Chapter Text
As the week went by, Aki had gone to a total of three jobs. They were simple, pretty much like his first one, and Power has come with him to every single one of them. She provides him with useful information, in those instances where she’s not distracted and instead keeping a close eye on where Aki is at all times. She recognizes faces more often than not, and comments her thoughts out loud to him or even in front of the person if she clearly holds no… “respect” for them.
Power also tells him about how Denji is doing, and he appreciates that, otherwise he’d be out of his mind worrying if he was completely radio silent from him.
Angel, for his part, has been somewhat distant. It might be because of Aki’s new job, or it might be because of something else, but he doesn’t know either way. Angel’s behaving as normal as he can be, or as he knows him, and doesn’t seem to be upset at Aki either, but… Still, he wonders. He knows that joining the yakuza implies a lot of danger, and he can only assume that Angel is distancing himself from him again out of fear to see him die on the field, just like he did two years ago when he got sick.
Aki tries to understand, it’s easy to understand in this situation specially, but he can’t help but feel the remnants of bitterness growing inside of him, as if it were a thorny plant entwining between his ribs, having let it keep growing without realizing.
He doesn’t ask Angel what’s on his mind, he doesn’t want to. Not yet.
On the other hand, he’s been earning a lot of money thanks to those jobs, but it’s not like he uses it. The grand majority goes to Denji’s debt, and what’s left he uses it to buy snacks that Power has never tried before. He decided to risk it one day and asked Power if he could bring one of them to Denji, so he could have a chance at them too, but she returned with a “I gave him the crumbs!”, much like he expected to happen.
At least he tried.
November had come to an end surprisingly fast. A lot has happened lately, and he’s barely processed it.
He’d like to give the twins this as a gift, but even though Christmas will come soon, Aki feels as if it isn’t, and he doesn’t want to wait for too long.
“Have you two ever gone to a cinema?” he asks one night, while they’re having takeout for dinner in Angel’s living room.
Power looks at him with wide eyes, shaking her head in answer.
“I was thinking… would you guys like to come watch a movie at the cinema?” He looks at both Angel and Power. Angel shrugs in answer.
Power thinks it over, though.
“But we’ve already watched movies on the TV,” she says, genuine confusion radiating off of her. “What’s so different?”
“The cinema has a bigger TV,” he explains, and Power’s eyes gleam in interest this time, successfully catching her attention. “Way bigger than this one, it wouldn’t even fit in Angel’s apartment.
“Wow,” she breathes. “Then yeah! I wanna go!”
“And you, Angel?”
“Sure,” he says. “It’s been a while since we went to the cinema together.”
Aki nods in agreement with a small smile on his face. It wasn’t like they spent most of their time and dates as teenagers going to the cinema, they actually went only a handful of times, but he had good memories of them. Angel usually fell asleep though, movies tended to relax him much to his very mild annoyance and fondness. The redhead would start slowly nodding off, before leaning his head against his shoulder and not waking up until the credits were rolling.
That would happen again most likely.
“Do you think you can convince Denji to come with us?” he asks.
“I’ll try,” she returns her attention to the TV in front of her, and Aki gently pushes her away so she doesn’t lean too close to it. “He’s still mad at you.”
He can’t help but let out a soft sigh at that. He shouldn’t be so upset by the fact that Denji is angry with him, but he is, and he shouldn’t push him or ask for forgiveness—it would be the worst thing he could do in these circumstances. Denji has every right to be angry.
"Just ask him anyway," he says, his eyes drifting back to the TV with a sudden tired expression.
The minutes stretched in silence after that. Power, who had quickly moved on from Aki’s melancholic mood when Denji came up, began rambling on about whatever popped into her head, not even bothering to help Aki and Angel with preparing dinner, though neither of them really expected her to at this point. It would have been far more shocking if Power had suddenly stood up and helped them.
Another weekend arrived with relative calm, and he finally decided to take Angel, Power, and, hopefully, Denji to the movies. However, Angel could see how tired he was and asked if he was really sure about going out in that condition, gently running his fingers over the dark circles that were just starting to appear beneath his eyes.
But this was something special, and he didn’t want to postpone it any longer.
He told Power they were going the next day, to which she loudly cheered and ran back home to most likely tell Denji about it. When the day finally came, there was a surprisingly fair amount of people outside the cinema despite the cold. As they waited for Power to arrive, Aki bought three movie tickets since he had little to no hope that Denji would come, but he was wrong much to his small delight.
