Archive of Our Own

On Monday, Kagami Taiga is shot and left for dead.

His life gets progressively stranger from there.

*

He doesn’t expect the double-cross (does anyone ever expect the double-cross? Isn’t that why it’s a double-cross? Because it comes out of no where?) but maybe he should have. His boss always said, “Only three kinds of people survive this life: the smart, the lucky, and the ones with good instincts.”

Kagami wasn’t smart, he knew that. And his luck had never been all that reliable. The only thing he could trust were his instincts—his boss had made sure he had the wild instincts of a beast, and it was the one thing he’d come to count on. He had a beast inside of him; he liked to think of it as a tiger, the same he had tattooed on his back. He was usually pretty good about sensing danger ahead of time. And maybe if he hadn’t been so worried about his brother, he would have known it this time.

His tiger had been upset ever since getting on the plane (he should have listened harder, he should have listened better) but his tiger had been upset for a long time, ever since Himuro disappeared, so he didn’t think much of it.

(His fault, entirely. Boss was right—if you weren’t smart, and you weren’t lucky, all you had were instincts. Without instincts you were dead.)

*

“Let me go to Japan, Boss!” He’d begged her. He’d been begging for weeks now. “Let me look for Tatsuya!”

And for the first time since he’d started begging, Alexandra Garcia didn’t reject his pleas outright. Instead, she just looked at him, her eyes growing distant, hard.

“I sent Tatsuya to Japan,” she said, her voice soft. “And I never heard from him again.”

“That’s—!”

Her eyes were steel, and Kagami bit off the rest of his exclamation. Alexandra Garcia was the closest thing he had to a parent in this world, but she was still his boss. You don’t interrupt your boss.

“I’m not sure I can risk losing my other boy,” Alex said. “And anyway, Taiga, you know you’re under a lot of suspicion. A lot of people are saying there’s no way you didn’t know Tatsuya was a traitor.”

“Tatsuya isn’t a traitor!” Kagami said vehemently, as he’d been saying all along. “There’s no way! I would’ve known!”

“Yes, that is precisely what people are saying,” Alex said dryly.

“Boss. I know him. There’s no way he’d betray the family. You know him. You know me. If you doubt me, I’ll shoot myself right here.”

“Spare me your theatrics,” Alex said, waving this aside. “I do trust you. That’s exactly why I don’t want to risk sending you to Japan. Whatever happened to Tatsuya over there—it’s fishy. I don’t want to believe he betrayed us to the Japanese, but all the evidence is pretty damning. There’s an electronic trail a mile long, and a dead family member shot by Tatsuya’s gun. Considering we haven’t heard from him…”

“That’s why I have to go. I’ll find out what happened to him, I swear.”

Kagami thinks about the last time he saw Alex. She was all hard edges—her back straight, her eyes cold, her mouth a thin line. She wasn’t the woman he’d grown up with—his mentor had always smiled, even when she was gunning people down. She was a normally happy woman.

But one of her boys was lost in Japan, supposed traitor, and the other wanted to go find him.

“I sent Tatsuya to negotiate with one of the yakuza families because something weird is happening with organized crime in Japan and it’s starting to spread to my shore. I still need info on what’s happening there, and you’re the only one left who speaks Japanese.”

“So I can go?” Kagami said, hope rising.

“Stay on task. Find out what’s happening over there and report to me every step of the way directly. If you hear about Tatsuya, let me know, but your priority is getting info and getting out of there, you understand? If anything goes sideways, you get the hell and come back to me, understand? That’s an order.”

“Got it, Boss! Absolutely!”

He fully planned to carry out that order.

Turns out, someone else had other plans.

*

As a concession to the other higher ups in the family who suspected Kagami of being a traitor, Alex sent Jason Silver with Kagami to Tokyo.

Kagami doesn’t like working with Silver most days. As much as it is a strange thing to complain about in a fellow mafia member, Kagami thinks Silver is too violent. Or maybe Silver just enjoys violence too much. Furthermore, the tiger inside him never liked Silver or the guy he ran with, Nash Gold Jr.

It also doesn’t help that ever since they arrived, Silver’s been making racist comments that makes Kagami want to punch him in the face. He’s pretty sure that Silver knows he’s Japanese, but he’s equally sure that Silver doesn’t care.

“Japanese mafia. It’s so cute, don’t you think? Like monkeys with toy guns.”

Keep calm, he reminds himself. You’re here to find out about Tatsuya. Nothing else matters.

“Fucking Japs are so short,” Silver complains. “This place is so cramped.”

“Shut the hell up, would you?” Kagami hisses in English. “We’re trying to keep a low profile.”

“Who’s going to hear me? It’s not like they could understand.”

It would be pointless, Kagami reminds himself, to try to explain that unlike American schools, Japanese schools put a lot of effort into teaching kids how to be bilingual.

“Just shut up and let me do the talking,” Kagami orders. He is Alexandra Garcia’s right hand man and outranks this idiot.

“Sure boss, whatever you say,” Silver says with a smirk.

Kagami doesn’t say anything else because the representatives from the Seirin family show up.

*

It was customary to initiate contact when visiting other families’ territory, unless you were trying to start a war. And even though the yakuza had been moving around LA lately, even though Himuro had disappeared in Japan as a supposed traitor, Kagami had no plans to start a war.

They were met by three men in suits. A nondescript man who smiled a lot and introduced himself as Tsuchida Satoshi in near perfect English, a catlike man named Koganei and a quiet man named Mitobe who is clearly the Enforcer.

“We’re not here to cause trouble,” Kagami explains, sticking to English because he figured he might as well let them think he couldn’t understand Japanese. “We’re only going to be here for a few days. My boss is interested in forming some negotiations with your boss.”

“Seirin is a small family, just starting out,” Tsuchida replies calmly. “We’re not really interested in forming alliances right now, but we’re eager to keep things civil. You’re welcome to stay in our territory for a few days as long as you don’t stir anything up.”

“And when can I meet your boss?” Kagami insists. He was here on a job after all. Might as well try and actually figure out what that “something weird” is that’s happening in Japan.

“You can’t,” Tsuchida returns easily. “Our boss doesn’t make a habit of meeting other people’s underlings, unless you’ve really messed up. If it’s important, we can probably arrange a meeting with our second in command.” He says that last part with a lilting tone, indicating the question.

Kagami nods. “Please do. Here’s my contact info for while I’m in Japan.”

The Seirin reps leave first; Kagami’s frustrated with how that went, but eager to start tracing Himuro’s tracks.

