Chapter Text
The sun was setting over the streets of Tokyo. The beautiful peach shades of the sky overlooked the group of friends riding their motorcycles, heading to their houses after a long meeting. The leader, Mikey, was asleep behind his best friend, Draken, holding onto the taller boy like a backpack as he sped down the road. Behind them, Baji and Kazutora rode on their own bikes. They laughed quietly at their childish leader, whispering jokes at each other until the spoken of woke up, ordering Draken to stop at a convenience store.
Across the street was Alyssa, a short, raven-haired girl with a strong will. She was foreign, an outcast in the city of Tokyo. Everywhere she went, she was stared at like she was a display at a museum. Bewildered looks trailed after her and she didn't know if it was because of her beauty or because she was simply different. Her skin was tanned and her brown eyes had a western shape, paired with the rest of her Latin American features.
She’d moved here on a whim, being a fan of Japanese culture and dreaming of living in Tokyo her whole life. Alyssa learned Japanese a few years ago, grasping the language quickly. She had a bit of an accent but could hold a conversation perfectly. She loved how people here were actually kind once she spoke to them, so she grew used to the staring when she entered places she was not known. She headed home from the marketplace after a long day of shopping. There were quite a few things she needed to settle and make her apartment homier.
With headphones in, Alyssa made her way through the sidewalk, stepping around people carefully to not hit them with her outrageous number of bags. She stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the signal to cross along with a few other people. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned to see a man barely a few inches taller than her. His hair was graying and he had some stubble. The scent of booze and cigarettes filled her nose when he stepped even closer.
“Need some help with those, young lady?”
The signal turned and she began walking away after politely turning him down. He walked closely behind her as they crossed the street, making the girl feel very uncomfortable. She looked around the street to take in the details in case of an emergency; she felt something would be going wrong any minute now. She spotted three motorcycles parked in front of a convenience store before she felt herself being dragged into a dark alley. She yelled out but her voice was muffled by the man’s hand. He slammed her head against the brick wall in attempts to knock her out but she gained the momentum to kick between his legs. As the man crouched over in pain, she looked to her left to see a group of four boys walking out of the store. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to make it out of the alleyway in time, she grabbed a random glass cup she’d purchased for her apartment and launched it across the street in an effort to get their attention. The loud wail for help began to leave her lips before it got cut off by the man who grabbed her ankle. She fell on her face and attempted to throw herself forward, army crawling away from the man getting ready to take his trousers off. He dragged her back when her hand met the light of the lamp post illuminating a sliver of the alley. Fumbling with the button of his pants, he began grabbing at the hem of her shirt. Alyssa flailed below the assailant, kicking her limbs out and making contact wherever they landed. He gripped her wrists and straddled her legs, spitting curses at her face.
Draken pushed Kazutora to the side when he spotted a random glass flying towards them before crashing by their feet.
“What the hell?” Baji crouched by the glass, expecting some message to come from it. Maybe from a rival gang. But their ears perked up when they heard a shrilling scream that was cut off, followed by a thud. They all looked across the street to see a hand making its way out of a dark alley. Then, a woman’s figure began crawling out before it was dragged back with a muffled sob. The boys quickly began making their way across the road, dodging cars that halted in shock when a band of young boys threw themselves into traffic. Baji was the first to make it to the alley, immediately spotting a figure hunched over a petite one lying on the ground shaking.
The assaulter pressed his chapped lips to Alyssa’s neck, biting the pure skin that pulsed with adrenaline. He grasped her chest and squeezed hard enough to send a flash of pain through her breast. She managed to break her wrists free and scratch the side of the man’s face. In response, he wrapped his hand around her arm and slammed it against the concrete. Her skin broke at the contact with the light gravel coating the concrete. A yelp sounded from her when he left a harsh hit against her rib cage.
“You bitch, I tried to be nice to ya but ya decided to be ungrateful, huh? Stupid foreign whore,” the man mumbled before getting kicked on the side of the head. He landed with his back against the wall, a startled huff leaving his crusted lips with the harsh contact.
