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Kamurocho was a place for monsters. The city glittered with lights and breathed money, but at a certain point, all that glitz and glamour only attracted one kind of person. Hungry. Hungry for blood and sex and alcohol and as much food as they could fit down their throats. Kamurocho was the place people came to flood their senses and drown their thoughts, and maybe end the night floating face down in the river. That kind of fullness, the thrill, the fun lasts for a while. After a long week’s work, eating something greasy, waving some money around, and having the company of a women who would otherwise never look at you twice. But after those first few nights, the shine wears off. All the food starts to taste the same, the women start to sound the same, the lights blend together into a dizzying net overhead. It’s nearly impossible to get a few square meters of darkness to yourself. The fog of it descends, and starts to smother.
And it was in this swirling fog that Majima lived. Might have even thrived. He had his fair turn in the city’s teeth. Chewed up and spit out and nearly swallowed more than once. After you survive something like that, you get a few teeth of your own. You learn to navigate the fog by cutting through it yourself. When your senses start to dull, you give yourself a shock here and there. Nothing to make you come back to your senses like a bit of pain. Or maybe a lot of it. That hardly mattered. What mattered was that when you beat the town to the punch, by whatever means necessary, you became a little too sharp for it to stomach. Enough so that you could dig yourself into the side of its throat. You could become part of the system, instead of a victim of it.
But even then, it still wasn’t easy to get out. The way the streets were built, the already narrow alleys tightening their grip the closer you got to escaping, eventually you would come to a point where all the sounds and lights were muffled by the high buildings around you. Just a few more steps and it would be silent. And then, just as you’re about to take them, the sound of whooping, joyous laughter comes from somewhere behind you. Maybe someone won the jackpot. Or got treated to a free round of drinks. Or some other mundane nonsense that people – real people, not people like him – found thrill in. It was a sound of promise, it dragged you back in, made it impossible to really leave. In Kamurocho, you got used, beaten, and bled to death’s door. But outside, you got bored. There were times where floating down the river seemed like the only way out. Or maybe that was just him.
Kamurocho was a trap. A pitcher plant stuffed with bodies. The only thing keeping it from becoming a rotting lump was the swarm of wasps that plucked the bodies from their nectar grave, and fed. The city attracted hungry people, and the wasps kept it clean enough to keep on attracting more. This was the cycle that kept the city going. It was no place for growing things, especially not one wandering around by itself.
“What the fuck are you doing here!”
Makeup half done and dress still unzipped, Majima gripped the railing of the club’s second level. Below, amongst the swarming crowd of guests and hostesses, was a figure much smaller than the rest. No one seemed to care much, sparing quick, confused glances before going back to whatever vacuous thing still had their attention. But the figure noticed his shouting, and looked up. Her eyes were clear and steady, not the typical look of a little girl lost in a club. Despite clearly seeing he was there, she didn’t respond and kept on pushing her way though the dolled up crowd.
“Hey! Haruka!”
He shouted after her again, but she didn’t give him a second glance. Gritting his teeth, he exhaled roughly and spun back into the room he had been changing in.
“S-Sir?” Nishida looked taken aback, a pompous yellow wig still in his hands where Majima had left him.
“Unzip me!” Majima barked, hopping into place and presenting his back.
“What? Sir-?”
“Don’t just stand there, hurry up!”
Nishida jumped, abandoning the search for a wig stand and tossing it on a nearby chair instead. He yanked on the cheap zipper, struggling to unstick it every inch. Majima wasn’t helping any, yanking the fishnets off his legs and kicking off his heels. Finally the dress came loose, no doubt giving Haruka enough time to be anywhere in the damn building.
“Get some men down here,” he snapped, struggling to shove his way back into his pants. “We’re looking fer the same kid we took t’ the batting range.”
“Uhh-?” Nishida stuttered, confused. “What ki-- Oh! You mean the girl from—”
“Yeah yeah!” he interrupted. “Now hurry it up, before she gets caught up ‘n some shit she’s not prepared for!” He didn’t bother with shoes, swiping up his jacket from the floor with one hand and trying to yank his pants the rest of the way up with the other. Ass still hanging out, he stumbled and nearly fell on his face busting back out the door.
Admittedly this was probably his fault. He’d tried to keep track of her like he was asked to, but there was only so much sitting around with some kid he could do before his attention span started to itch. Before the fog came back, and with it thoughts he’d spent decades beating back. So, he bought a hotel room in whatever part of town he had the most sway in and locked her inside, guarded with the closest lackeys he could order around, and left to do whatever else. If he was lucky, he might have even found a few heads to bash in.