When the gun goes off it takes him a few seconds to figure out he’s been hit.

*

His body moved faster than his brain (proving his instincts hadn’t abandoned him completely) so what should have been a shot through the heart hits him on the shoulder instead.

The next shot hits him in the gut and he goes down, just barely getting his gun out.

Silver steps on his wrist, causing Kagami to drop his weapon. Silver raises his gun and points it at Kagami’s head.

“It looks like Japanese have betrayed us,” Silver says. “Oh no.”

“Silver, you—” Kagami starts.

“Sorry, Taiga. You should’ve stayed in LA.”

Distantly, Kagami thinks he hears shots firing. But he can’t be sure because he passes out.

*

He doesn’t actually expect to wake up. When you’ve been double-crossed and shot in a foreign country, you don’t typically wake up from that.

But he hurts all over, so he knows he’s not dead.

The green-haired man staring down at him makes him question his own vitality for a second (were there green-haired demons in hell?) but the man’s lips curl in a recognizably human fashion. (Surely demons would not have such perfect human disdain). “It looks like he survived. I hope this insanity proves worth it, Kuroko.”

“If he’s alive, does that mean Seirin owes Shutoku now?” another man speaks. He has grey eyes and a laughing demeanor. They’re both dangerous, but Kagami’s tiger is going crazy at the sight of the green-haired man. This guy is obviously ridiculously strong. Kagami can always tell, practically smelling it on his opponent. This guy is not to be messed with.

“Takao-kun should not make jokes like that,” comes a quiet voice from the corner, and only then does Kagami realize there were three men in the room with him. He lets out a shout and jerks back, tearing his wound and causing him to hiss in pain. He wants a gun now.

“Don’t move, fool,” the green haired man says in English. In Japanese he adds, “Takao, you know better. Don’t make stupid remarks like that, not even in fun.”

“Sorry, sorry,” the grey eyed man says unapologetically. “Lighten up, guys. It was just a joke. Anyway, Kuroko, this is nuts. You should have just let him die.”

“Takao-kun has said.”

Kagami takes the time to look at the third man. He is the shortest in the room, with pale blue eyes and hair (and what the hell is up with that? What is with the rainbow array of colors?) and pale skin and a near expressionless face. Kagami can’t get a scent off him—is he strong? Weak? The tiger is confused.

“I am washing my hands of this,” the green-haired man says, pushing up his glasses. “He is your problem, Kuroko. He’s going to live, just make sure to change his bandages regularly. Come on Takao, we’re leaving.”

As the two men trail out it finally dawns on Kagami that the green-haired man must be some sort of underground doctor. He’s rapidly trying to piece together what he heard and assess his surroundings at the same time. He gathers, from context, that this man—Kuroko—must have saved him somehow. He must have chased off Silver and brought him to the underground doctor. (But why? Who would bother saving a random guy from some other family?)

“How are you feeling?” Kuroko says in poorly accented English, causing Kagami to wince.

“Like I’ve been shot twice,” Kagami replies in Japanese. If the other man is surprised he speaks the language he doesn’t show it. “Who are you? Where am I?”

“I am Kuroko Tetsuya,” the man introduces himself politely. “You are in one of the Seirin Group safe houses.”

“But who are you?” Kagami says again. “Why did you save me?”

“I was watching the meeting with Seirin from a safe distance. To make sure the Americans did not try anything. I was still around when your friend shot you. I sent off a few warning shots to scare him away and then dragged you to a safe house and called a doctor I know.”

“So you do know who I am?”

The man doesn’t bat an eye. “Kagami Taiga, Alexandra Garcia’s Tiger of the West.”

Kagami is not surprised his reputation has spread to this shore. But he still has no idea why someone would save him, unless maybe he was expecting Alex to owe him a favor. Kagami keeps staring at the other man, waiting for some sign of emotion. “So you’re a Seirin guy?”

Kuroko tilts his head. “Somewhat.”

“Somewhat?” Kagami sputters. “How are you somewhat a family member?”

“My situation is a bit… complicated. I am allied with Seirin. At any rate, I have informed the Seirin Group about the events that transpired. The boss would like to speak with you.” He pauses and then adds, “With both of us.”

Kagami is smart enough to realize he has limited options. On a good day, he could undoubtedly overtake the smaller man and escape. Hell, even wounded and unarmed, he could probably overtake the guy (he is tiny) but Kagami still can’t gauge his opponent’s strength so it’s best not to risk it.
He’s wounded, unarmed, and he doesn’t know who to trust. Without more information, it’s best just to figure out where this goes.
“Alright,” Kagami says. “What a coincidence, I want to speak to your boss, too.”
*
He is not exactly surprised that the Seirin boss is a woman (his boss is a woman, after all) but he wasn’t expecting it. Plus, she looks very young to be in charge of a family.

He definitely isn’t expecting the woman to pounce on Kagami’s rescuer and put him in a crab lock.
“Are you an idiot?” she yells. “Is that what you are? Are you trying to cause a turf war with Americans?”

“S-sorry boss,” Kuroko gasps, tapping the floor for mercy.

She lets him go and eyes Kagami. “So you’re alive.”

He’s not sure what it means that she speaks to him in Japanese. Did she know somehow that he could? Or did it just not matter? He doesn’t doubt for a second that she speaks flawless English. There is frightening competence in her eyes.

“Yes. Ma’am,” he belatedly adds the formal endings. It’s been a long time since he had to speak formally in Japanese and it doesn’t come naturally.

“You’ve brought a lot of trouble onto our heads. The only reason why I’m not shooting you right here and now is because that would only complicate things further. But if I don’t like your answers, it’s still an option. So. Start explaining yourself.”

Kagami’s fingers twitch. He wants a gun. He really doesn’t like being unarmed in another family’s territory.

But there are levels to just how fucked his situation is, so it doesn’t really matter what he likes.

So he does the only thing he can do in this situation: he starts explaining.

“I was shot by another family member. We were only here to figure out what happened to my brother—”

It occurs to him, belatedly, that if Silver betrayed him, something similar might have happened to Himuro. Must have happened to Himuro. For the first time, the possibility that his brother is dead really hits home.

The Seirin leader looks at him with the same look Alex has sometimes—impatient and approaching murderous. “Brother?” she prompts.

“Tatsuya. Himuro Tatsuya. He was here a couple months ago, when we lost contact with him.” He does not explain the fact that the guy who went Tatsuya is dead and all signs point to “traitor.”

“Sounds like your Group is having internal trouble.”

Kagami scowls but he can’t exactly deny it. He is going to kill Silver when he finds him—slow and painful.

