Chasing Smoke-Shinichiro Sano x reader

Chapter 3

Shinichiro's pov:

Reality warped into nothingness after I shook hands with Benkei and I found myself back in the past. I walk to a random shop, look at myself in the reflection of the glass and find my 16 year old self staring back. I do a little celebration dance and start walking towards the park where I met Benkei as he had instructed me.

Benkei had told me that he and y/n went to the park where we met in hopes of finding me and I was prepared to talk to them, already preparing my argument on why they should not join Kyokuryu Kai, but all of my confidence vanished when I reached the park and realised that y/n was there too.

I first spotted them from a distance as I was making my way to the park. Just one glance at y/n standing there with the light wind blowing through her hair and skin that turned into gold in the sunlight was enough to make me nostalgic. Knowing that there was a future where she loved me is the worst thing, but knowing that I have a chance to save her and everyone I love even if there's a chance she might never like me again, saving her is enough for me.

Talking to y/n in the future was one thing, talking to her in the past is entirely different. I can't hide things from her and pretend that the time when we loved each other despite the circumstances never existed.

I finally find the courage to walk over to them, forgetting everything that I had thought of saying with every step that I take. Benkei sees me heading toward them and I continue walking awkwardly as they both stare at me.

"See? I told you we'd find him" I hear Benkei saying with a smug look on his face

"We found him. That doesn't mean I believe him" y/n replies back, then turns to me, "You said that we shouldn't join Kyokuryu Kai. Why?"

"Uhhhh" I forget everything that I had thought of saying, I try to search my brain for any answers that don't include 'because I'm from the future and I know how this ends'

"Quit stalling and tell me why you warned Benkei about not joining Kyokuryu Kai" y/n asked again

I took a deep breath and got myself together before finally speaking "Because Kiyoshi is not who he says he is, he is hiding his true motives from you and he only wants to merge with two of the biggest gangs in Japan, Ragnarok and Kodo Rengo, so he can use the power for his own gain" Benkei seems surprised at the mention of Kodo Rengo but his expression soon turns into something between sadness and anger and then vanishes into his former neutral expression.

Kodo Rengo, the gang led by Wakasa Imaushi, and Ragnarok, Benkei's gang, are both rival gangs. I remember Benkei not being informed of the merge with Kodo Rengo until after he agreed to join Kiyoshi. Maybe that's why he seemed surprised. There was always some kind of unspoken hate between Benkei and Wakasa, I noticed them giving each other random angry looks and disagreeing most of the time in the future, I always thought they had some kind of a past rivalry with each other until they both got tired of everything going on with Kyokuryu Kai, Benkei just gave up and Wakasa got caught up in making plans for taking down Kiyoshi and one day they both just stopped with their unspoken rivalry, I remember the feeling when I realise the silence between them felt more sorrowful than the hate. Maybe because as long as they were fighting, at least they both seemed to be feeling something until everything with Kiyoshi and Kyokuryu Kai ruined them. I never thought much of it, not until it was over.

I am snapped out of my thoughts when y/n asks another question "And why should we trust you?"

I reply with weird confidence, the same determination I had to save everyone before finally returning again "Because I knew that Kiyoshi was going to give you that offer before he did. And I took the risk of warning you about it. I obviously know things about Kiyoshi and his gang that you don't and I warned you that he wasn't the good person you probably thought he was and he proved it to you when he ordered his gang to start attacking your members for not accepting the offer to join him"