Right outside the building where Kito and the rest of the crew are at, Tatsuki and Bara get off of Tatsuki's bike. From his pocket, Tatsuki uncaps a small whiskey shooter.

  Bara squints and yells. "Hey, what is that?"

  "It's a shooter. You want some?"

  "No." Gruffly says Bara. "Why are you taking it now? This is an important meeting."

  "I know it's just, it's for the nerves. It helps me be confident."

  Bara wrinkles his nose. "Whatever. Just pocket that when you're done. We're already late."

  Tatsuki drinks the shooter and shoves the plastic in his pocket. He shivers for a moment as the bitter taste stays in his tongue before shaking it off. "Let's go."

  At the harbor, within a large, empty building where boats are stored, Kito's crew all surround Tatsuki Harada. Sitting on top of a large wooden box, a tired Kito interviews the sitting guest.

  "Alright. I'm glad you're excited." States Kito. "However, I need to know everything about you before I can allow you to enter our group."

  "Of course." Complies Tatsuki.

  "So, where were you in life before this very moment right here, right now?"

  "Well," begins Tatsuki. "I was in a biker gang led by none other than Yamazaki Saizo the Great. But before I get into that, I might as well tell you about life and how I got there. You see, I was born on August 13th, 19-"

  "Keep it brief." Interrupts Kito. "I don't care for every detail."

  "Ah- of course. Um... I grew up with my uncle for all my life but he was so busy with work that I just hung out on the streets after school for a majority of my life. Typically it was just hanging out at the park but eventually I met up with these older kids making loud noises with their bikes and I thought to myself 'damn. That's so fucking cool.'

  So I intentionally got into a fight with them any time I could. Seeing as how I was a 13 year old fighting against 18 year olds, I would get my ass handed to me. Obviously I should've hated them but... Idunno I just couldn't. But it was one day when I was 16 years old that the new leader at the time came to power. He saw me instigate with a member so he intervened himself and he squared me all up. He then recognized me and asked why I was instigating. I gave a bs answer.

  But he saw through me.

  I explained that in actuality I've been trying to impress them all these years by beating one of them.

  He laughed at my face.

  He takes off his jacket and told me to show him what I got.

  I got my ass handed pretty handily.

  But for once, despite the cut on his lip that I managed to make, he said that I 'got heart' and he accepted me on the spot. He mentioned that he laughed at me because of how foolish I was. And he warned that under the previous leader's rule, if I managed to beat one of his guys-

  I would get dragged by a motorcycle by my feet until I was a red sludge.

  Suffice to say, I'm quite glad I didn't win any matches haha!"

  Kasumi and Daiki exchange a very weirded out look.

  "Anyway, the current leader explained that he didn't like the way things were being run. He felt like it could be used to protect others from bullies rather than be the bullies themselves. So him and the ex-leader had a brawl and since the new leader won, everyone respected his authority instead- including the ex leader. Typically there would be concerns over coups and betrayals, but because honor and respect was a focal point of the gang, we all agreed that if something like that were to happen, we would execute them via dragging."

  Kito holds his hand up. "The new leader. You never mentioned his name."

  "Ah yes, my bad.

  It was Nakayama Anno."

  "I see."

  Kito grunts and thinks to himself. If he ever met this Nakayama fellow, he would be tempted to bestow a strong, respectful handshake towards him.

  "Continue." Says Kito.

  "Ah yes. So before then, the biker gang thought of themselves as family, but under Nakayama's rule, that sentiment exponentially rose. It was customary to refer to each other as big bro and little bros. If we saw someone aggressively picking on someone smaller, we'd give them a thorough beating and that would be that. Lots of people vibed with this approach rather than just biking around, smoking tobacco, drinking and fighting. All of that was still fun, especially when we actually got the money to customize our bikes. But with this, even among those who saw the gang as their purpose in life, now it gave them real meaning. They're actively bettering the community in our way.

  But of course, not everyone in the community saw it that way. The rival gangs didn't like us, whether it be for territory reasons or because of our 'weak' ideology. The Yakuza focused more on the issue of us making too much noise on top of stealing away their client's focus. And finally, the authorities clearly didn't like any of us. As happy as we all were as a family, to call it a shitshow would be an understatement.

  Things got heated real quickly, and despite his rule being a lot of the guys' lives, it had to be cut short.

  It was a setup from a rival biker gang, THUNDERHEADS with some aid from the local yakuza.

