Fanfiction Receive and Save You

[Gummi Bunnies]

(Shortly taking place after Shadow of Gotham)

-Episode One-
"The Empty Lot"

Nighttime Kamurocho was busy and lively as its always been, especially at the surrounding districts around the Millennium Tower. While it was essentially the heart of the city, no one dares to question on how it came to be, how it was a project backed by the neighboring yakuza, how it impacted many lives, how it ended many lives... and how it was all over a small patch of land that this tower was built on.

The Empty Lot. No one really remembered it being that way, even after 7 years. Only a select few knew about the events that led this tower being built. One of them stood across the street from the Millennium Tower's block, as if waiting for something of interest to take place.

Most could immediately recognize this man to be the feared Mad Dog of Shimano, the single man who succeeded with a solo brawl against the entirety of the Dojima Family HQ, Goro Majima.

❝ ... why it gotta be this place? ❞ Majima grumbled under his breath, tapping out the ashes of his cigarette. Unknown to those that would see him in the streets and be intimidated in seconds by his presence, Majima wasn't exactly feeling like his usual "Mad Dog" self. Or rather not feeling like playing the charade of the "Mad Dog." In his jacket pocket, he kept a single envelope, which contained information about a person who should be living a normal life since 1988.

You have a week to arrive at the listed address in this letter. Otherwise we will make use out of her.

That was the message left for him, along with the photo of the woman who was burdened by the Empty Lot's existence: Makoto Makimura. He thought that raiding the Dojima Family HQ 7 years ago ensure that she'll be free from these things, but someone had to ruin it. It had only been a few days since he got the envelope from Reina, who was told to relay it from some foreign messenger.

From the looks of it, Majima had no choice but to play along with this person's game, and hope there was an opportunity to beat the twisted little shit senseless for putting Makoto into danger once again.

❝ Got no time to stick around, fucker put some stupid time limit on me anyways... ❞ He was doubting on why the Millennium Tower was the chosen meeting place, but there really was no time to stand around and keep Makoto in the wrong person's custody. He couldn't really call up anyone to assist him with this problem either.

Kiryu was arrested and sent to jail for the next 10 years after claiming that he killed Sohei Dojima, something that the Kiryu he knew wouldn't ever do. Nishikiyama was completely out of the picture after Kiryu's arrest, not emotionally well without his kyoudai around. Even his own yakuza family members were out of question, they couldn't know that he was doing this for a single woman, especially one who was sought out by the yakuza before.

Set and ready for what was possibly waiting for him inside the tower, Majima proceeded forward into the building. Given that it was late, no one seemed to be lingering around in the lobby, or at least no sign of civilians.

❝ Oi! If ya gonna make me drag my ass over 'ere in the first place, show me the goddamn way from start to finish! I don't got the time to walk like an idiot through the whole tower. ❞ He didn't hesitate on raising his voice, clearly wanting to get the attention of somebody related to the mess he was getting dragged into. Of course, there was silence, but he wasn't alone either. Right as he opened his mouth to holler out more, the lights went out in the lobby, pitch black darkness spread through the vast room. Then footsteps resounded, a good number of them.

❝ Jeez, somebody likes their horror movie bullshit too much. Mind cutting the shit already? ❞ Majima was getting frustrated with the fact that this was wasting his time on getting Makoto back safe. Whoever was there, they had no need to answer or to do anything to reveal themselves. The natural moonlight from outside began to beam through the high windows, illuminating the lobby room to reveal who was accompanying him.

Five figures surrounded Majima, all of them wearing crow-like masks and holding two weapons at hand. Obvious enough that they weren't friendly company and that they weren't local to Kamurocho. Some thugs here and there were able to walk around with a knife and sometimes a gun, but these masked folk would've been instantly apprehended... Something about this was drastically off.

❝ Well, ain't that something? Guess y'all are new in town, too shy to show yer faces, huh? ❞ Majima stared tensely at the masked men surrounding him, knowing that one wrong move and he was bound for a world full of pain in the next few moments. Armed combat was familiar to him, but not to this extent. Not even pulling out his own weapon was easy to say the least, Majima narrowly reacting to an incoming bullet to his hand by deflecting it with his immediately unsheathed short sword.

❝ Not much for talking, eh? ❞ His tense look started to fade away, slowly replaced with a devilish grin.

❝ Then how 'bout some fighting! ❞ His voice rang out with a signature high pitch that only few people could identify to be Majima's gleeful voice. The masked men instantly opened fire at the Mad Dog, but seemed to have trouble keeping a steady aim at the erratically agile yakuza. A clean stab right into the stomach of the closest masked man, Majima's blade was immediately pulled out so he could give a good kick to that same man's head. With that momentary success, Majima snatched with his free hand the battle axe he managed to disarm from the first masked man. Sure it was strange and different, but he could adapt to it if it was meant to be a melee weapon anyways.

With one down, there was four more to go, which meant he was making progress. Progress that gradually slowed down the more he continued to fight these masked men. Much like after one had been knocked out, the rest appeared to have adapted to how Majima's initial approach was for the first. The second was knocked out with the axe he took, but the rest perfectly knew how to counter their own axe under Majima's expertise. It went on, and a few times, a bullet or two would find its way into Majima's upper leg. There was only so much he could avoid over a long period of time, but he didn't seem to care at the moment. In the heat of a fight, he couldn't care less if he got badly hurt.

Now it was down to one masked man left, but by then, Majima had already run out of different methods to knock this one out. Anything he tried, this masked man knew the appropriate counter to it, much like an AI program that perfectly adapted to the incoming situations thrown at it. Plus, this was surely an actual fight, and not those flimsy street fights that happen on a daily basis in Kamurocho.

❝ Man... y'know how to keep up a good fight... but throw me a bone, will ya? ... its like ya wanna tire me out instead of actually fighting me head-on! ❞ Majima taunted, wanting to turn the tables against the masked man. If they were going to counter whatever he had in store, he figured to do the same. It was only fair, and possibly the only playing card Majima had left in this fight if none of his usual signature tricks were going to work.

Abruptly, they didn't need to continue the fight, a numbing buzzing sound rang in Majima's ears. Numbing enough that he couldn't get a bearing of his surroundings, and before he could try and get the jump on the masked man, he wasn't at the lobby room of the Millennium Tower anymore. Instead, he found himself in a familiar place from 7 years ago.

The Empty Lot. Just like how it was in the past, before the tower was built. He didn't know how or why he was back here out of all places, but he had that gut feeling that this wasn't just a dream. Something like how that Gotham fiasco was happening in Kamurocho too, something like an outside force was meddling with the city that he gotten used to after taking up the yakuza name.

In the place of the masked man he was fighting moments earlier, an all too familiar person stood in front of him, her back facing him.