“Who the hell are you, punk?” The assaulter tried to stand and meet the mysterious guy’s height but fell extremely short, getting sent flying by an even taller figure. Alyssa tried to stand and run away, believing these men would attack her next but she was mistaken. A blonde boy with his hair half-up reached a hand towards her. She took it and was almost up before she lost balance and fell to her knees with a defeated yelp. Beside her, she heard the thuds of kicks and punches being thrown by three other guys who she assumed were friends with the blonde. In front of her, he kneeled on one knee and looked into her eyes.
“Hey. What's your name?”
She tried to answer but her ears were ringing, her head was throbbing, and the corners around her vision were turning black.
“Hey!” The boy said a bit louder. The kicking and punching suddenly stopped and all of them circled around her. They all kneeled like the first guy except one who kept his distance with a foot perched against the wall, arms crossed with a bored look on his face. Alyssa fell more towards the floor and she felt an arm come across her collarbone before she fell on the guy in front of her.
“Here. Let's get you up, sweetheart.”
The tallest boy took the blonde’s spot and grabbed beneath her arms, helping her to her feet. She felt dizzy and swayed a bit as she lightly pushed against the stranger’s arms. The touch of another person was the last thing she wanted to feel. She wanted to go back to the safety of her home with her various bags of items and spend the rest of the night arranging them to her liking. She walked forward, stumbling by the group, mumbling nonsense before she tripped over herself and fell by the bored guy’s feet. He simply stared at her weak figure and rolled his eyes.
“Get off, you’re creasing my shoe.” He lifted his foot from below her stomach, moving to step around her.
“Dude. Why didn’t you catch her?” The guy with highlights scolded.
“Why didn't you?” He shot back.
“Because I wasn’t the one next to her, dumbass.” They were face to face now. She took a closer look at the two idiots arguing while the other two helped her up. The guy coming to her defense had black hair and what seemed to be bright yellow highlights framing his face. He had a tattoo on the side of his neck that she couldn’t make out but figured he had a piercing by the jingling sound she heard whenever he moved his head. The other boy had long, black hair and an intimidating side profile; almost like the Cheshire cat. His brows seemed to always be furrowed like he was angry at the world. They all wore a similar get-up with dark pants, a long-sleeve shirt with golden embroidered symbols. Her eyes couldn’t focus enough to read what it said.
Before she knew it, the tall one with a braid was sitting next to her, trying to talk to her while the small blonde was berating the other two.
“Whatever. I’m goin’ home.” The angry one muttered and turned around. The short one grabbed the back of his collar before one could blink and yanked him backward.
“Hey. My name’s Draken. Can you talk?” He asks quietly and gently.
Starting to regain her thought process, Alyssa nods, digging her head into her hands. The ringing in her ears died down so she could hear him clearly.
“Good. We wanna help you, alright? Can you tell us your name?”
The bickering to the far right stopped as they all turned, waiting for an answer from the disheveled girl.
“Alyssa,” she mumbled.
“Alyssa?” Draken repeated, making sure he got her name right. He smiles slightly when she nods.
“I’m Mikey,” the short blonde steps closer and smiles widely.
“Kazutora,” the one with highlights tilts his head to the side.
Both Mikey and Kazutora turn expectantly to the long-haired angry guy, both nudging him harshly in the ribs.
“What the f- ugh, fine. Name’s Baji. Can we go now?” The three other boys collectively roll their eyes at his rude behavior.
“Sorry about him. He’s a little cranky most of the time,” Draken attempts to save the situation. “Can you get up on your own?”
Alyssa nods, shakily pulling herself up, hanging onto the wall for dear life.
“Great. Look, she can walk and she can talk. Let’s go,” Baji starts walking away.
Mikey mumbles something along the lines of “This fucking asshole,” before he pulls him by the neckline again, making him almost land on his ass. Baji complains under his breath and goes back to lean against a wall opposite from Alyssa. Kazutora begins collecting Alyssa’s bags and setting back any items that fell out.
“Um. Did you guys kill him?” Alyssa’s voice is soft yet filled with worry. How could these guys just walk in and kill someone with no fear of consequences?
