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═══ DEMONS AND ANGELS ═══

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HESITATION. IN A FIGHT IT COULD BE LETHAL to hesitate for even a second before a strike. Leaving this sort of opportunity for the opponent to attack could turn the tables and ultimately end in your loss. By hesitating to enter the building where Seina lived momentarily could not be compared to a fight between two or more people. It was a battle with herself.

The last time Akiko had talked to her sister, she had wanted to cut all ties. To come crawling back, asking for Seina's help, was hurting the little pride she had left. It made her feel small and helpless to always depend on others. At the same time, Akiko knew she couldn't change overnight. Change took it's sweet time to settle in and develop. Until that time would come, Akiko had to make do with all the resources she had.

Watching carefully from the side, Chifuyu witnessed as Akiko's doubtful eyes gradually hardened in expression until her face reflected nothing but utmost determination. He could only imagine whatever was going through her head. He contemplated asking her whether or not he should accompany her, when Akiko suddenly moved and stormed into the building. Without thinking, Chifuyu rushed after her, his body making the decision for him.

As they rode up in the elevator, silence filled the air. And even though it had been little over two weeks since the two had met, Chifuyu was impressed by Akiko's development. When they had met, she was a rather shy, reserved girl. Then came the day when she had been forced to stand up to Hoshino Ken and Kurayami, which seemed to have awoken her spirit to fight. Now, against all odds, Akiko pulled herself together and faced the demons of her past in order to fight for a future she always wanted for herself. Freedom. Security. Love. A sense of belonging.

Chifuyu felt proud. A smile tugged at his lips as he admired Akiko.

She caught him staring. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Heat rose to his face. Quickly, Chifuyu averted his eyes to the floor and cleared his throat. "Uh, nothing. Just spaced out."

The elevator doors slid open in the same moment Akiko quirked an eyebrow, saving him from further embarrassment. Once Akiko had turned her back on him, Chifuyu released a sigh of relief and straightened his posture. If he wanted to protect Akiko, he couldn't let his guard down and let himself be distracted this easily.

For some reason, Seina was already expecting them. The tall woman stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and a calculating look in her hazel eyes. Something about her seemed off. She appeared oddly tense and stressed out. A crease between her eyebrows and the way her lips were pressed together firmly gave her away.

"It was only a matter of time before you came back," Seina revealed confidently. "What changed your mind?"

"Can we talk?" Akiko asked, completely evading the question. "It's important."

"It's a bad time right now. Come back tomorrow."

The door was about to shut in their faces. While Chifuyu shrugged to himself, thinking it couldn't be helped and that he rather not get on another Hoshino's bad side, Akiko proved more stubborn. Slamming her foot between the door and the frame, she stopped Seina from brushing her off.

"You know I can't wait that long," retorted the brunette, eyes trained on the floor as her shoulders moved up and down from breathing heavily, fists clenched. "You know what your father is like. Every second I waste bring me closer to the end. But I don't plan on losing. Not this time. So, you have two options. You can help me ... or you go down with me. If I die, you're next in line."

Slowly, Akiko looked up to be met with an unexpected sight. Instead of glaring and scolding her little sister like she used to, Seina was sympathizing with Akiko. Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded and stepped back, opening the door to let the two teens inside.

Shock punched Akiko with all its might, shaking her down to the bone when her eyes fell upon a hunched over figure standing behind Seina. Her once tidy chestnut brown hair was messy and hastily thrown into a low bun. Her amber orbs were saddening to look at. From what little skin she showed, her face and neck and wrists were covered in deep purple bruises.

Back in the day, Sano Mayu was a beautiful and lively girl. But now, Hoshino Mayu was a broken woman.

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──── ˚✩ ༘*ೄ˚ ────

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STEAM AROSE FROM THE CUP OF TEA when Mayu shakily lifted it to her lips. After the initial shock had worn off, everyone had settled down in the living room of Seina's apartment and the young woman had prepared some tea to help sooth everyone's nerves.

Akiko had yet to say a word to her mother.

From the story grandfather Sano had told, she had falsely assumed that her mother was safe in Hoshino's presence, believing he must have loved her enough to spare her. Being faced with reality, that her mother had become the scapegoat, taking the punishment for something she had done, it set off a whole bomb of guilt in Akiko's chest, tearing at her heart.

Seldom was Hoshino Akiko at a loss for words. Nothing seemed right to say or ask. She was smart enough to guess at what happened. Yet she was in denial.

Instead of allowing for guilt to consume her, Akiko turned to Seina. "I need you to tell me everything you know about Pandemonium. How they operate. What gangs are under their control. Who the other two executives are. Any weaknesses you know of. Anything to help us take them down."

