Chapter Text
Two years and a couple months.
He still tried to think about the simple things…like won battles. Like the rumors and past stories aboutToman's creation, about the legendary defeat of Black Dragons 9th generation. He thought about all these and looked for the bright side of things, all of those things that Baji-san had told him.
Even so…
He didn't like him.
He had tried. He really had tried.
He had ignored that smug smile every time they had a meeting with the divisions. His pretentious attitude beneath that sometimes silent countenance. The teasing or sarcastic comments coming from him and the way he belittled with condescending words.
Because that was it.
He had tried.
…Well, maybe not enough, but who gives a shit.
It wasn't his fault that he was such an annoying asshole.
He barely remembered why they started arguing this time. When he realized, he already had him by the neck and Kazutora was about to raise his fist against him.
"Chifuyu!" he barely heard Mitsuya yell, not paying much attention.
"Why are they fighting now?" he heard a tired yet stern voice coming from Draken.
The next thing he felt was fists in his face and his body falling to the ground.
Before sitting up, before feeling guilt and even bewilderment, he felt a smidge of satisfaction at seeing Kazutora also lying on the ground, recovering from a blow to his face. He didn't care about the pettiness of his thoughts at the moment. It was hilarious.
Baji-san was now standing between them. His eyes flicked from Kazutora to him, a look that Chifuyu could recognize.
Chifuyu felt ashamed but was not sorry. Kazutora had it coming.
He didn't like him. Chifuyu really had tried!
He had been sidelined for several months, enduring the usual arrogant temper-
Draken and Baji exchanged glances. It was as if Draken was reproaching Baji for what had just happened. And just from that brief look, Chifuyu felt a bit of remorse.
Are they idiots? He heard coming from somewhere; he wasn't sure if Koko or Izana had said it, they had the same condescending and mocking tone. He saw one of them laugh out of the corner of his eye.
Sitting up, he watched Pah help Kazutora up and Peh say something. Baji-san also went over to say something to Kazutora. Many were beginning to disperse. Again? It took them a while they were saying. Others watched equally amused by the scene.
He hated this feeling.
"Meeting is over. Go home" Draken said, now with a calmer but frustrated voice.
"You alright Chifuyu?" Takemichi's hand landed on his shoulder. Despite his question, there was no real concern on his face but…curiosity? He always seemed to know something else he didn't.
"Yeah. That wasn't a real Baji-san hit, he held back" Chifuyu said, brushing the dirt from his clothes. He looked again towards Kazutora's direction; he had his gaze on Baji-san, as he continued to speak. He wished he could listen to his conversations. To know why Baji-san appreciated him so much. To know why they were so close.
Kazutora then glared towards Chifuyu. Just a second.
Tsk. Why was he looking at him?
Chifuyu turned to another direction.
"You guys–" Takemichi began to say.
"Takemichi, you coming?" Mikey yelled, walking away with Draken.
Takemichi hesitated for a second, but Chifuyu knew that he had to and wanted to join them. They always spent time together after meetings and this would be no exception. "It's okay, go, I'm fine".
"Sorry. I'll see you later!" he said as he reached for Mikey.
It didn't matter. He just wanted to go home and eat something. It had been a long afternoon, his mom might be upset. He was already expecting some lecture for being too late.
He was adjusting his bike when he heard someone approaching from behind.
"Peke J hasn't come to see me in two days. Did you bribe him with new food?" Baji-san was next to him, holding the handlebar of his bike. Waiting for him.
He usually would go with Mikey or Kazutora after the meetings. But sometimes they had those moments of their own, he supposed. If this could prove anything, he would brag about it to Kazutora and…
"I'm just not letting him out because I recently bathed him" Chifuyu replied.
And it was true. It was less than a week and the scratches on his arms were barely healing. Letting him out would be another cat tantrum, fighting not to let his claws reach his face.
Although he was only waiting a few days because he knew that Baji-san would look for him.
“Let's go home, I want to have dinner with my mom” Baji-san said, getting on the bike and starting the engine. Chifuyu could imagine Ryoko-san sitting there, pretending to watch TV and glancing at the door, hoping that Baji-san wouldn't come back with a new bruise.
Chifuyu smiled at Baji-san's most simple and sincere wishes. At the warm afternoon. At the small and fleeting moments. But he also knew that Baji-san was keeping his own lecture to him.
Arriving at the apartment complex and parking the bikes, Baji-san finally said something, "If this was 'cause of the Yofukashi conflict, Kazutora had no choice but to go after the idiot who led that division."
Had he said something to Kazutora as well? Had he reproached him for something too? That was all he wanted and needed to know.
“But that other guy was being beaten unconscious when he was around! He could've been able to do something and then go after the other one."
Chifuyu was a bit enraged seeing Kazutora ignore a Toman member being beaten to a pulp to chase the other guy…he was right to be upset. Except that he knew that Kazutora couldn't do anything in that moment anyway.
"He should have stood his ground at the time, Kazutora shouldn't have to intervene," Baji-san replied.