  They lured out Nakayama and held him for ransom, asking for all of us to disband or else they would execute him.

  Yet, despite this threat, he managed to escape and beat up a good chunk of the rival bikers alone.

  But by the time we arrived, he was already bleeding out from severe cuts. Our biggest brother, and the man who saved not just my life but most of ours, passed away.

  We were severely depressed afterwards. And while a few members quit right after that, that's when the second in command then became our newest leader.

  Yamazaki Saizo.

  We all lost someone extremely important. And no one made a greater effort to sate our rage than Saizo.

  He was always a brother that was rough around the edges, but he meant well. That is, only if you were in the gang. Otherwise, he was not afraid to stick his anger out on others. Now, though I know very little about his life, I know for a fact that unlike some of us who had a home to go back to...this was it. He had nothing aside from this group, his bike, and his fists. So as much as I admired this group, to this guy, it was an entirely different level.

  He of all people knew of our collective wrath. Not only was he good at riling us up, but because of the imposed law of strength within our group, nobody could overthrow him. He should've died a long time ago.

  So as his first order of business as the new leader, he immediately went to waging war against the THUNDERHEADS.

  It's true that in terms of education, he didn't enter high school. But there's two important things when it comes to someone like Saizo. 1. Just because someone is dumb, doesn't mean they're stupid. And 2. When someone has enough rage and malice in their heart, they'll go to any lengths to get what they want.

  It was soon after his inauguration that he chained a metal bottle full of liquid to his hip. It was attached to a chain that he used as a belt. Nobody bothered to ask what it was for.

  With just simple plans, we managed to ambush the THUNDERHEADS several times to put a lot of them in hospitals. We'd slash their tires, jump them while they refueled at gas stations, the works. Something that would've taken a long time with Nakayama was done in months.

  Now, as much as we all loved the guy, he sometimes teetered on the line. Sometimes way past what Nakayama would've tolerated.

  But we were angry. They needed to feel our pain. So in order to do that, Saizo instructed us the logic of fellowship.

  'You hurt our brother; so we will hurt yours.'"

  Tatsuki went silent for a couple minutes. Kito smiled upon Saizo's words.

  "Now-" starts Tatsuki again. "I personally interpreted as just baiting the THUNDERHEADS. I would never go hunt the family members of a rival gang. I mean they didn't do anything man, that's fucked up. But..."

  Tatsuki stammers. "But there was one time...I was scared and...I didn't mean to I-"

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Don't make excuses." Says Kito. "What happened, happened. That's all there is to it."

  Tatsuki stammers. "Yes... it doesn't matter. It's all in the past.

  So with all these attacks, that's when finally, the leader of the THUNDERHEADS, Kanagawa was fed up.

  And Saizo didn't hesitate to capitalize on this moment.

  A letter sent straight to Kanagawa's apartment. A duel between him and Saizo. Both of the clans would be present. The winner of the duel will absorb both clans as the prize. One weapon is allowed. It's to the death. Agreeing to these terms would mean that no member within their gang would be able to jump inside the ring to help their leader, no matter what happens inside the ring, etc."

  Now, Kanagawa was infamous when it came to fights. He always came swinging with a makeshift flail consisting of two wrenches tied to the ends of a chain. Obviously with all these attacks, Kanagawa was as pissed off as we were. Same with the rest of the THUNDERHEADS no less. So all of them agreed to the conditions.

  https://youtu.be/vxQ65pt3luY?si=LuTEZKZGeRh6o5A6

  Weeks passed for preparation and it was finally the night. In an abandoned factory, a makeshift cage made of metal fences was haphazardly made between a neutral party. Just workers who wanted to make a quick 1 hour buck and get the hell out before they became witnesses.

  It was us on one side and the THUNDERHEADS on the other. The two fighters finally entered.

  Saizo, wearing his Tokkufoku jacket, his hair styled in a black and orange pompadour, stained with red blotches, and long baggy pants. He sparked up a cigarette right as Kanagawa entered.

  Kanagawa, stood tall with his black bandana covering his mouth, shirtless, with black shorts and a bright yellow mohawk. His flail hung around his neck. And those eyes... the pupils were so dilated they blotched almost the entirety of the iris. A stare that has seen so much violence, nothing could affect him anymore.

  As the preparations were set and the gate closed, Saizo took off his jacket. As if showing the scars all over his body. He then whipped out that chained bottle he's been wearing for a couple of months.