A very displeased Denji was walking a few feet back behind his sister. His posture was slightly rigid as he got near with Power, as if the very air carried the weight of his reluctance. Denji clearly came to the hang out because Power made him, not because he wanted to, and Aki noticed how the blonde's eyes betrayed a flicker of impatience when the twins stopped right in front of them. Power greeted them loudly, and Aki was far too accustomed by her eccentricities by now to even care about the looks other people sent them.
Denji's eyes shifted then, sharp and searching, showing an undercurrent of curiosity. He quietly looked at the exterior of the cinema with poorly hidden excitement, and Aki's lips imperceptibly drew into a smile.
"What movie are we watching?" asked Power.
"Men in Black," answered Angel for him as he turned around to buy an extra ticket for Denji. "It came out a few months ago, and only arrived to Japan a few weeks ago," he explained calmly, although he quickly realized how Power didn't care at all about the rest and only became fixated on the movie title.
"Oh?" she raised both eyebrows, tilting her head to the side. "Men in Black? I wonder what it is about, perhaps men in black?" she snickered at her own stupid joke. "Oh! Or maybe—"
"Don't continue," Angel deadpanned, stiffening a yawn after. "You'll find out what it is actually about soon."
Denji quietly coughed behind Power, apparently hiding a small laugh, but quickly stiffened again as Aki returned.
They didn't waste any time into entering the building, all of them agreeing quietly about wanting to get away from the cold. The twins attentions went towards the snack bar, clearly interested in the popcorn. Power, with no tact whatsoever, stared at one of the women who worked there giving a bucket of popcorn to a costumer, then snatched the bucket for herself.
Before the man could even react to Power stealing what she rightfully bought, Aki stepped in and took the bucket straight out of her hands. She protested loudly, offended by the nerve of him stealing from the Oh Mighty Power, and tried to get it back.
"I'm sorry," he apologized for her to the stunned man. "She's a kleptomaniac, today is her outing day from the psych ward and got a little too excited," the lie rolled off his tongue smoothly, not having to even think about what the hell he was saying before returning the bucket of popcorn to the poor guy. He politely bowed to him, then grabbed the elbow of a still angry Power and walked away.
Angel and Denji were waiting for them from a distance, the latter looking at them with crossed arms and a barely there amusement, although he smacked Power in the back of her head when they got closer. She retaliated by trying to bite his arm.
Aki dragged them to the screening room before they could start a fight. It was slightly amazing how easy it became for him to return to the 'old habits' he acquired by being in close proximity with the twins for two months and a half. He even forgot for a brief moment the fact that Denji was upset with him—and also the fact that his current life is threading into very dangerous territory—but he enjoyed the moment while it lasted, even if it meant being publicly embarrassed by these two freaks.
They sat down in their respective seats, and the movie started not long after.
Much like he anticipated, Angel paid attention during the first twenty minutes of the movie before starting to nod off, then his head lulled to the side and fell asleep on Aki's shoulder. He sighed in quiet endearment, then focused on the movie at the same time he was trying to reign Power's behavior into an acceptable one. An exhausting feat, to be honest. He truly was enjoying the movie, it was proving to be really entertaining and interesting so far, but his eyes flickered towards the twins every once in a while as the movie progressed.
He should've expected for Power to be a whirlwind of expressions. Her gasps and laughter were exaggerated like always, each one louder than the rest, and she would even lean forward in her seat and grab the one in front of her, uncaring of the other person seated there. Her astonishment and amazement was palpable to everyone within the theater even though the sounds of the movie were loud as hell, and even though Denji at first seemed reluctant to show his reaction, it didn't take long to mirror his sister's behavior. He laughed too loud, very much like Power.
Aki really should've figured out by now that the twins were two energetic forces that he had little control over.
At one point, multiple people loudly shushed her and told them to both shut the hell up, to which Power and Denji dramatically took offense and retorted back.
"I'm enjoying the damn movie, dipshit! I'm sorry for not being as boring as you!" Denji yelled as he pointed at the rest with his index finger.
"How dare you quiet the future shogun of Japan! Become the dirt I walk on!" Power proclaimed loudly at the same time as Denji said his piece. Aki didn't know where she got that word from, but he did wonder to himself if she even knew that shoguns where not even a thing anymore in this time and age.
