Chapter Text
Hanagaki Takemichi is currently sitting on a swing in a playground near his house with his head bowed down, looking at the ground. He looks like a regular seven-year-old kid, albeit slightly small for his age. The gloomy aura Takemichi is emitting prevents the other kids from approaching him and the general direction of the swing.
Being ignored by other kids may negatively affect a typical seven-year-old. Still, it's actually a blessing in disguise for Takemichi. He may look seven, but he is a twenty-six-year-old grown-up man inside.
Takemichi just came back from experiencing his latest failure in another timeline. At that time, Mikey was the leader of Bonten, the worst organized crime organization Japan ever had. Mikey also became his trigger to go back in the past instead of Naoto. It's still fresh in Takemichi's memory, Mikey asking for his help while crying. Others may say that Takemichi is an idiot and too soft-hearted. How can he still have the will to help someone who literally killed him many times? Even though it was always on different timelines, Takemichi experienced every one of those deaths. Either Mikey indirectly caused his death, or he pulled the trigger personally. Maybe Takemichi is really an idiot because he still wanted to save Mikey even after all that happened. He still wanted to give him a happy ending together with their friends.
After his last time leap into the future, Takemichi realized that the love he once had for Hinata was slowly changed from a romantic one into just sisterly love. He finally understood why he still wanted to save Mikey despite Mikey pushing him away and shooting him three times in the chest. Aside from giving him his happy ending, Takemichi wished to see the person who became the most important to him and the one he came to love so intensely be satisfied. He never felt this kind of intensity when he is with Hinata.
Takemichi is glad he was able to go back in time again but can somebody tell him why the heck he is a kid this time? He is expecting to wake up at school or in his house because those are the usual places Takemichi was in when he usually comes back to the past. However, this time, he was sitting in the swing on the playground near his grandmother's house when he returned. He lives with his grandmother, who is always absent from what he can remember. Judging by the way she reeks of alcohol and cigarettes, she must be going to her friend's house to gamble and drink. Takemichi also distinctly remembered that his grandmother left him somewhere around this time because he grew up without adult supervision. His mother is sending him his allowance every six months, while his father never really cared whether he is still alive or not.
'I never really noticed how bad my childhood is, absent parents without a proper guardian. It's a miracle I grew up the way I am. Well, there's no need to fret about these things because as much as I want to change it, I know it will take a lot of time, and I don't have that. Besides, I grew up just fine without them, so I don't think I need them this time around.'
Call him an evil person but his biological family left him to live on his own at a young age; you can't expect him to still have some kind of affection for them, right? Besides, his friends became his new family, and saving them is his top priority.
After sitting for a few more minutes, Takemichi stood up before walking out of the playground. Sitting there doing nothing made Takemichi realize that it's not so bad to be a kid again. Going way back into the past has given him another chance to save those he couldn't and those he didn't have the opportunity to prevent their deaths. He'll start with Mikey's eldest brother, Sano Shinichiro. His death was one reason why Mikey came closer to being a cold murderer. If Takemichi can save him this time, Mikey won't become a criminal, and Izana could be saved. One of Takemichi's primary goals is to complete the Sano family. He will protect Shinichiro, save Izana from the orphanage to live with Mikey and the others, and prevent Emma's death. However, if he successfully accomplished the first two, the third one may not happen anymore.
Aside from saving the Sano's, Takemichi also plans to save Kazutora, Baji, and Akane for the sake of Inui and Koko. Even Kisaki and Hanma deserve to be given a second chance. Takemichi believes that if they are properly guided when still young and impressionable, they won't turn out the way they are in the original timeline. Well, Takemichi would settle with a less psychopathic and obsessive in Kisaki's case. Reaching this thought, Takemichi started to feel that his confidence started to grow; he would save all of them this time.
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Takemichi is about to give up. He can't do this anymore. He's been walking for hours and still can't find Shinichiro's goddamn motor repair shop! He went there once, but the buildings were not the same in the past, and he doesn't know if he's going the right way or not.
'Uggh! Should I just try looking for it tomorrow? The sun is about to set, and I still haven't found it! Heck, I don't even know where I am now! Maybe I should go back; it's dangerous for kids my age to roam the streets unattended at night.'
Takemichi thought dejectedly. His earlier confidence plummeted because he couldn't find Shinichiro's shop, and he could already feel tears of frustration threatening to spill.
'Snap out of it, Takemichi! Don't lose hope; there is still tomorrow to find that motor repair shop!'
Comforting himself, Takemichi turned back to start going home, but he suddenly heard some voices not far from him. Their conversation was gibberish for Takemichi because of the distance. Still, one word made him stop walking back home and instead made him follow the voices he heard. As he went nearer, Takemichi now could understand what was being said.
"What? Hahahaha! Did you get rejected again? wahahahaha!" A voice said before laughing so hard Takemichi thought he might die because of the lack of air.
"That makes it your; how many was it again? 50th rejection?" Takemichi heard another voice say completely monotonous, like he doesn't even care, but Takemichi could detect the amusement in it.
"It's already 50? Damn! Shin, you might die a virgin and a loner if this goes on." Said a third voice slightly lower and gruff than the first two.
