and all you can feel is fear.

"Put the lighter down," a voice immediately commanded.

Everyone turned their heads to where the voice was coming from, and their eyes widened as they saw a familiar person who had just entered the room.

"It's clear that she regained her memories back, but it's the memories before her first amnesia," Eri spoke.

She still has this demeaning aura around her. The presence she brings in every room is still outstanding. She was quickly recognized by the personnel inside.

Her eyes switched to you, and her heart seized up from the horrid look in your eyes. It hurts her how you also can't even recognize her.

Instead of the joy that glints in your eyes whenever you see them, they have now turned into a look of fear.

You looked around cluelessly. The foreign faces in this room are enough to make you feel uneasy. You don't know why you feel so cautious around these people.

"Ms. (L/N)?" a doctor tried to call your attention. "Do you recognize her?"

(Y/N) doesn't even know who Eri is.

Your eyes show nothing but fear for your own stepmother, and it broke Eri's heart.

"(Y/N)... Daughter. Please, tell me you recognized me. I'm your mother... Mother is here," Eri said with tears welling in her eyes. She walked towards you and attempted to hug you, but you flinched away from her touch.

You weren't replying, not even nodding. You just stared at her confusingly, your eyes contrasting with a mixture of anger and fear.

"She just woke up. Every person reacts differently when they wake up from a coma, even if it's just a short term. Please give the patient space and time. She still needs medications to complete, and maybe some therapy for her memory loss that may help her regain some remnants," the doctor explained.

Everyone understood it damn well, but they felt so rushed and giddy.

Eri sighed in distress, but she knew that understanding the situation well for your own sake is better.

"Alright, we'll leave the room for a moment," Eri said as she walked to the door, but before she could completely get out of the room, her head turned to Mikey.

"Sano, I need to have a talk with you."

"I'm certain that you still remember our agreement, Sano."

Eri spoke orotund in front of Mikey as the two people exchange talks outside the hospital room.

"Yes," Mikey nonchalantly replied. He remembered it all.

"So, what's your deal?" Eri faced Mikey.

Mikey took a deep breath, yet not contemplating his statement, "If (Y/N) actually recovers and stays alive, it's her decision if she still wants to see us—"

"And if she doesn't?"

Mikey held back his breath from the question that would hit him in reality. There's nothing he can do, and in this circumstance, everything is possible, so why not accept the possibility? He'll ready himself now. At least it would hurt him less if his unwanted anticipation became real.

"It's up to you, Ms. Dhiore Eri," Mikey finally answers, "but if you ask me, I would prefer to stay her away from me because I can never imagine her laying in a casket, all lifeless. I'd prefer to see no light than see that vision."

Eri slowly nodded, and he took a keen gaze at him before looking at the contract, "I see, so it's settled—"

"And if she fails recovery, her health deteriorates and—" Mikey swallowed a lump in his throat, "And really passed away, I'll accept any consequence."

"(Y/N) is alive. So, you know what will happen, Sano," Eri said as she grabbed something from her purse. It looked like a receipt inside an envelope, and she handed it to Mikey.

"You and your organization are now free. All those felonious records have been wiped off. I paid extra billions for concord with the authorities. I did all of that for a reason, and you know what that is, right?" Eri questioned with a raise of her eyebrow.

The day has come, and Manjiro knows it.

"And that is for you and your men to stay out of my daughter. She has already forgotten all of you. What's the point of coming back to my daughter? She can't even remember me anymore. What more to you?"

It's the day when he won't see (Y/N) ever again.

"The contract is officially terminated. You have no right to stay near my daughter anymore."

Mikey knew that Eri's words hurt like hell, they were like knives hurling at his chest.

"My employees will go to your residence to get my daughter's belongings. We'll move to another city."

Mikey wanted to tell Eri. Mikey wants to hold Eri back. Mikey was holding himself back. He was stopping himself from reaching for her and pleading to at least let himself see her for the last time.

"Goodbye," Eri dropped her last words to Mikey as she turned her heels to walk away, but Mikey spoke once more. A last favor from Manjiro.

"Eri, please. Let me see her. Even if it's only once a week, even once a month, once a year..." and Mikey continued to beg.