“No, idiot. Can’t you see he’s breathing? You blind or something?” Baji can't hold himself back, receiving a killer glare from Alyssa. If there’s anything she hated in this world, it was getting her intelligence and wits insulted. That was one way to get on her bad side. The look she sent was a warning to quit being rude before she stoops down to his level and make him regret ever opening his stupid mouth.
“Well. Thanks for the help. I’ll be heading home now,” Alyssa speaks with a tremor in her voice. She was truly terrified of having to walk home alone but she couldn’t just ask these guys she was unfamiliar with to accompany her home, where she lives by herself.
“We’ll take you home,” Mikey chimes in.
“You fucking kidding me?” Baji mumbles under his breath, spinning around to tap his forehead against the wall, hands in his pockets.
“That won't be necessary. I can get home on my own. Thanks,” Alyssa starts walking away and Baji starts thanking whatever god is out there watching over him.
“No. I insist. It’s no trouble, really. Just wanna make sure you get there safe,” Mikey smiles widely, taking a few steps towards the frightened girl, “You’re my friend now, after all.”
“Huh?” This is not how she expected she would make her first friend in Japan.
Baji starts kicking the wall at this point, just wanting to go home and eat the snacks he bought. The snacks!
“The snacks!” Baji’s outburst makes everyone turn towards him. “We left them by the bikes, what if someone took them?!”
He starts getting ready to sprint but this time Draken’s the one to drag him back by the collar, shooting him a disappointed look.
He growls at his persistent friends. He doesn't know why his friends are going so far to help this chick. They’ve done this before, it’s law in Toman to never endanger women and children and help them if necessary. But each time, they just kick some ass, bask in praise, and go on their merry way. Why is she any different? His favorite show is starting in ten minutes!
“If you wanna make sure she’s safe so badly, then you take her home, Mikey. I’m not missing my show for this dumb chick,” Baji’s ears are smoking at this point, fangs bared, and chest puffed.
“Listen, dude. I don’t know what the hell crawled up your asshole that has you so pissy, but if you insult my smarts once again, I swear you’ll end up worse than that guy,” Alyssa had her arm outstretched, pointing at the man who attempted to assault her only a mere fifteen minutes earlier.
The three other boys burst into fits of laughter; this being the first time they’ve seen such a little thing stand up to the more intimidating man. His brows manage to furrow farther in response.
“Watch it, kid. You don’t know who you're talking to,” he spits back, a menacing tone lacing his words.
“I don’t care who I’m talking to. I'm not allowing anyone to disrespect my person. Got it?” She takes a step toward him, challenging Baji to try her again.
“Clearly you do allow it,” he tilts his head back to the passed-out body behind them. Alyssa glanced over at the man and flashbacks of the recent event flooded her mind. She feels her head spinning and a burst of pain sprouts in her ribs and legs as the rush of adrenaline dies down. Tears well up at the corner of her eyes as she looks back into his, disbelief present in her expression.
“Baji,” she hears Draken speak in a scolding manner.
“Dude,” Kazutora mumbles disappointedly.
Alyssa stomps towards Baji with heavy, stumbling, yet quick footsteps. Before he can blink, her hand is in the air, flying with fury and hurling towards the side of his face. The rage and hurt she felt towards his comment fueled the harsh slap she splayed across the man’s cheekbone. Baji’s face stayed twisted to the side for a second, collecting himself before he turned back to where the girl was standing, only to find her some feet away, yanking her bags out of Kazutora’s hands with a wince.
She starts walking away in a hurry and Mikey runs towards her after glaring at Baji, who's enraged at this point. He goes out of his way to save her and she thanks him by slapping him. She even left a mark. Damn, this chick can't take a joke. The other guys trail after Mikey and Alyssa, making him walk behind them, too.
“I’m not getting on a bike, Mikey,” Alyssa argues with the small guy.
“It’ll be safer and faster than just walking home,” he debates.
“Where am I even gonna put my stuff?”
“I’ll take it for you. My bike has a basket and I have some space in the back of it,” Kazutora chimes in.
“It’s settled then. Kazutora will help you with your stuff and you can ride on Baji’s bike. I’m going with Draken,” he smiles.
“On his bike? No thanks. I’d rather walk.”