Both Seina and Mayu gawked at Akiko when not a single muscle moved in the girl's face, leaving no room to doubt how serious she was. Her fingers curled around the hem of her shirt, wrinkling the fabric. She chewed on her lip, afraid Seina would turn her down after Akiko had pushed her away the last time.

"During the time I was away from home," Akiko began to explain, briefly glancing at her mother, "I learned to view the world from a different perspective. I got a taste of how beautiful life can be and that studying and business deals aren't all there is to life. For the first time I don't feel lonely. And that is worth protecting in my eyes. But as long as Hoshino Ken roams freely, none of us will ever learn true happiness."

To say she was surprised was an understatement for how Seina felt. Even though her and Akiko weren't real sisters, they had grown up to believe they were and now more than ever, Seina felt she needed to be the older sister Akiko deserved all her life. With a small smile on her lips, Seina nodded.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad. But are you ready to face Pandemonium? Do you really think you can do it? Because once you're in this, there is no turning back."

Stubborn as ever, Akiko nodded. "I already have a target on my back. I might as well take responsibility for it."

"Before Pandemonium seemingly disbanded almost fifteen years ago, everyone left aside from my father, Kurayami, and two men who call themselves Yin and Yang. They are all that's left of Pandemonium. Itachi joined them when he turned eighteen, but I haven't seen him since last year's Christmas."

"Do you have an idea where he is?"

With a shake of her head, Seina confirmed Akiko's suspicion. "No. His college said he dropped out two years ago when I asked about him. Apparently, he abandoned all his dreams and aspirations of becoming a lawyer just to please our father."

Showing loyalty to a cruel man more than to his sisters drove another dagger through Akiko's heart. In spite of their difficult relationship, their constant fights and the way Itachi had always pushed her around, Akiko had held onto hope that they would eventually grow closer as they got older and left the childish behavior in the past. Hearing those words from Seina was all it took to nip her last hope in the bud.

"What do you propose we do now?" asked Akiko, voice heavy with emotion. She cleared her throat and blinked rapidly in an attempt to keep herself in check.

Beside her, Chifuyu felt helpless. There was nothing he could have said or done in that moment to ease her pain. He opted to do the only thing he could think of. Carefully, he took one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers, as if to tell her she wasn't alone, that she could always lean on him for support.

The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Mayu and Seina.

"You'd be surprised to hear that there are many children of former Pandemonium members who are willing to put up a fight. Over the past few years I've kept in touch with them, trained with them, studied Pandemonium and crafted possible strategies of bringing them down," Seina revealed.

"Why would they do that?" Chifuyu wondered. "I mean, they don't have anything to do with Pandemonium. What's their goal?"

Seina smiled. "Their parents knew that my father would get himself into serious trouble one day. They left because they didn't want to be part of a criminal organization anymore. They were seeking redemption. But they feared that Pandemonium would come for them and their families. So, they taught their children how to defend themselves."

A sliver of hope was revived. The past had many demons, some worse than others, but the universe had laws and those laws stated that there had to be a balance at all times — demons had counterparts. Some called them angels, others considered it the will of the gods that light was able to permeate the darkness. Pandemonium's past crimes had resulted in a group of young individuals fighting to restore the balance and keep the darkness at bay.

Akiko gave Chifuyu's hand a squeeze. She sat up a little straighter, listening intently to Seina's words.

"We aren't exactly a gang, even though some of us really want to kill that stereotype of gangs being violent and criminal groups of delinquents. But, we did give ourselves a name," Seina told them. Her smile widened. "Fengari."

"Like the moon," whispered Akiko, remembering the lessons she had on Greek mythology. "It shines bright, even in the darkest of nights."

Happy that her sister had caught on to it, Seina nodded. "Exactly. And by combining forces with Toman, we can take on Pandemonium. I'm sure of it."

"But they have many of Tokyo's gangs under their control," chimed in Chifuyu, eyebrows furrowed. "They have way more fighters than we do."

At that, Seina chuckled. "Oh, believe me, most of them are small groups with nothing but pickpockets and big-mouthed weaklings who don't fight. All they want is a great reputation without having to put in actual work. But your worries are valid. There are still gangs like Valhalla with a considerable amount of fighters. And Moebius, as you already know."

Looking down for a minute, Chifuyu was lost in thought. As Akiko examined his face from the side, she wondered what was on his mind. She was distracted by his thumb drawing circles on the back of her hand.

"Black Dragons have been leaderless for months now," he stated, meeting Seina's eyes. "Could they be possible allies to us?"

Seina hummed. "They aren't under father's demand, that's for sure. But they are struggling. There seems to be internal conflict and no one listens to the acting leader. Working with them would be problematic."

"Isn't that the gang Shinichiro founded?" Akiko frowned.

"It is. Yet with their instability we would risk the success of our mission. Black Dragons are not an option," Seina retorted. "Let's focus on Fengari for now."