“Hey boss!” called Takayuki, leading the group on her left. They made it out of the library and around it before she even looked at them. Even then, none of them kly what to make of it. “What’s wrong?” It was an all too familiar expression, but with no reason. ‘She’s left it all behind, so why is she looking like she’s going into a fight?’

  Around the library, Miyako came to a stop fag five bhly looking to be about the same age range as them, so high school age. They were all gathered up oreet making it impossible for ao pass. Bystanders on the opposite side of the street mostly just ighe se, but gnced out of the er of their eye, as was usual for those curious yet wanting to stay uninvolved. Unfortunately, being a fairly busy street it was hard for anyone on their side of the street to pass without beiangled in the flibsp; Some just turned around looking for a different way, while others ended up frozen, not sure how to deal with the violence likely to e.

  Takayuki immediately realized what had dragged her out of the library. He walked up to Miyako, standing a little in front of her. ‘Is she pnning on fighting them? But why? She doesn’t want to be involved ihings anymore. She even just frightehose overstuffed punks back at her school, when she normally would have just paihe pavement in their blood in the past.’ Making the choice for her, he tried to approach, but was stopped by Miyako. “Boss?”

  “I thought I told you to stop callihat, Takayuki!” She walked up to the group. Fainst one, hardly fair odds to say the least. However, it wasn’t the odds she cared about. She easily did twice that many at times. “What do you think you’re doing pig on someohat ’t even fight back?” she bellowed in a deep voice, that unhe normal bystanders expeg something different from a school girl.

  One of them tilted their head back, surprised that anyone had the balls to interrupt them. “Eh?”

  “Hey Junichi, focus man! Ighe chick.”

  “Yeah…” He ched his knuckles to be winding up for another beating. “Lessons are important.” The unfortunately bullied boy nearly spread out over the sidewalk already had a bloodied and bruised appearance from all of their beatings. Junichi didn’t seem to be ied in stopping.

  They just ignored her. That part bothered Miyako a little, but wasn’t the real reason. She stepped up stretg out her hand for Junichi, the rge size of the boy didn’t even make her hesitate. Size never mattered at the end of the day. She could drop any one of them. Unfortunately, Takayuki stepped iweewo of them. “What the hell, Takayuki! What are you doing?”

  He khat look just like everyone else did. It was the ohat you didn’t step in front of if you didn’t want to be visited upon by uhly pain. The sight that made any of them turn blue with fear. It made their enemies flee when her name didn’t do the job alone. It was the reason they were so feared and well known among the gangs. Aood in front of it.

  Yet even though he knew all of that, he mao hold himself together. ‘I’ve seen her like this too many times to know this is a bad idea. But I’m not afraid. Why? I don’t uand it, but I know what I have to do. We all want her back, but this just seems wrong… I’m a fool…’ Takayuki grabbed a hold of Miyako’s wrist that po start a fight on behalf of some strahey knew nothing about for reasons they knew nothing about. “Boss.”

  “Takayuki, do you know what you’re doing?”

  The severity just jumped another level in her expression. It made him grind his teeth. He felt like he was trying to stop a bullet train with just a stick of bamboo. ‘I shouldn’t be stopping her. I know this, but I ’t…’ Fag down that look should have made him run in fear. Takayuki held his ground though, despite it all. “I should ask you the same thing, boss. Do you know what you’re doing? What this will mean?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m saying, this isn’t your pce to be in anymore! You’re out of this life now! You ’t just step ba whenever you feel like you want. You’ve made your decision on the course you want!”

  “Takayuki…out of the way when you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  “No. I do know! The boss I know isn’t so weak-willed as to give in when she’s made her decision!”

  Miyako snapped out of her rage upon hearing his berating. ‘…damn…he’s right…I made a choice to leave all of this. If I do this I’ll just be dragging everything I’ve dohrough the mud. But I ’t just ighis…’

  He could see that he finally got through to her. This wasn’t her fight. Takayuki pushed her back, which surprised her as much as the rest of the gang. They had not really known him to be so bold. “Let us hahis, boss! I know what you’re thinking!”

  “Us?” sounded off several of the group, a little fused by Takayuki’s decration. They weren’t really sure what he nning. It was nothing that involved them. They had no business getting involved, especially not associated with any gang anymore.