Takemichi is hiding in an alley not far away from the voices. He decided to hide here because he first heard a Shinichiro on these teenagers(Adults?). Secondly, he got scared a little due to their intimidating heights. Takemichi only saw their tall and muscular, well, at least from one of them, silhouettes from the back. His first instinct is to immediately hide in the alley nearest to him while simultaneously trying to eavesdrop.
"Oi! It was only the 20th time I got rejected! Not 50! Also, are you done laughing, Omi?" The last one out of the four said to his friends.
Takemichi didn't hear the other's reply because they were now quite far from where Takemichi was hiding. So deciding to follow his guts, he peeked from his hiding place and saw the four quite far from where he was. Thinking about the distance from this alley to the next, Takemichi thought he could follow the four without being seen. So as fast as his little legs could, he ran for the next alley. This went on for a couple of streets before the four stopped in front of a shop?
'Wait, is it a motor repair shop? S.S. Motors, huh? That sounds familiar- ah! It's Mikey's older brother's shop. Yes! I found it! And maybe I found him? He could be one of the four before. It's a little dark for me to see their appearances, but I am sure Shinichiro-san is one of them. Hmmm, if I hide on the opposite street, I may see them clearly. He has to be one of them because the shop is close yet they still came here- oh, wait, they're entering now, I'll go to the opposite street.'
Takemichi was proud of himself because he tailed the four pretty stealthily, unlike when he followed Draken before to protect him from Mobius.
'They didn't even notice me! '
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That's what Takemichi thought, but unbeknownst to him, he was already spotted a couple of streets before. The first to notice him following was Wakasa before telling his other three best friends about a kid following them.
Takeomi didn't mind the kid because first, it is a kid; why the fuck would gangsters like them be afraid of a little kid like that. Secondly, there are three of them vs. one tiny human, so it would be a bit overkill. Lastly, it was a fucking KID! even younger than Shinichiro's baby brother. The latter is still pretty young compared to eighteen-year-olds.
Benkei, on the other hand, is concerned because it's already late, and the kid is still out here without his guardian. Meanwhile, Shinichiro is trying to stop himself from picking up and hugging the kid like a teddy bear. He tried not to show it, but his best friends knew him a little too well; that's why they held his arms while pulling him slightly to keep walking.
As the group finally arrived at Shinichiro's shop, they peeked at the kid. They saw his head sticking out of the alley wall, looking at them intensely. Benkei sighed while shaking his head.
'It's a little late for kids like him to be out here following strangers. Did his mom never teach him to be careful of strangers? Instead, he's completely doing the opposite! The stranger is the one getting frightened by the kid! ' Benkei thought while frowning.
By looking at his friend's faces, they are pretty concerned too. The always big brother, Shinichiro, wanted to approach the kid after opening his shop. He wanted to invite him inside and ask why he is following them and know where his parents or guardian were. But, before he could do just that, he saw the kid running for the opposite street before proceeding to hide in an alley. Only his head full of curly black hair was visible and, of course, the kid's big blue doe eyes and chubby cheeks that made Shinichiro want to squish and poke it. Also, he noticed the kid's face showing a proud look. He likely thought he did an excellent job following Shinichiro and his friends, making the kid a lot cuter.
After opening his shop for the other three, Shinichiro went out and asked the kid why he was following them. But, the moment he stepped outside and looked around, he saw that the kid was attempting to get closer to his shop. Obsidian eyes met ocean blue before the latter showed an expression of panic and proceeded to run away from the teen. Unfortunately, the kid was a bit fast for having short legs, and he was already out of sight before Shinichiro reacted.
"Look at what you did, Shin; you scared him." Takeomi's teasing voice coming from the doorway made Shinichiro snap his head away from the direction the kid ran away from.
"I didn't do anything, Omi. The kid ran away the moment our eyes met. I didn't even talk yet!"
"It must be because of your face that the kid ran away immediately." Wakasa's monotonous voice said somewhere further inside of his shop. Takeomi snickered at what Wakasa said before turning back to head inside.
"Ha.Ha. Seriously, why am I even friends with you guys! Instead of helping and supporting me, I am being slandered and bullied every time!" Shinichiro said indignantly after Takeomi, who only snorted at what he said.
"Yeah, yeah. Poor you, now get in here to start our meeting. Black Dragons is a freshly made gang, and there are a lot of things that need our attention." Wakasa said, gesturing for Shinichiro to come inside. He is leaning by the door after Takeomi went inside and is now looking at their wimpy leader.
Shinichiro, tired from being angry at his so-called best friends, pouted at Wakasa before walking towards him. Honestly, Shinichiro looks like an angry cat from Wakasa's point of view.
'An angry adorable cat.' Wakasa thought before following Shinichiro and at the same time closing the door. He looked briefly outside, considering if the weird, creepy (Wakasa won't say it in front of his friends, but the kid creeps him out a little bit) but somehow still managed to look cute kid came back. But seeing that the streets were deserted, he proceeded to close the door and went directly inside Shinichiro's office where their meeting was happening.
The meeting made them forget all about their little stalker. Instead, they just filed it under one of those 'days' where weird shits happen in their lives.