"Excuse me? Are you not abiding? Didn't we have an agreement? Didn't we just talk about this a second ago? What part do you not understand?" Eri coldly dropped her stern words.

"Please, Eri. Please. Let me see her," Manjiro lowered his head. A tear spilled from his eye while doing so.

Eri almost gasped in shock as Manjiro kneeled in front of her. The leader of Bonten, the vilest, most notorious gang all over Japan, kneeled in front of a person. He lowered his pride and his place. He set aside his sentiments and himself. It's his downfall. It's the lowest of the low of Manjiro Sano.

All for her.

"Stand up. You're making a scene," Eri said while gritting her teeth.

Manjiro slowly stood up, and Koko had to nudge him since the people in the hospital were giving the three of them stares. The scene was totally conspicuous.

Eri saw the sincerity in Mikey's glances and the hint of probity in his voice.

"I know it would be a torment for her, but this is for the better. You know I'll do anything for my daughter. You know that damn well, Manjiro. This is the reason I lived this long when I was in a coma. I had a will, and that was to see my daughter," Eri explained.

"Plus, I don't want a person going near my daughter that is affiliated with crime," she added.

Mikey knew he was over the extent of being persistent, but he was desperate for this one last favor. If he has a deck of cards in front of him and the bet will wager his life, he will surely draw that card if it means risking something important, just for you to benefit from it.

But the question is, does (Y/N) seeing Mikey again after everything will benefit (Y/N)?

"Eri, let me see (Y/N), please," Mikey pleaded. Mikey wonders what your reaction will be if ever... if ever, only ever, you remember him. If only you could regain those memories you shared with him over the past few years, the memories you shared even from the first day you met him. Would you also have the same glint of joy in your eyes as before? Will you also talk about your day like before? Will he ever see that genuine smile when you glance at him again?

Mikey knows that it was all a blur, a hazy fuzz, just like how his face is blurred in your memories.

You can no longer remember the new Manjiro Sano, yet the Mikey you knew back then was also a blur.

Mikey was left there alone with Koko. He knew that he had lost everything. This is indeed the lowest point of Manjiro Sano.

But what Mikey doesn't know, is that Koko was constantly peeking at his phone, reading the news about Ran's situation.

Koko sweats profusely as he reads the text, his eyes widened from the gruesome news, and he's trying to hold his tears back since Mikey is just beside him.

Kakucho :

Ran was dead on arrival at the hospital.

Please don't inform Sano of it so suddenly.

We know the situation in the hospital thwre, but we're also dealing with a lot in this hospital.

Ran is gone. I don't know what to do with Rindou.

He becane insqne in this hkspital He's making a scene

Sanzu and I can't hold him back

Kakucho on the side of the screen was typing with trembling fingers. Tears are on the way while he's typing, and the sound of Rindou's cries, laced with despair, were all ringing in his ears.

Koko's chest felt heavy as he slowly turned his phone off and kept it inside his pocket. He felt a lump forming in his throat as he secretly blinked his tears away.

"What happened?" but Mikey didn't fail to notice this.

Koko felt compressed at this moment. Those thoughts engulfed his chest as he pondered if he shall inform Mikey.

"What's the news with Ran?" Mikey asked, almost repeating it.

"Fuck it," Koko thought as he prayed. This might be the last time he'll see light, and he'll prepare himself if Mikey ever outrages him. He can't keep this to himself, and he knows that he can't keep this for so long.

Koko knows that Mikey's mind is full. There's no space for another surge of dreadful news.

"S-Sano, he didn't make it... Dead on arrival. Ran is fucking gone."

A week has passed, and everyone is back in the Bonten hideout. They settled for at least three days to arrange their documents and, most importantly, Ran's papers, his medical bills, and his funeral arrangements.

They thought that today was another work day for Bonten until Mikey calls for a sudden meeting.

Everyone is silent, austere looks plastered on their faces as their eyes scan nothing but enervation.

Mikey was just staring at the thin air while his fingers were interlocked, sitting there on the middle-end chair by their long meeting table. He feels so overburdened. A plethora of endless thoughts started to loom in his mind while starting this meeting.