❝ No way... Makoto... ❞ He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This had to be an illusion of some sort. He couldn't have been transported back into 1988 Kamurocho, and left with the young Makoto he swore to protect back then. Disregarding on what could happen or what he was really in for, the one-eyed man couldn't restrain himself from approaching, reaching to place his hand on her shoulder. Not to get her attention, but to reassure her that he was still there. If only this was truly real.

All it took was a tap on her shoulder, and then everything went black.​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

-Episode 2-
"Deal with the Devil"

Everything was still pitch black for Majima's vision, but he was sure that he was conscious and awake. He saw Makoto, he was sure that he did. Yet, something deliberately knocked him out before he could find out on what was going on. Was this some sick joke? He couldn't wait to get to the bottom of this, beat the absolute shit out of the person responsible, and get Makoto to safety afterwards.

That is the reason why he arrived over at the Millennium Tower for. So to be held away somewhere after passing out, he didn't have any high hopes that this would be that easy in the first place. He tried to yell out, tried to call out for anyone that could hear him, but he found that he couldn't get any resemblance of his voice to come out.

Distant footsteps began to approach him, from wherever he was kept at. Majima couldn't even feel his own body, whether or not he was kept in some cell or tied up. Almost like whoever knocked him out made sure to somehow shut off his senses other than hearing. If he was guessing right, whoever was approaching him stopped moving, their footsteps halting right in front of him.

❝ Goro Majima. Do you understand why you are here? ❞ A man's voice questioned him, and Majima could've sworn that this guy was amused at his predicament by the tone of his voice. Even when given something to answer, he couldn't use his voice to give the answer for that question. In his head, this felt pretty damn humiliating.

❝ ... Speak. I asked you a question. ❞ The man waited for a minute before demanding for an answer. How it worked, Majima wasn't sure, but he tried speaking again.

❝ The hell are you ta- ❞ He stopped himself mid-sentence. 'The hell are you talking about?' That was what he was thinking on saying, but he didn't expect his ability to talk to come back just like that. Something was really off. Something about this man being able to activate his senses like that... the yakuza didn't like it at all.

❝ I... know for damn sure why I'm here. Remember that envelope you dropped off to Reina for me? That's why I dragged my ass over here. ❞ Majima didn't know why he was the one being asked questions either. Judging from the situation, he should be the one asking the questions and not answering them for this nameless man. Only amused chuckles came from the man, absolutely laughing at the Mad Dog's response.

❝ I believe that you do not understand the weigh of your situation, Majima. Allow me to make this clear for you. ❞ The man snapped his fingers soon after, and the rest of Majima's inactive senses were functional again. Maybe he felt better that he was unable to actually see what was going on around him, or more so to him.

A near-perfect replication of this cell from 12 years ago. Forced to kneel on the ground, his arms raised up and chained to the wall, dried and fresh blood staining the surroundings near him. The cell door was opened, and the person responsible for somehow replicating this scene was an apparently faceless man in a suit. Not like the man had no face, but it was obscured by shadows.

❝ You remember this place very well, I presume? If so, then the preparations are going along smoother than expected. ❞ The man merely admired that Majima could recognize what this place was, much like it was familiar enough for him to recognize despite being replicated.

❝ Like you know shit about me. ❞ Majima attempted to reassure himself that this was just a coincidence. There was no way this man knew about the torture he endured for a year. Dead silence remained between them, as if the man was silently sneering at Majima's dismay. And then, a searing pain erupted from his left eye. The yakuza was aware that this eye of his was already destroyed from long ago, but the sensation was near identical to the moment he was stabbed in the eye. Just like before, just before he was thrown into the torture pit by Shimano. While this familiar feeling was extremely painful, the fact that he was experiencing this a second time was practically worse than the first time.

❝ Surely you will be more cooperative now. As I can easily make you experience these feelings again. ❞ The man snapped his fingers again, and the pain erupting from Majima's left eye stopped. This allowed him to slump over in relief, his chained arms not allowing him to fully collapse onto the dirty floor. ❝ I can also relieve you of the painful past. With that clear, I'll make this simple for you to understand why I called you here. ❞

The man then reached into his pocket, and nonchalantly tossed a photograph onto the ground in front of Majima. There it was again. The same photograph that was in that envelope. The same photograph that depicted Makoto hooked up to some strange machinery.

❝ As the administrator of this project, I found it difficult to find a suitable candidate to test the limitations and performance of a revolutionary system. This system, once it is perfected, will guarantee that everyone will realize what world peace shall look like. The cost of this project's success, however, requires the mind of a person vivid of imagination, making this imaginative person the Core of the project. ❞ The administrator explained the reasoning as to why Makoto was taken, but the beating around the bush as to what this project and system was only left Majima in the dark.

❝ Unfortunately, I cannot provide details of what this project truly is, not until we complete the research. However, a colleague of mine pointed out that even when hooked up to the system, Makoto did not uphold as the Core as well as she could. She does have the potential to make this ambition, this project a reality. Yet, she lacks someone familiar to hold close, which brings us to your reason for being here. ❞ Hearing all of this, Majima didn't like this already. To think that these people, whoever works with this administrator, had already started running experiments of this system on Makoto... It was sickening.

❝ I give you two choices. You can join her as an accompanying Core, allow her to reach her potential for this project's success, or you can assist in finding an adequate replacement for the Core. ❞ ❝ Fine! I'll be your damn replacement finder! You got your answer! Is that a deal?! ❞ When proposed two choices, Majima immediately chose the decision that'll allow Makoto to be free. He didn't think of any extra conditions that may pop up from this decision, only thinking for the best possible solution to save her.

❝ Excellent choice, Majima. Then I will allow you to go work on that search. Be aware that I'll be monitoring your progress, and that we will continue and see if any improvements with Makoto's chemistry with the system occur. If she proves to do well enough for the system to be launched to the world, your search won't be needed at that point. That... is all. ❞ The man sounded as if this was the type of deal he wanted to occur, satisfied that Majima went along with this decision. Before he could even ask on how the administrator could keep tabs on him, he blacked out once more.
-----
This time, Majima woke up instantly, as if he were waking up from a terrible dream. A nightmare, almost. He wasn't in that terrible cell either, or the Empty Lot he saw Makoto in. He was back at the lobby of the Millennium Tower, the place in suspiciously good condition despite having a fight here earlier.

❝ God... the hell did I get myself into? ❞ Majima berated himself a little. Just what was he thinking on that rash decision he made? He was practically doing this to save Makoto, yet that administrator had strings attached to that effort now. Without much thought, the yakuza stumbled back up onto his feet, soon enough leaving the building.

All the while a numbing headache pounded in his head.​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

-Episode 3-
"Wrath Unleashed"

It's been about 10 years since his encounter with the administrator. A whole decade and yet, Makoto wasn't free. During those years, the most he was able to do was halt those experiments from proceeding any further than some minimal tests. As part of the deal, Majima was allowed to visit her from time to time, check up on her well-being and all that. He could only see her and not exactly bring her anywhere else. Until he found a suitable candidate to replace her from that damned machine, she was to stay there.