"But-"
“Or you don't believe in the strength of those who belong to Toman?” Chifuyu knew what Baji-san meant.
He couldn't say anything. It was his impartiality versus Baji-san's reprimand, which in itself was embarrassing enough.
"You were just looking for an excuse to fight him, right?"
About that-
“Don't cause trouble in any division. Remember?" Baji-san said walking up the stairs ahead of Chifuyu.
Baji-san was right. But there were also reasons to be upset with Kazutora. Right?
The truth is that what had irritated him the most today had been the fact that that afternoon Kazutora hinted that Baji-san was too soft on rivals. He was joking but who cares.
"It had been a while since this had happened, I thought it had ended... one day you'll have to settle your differences" Chifuyu stopped at the stairwell. "I still don't get why you hate each other tho".
"I don't…". He didn't hate him. He disliked him. He…
“Whatever, stop being idiots. You don’t have to like each other, just stop causing trouble."
Like?
Staring at the ground, Chifuyu thought that maybe he had been too much of an idiot today. Kazutora and him could go back to the usual routine of ignoring each other…had they ever even talked?
Baji-san pet his head at the silence that Chifuyu left behind. His 12 year old would be insanely happy.
"Say hi to your mom for me" Baji-san said smiling and then climbing up to the next floor of the building.
He still remembers the first words they exchanged.
"You don't look as threatening as Baji said" came out of Kazutora's mouth. A smug bastard who impressed some with his neck tattoo and his piercing. He was 12 years old and Kazutora was only a year older with the dumbest haircut he had ever seen. Was this the person Baji-san had talked and boasted about?
Those first words caught him off guard and the curiosity he had to know who Kazutora was, collapsed. Kazutora kept a serious expression and then smiled, as if he had never meant to harm anyone with the comment. He walked over to greet Pah and Draken, ignoring what had happened.
He was mocking him.
He knew at that point that he had to find the perfect moment to retort that. And he found it: that same day they faced a small Shibuya gang who wanted to take over their territory and messed with anyone who walked through one of the least populated blocks. The confrontation was quick but someone managed to stop Kazutora's attacks and tore him to the ground.
Chifuyu managed to land a hit on the gang guy and pin him down. It was satisfying to see Kazutora stand up and refuse to acknowledge Chifuyu or even look at him out of pride.
Most were on the ground minutes later. Another win for Toman.
Then, Chifuyu took his chance.
"You're not as strong as Baji-san said." Kazutora still had dirt on his face, his eyes widened at the words.
"Tsk" Kazutora was heard to mutter.
Usually Chifuyu would hope that any taunting between Toman members will end with something like that and they'll move on. It wasn't that deep. But it didn't stop there.
That first time they fought was a bit like today.
"Woah. You seemed desperate to say something for a while. Awww, are you feeling better Chifuyu-kun" Kazutora said, smiling and tilting his head, making his stupid earring jingle. Chifuyu felt his blood boil and his fists clenched instinctively.
"Say that again Kazutora, say it again" he said in the calmest voice he managed.
"I hit a nerve, huh?" Kazutora finished with another smile with his eyes closed.
At some point they ended up on the ground, wrestling, not even landing a single hit.
Still, after that, Chifuyu tried to make peace a couple of times. But Kazutora was prideful and faced everything with sarcastic comments. He really dislikes the bastard.
He lost count of the times they argued or wrestled but there were too many times he won. That was a fact.
And even with all of that, he sought to maintain peace between them. He held off despite Kazutora's annoying attitude. He was doing it for Baji-san, more than anything.
He tried to understand who Kazutora was...a couple times. He had heard that Kazutora had had a difficult life. That was all he knew. But he was always met with the same arrogant attitude.
Whatever.
You don't look threatening
"Damn it!" Chifuyu yelled, getting up from his bed and bringing his palms to his face. The frustration coming back with the words echoing in his head.
“Chifuyu! Stop swearing in the house."
Her mother opened the door to his room and looked at her son, who had a slightly red face. But what her eyes truly focused on were the scratches on his face.
His mother's gaze said it all. The silence was eerie.
“No more fighting in the following days. Remember that high school starts soon, I need you to focus on that "said his mother approaching him and caressing his wounds.
"Now sleep, you troublesome child" she said resigned, planting a kiss on his forehead, which rang loudly in the room.
"Mom!" Chifuyu exclaimed at the dramatism but also with an extra weight inside him. Sorry to worry you, mom.
Upon closing the door, Chifuyu remembered that Peke J was settled on his bed, curled up next to the manga that Chifuyu was reading before going into another annoying thought of Kazutora.
"Do you think I'm overreacting Peke J?" Chifuyu stroked the cat's fur, as it began to stretch its paws.
"...he is just annoying and has everyones attention..." Sometimes Chifuyu couldn't help but feel... "But at least I usually win the fights!" that he had to prove something to everyone and himself.
Peke J stretched his small body before meowing, responding to his owner's ramble.