The Bonten higher-ups went inside the room, and after a few minutes of waiting, they were finally completed, except for two people.

"As you all know, Eri's personnel went here to pick up (Y/N)'s things. They're moving to another city," Mikey starts to speak.

Almost everyone has heard the news, and they knew they could do nothing about it. It's Eri, and they should adhere to the agreement. Even though they know that they should, they pledge to themselves every year that they're a man of their words. Such hypocrisy is not what they would seek.

"I don't want any bids or farewells, so I'll go straight to the point," Manjiro announced next, deeply sighing.

The men looked at each other in anticipation. Out of all their meetings, they felt a thick, heavy atmosphere permeating the room. They felt nothing but timorousness.

"The Bonten is disbanded."

Mikey stated with full credence, and the men, especially Sanzu's eyes, widened. Their stomachs dropped as they heard the words that Manjiro dropped.

Yet, why does Mikey's voice sounds dull when he announces it? You can tell the difference between the times he disbanded Bonten and Toman.

"What?!" Sanzu was the first to speak, and he stands up as he bangs his fist on the table.

"I don't need to repeat myself," Mikey nonchalantly replied.

Koko and Kakucho looked at each other. They were expecting this. They were just preparing themselves for what was coming, and this was it.

Rindou is just sitting there, sitting in his usual seat. He felt no emotions and sentiments; He felt no vehemence to stop Mikey. Furthermore, the seat beside him is empty.

"The transactions, bargaining, contracts, accords, and more with other organizations?! We can't just fucking disband this felony! Decades... more than a decade... we worked in this alliance, only for it to end like this?!" Sanzu shouted with pure despair, puzzlement, and agony.

"How many shares do you want? Seventy percent shares?" Mikey asked, throwing a glare at Bonten's number two.

"Shut the fuck up with that money. That's not what I fucking want. You won't deal me with bribery. I'm talking about this whole group, this whole organization. Bonten," Sanzu sternly replied.

"I've devoted my entire life to Bonten, and this is what I get in return?" he added, looking around as he takes a look at the three men, Rindou, Koko, and Kakucho.

"The three of you, what the hell are you doing?" Sanzu muttered. "So, that's it? Everything will end here? Why? Is it because of Ran's death, (Y/N)'s departure? At least give us a clear explanation, a reasonable and sensible one!"

"Don't you dare mention those two names," Mikey threatened. "Sit your ass down because I've stated my final decision."

"Mikey, when weren't you devoted to a crime? When was the last time you actually feel devoted to this group? I don't understand... I don't understand you, Sano. You've been so difficult to understand," Sanzu forced a laugh, suppressing the lump forming in his throat.

"I dropped my words. Disband Bonten," Mikey repeated, but with a little more irritated tone.

"I can't. We can't," Sanzu kept on being staunch. Tears of wrath prickle in the corners of his eyes.

"Do you see the situation your co-members have right now?" Manjiro stood up from his seat, the dark aura behind him growing even more intense. His eyes are bloodshot wide, and the knives in his eyes are all pointed toward Sanzu.

"Do you wish to sacrifice more people in this hellhole?! Do you wish to never see light ever again?! We've lost motivation, connections, and a valuable person with a valuable position. Do you think someone can replace that easily? Do you not understand that this is the downfall of Bonten?! Do you not understand that this is the lowest of the low of us?!" Mikey raged.

Yeah, Sanzu is known as a dog, as a follower of Mikey, but for what reasons exactly? He still remains obscure, but this time, he feels like he'll need to break that leash connecting to Mikey's hand, which he can no longer control.

"I understand! I fucking understand that ever since Draken died! Do you not understand the impact of his death?! Ever since he died, it was already our downfall. We were neglecting it as if it's nothing—!"

"The trigger is the forbidden knowledge and Draken's death. It was the start of our misery!"

"Who am I to neglect Draken's death?! Stop being a hypocrite!" Mikey cuts him off. "Do you think I was willing to shoot him back then?"

"You have a will, and that is to kill Draken! You were the one holding that gun. You were the person standing at the exact same spot as Draken's killer. Do you also not realize that you also almost killed (Y/N)?! So, tell me, who was really your target and plan to kill all along? Draken or (Y/N)?" Sanzu retorted.