“Look, I’m not here to cause trouble,” Kagami snaps. “I’m only here to find Tatsuya.”

“Moron, you’ve already caused trouble,” the second-in-command says. A black haired man with glasses scowls murder at him, “Your Group thinks Seirin is responsible for the double-cross. Your boss is saying we killed you.”

“What?” Kagami yelps.

“A fact complicated by the fact that someone actually shot at the Americans,” the boss says, glaring furiously at Kagami’s rescuer.

“I am confident that is what the American would have said, had he succeeded in killing Kagami-kun,” Kuroko replies blandly. “Now Kagami-kun is at least alive to correct the mistake.”

“Damn right I will!” Kagami says. “Give me a phone, I’ll call Alex right now!”

“Hold up,” the boss says. “Even assuming I believe you, there’s still the small matter of what your Group was doing in Japan to begin with. The name’s not ringing a bell, but if your brother was meddling with Seirin affairs—”

“He wasn’t,” Kagami cuts in. “It was some other family.” The last conversation he had with Himuro before his brother disappeared is still burned in his memory. “Tatsuya said he was investigating some Group called Teiko.”

Kagami would have to be blind to miss the way the Seirin Group reacts to the name. Everyone in the immediate area stiffens, immediately on edge, like they’re ready for a fight, or perhaps a lighting strike from the heavens. Kagami’s attention is fixed on the boss and her second, but out of the corner of his eye he notices Tsuchida and Koganei look towards Kuroko and then quickly glance away.

“Where?” the boss says.

“What do you mean?” Kagami asks.

“Which Teiko?” the boss clarifies, which in fact clarifies nothing.

“What do you mean which Teiko? He just said Teiko. Is there more than one?”

“Not exactly,” the boss says. “Technically speaking, the Teiko Group doesn’t exist anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Kagami demands. He had one lead…

The boss sighs. “Kuroko-kun, this sounds entirely like it’s your mess. I’m putting the American in your care. Fix this, or so help me…”

She leaves the threat unfinished. Kuroko only bows his head and speaks politely, “Yes, Aida-san. I shall make sure this does not trouble the Seirin Group further.”

“Good.” She nods her head once and fixes her attention back on Kagami. “I’m giving you Kuroko. The two of you are going to do everything you can to make sure this mess doesn’t escalate into an international war. If you abuse my good favor you won’t get a second chance. The Americans already think we killed you. We won’t lose anything by making that true. Got it?”

“Got it,” Kagami says. Although he’s not entirely sure what he’s agreeing to.

“Good. He’s all yours, Kuroko. You’ve got three days.”

Kuroko bows again and Kagami belatedly stumbles to do the same. Then he trails after the smaller man as he exits the room, not seeing many other available options.

*

“I have to call my boss,” Kagami says as soon as they’re outside.

Kuroko nods. “I will lend you my phone once we get back to my place.

And Kagami knows he shouldn’t be going back to a stranger’s place when he’s unarmed and wounded.

But his tiger is calm. Maybe because his tiger knows this man saved his life. All his instincts are saying to trust this guy. And sure, maybe his instincts haven’t been super reliable lately, but if he stops trusting them now, then he might as well be dead.

“OK,” he says. “Then let’s go back to your place.”

*

“Holy crap, what is that?” Kagami is in the corner of the room waving his arms in terror before he can even really process what’s happening.

Kuroko looks at him with quiet reproach. “Nigou is very friendly, Kagami-kun. He will not hurt you.”

“Just—get it away from me!” Kagami makes frantic shooing motions at the very large husky. The dog’s ears flatten as it looks at Kagami with forlorn blue eyes that mirror Kuroko’s gaze perfectly. “Don’t look at me like that!” he yells at both of them. “I’m just not good with dogs, OK?”

“Come here, Nigou,” Kuroko calls. The large dog stops sniffing at Kagami and returns dejectedly to his master’s side.

“My phone is by the couch,” Kuroko says.

Kagami looks to the aforementioned couch and frowns at the landline. Who the hell still had a landline these days? “You don’t have a cell phone?”

“I need it to make a few calls of my own.”

“What happened to my cell phone?” He understands why the Japanese yakuza won’t give him his gun back, but he’s a little miffed they’re still holding his phone and wallet.

“You didn’t have one,” Kuroko says.

“What?”

“The large man who shot you took something from you before he ran. I assume it was your phone.”

Damn Silver. He was probably planning on dumping Kagami’s body in a river or something, hoping it would take awhile before anyone could ID him. Apprehension once again returns for Himuro.

He doesn’t say anything else. He moves towards Kuroko’s phone and the other man moves out to his balcony, taking his cell phone out.

Kagami marvels at the fact that the other man is leaving him virtually alone in his apartment. Granted, once Kuroko is outside he positions his back towards the balcony, so he can keep an eye on Kagami through the glass doors. But Kagami could still make a run for it, if he wanted, and besides, it seems strange that Kuroko didn’t want to listen in to Kagami’s call. (He would, if there was some other mafia guy in his apartment making phone calls back to his boss.)

Kagami clicks his tongue and decides not to waste the opportunity by debating the craziness of the Japanese mafia. He dials Alex’s phone number from memory. It rings and rings but she doesn’t pick up.

She won’t, he belatedly realizes. Alex didn’t pick up strange phone numbers. He inwardly curses and then speaks rapidly when he gets her answering message, “Alex, I’m alive. Silver shot me. Don’t trust him or Gold. The Seirin Group saved my life and I have a lead on Tatsuya. I lost my phone, but I’ll call you when I get a new number.”

After he hangs up he tries to remember anyone else’s phone number, but the only ones he bothered to memorize were Alex’s and Himuro’s (and Himuro’s had been out of commission since he disappeared). Also, he doesn’t know who to trust anymore.

He tries calling Alex again but still gets her answering machine. He hangs up the phone in disgust just as Kuroko walks in the room.

“Is there a problem, Kagami-kun?”

“I can’t get through to my boss.”

“That is a problem,” Kuroko agrees. “Especially if she thinks we killed you.”

Kagami scratches the back of his bed. The Seirin boss only gave him three days to figure this out—he’s not sure what’s going to happen after those three days but he’s sure the bad situation will only escalate.

He needs to find Himuro. Or at least, find out what happened to Himuro. It has to be connected to what happened to him.

“What did your boss mean about the Teiko Group?” Kagami asks. “And—what’d she mean when she said this was your mess?”

“Ah,” Kuroko says. “Yes. We should discuss that. You see, I am part of the Teiko Group.”
“What?” Kagami exclaims.