Even after that single meeting he had with this project's administrator, the Mad Dog couldn't even wrap his head around what this project was for. An idealized world can be made with that piece of scrap machinery? He wanted to laugh at that concept, but he couldn't risk Makoto's life as she was on the line here. He felt selfish to be trying to save her by finding some poor sap to take her place. After a few briefings with those people working under the project administrator, they made it clear that it had to be someone just like Makoto. Hopeful. Innocent. Young. All those traits are to be with whoever was to be the replacement guinea pig.

So after ten years, Majima couldn't even find a trace of someone that could be enough to save Makoto. It was by luck that those people were patient with him for this long. He doubted that they would wait any longer, so his search became urgent rather than thorough. Kamurocho wasn't exactly a place that had people with these features. It was a place where even some of the normal-looking civilians could end up to be involved in some way with the underground life. Being a yakuza family patriarch made those efforts extremely difficult to meet as well, he only attracted the wrong types of people, and he spoke not a single word about his search to his lackeys.

Time and time again, the search was still coming up with empty results. Even then, he had to hide this twisted deal from others, especially once on the job as a yakuza.

❝ Man, for some loan sharks, you fucks don't know when to fess up! ❞ A younger yakuza yelled out, snapping Majima away from his thoughts. He remembered his current task as a yakuza. Some prominent loan shark firm happened to be under Majima Family protection, and because of that, they came around to pick up a long debt of protection money. After many times being told that they would soon have the money but the next time they would show up, there wasn't any money left on the table. It was only about time for Majima to step into the picture and snatch what they could get due to some loan sharks not holding up their end of the deal.

❝ ... Kobayashi, right? ❞ Majima sought out the person in charge of this firm, his voice frightening the man immensely. Knowing what this means, Majima's men left it up for him to deal with the last man standing, considering that most of Kobayashi's men were taken out after a big brawl. Clearing out to allow their boss to have some space with the problem case, the room was deadly silent as Majima stared down at the loan shark.

❝ Tell me, y'know that all of this could've been avoided if you just paid your due. ❞ The yakuza spoke with a serious voice, stepping forward once with his knife out. The air in the office room grew tense. For some reason, Majima felt his heart beating faster, even though he wasn't the one being cornered here.

❝ L-Look... it was an impulse decision, sir! ❞ Kobayashi blurted out in fear, only to be shut up as the knife nearly misses his head and stabs into the wall he had his back onto.

❝ That ain't cutting you some slack. Either you cough up all that you got or I'm going to take something else of yours. ❞ Majima glared at the trembling man, feeling his heartbeat going even faster. He didn't understand why he felt that way, but he didn't question it. Kobayashi was basically frozen in place at this rate, not breathing out a single word. Needing an answer before the job can proceed, the Mad Dog pulled the knife out from the wall and held it tight in front of the other man's face.

❝ I needed the protection is all! Or else I'll be letting them take my family away! All I need is time and protection so we can move out of Kamurocho, a-and then I'll have the money prepared!! ❞ Kobayashi let out all the information he could in hopes that Majima would leave him be. However, this only made matters worse, and the yakuza couldn't control it. It was like the phrasing of this had flipped a switch in his mind.

❝ Who's... them? ❞ He felt like he shouldn't ask, but did so anyways. His heartbeat continued to fasten. Something started to play in his head.

Glad that you can come by today, Majima. I promise you, this has no bearing on Makoto's status in the project.

❝ I... I can't say! Shit, I think I said too much... ❞ As Kobayashi started to panic under the pressure, Majima felt a surge of hysteria kicking in. His ears started to ring as if screaming at him to remember something.

As a colleague of this project's administrator, I thought of assisting you in a way. A little push shouldn't hurt, especially outside your search.

❝ C'mon, you gotta answer my questions here. ❞ The urge to know was growing in Majima, he needed to know what threatening this loan shark, wanting to prove to himself that it wasn't what he was possibly thinking. His grip tightened even further on the knife's handle, and the yakuza could've sworn that his knuckles were going white from the rough grip.

It's only a small dosage. A specialized drug made by my...

❝ Blood Institute... that's... them. ❞ Everything went dead silent after those words were said, even the lingering ringing in Majima's head. A moment of realization washed over him. How could he forget? What an idiot he was at this time. Those people that were working on that project, that woman told him that they were the Blood Institute... and that she's injected him with...

Just thinking about all of this, it stirred up a terrible force that's awakened in Majima, as if the subject matter was forbidden from their thoughts. Without even thinking about it, the yakuza threw his knife aside and put a hand to the other's shoulder.

❝ Then you got to get your ass outta here! ❞ It only felt right to say this now, after realizing that Kobayashi was only dragged into a mess created by those that did the same to Majima. This was a chance to guide a poor soul out of a growing mess as it is. Though, he couldn't account for why the man was still frozen with fear, but gave a firm tug from the shoulder.

❝ C'mon now, this ain't the time to be st- ❞ He froze when he realized that it was too late. Too late to stop himself. All he could do now was to look at the horrific scene that he's caused. Not a word from Kobayashi came after the fact. The Mad Dog could only see that he held onto a torn half of the man in front of him, and that the other half of the man's body fell to the floor with a fleshy thud. He didn't mean to, but he somehow accidentally pulled the loan shark with a sudden surge of abnormal strength. Enough strength to crudely tear the man in half starting from the left shoulder...

❝ What... in the hell... ❞ Majima let go of the corpse's shoulder, backing away the instant the other half dropped to the floor as well. Just what the hell did that woman inject into him? What did she do to him? Trying to make sense of what was going on with himself, he heard that some of the men that were knocked out cold started to stir from unconsciousness. Out of all the times, why did this have to happen after he's accidentally killed a person?

To think, this is his first time killing someone, and he didn't even mean to. It was out of his own power that he killed someone. So how would all these other people take it? Surely murder was already bad enough to the public eye, but in the manner that he's done it with these people witnessing him standing there... He could only imagine the hell that was waiting for him once he was found out. As much as he didn't want to give into this, he also didn't want to be forever barred away from saving Makoto...

The driving notion to go and clean this up before word got out about what's happened here, it fueled that strange power that he's been given by that woman who worked for the Blood Institute. Looking at his hands by instinct, he saw a ghastly aura fuming out of him. Something about it made him feel like he'll lose control at any second, but he knew better than to let this power take him over completely. If anything, it'll be what will let him slide out of this situation in it's own way, as much as it brought him into it at first.

Upon taking sight of one of the loan shark men sitting up, the Mad Dog sprung into action. Reaching out to tackle the man to the ground, Majima's outstretched arm suddenly shifted, going from a shadowy mass from this strange aura to flesh that didn't look at all human. To him, it looked like he bore a limb straight from a demon out of hell. Compared to a normal human arm, it was significantly longer in length, and that it appeared like his own hand was shifted into sharpened claws. To think that this was the same arm that he used to tear Kobayashi in half...