They wouldn't hesitate to escalate the situation as tension hung in the air.
Throughout all Angel remained asleep as Aki pinged the bridge of his noise with furrowed eyebrows.
Soon enough, two employers came to them and told them to either watch the movie in silence or they'll have to kick them out.
Power opened her mouth to yell something back at them as she stood up, but Denji and Aki both took the end of her sleeves of each arm at the same time, pulling her down and forcing her to sit down. Denji actually seemed wary now, and even though he clearly didn't enjoy being threatened by seemingly a "nobody" to him, it became obvious to Aki that he wanted to watch the rest of the movie.
Denji avoided eye contact with the two employers, Power crossed her arms as she started to pout and Aki acted as if he didn't know either of them. Angel was still sleeping.
When the employers went away and the rest of people calmed down as well after seeing that neither Power of Denji were going to act again, Angel's low voice spoke up, only loud enough for Aki to hear.
"Those two are literally a circus show," he mumbled with his eyes still closed. "You could've thrown them to the streets and make them do comedy skits for money…" the redhead trailed off as he seemingly fell asleep again.
He could've, huh.
It would've made him feel as if he was using them, though. In whatever other circumstance he wouldn't have cared enough, but now, knowing their backgrounds and all…
…But it still would've been better.
He watched the rest of the movie with a tinge of melancholy, the muffled sounds of Power and Denji trying to hold in their laughter and hit each other in the ribs occasionally was the only thing keeping him from retracting into his mind.
Overall, it wasn't a bad hang out. Aki was glad to having been able to give this experience to the twins, even though he felt like he had one eye on the movie in front of him and another on the pair of blondes seated right next to him.
When the movie ended, they walked to the exit while ignoring the distasteful and reproachful looks the other people sent them. Power and Denji were talking animatedly—and very loudly—about the movie, uncaring of spoiling the events and ending to the people outside who were about to watch it as well.
As they neared Angel's apartment, Denji's footsteps started to slow down, until they reached an intersection where he fully stopped. Aki glanced back, understanding Denji's hesitation from the way his eyes avoided looking directly at him, and from the deep furrow of his brows. Aki opened his mouth, about to reassure him that he didn't need to follow them back to the apartment if he didn't want to, that it was okay—but Power beat him to it.
"Are you still acting like a sissy?" she spat out. Denji bared his teeth at her, his hesitant behavior disappearing from one blink to another and instead looking incredibly annoyed at her. "Stop whining like a pathetic dog and come with us! You can't be mad at Aki for protecting us—I'm the empress and you're the duke, it's only natural that we're being looked after!"
"Don't call me a sissy you bitch," the blond grumbled without any heat behind his words.
Power rolled her eyes, and simply started walking again, leading the way. She said her part, apparently—and whatever Denji had to say in response were going to matter very little to her. Angel droopy eyes looked at Aki, then at Denji, before giving a light shrug and starting to follow after Power. That short exchange of looks that Aki and Angel shared at that moment told him very clearly to either talk things out between each other or Angel won't open the door for him until they fixed their issues.
Aki let out a shaky sigh.
"This is such a pain," he heard Denji mutter, scratching the back of his head as he avoided his gaze. "Whatever—look," the blonde continued, meeting Aki's eyes head on, although spark of anxiety behind his expression was still clear as day. "I know I'm an asshole, I don't care about that most of the time but—" he scuffed the snow beneath him with his shoe. "—You got into deep shit, and I didn't want that for you," Denji finished with a shrug. "But you know that already."
"…Yes," he nodded slowly. "I'm aware."
A short silence stretched between them.
"Then—" Denji grits his teeth, pointing his index finger at him. "Then I have to protect you too before you get yourself killed!" he exclaimed, his cheeks tinted with a soft hue of red. Wether the teen was embarrassed for uttering those words or the cold was getting to him went unknown.
A wave of relief washed over Aki, making his posture slump as if he just got rid of an unbearable amount of weight.
Denji rolled his eyes, walking past him with long strides not before hitting him in the back—almost like a comforting pat, although most of the air left his lungs because of the strength behind it. Aki couldn't bring himself to even get mad however, the sheer happiness that settled within him besides the relief was enough to drown anything else.