“Technically,” Kuroko adds.

“Technically? Like how you’re somewhat in Seirin?”

“Yes. I did tell Kagami-kun that my situation was complicated.”

Kagami sighs. “You better explain from the start. If we’re in this together, I better understand the situation.”

Kuroko settles down on the coach next to Kagami. “Yes. You are correct. It is a long story.”

“We got all night. I’m not going anywhere.”

*

“It starts with the Generation of Miracles.”

Kuroko pauses, like he’s waiting for Kagami to respond. Kagami suspects Kuroko expects the name to mean something to him, but all it does is make Kagami want to mock the pretentious absurdity of the title. What is this, a sports anime?

“They were the core members of the Teiko Group which in turn made Teiko the strongest yakuza Group in Japan.”

“What happened?” Kagami asks. Probably is they were so impressive, Kagami should have heard of them. But dealing with international relations had always been Himuro’s job.

“Nothing… exactly. The leader of the Teiko Group is a man named Akashi Seijuurou.” Kagami startles somewhat because he had heard of the name “Akashi.” It was one of the oldest yakuza families in Japan; the name meant something even to most mafia families in America. “He had… a plan, you could say. More like a vision for the future. A reorganization of organized crime.”

Kagami raises a brow. “And let me guess… a reorganization where he was in charge?”

Kuroko looks like he wishes he could deny that but he grudgingly nods. “Akashi-kun wanted to unite the crime feelings.”

Kagami waits a beat for Kuroko to continue and when the other man doesn’t he says incredulously. “What, you mean all of them?”

Kuroko nods again. Kagami stares at him, dumbfounded. “Is he insane? How would that even work? One guy can’t rule all of crime in a frickin’ country.”

“He does not,” Kuroko acknowledges. “And that is not even what he was trying to do, exactly. Akashi-kun wanted to put an end to Inter-Group warfare. His reorganization is very effective, actually. He has created a dialogue between the yakuza branches that is very useful.”

“You mean he actually did this?” Kagami says.

“Yes. It really is far too complicated to explain in one night. But Akashi-kun implemented a type of hostage exchange system.”

Kagami bites back the automatic exclamation. His look conveys his disbelief.

“Akashi-kun broke up the Teiko Group. All the core members were placed in a different yakuza group and in exchange, one member of each group went to stay with Akashi-kun in Kyoto.”

“Like a yakuza foreign exchange student program?” Kagami asks.

“That would… not be inaccurate,” Kuroko says.

Kagami stares at him. He continues to stare at him. He hopes that if he stares long enough things will start to make sense. For the life of him, he can’t tell if the other man is joking or not.

“I traded places with a Seirin member named Furihata Kouki,” Kuroko adds, as if that makes anything clearer.

“But—how does that even work?” Kagami asks.

“I am loyal to Seirin,” Kuroko says levelly. “Unless I am loyal to Teiko.”

There’s a lot that isn’t being said. Kagami’s not sure how all the yakuza Groups agreed to this arrangement but it’s putting a lot of faith into personal loyalty. Can you trust a man with two masters? More than that, could you have two masters? He wonders how Kuroko could work within one Group and not feel loyal to them, after time.

He remembers the conversation the men had when he first woke up.

“If he’s alive, does that mean Seirin owes Shutoku now?”

“Takao-kun should not make jokes like that.”

Because he’s betting Mr. Green-Haired doctor was also Teiko. Which meant it was a favor between two members of the same Group, not Seirin and Shutoku. And if it was a favor between the other two Groups, then that meant the loyalties had shifted. Kagami gets the sense that it was incredibly important that Kuroko was not Seirin, and that Green Hair was not Shutoku.

This is all a lot more complicated than Kagami wants to deal with right now.

“So what does this have to do with Tatsuya?”

“If your brother said he was investigating Teiko, he was probably referring to one of the Groups that possess a core member. He was not talking to anyone at Seirin, so that leaves five possible choices.”

“How do we find out which one?” Kagami says, dismayed. “The Seirin boss only gave us three days; we can’t investigate all five in that time.”

“We do not have to do that. I sent out an email to all of my Teiko comrades,” Kuroko says, holding up his phone.

Oh. Right.

“And?”

“Everyone got back to me except for one. This leads me to believe that if anyone has knowledge about Himuro-san, it must be him.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go there!” Kagami says, lurching forward.

“He was placed in the Yosen Group,” Kuroko explains. At Kagami’s confusion he explains, “It is based in Akita.”

“OK.”

“An eight hour drive from here.”

Kagami winces. It can’t ever be easy, can it? “There isn’t a plane?”

“Not at this hour. And at any rate, you are in no condition to get on a plane. It would attract too much attention.”
Considering he’s pretty sure one wrong move will make him start bleeding again, Kagami supposes that is not an inaccurate concern. But he needs to stop a war between his family and Seirin. And he needs Himuro, or at least, he needs to figure out what happened to Himuro.

“Do you have a car?” Kagami asks doubtfully.

“I do,” Kuroko says. “We can leave right away, if you like.”

“Seems best, doesn’t it?” Kagami says, scrunching his nose.

“Yes. Kagami-kun is correct.”

*

Kuroko drives because Kagami doesn’t know how to drive on the other side of the street. He’s also in a tremendous amount of pain since his painkillers have started to wear off, but he’s not going to admit that.

He feels like he probably shouldn’t be getting in a car with a stranger, a possible enemy, no less. But his tiger is quiet. He still can’t get a read on this guy.

“So you were one of those Generation of Miracle guys, yeah? Teiko’s core members?”

“Not exactly,” Kuroko replies. “I am no where near their level. I am more of a behind the scenes operator.”

He doesn’t seem strong. But he doesn’t seem weak, either.

Kagami spends a lot of the car ride just staring at the other man. Kuroko speaks politely and there’s a softness around him that’s hard to explain. The guy looks like someone better suited to be a kindergarten teacher instead of a Mafioso.

“How’d you get in this line of work?” Kagami asks finally. They have a long car ride, he might as well strike up a conversation. “You don’t seem the type.”

“I guess you could say I was born into it,” Kuroko says.

Kagami nods because that’s how it goes for most people.

“And Kagami-kun?”
Kagami shrugs. “I never had parents, not really. Only Alex. She took me and Tatsuya in when we were real young.”

“Why do you and Himuro-san have different last names?”

“Huh? Oh, we’re not related. Not biologically. We’ve just—we’ve always been together. He’s my brother in every way that matters.”