He should have known a single deadbolt and a couple uninterested goons who barely caught a glimpse of her wouldn’t keep her put. He didn’t know her very well at all, but what little time they had spent together – hardly more than the time in the batting range, however long ago that was – had made it clear that she was not some simple kid. Even back then, when she barely came up to his waist, she had the look of someone tough as nails. There she was, surrounded by full grown men and a monster, and she didn’t cry or scream. She’d looked straight at him, eyes calm and clear. It was pretty damn impressive. Majima had to hand it to Kazama, Sunflower had a knack for producing some real hardasses.
Majima crashed through the crowd, knocking over people and spilling drinks. Finally he managed to get his pants buttoned. A couple times, club staff tried to stop him, but he shook them off like he could barely feel them. After that, he didn’t get much resistance from employees. Maybe they recognized him, maybe his men had arrived, he didn’t care. He grabbed guests, demanding to know if they’d seen a little girl wandering around. None of them gave him a good answer, most recoiling as if they thought he was the one who brought her there and then lost her. Which, he supposed, wasn’t entirely untrue.
Really, though, it was at least partially Kiryu’s fault. Out of everyone Majima knew, he expected Kiryu to understand the kind of place Kamurocho was. You couldn’t just bring a kid out here willy-nilly, let alone leave them with some guy who had better things to be doing, especially after the sun set. But despite the irritation of having his promise to Kiryu blow up in his face, Majima could remember how on edge Kiryu was when dropping her off. She refused to stay at first. Kiryu had gotten down on her level – she should have been taller, shouldn’t she? For however long ago it was that they first “met.” Or was it shorter? How fast did kids grow? - his voice lowered to speak with her earnestly. The closest thing to pleading Majima had ever heard from him. Majima had yawned, turned his back, checked his hand, done anything to not get caught up in watching. But still he couldn’t help but overhear how soft Kiryu’s voice was. At the time, he told himself it didn’t matter to him. But something was wrong, wrong enough that eventually that hard as nails girl relented and agreed to stay put.
And Majima had left her.
“Hey! Haruka!” He gritted his teeth and sweetened his tone. “Haruka-chaaan! Wheredja go?”
Finally the crowd started to thin, enough so that he stood out again, and was getting strange looks. This was the back of the club, where simple exchanges like lighting a cigarette or sharing a drink turned a little more physical. One couple, a dolled up hostess and a typical customer, floated by, giggling and holding hands. They snuck a kiss and hovered there before turning the corner back up front.
“Haruka-chan!”
Down a stray hallway, dimmer than the others, leading deeper into the back, he caught sight of a small flash of white disappearing around the corner. He took off after her.
Skidding to turn the same corner she had taken, he caught himself from falling. There were only three people in the hall, Haruka and two men, leaning on the wall as if they had been speaking before Haruka approached them. They were all looking at him now, and he relaxed his shoulders and lolled his head to look casual.
“There y’are!” he groaned, sauntering up to them. “What’re ya doin’ here, huh? This is no place fer kids like you.”
“Majima-san…” Haruka blinked, then fully turned away from the men to face him. She opened her mouth, but stopped, her brows tensing in confusion. “Majima-san, are you… wearing makeup?”
“Hah?” He swiped his lip with a finger, and it came back glossy pink.
“And… where are your shoes?”
He glanced down at his feet. The pantihose that was meant to go under his fishnets was messed from running. “Don’t you worry about that, eh? Ya still haven’t told me what yer doin’ here, and why yer not where I left ya.”
She righted herself. “I’m looking for someone. It’s very important I find him. I saw him come in here and I… I can’t call Uncle Kaz.”
“Aahh?” He glanced at the men just behind her. One had a case of beer and few wine bottles at his feet. “If ya ask me…” Sliding past Haruka, he stooped to grab one of the bottles.
“H-hey!” the man protested, straightening. Majima paused, giving him a look, and he backed down quickly. Majima yanked the top off and took a swig.
“… It would be better fer ya t’ leave this sort of thing t’ the grown-ups, eh?”
Haruka watched him, unblinking. “If I don’t find him now, something very precious may be lost forever. This is my only chance.”
Majima bit back a sigh. This is why he avoided kids. They didn’t listen to reason, and violence – his favorite method of reasoning - sure wasn’t an option. They worked on their own fickle rules. He had no time or patience to poke and prod at an uncooperative kid to figure out what made them tick, only for it to change the next day. The only way to get a kid to listen was if you understood each other right out of the box. Either you clicked, or you didn’t.
