The Entwined Past and Present

“ “ “Haaa….” ” ”

All of us exhaled a long sigh of relief after surviving the whole ordeal. We were currently occupying a random, small park within Tokyo.

After Kagura Family’s members chased us off, we decided to go to Tokyo and organize our next step instead of going home immediately. If you asked me why we were gathering in a park, it was because no respectable restaurant or shop would accommodate a bunch of delinquents like us. In fact, we were being glared at just for passing in front of their shops.

“So…what do we do now?” Kazu asked as he sat on one of the swings.

As if on cue, everyone turned to look at me.

I groaned and shook my head. “I’m still thinking about it. If infiltrating the house won’t work, perhaps we need to wait until Sakuya-san comes out on her own.”

“We’ll need to stake the place out every day, you know.” Yuuji reminded me.

“ “I don’t mind.” ” Both Ouji and Hiiro answered almost immediately.

“Even then, she’ll be thoroughly protected.” I added. “I doubt we’ll be able to overpower them, seeing how Tetsu-san handled us so easily back then.”

I glanced at Hiiro, who had his left arm in a sling for precaution. Before coming to the park, we took him to the nearest clinic to get treated. Fortunately, the doctor told us that there would be no permanent effect to his shoulder. The doctor was quite interested in how Hiiro managed to get such a clean injury, and it took a lot of efforts to cover up what actually happened.

Hiiro grimaced as he was reminded of the same fact. “Yeah…our strength alone won’t make it. Should we hire some mercenaries of our own?” He proposed with a serious face.

“Hold on, let’s not make this into a full-blown war.” I quickly stopped him.

“But Hiiro’s right that we’re not powerful enough.” Ouji interjected, with a depressed look on his face. “If only we can enter stealthily and take Kagura-san out just as quickly…”

“Maybe I can help you with that.”

Suddenly a new voice rang out. We all turned toward the newcomer, who was approaching us in a relaxed manner. He was a man with a lanky build, clad in a neat and expensive looking black suit. To top it all off, he was wearing a top hat that hid his facial features. In other words, he was completely shady.

“Who are you?” Ouji stood up from the slide he was sitting on and glared at the suspicious man.

The other delinquents also rose to their feet and surrounded the man, cutting off his escape route. The pressure they let out showed they were truly worthy of being Sakuya’s subordinates.

“Well, don’t be so hasty. There’s a reason why I’m dressed like this.” The man lifted the edge of his top hat, revealing a pale face and thick glasses.

But what caught my attention the most was the unusual color of his dark red eyes hidden behind the glasses.

I jumped to my feet in surprise. “You’re a member of the Kagura Family?!”

The man put a finger on his lips. “Shh. You’re still being followed by them.”

I immediately clammed up when I heard that. The delinquents also looked around uneasily, trying to spot the person tailing us.

“My name is Shinji. Just as you said, I used to be a part of the Kagura Family, though I’ve thrown away that name years ago.” Shinji continued. “I’m the one who helped Sakuya-chan escape from that house two years ago.”

All of us froze when he suddenly revealed that fact.

“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Hiiro challenged him with a deep frown on his face. “And why did you decide to approach us now?”

“I’m here to help you save Sakuya-chan, but I’d rather not discuss this out in the open.” Shinji glanced behind his shoulder. “Unfortunately, I can’t prove anything right now. Even so, if you decide to believe me, meet me in the fast food restaurant inside the nearest train station fifteen minutes from now. And only three people are allowed to come—Pochi, Tarou, and Ryuu.”

Shinji looked at each of us as he called us with our pet names. It seemed that he truly knew everything about us.

“Make sure to shake off your tail before coming to the meeting point, okay?” Shinji pulled his top hat lower before walking away.

“Hey, wait…!” Hiiro leapt up to chase after the shady man, but I quickly stopped him.

“Hiiro, let’s do something about the person tailing us before we take care of him.” I reminded the delinquent.

Hiiro pursed his lips in displeasure, but he didn’t protest. “…alright. We’ll all split up from here. We’ll make it seem like we’ve decided to give up and have a small trip around Tokyo before going home.” He spoke of his plan. “That way, they’ll give up on tailing us. After that, we’ll find that Shinji and force him to tell us everything.”

I nodded. “I agree. Let’s do this.”

We explained our plan to the rest of the delinquents and they all agreed. However, it was harder to convince them to go home and let us meet Shinji. They all wanted to listen to our conversation and help save Sakuya. They finally gave up after we swore up and down to tell them everything later.

*****

“Is he really planning to show up?” Hiiro grumbled as he toyed with his french fries.

“Let’s wait a bit longer. It hasn’t even been fifteen minutes.” I soothed him patiently.

Ouji silently munched on his third burger, but his eyes were fixated on the front window.

“Hey, have you guys been waiting for me?”

All of a sudden, Shinji’s voice rang out. We turned to the man standing next to our table. He was wearing an ordinary hooded jacket with jeans, sporting a completely different look from his shady appearance earlier.

“S-Shinji-san?!” I stared at him blankly as he took a seat next to me.

“Yeah, it’s me. Surprised?” The man smirked as if he just pulled a prank on us. “I don’t usually dress like that, for your information. I had to contact you guys without alerting the family, hence the ridiculous getup.”

“Cut to the chase.” Ouji interrupted. “Who are you exactly, and what do you want?”