"You have no right to ask that, hell even tell me that nonsense! Why would I kill more? I already lost my fucking will! That will is far long gone, very far, so fucking far! They're all gone!"

"But why did you have to kill him...? It fucking influenced Haru, it provoked him to choose the path of a void, the path of misery, the path of carnage! The path like yours, Sano!"

"Tell me who's the reason I'm on that path right now?!" Mikey shouted, directly at Sanzu.

Sanzu closed his eyes for a moment, his head shaking in disbelief as he dropped his fist. "You won't ever stop blaming me, do you?"

"Pardon my language, but you two need to calm the fuck down," Kakucho sighed while rubbing his temples in distress.

Sanzu and Mikey just glared at each other before sitting down in their seats.

"The meeting is dismissed," Mikey said. No, this is more like their last meeting. Their last assembly. Their last talk.

Everyone barged out of the cold meeting room, leaving Mikey alone in the dark, sitting there.

Mikey sighed, just staring at the thin air. He took his phone out, and his heart grew ten times heavier as he saw the date. Two days left before you'll depart for another city with Eri. He knows that you'll move to a faraway place, far away from home.

Mikey decided to go back to his office and slumped his body on his chair. He sighed in distress, running a hand through his scalp in stress.

His eyes wandered around the picture frames on his desk, and one caught his attention, which caused him to be sentimental.

It's the photo from years ago in the church.

He felt his heart seize up just by looking at the photograph. Everything reminded him of everything. Everything in that photograph alone.

He felt like no good leader. He felt like no good lover. He felt like no good friend. 

But now, he decided to just remove it, to also help him forget you.

If (Y/N) doesn't remember him anymore, why would he?

Yet, Mikey grabbed the picture frame. He wants to keep that photo. He wants to hug that photo because it's the only thing left of you. There, teardrops start to fall on the frame.

He wants to do it, yet he wants to forget you. He wants to remove that photograph, yet he can't do it.

He hates how he didn't show his love to you. He hates how he didn't show his affection towards you. He hates how he didn't even get to say those words to you, and he hates himself for how he couldn't show his emotions.

Furthermore, he wants to do everything that he could've done when you were still there. 

He had all the chances, but he wasted it.

There is only one thing he can do to at least keep your sanity, and that is to let you go and have your own bright future, just like what Draken promised.

"I'll miss you forever."

He will indeed miss her dearly, where she's close yet so far.

ONE YEAR LATER...

Everyone parted ways. Everyone starts to have a new future. Yet the remnants of yesterday, of last month, and of the past few years can't be erased from their minds.

They kept on seeing the glimpse of yesterday. The glimpse of horrid.

And some people are stuck in that "yesterday".

Just like some Bonten higher-ups.

Rindou is sitting in the corner of his room, and bottles of beer are strewn all over his room, but for him, it feels like a dark cellar.

It's been a year since he's been like this. Only a few friends and distant relatives visit him frequently, but only one family member can bring his sanity back.

"Rindou, are you still there?" a voice erupted from Rindou's phone that was thrown across the room. It's one of his distant relatives, but he couldn't care less about it.

"I don't know how to live anymore. If only, I can bring myself to the fucking adoption center. It's like I lost a parent. Fucking hell, which path should I go to? Why didn't you at least wait for me, Ran? I could've protected you. At least for once, I could've been the older brother for you," Rindou blabbers out a plethora of words of insanity. 

It's obvious that Rindou is inebriated, drunk, and high. The alcohol in his system caused those thoughts that he had been keeping for so long.

"Rindou... Ran is gone... please, accept it. Your relatives from overseas are mourning too, but for the sake of your health, please—" the relative was cut off as Rindou grabbed his phone and turned off the call.

"A fuckery in this misery of fuckers," Rindou groaned as he drank another bottle of beer.

"I can't live this madness anymore. I did everything to fucking survive the end, all for me to reach this. Ran, I can't live anymore. I'm so sorry for disappointing you."

Rindou saw Ran's figure standing in front of him, and the younger brother's eyes glistened with hope.