  Annoyed by the interruptions and unwele presence of strangers, Junichi turned around again. “Shut the he—“ He didn’t get a ce to finish before started to eat a fist. The weight of the punch stunned him, along with not expeg someoo go against him. But it didn’t bring him down, as Takayuki might have hoped.

  Regardless of whether it was successful or not, Takayuki made his point and stand clear. The rest of his group could hardly stand bad do nothing. They moved quickly to support Takayuki, who was already starting to receive the vengeful gazes of the other three. “There’s the differeween making your point and just t someone! If you’re just looking for some blood, then we’ll be more than happy to take out a donation from your hides!”

  While Junichi recovered himself and wiped away the blood from his lip, the other three stepped in taking up sides around him. “So we’ve got some would be heroes,” remarked one of them.

  “Let’s show them, Jiro!”

  “Yeah, Yasuo. No one messes with Bck Gate!”

  “You got the one of the right Shigeru!”

  “…guys…”

  Chapter 303 – Hot Blooded Meetings

  Finished, both parties called it after thirty minutes. Takayuki’s group came out the worse from the exge, even though they did succeed in driving them off. They made it more trouble than they wao deal with.

  Bruised and bloodied, Takayuki and the rest leaned up against the wall in an alley keeping the way clear. They had dragged most of it out from the broad daylight. Though noise came out from all of their fighting along with yelling and pain, life in the sun could resume to some degree.

  Miyako helped them all up and walked them through the back alley to get them out of the area. If they stayed too long the police would probably show up. It sort of surprised her that no one called before, but they were probably too afraid of what sort of retribution would happen if they did. They just prete didn't happen. Miyako kept her fights out of the publilike that foursome, gang fights were supposed to be only be with gangs. Getting it to spill out into the light should never happen, not that others followed her personal code.

  A few blocks away, they all stopped in a park. It gave them a pce to rest. She k down to look at Takayuki, who looked the worst for taking on the brute named Junichi. ‘While he knows his way around a fight, he was never oo just take it straight head-on. Dumbass…’ Miyako ripped off her tie to try to tend to some of the blood. “What were you thinking? That I’m just some helpless girl now that needs other people to fight for her.”

  Coughing a little, his body felt so much pain. It had been a while since he had been in such a rough fight. Miyako handled so much of their fighting that they never had to worry about a drag out fight. “You know why, boss. It was the same reason that you had.”

  “Bastard…” she cursed, frustrated with herself. ‘I couldn’t do anything. They fought for me when that should have been me. No one would have been hurt other than those that should have been.’

  Takayuki could see the stress building up in her eyes. She cared about all of them still even as much as she tried to throw them all off. “We’ve all made our choices, boss. This is your choid you must follow it, no promises. That isn’t who you are.”

  Grindieeth together, she had trouble trolling the anger c through her muscles. “Damn you, you know me too well.”

  Grinning a little, he k was how it o be. “You’ve chosen to stand in the light now boss. We will stay in the shade where we belong. You ’t step back, we’ll carry now what you’ve have for all this time.”

  “This isn’t something you o do, Takayuki.”

  “Perhaps, but we want to. You’ve looked after all of us, boss. We return the favor now.”

  Miyako rammed her fist into the grass, frustrated with her own inability. ‘I wanted out of it all, because I realized that I needed something more than just blood and breaking bones. They call it a normal life, what you’re supposed to do. I just needed out from it all. All of the blood…but if it is going to be like this…’

  “Don’t give up, boss.”

  Lifting her head, she looked over at Takayuki, who seemed to pick up on her doubt. She wasn’t known for showing her emotions, other than anger, naturally. She hated weakness, but it was all she felt in such a situation. It surrounded her like an o. “Takayuki…”

  “You be better than us. Most of us never finished high school. We’re too dumb or just didn’t care. We made a choice, even if we didn’t think of it as one. Do what we ’t, because you’re better than us. Boss.”

  It was difficult to ter what he said. She had made the choice to leave it all behind and now thought about breaking that promise she made to herself. ‘Only a week and I’m already having sed thoughts. When did I get to be like this?’ Miyako ched her fists up knowing the course she had set. It was the only thing she could do. “Since when did you start talking bae, Takayuki? Who do you think you are?”