“My bike? This was your idea, Mikey. She can go on yours.”
“Draken’s driving my bike, though.”
“Then ride on my bike instead,” Baji throws his hands up in frustration towards his friends who keep dragging him into everyone’s problems.
“Nah, I’m good. Just play nice for a few minutes,” Mikey starts walking away towards the crosswalk, following Draken, “Oh. And apologize to my new friend or you’re out of the group.”
“What?! Apologize for what? She’s the one who slapped me.”
“Yeah and you deserved it, asshole,” Draken shouts back, already on the other side of the street. Alyssa crossed her arms, shivering from the cold as Kazutora walked beside her quietly. Baji was behind them mumbling complaints about the day’s turn of events.
“Hey, chick,” he called out but Alyssa ignored him. “Yo!”
Kazutora glanced at the girl. Her brows were furrowed and her lips were turned into a frown. He looked over his shoulder at Baji, who was speed walking towards them, ready to poke her shoulder before Kazutora sent him a warning look.
“She has a name, Baji,” he speaks softly.
“I don’t even remember it!” He throws his head back in frustration. He snaps it back to its place when he’s met by complete silence. “Fine. Hey, Alyssa. Or whatever.”
She looks over her shoulder at Baji with a fierce look in her eye, sending shivers down his spine.
“Sorry and shit. Alright?” By now, they were a few feet from where the bikes are parked and Baji walks around her to reach his bike first. He cheers to himself as he’s met by the bag of snacks where he left them, grabbing it and hanging it to Kazutora before mounting his vehicle. Alyssa stands near the bikes shifting from foot to foot, shooting Draken a pleading look when his eyes catch hers. He half-smiles reassuringly, letting her know it will be okay.
“Are you getting on or what?” Baji calls to her. Begrudgingly, she walks over to his bike and tries to lift her leg over it but loses her balance, forcing her to let her foot back down. She sighs in disappointment and frustration. She tries again with a different angle but her legs seem to be too weak to hold her up any longer. The boys look back at the girl with the exception of Baji who stares forward with his hands on the handles. After a few minutes of feeling her shuffle around, he turns to see a tear slip down her pretty face. With a roll of his eyes, he sets down the brake on the bike and gets off it.
“Fuck’s sake,” he huffs out before gripping her waist in an effort to help her on, only to be confused as she yelps out and swats his hands away.
“Bro, are you dumb? Don’t touch her, you fucking idiot,” Kazutora gets off his bike next. He slides onto Baji’s bike backward, facing Alyssa with his hands reaching out. Baji turns around cussing into the air of the empty road. Alyssa places her hands gently on Kazutora as Draken makes his way to help her lift her leg by her foot. She makes it onto the vehicle and both boys walk away to their respective ones. Baji comes back and takes his place harshly, almost making the girl slide off the back. He starts it up with a roar of the engine, balancing the bike to the correct position.
“Hold on unless you wanna fall off,” he looks over his shoulder at the tired girl, feeling a tiny tug of regret in his heart at the way he treated her after she went through something so scarring. Alyssa snakes her arms around Baji’s waist before she winces, letting out a small yelp into his ear.
He turns to fully look at her, confusion was written all over his face.
“What is it?” He looks at her, trying to stare whatever the problem is out of her. She makes eye contact with him before she turns her sight towards the ground. Baji turns his bike off again and steps off, turning to her. He leans over the girl waiting for an answer.
“My ribs. They hurt when I lift my arms,” she mumbles.
“Can I see them real quick?”
Alyssa looks back at the boy hesitantly but after a few seconds of staring into his eyes and confirming he has no ill intentions, lifts the side of her shirt slowly. Baji’s angry expression falls into one of slight sadness when he sees the large bruise on the side of the small girl’s body. The other boys get off their bikes and take a look as well.
“We should probably go to the hospital,” Draken speaks up.
“How the hell are we supposed to get there if she can’t even hold onto me? She’ll fall,” Baji steps over to Draken, discussing the possibilities to help solve the issue.
“Or you could let her sit up front,” Mikey suggests.
“And let her drive my bike? Fuck no, dude.”