“Come on,” he said, voice teetering on a growl. He wasn’t having this. He had careful mannerisms to navigate Kamurocho, and dealing with elements that demanded such opposing parts of him at the same time was grating on his nerves. He could get Haruka out of the club and deal with her kid tenderness there. It didn’t matter if she kicked and screamed and cried all the way back to the hotel, did it? As long as she wasn’t hurt. He put a hand on her shoulder, turning back up the hall, and pushed her along--
Haruka yanked herself out of his grip. He stopped and stared at her, and she met his gaze fully.
“I am not leaving until I find that man.”
Majima kept staring. She didn’t even flinch, neck and shoulders straight. Majima felt heat rising in his arms, and cold chilling his face. Quietly, he felt a thread of his self control snap.
“Mmnarigh,” he sighed, spinning away from her. He took another swig of the wine. “Suit yerself. Nothing I can do t’ stop ya.”
Haruka didn’t respond. She took a quick breath and turned back toward the men. They hadn’t continued their conversation or moved from their spots.
“I’m sorry about that. The man I’m looking for was a bit shorter than you both. He had on a dark coat and a scarf. Do you remember seeing someone like that around here?”
“Uhh…” They glanced at each other.
She looked down, dejected. “Okay. Thank you for your time anyway.” She turned to head back up the hall.
“W-wait!” one of the men called after her. “What’s your name?”
She glanced back, but didn’t pay them much mind. “I’m sorry, I really need to keep looking.”
“Actually, I think-” One of them grabbed her by the arm. She spun around, recoiling away. “I think I remember seeing him!”
She yanked on her arm, but he had a good grip on her. “No, I--”
“Come on, follow me! I can take you to where I saw--”
The man’s face exploded in a crash of glass and dark wine. It splattered over Haruka as she fell back from his grip. He was on the ground, groaning and holding his eyes. She looked up. Majima stood over her, the shattered neck of the wine bottle in one hand. When he spoke, his voice was low and threatening, edged with a cruel grin.
“Oi… Just what do you think you’re doin’, huh?”
The second man jumped back, shouting. “H-Hey! What the fuck, man!” He raised his fists, wide-eyed. In the commotion, a couple doors further down the hall opened, where more men stepped out. Apparently seeing one of their friends injured and the other braced for a fight, they squared up as well. Majima heard a click behind him, and another door opened with more pouring out.
“Ooohhh…,” he muttered, eyeing them all up. He raised the shattered bottle neck to his face and licked up some of the wine that soaked his hand. Shame. It was good alcohol.
“Now this is what I’m talkin’ about.”
-----
The last of them dropped with a thud. Majima panted, wiping a smear of blood off his mouth. The last of the gloss went with it. His eye shadow, too, was little more than smudges of pink now. His head was ringing, and so was one of his ears. His arms burned and ached with fresh bruises. He’d taken a few good hits in the gut, and he groaned, straightening up. He tilted his head back and took a few good breaths, waiting for his head to clear up. When he was confident in his balance again, he stooped to rifle through the pockets of the shitheads writhing and groaning on the floor. It wasn’t a bad haul for his effort, a few thousand yen, a couple nice watches. Pocketing it all, he glanced around. Now where was…
Up the hall, just around the corner that led to the rest of the club, he noticed a small shoe. Majima picked his way through the bodies cramping up the narrow hallway. Craning to step over one guy, a shot of pain went up his leg and into his side. That probably wasn’t good. Maybe he was just getting too old for this…
Haruka was huddled up against the wall, staring forward with wide eyes. Majima took a quick breath and nodded up at her. “Ya hurt?”
She didn’t answer him. “Eh?” He urged, but she still didn’t respond. Careful of his sore gut and leg, he crouched down next to her.
“Oi… Ya there?” He snapped next to her face and she jumped, blinking at him. “Ya spacin’ out on me? What, ya hit yer head ‘r somethin’?”
She blinked again. “I need… I need to find that man. Before he gets away.”
“Hah?” But she was already shifting to get up. “Where d’ya think yer goin?” With a sharp intake of breath, he hopped up, limping ahead to cut her off. “Time out. Why d’ya need t’ find this guy so bad?”
She tried to skirt around him, but he was done handling her like glass, kid or not. After beating a good round of goons for her, he didn’t have the patience. He spoke to her in a low, even voice.
“Yer not goin’ anywhere until ya explain yerself. Yeh?”
She blinked again, and this time, his words seemed to register. She tightened her jaw, and looked down.
“Go on.”
Haruka wrung her fingers together. When she spoke, her voice was quiet. “… We were--”
“Speak up,” he urged.
She lifTed her head, and looked at him directly. Focus returned to her eyes. That’s it.