They were just street kids, trying to survive. Pick-pockets and small time grifts on gullible tourists. Street kids don’t live long in LA, not unless they’re in a gang, and even then, the life expectancy isn’t good. Alex had been a godsend for them both.

“I don’t get it,” Kagami announces. “I don’t get how you can work in one Group but obey another. My life, my blood—everything is for Alex and Tatsuya.”

“But not for everyone in your Group,” Kuroko points out.

“No. I see Silver, I got a bullet with his name on it.” And Nash. There’s no way Nash isn’t behind this.

Kuroko’s overall point sinks in. This can’t just be Nash and Silver. There’s got to be some faction in the Garcia family planning a coup.

His stomach churns as he thinks about Alex. It can’t be a coincidence that they took out Himuro and Kagami first; Alexandra Garcia’s Dragon and Tiger, her right and left hand men.

The realization makes him want to drop everything and catch the first flight back to America. Himuro would understand.

But he needs to be smart about this. He needs Himuro. And maybe some new allies.

He looks back to Kuroko, still trying to figure the other man out. “What kind of man breaks up his own organization and places them with other Groups? This Akashi guy, he must have a lot of faith in your loyalty to him.”

Kuroko doesn’t respond to that, not right away. He’s staring out at the road. “I think, sometimes, that perhaps that is what Akashi-kun was trying to do. In my weaker moments, I sometimes think Akashi-kun was trying to test us. To see if we would still be loyal to him, after working with other Groups.”

“And are you?” Kagami asks.

“I find that my capacity for loyalty runs deep. I can be loyal to Akashi-kun as well as Seirin.”

Kagami shakes his head. “That’s not how it works. Sooner or later, you have to pick. Loyalty to everyone is loyalty to no one. Are you a Seirin guy or a Teiko guy?”

“It is not as simple as that.”

“It’s exactly as simple as that,” Kagami insists.

“It is a hard balance to maintain, I admit that.”

“Balance,” Kagami yelps. “That’s what I mean! You can’t balance loyalty!” Kuroko falls silent again. After awhile, Kagami gets tired of waiting for a reply. “I’m going to sleep,” he announces. “Wake me when we get there.”

He closes his eyes. He doesn’t expect to sleep; he’s in too much pain and he’s wracked with worry.

But sleep comes anyway.

*

He wakes up when the car stops. “Are we there?” he says blearily.

“No. We’re in Sendai,” Kuroko replies.

“Then why the fuck did we stop?” Kagami snarls.

“I am tired, Kagami-kun. If I do not rest I will fall asleep at the wheel.”

“Then I’ll drive!”

Kuroko just looks at him, conveying exactly what he thinks about that suggestion with one passive glance.

And yeah, OK. Kagami hurts like hell, he doesn’t know where they’re going, and he doesn’t know how to drive on the other side of the road or anything about Japanese traffic laws.

“I can’t waste any time,” he says.

“We will leave early in the morning. Not time will be wasted. It is not like the Yosen Group would appreciate it if we knocked on their door at this hour anyway.”

Kagami can’t exactly argue with that logic.

“Also, Kagami-kun is bleeding again. We should change your bandages.”

Kagami looks down and verifies that yes, he is bleeding again.

“Fine,” he says grudgingly.

“Thank you. Please stay in the car while I book us a room. You will frighten the proprietors looking like that.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Kuroko takes the keys with him. Almost like he doesn’t trust Kagami not to try and drive off without him.

It had crossed Kagami’s mind.

*

“There’s only one bed,” Kagami points out the obvious.

“It was all they had,” Kuroko says, nonplussed. “I will sleep on the floor. Kagami-kun’s virtue is safe.”

“That’s not—! I’m not worried about that, idiot!” Kagami says, wondering why he’s blushing. (What kind of mob guy are you? Kagami can hear Himuro teasing him in the back of his mind. Blushing like some kind of school girl).

“Please take off your shirt, Kagami-kun.”

“What?” Kagami sputters.

“So I can change your bandages,” Kuroko explains, holding up the clean roll of bandages.

Kagami flushes again and curses his own idiocy as he strips off his shirt. He’s surprised by the fact that the other man had thought ahead and packed more bandages. It was a consideration people in their line of work rarely had for one another. There are people in his own family who wouldn’t have been so kind. (Bit of an understatement, Kagami realizes, since it was a member of his own family who had shot him).

Kuroko carefully removes the bandages and Kagami doesn’t wince even though it hurts. It’s the first time he’s seen his wounds uncovered and he’s impressed with the neatness of the stitching. Green Hair was clearly more competent than most underground doctors.

Kagami watches as Kuroko carefully cleans his wounds and reapplies fresh bandages. It strikes him suddenly, watching Kuroko’s bowed head, seeing his pale blue eyelashes and the shadows in the room halo Kuroko’s pale skin, just how attractive the other man is.

“Why’d you save me?” he asks, his voice low and hoarse in his own ears.

“It was clear your comrade was intending to blame Seirin for your death. Saving you seemed like the best option for ensuring peace between our Groups.”

It’s a good answer, but Kagami can’t tell if it’s the truth or not. It seems like there should be more to it than that.

Kuroko looks up at him, as if sensing his doubt. “Also, my instincts told me I should save you.”

Kagami nods. This is an answer he can accept. “Without instincts, you’re dead. Thanks. I never did say that, did I?”

Kuroko is silent for a second and the two men stand there, Kuroko’s hand still on Kagami’s sides after he finished wrapping the bandages.

Kuroko moves away first. “I should shower.”

Kagami pulls away too. “I should call Alex again.”

*

Alex still doesn’t pick up and Kagami thinks he might go mad with worry. He can’t lose both Himuro and Alex. He can’t. They’re all he has in this world.

“Did the phone call not go well, Kagami-kun?”

Kagami flails, almost dropping the borrowed cell phone. “Jesus Christ, stop sneaking up—”

His voice stops in his throat as he catches sight of the other man, now shirtless and gleaning from his shower. Kuroko is more toned than his slender form suggested; not buff by any stretch of the imagination, but still clearly in shape. He has a smattering of pale scars across pale skin, characteristic of people in this line of work. The water droplets that still cling to his body seem more like rainfall on a full moon night; Kuroko looks like some ethereal creature emerging from the mist.

…And Kagami has clearly suffered from too much blood loss and exhaustion for him to be having such maudlin poetic thoughts.

“You’re too damn quiet,” he says, forcing himself to look away.

“Stealth is my specialty,” Kuroko explains. “I am a shadow.”

Kagami wrinkles his nose. “Is that some sort of ninja reference?”