He didn't need to hesitate now, not when his chances at saving Makoto are on the line. He didn't want to do this, but he had no other choice. It was only unfortunate that they were all involved, all because that organization, the Blood Institute, was here to conduct some inhumane project. Forget their plans to use machinery to craft a perfect world, Majima was more concerned with the fact that he may not even be the only person injected with whatever allows him to even do this in the first place.

The unlucky soul in front of Majima only got a split second glimpse at what the Mad Dog was now, and then his head was completely crushed the moment the demonic claw grabbed a hold of him and slammed him to the ground. That was only the beginning of a painful slaughter. A selfishly justified slaughter. It was hell to even keep his own human instincts in the picture, not with every death at his hands piling up. Whether it was stabbing, tearing, crushing, or even biting each unfortunate victim in this single room. He had to force himself to remember that he wasn't doing this because he liked it, as much as his newfound monstrous instincts tried to convince him, but that he merely did this so he could protect the one person who swore to protect for all these years.

With the last man dead on the ground with his torso completely slashed apart by Majima's demonic arm, the Mad Dog collapsed backwards against the wall, breathing heavily and processing the fact that he's killed all these people. Now how the hell was he going to escape the scene looking like this? He was practically soaked in blood, and his arm was still transformed. There wasn't a proper place to clean all of this off or the time to do so and haul ass out of there before the cops showed up.

That wasn't needed to be worried about, however. That same shadowy aura appeared around Majima, startling him with the possibility that he was going to transform even further. Except this time, his demonic arm transformed back to normal, going as far as revealing that the transformation earlier didn't ruin his clothing. As a matter of fact, the shadowy aura seemed to absorb and take away the fresh blood all over himself, making him appear as if not a single blood drop had stained him.

❝ ... what... happened to me? ❞ Majima mumbled under his breath, still in shock on what he's done. Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts for now, the yakuza hurrying himself out of the soon-to-be crime scene.

---

The next morning, the incident was all over the news and spreading like wildfire in the Kamurocho streets. Majima stood against the wall of a building, smoking a cigarette as he subconsciously listened to the public chatter. It was a given that most were calling this a freak accident, or even a coordinated attack since the Third Chairman of the Tojo Clan, Sera Masaru, had been murdered the same night. No evidence was found to pin the crime on anybody else, making this a terrifying cold case. Thankfully his lackeys didn't think that they had any involvement with the incident, and that Majima was able to avoid being caught for it.

❝ Christ... ❞ Majima cursed to himself before taking another breath from the smoking cigarette. He thought about how he stormed the Millennium Tower to meet with that woman from the Blood Institute again. He went to ask her in private on what kind of injection she even gave him in the first place. He remembered her laughing a bit at his panic, that she was aware of what she's done. He took note of her words right afterwards, the words that she gave him before he was sent off for the night.

You shouldn't worry so much about it. You were able to contain the injection's power at a small dosage, weren't you? You were able to control your wrath enough to maintain your human instincts. Now that I'm clear on that, I'll advise that you keep your activity with this power at a low. It is my gift to you, after all.

He couldn't remember how, but he left the place even when he wanted to ask more about this injection's power to her. Clearly it wasn't just some drug, since normal steroids don't just let you transform your arm into one of a monster's. Keeping that in mind, he took the cigarette out of his lips to glance around the place. The streets looked no different than how it was before he committed that mass slaughter. It was the talk that was different. It was a bustling topic that the public couldn't shut up about, along with that Tojo Clan chairman murder.

What was he supposed to do with this newfound power anyways? Kill more people for the Blood Institute? He couldn't stomach going through all of that again. If anything, this wasn't what he had in mind as a "little assistance" for helping Makoto out of her situation.

He stopped thinking about that matter, someone else just happened to walk on by and catch his eye. How long has it been? Almost a decade perhaps. He recognized the man right away. There was no mistakes being made here, especially with that gray suit and red dress shirt. No doubt that this was Kiryu being back on the streets.

For a moment, he had the idea of sneaking up on him for a fight, but he hesitated. He couldn't forget that he had some sort of partially controlled power under his wing now. If he got into a fight with Kiryu... would he even be able to control himself in broad daylight? Let alone be able to keep Kiryu alive once the fight is over. But then, when would he ever learn to fully control this burden of a power if he never dealt with the experience at all?

Making his decision, Majima pressed on to walk up behind Kiryu, clearing his throat as if announcing himself as usual.

❝ Kiryu-chan! Long time no see! ❞ He could see the once fabled Dragon of Dojima jump a little at the surprise entrance, the other turning around almost immediately despite getting the hint on who this is.

❝ Oh... it's you, Majima-san. ❞ Kiryu sounded a bit relieved to know that it was only Majima. That's right, Kiryu has no idea about what was really going on with Majima, and that he was aware that this would end up to be some sort of fight like always.

❝ Of course it's me! You have any stinking idea how long I've been waiting for ya to come back to Kamurocho. A decade too long! You gotta make it up for me, Kiryu-chan! ❞ The one-eyed man spoke only to mess with Kiryu, just like before. With those choice of words, he saw the other immediately put his fists up in response. Old classic Kiryu.

❝ Oh c'mon Kiryu-chan, nobody does that shit anymore. What you gotta do is jump straight into the fighting, like this!! ❞ Without anymore small talk, the Mad Dog leapt at Kiryu, taking out his knife and narrowly slicing at the other's head. Surely that miss was on purpose, but it was so close to hitting as well. Majima ignored that, he wanted to see how well Kiryu could fight after being gone, and how well he could contain this power's urges to instinctively kill someone.

It felt like their usual fights. The same ol' stab and punch fest. Except, well... Kiryu wasn't as refined and on point as he used to be ten years ago. Man, it's like prison made Majima's favorite fighting buddy all soft. Away from the crowds that surrounded them and into a secluded alleyway, the Mad Dog didn't realize that he partially tapped into his power, casually lifting Kiryu by the collar of his shirt and then tossing him over at the wall like it was no problem. Of course, he stopped himself from doing anything else once he realized that he was using his abnormal strength again.

Thankfully that would be the end of their fight, considering that Kiryu was already out of breath and on the ground. Besides that one second instance of his power kicking in, Majima felt like he had to go relatively easy on the Dragon of Dojima. Letting out a disappointed sigh, he walked over and crouched down to get a better look at Kiryu's face, lifting the other man's head closer to make eye contact.

❝ The hell was that, Kiryu-chan? Don't tell me that was your best after making me wait for that damn long!? ❞ It was clear that Majima was a tad annoyed that Kiryu was this bad right out of prison. He couldn't even consider that a win for himself since it was like Kiryu was leagues below him anyways.

