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In late 2009, Mine Yoshitaka, a young and successful entrepreneur from the Tokyo area, was pronounced dead. He committed suicide after a shootout on the Touto University Hospital roof. He leaves no family behind, and his luxury penthouse was ransacked shortly after the news broke. Tojo Clan members didn’t wait for any updates. News of Mine’s death spread quickly, as his position was highly coveted by other prospective white-collar criminals. Expensive timepieces and designer suits lay strewn about across the place as if a tornado had come through the office.
But instead of lying on the pavement below, Mine had found himself lying on a futon in a dingy, cramped fishing shack fifteen years later. The harsh winds from the outside whacked against the thin wooden boards that built up the cabin walls. The cold breeze made the man sleeping beside him shiver; he curled up into Mine’s arms, seeking refuge from the chilly winds in his embrace.
Ah. That’s right.
Mine had lived, dammit. By some force of God, Mine survived. He doesn’t remember that day clearly. They mesh together, forming an incoherent and disconnected series of events. The weeks before his death were some of the bleakest and most hectic days of Mine’s life. Every morning, when he looked in the mirror, he didn’t recognize the man standing there.
When it all boiled over and he came to his senses, the last thing he remembered was standing on the hospital rooftop, cigarette in hand. When did he pick up smoking? He was unsure. Nothing made sense anymore. He doesn’t even remember the sensation of falling, nor the sights and sounds of that night. The Mine Yoshitaka of 2009 and the Mine Yoshitaka of the present day were the same person, but it truly didn’t feel that way. There was a disconnect. A large and upsetting disconnect, at that. He tried not to think about that. It wasn’t worth dwelling on too much, after all.
Present-day, Mine tried his best to ignore the searing and chronic pain in his lower body, an unfortunate consequence of his survival. The once powerful man, capable of bringing man to his knees with a singular punch to the gut, could not move his body to the same capacity he had in the past. Mine was originally depressed about his predicament but had grown to become indifferent. All he really had to do was make a few accommodations to the schedule he was used to before the incident, but that proved easier said than done. Due to the reduced use of his lower body, finding a stable job where he could keep his true identity under wraps was difficult. Because of this, Mine was forced to work jobs that provided very little and often brought him back to Kamurocho.
Mine had used most of his wealth to fund his disappearance. From faking death certificates to paying out large sums of hush money to those who recognized him, he was left with very little money to spend. He went from rags to riches and back to rags again. It was okay, though, he figured. He’d been through worse. Besides, he deserved this for the trouble he brought upon the clan in Daigo’s absence. But after recovering from his injuries enough to leave, he vowed never to return to Tokyo for the foreseeable future. It was too risky. Running into any Tojo Clan men would mean trouble. After he sacrificed so much to allow himself to erase his identity, he didn’t want it to unravel so soon.
A random Tojo lackey recognizing his face would be bad enough by itself, but Daigo? That would’ve been the worst possible outcome. Unfortunately for Mine, his life hasn’t necessarily been full of happy coincidences. Maybe that day, Mine shouldn’t have stepped in that convenience store. Perhaps he shouldn’t have stepped foot in Kamurocho at all. But then he looks at the man sleeping next to him, and maybe the loud and emotional argument they had on the bustling street corner that evening was worth it.
Mine was brought to reality when he felt the slight tickle of stubble on his arm. Followed by a peaceful sigh, then by a deep snore.
Dojima Daigo.
If it were anyone else, the snoring would get on Mine’s nerves. However, he was comforted by the vibrations reverberating from Daigo’s body. Mine shifted his head to the side, getting a better view of Daigo’s sleepy face. Trying not to wake him up, Mine brushed a stray hair sticking Daigo’s mouth. Though his brows were slightly furrowed- as they usually were, he looked tranquil.
The snoring, the shifting, and the mumbling noises were all signs of vitality and comfort. What might be a minor nuisance to anyone else made Mine so grateful. Compared to the comatose state he was in fifteen years ago, this was a blessing. Daigo still had his fair share of problems, of course. He’s always been a heavy drinker, but it’s only getting worse. Mine could still smell the faint scent of cheap liquor on Daigo’s breath. He was in rougher shape physically, too. But who was Mine to judge? The two of them haven’t exactly had the easiest life, as they once mused about during one of their bar meetups.
Things aren’t perfect; perhaps they’ll never be. Their relationship will never go back to the way it was. Their minds aren’t the same. Their bodies aren’t the same. So much can happen in fifteen years.
But Mine Yoshitaka will live on.
Hope cannot exist without despair, after all.
If it means he could have one more night…One more night where he can warmly embrace the man he loves would be enough to soothe his soul.
Mine didn’t think he would ever get to this point. He thought all of the sleepless nights thinking of Daigo were fruitless, that it was all a fantasy. Every once in a while, Mine stares at his reflection. He no longer resembles the man he once was fifteen years ago. While this once bothered him, a reminder of his cruel and unwanted existence, he no longer feels like an outsider looking inwards.
For once in fifteen years, Mine felt a sense of belonging. His faults, his pitfalls, and all of the parts that make him human, Daigo accepts him.
He wished nothing had happened fifteen years ago, even if it meant he would never get this level of intimacy with Dojima Daigo. Mine is not going to forget the kindness Daigo spared him on the day they reunited. Thoughts swirled in his head. He couldn’t ever force himself to believe the reality of his situation.
Though he was still Mine Yoshitaka, it did feel that “next life” he told Daigo and Kiryu about before his untimely “demise.” It was new, full of challenges and experiences he never thought he would ever get to have. But change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it? Consistent change throughout his life made him the man he is. Mine Yoshitaka will live on. For the sake of the man he was fifteen years ago, he will cherish these little moments. Daigo snoring in his ear, this rickety old shack, the thin futon…All of these seem so insignificant. But for Mine, he knew he would keep it close to his heart.