Kuroko smiles fondly but doesn’t respond. Instead, he sits next to Kagami on the bed, drying his hair. “Did you connect with your boss, Kagami-kun?”

Kagami shakes his head, tightening his grip on the cell phone.

“There are many reasons why she might not pick up,” Kuroko says.

Kagami wishes that was true. But she should have checked her messages by now; she should know to watch out for a strange number.

“Kagami-kun should get some sleep,” Kuroko says, picking up one of the pillows and moving it to the floor.

Kagami catches his wrist. “You should take the bed,” he says gruffly. “You’re doing all the driving. You need the sleep more than I do. I’ll take the floor.”

“Kagami-kun is injured,” Kuroko points out. “I could not possibly make you sleep on the floor.”

The obvious conclusion hangs in the air unsaid. It fills up the room like a third body, practically looming over the both of them as Kagami still holds onto Kuroko’s wrist.

Kagami breaks first. He lets go of Kuroko and looks away. “It’s a big bed. We can share.”

*

The bed is big. Kagami can lie in it easily without ever knowing there was someone else beside him.

He’s exhausted but he can’t sleep. His wounds throb, he’s anxious about Alex, worried about Himuro, and there’s a stranger sleeping next to him who is too pretty to believe.

He turns on his side and comes face to face with pale blue eyes.

The two men stare at each other, breathing the same air.

Kuroko moves first. He places one hand on Kagami’s cheek. When Kagami doesn’t do anything the hold grows firmer and Kuroko leans forward and kisses Kagami full on the mouth. Kagami pounces, wrapping one arm around the other man’s waist and pulling him close, tight; cupping the back of Kuroko’s head with his other hand and kissing so hard it’s like he’s trying to devour the man.

It’s been a long time since Kagami has kissed anyone; even longer still since he’s had any kind of intimacy. He gropes at Kuroko in the dark and cold hands brush against his hot skin and the tiger inside him is purring so loudly it’s practically a roar; yes, this. This is what I want. We’ve been waiting for this.

*

Kagami wakes up to the feeling of someone petting his back; petting his tiger, and he nestles into the touch making mrring sounds of contentment.

“It is a beautiful tattoo, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko says quietly. “The tiger looks like you, somehow.”

It pleases and does not surprise Kagami that Kuroko recognizes this.

“Does Himuro-san have a dragon?”

Kagami nods, but the mood shifts as he thinks about his brother. It all comes crashing back down and he can’t believe how stupid he was (is).What was he thinking last night? His brother is missing, they’re on the brink of an international turf war, Nash might stage a coup on Alex at any moment, and he had sex with someone from another mafia group?

There are levels to his idiocy. Himuro would be so disappointed in him.

Kuroko seems to sense the mood shift. His hand disappears from Kagami’s back and the pressure on the bed lightens as the other man gets up.

“We should change your bandages again and head out. We are only a couple hours away from Akita.”

*

Things should be awkward in the remaining car ride. Kagami has never been in this situation before—most of his random hookups had been, well, random. Largely anonymous and never seen again come morning. He’s never hooked up with a guy and then gone on a road trip with him the next morning.

He’s never slept with another mafia guy. He’s never even thought about sleeping with someone from another family.

He thinks it should be awkward—logic would have it so. But Kagami feels just as comfortable in the car this morning as he did the day before.

While leaning on the car door facing the window, he takes a sidelong glance at the man driving. He’s never spent too much time thinking about romance. It’s not impossible for mafia guys to start a family—usually with the daughters of other mafia guys. But that’s not something Kagami ever felt the need to have for himself. He never really saw the appeal of romance, never saw the point.

Looking at the other man he has this weird thought that they could be partners. In the professional sense. He thinks they could work really well together. (Which is ridiculous. They aren’t even in the same Group.) But he can’t shake the feeling that they could be great together. And maybe that’s what romance is for.

Get it grip, Taiga, he tells himself. After this whole thing gets sorted the other man won’t be anything but a memory.

Kuroko pulls up to a large estate and stops the car. “We’re here.”

*

“You should give me a gun,” Kagami says.

Kuroko hesitates. “It is not that I don’t trust Kagami-kun, but if you have a gun it might only escalate the situation. We are both walking into another Group’s territory.”

“But your comrade’s here, right? He knows we’re coming?”

“Yes. But I am unfamiliar with the Yosen Group as a whole.”

“All the more reason why I should have a gun,” Kagami mutters.

They’re standing in front of the Yosen Estate about to ring the doorbell, of all things. Kagami’s twitchy without a weapon but Kuroko looks resolute for some reason.

“Arara? Kurochin?”

Kagami turns to see an absurdly tall man with purple hair (what was with these guys?) holding a bag of groceries standing behind them.

“One of yours, I’m guessing?” Kagami murmurs to Kuroko.

Kuroko nods his head once. “Hello, Murasakibara-kun.”

“What is Kurochin doing here?”

“I did tell Murasakibara-kun that I would be coming. You never responded about Himuro Tatsuya.”
“Tch. Kurochin is so bothersome. It makes me want to crush you.”

The man towers over Kuroko with one large hand coming down on the smaller man’s head.

“Oi!” Kagami shouts, his hand reaching for a gun that’s not there.

“Kidding, kidding,” Murasakibara says, patting Kuroko on the head like a dog instead.

“Please stop that, Murasakibara-kun.”

Kagami hasn’t known Kuroko for long, but he can tell the other man is irritated.

“Eh? Did I make Kurochin mad?” Murasakibara drops his hand.

“Do you know Tatsuya or not?” Kagami bursts out, no longer able to restrain himself.

The taller man finally looks at Kagami, his manner shifting again. Kagami’s beast instincts are all roaring—this man is strong, a threat; same as that green-haired doctor.

“Who is this? He’s annoying.”

“I’m here for Tatsuya!” Kagami says. “Let me see him!”

“What?” Murasakibara says, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, a deadly aura surrounding him.

Kagami never could resist a fight. He’s itching to take this man on; the tiger inside him is snarling furiously.

(Dimly, in the back of his mind, he thinks this is probably why Kuroko didn’t want to give him a gun.)

Right now, the only thing that matters is the fact that he has a strong opponent in front of him and that this man is keeping him from his brother. Kagami doesn’t need a gun; he’ll take the guy on barehanded if he has too.

“Taiga?”

Kagami whips his head to the Estate doorway at the sound of the familiar voice. His relief is so strong it makes him dizzy; the sudden disappearance of the weight he’d been carrying ever since Himuro disappeared makes his head spin.