❝ I didn't plan to lose... you were just... too much. ❞ Kiryu managed to breathe out, picking himself into a sitting position on the ground. That was a clear point, Majima did let himself go just a bit enough for him to practically throw Kiryu at a wall with that much strength. Not like he'll spill the beans to Kiryu on that case.

❝ Well, in the case, I'm going to help you pick up the slack! From now on, I'll be sure to be on your ass 24/7. Any moment you got, I'll be watching, and ready to fight ya like old times! Practice makes perfect, and you gotta get yourself back to your prime again so I don't get bored with ya. Y'know? ❞ He felt a tad selfish to even consider himself the sole person to train up Kiryu after all these years, and that he had a morbid curiosity to see if the other could keep up with whenever he let that demonic side of him take over even for a second. Then again, he expected Kiryu to decline the offer, since the idea of being stalked around town for a fight did seem like a bit much.

❝ F... fine. Deal, I might as well take any training method I can get. ❞ Something about Kiryu's response almost made Majima feel the need to do a double take. Oh god he was taking this seriously, even after realizing that this might as well be the worst idea to go through with a demonic power that could accidentally kill Kiryu if not contained correctly.

Of course, Majima had to hide his doubts completely, or else he would have to dance around the subject if Kiryu happened to question the possibly off behavior.

❝ Sounds great then, Kiryu-chan! Don't you dare forget! Or I'll make you remember that you said yes to the training! ❞ Majima cheered happily, turning on his heel and beginning to walk away. That was the end of that, but before he could walk away and return to his private thoughts.

❝ ... thanks by the way, Majima-san. For greeting me back into Kamurocho. ❞ Kiryu's voice halted him for a second. Goddammit, why did he have to be this way when they literally fought each other for 97% of the time they're near each other.

❝ W... whatever floats your damn boat. ❞ The Mad Dog manages to reply without looking back at the other, then proceeding to walk away once more. Maybe this would put Majima's mind at ease with what's happened to him so far, and that he was getting closer little by little to saving Makoto. No matter what the cost.​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

-Episode 4-
"Mirage Encounter"

Days go by. No progress for that replacement to take Makoto back. It pains him. The more time he takes, the more he's slipping further away from her. No proper deadline for this search only made things worse. Forcing him to take measures that he normally wouldn't take. It was simple yet drastic.

Aligned with the current developments with the Tojo Clan, the organized web of yakuza families were at each other's necks, fighting over that empty chairman seat and the missing 10 billion yen. Being a notable patriarch of his own family, Majima caught onto the hint that a young girl was crucial to that investigation for who stole the Tojo Clan's funds. Furthermore, he learned after his many encounters to fight Kiryu, that the same young girl was under his protection. All of that was a good enough excuse to send his grunts over to capture the girl.

He remembered that Makoto's replacement had to be young and innocent, so it was a stretch to go this far. He knew for a fact that Kiryu would be on his ass once he caught wind of this kidnapping. Actually, a part of him would be extremely glad if the Dragon of Dojima arrived to take back the girl, saving him from later guilt in the long run. It was such a specific search for that replacement scapegoat, and that requirement made this all the more painful for him to go through.

Majima remained silent once his lackeys arrived at the chosen location to keep the girl hostage: the batting cages. As much as it wasn't a discreet place, he purposefully chose this location so Kiryu could find him. Signalling his men to wait in another room until the guest of the night arrived, the Mad Dog stepped into the janitor's closet where the girl laid there on the floor, tied up and blindfolded. She didn't dare to say a word, not out of fear but evidently out of defiance. He refrained from chuckling at the thought that this girl picked up some of Kiryu's traits.

Crouching down, he slowly took off her blindfolding, tossing the cloth aside as she readjusted her sight. For a young girl, she also had that fierce stare like Kiryu, almost like she was actually taking after the Dragon of Dojima.

❝ I don't know who you are... but I know that Kiryu-san will come and beat you up! ❞ The girl sounded pretty confident with her words. It's a given due to who she was with before hand. Besides, Majima had to mentally remind himself that he kidnapped her. He had a feeling that anything he asked out of her, she wouldn't comply. That one statement from her said that much, and he didn't want to force a response either. A lost feeling swelled in his chest, as if telling himself "what the hell am I even doing?"

Before he could dwell on that thought, he heard commotion happening outside the janitor's closet. Didn't he tell his guys to wait until he got out to greet Kiryu so they could get to fighting? Standing up, Majima groaned in obvious dismay. Guess he had to deal with Kiryu by himself at this rate.

❝ Stay where you are, Kid. Got it? ❞ He felt strange for saying this to someone he's kidnapped. Strange enough due to the fact that playing the "bad guy" part was obviously not for him. He could see the girl glaring daggers at him, not even giving a vocal response. Guess he should've expected that. Shaking his head, he left the closet to see what the problem was.

Clearly Kiryu was not present at all. That staple gray suit was nowhere to be seen. Yet Majima's men were all beat up and knocked out, so the person responsible was someone who was fairly unfamiliar. A woman struck the last of the grunts with a swift kick to the gut, sending him to the ground in pain. Her outfit practically screamed out that she wasn't from around Kamurocho, wearing a gothic style dress with a short skirt and her raven black hair tied up into two pigtails. The most jarring part of her appearance was those neon green eyes, appearing like her eyes were almost glowing due to that bright shade of green. In short, this was obviously not Kiryu.

❝ Oi... I don't think I invited little miss frilly dress to the party. What the hell are ya even doing here? ❞ Majima narrowed his eye at the woman, who turned her attention towards him. She showed a thinking expression, as if exaggerating herself for simply thinking of an answer. After a few moments, the woman merely shrugged, but gave off a taunting smile. So that's how this was going to go down.

❝ Not a talker, huh? That works. Didn't think I was gonna fight a lady, but looks like you won't leave until I fight ya. ❞ Majima wasn't sure what was up with these silent types. Sure, that young girl was silent out of defiance, but this woman in front of him kept silent to simply piss him off. Let alone the fact that he didn't know a single thing about her, or why she was here in the first place. Listening to his words, the woman's smile grew wider, so he took that as a "yes."

❝ Alright, but you're gonna regret this. ❞ Majima knew that there was no other way around this fight, taking up a fighting stance. The strange woman merely tilts her head in amusement, waiting for the first move. No need to continue talking from here on, there was only a fight to take place now.

Swiftly grabbing a hold of a metal bat that was left on the ground, Majima watched this woman pull out a closed black-laced umbrella. Supposed that was going to be her weapon for the confrontation she started. Hell, Majima had no idea how and why someone like her was here in the first place. Closing the distance between them, he starts off with a one-handed swing with his bat. Expected, the swing was blocked by her umbrella, which was opened up to do so.