“No, dumbass. You drive. But you'll be supporting her so she won't fall,” he explains.
“Yeah and we can just drive slower than usual,” Draken chimes in.
“And she's pretty small so it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable to reach the handles,” Kazutora walks closer to the group. They were all standing in a circle by now, deriving a thorough plan on how to transport the injured girl to the hospital.
“Fine,” Baji grumbles, “Move up.”
Alyssa shifts forward as Baji slides on behind her. Without a word, he cages her in between his arms, gripping the handles and starting up the bike again. Draken and Mikey speed off first, followed by Baji and Alyssa, leaving Kazutora behind fumbling with the bags that threaten to fly into the air. Alyssa looks back at the scene and giggles to herself before facing forward again.
Baji refuses to interact with the girl between his arms, focusing on driving safely instead and not making contact with her in any way; partly to not harm her and he just didn’t want to touch her. He didn’t know why he felt so uncomfortable near her. He was almost self-conscious.
He found himself zoning out, coming back to earth once he registered a giant pothole seconds away from sending them flying. Slamming on the break, Baji swerved away, making Alyssa lean against him slightly. He wanted to yank his arm away but she would fall if he did. Kazutora caught up to them and yelled at Baji to focus before they got in an accident.
In a few more minutes, they arrived at the hospital, parking their vehicles close to the sidewalk. Draken and Mikey helped Alyssa off the bike while Baji kept it balanced with his feet planted on the pavement. She waddled between both boys while Kazutora walked around with pink and purple bags, pushing some into Baji who complained before giving in.
The patients in the hospital gave the group curious looks as they made their way to the receptionist. It truly was an odd sight to watch a group of four guys carrying an injured, disheveled girl through the waiting room at an ER.
“Good evening. Our friend was attacked by a man and has a bruise on her side. It looks bad, she’ll need attention immediately,” Mikey spoke to the older woman behind the desk. Her look bounced between all the boys before landing on Alyssa with a nod.
“She can come with me. Wait here,” the nurse responds.
With a nod, Mikey lets go of Alyssa and has Draken support her around the desk, letting her transfer her weight to the nurse instead. She helps the young girl into an examining room, assisting her onto a stationary gurney and taking a seat.
“Alright, sweetheart. Did any of those boys out there hurt you?” The nurse had a serious look on her face.
“No. They were the ones who helped me. They scared the man off by threatening to call the cops. Then they drove me here,” Alyssa left out the fact that said boys beat the soul out of her assailant until he passed out in a dark alley. Although Baji was an asshole, she didn’t want to get the others in trouble after being kind enough to step in.
“Okay. Can I see your wounds?”
Alyssa lifted her shirt and the nurse winced quietly to herself, knowing the girl was in excruciating pain.
“Any more bruises or cuts?”
“Yes. Um. On my arms and my legs,” Alyssa spoke quietly, not wanting to remove her jeans. Sensing this, the nurse nodded and wrote it on her notes before getting back on her feet. She goes over to a table with medical equipment and sets her paper down.
“Can I have your arm really quick? I’ll just be taking your vitals,” she smiles softly. With a nod, Alyssa extends her left arm to the older woman, letting her examine her blood pressure and take her temperature. After a few more protocol procedures, she steps away from Alyssa and begins walking toward the door.
“All done. I’ll go get Dr. Yoshikawa. She’ll be able to help you better,” the nurse smiled sympathetically, a motherly aura radiating off her. Down the hall to her left, she notices the group of boys standing around. Some leaning against the wall, others sitting on the floor, while one had his arms crossed and was standing straight. The nurse sighed out loud, crossing her arms in annoyance at the young men who made their way to the hall without staff permission. She walks up to them, scolding the kids as they stood there quietly.
“Our apologies, ma’am. We’re simply worried over our friend. We want to know how she’s doing,” the tall one with a tattoo on his temple bows while the others stare.
With a sigh, the nurse informs them the doctor is coming to see her and ushers them to the waiting room.
“Good evening, Alyssa. How are you doing?” A gentle, middle-aged woman walks into the examination room.
