My jaw was tight as I watched him. The tears were nothing new to me. Of course he was frightened, but the idiot had gotten himself caught up in the fight. My anger was nothing new either, Masao recognized it as he laid his hand on my arm, the one that had my fingers slowly tightening on the boy’s jaw. The touch took my attention. Looking over to him, his slight frown reminded me of who I was holding and I loosened my grip on the kid. Masao let out an audible sigh of relief.

“You do have your life to worry about, boy,” I said, voice low but still with that dangerous edge to it due to my anger, “Jin was working for someone else other than me. You became his hostage. You’re now a target. But if you still wish to go home as if nothing happened, then so be it.”

“Kazuo!”

I shot Masao a heavy glare, silencing him quickly before I looked back at the kid, “I have enough to worry about than one brats life because he’s too stupid to realize anything other than his little art book.”

I stepped away from him, releasing my hold of his jaw. Putting my gun back in its holster, I crossed my arms as I stared at the kid. Masao stood nervously next to me, his gaze shooting between me and the boy against the wall. I knew Masao wanted to say something, but he didn’t dare to do so.

“What?” Against all odds, the boy blinked his tears away, and actually looked mad at me. “It’s not an art book. Are you stupid? It’s Ayano Yamane’s latest release! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this to come out? I couldn’t wait to come home, and you interrupted that! If anybody’s at fault here, it’s you!”

The boy’s green eyes were cutting as he glared at me. “I will go home, and I’ll read this, and nothing will happen. Unlike you, I’m just a normal college kid. I didn’t understand a single word I heard of what you two were talking about, so I don’t see how I’ll be in any danger. So, since you’re so graciously willing to allow me my human rights, I’ll be leaving now.”

He bent over to carefully pick up the book he had dropped, lovingly brushing the dirt off its cover before he stood to glare at me again. He was awfully brave when it was his manga that was in danger, instead of his life.

I was silent for the entirety of his outburst. Watched him until he was down the street far enough to be unable to hear me. Masao looked pale, his lips parted as he stared at the kids back with wide eyes. Apparently he couldn’t believe that the boy had shouted. At me. Of all people. A slow grin was beginning to take place on my lips as I watched him continue on down the street, his nose in the book.

The first sound of a chuckle startled Masao, “K-Kazuo?”

Ignoring him, my laughter grew until I was a little out of breath from doing so. Reaching up, my hand brushed along my face into my hair where I swept it back. Shaking my head a little, I sighed as I spoke softly, “He is interesting.”

“He’s a fucking idiot.”

I laughed again, “Yes. That too. Send two men. Keep an eye on him, but nothing more. Just watch.”

“Thought you said you weren’t going to bother yourself with him. Kazuo, do you really wanna go through-”

“Do it, Masao,” I growled at him, my light mood switching rapidly to being pissed off that he was questioning what I wanted him to do.

He swallowed dryly and nodded, “Yes. I’ll do it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said with a pointed look.

Out of everyone, Masao was the only one who could speak to me like that and not lose their head. Apparently the kid was the second one who could do so and still walk away with his life. It amused me greatly, but Masao did have a point. One that was sour at the back of my mouth.

Looking down at the bodies of the men we’d killed, I grimaced. It was then that I felt the dry blood across my face. With an annoyed sigh, I straightened my clothes, brushing it off as if they were dirty when what I was really doing was trying to steady myself. People might have thought that I enjoyed killing. I did it so easily. But it was far from the truth. I just did what I had to in order to survive and to keep my city from the wrong kind of yakuza. Maybe they thought I was the wrong kind, but there were certainly worse kinds, far worse than me.

“Clean this up, Masao. I’ll meet you back at Kiyto.”

He gave me a bow then, uttering a single word that told me he would do as I asked him to. Turning on my heel, I left him on the dark street. Taking the alleyway where we had been, I walked down to the car that waited for me. Slipping into the backseat, I motioned for the driver to leave that part of Tawano. The entire ride back to the house, though, was spent with my mind running through what Jin had said.

It bothered me greatly that he was working with someone else while spewing those words of loyalty to me. What I wanted to know was who the hell he was working with. It wasn’t like I could pinpoint it. There were plenty of other yakuza who wished to take Tawano from me. I’d been fending off their attacks for a while. A long while. Many of those fights had been rather close calls, but those had reasons for being close.

Reasons I didn’t want to remember.

I was going to have to be careful. Sending scouts to see who was going to start trouble first was one of the top things on my agenda once I stepped into Kiyto. I needed information and quickly.

As the street lights flew past, the brilliant glowing of the city that stood tall and proud, I found my thoughts slipping back to that kid. He had a mouth, that was for sure. A bit of a live wire that sparked my interest. It had been a while since I’d seen someone brave enough like that to talk back to me in such a way, and all over a ridiculous book too. I was grinning again before we reached the house.

I wanted to see that boy again. If only to tease out that fire of his.

***

“He goes to the university about a mile from his house. Don’t know if he lives alone or with family,” Masao was saying.

Two days had passed and so far nothing had happened to the young kid who had been brought into the middle of our fight with Jin. I was pleased nothing was happening to him, but I wasn’t about to let up on it either. If we were anything, the yakuza were definitely patient. If he was a target, they would wait until the opportune moment to snatch him. Ironically enough simply because I saved his life and let him go, if any spies had been watching, they’d think the boy was involved with me. It made my lips twist into a sour expression at the thought. Bastards. Anything to twist my arm to make me relent.

They were greatly mistaken though.

“His name’s Hiroshi Okamoto. He’s in his first year of study at the local university, but he doesn’t show much of an interest in his studies. The money from his part time job seems to be spent on his…” He paused, and sighed. “His manga. This kid’s obsessed with it, I don’t think it’s healthy. But other than that, he seems like… he’s just a normal kid. A little lacking when it comes to common sense, but he makes good grades. Doesn’t have a girlfriend, though not for lack of girls trying. He doesn’t seem interested.”

“Not interested, hu?” I couldn’t help the grin as I looked up at the ceiling, lounging back in the chair seated behind my desk, “I wonder what he would be interested in.”

A short glance over to Masao showed a faint blush spreading across his face. He knew very well what I meant by that. I laughed a little at him, “Anything else?”

Masao cleared his throat before shaking his head, “No. Nothing, and no one has shown any odd interest in him either.”

“Doesn’t mean they won’t.”

“I know that. I’ll keep watching him until we know for certain nothing will happen to him. But… Kazuo.”

I narrowed my eyes, turning to look at him with a frown, “What?” my voice snarled at him.

“Be careful. I won’t see that again.”

I snorted at him and turned away, “Keep your sentiments, Masao.”

“So you say. I’m leaving again. Anything you need from me?”

“No. Just keep me informed on everything. Anyone makes a move, I want to know about it. And that kid…” I paused, “What is the name of that book of his?”

Masao sighed heavily, “Since it seems you’re not going to listen to me, why do I bother… Ayano Yamane, Kazuo. The author that he’s so attached to.”

“I see. That’s all,” I turned the chair so that I was looking out the window, my indication that he could leave.

Masao made an irritated sound and left the room, the door closing softly. I sat there for a while longer, my thoughts roaming around what Masao had told me. Eventually I stood and left the office. I had plenty of things I needed to do. Meetings, deals to settle, arrangements to make. All in the name of keeping my business running smoothly. Yet, I found myself telling the driver to make a stop at a certain book store. Masao would probably want to hang me, but that kid had struck something with me.

He was all too interesting.

Next Chapter: 4- Hiroshi