Another swing, another block. Two times was enough to send off the message that this woman's umbrella was sturdy enough to act like a makeshift shield. Clutching the bat with both hands, he attempts to go for a full force swing, thinking that'll knock her defense off for a good opening. That would be the case, but with the opposite results.

It happened in a matter of seconds. The bat wouldn't connect this next hit to the umbrella, the latter pulling away and closing up. Still in mid-swing, he realized at that moment that he put himself into an unsafe opening. The woman spun the closed umbrella around, using the curved handle to yank the metal bat out of Majima's grasp and pulling him closer. Close enough for her to kick him straight in the gut, having him fall to the ground with a thud as the metal bat dropped with a clanking noise.

Okay, so he didn't expect her to get the drop on him that well. He should've figured out that she was that much of a problem if he took the hint of all his lackeys being beaten senseless by her. It was hard to get himself onto his feet again by the fact that she legit kicked the air out of him seconds earlier. If it weren't for the fact that all sorts of weird things were happening in this city as of late, he would've considered this woman to be just as tough as Kiryu. No doubt.

Glancing up, he could make out that she was... unsheathing a rapier from her umbrella? Since when did umbrellas have the feature to store a weapon like that in it!? If she was going to go for that already, then he would respond back with a similar gesture, seeing that she had the clear intent of maiming him with that. Watching her thrust the rapier blade at him, he narrowly took out his knife in response, deflecting the other blade effectively enough to catch her offguard.

He could've sworn that he heard her gasp quietly in surprise as he tried to sweep her off her feet, watching her back up to avoid that. To add to that, Majima couldn't help but notice that the woman's green eyes happened to shift into an eerie pale white. So her eyes could change color? Definitely not normal at all, but after what he got himself into, not so strange anymore.

❝ Trying to kill me, huh? ❞ Majima mused with a slight grin, getting himself on his feet with his knife in his grasp. If she was not entirely normal, then this should be fine. He figured that it would be fair, not knowing what else she could do aside from the color changing eyes. A faint spark of darkened electricity ran through his knife's blade, putting the woman in high alert.

❝ What's wrong? Didn't I tell ya that this was gonna make ya regret ever wanting to fight me? Or is it that you knew exactly that you'll be fighting me? ❞ He playfully spoke out these questions, purposefully putting her in the hot spot now. Twirling the knife around his fingers once, he settled on getting the jump on her next. A part of him wanted to rush at her with this empowered knife, but he didn't realize that yet another of his new demonic powers took control. It took him a moment to realize that his entire body morphed into a cloud of shadows, leaving his female opponent completely at a loss on what to do. Taking this chance, he lingered over from behind her, reforming into his human form as he went for a quick stab.

Shattering glass echoed between them, almost like clearing out an illusion that this woman was putting up this entire time. Majima blinked in confusion upon seeing that her appearance had completely changed, implying that how she appeared beforehand was a disguise. Her eyes remained pure white out of fear, but her overall appearance had a theme with the colors pink, brown, and white. Almost like that one assortment of ice cream.

If she was that afraid of him now, then he was pretty sure that he destroyed the illusion that she was hiding under. Intense shadows began flood out of his right arm once more, nearing the point of transforming into it's demon form. Frantic to settle the score with this nameless woman, Majima sped towards her with his knife ready for another stab.

That was until a sharp object impaled through his stomach. He could only glance down to see that a sharpened blue crystal pierced through him, seeing the shadows surging out of his body to regenerate the major injury as blood came out uncontrollably. He saw this, and lost consciousness.​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

-Intermission-
"According to Suggestion"

Kazuma Kiryu made no delay in rushing out of the underground Purgatory once he learned what was up through the Florist's surveillance system throughout Kamurocho. Once he was able to get Date to safety, Kiryu made a beeline for the exit, there was someone else to get to. The young girl he found at the shot up Bacchus bar, Haruka. Not because she was related to a missing Yumi and the mysterious Mizuki, but the fact that a young girl was kidnapped and held hostage.

No other than the yakuza working under Majima, too. As annoying as it was dealing with the family patriarch constantly fishing for a fight out of him, Kiryu should've figured that Majima would get himself involved with the hunt for the missing 10 billion yen. No, he should've expected the entire Tojo Clan gunning for the missing funds, and that Haruka was the key to finding the money. In any case, this was probably going to be the only time that Kiryu would bring the fight to Majima, the other man simply painting a target on himself by snatching Haruka away like this.

Swerving from one corner to another, Kiryu made sure he didn't waste a single second from going into the wrong direction or even simply slowing down. He didn't even let himself get held up by the occasional street thugs that wanted to fight him as well. There was no telling on what could happen if he took too long to get to Haruka, and quite frankly, Kiryu didn't want to imagine the worst case scenario in the slightest. He wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't allow that at all.

The destination was in sight: the batting cages. If there was one thing Kiryu kept in mind about Majima, it was that the other had the habit of giving hints (via text messages sent by Nishida) about where their next big fight would be. Something about hitting home runs was mentioned in the last message. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where Majima wanted him to show up at. All Kiryu had to do was take one more sharp turn.

Except he found himself running straight into a woman who was standing around without much care in the world from the looks of it. Both of them tumbled to the ground with a rough thud. Just as gravity ran its course with the harsh landing, Kiryu immediately got himself up from the ground, lifting himself into a crouching position. He saw that the woman he ran into was dazed from the impact. Sitting up and groggily staring at the cemented ground, she didn't really take into account that her glasses fell without breaking, and that her briefcase was snapped open with its contents scattered about.

Shit, he had to be quick like this. It didn't feel right to simply leave this woman to her own devices after running into her.

❝ S... sorry about that. Let me help you gather your things up. ❞ Kiryu apologized and hurried to clean up the mess. All sorts of papers were loose from its respective folder, leaving him to hopefully stack the documents together and possibly in the right order. That was quick and easy to do, but then came what looked like to be old artifacts. Probably felt like an over-complicated puzzle for simply trying to place these strange objects back into the briefcase without damaging them. Ranging from stone carvings to mineral ores.

The most out of place artifact in that stack was a single scale. Like a lizard scale, but it didn't exactly look like a normal lizard scale. More like a scale of something else he's never seen before by how its colors didn't look so natural to begin with. He sighed, what was he doing by having this mental debate over a scale? He was in a rush earlier! Shaking his head, he reached over to grab the scale to place it into the briefcase as the last thing to fetch over for the dazed woman.

But then, the scale was gone from sight the moment he rested his fingers onto it. Almost like a disappearing act. Or like he could've been imagining that strange scale being there in the first place. Only left in brief confusion, Kiryu snapped out of it as the woman went ahead to finish the clean up job.

❝ Thank you, sir. Much appreciated. ❞ She happened to put back on her glasses, which were thankfully still in one piece, readjusting them just as she closed her briefcase shut. Kiryu only did a brief nod before parting ways with this woman and towards the batting cages that were up ahead. He mentally crossed his fingers in hopes that he wasn't too late to the scene. Haruka was depending on him, and by extension, Yumi and Mizuki. He had to take care of this, as much as it was probably what Majima wanted out of this scenario: a heated fight.

