Daichi was looking up at the shelf. What should I buy? He wondered.

Orange juice or a fizzy drink? He couldn't choose. He needed something to energise him in the morning. He lifted his arm and reached for the fizzy drink.

"Oii! That's Daichi!" A young man yelled. As Daichi turned his head he felt a sharp pain in his jaw twisting his head.

Daichi let out a shriek as he fell onto the floor. Three young men stood over him. One had their hood up and was wearing a balaclava. The other two wore black bandanas over their mouth's. They were noticeably younger. They looked around the ages of sixteen judging by their physique.

The red-haired boy who stood to the left of the older balaclava man was named Sanjuro and the boy on the right who wore a grey bandana over his head was named Matsu.

"Daichi, I finally found you" the masked man said. Daichi looked up at him furrowing his eyebrows.

"Sanjo, you--"

"Don't Sanjo me! Do you remember what you did? You graffitied on my house!"

Daichi sat up, nodding and smirking.

"Yes, I did. You deserved it you punk"

Daichi stood himself up and approached Sanjo and the two boys.

"Boys!" A man shouted from behind them.

They turned around to look at the manager of the shop behind them.

Whilst the boys turned their heads to look behind them Daichi took the opportunity to charge at Sanjo and punched him in the head sending him crashing down onto the tiled floor.

Sanjuro and Matsu ran at Daichi throwing punches at him as he backed away. Sanjuro picked up an alcohol bottle from the shelf threw it in Daichi's direction carelessly ignoring the horrified shoppers surrounding him.

The bottle smashed in front of him as he jumped back to save himself. He was at the end of the aisle.

"Owww!" A young boy cried out in pain. A shard of glass cut his leg as it smashed in front of him.

"Stop it!" An old lady yelled shielding Daichi as the boys moved towards him.

"Get outta my way old hag!" Sanjuro snapped.

He raised his fist and swung at the old lady hitting her in her face knocking her unconscious immediately. Daichi felt the anger spark in his heart as he watched the old lady's consciousness fade away. The anger prevented any feelings of fear and made him charge straight at them. He grabbed Sanjuro by the neckline of his shirt before putting his feet behind his and threw him back into the alcohol shelf.

Sanjuro crashed down into the shelf causing it to fall as well. The bottles smashed piercing into him.

"Stop fighting!" A man cried out reaching to Daichi.

Before the man could grab Daichi to calm him down Daichi had charged at Matsu who was running down to the end of the aisle towards Sanjo who stood waiting for Daichi.

Daichi and Sanjo went at each other punching and kicking as Matsu fought away the manager and his staff who tried to get involved wielding a wooden broom.

Daichi grabbed hold of Sanjo's arm as he tried to punch him and struck him in the stomach with his knee before grabbing him and slamming him into the shelf with the drinks knocking it down.

"Call the police!" The manager shouted as he wrestled Matsu to the wall.

Daichi ran around the manager and pushed his way past the staff to exit the shop. Daichi sprinted through the busy streets dodging the endless swarms of pedestrians. He ran into an alleyway on a high street to catch his breath. He took out his phone and called an unnamed contact.

"Yo uncle"

"Yo Daichi. What's up?"

"I'm near your house. Can I come up?"

"Yeah sure. Just don't mind the mess in my house. I'm sharpening my katana's you see"

"Yeah, see you in a minute"

He ended the call and jogged across the road. At the end of the road opposite the high street was a row of concrete apartment blocks. He made his way to the first building in the row and pressed the numbers he wanted into the intercom and waited.

A beeping sound followed and he opened the door and went in.

When he walked through the dark corridors there was graffiti on the walls and doors, trash-strewn around the staircase. In shady places like this, it was common sense not to use the lift. There was a high chance of getting mugged. He could hear footsteps aside from his. When he looked up there stood a drunk, wide-eyed man with a ripped vest. He glanced at Daichi before waddling down the stairs passing him.

Knock Knock.