Rindou ran towards it in dire need of his brother's comfort, even if he knows that he was just seeing things. Nevertheless, it was enough for him.

He was ready to hug Ran. He was ready to tell him all those stories. He was ready to cry on his brother's shoulder and finally break down. He was ready to let it all out.

Only for him to realize that it was just a hallucination, and he ended up hugging nothing but the thin, cold air.

Even if Ran is already dead, he's still there for Rindou, guiding him.

Rindou limply broke down to the ground as he cried. The tears were unstoppable, and only Ran could be the one to stop them.

"I'm so sorry. I can't live like this," Rindou slowly reached for the gun and pointed the barrel at his temple.

"If this is the only way I can see you again, then I'll willingly do it."

He was ready to shoot it, but why couldn't he also do it?

Rindou clicked his tongue and threw the gun away, colliding with the ground.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Ran. I can't and will never forgive myself for not forgiving you during our last argument. It was on me. It was all my fault. I'm the reason you're not here."

Till now, Rindou still carries heavy blame on himself.

A surplus of sleepless nights and a feeling of dread always loom in Rindou because of the guilt, regret, and agony.

Ran is the only person whom he can lean on. He's his other half, yet Rindou felt like he was the one who killed his other half.

Even so, Rindou will try to find the right path again because he knows that Ran won't like it if Rindou lures himself into the world of vile criminals again.

"Sir Sanzu, please take your pills. It's been days. Stop taking the wrong pills."

Sanzu's health starts to deteriorate. His addiction to drugs was starting to increase. Every day, he's getting more unstable and unstable, and it's only getting worse.

He took another swallow of those forbidden pills he's addicted to, and it's an understatement.

Only these pills make the emotions on the verge of an outburst in his chest contented. It suppresses those unwanted thoughts clouding his mind that may lead him to harm himself. This is the only way he can cope... cope with the morbid reality he'll face later, tomorrow, and for the next few years.

He lost hope, and only these drugs are leading him to those dreams, and hallucinations, and sending him to a different universe where he has a different life, where he's stable, and where his wrongdoings in the past have been atoned.

"Sir Sanzu, please... Take your pills. Your brother and sister are here. The doctors are here with your prescriptions," the maid pleaded. She thought this was a job that would risk her life. Taking care of him.

"I won't see her anymore if I take my med! I can't see (Y/N) anymore!" Sanzu shouted as he pushed the tray away.

No, he can't drink those medicines because in this little world he lives in his mind, you were there, and the forbidden pills are the gate to it.

He continued to drug himself, to cause himself to become inebriated from the reality he was in.

Only these hallucinations make him happy.

"Sir, your brother, and sister told me that's not the pill you should take..." the caretaker cautiously puts the tray of pills beside Sanzu's bed.

Brother? Sister? Who even are those?

"Fucking get out!" Sanzu suddenly burst out in anger as he pushed the tray of water and pills, making it spill on the floor.

Takeomi and Senju entered Sanzu's room. Their middle sibling, the only distant sibling among them, finally came home with them.

Their heart seized up just by the sight of their brother. On that bed, Sanzu looks much paler and thinner than the last time they saw him. His ribs are showing, and the bones are much more apparent. He also has cuts on his wrist and dark circles around his dead eyes.

They know damn well that they're rivals in the world of gangs. To be honest, even rivals in the family, rivals in every aspect. Takeomi and Senju both know that Sanzu still harbors a deep-seated animosity for his siblings, lurking inside his chest that is beyond difficult to get rid of.

Senju was the first to walk to Sanzu to hug him, and even if she felt that Sanzu was pushing her away physically and emotionally, she kept the hug even if it felt unwelcoming for her brother.

"Sanzu, just take your medicine, please," Takeomi pleaded.

"The two of you took my fucking trust away and my home, and now you want to take my sanity as well?!" Sanzu groaned as he shoved her away from the embrace.

Takeomi caught Senju who fell backward because of Sanzu's harsh push.

"Just... just let me have my happiness even if it's not real, will you?" Sanzu muttered before slowly dozing off, ready to enter his imaginary world in his mind again.