"I'm serious" he said frustrated to his cat, who was jumping towards the window once more in a failed attempt to get out.
With another low meow and the cat's paws glued to the window pane, Chifuyu relented. He might as well bathe him in a couple of weeks. Also, someone was waiting for him after days.
"Come on, go, Baji-san is waiting for you" he said to Peke J as he opened the window and the cat disappeared in a second towards the upper floor.
“Oi, Chifuyu”
Chifuyu was on his way to Takemichi's place to show him the new volume of one of his favorite manga. Part of him wanted to stay home to rest after he hadn't been able to sleep well the night before, among dreams that he didn't remember clearly but had left an odd feeling.
But he decided to go because he couldn't wait to talk about the new chapters with someone.
He didn't expect to see Baji-san waiting near a vending machine on the way down from the apartment complex.
"Baji-san!"
"We have a meeting with the founding members" he said and immediately turned around, expecting Chifuyu to follow him.
"Meeting?" Chifuyu approached quickening his step.
"Mikey wants to talk about some concerns, nothing serious"
"Am I supposed to go?"
"Mikey wants you to be there too." It couldn't be something serious, Baji-san just said it. But a meeting sounded too sudden.
I guess I'll see Takemichi there.
He followed Baji-san to the place where they usually went for small gatherings. An abandoned building that housed a few amenities that had been added over the years. Used armchairs, a table, magazines.
To his surprise, not all the founders were there. Mikey was eating a dorayaki and Draken was talking with Mitsuya in a corner. Takemichi was saying something to Sanzu when he stopped to greet him and then… Kazutora.
Before he knew it, Baji-san had pushed his way towards Kazutora.
Chifuyu was still upset about yesterday but he had to keep calm and carry on. Kazutora could be irritating away from him.
"Chifuyu!" Takemichis's approached while Sanzu addressed Baji-san.
"What is all this about?"
"I don't know…but Mikey mentioned something about talking about what happened yesterday"
What happened yesterday?
The most logical thing was to think about yesterday's fight. On the most recent problem that Toman was facing. That was the only fight. But he couldn't help but think that maybe he would be reprimanded by the rest after he and Kazutora collided again.
But Mikey didn't go in that direction when he started speaking: he mentioned that some Toman members had been hurt but they were okay. Then they started bragging and joking about what happened.
It didn't seem like a very serious meeting after all. And it made sense because not all the captains were here either.
"The Yofukashi's guys won't be back for a while" Mikey returned to the initial issue. "But I want to avoid a possible early confrontation."
"There's no doubt they'll return as soon as they recover and this time with the full gang" Mitsuya said nonchalantly.
"Were there too many? I didn't even notice" Pah didn't seem to take the situation seriously either. He was turning to a magazine without paying attention.
"Maybe fifty people" Kazutora said. Chifuyu couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Apparently, as it sometimes goes, this was just an excuse to kill some time. He knew that a gang like that couldn't be too much trouble when it was just starting to form.
"We fought a third of them" Kazutora continued. "Some ended up running away."
"Chifuyu was able to take down quite a few of them, so he gave us a big lead before they come back to pick a fight again" Baji-san mentioned.
You see that Kazutora. Everyone saw I was more efficient than you yesterday.
And then he saw Kazutora roll his eyes at him. Chifuyu wanted to laugh out loud.
"Okay. We can't do more for now. Let's hope things fall into place" said Mikey, starting to get up.
Between the echoes of his footsteps and Pah's yawns, everyone began to stand up or move. Chifuyu wondered why Baji-san had made him come, for no apparent reason.
They hadn't decided to spend the day eating something or watching some drama on TV. This was a bit odd. But it didn't seem to matter.
Then Mikey spoke again. He had another dorayaki in his hand now.
"One last thing", he began. "Chifuyu, You'll be under the fourth division for a while. That's all."
Huh?
"What?!" He didn't know if he heard correctly.
"What is this Mikey?!" Chifuyu was not the only one taken by surprise. Kazutora's brows were frowned, but he wasn't sure if he looked more annoyed than intrigued when he asked.
For once, Chifuyu agreed with Kazutora. What the hell did this mean?
"I think you need help in your division if we want to end the conflict with Yofukashi"
But this wasn't necessary. "But Baji-san–", Chifuyu began.
"Senju will be covering your spot for a while" Mikey replied as he took another bite of his dorayaki.
"I don't understand what the point of this is–" Kazutora continued, as if he could barely take in what was happening.
"It doesn't matter. That's all" Mikey interrupted determinedly and without leaving space to add something else. He turned around and continued walking with Draken who seemed aware of the situation.
In fact… no one seemed taken aback by the sudden order. Mitsuya stood up without another word and Baji walked next to Sanzu. Even Takemichi seemed to expect this to happen.
Everyone except him and Kazutora, who were stunned. Standing looking at everyone moving slowly.
They ended up staring at each other. As if they started to face reality. Kazutora…and him…in the same division.
What were they supposed to do now?