This Is Gospel (ShimaxYukio)

27. Enlighten Me

"Obviously I was born into the Myo Dharani branch of the Yakuza. Originally, Bon's family was the head family but...Tatsuma stepped down and left the role to my father. We were given the chance to live normal lives, but I was...bored."

"You were bored?"

Shima realized how strange that must have sounded to Yukio, but he nodded.

"I was always in my dad's business and I lost interest in things quite easily when they didn't seem entertaining enough. I got into trouble a hell of a lot as a kid, and it landed me in juvie too. I killed my first mafia member when I was fourteen."

So then Shima was a psycho from the beginning.

"It's all I really knew. Like I said, I was always in my dad's business. Anyway, I proved to be an effective spy and they offered me a role in the Yakuza. It helped, especially since my older brother decided he wanted to have a normal life with a normal family. I was contracted under Johan Faust."

"...Mephisto?"

"Yes. He's not a part of the Myo Dharani, but his branch is allied with our own. I've been doing jobs for them ever since."

Yukio paused. "What do you mean 'jobs'?" He asked. Shima shrugged. "Spying. Assassination. Arson. Whatever my assignement was." he replied.

Jesus Christ.

"When I met you, we had been working on an operation to eliminate rival mafias. One of them just so happened to be run by your kidnapping grandfather. I didn't know that when I met you, I swear. I had joined TCU to gain intel from some members within the university and...I guess I fell in love on the way." Shima explained. He paused, looking over at Yukio to make sure that he was following the story. Yukio gave a slow nod, urging him to continue as he soaked everything in.

"Someone must have tipped Egin off about Ai, which is why she ended up missing. I had nothing to do with that, but it gave me a personal reason to get rid of him without feeling any sort of resentment...which I seldom ever do." He added. "I did kill all of Reiji's friends though. I'm guilty of that."

Yukio adjusted his glasses, not sure of how to feel about all of the new information.

"But I was the one who killed Shiratori. Why did you take the fall?"

"I had already planned to take the rap for killing his friends. There was no sense in you being in a place like that, especially not when I was already going. I needed you out here, happy and healthy. For my sake if not your own." Shima replied, but it still didn't make much sense to Yukio.

"Why would you want to go there?"

"It was a set up. Kill a couple rival gang members, turn myself in, and kill their boss to totally annihilate their mafia altogether. I managed to eradicate them both on my own, which earned me a pretty high reputation in the underground. You were never a part of that plan...and I should have been honest with you but I knew you wouldn't love me if you knew who I really was."

And there it was. The truth.

A fucking scary truth...

Shima was a murderer. Does that make him a bad person? Should Yukio high-tail it while he still had the chance? 

"Listen, Yukio. I fought for you because I love you...because I need you and I find the thought of living without you excruciatingly painful. But I am a changed man. My morals aren't the same and neither are my methods. I don't do assassination jobs anymore, and I'll lay low for you. But we're protected and I want that for you. For our future and our family. You know?"