Daichi knocked on the door with the number twenty on it. The last door. He heard the locks on the door clattering before it creaked open slightly. Daichi pushed the door open and stepped into the house. The familiar fragrance escaped out of the house. Daichi shut the door behind him.

"Heeey!" The cheerful man walked to Daichi. He had a goatee on his chin and short black hair. His most prominent feature was his round belly.

"Hey uncle Masaru"

"I heard you graduated from school. How did that go?"

Daichi shrugged his shoulders. "It was nothing special"

Masaru gestured his hand and Daichi followed him into the unexpectedly tidy living room. Daichi sat on the sofa and faced the TV in front of him on the fireplace. In the corner of the room was a collection of ancient katanas once used by ninjas.

"So what are you doing now career-wise?" Masaru asked.

"Mother wants me to get into art but I don't want to"

"Why not? I heard about you doing graffiti around the area. And why do you look so beaten up?"

Daichi pushed up his glasses on his nose bridge and dusted himself off.

"Well, I got into a little scrap with some dumb hoodlums earlier. I came here to lay low"

"Geez, why do you get yourself into trouble like this huh? You need to cool off that hot head of yours. Go eat an ice cube or something"

Masaru's chuckled at his joke. However, Daichi closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa.

"I don't like hurting people to be honest. Actually...I'm glad I've finished school. All they did was pick on me. I act tough to mask my real feelings. To hide my weakness. And I'm tired of being nice to people. That's why I'm not"

"Daichi, I understand but suppressing pain will not help you. It's good to cry once in a while you know"

"No, I'm never gonna cry!" He stated.

"When was the last time you cried?"

"Hmm"

Daichi put his fingers to his chin.

"When I think about it the last time I cried was when..."

There was a long pause. Daichi gulped and opened his mouth again trying to force the words out.

"When my father died. Six years ago" Masaru could just hear the sadness in his voice.

"Your father was a great man. Well....that's what I always thought until I found out the truth. It's crazy to think that someone can hide all of that and act normal. Even me, his little brother couldn't notice the evil in him"

"What was he like when he was younger?" Daichi asked out of curiosity. Masaru smiled and sat beside him.

"As a kid, Soma did some weird things. Once I walked into his room and I found my teddy bear decapitated. I was scared of Soma for a long time. He was just plain creepy. Not to mention we were half brothers. We had different father's. I don't know what his father was like. My stepfather lived with us. Maybe he inherited any wild behaviour his father had. Well as a teenager he was kinda lame. At first, he was a quiet, loner who always sat at the back of the classroom looking depressed but once he joined the basketball club at age fourteen he had changed. Once he found something he was interested in he focused on it and worked hard to hone his skills. That was around the time when he came home with ridiculous amounts of money that he hid from mother and father. By the time he was sixteen he had a girlfriend and had a suspicious amount of money from somewhere. It was almost as if he robbed a bank. He moved when he turned eighteen and quit university because of his laziness. I don't know what happened to him after that. He changed"

"Changed?"

"I can't really describe it. You could tell by just looking him in the eye....deep down you see the evil. The demon in him. I was beyond scared. I didn't understand what had happened to my big bro"

Daichi could see the sadness in his eyes as clear as day.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"So having bonds are a waste of time because when that person dies you will feel pain"

"And you get over that pain" his uncle added on to Daichi's controversial statement.

"I don't know how father even died. He could've been killed"

"Maybe, who knows"

After a moment of silence between the two Daichi spoke again.

"Yesterday night something strange happened"

"What?"

Daichi balled up his fists.

"Mother already knows so please don't think about going to her about this"

Masaru nodded gently and smiled.

"I snuck out last night to go graffiti with my friends but this time to ramp things up a little I took them to the Kanrei district. Sawamura territory. An affiliate got off the train and confronted us and my stupid short temper nearly got my friend Kalonji killed. When I chased after my friend the man was shot dead by a woman. The woman knew my name. She called me Daichi!"