That was what Kiryu expected the scenario to be the moment he stepped into the building. That wasn't the case, however. He wasn't sure what actually went down before he arrived, but it was clear that he didn't need to fight the family patriarch anymore. Just about everyone was knocked out cold on the floor, even Majima himself. Whoever was responsible for beating Kiryu to the punch quite literally, they weren't present at all. Despite originally intending to fight Majima, Kiryu held a genuine surprise that someone or some people beat them in a fight. That was a first.

Glancing over Majima's unconscious form, the ex-yakuza blinked once at the small hints of blood staining the floor under him. Yet the man himself didn't visibly appear wounded or injured for that matter. To the right, the iconic knife was unsheathed but clean of blood. Kiryu figured that the other managed to get a stab in, but for that knife to be clean like that? He shook his head. Why the hell was he thinking on whether or not Majima got a hit in against whoever fought him in the first place? That shouldn't be his biggest concern right now.

Surveying the room, he didn't see Haruka anywhere. Not out here with all the unconscious lackeys and Majima. At least that was obvious. Before he could investigate the rest of the area, he paused upon taking notice of Majima again. The downed man let out a grunt. Not that he was recovering, but that he was simply moving about in unconsciousness. That wasn't the issue. The fact that a faint mesh of shadows appeared around Majima's right arm. Kiryu blinked a few times to see if he was imagining this. He still saw those shadows stemming from Majima's unconscious body.

Just what was that all about? In all of his years of knowing this man, he's never caught wind of this before. It begged the internal question that there was something extremely not normal about Majima and maybe this entire city in general. That there was something supernatural taking place and no one else knew about it. The thought of that brought a lingering pit of doubt on what this meant. And in any case, Majima wasn't in the best of conditions to actually answer Kiryu's questions, assuming that he would tell him anyways.

Once those mysterious shadows subsided from sight around Majima, Kiryu perked up as a familiar voice spoke up behind him.

❝ O... Ojisan? ❞ The young girl, Haruka, poked her head out from the nearby janitor's closet, seeing that Kiryu was here and not harmed. Without much time for Kiryu to make a response, he found himself being hugged by Haruka almost immediately. A sense of relief washed over him, simply thankful that she wasn't hurt. Though, they might as well move on out of here before the knocked out men got back up.

❝ C'mon Haruka, let's get back to the Serena. It's going to be alright. ❞ He knew that she was definitely scared to death for who knows how long. Times when she showed a surprising amount of bravery for a child her age, but it didn't mean that she wasn't scared at all. She only nodded back at his suggestion, and that was all they needed to head on out of the batting cages.

Though, Kiryu couldn't help himself but to glance at the unconscious Majima from the side of his eye out of morbid curiosity. Wondering if those shadows would make another appearance before they left.

---

It didn't take long for them to reach their hideout of a bar. All that was on his mind was to bring Haruka inside so she could rest. Just exactly what Kiryu wanted to do first thing, but someone tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. For a moment, he expected Majima, instantly turning around and mentally prepared for that supposed fight after all.

He released the built up tension once he saw that it wasn't Majima this time, but that woman that he bumped into earlier today. The same woman who happened to be carrying around those strange artifacts.

❝ Excuse me, sir. May I have a word with you for a moment? ❞ She asked with a slight head tilt, pushing up her glasses a bit. Kiryu wasn't sure what else she wanted to speak with him for, considering that they didn't meet that long ago or that they shared any significant info between each other. It didn't look like the woman would leave until he answered her questions, so he didn't have much choice in the matter.

❝ Haruka, go on ahead. I'll be there in a few. ❞ Kiryu instructed her to head inside, getting a confused noise from Haruka in response. After a few moments, she walked into the building with slight hesitation, leaving Kiryu alone with this woman. He felt the gut feeling that this was going to be a conversation that wasn't meant for Haruka or anybody else in the bar to hear. Hell, the entire street that they were standing in was strangely lacking in the usual crowds, convenient for no one else to catch on.

❝ If I may ask, did you happen to see a colored scale? When I stumbled and let my suitcase spill open not too long ago? ❞ Her questions drew out confusion from him. But that was when it hit him. That mysterious scale. The one of the many strange artifacts that the woman had with her. So he didn't imagine the scale being there, but even then, it somehow vanished the moment he tried to pick it up. At a loss on what to say, Kiryu stood there awkwardly.

❝ So, I suppose you did see it then. ❞ The woman's sudden words only made this harder for him to think of a response, and soon after, she smiled, ❝ Don't mind my good intuition, sir. ❞

❝ Yeah... ❞ Like in any other normal scenario, he bet that she was going to ask if she could get it back. That wasn't exactly possible with what he saw, however.

❝ I... saw that it disappeared before I could sort that into your briefcase. ❞ Kiryu scratched the back of his head, sounding like an absolute idiot for saying how the scale was nowhere to be found. He was convinced earlier that he simply imagined a scale being there, but that thought was disproven. The fact that something like that colored scale actually existed and then somehow disappears into thin air, it wasn't so easy to wrap his head around it. On the other hand, the woman didn't seem upset or angry to be given that exceedingly absurd to believe explanation. Just about everything in this scenario confused him greatly, and when he thought it couldn't get any weirder.

The woman sets her suitcase down on the concrete ground, stepping forward to be merely inches away from Kiryu. Examining his features, she adjusts her glasses and soon rests a finger on his chest.

❝ No worries. The colored scale is not gone, and I much prefer that I no longer hold onto it. I trust that you can keep it, he'll be grateful that even in death, his remains find use. ❞

❝ W... what are you talking about? ❞ All sorts of questions sprouted out from the newest answer. Her answer only gave more questions, which didn't look like she would answer in a more precise manner for these new questions that swarmed in his head.

❝ It is of lacking importance, there is no place for me to say so much of the dead's wishes in grave detail. Though in my wishes, I feel inclined to ask of another favor from you, now that you are in possession of the scale. ❞ She spoke about this as if it were casual conversation, and then making firm eye contact, ❝ I am on the search for a pink flower. A dreadfully special flower, might I add. ❞

Now he sure felt extremely lost, simply standing there and not responding soon after she made her request clear. Moments pass, and the woman's pocket watch lets out a chime.

❝ Oh, I must be on my way now. But there is still so much that I haven't told you yet. ❞ She mused out loud, going ahead to fish out a business card and forcing it into his hands. ❝ All of the information you need to contact me is on here. Please do so whenever you can in the near future contact me, and we can continue our conversation. Until then, please take care, Kiryu. ❞

Dumbfounded at how this proceeded until the moment she prompted her exit, Kiryu definitely caught that last bit. Just how did she know his name without him introducing himself in the first place? Wanting to know why she knew about him and about these strange things, he tried to go after her, rushing to turn the corner towards the right. However, he saw that she was nowhere to be found.