“Uncle Kaz and I, we were…. We were paying our respects. And when we were on our way home… someone stopped us to ask for help finding his dog. She was out on a bank in the middle of the river. Uncle Kaz swam out to get her, and the man offered to watch our stuff for us...” She trailed off.
“Mm?”
She swallowed. “He… Uncle Kaz brought the dog back, but he was having trouble getting her out of the water. I went to help him, and… and I wasn’t watching... when we turned around, the man was gone. He took all our stuff. Uncle Kaz’s phone, wallet, watch… and the... the locket.”
Majima tilted his head. “Huh? Locket?”
“… The locket my mom gave him.”
He squinted, confused, until the details came back to him. “Ahh, that’s right. So that little trinket was from yer mom, huh…”
Majima remembered the grave tone Kiryu had used to ask Haruka to stay put. Of course he knew Kamurocho was no place for her after dark. Kiryu of all people was well aware of that. Majima had been entrusted with more than just babysitting. He had been asked to guard the life most precious to Kiryu now.
And Majima left her.
“Well then… ’s pretty important we get that locket back, huh?”
Haruka’s posture was still guarded and solemn, but her eyes betrayed a little hope. “… You’ll help?”
Majima nodded, straightening back up. “’S not like I got anythin’ better t’ do right now. Whadidja say this guy--”
“Over there, over there…”
Majima turned to the sound of a whole platoon’s worth of footsteps and a voice guiding them. His men were filing into the hallway, red faced from running.
“Boss!” They bowed in greeting. “Apologies for taking so long to arrive. We were told you need-”
“There ya fools are!” Majima roared, straightening up against the ache that spiked through his stomach and up his leg. “Took ya long enough! While alla ya were doing fuck all, I went and took care ‘a everythin’ myself! Wiped out a whole squad back there, while you all went out for drinks!”
“W-We’re sorry, boss! It won’t happen again.”
“Better not! Or I’ll have all yer balls tossed in the sewer!”
“Yes boss!” they yelled in unison, not rising from their bow.
“We were told you’re looking for Sawamura Haruka, boss.”
“Yer too late fer that, too. I told you, I took care ‘a everythin’.” Majima stepped to the side to reveal Haruka standing behind him. “From now on ya are t’ treat her like her life is worth more than yer own, you got that? I don’t want none ‘a ya so much as eatin’ or takin’ a piss while she’s under yer care!”
“Yes boss! Sorry boss!”
“Is there anything else you need, boss?”
“Yeh, as it turns out. We’re lookin’ for a thief! Somewhere in this buildin’. He’s yea high or shorter-” He gestured to his shoulder. “And- uh-” He looked back at Haruka. “What didja say he looked like, again?”
Haruka glanced at Majima, and stepped forward to address the men. “He has a long, dark coat and a scarf.”
“If he changes clothes, what can we use to identify him, miss?”
“Ermm…” She thought for a moment. “He has a round face, and thick eyebrows.”
“Ya hear that! Yer lookin’ for a baby grandpa who can’t handle the chill. Don’t let no one in this buildin’ leave until ya’ve guaranteed that everyone in it looks like somethin’ else! Got it?”
“Yes boss!” The men filed back out of the hall, dispersing to cover the exits.
“Wait,” he said, calling a few of the closest men back to him. He tossed his head, gesturing back down the hall. “Those guys back there. Strip em.”
“Yes, boss.”
“You,” he said to Haruka. “Come with me.”
-----
Majima sat with his head resting in his hand, leaning on the car door as the lights of Kamurocho drifted past. Haruka sat neatly across from him, tucked under the seatbelt, against the other side of the car. She stared out the window, as she had been since first settling in. The driver’s valiant attempts at conversation had all gone unanswered except for a few polite words here and there, until Majima barked at him to quit the yapping. Now they drove in silence. And with it, he could feel the fog start to chew on the edges of his thoughts.
Catching the thief in the club had been easy enough. As soon as Majima’s men took control of the crowd, he lost his nerve and tried to slip out the back. He gave up the info he had with a disappointing amount of resistance, hardly enough to justify a shakedown. He still had Kiryu’s phone and wallet, as well as a few others Majima picked the money out of and tossed at the club staff. They would take care of returning them back to the owners. Probably. The watch and locket, though, were at a pawn shop. Luckily, it was one that owed the Majima family some debt. With how recently the items had been bought, getting them back would be no problem.