Masaru's eyebrows pulled together in a pronounced frown.

"She said Daichi?"

"Yeah, she was about to tell me how she knew me before my friend interrupted her. I didn't even get to ask again because I was frozen in shock"

"Geez, Daichi. Stop doing dumb things like that. Just be careful out there. Also, If you wanna let the pain in your chest out make sure you express your feelings. Don't bottle up anger or sadness. Tell someone about it. And if you smile and do good things good things will happen to you. That's what good Karma is. May the Gods bless you, my nephew. You have a great future ahead of you"

Daichi nodded and stood up.

A few hours later Daichi was at the same place. The abandoned train station in Kanrei but this time in broad daylight. He saw everything clearly now. His graffiti was still there. He noticed the trail of blood on the train tracks from last night. The incident still sent chills down his spine. He knelt and reached into his backpack.

"Oi!"

Daichi's head twisted so fast it was as if someone had slapped him across the face. There stood three masked men. They wore black suits and sunglasses and were carrying briefcases. The man who stood in the middle was the biggest out of them all. His belly pushed out his waistcoat.

"What's this brat doing here spraying that shit on our walls?" the big one said.

Spraying that shit on our walls? Daichi repeated in his head taking offence to his statement.

"Do you know who we are kid?"

The man that stood on the left was the shortest and he had wavy purple hair.

"You're Sawamura associates too huh" Daichi said trying to stop his voice from trembling.

"More than associates. We are captains"

Daichi zipped his bag and stood up frowning them.

"What's with the tough look? We could snap you like a twig you skinny bastard"

"You better eat those words big belly bastard"

Daichi was aware his provocations would only worsen the situation.

He didn't like to body shame but the words just slipped out of his mouth in retaliation.

The bigger man stepped forward reaching into his waistcoat.

Daichi's tough act had been shaken off and he stepped back as the man approached him.

"Tok! Stop it!" a woman from behind shouted.

Tok looked back at the woman.

Daichi recognised her voice. The authoritative tone she spoke with. She was the same woman from last night. He recognised her slender build and the black cloak she wore around her.

"You're supposed to be waiting for the train not picking on little kids. Seriously. Look how big you are compared to him. Don't make the clan look like a laughing stock. Stupidity is a disease and there is no cure to stupidity"

"Damn you, sensible bastard. You really listen to--"

In the blink of an eye, the woman was directly behind him holding a combat knife to his neck.

"Keep on talking like that and I'll slit your throat. You got that?"

"Y-Y-yes miss"

The woman lowered her arm and tucked the knife back into her cloak. Daichi was frozen in fear. He couldn't stop himself from trembling. The bloodlust was too strong for him to handle. The power between them and him was way too much. He was weak. He couldn't even pull himself away.

After overcoming his terror he opened his eyes to see the men boarding the train.

The woman handed Tok a handgun.

"In case you run into any trouble keep this. Our enemies are active in that city"

Tok nodded as the doors shut. Daichi watched as the train disappeared into the distance.

"As for you"

The woman turned to face Daichi. Daichi stepped back and leaned against the wall sweating profusely as the white in his eyes expanded.

She pulled off the hood on her head uncovering her jet black hair that curled slightly at the ends. Her cold eyes gazed at him.

Daichi's teeth were chattering. He wouldn't be surprised if his teeth were chipped after this. There was no hope. She was there staring down at him. His own fearful thoughts terrorised him.

"Why are you back here?" She asked lowering her tone.

"I-I-it was a mistake. I came to the wrong train station! Forgive me miss"

Daichi was scared breathless. Daichi bowed at her expecting her to appreciate it. He hadn't bowed for a long time because he didn't like doing it.

"I have no reason to hurt you so stop thinking the worse"

Daichi relaxed his muscles a bit and rubbed his eyes. It was the first time in ages Daichi had felt the intense urge to cry. The last time he nearly burst out into tears was when he got bullied at school. He pushed up his glasses with his finger and stood up properly.