Takeomi and Senju had no choice but to let Sanzu have his own way of dealing with his pathological of his own drugs. They tried their hardest to find any way of letting him have his medication. It will cause a godly amount of money for hospitalization and therapy, but if it means saving their brother in that little word of his he called happiness but is actually leading him to death, then they'll gladly do everything just to restore Sanzu's sanity.

In the end, it's the three of them who unite again.

They say, at the end of the day, it's the people who are capable of achieving their wants, dreams, and affords that will only survive.

It's only those people who are sane, and who still have a space in mind for serenity.

They think it's okay to survive in this world, but what's engulfing them is the feeling of dread and loneliness as they grow old.

It was a mixture of emotions, honestly. It's overwhelming.

"Kakucho, how was it?" Koko asked as he entered Kakucho's office in his firm.

The two knew it was best for the group to disband. They felt like it was the best option. It's a horrendous era for them, and they have to end it.

Kakucho didn't notice that he was dozing off, so Koko had to call his attention thrice. "Kakucho?"

"O-oh," Kakucho shook his head. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, how's the convention, a while ago?" Koko asked.

"Ah, it's alright. Just a few errands here and there," Kakucho replied as he placed his phone on his office table while turning his phone off.

Koko's eyes were sharp, and that's why he easily saw what was on Kakucho's screen.

"Missing that organization?" Koko straightforwardly asked. Kakucho's screen was displayed on Bonten's files, searches, and anything related to that group.

"Nah," Kakucho muttered. "Just checkin' some stuff. It might help in our company."

Koko nodded and hummed. "Alright."

Koko and Kakucho have been good business partners ever since Bonten disbanded. They wiped off their records that had a correlation to that organization. They cleaned their names and simply forgot about everything in the past.

"You know, when we were still in Bonten, you're the one with whom I didn't interact much. I'm surprised that we're business partners now," Koko said.

"Yeah, business partners... legally," Kakucho bantered.

Kakucho went back to his birthplace city to continue his business. He used the skills he learned from his former occupation, and somehow, his firm was in augmentation for the past few years.

"Koko," Kakucho called.

"What?"

"Do you ever want to visit them?" Kakucho asked, and Koko knew exactly who he's talking about.

"Bingo, knew it. Knew that you still reminisce Bonten," Koko chuckled as he slumped himself on the couch beside Kakucho's desk and sighed.

"No? I'm just curious."

"I mean," Koko paused for a moment. "There's no harm in doing so, right?"

"Yeah, there's no harm in visiting someone, but when it's them?" Kakucho sighed, furrowing his brows.

"No news or updates with them, yeah? Especially Sano," Koko asked.

"Yeah, no news."

Koko checked his watch and raised his brows. "I have to go now. I still have to attend a meeting."

"Alright. Just give me the requirements for the bidding before eleven," Kakucho said before averting his attention back to his computer screen and files.

The two men have been getting along well, unlike when they were still in Bonten. That unlawful knowledge and skills they learned from that felony have been converted into an actual right place to use.

They may be successful, but at the end of the day, they sulk themselves into an endless thought of abyss.

Kakucho has a conscience, and he knows it. He had morals and virtue, but why is it so impossible to forget those wrongful actions he did?

It felt like it was wrongdoing of him, it felt like it will tarnish his name permanently, staining it forever until to his grave.

Those lurking thoughts in the back of his head will forever haunt him.

Koko knew it, he's a keen man, and the love-hate relationship for values will forever be a factor of his. There are occasions when he'll stand up in front of many people, do public speaking, place that feigned smile, and the glint in his eyes is like a façade for him.

Both of them knew that they should be enjoying this new life they have, but Bonten will forever be a blissful pain of tarnish to their names.

After everything that has happened, Manjiro refused to leave the city, but what really has happened to him over the past few months?

At least a few months... maybe a few months.

Everything will be settled. Everything will be calm. Everything will be in place. Yet the void in their hearts will never and ever be meddled with and be put to rest.

Everyone began to part ways on their own to start a new beginning, and a glimpse of tomorrow will be foreseen.

Yet they will never forget the glimpse of yesterday. 

A/N:     two more chapters left. :)