  They started swinging. Saizo had the initial reach advantage, trying to nail Kanagawa in the head. But Kanagawa used his flail like nunchuks, cutting and nailing Saizo a lot faster than each of Saizo's large sweeping swings. It got ugly real quick, both in and out of the cage. Every time Saizo and Kanagawa got close they resorted to haymakers and kicks against each other before trying to counter attack with their weapons. Meanwhile, the energy around the cage was so intense that in no time, each gang started bumping into the other, starting even more fights among the crowd. The entire fucking factory turned into a brawl fest. It wasn't until I and a couple of other people noticed. Both Saizo and Kanagawa were tiring real quick. Saizo had a cut above his eye while Kanagawa was limping with one of his legs clearly battered with a bad knee.

  Things got blurry again. Saizo was trying to make space away from Kanagawa, shifting his arms close to himself, fumbling with his flail. That's when all of us smelled it. As if at that exact moment, that all too familiar stench woke us up from our senses.

  Gasoline.

  As it turns out, Saizo was trying to keep his space away from Kanagawa, before taking the lid off of the bottle. All of us tried to climb into the arena, trying to stop the fight. But tossing a whole bottle of gasoline on someone is a lot quicker than climbing a fence.

  By the time the first person landed in the arena, Kanagawa was drenched in the fuel.

  That's when Saizo spat his lit cigarette at him.

  Instantly, we all climbed back out. Things have gotten way too far. As much as we were shocked by our own leader, and as much as the other gangs were conflicted on whether or not to start killing, everything stood still. Kanagawa was rolling around. Every time he tried to get up, and spread the fire to Saizo, Saizo would wail on him with the heavy chains to the head. By the third time Kanagawa tried to get up, Saizo brained him for the last time.

  We didn't know what to say. The whole thing went out of control quickly. In retrospect, it's clear. The one who was in control of those few months, was Saizo.

  As much as the THUNDERHEADS wanted to cause a riot, they knew two things.

  A. It was a done deal. Both leaders agreed to the match. Whether it was honorable or not was up for debate but the point still stood: Kanagawa agreed and that was that.

  And most importantly, B. No matter how much rage they felt at the moment, they themselves agreed to this. The one who didn't sign the agreement left at that very moment. And they knew the consequences. If they rat to the police, who knows what would happen to them and their families. If they start swinging now, not only would they have to face the entirety of our gang, but Saizo as well. No matter how damaged he was, the burnt, braindead evidence was right in front of them at the end of the night. And seeing Saizo do that to one person put the fear of god in them.

  So things calmed down after that. Many people from both sides left. It was a new era under Saizo's rule. With the THUNDERHEADS absorbed, though the gang war ended, there was still plenty of violence left in Saizo's tracks. The police tried to crack down on the crime, but with people clearly aware of the consequences, they wouldn't let out names. And with Saizo's experience with poverty, he didn't need a house to live in. Half the time we didn't know where he was. And as a lot of people found out the hard way, he had a better eye on us than anyone had on him. Loyalists spied on our own members. Talks of a coup were swiftly dealt with, much the same like Kanagawa's corpse."

  Tatsuki clapped. "Like that, without a trace. Who knows if they've found the bodies yet."

  Bara's eye twitches.

  Kito simply stares. "Did you have any involvement in these activities?"

  "Not directly." Says Tatsuki. "I wasn't a high enough rank to be trusted. Though the casualties were few in total, I still didn't know anything about them.

  Nevertheless, all things must come to an end. Despite the clear warnings, people still plotted. The cops were gaining on us. Distrust spread. And it was inevitable that his reign of violence would come crashing down on him. Despite how strong and feared he was, at the end of the day, he was only human."

  Tatsuki looks down and mutters. "It was raining that night."

  Silence.

  Kito waited for what felt like a minute before finally asking. "Is... is this poetry? What are you doing I don't get it."

  Tatsuki waves his hand. "Oh no no, sorry let me explain. On his final night, Saizo was driving on his bike as usual. It was raining. Now, Saizo was known for his iconic pompadour. He'd always proudly display it, refusing to wear a helmet."

  Kito furrows his brow and makes a mental note. "(Wait. Orange...pompadour...?)"

  "From the police's report, it was stated that him and a truck were turning at the same time at an intersection."

  Kito raised his eyebrows. "Ah, I see. So he slid and was crushed by the truck."