"You're the woman from last night. You know my name"

"Yes. I do"

"How?"

"You are his...."

"Who?"

"Soma Saito's son...Daichi Saito"

Daichi subconsciously let out a gasp. He pointed at her.

"Just who the hell are you and how do you know my father?" Daichi asked with frustration at her lack of answers.

He had gathered some bravery back into him.

"That's a long story that I don't have time to be telling. Let's just say...he was my partner in crime"

"Partner...in crime? But you're a clan member"

"Yeah and?"

"There's no way my father would work with deranged assholes like you!" Daichi barked.

"Maybe he was deranged himself. That's the truth. He was with us. If you don't believe me it's ok. It's better you don't know of your father's actions. Even though many members will slander him. I respect him because in my eyes he was a great man"

She turned her back on Daichi and walked towards the staircase.

"Wait!" Daichi shouted reaching his hand.

She stopped and peered over her shoulder.

"What?"

"Please tell me more about my father. If he really was with you who killed him?"

"What is the street code these days? Snitches get stitches? Well, it's the same for Samawura too. Why would I tell a kid like you? It's none of your business so--"

"It is my business! He was my father!" Daichi roared with anger.

"I see. It is cruel not to tell you but I couldn't care less about the Samawura Clan. But once you join the Samawura Clan there is no escape. You will be hunted down and murdered. That is what happened to your father"

"What?!"

Daichi's eyebrow twitched at the same time he began to tremble in anger.

"So you guys killed him?!"

"No"

"Then answer my question! Who killed him!?"

"If you want to know so badly I'll tell you. The current leader of the Samawura Clan killed him"

Daichi held his hand on his chest and closed his eyes trying to take in the shocking information. He reached into his tracksuit bottom pocket.

In his pocket was the rustling of a wrapper. He took his clenched hand out of his pocket and slipped something into his mouth chewing on it. He then raised his arm and began to tap his finger continuosly on the bridge of his glasses.

He noticed the woman staring at him, baffled by his actions. He held out his hand and stopped chewing.

"Sorry, chewing gum really helps me relieve my stress y'know. And when I'm deep in thought I have a tendency to tap my glasses. I'm a weirdo"

He bent down and unzipped his bag then reached into it.

"Sorry if I'm boring you. You can go away now if you don't wanna watch me vandalise your station"

"Pft, you've gotten brave. Just a few minutes ago you were on the verge of crying"

Daichi sprayed a pattern on the wall with the blue paint.

"Why do you engage in such childish activities?"

"Shut up! It's not childish. It's artistic. Not to mention, graffiti helps me express myself more. My bottled up emotions"

Daichi instantly regretted saying that cringing at his own words. He wasn't used to expressing his feelings to others. But he remembered his uncles words from earlier...

"Make sure you express your feelings. Don't bottle up anger or sadness. Tell someone about it"

His uncles motivational words echoed endlessly in his mind.

"Anyways, how do I find that leader?"

"That I will not tell you as that is none of your business"

"It is my business. He's the murderer of my father. As his son, I should avenge him"

"Don't start with that nonsense. Nothing good comes from revenge"

"But what if he's killing other kids father's right now? Who's gonna stop him?"

"That's the reality of the criminal underworld. That's just how things work around here. No peace and no justice. That's why a kid like you shouldn't be here"

"Yeah, you're right. This spooky place is giving me bad vibes"

Daichi stopped spraying the walls and put the can back in his bag before zipping it up and wrapping it around his back.

"Thanks, whoever you are" Daichi stepped forward and bowed his head.

When Daichi looked up he met her blank gaze. She didn't even feel respected by his kind gesture. Of course, she wouldn't. She wasn't a normal human. Daichi regretted bowing his head to her again. He didn't even like doing it.

"Stay safe Daichi"

The masked woman pulled her hood up and walked into the distance following the train tracks, the sun shining on her black cloak.

Later that day.

