Karasuno Fight {One Shot Book}

Like The Man I Know I'm Not

Through the eyes of a new recruit, how he came to join Kageyama's gang, and how he also comes to fear (and respect) the young gang boss.

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"I want to join."

Faces turn to him in an instant, sharp eyes pinning him down easily with their intensity and wicked grins sending chills up his spine. He stiffens at the attention, his back straight and his chest puffed.

Sousuke knows how he must look; a weak and timid rabbit, with his clean cream colored button down, tight black jeans, and pristine black sneakers; struggling to stray from the ideals and mannerisms that had come with domestication. He knew he looked his part, a runaway rich kid, unable to truly let go of the luxury his previous life had provided him.

The group of boys assembled around the alleyway continue to stare at him, some sneering maliciously while others look on with interest. He swallows, and forces himself to speak again.

"I-I would like to join, m-may I speak with whoever is in charge here?"

A boy, about his own age from the looks of him, maybe older, shoulders his way to the front of group and shoves his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He regards him with dark, narrowed eyes, his mouth set in a tight lipped frown.

"You gonna stutter like that the whole time, man?"

His hair, equally as dark, seemed to be defying gravity, sticking straight up into a strange sort of cone shape. His build was lean but strong, muscles defined slightly even beneath the folds of his jacket. With his hardened face and standoffish stance, the boy definitely looked the part of a teenaged gang member.

"Cause that shit gets old fast. You might as well go scurrying back to wherever you came from. You ain't even worth our time."

Sousuke bristles at the boy's words, his fists clenching at his sides. "No!" He cries out angrily. "I came here to join and I'm not leaving until you beat me into a bloody pulp and chuck me out onto the streets. And even then, I'm gonna come crawling right back here." He takes a brave step forward and looks up, staring the boy dead in the eyes. "If you want me gone, you're going to have to kill me. Otherwise, I'm staying here."

Everyone, aside from the boy, looks at him in surprise, although he's not sure if they're surprised that he yelled at the boy, or that he yelled at all. The boy's expression remains the same, not at all fazed by his outburst. He exchanges a bored glance with a couple of wide eyed goons off to the side, then turns his gaze back to Sousuke, meeting his glare easily.

After a long moment of silence, the boy finally speaks. "Fine then. I'll take you to the boss. See what he has to say about ya." He turns in one fluid motion, and gestures with his chin for Sousuke to follow as the crowd parts wordlessly for him. "Come on, unless you're scared?"

"I am not!" Sousuke barks, his face hot from the force of his blush, and stalks furiously after the boy, the sound of crunching gravel and the jeering and hooting of the other boys loud in his ears. "I'm not scared of you!"

Twin gunshots sound from beyond the doors of a warehouse, the loud bangs within roaring across the empty space and rippling against the metal walls.

Sousuke blinks rapidly from his place in line, his hands clasped tightly behind his back to quell their shaking. His legs wobble slightly, and he gulps, afraid that at any moment they might give out underneath him.

A few meters in front of him, stood the boss. His back was ramrod straight, feet planted firmly on the hard ground, and his arm postioned straight out in front of him, thin fingers clamped carefully around the gun nestled in his palm.

The three boys lined against the wall were no longer standing. The one on the far left was curled up onto his side, his face no longer visible as he sniffled pathetically into the crook of his arm. The other two had fallen to their knees, one slumped entirely in defeat, his gaze pointed directly at the ground. The other was glancing upward nervously, his face blotched red from crying, and the top of his ear bleeding from where Kageyama had shot him. He clasped his hands in front of himself desperately.

"Boss, I beg of you!" He cries out, his voice hysterical. "We didn't mean to! It was in self defense! I promise!"

Sousuke's breathing turns shallow as he watches the boy suddenly fall foward, slamming his forehead onto the ground.

"Please don't kill us!" He sobs.

"Calm down, dumbass. Boss will notice."

Sousuke nearly chokes on his spit at the sound of Kindaichi's voice in his ear.

Kageyama's back is still facing them, silent in the face of the boy's plea. He cocks the gun again with a soft click, waiting a couple of moments before aiming the gun at the boy once more. 

"And why should I?" He asks, his voice so soft that Sousuke barely hears it even standing so close to him. "You guys killed those men. Don't you think that deserves compensation? An eye for an eye? Nishinoya!"

"Aye, sir!"

"Do you remember what I did after you openly defied me by killing that man even when you knew of his importance to me?"

"Aye, sir! You shot me in the side with your gun, boss!"

Sousuke uses the distraction to shake his head, quickly readjusting his stance and schooling his face into what he hopes is a blank expression.

"Yes." Kageyama says. "I shot you in the side with my gun. Which is much more than the punishment I just gave you three, for the same act. And I even only fired at two of you. So why should I refrain from killing you? Nagisa, Kotaro? Haruka?"

"P-Please," the boy whimpers. "Please, boss. We didn't mean to. Please..."

Sousuke's heartbeat hammers in his ears, anxiety spiking all throughout his body as if he was the one before the boss, being held at gunpoint for doing something reckless and foolish. His legs are shaking, heavy from the weight of his nervousness.

The boy sniffles weakly as Kageyama continues to stare him down, a single finger hovering carefully over the trigger. After a few more fast paced heartbeats, Kageyama's arm falls limp at his side, and he gestures towards the doors of the warehouse with his head.

"Get out of my sight."

The boys don't waste time, scrambling onto all fours and towards the door with quick, panicked breaths. It slams behind them with a loud bang. Sousuke actually does flinch this time, but he straightens just as fast when Kageyama turns to the rest of the gang members, his blue eyes cold and hardened like sapphires as they rake over the assembled crowd. Sousuke suppresses a shiver. 

"And the rest of you, you do well to remember. I am your boss. You take orders from me and me alone. If you do not like that, then I suggest you leave now before the only way you will be able to leave is in a body bag. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear."

"Yes, boss!"

"Now go back to the main hideout. We have work to do."

"Yes, boss!" Sousuke's voice wavers as calls out, but he knows that the feeling in his heart isn't just fear. It is respect. Respect for Kageyama Tobio, the teenaged gang boss of the city. Respect for the leader he is, despite his young age, even among the pain and suffering. Respect for his courage even in his hardships, and respect for his unwavering law, even in the face of stubborn rebellion.

Sousuke fears Kageyama Tobio.

But he also respects him, and he wouldn't dare feel any other way.