“Tatsuya!” he shouts. “I was—”

He stops.

Himuro stands in the doorway. He has a gun pointed directly at Kagami.

*

Despite insurmountable evidence and the dead body of the man last seen in Himuro’s company, Kagami never once considered the possibility that Himuro could actually be a traitor. Even now, when his brother has a gun pointed directly at his heart, Kagami still doesn’t believe it.

“Tatsuya?” he says, sounding lost even to his own ears.

“Please put the gun down, Himuro-san,” Kuroko says from behind Kagami. Kagami turns slightly and sees Kuroko with his gun drawn and pointed at Himuro’s head.

A “click” is the only warning either of them have, and suddenly Murasakibara is there (fast for a tall man) with his gun pressed directly against Kuroko’s temple.

“If you hurt Murochin, I won’t forgive you. Not even you, Kurochin.”

And the situation is absurd. All that’s missing is Kagami with a gun pointed at Murasakibara to have a Mexican standoff you only ever see in TV shows (but Kagami doesn’t have a gun; and besides, all desire to shoot anyone drained out of him when he saw his brother.)

More than absurd, the situation is wrong. Kagami and Himuro are brothers, in the same family since forever. Himuro shouldn’t have a gun pointed at Kagami. And Kuroko and Murasakibara—they were both Teiko, right? In the same Group? Murasakibara shouldn’t be pointing his gun at Kuroko either.

Kuroko is remarkably calm with a gun cocked and pressed against his temple. He doesn’t lower his own weapon pointed at Himuro either.

“Where are your loyalties, Murasakibara-kun?” Kuroko asks softly, not looking at his fellow Group member, never taking his eyes off Himuro, “Akashi-kun will not be pleased.”

“I don’t want to shoot you, Kurochin, but I will.”

Kagami focuses back on Himuro, trying to read anything on that poker face of his.

“Kuroko, put your gun down,” Kagami says, his focus on Himuro. He looks at his brother in desperation, like maybe if he only stares at Himuro long enough then this won’t be true anymore. Himuro will not be standing there about to kill him and they can go back to living in a world where Himuro never pointed a gun at his little brother.

Kagami spreads his arms wide. “Tatsuya, if you have to shoot me, I’m not going to stop you. You’re my brother. I’m not going to fight you.” He takes a step forward but Himuro only raises his gun.

“Don’t come any closer,” Himuro orders. “What are you doing here, Taiga?”

“What am I doing?” Kagami sputters. “I’m looking for you, you idiot! What the hell? This is bullshit!” He doesn’t even really register that he’s shifted back to English. His hands are shaking; his whole body rejecting the evidence of betrayal before him. He clenches his fists, anger replacing grief. “How could you betray Alex? How—how could you betray me?”

“I betrayed you?” Himuro shouts, dropping his calm exterior. “You’re the one who betrayed me!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kagami shouts.

All four men stand there, three guns still raised.

“Boys, it’s ten in the morning. You’re going to scare the neighbors.”

Everyone turns to the newcomer; a middle aged woman holding a shinai, flanked by very tall men.

She points at Kuroko. “Teiko?” Kuroko nods once, gun still raised. She swivels her finger to point at Kagami, “American? Alex Garcia’s kid?”

“Er. Yeah,” Kagami says.

The woman huffs. “Yosen doesn’t need this bullshit. If I find out that Seirin brat dropped this in my lap on purpose, I swear to God I’m going to tan her hide. Murasakibara, put your gun away. Himuro, I told you Alexandra Garcia wasn’t the kind of woman who’d turn on her subordinates. How about we all go inside for some tea and talk this over like civilized people?”

When no one moves, or lowers their guns, she smiles sweetly, “Or I could shoot all four of you right here.”

Himuro puts his gun away first, causing the ripple effect to the two Teiko men who do the same.

“Just to be clear,” Himuro says levelly, “Are you working with Nash?”

Kagami gapes. “Are you kidding me?” He raises his shirt, revealing his bandages. “That bastard Silver shot me! Twice!”

Something in Himuro crumbles and he looks like he’s going to cry.

Kagami wants to go to him, but Murasakibara is there first. The tall purple haired giant doesn’t touch Himuro, but his body blocks him from Kagami’s view.

The four of them walk inside the Yosen Estate.

*

The woman is Araki Masako, head of the Yosen Group and, as it turns out, old acquaintances with Alex.

“You,” she says, pointing her shinai at Kagami, “Start talking first.”

Kagami’s been trained all his life to instinctively obey women who sound like that when they give him orders, so he starts talking.

He explains how Himuro disappeared with a mountain of evidence linking him to betrayal, how he came to Japan to find out the truth, how Silver shot him. He explains that it’s possible Alex thinks Kagami is dead and that she’ll start a war with Seirin. He leaves out anything to do with Kuroko, but if Masako keeps looking at him like that he might even start confessing about everything they did last night, including positions and number of orgasms.

“Himuro?” she says, after Kagami has finished talking. “Do you believe him?”

Himuro’s lips are one thin line and for one panicked moment Kagami is terrified his brother is going to say that he doesn’t believe him. Now that they’re up close and there aren’t any guns pointed anywhere, Kagami has the time to really study Himuro. He seems thinner. Or maybe he just looks more haunted. Himuro looks like a beast that’s been kept in a cage for far too long.

What happened to you? Kagami wants to ask.

“Yes,” Himuro says finally. “Taiga has never been a very good liar.”

Masako raises a brow at this but she lets the comment slide. Instead, she just says, “Then it’s your turn.”

Kagami has this vague feeling they’re in some kind of family counseling session with the world’s scariest therapist.

Himuro nods. He doesn’t look at Kagami as he starts talking.

*

“A very similar thing happened to me. I came to Japan to investigate Teiko and my investigations brought me to Akita. I came with Nick and I caught him in the process of doctoring those files you were talking about—the ones incriminating my betrayal. Nash was there too. We fought. I managed to kill Nick but I was badly injured in the process. Atsushi found me and brought me back to Yosen.”

Kagami knows that in America it’s customary to call people by their first names and not their last. But he’s been in Japan these past two days and that’s enough to hardwire his brain back to his youth and somehow Himuro saying the name Atsushi sounds too intimate. Or perhaps it’s the way Himuro smiles at the purple haired man (who is munching on chips and looking deceptively lazy) and the way it leaves little doubt about who Atsushi must be that gives Kagami pause.

“But why didn’t you contact us?” Kagami exclaims. Now that he knows his brother is alive, he’s a little pissed off about the radio silence. He can’t help but feel like a whole lot of trouble could have been saved if Himuro had just picked up a phone and told someone about Nash Gold.