Going out to do so really should not have been his job. It was just as easy to send a lackey or two to retrieve them. But Haruka was having none of it. It didn’t matter if there was no way she could get to the pawn shop before Majima’s men. She wasn’t going to sit and wait, and there was no way Majima was going to let her out of his sight again. He surprised himself with how easily he agreed to take her. There was something about this kid that was different. Maybe it was the idea that if she’d gotten away once, she could do it again, no matter how much security she got tagged with. Maybe it was because she walked through Kamurocho’s teeth without flinching, even after all the times they bit down on her. Maybe it was the look on her face when staring down the mouth of a mad dog. The way she held her ground when looking at a monster.
But there was a crack there now. Something had made her… not waver, but rush. There was something desperate about her need to throw herself into the streets and get the locket with her own hands. At first, it baffled him. Maybe it was just some kid girl thing he would never understand. But the longer they sat in silence, and the heavier the fog came down, it finally started to click.
“Haruka-chan.” She didn’t answer or turn around, but her eyes moved for the first time the whole trip. “Ya ever see Kiryu-chan get nightmares?”
She was quiet. He took a deep breath.
“That kinda thing is normal in this business, y’know? He’s the kinda guy who would wanna give you a proper life. Raise you right. None ‘a this bullshit.” He flicked his hand to gesture outside. “This place is fer people like me ‘n that guy who stole from ya. Even Kiryu-chan might be too good to hang around.” His voice lowered. “’S not a good place t’ be if ya’ve got somethin’ t’ lose. It’ll take everythin’ from ya before ya can blink.”
She still didn’t respond, but now she was looking down at the ground passing outside her window. He could see the weight of the fog on her shoulders, darkening her face. She was so small, sitting in it. Like if she opened her mouth to breathe, it would swallow her right up.
The car was dark. It was hard to see anything. But all of a sudden when he looked through the fog, he could see her little body covered in scars. Some from the city, some from him. On his own body, they didn’t seem to take up much space, despite how much he’d been through. But on her, they looked so much bigger. Just a couple bites out of her, and she was already almost gone.
He wasn’t prepared to feel like this. Every part of him was crafted specifically to make sure this sort of thing would never happen again. He was spiky, unapproachable, off-putting, it was all there for a reason. So that no one vulnerable would hang around for too long. Anyone who tried to approach him with softness would get pricked. Either they would have to use their own spikes, or fuck off entirely. He wasn’t prepared for someone who could navigate through Kamurocho’s teeth to be able to weave through his own as well. He wasn’t cut out for this- He wasn’t the right person- monster - for this--
Dammit.
“Yer a good kid, Haruka-chan,” he said. “Ya seem like the type t’ see Kiryu-chan in trouble an’ try t’ make it better yerself. Maybe make him some tea ‘r somethin’ t’ eat. But listen.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “He’s a good guy and all, raisin’ ya on his own. But if ya ask me… he’s kinda stiff sometimes. Ya know?” She gave him a quick side glance, a warning not to run his bad mouth. Majima grinned. “Alls I’m sayin’ is, he’s the type that don’t let loose too often. Takes things at face value. He wouldn’t know someone naturally quiet from someone good at hidin’ unless ya told ‘im straight.” Her hands balled up on her knees. “Now I aint tryin t’ get between the beautiful thing ya got goin’ fer ya, but… If ya ever wanna have fun like a kid, ya just call ol’ Goro. Yeh?”
The lights of the city glowed through her window. He couldn’t see much of her outturned face. But every once in a while, under a bright sign, he could see she was biting her lip to keep it from trembling, and her cheek glistened wet. With a satisfied nod, he sat back in his seat.
-----
As he expected, getting the watch and locket from the pawn shop owner was a breeze. He didn’t even have to forgive any debt to do it. They were nice alright, but not that nice. No one looking at them would know just how much they were really worth. A few swings of the bat and threats to a couple bones, and they were good to go.
On their way back to the spot Kiryu first left them, Majima got a ring. Turned out Kiryu was able to find a phone to borrow to check on Haruka, and admitted that he was thinking about giving up the search. Majima had been around Kiryu long enough to be able to hear dejection, even in a voice as stoic as his.
“No worries, Kiryu-Chan! Yer ol’ pal Majima’s got it taken care of. Haruka told me everythin’ and the Family’s got it all sorted fer ya. You shoulda told me sooner, Kiryu-chan! Ya wouldn’ta had t’ run around the city all day.” He put a bit of a spin on his voice for good measure. “Call me next time, hah?”
As soon as Kiryu came into view, Haruka rocketed off to hug him. They stood like that for a few moments, embracing. It was a sight so sweet, if Majima were younger, he might have been touched. Instead, he took it as his cue to go, spinning on the ball of his foot, and whistling his way back to the car. Just before he stepped out of earshot, though, he heard Haruka say one more thing.
“Uncle Kaz, can we visit again soon?”