The mirth in Shinji’s eyes vanished, replaced with a serious look. “Right. Since you guys have gone through a lot today, I’ll keep it simple. Let me introduce myself once again. I used to be Kagura Shinji, though I’ve discarded that surname 8 years ago. I’m Sakuya-chan’s senior in terms of running away from the Kagura Family. And as I’ve said earlier, I helped her escape two years ago, just like how her older brother helped me.”

“OLDER BROTHER?!” All three of us were shocked to hear that.

“Sakuya-san has an older brother?!” I leaned closer toward Shinji in interest.

“‘Had’.” Shinji corrected me. “I’m sure you guys know nothing about Kagura Family’s darkness nor Sakuya-chan’s past, since she won’t willingly talk about it. Let me tell you the tragic story of the princess raised in this crazy family.”

*****

At the same time…

I sat quietly inside my room, staring blankly at the window. The blue sky outside my window spread endlessly, but it felt like it was mocking me, who couldn’t take even a single step outside my room without permission.

The room was furnished with traditional Japanese style, in accordance to the rest of the main house. Aside from a tea table and cushions in the middle of the room, there was no other furniture. My futon was stored neatly inside the storage. The empty room might look barren and cold, but I preferred it that way. Perhaps it was the result of my harsh childhood, which taught me not to get attached to anything.

The floor was covered with tatami mats, while the walls were made of wood. However, it was simply a façade to hide the reinforced steel behind the walls and beneath the flooring, preventing anyone from breaking in…or out.

I sighed as I leaned on the window glass pane. Despite its ordinary look, it was made out of reinforced glass and an alarm would immediately go off if I somehow forced the window open. The glass’ coolness helped calm my nerves after seeing my friends again just now. I never thought that they’d be able to find this place, nor that they’d be stupid enough to really storm the Kagura Family’s main house.

“…I miss them.” A quiet whisper leaked out of my mouth.

I closed my eyes and recalled the happy days when I hung out with the delinquents after school. All this time, I pushed myself to worry about running away, ignoring everything that I left behind. But once I allowed myself to think about it, I found myself terribly missing my friends—especially Ryuu.

“We can never go back to those days…right?” I wore a self-deprecative smile.

Sakurasaki should already be closed down, and scheduled to be demolished next month. It was all done under my ruthless father’s orders, as his way of telling me not to defy him again.

Knock. Knock.

Upon hearing the knock on my room's door, I quickly straightened myself and tidied my appearance. It felt weird wearing a kimono all the time after being used to more casual clothes, but I had to follow the family’s tradition.

“Come in.” I said after making myself look presentable.

The paper door slowly slid open, revealing the petite figure of my mother clad in black kimono. I stared in silence as she hesitantly entered my room. My mother, Kagura Kaoru, had always been a timid and delicate person despite marrying into a yakuza family. When I was young, I always resented her for not saving me from being tortured in the name of education by my father. But right now I could understand her powerless position inside this house.

“Can I help you with something, Okaa-sama?” I addressed her coldly, as if she was a stranger.

Kaoru flinched at my icy voice. She hung her head and fidgeted silently for a long time, trying to find the right words to not provoke my anger. Whenever I saw my mother acting like she was walking on eggshells, irritation welled up inside my chest.

“You’re the lady of the house!” I wanted to scream at her. “Be more confident and proud of yourself!”

Despite my thoughts, I held my tongue. I knew what made my mother like this—my ruthless, temperamental father. After years of being oppressed by him, my mother was used to lowering her head and speaking carefully.

I stared intently at Kaoru as I waited for her to speak. Our appearances were amazingly similar, to the point that people often mistook us if they saw us from behind. I idly wondered if I’d look like her when I grew older as my mother opened her mouth hesitantly.

“About…the children that came this morning…” Kaoru said, halting every so often to check my mood. “Were they…your friends?”

I stared at her wordlessly, neither denying nor affirming her words. My silence conveyed my answer clearly, I don’t want to talk about it. I thought Kaoru would back down after this, but instead she continued speaking.

“One of the boys…he said his name is Ryuu…and he’s looking for you.”

At the mention of Ryuu’s name, I widened my eyes in surprise.

“What? How did you know him? Did the two of you meet?” I pressed her with rapid questions.

Kaoru visibly shrunk under my pressure, but she still answered meekly, “He…I think he mistook me for you. But before I could say anything…he was caught.”

I exhaled a sigh of relief. With Ryuu’s wits, he must’ve deduced my mother’s identity right away. Fortunately, she didn’t say a word about me nor my circumstances. I didn’t want him or any of my friends to know that I was being treated like a bird trapped in a cage.

“Did he…did he know about our family?” Unexpectedly, Kaoru started probing me. “Did he know about Kazuya—”

BANG!!!

Kaoru instantly closed her mouth when I slammed my fist on the tea table.

“Don’t. Say. That. Name.” I articulated each word clearly.

“M-My apologies…” Kaoru hung her head as she frantically apologized.

“Please leave me alone.” I looked away from my mother, signaling that I would no longer entertain her.

I could sense her lingering a bit longer in hesitation, but she finally left the room. Once I was sure that my mother had left, I rested my head on the wooden tea table and closed my eyes.

Try as I might, I could never forget my gentle and kind older brother, Kagura Kazuya. As well as his gruesome death right in front of my eyes.