Himuro’s attention shifts back to Kagami. “Nash indicated you had been working with him.”
Kagami swallows, his throat dry and constricted, like he’s choking. “And you believed him?”

“There was proof,” Himuro says, his voice level.

“And you believed him?” Kagami says again. He never believed Himuro was a traitor.

He’s not sure what to do in a world where Himuro didn’t have faith in him.

“So what we have here is an American problem and maybe a Seirin problem but most importantly not my problem,” Masako says, interrupting Kagami’s dismay. “Himuro, I like you, you do good work. I won’t hold it against you if you want to go back to Garcia, but you better tell Alex she owes me big time.”

Kagami and Himuro both startle at the thought. Kagami because he can’t believe Himuro wouldn’t come back with him and Himuro who looks like going back hadn’t occurred to him at all.

“Murochin is leaving?” Murasakibara speaks up for the first time, his voice taking on that dangerous edge again.

“I—” Himuro falters. Then his gaze hardens and he says, “I want to stop Nash.”

“You got that for damn right,” Kagami says fiercely.

“If Murochin goes I’ll go help,” Murasakibara drawls.

“Oi, brat! You are Yosen now!” Masako reprimands. “You can’t just decide things like that! I’ve already declared this mess is not going to be Yosen’s problem.”

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be,” Kuroko says suddenly. When all eyes turn to him he continues, “It could be a Teiko affair. Murasakibara-kun wishes to help. I must help, because Seirin commands I sort this out. We could perhaps convince the other Teiko members to help sort out this problem with Nash and Silver.”

There are a few instinctive warring reactions to that all going on at once inside Kagami and it makes him feel very conflicted. On the one hand, strong allies for Alex would be great. On the other hand, if they’re all like Green Hair and Purple Giant, Kagami wants to be the one to duel it out with them, because he loves strong opponents. He also chafes at the idea of letting the yakuza come in and fight his battles for him.

“Do you think that’s something Akashi-san would do?” Himuro asks, breaking through Kagami’s warring confliction.

“He has had dealings with Nash before. I believe Nash is responsible for Akashi-kun’s presence in America, which is what brought the both of you here.”

“That was him?” Kagami exclaims. “Then Akashi started this whole mess!”

“I believe Nash is the one that started this all. I am only explaining why Akashi-kun would most likely help.”
“My life was so much easier before you Teiko guys came along,” Masako grumbles.

Kagami agrees with the sentiment.

*

Later, Kagami manages to get Himuro alone. This is a difficult task because Murasakibara looms near Himuro at all times like a clingy grizzly bear. Kagami shares a glance with Kuroko and the smaller man maneuvers the giant into a private conversation of their own, proving to Kagami that they would make a pretty good combo team. The Yosen crowd seems willing enough to give them their privacy (or perhaps they’re just done dealing with this) so Kagami finally gets to talk to his brother in private.

“Tatsuya—” he starts, unsure.

Himuro isn’t quite looking at him when he replies, “I am happy to help Alex. I owe her so much for everything. And Nash needs to go down. But I don’t think I could go back and work in LA and pretend everything was the same as it was. It will never be the same as it was.”

It’s like an icy hand grabs a hold of Kagami’s inside and twists. “Tatsuya, what happened?”

Himuro doesn’t flinch, not the same way other people might. He always said, “I don’t have a poker face, it’s just my nature,” because he’s always, always been reserved about his feelings. He doesn’t flinch, but there’s this unnatural stillness about him like he’s suddenly stopped breathing.

“It doesn’t matter,” Himuro says finally. “I’m not who I was anymore. I can’t be again. I’ll always be loyal to Alex, but—my place is here now.”

“Here? Or with Murasakibara?”

Himuro smiles at him—the first time he’s smiled at him since they reunited. Himuro doesn’t say anything. But then again, he doesn’t really need to.

*

Kagami finds Kuroko next. Murasakibara isn’t in sight, so he must have just missed him.

He sits next to Kuroko on the sidewalk outside of the Yosen Estate. Kuroko has his phone out and has presumably just finished reporting to—whoever it is that Kuroko reports to.

“Were you really going to shoot my brother?” he asks as a greeting.

“If he shot Kagami-kun, yes.”

“And then your pal from Teiko would have shot you?”

“Loyalty is a complicated thing in this business.”

Kagami can’t even argue with that anymore.

“So the other Teiko guys are going to help?”

Kuroko nods. “Yes. I believe so.”

Kagami hesitates. “And you’re going to help?”

Pale blue eyes meet his and Kuroko says softly, “Yes, Kagami-kun. I am going to help. That was never in doubt.”

Memories from last night flood his senses: the way Kuroko’s touch trailed against Kagami’s skin, soft as feathers, as the man was conscious about Kagami’s wounds. The way Kuroko’s whole body was cool against Kagami’s ever-feverish temperature, and how that wasn’t unpleasant but somehow perfect. The way Kuroko smelled faintly like vanilla; the sounds he made when Kagami bit and sucked against his neck. Over these past two days, Kagami’s whole world has turned upside down—his own comrade shot him in the back, his brother doesn’t want to come home, he’s not sure where his boss is or what’s going on back home—and the only thing that makes sense anymore is Kuroko.

“Maybe when all this is over, you could explain how that hostage exchange thing works again. It might be something Alex would be interested in.”

Two heartbeats later Kuroko says carefully, “Do you mean your boss might want to keep someone in Japan in exchange for someone to stay with her in America?”

Kagami shrugs. “Yeah, she might go for that.”

“There aren’t any unaffiliated Teiko members left anymore,” Kuroko says, his voice neutral. “I am not sure any of the others would move from their current Groups.”

And that was an interesting assessment. Clearly the loyalties to the new Groups were stronger than the Akashi guy anticipated. (Or who knows? Maybe that’s what he planned all along. Kagami doesn’t know him, but Akashi sounds crazy like a fox.)

“I was actually thinking maybe one of the Seirin guys might want to do the exchange,” Kagami says.

“Oh,” Kuroko says. He smiles (and Jesus Christ, a mafia guy has no business smiling like that; the man is so angelic it hurts). “Yes, actually, I know someone in Seirin who might be interested in something like that.”

In this line of work, there were very few happy endings. There was no point in looking forward to what might happen months from now when they could both get shot by Nash in a couple of days.

But Kagami trusts his instincts. And the tiger inside him says this man next to him needs to stay at his side forever and that everything’s going to be fine.