  Laughing, Takayuki leased to see her looking more resolved. “I was yht hand.”

  “Yeah…”

  * * *

  The day after siyako exited with the expectation to find Takayuki and the rest of the crew with him waiting on her. They were o be seen. She looked around feeling a little lonely, surprisingly, without them stalking her. It was what she wanted. ‘I’m gd…the way Takayuki was talking bae. They stand on their own now. They don’t need me. I foy path…’ A mencholic smile came across her face as she walked to the library.

  However, she only made it halfway there before some strangers looking for a fight blocked her path. Uhe cocky boys that didn’t know better, these had hardened looks in their faces. They khe life better than those wannabes. She didn’t miss a step despite their gazes at her. ‘They have nothing to do with me. I’m out…’

  Out or not, they didn’t seem to know. They grabbed her by the shoulder and squeezed tightly pressing muscle to bone as she came in range. “You the leader of those weaklings?” the older teen asked, trying to firm something.

  She didn’t even flinch when they invaded her spad tried t-arm her. ‘If I just give them the standard death stare, that should make them back off. I don’t need a fight.’ Miyako put everything she had in it, knowing how battle hardehey looked. Just her usual stare wasn’t going to be enough. It didn't always work for her in a fight, but it usually did enough to unhose that didn’t piss themselves on the spot.

  Her patented death stare seemed to have no effe them. In fact, it actually seemed to make things worse as they khat she was willing for a fight. “Yeah, that’s the look. She’s no normal school girl.” He worked to try to crush her colrbone from his oversized hand. “As the leader of those weaklings, you’ve got to pay for the responsibility of them.”

  Miyako fshed a little fusion in, not getting to the point that they were trying to make. However, her mind quickly reached the natural clusion. “Your members from the Bck Gate. e to pay for your boys, is that it?”

  “You cat fast, girlie. We’ve already taken out our full payment your men earned for their boldness yesterday. Now you—“

  ‘Full payment…’ The death stare in Miyako suddenly flipped. Cold emptiness repced it. The bruiser trying to py at intimidation flipped on his ba an instant before he finished his sentenbsp; Miyako stared them all down. “Now you’ve earned my wrath!”

  She finished all five of them off so fast that there was hardly even a se. Anyone passing by just thought that she id down self-defense on a group of boys trying to assault her. It only took her another few seds to get the weak one in the group to spill where they attacked Takayuki’s group.

  ‘Dammit!’ she cursed, as she ran through the blocks to try to reach them. It was already too te to stop it, but they didn’t look like the sort to just leave them a little beaten. She didn’t know how far they would go and feared for it too.

  Miyako slid around the er of the final turn and came to their former base, an abandoned stru site. She slowly walked in looking everyone for any signs of her men. ‘They’re here somewhere…just don’t be…’

  Eventually, she found blood dried and soaked into the earth. Following it, the signs only got worse. More blood and trash thrown about everywhere. The whole pce had been ripped apart. And then she found them. Most of them looked passed out, she hoped, they didn’t seem to be moving or making a sound. Blood covered them along with knife wounds. “…dammit!” Rage boiled up in her chest at the sight.

  One of the boys coughed, signaling that they were still awake. Miyako rushed over to them trying to che them. He looked up into her eyes. “…sorry…boss…”

  “It’s fine! Don’t talk. I’ll call—“

  “Takayuki, he fought them for all of us…but he…”

  “That’s enough!” Miyako tried to keep them from talking, but they seemed to have only managed enough to report to her before falling over. She hung her head thinking about all of them. Her body felt on fire.

  Standing up, she looked around to find everyone, but she still didn’t see Takayuki. He wasn’t anywhere outside. Miyako found the only pleted room, which they used for their and room. Blood was all over the door and over the floor. She looked in to find two that she didn’t reize just left behind.

  And then she found Takayuki. Mouo the wall with stray pipes through his arm and chest. She had trouble looking at him. “…Takayuki…those bastards…they did this…” Miyako couldn’t tain her anger anymore. “I will make them all PAY for this!”