SLEEPING AT LAST | bajifuyu

thirty-two

The rain started pouring by the time they met with the rest of the Toman members. The 3rd division up to the 5th division captains was the only ones present, leading the small members towards the brawl at the summer festival. Mikey was nowhere when they asked about him, and Mucho can only state that he had gone out first before everyone else. Well, somehow, it's a relief that someone had come to assist the others in the ambush.

"Chifuyu," he exhaled, "I will not forgive Peh if something happened to Toman."

Baji watches as they pass by buildings and pedestrians. Despite the pellets of rain in his vision, everything is as clear as water. His nails dug deep, forcing blood to come out of his palms as he clenched his fist. Chifuyu tried consoling him, but anger got him best—too caught up with Peh's betrayal. He had taken it to himself to keep Toman, and Peh had decided to ruin it, tore it apart because of a personal grudge he had with Draken. He's passed beyond reasoning, and his fists would likely talk than his mouth.

If not for the message he received earlier, he would've stayed naive about Peh's incredulous acts. The boy teamed up with Moebius, the same gang that harassed Pah's girlfriend—the group that should be his enemy yet ironically teaming up to avenge the victim. Baji thought that Pah Chin would find this event mocking, especially to know that Peh was behind all of this.

The blond rests his head on the expanse of his back, "We'll take down Moebius. We will save Toman."

Once they had arrived at the place of the fight, Moebius littered the parking lot, and others, like them, were soaked in the rain. Draken has blood on his head, clearly fighting to stay awake at the moment. He looks worse than Baji expected, but he knows Draken. He knows Toman, and they were never one to lose immediately. He had trust in his friend, and he's proud that Draken puts up a fight even as a lone gangster.

Mitsuya, Mikey, and what he presumed as Takemicchi gleams at their appearance. A glint of pride and hope shine in their eyes as lights from their motorbike illuminate them from behind, emphasizing Toman's entrance in the brawl. Baji's onyx eyes search for Mikey, who directly looks at them as the proud leader he is, nodding as his thank you.

"I'm not a fan of infighting." Mucho mumbles, nonchalantly resting his hands inside his pockets.

Smiley laughs at his claim, "But, if it's Moebius, then we can go all-out!"

"Tonight's brawl is a big showdown." He said, smiling through the gritted teeth.

Chifuyu follows him silently, watching. But, he can sense the rage inside the lad even without much looking. They are partners in crime for a reason. He glances back to check up on the blond only to see a pair of aquamarine eyes already glancing back, and he tried stifling a chuckle—what a coincidence, indeed.

"The entire Tokyo Manji Gang is now here, jackass."

Some of the members from Moebius show great fear for the presence of their gang, while others pathetically attempt to show courage, but their bobbing heads say otherwise of their current state. Baji immediately thought the brawl might be an easy win for the team, if not for the tall guy that appears to be their leader. He guesses that he can only find out his strength by the end of this fight.

"A fight happening in the middle of a festival," Draken stood beside their leader, "Now, that gets your blood pumping. Isn't that right, Mikey?"

"You're right, Kenchin."

Baji turns to look at his partner, just like him waiting for Mikey's signal, and eager to punch one of Moebius' men. He noticed how blood draws out of Chifuyu's bitten lips and the shivers the latter has in his body—it wasn't because of the cold, he had thought, but the anxiety he knows him for. He almost forgot about Chifuyu and remembered that he had been too angry all this time. A scowl forms on his lips as he remembered how many times the boy tried consoling him, but none of them ever reached his ears. He nudges the blond, an idea popping in his head during the last minute.

"Let's make this awesome, Chifuyu," he whispers, "Let your emotions speak."

It's like magic when Chifuyu's smug smile appears on his face, "I'm not letting myself lose to some lamers."

"That's my Fuyu."

And at that, a fistfight in the summer had begun.

It's been minutes, bodies have piled the wet concrete of the parking lot—both Toman and Moebius, and is still welcoming battered bodies of middle schoolers throwing punches at each other. Baji has knocked at least a dozen, working his body tirelessly to defeat as much as he can. Other captains also had their fair share of knocked-out people and had received some injuries while doing so. Baji wasn't paying attention to the shouts, and screams, rendering them while he pours out his frustrations to some mob's face. He's too busy disfiguring noses and locking jaw to hear anyone's voice—it's nothing special but a person's attempt at intimidation.

Until Baji heard someone cries a familiar name.

"Draken has been stabbed!"

As if time stops for a minute, Baji halts from landing another punch in someone's face. He whips his head through the mass of bodies in the parking lot, searching for Draken or whoever it was that shouted. The number in his mind ticked, scratching off another member on his list. He is losing another friend, another founding member, and he couldn't prevent it from happening. His frantic state buzzes out his senses, at least for most of what he can process from hearing Draken's name.

"Kei!" a voice calls out to him.

He didn't bother looking up, not when he let Toman down again. He questions his worth as he receives punches from Moebius' men, and their laughter sounds mocking in his ears, hauntingly so. Baji withered like a plant in a desert, drained of all the life and motivation to move. He had been all bark, and even if Baji tried, he couldn't deter bad things from happening. He deserves this, although it wasn't his fault in the beginning.

"Wake up, Keisuke!" Chifuyu grabs him by the collar, "Draken is still alive! Get your ass and fight!" 

"You're right. I should fight."