Chapter Text
Tachibana Hinata and Hanagaki Takemichi have been best friends since the two first attended the same kindergarten. Since then, nothing could ever tear those two girls apart. On a hot summer day, Hinata found herself standing up for a cat who a few kids were bullying.
A timid boy with black hair and glasses could do nothing but watch nervously, afraid when those kids turned their glares onto Hinata. They were much bigger and stronger than she was, but despite how scared Hinata felt, bullying pure, innocent cats was wrong!
Just before the first boy could grab Hinata by the collar of her shirt, Tetta found his eyes drawn towards a figure sprinting in the bully's direction. A mane of curly raven hair flying behind them, the blur jumped in the air and slammed down a red plastic bat on top of the boy's head.
"Hey! No one lays a hand on my Hina-chan! You ugly bully!" Young Kisaki's eyes were blown wide, locked onto the person--no, girl who stood protectively in front of Hinata with a red bat swung over her shoulder.
"Michi-chan?!" The arrival of her best friend caught Hinata by relief and surprise.
"What the heck?!"
"Where did this girl come from?!"
"And why does she have a bat?"
It seemed Hinata wasn't the only one surprised by the girl with shining big blue eyes and curly raven hair. After getting over the shock and the pain inflicted on his head, the ringleader of the group glared at the big-eyed girl.
"Tch, since you want to be a hero so much, don't blame us for not holding back against a girl!" Voice laced with venom, he and his underlings attacked the girl. Hinata wanted to jump in and lend the other a hand but didn't know how to interfere in the chaotic scene playing before her eyes.
Hiding behind the brick wall, Kisaki saw the boys land a few punches and kicks on the girl. But what amazed him was how despite how much it hurt, this strange girl, who appeared out of the blue, endured and fought back. Pulling on hair, biting, scratching, you name it.
Picking up her bat that had fallen on the ground, the girl began swinging it like a maniac, leaving harsh sting marks on the boys' skin. What once had been a one-sided fight had now become a mystery.
Hinata, who could no longer watch her friend get hurt, ran until she found a police officer who was luckily not that far away. Explaining what happened, Hinata dragged the man towards the scene and what he saw were three boys sprawled on the ground, each bruised and beaten. Standing victoriously on one of the victim's backs was Hinata's curly-haired best friend with her trusty red bat held in the sky.
Even though the girl was sporting a few bruises herself, along with a busted lip, this scene contrasted against everything Hinata had told the officer. Despite how much her body ached, Takemichi's wide grin of happiness beamed brighter than the sun.
"Hina-chan! I did it!" Happy tears flew down the girl's cheeks. The flash of sunlight caused her blue eyes to sparkle like sapphires. It was this scene that had imprinted itself in the young Tetta Kisaki’s head, never to be forgotten.
--
20 Years Later
Standing inside a bakery, removing her apron, was a petite woman of average appeal and big blue eyes. A curly mane of raven hair covered the girl’s head and was currently worn in a low ponytail. "About to go on break, Bunko-san!" the girl called out to her manager, who advised the twenty-six-year-old to be safe and watch out for her surroundings.
"Just last week, I heard word of how a few members of the Toman gang were spotted harassing a woman. Plus, that strange rich customer who recently started coming in here, staring at you all the time, read bad vibes. So be safe." Heeding the words of her boss, Takemichi was grateful to the other for looking out for her and said she would take the woman’s advice.
Exiting the building, the jeans of her shorts exposed her legs. Having slipped on her blue sweat-jacket before leaving, Takemichi walked the street. "Man, how time flies..." Hands shoved in her pockets, Takemichi looked towards the clear blue sky and began to reminisce.
Takemichi’s obsession with delinquents during her youth was credited to her cool female neighbor Chiharu, who was once part of an all-girl gang—recalling the blonde girl’s laidback personality and how she spoke fondly of the freedom the lifestyle of delinquents offered. There was never a time Chiharu wasn't without her bike and favorite wooden bat.
"I may be a girl, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to ride a bike."
"Hey, a girl’s gotta protect herself. Not all delinquents are the same but don't worry. My bat may hurt like hell but never kill."
Takemichi looked up to Chiharu like a big sister and was heartbroken when the older girl suddenly up and disappeared a couple of days before Takemichi enrolled in middle school. Wanting to honor the big sister she idolized, during middle school Takemichi had mimicked Chiharu’s hairstyle, carrying the wooden bat the older girl left at her doorstep before she disappeared.
"Even though I still keep in close touch with Hina-chan, I wonder how life is fairing for Akkun and the others?" Takemichi recalled the face of four boys who were close to her, especially a certain redhead. The group of friends had always been tight-knit and looked out for each other, but then everything changed one day, and Akkun and the others distanced themselves from Takemichi and Hinata.
It wasn't until high school that she found out the tragic fate of the boys and how her stupid/hateful cousin Masaru was connected to it. Despite Takemichi warning Akkun and the others to never listen to anything her cousin said, they did the opposite.
Takemicihi couldn't believe her ears when she heard from Hinata that they had become members of the famous Toman Gang. Takemichi had wanted to reach out to Akkun, but after graduating middle school, Takemichi never saw Akkun and the others again.
A ring from her left pocket snapped Takemichi out of her stroll down memory lane. Reaching into her pocket, she saw Hinata's name flash across the screen and answered it.
"Hina-chan, so happy-"
"Michi-chan, run!" Takemichi paused in the middle of the street. Hinata's urgent voice screamed in her ear.
"Hina-chan, what's wrong? Is something going on?" Confusion filled Takemichi, wondering why she could hear Hinata sniffling on the other end of the phone.
"Michi-chan, I just got word from Naoto that your life is in danger! You need to run! NOW!" Takemichi could hear the evident fear laced in Hinata's voice, but the pain in her abdomen kept her from answering.
It seemed while Takemichi was distracted by Hinata, a man in a gray hoodie took this time to stab her. A mixture of pain and coldness spread throughout Takemichi’s body as her phone slipped out of her hand.
'What the hell?' Takemichi had a hard time comprehending her situation, asking herself why the fuck she was stabbed! She hadn't crossed anyone! For God's sake, she worked at a bakery and lived in a small one-bedroom apartment! She was always polite and was too timid to stand up for herself!
"W-Why...?" Takemichi croaked; the strength in her legs and arms was failing.
"I couldn't let him imprison you. That dirty son of bitch would’ve without a doubt broken you. He's sick in the head! I... I’d rather you perish than be trapped by that psychopath!" yelled the man, gaining the attention of the pedestrians on the streets, who finally noticed the situation. Takemichi heard a woman scream.
"I'm so sorry, Michi-chan... I couldn't see the woman who was my first love become a victim to that bastard. Don't worry, I'll soon join you."
Ripping the knife out of her gut, Takemichi, for a brief moment before the darkness consumed her, caught a glimpse of the boy's eyes and asked herself, 'Why do those eyes seem so familiar to me?'
Once Takemichi’s body hit the ground, the man, with tears streaming down his face, longingly stared at the woman whose body was bleeding out on the ground. "Until we meet again, Michi-chan." A second scream issued as the people watched the man use the knife to slice his throat.
Later that day, July 4, 2017, the news reported how a man affiliated with the infamous Toman Gang stabbed an innocent woman named Hanagaki Takemichi before committing suicide.