  "Surprisingly, no. From the evidence, the motorcycle was completely fine. What ended up happening was that both of them slipped and swerved. Yet by some miracle, they didn't end up hitting each other. But, because of Saizo's speed and the amount of force used to brake on the bike, his bike slid and slammed itself on the side. It was too fast and Saizo couldn't brace in time. He landed on his head, cracking his skull open. He died instantly."

  "Hmph." Simply responds Kito. Despite his minute response, his darting eyes wander around, barely concentrating on Tatsuki.

  "And after that," continues Tatsuki. "One would expect the cycle to continue. Saizo died. Clearly people were still aggravated after all that happened, despite the threats piled against them. And there were other groups who had a bone to pick with him.

  But through his death... that was kind of it.

  When Nakayama died, it's because somebody killed him and thus we had an actual target to lash out on. But with Saizo's death, that was all accidental. Coupled with his literal raging alcoholism, this was bound to happen. Why would you ever drive on the worst possible vehicle on a rainy night, drunk, all without wearing a helmet. So there's nobody to blame but himself; not even the truck driver could be blamed because he didn't hit Saizo. So the moral of the story isn't necessarily to not go drinking and driving...ok well don't do that either, but the other important part is to always wear a helmet.

  Though, despite his flaws, he still was our older brother. He got us into a lot of shit, but he always took a bullet for us... even if he started most of the fights within the gang's history. And he was an odd one on top of it. He still had the weird honor thing with women so... well it's not weird, it's just that I thought a guy like him be more uh... handsy with women. But if there's any public service Saizo has ever done, it was preventing a surprising amount of assaults, both within and out of the gang. And finally, he was surprisingly in tune with nature. I don't know what it was but we just accepted it. The only wish he had for when he died was to bury his body rather than have it cremated."

  Kito squints. "That's oddly... Un-Japanese."

  "I know right? We were all confused but if that's what the leader wanted then we'll just honor him that way. He wanted to be buried in a presentable suit. We shrugged and did as he asked.

  And with that... most of the gang thought it was the perfect place to end this lifestyle. Several people had kids with their girlfriends already, and they couldn't be risking their family's lives over turf wars or naive ideals. Other people were satisfied with Saizo's death and in a roundabout sort of way, thought this lifestyle should die with him too. Other people had jobs and bills to pay for. And some just had better things to do; simple as that. And at that point, seemingly out of nowhere, the culture as a whole died off. Despite all the violence, it was a brief renaissance for Bosozoku clans. But the culture seemingly died overnight. It wasn't the same as it was ten, twenty or several years ago. Within less than a month, our so called 'brothers' disbanded. With the gang collapsing itself, on top of the man with the biggest target on his back cracking his skull open, all the rival gangs had bigger fish to fry.

  In the end, it was just me, and four snot nosed brats that were barely entering highschool. As the senior and strongest 20 year old amongst teenagers, I was appointed leader. But without having the money to buy their own bikes, we couldn't really be a biker gang anymore. I watched two of them ride on the same beat up moped acting all tough. I'll admit it Kito."

  Tatsuki's voice quivered before continuing.

  "I hung out with them. They hated the taste of beer. They didn't know how to smoke. They were too weak to fight. And they preferred to read comic books instead of working on bikes or hanging out at arcades or bars and whatnot. I couldn't take it anymore. I sent them off wearing the tokku fuku jackets of previous members who left. I couldn't take them with me. The garage we used as a base of operations was no longer a clan hideout, but another dingy, shack. I...I hate being weak...But after I saw them ride off into the sunset, it suddenly hit me like a train. Slamming and spreading my body across the field. My vision spiraled and I fell on my ass. I couldn't stand up. All this time. I swore off school to hangout with people I considered my 'brothers.' I blew off my uncle in the middle of those years and spent the previous couple years sharing a cramped apartment with three other alcoholics. I was in wage slave hell whenever I wasn't getting into situations I could've easily avoided. And I've... done terrible things. I've been punched by men twice my weight and never cried. So why is that when I'm all alone, I'm on the ground hugging my legs, sobbing like a pussy. It's been a nightmare in the back of my head for so long. But I never knew this day would come.

  I wasted my fucking life.

  So after piling up all the gang's memorabilia, I got myself my own apartment with my savings and lived there pretty peacefully. I would go to work, then to the bar, then home; work for six days, rest for one, and it was like that for almost a year.

  That is, until I met the Owl man."

  Kito, finally showing an ounce of intrigue, slightly raises his eyebrows. "Owl Man?"