Letters. || Baji Keisuke

ACT III. | Ryuguji ken

Draken,

hi man. it's quite cold already, huh? have you been sleeping well? eating well? whatever the case, if you're reading this, it means something happened to me. or not, it's going to send to your address either way. to write this before a big day is hard so please bear with me, bro. keeping this act up is a real pain in the ass i'll tell you that hehe. it's hard to do this if you're dumb. but you know, maybe that's what makes it great. i hope you're in great shape when reading this.

to think that im actually writing to all of you makes me shiver. i feel nervous, draken. you won't see it in me but i am. very much. i really feel that im not going to come out well in this. the worst case scenario is i die, which probably has a below 50 chance, but its still possible. if that happens, take care of everyone for me. clichè, i know. this probably will look stupid if i live but shut up about it, alright? this is between you and me.

draken, i didn't betray toman. i never want to betray toman. but also for toman's sake, i need to do this. and if it requires me to put myself on the line, then i'll go with no regrets. this is what we swore after all. toman is family to me, ken. mikey, you, mitsuya, pah, chifuyu. everyone has a place in my heart. i can let some bozo take it away from me. you know, that new kid takemichi is smart. he's so smart he got onto my nerves and the next thing i know i punched him right across his face. but he's not the one i was really pissed at. it was the new 3rd squad captain, kisaki.

if mikey decides to fire him, that's good. you're headed to the right direction. but enough about him. kazutora is what im worried about. i believe him, draken. but at the same time, i believe in you guys too. i want kazutora to come back. he's a comrade too you know. he's a part of our promise too back then. i wonder if the us back then would've liked this future hehe. we probably wouldn't, huh? yeah. that was a stupid question. so.. if i really end up dying, i hope you guys fulfill that promise for me. im sorry. i was the one who made it but look at me, going on ahead first.

but maybe it's for the best. maybe it's part of the plan that i die. i don't regret anything, i did it for you guys after all. being 1st squad captain is everything my life was, being with a lot of good guys along the way. i wish i could just look at you guys one more time. tell pah im sorry too. i can't see him when he gets released, so please send him my regards when he does. im sorry, draken. i really am, and i cant put it into words. i owe you all a lot.

everything up to now, it's been good. great even. thank you for making my so little time very memorable. i will treasure it here in my heart. but until we meet again, take care of everyone for me. you're the big brother type, after all. fulfill the promise we all swore too. im counting on you, draken. once more, thank you. i'll end this here, no goodbye. see you later, ken.

fondly,
baji.

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after that, draken took a long ride across the city. he always does this to clear his mind. but somehow, his mind was crystal clear. so why was he doing this? he wasn't frustrated or anything. well, he's distracting himself. he doesn't want to cry just yet. he's been at it for a while now, biking from his apartment to the other side of town. he doesn't care who sees him, or if the police decides to detain him for tonight. he just wants to go someplace quiet to call it a day. without knowing, he ended up driving to musashi temple.

a wave of cold wind grazed his face, making his hair flow in the night breeze. untying his braid, he got off his bike and made his way towards the platform. he then finally broke down. slumping down on the cold concrete, he buries his face on his palms. "that's not fair, baji.." he says, shaking.

the cold breeze isn't helping either. the strands of his hair looked so much like baji's, beautifully swaying in the wind. though his hair was bleached, it looked like it was black, and natural. he always admired how baji's hair looked in the wind. he says it was like the sashes they wear when they clash with other gangs. but alas, who knew the day would come when he wouldn't see those black locks again.

draken cries. sobbing and wailing at how much this hurt. he just wish he could've done more to protect baji. he wishes that he should've protected everyone. like what baji said, he was the big brother after all. "yet i couldn't do anything.. pathetic." he says, coming to. he stands up and walks towards the shrine. he bows, the most respectful bow he has ever done. "thank you, baji. i'll fulfill the promise we made."

"ken!" a comforting voice shouts. draken's refuge is here. the person he loves the most. he smiles, turns away from the shrine and walks towards her.

"hi, emma."