Page 1 of Bound By the Yakuza

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TATSUYA

Kenichi’s condo was full. All the kyodai had come together to visit and hear the stories of his western style wedding in Oregon and the honeymoon in California. He came back with a bit of a tan. Cassandra was even more bronzed. They had brought back gifts for everyone.

“And this is for you, Tadao.” Cassandra handed him the last gift. Every omiyage had been meticulously wrapped. She must have spent hours putting everything together.

Tadao looked at Oriana. They were sitting squeezed into one armchair; she was practically sitting in his lap. They exchanged smiles, their eyes glowing with affection.

As usual, I was sitting wedged in the corner of the couch, watching the others laughing as they opened their gifts that Kenichi and Cassandra had brought back from their honeymoon in California. So many bottles of wine. Whenever a comment flew my way, I replied sarcastically or with a joke, depending on what they required of me.

On the surface, I was happy for Tadao and Oriana, who had made it official after the fiasco in the hostess club. A life and death situation like that could make anyone fall in love. Inside, I was more than a little envious.

I sighed and stood up.

“What’s wrong, Tatsuya?” Kenichi said as I turned for the door.

I gestured to my side, where I was shot during the shootout with the Shimazu-kai. “Feeling tired,” I lied. “I think I’m just going to go home for the night.”

“Don’t forget your wine!” Cassandra chirped.

I held it up with the other hand. “Got it. Thanks again.”

“Take it easy,” Tadao said with a smile.

“Sure.” I waved and left without another word. I couldn’t stand all the cheerfulness in one room. Truth was, they exhausted me. Not of the fight that happened only two nights ago, but I was exhausted from everything that had happened since the late Himura-sama had died. Ever since then, we had been fighting an uphill battle with no time to repose.

I could feel the exhaustion in my bones. I sat on my motorcycle, revving the engine and feeling its power beneath me. I lit a cigarette.

Everything around me had changed. Done a complete one-eighty. But I was still here. I was the same. The ruthless attack dog good for only one thing— killing. It seemed like everyone was finding their purpose as our organization shifted. The family was becoming tighter and business was booming.

I was static.

I looked up to the sky and watched the clouds passing over the moon. Alone again tonight. Maybe not for long, if I could find some random broad to seduce. Forget my problems for a few hours. Then maybe drink this entire bottle of red wine. What a night.

“Hey, Tat, why are you just sitting out here?”

I looked over at Kaoru. I frowned. “Why did you follow me out here? Go be with them.”

Kaoru chuckled and shook his head. “Nope, not while my best friend is being all melodramatic without me.” He sat on his bike. His was always parked beside mine. No one could tell the difference between them except us. Mine had a scratch on the right side from a stray bullet. His was perfect. Another analogy for my fucked up life.

“So. You wanna go for a ride?” Kaoru asked.

What else was there for me in this world? I had the yakuza. I had fast bikes. I had good wine and expensive smokes. I had piles of cash and all the girls that money could buy.

I had the night.

The problem with the night was that the sun would always return. The land of the rising sun would be washed in light, casting shadows behind each of my mistakes and transgressions. The shadows rose like an endless graveyard, stretching behind me as I struggled through the passing weeks.

Cassandra was expecting a child and if Himura-san had anything to do with it, Oriana and Tadao would be married before Christmas. As the clan grew, the layers of soldiers was getting thick and muddled, leaving Kenichi spending most of his time directing the business instead of taking shots on the front line with the rest of us. Tadao was consumed in finances, trying to appease the older members and keep pushing forward to keep Kenichi’s growing thirst for power sedated.

“Ready to go?” Kaoru snapped me from my thoughts.

I took a long drag on my cigarette, blowing the smoke through my nose and flicking the smoldering butt away. “Yeah, whatever.”

As usual, we were running patrols through Shibuya, keeping a close eye on the territory that we were slowly stealing away from the Shimazu-kai. Our constant warfare had left them weak and running low on funds. There would be one more push soon, Kenichi wanted them completely snuffed out before his son was born. That gave us only a few months to destroy the last of our rivals.

“Let’s go.” I said, tracing a finger along the scratch in the paint and gunned the engine. I shot down the empty street like a rocket with Kaoru nipping at my heels.

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