He straigthened a moment later, looking back at Denji already making his way towards the apartment. As for apologies and reconciliations went, it seemed like the teen wasn't too keen on being all emotional or making it dramatic, he said his piece as honestly as he could without wasting too much time despite how embarrassing it must've been. Perhaps Denji had never cared enough for someone else to even practice such apologies, and he could envision that whatever sort of fights he's had with Power in the past had been brushed aside with time without either acknowledging their anger properly, just acting as if it never happened before going back to normal.
Aki let out a huff before the corners of his lips drewn up into a smile, finally breaking away from his thoughts to follow after him. He didn't say anything to Denji as he got by his side, and the blond kept on staring ahead as he crossed his arms, seemingly wanting to keep the cold away.
When Angel opened the door to them, he questioned Aki with a look to which he responded with a simple nod. The redhead seemed pleased then, sighing softly at their dynamic while Power loudly proclaimed that it wasn't that hard, was it?
The apartment felt somehow warmer than before, now with Denji here once again.
It doesn't take long for Aki to receive his next job, where both Power and Denji will accompany him to this time.
The direction kindly given by Reze has sparked a glint of recognition in Denji's eyes. Aki will have to sell the goods at a luxurious party where all sort of atteendes will be there—he has a general idea from what Denji has explained—corrupt politicians, business men who are deep into shady sorts or even foreigners, held at Tenjiku Hotel. It's both a show of power and wealth how the Iteya-kai can just rent an entire hotel, yet Aki can't bring himself to feel awe when the job has higher stakes than the ones he'd done before.
This will be the final job before your initation ceremony, prove your loyalties or you will be eliminated, Reze had said with that soft and calculated tone of hers.
Denji seemed to be far more anxious than him, while Power was deeply convinced that everything would go alright. Aki hoped that things would go smoothly as the past jobs had been, but he couldn't completely ignore the fear of fucking it up somehow.
When the day of the mission arrived, the three of them stood before the hotel. They had been picked up by Reze at Angel's apartment a few hours before the party was bound to begin. She got them suits—the expensive ones, and judging by how Denji and Power had already showered it obviously wasn't the first time they had to attend to this sort of job. Aki had taken his own shower as well although out of custome rather than to prepare for the party.
The black suit fit him just fine, he thought, as he adjusted the tie in front of the mirror. It's been a long time since he's done a tie, since high school to be more specific, but old habits die hard.
Finishing the look with the characteristic topknot he's gotten used to doing lately, he exited the bathroom to meet with the rest in the living room. Power didn't seem to fanzy the formal clothing it seemed, given that she was only wearing the white shirt with a tie while the rest was her usual clothes. Reze only shook her head in resignation at the sight of her, before focusing on Denji who at least had tried.
Noticing that his tie was thrown over his shoulder carelessly, Aki stepped into his space to tie it properly before he even thought about it.
Denji minutely tensed, causing Aki to freeze until the teen slowly relaxed. Noticing that Denji was wordlessly giving him permission to go ahead, Aki did the tie quick yet efficiently, stepping away once he was done with it.
Reze handed him a leather suitcase then, filled with what he must sell today he assumed. "Now that we're all ready, let's go already," she turned around, expecting the rest to follow.
She even got them a ride, he noticed, when they left the apartment block. It was waiting for them a few streets over, Reze carefully making sure the one driving wouldn't know where they were staying—aware that Angel didn't have anything to do with the Yakuza in general as well, so why put him at risk?
Everything went by in a breeze it felt like, only stopping to openly gape at the hotel and its luxury when they got inside. In his dreams would he ever get a room in this place, and even standing on top of the polished marbled floors made him feel like he was staining them already. Good thinking from Reze that she got them new shoes too.
How she knew what his shoe size was, however, he'd rather not think about.
Outside in the streets, it was completely filled with parked cars from the people who had been invited to the party. Would it properly be called a party, still? He's absolutely sure it's not like the ones he's thinking about, so he's intrigued as how it will develop as time goes by.
Having Power and Denji accompanying him is reassurance enough to walk deeper into the lobby, regaining his composure instead of gaping at the sight of everything like an idiot. Reze was going to lead them whenever needed for a while, before leaving to do whatever her actual job was.
Two or three hours flew past, he had sold to a number of people and still had more to go.
The floor where the main party was happening opened into banquet hall with round tabled draped in ivory cloth, tall floral arrangements, and a live jazz band playing in the corner. Aki didn't hesitate to take a glass of champagne from a tray a hostess was carrying, although he immediately noticed how forced her smile was. She clearly didn't want to be here, and Aki could do nothing to help no matter how much he wanted to.