"Hello, I'm home! Daichi announced after closing the front door.

Sadly his announcement didn't reach any ears.

He could hear distant laughter reverberating the quiet house. Daichi slipped his feet out of his sports shoes and hurried to the sound of laughter. It was coming from the garden. He went into the kitchen and peeked out of the open door leading to the garden. Two strangers were chattering with his mother. The man was wearing a baseball cap with a blue shirt and shorts exposing his hairy legs and the brown-haired woman was wearing a colourful kimono dress. She had a noticeable tan from the sun and was the same brown complexion as Chieko. Strangely she had a resemblance to Chieko.

Near the wooden shed were Kenichi who was uncharacteristically blushing, Keisuke laughing and another stranger whose figure was moving along with them. A girl looking figure but not Ayako. As he stepped closer the girls face got clearer. It was no one other than Chieko. He noticed that wavy brown hair and white strips that hung down the side of her face. Daichi sighed in annoyance as they noticed him standing there squinting his eyes.

He walked past the chattering parents who were still oblivious of his presence and drew closer to Kenichi, Keisuke and Chieko who were playing.

"Chieko, you haven't come here for years. What are you doing here?" Daichi grumbled.

She looked up at him smiling.

"Is that supposed to be a greeting Daichi? Hello to you too"

"Daichi! Be nice! She's here for dinner" Kenichi cried out. Daichi smirked at him.

"You enjoying yourself Kenichi. I can see that.

Why do you like Chieko anyways?"

"Shut up! I don't like Chieko. I mean...I do but not...gah"

Daichi chuckled at the flustered boy.

"Aw leave poor Kenichi alone"

"Pft, poor Kenichi? That boy is not as innocent as you think"

"Daichi!" His mother called out. Daichi sighed and strode to her.

"Wow, Daichi's gotten so tall since the last time I saw him. How tall are you now?"Chieko's mother asked.

"I'm like....five-foot-eight. Pft, who cares anyway? That's short. I'm not six-foot so I don't care"

"Don't be so rude Daichi!" His mother yelled.

Daichi got annoyed every time someone mentioned his height. Is that all they thought about him? How tall he was? Chieko's parents annoyed both Chieko and him. That was one thing they could agree on. They were so loud-mouthed and nosy which was mainly the reason they visited. Chieko's parents and Daichi's mother were childhood friends since school. They also knew Soma, Daichi's father. They even attended their wedding. Daichi just hated them.

When he made his way into the house all he could think about is what the woman had said about his father. He was really a part of a criminal organisation, the Sawamura Clan. A syndicate linked to the Yakuza. He stopped in the hallway and took a picture of the shelf on the wall and stared at it for a moment. His father's face. His eyes. He observed every detail. But he looked and acted completely normal. He didn't act deranged like his other comrades. Daichi concluded that perhaps he wasn't part of the organisation at all and it was all just a lie she told him.

"Heya Daichi!"

Daichi dropped the photo after Chieko made him jump.

"What are you doing here?" He asked looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"I was trying to get past you. You were looking at that picture. Sorry to disturb you"

"Nah, go past me then"

Chieko noticed the change in his mood and compared it with his impulsive behaviour at school.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah" He bent down and picked up the picture.

"I'm just reminiscing of the good times. You know. The times when you're a child. In a few days, I will be a legal adult. Just like you"

"What do you plan to do in September?"

Daichi pushed the picture onto the shelf and turned to look at her.

"Eh, my mother wants me to do art in university but I don't like their art. It's ugly"

"Heh, It's a whole lot better than those eyesight stealers on the streets"

"What the hell do you know about my art? Don't criticize it!" Daichi responded to her rude remark raising his voice.

His jaw tightened and he flared his nostrils.

"Geez. Someone's overly sensitive today"

"I'm not sensitive!" Daichi roared angrily.

His words drew a grin on her face.

"That's the Daichi I know. The hothead is back"

Daichi turned his back to her and made his way up the stairs.