Without a verbal response, Alyssa simply smiles, a lack of energy present in her gaze. The doctor continues to ask questions about what happened and where it hurts. With her permission, Dr. Yoshikawa lifts Alyssa's shirt to examine her worst bruise. With light touches, she feels over the purpled skin until she reaches a bumpy spot, nodding to herself and feeling lower to the edge of her rib cage.
“Okay,” the doctor breathes in for a second, pushing the rim of her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, “One of your ribs is fractured and thankfully not broken. It will take around three to five weeks for it to fully heal. The fracture wasn’t deep enough to break the bone, so I have a feeling you’ll be all good by the three-week mark. While it heals, I want you to take some acetaminophen and avoid any strenuous activity. So no lifting, or running, and try not to lift your right arm too much. It may hurt a bit, but I want you to breathe a bit deeper than usual to avoid pneumonia or other infections. Don’t breathe too hard, though. We don’t want you puncturing a lung. As lovely as you’ve been, I'd prefer to not see you around here too much,” she smiles kindly at Alyssa while scribbling something into her notepad.
“Thank you, doctor.” Alyssa feels refreshed at the doctor’s energy.
“Of course, any time. I want you to come back next week for a quick check-up and make sure the healing process is going well. Nurse Yamamoto at the front desk will help you make an appointment. I hope you have a peaceful night, Alyssa,” with one last look, Dr. Yoshikawa leaves the room after receiving a code from a coworker.
Alyssa walks out of the room and heads down the hall toward where she remembers the desk was located. As she crossed the threshold between the waiting room and the hall, she meets Baji’s eyes and scowls. She turns away and stands by the nurse, her legs feeling better after her wounds were freshened and bandaged up.
“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Draken speaks up moments before Alyssa finishes up with her examination.
“Yeah, I hope it’s just superficial,” Kazutora chimes in, stepping back and forth between Draken and Mikey.
Baji leans against the square-shaped column behind Mikey’s seat, facing the door Alyssa would walk out of at any minute. His foot was perched against the cream-colored wall even though Nurse Yamamoto had scolded him numerous times already about it, threatening him with having to clean the footprints off himself. He didn’t care, though. He just wanted to see this girl walk out so they could take her home and he could just leave. He already missed his show and he’s promised his mom they’d read together before bed, so now he had to explain to her why he was so late, too. Stupid Mikey.
Seconds later, he made eye contact with Alyssa when she walked through the tall door, rolling his eyes when she turned her head swiftly, lifting her chin and ignoring his presence. She strutted up to the desk, her hair no longer disheveled and the cuts and scratches on her arm bandaged up. There was a small scratch on the side of her cheek that wasn’t deep enough to bleed profusely but still noticeable enough to show how she battled through this evening.
The boys had the brute force to take the man down but she had the intelligence to get their attention effectively in the first place. Any other person would’ve taken their chances and ran but she knew she wouldn’t make it. Baji thought about it and became annoyed. Why did he have to be there at that exact moment? He wished he would’ve gone home and the other boys would've helped instead. The three of them could take on that piece of shit. Hell, only one of them alone could take the scum bag. But instead, he’s here in a hospital waiting for some random chick he doesn’t care about, much less even know.
Alyssa finished up her conversation with the nurse who seemed to take a liking to her and Baji started walking towards the exit. The other boys ignored him and crowded Alyssa, basically interviewing her. They walked out and he was already leaning against his bike, waiting for them to hurry the hell up so he could go read with his lovely mother.
As Alyssa stepped closer to his bike with a hesitant look, Baji straddled the bike backward and held his hands out with his face turned away from her. With a delicate touch, she held onto his larger hands while Draken helped her lift her leg around to sit comfortably. Baji stood up and walked around to sit on the back.
“Scoot,” he said sternly and Alyssa moved up. Everyone watched quietly as he held onto the handles. Her head rested below his chin, giving him a clear view of the road while started up the motorcycle. “Where do you live?”
Alyssa named the street of her apartment complex and Baji removed his hands from the handles, throwing his head back with a groan.
“Is it too far for you?” Alyssa asked, worried and annoyed at the situation.
Baji didn’t say anything, he only leaned forward to grab the handles again and started driving, the other trailing behind him as he knew exactly where she lived.