"I don't know how you can like that," Denji grimaced with his tongue out in disgust, squinting at the glass in his hands as if it personally offended him.
Aki shrugged. "It helps me get by," he quietly answered. The more relaxed he is, the more efficient he will be instead of a bundle of nerves.
Power side eyed him, and all she had to say to that was a huff before returning her attention to the rest of the people. She was taking her role as his guard far more seriously this time, glowering at whoever came near enough or clients interested in the drugs he had in the suitcase. Denji had to hit her on the back of her head twice now, so she wouldn't get into any issues.
Another half hour went by before Reze motioned them to follow into an elevator. Apparently their post had changed, and she took them to one of the higher levels where the VIP suites were.
Despite everything, he couldn't help but feel oddly lucky to be given the chance to see this place entirely. Never in his life he imagined he would step afoot inside such an expensive hotel like this, neverming the VIP suites—yet when the elevator doors opened, the sight that greeted him only filled him with dread. The main lounge was a wide open space with minimalist décor such as leather sofas, lacqueed coffee tables and wall-length windows covered with blackout curtain. However, that sight wasn't the focus of his attention.
Instead, the furniture had been arranged in a way that faced a raised dais, where a small group of people were being... presented.
He followed Reze feeling distant with himself. Denji and Power didn't seem fazed by the situation at all however, and Aki had to force himself to not react too strongly. Swallowing dry, Reze quietly murmured for him to stand still in the corner of the room, anyone interested would approach him on their own. She then walked the other way, towards a long hallway until she was out of sight.
"I know, it's fucked up, but what can you do?" Denji whispered to him while giving a shrug, not too bothered about what was happening in front of them.
People were unwillingly being presented to the attendees of the party—dressed in uncomfortable clothes that revealed too much with prizes being worn as collars. It was demeaning, humilliating and violating in every sense of the word, Aki could barely imagine how they must be feeling if he, himself, was horrorized beyond belief.
It was more of an auction however, as the host walked towards one of the girls with mic in hand and stated her qualities. Aki's eyes widened a fraction when he recognized who she was.
"—And lot seven, ladies and gentlemen. Female, twenty years of age," he announced with a wide smile, ignoring her scared yelp when the host got near. "A cutie I would say so myself, with for distinct moles decorating her youthful face," the host grabbed her by the chin as if showing her features to the audience more closely. The girl was close to tears. "Recognizable, but not in a way that detracts. I consider it charming."
Kobeni.
How the hell did she get roped into this?! Aki thought hysterically.
Denji, noticing his reaction, softly elbowed him in the ribs. "What's up, do you know her?"
"I…" he trailed off, mind far away to properly answer Denji's question.
The host released her, walking in circles around her with a slow pace before continuing. "Her temperament is quiet, a demure presence. She follows instructions well, though she is prone to nerves when pressed," the host chuckled at that, and the audience whispered between them while some looked at her with a rapt eye, focused on the way Kobeni's hand were trembling while clenched against the cloth of her short dress. "With proper guidance, that anxiety can be corrected—or, for those who prefer it, cultivated."
Aki clenched his jaw, he had no idea how to help her but he desperately wanted to. His eyes frantically searched for someone in the audience who could do anything but—that's such a stupid thought, they're all here for the purpose to buy a literal slave who can fullfill whatever sick desire they have.
Kobeni didn't deserve anything of this.
None of the victims here deserved any of this.
Finally coming to a stand still by her right side, the gestured with his hand to her entire form.
"She has no family connections of note, no one who will come asking inconvenient questions. In other words... clean," the host paused briefly before smiling. "She is unmarked, untouched, and young enough to adapt to whatever role her buyer requires."
With that, he turned his attention to the audience. "Shall we begin?"
Multiple raised their hands and stated their prizes which were rapidly increasing, many interested in buying Kobeni after the spiel was done with. However, one voice in particular captured Aki's attention, his memory stirring deep inside his brain before coming to the front at full force.
The man stated the highest prize yet, and only seemed to increase it whenever someone met him. It was soon very apparent that he'd be the one to ending up buying her since the amount of people competing against him dwindled, until there was only one left to go against him.
"Ki—Kishibe-san?" Aki murmured more to himself, earning the inquisitive look of both twins at that.
What the hell?
Of all places—