All of it made no logical sense to him. The scale was in his possession, but it clearly disappeared from sight in front of him. And the scale originally belonged to someone else that's passed. He shook his head, she clearly said it was their remains, so it couldn't be a normal person. What was up with the special flower request too? With how hard it was to let this all sink in, Kiryu began to think that this couldn't be any normal scenario either, that through some strange means that this was all the work of the supernatural. If that were the case, wouldn't the ominous shadowy smake coming from Majima's arm be...?

Kiryu shook his head. Today was honestly tiring, and resting up at the bar that served as his hideout was probably for the best until tomorrow. Before he made way to enter the building, he glanced at the business card in his hands.

Accord. A traveling historian.

That was her name listed alongside her profession and a phone number. He couldn't tell if that was a pen name or her actual name. Sighing, he pocketed the business card and closed the bar doors behind him.​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

-Episode 5-
"Hunt for a Challenge"

Last night was a mess. Majima figured as much. He saw himself impaled straight through the stomach by a sharp blade from behind, and he obviously passed out after that. It was only for a moment before his vision went dark, but the weapon looked like a blade made out of a blue crystal. Carved to the point that it appeared like a sword with the crystal textures painted on. A part of him felt idiotic for not factoring in that the mysterious woman he was fighting would have backup. At the very least, it was a rough way to indirectly prevent himself from outright mauling her under the delusions of his demonic instincts.

By the time he woke up, Majima found himself being woken up by his lackeys. At first he thought that they needed to rush him to the hospital, but he didn't need to check that wound from earlier or be remotely worried about it. He remembered that strange regenerative factor that came along with the demon powers, so it was safe to assume it was fully healed and only looked like he merely got knocked out. It didn't take long for him to realize that Haruka was gone, but he had a feeling that Kiryu showed up while he was out like a light.

Hopefully those strange people that got the jump on Majima didn't bother Kiryu, a part of him felt certain that he was their main person of interest anyways. That woman wasn't normal and same with himself, so it was a no-brainer to think that there was something else at play here.

So now after that mess, Majima let out a groan while walking down one of the hallways in the Millennium Tower. He never thought that he'd dread going through this building regularly like this, but it didn't help that most times this is happening due to that Blood Institute. Usually for this, he would make the weekly report of his search for that replacement, but this time, he was specifically requested to show up by the boss's orders.

Eliza was an unnerving person to be around after she first injected that unknown substance into his system. The substance that caused his demonic powers in the first place. Even when she didn't show much about herself or what this big project of hers is, something about her just gave Majima the honest creeps. Almost like everything about her felt like a dark secret that shouldn't see the light of day in Kamurocho or anywhere in general. To think that he was roped into this potentially big mess because they happened to pick up Makoto for that unknown experiment. Not even him cutting ties with Makoto could prevent this from ever happening. What a cruel and unnerving joke that was.

A pit of fear sprouted in his stomach, thinking that something had to be up if he was specifically requested to show up for Eliza. What if he was nearing the deadline for the search? What then? Would they dispose of him for having that "gift" of those demonic powers and keep Makoto as their test guinea pig? No, he wouldn't let that happen. Should they come to that decision, Majima wouldn't mind going through a one-man raid to drag Makoto out of there with his bare hands. The only thing that was stopping him from doing so was what could come after that.

Would they ever have a normal life afterwards? Would it be fine to continuously be on the run if the Institute chose to conduct a manhunt for them both? What would be the coverage at the Millennium Tower be after the fact? Just thinking about these possible scenarios hurt his head. He couldn't bring himself to imagine what the worst case scenario would be. The most he could do in response with these terrible thoughts was to keep on going, to keep on doing what he can to avoid it from actually happening.

Reaching the door that led into Eliza's office, he took a deep breath to situate himself, and then proceeding to let himself into that room. Closing the door behind him, he could tell that she was waiting for him, knowing that he had to show up and merely sat at her desk with the knowledge that he'd be here under her request. That smile of hers, it reeked with that pretense that she anticipated his arrival, and that she knew what she was doing by calling him in. But for what?

❝ Take a seat, Majima. You don't need to stand up when we'll be talking for a long while. ❞ She gestured to the only other chair in the office, in front of her desk. A part of him wanted to continue standing just to spite her, but the other part of him knew that he'd be better off listening to her. Without a word, he did as she instructed, voicelessly seating himself across from her. Her smile only slightly grew, sending an eerie shiver down his spine.

❝ You must be wondering why I called you here today. Is that it, Majima? ❞ Eliza soon picked out the exact thought that lingered in his head. She expected this, he was sure of it. He hesitated to answer, but his silence only proved her point.

❝ Well, ease up a little. I didn't intend on ending our deal so soon. In fact, it's a lucky break for you. Your end of the deal just happened to get easier from this point onward. ❞ Her words had the opposite effect on him. He didn't ease up at all, doubting that she would be this lenient with him after putting him through this whole mess for Makoto's sake. It was like she was more excited with this development than how Majima was.

❝ ... just how is it easier for me? ❞ He needed for her to say more if he were to see this as a good development after all. It had been almost a decade since this search began, he absolutely doubted that anyone would be this patient, especially for someone as shady as Eliza.

❝ Simply put, we were looking for records of individuals present in Kamurocho, and we happened to catch wind of someone that perfectly fits as a replacement in exchange for Makoto. ❞ She unveiled this piece of news to him, seeing that he was anxious to know what was the "lucky break" he was getting in the first place. Pulling out a records folder and opening it for Majima to see its contents, she continued debriefing this development, ❝ This individual of interest is named Hideo Kawamura. He's recently arrived in Kamurocho for vacation, a hidden celebrity known for being the top competitor in an underground tournament. Although he doesn't fit the deduced requirements that Makoto fills in, his affinity with virtual reality and technology makes up with this lacking trait. ❞

For a moment, this seemed all too good to be true. Majima felt like there had to be a catch with this. Even if he read through Hideo's records thoroughly, something about this didn't sit right with him. This was just an unsuspecting person who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It didn't look like this person was the scum of the earth, and to be honest, Hideo appeared to be a regular citizen but with terrible luck. The silence building up in this office was only making the process of thinking about this worse. He would occasionally looked at Eliza, who only sat there, probably waiting for him to get up to speed on what to know about Hideo. After a few more moments, he closed the file folder, indicating that he was done reading through what they had on this scapegoat.

❝ So have you caught on what needs to be done? ❞ Eliza asks, as if rubbing it in that there was still a bit of work that Majima had to do in order to get Makoto back. She could've told him on what he had to do, but to be asked on what he thinks to be his next task? It was like sprinkling salt in the wounds.

❝ You want me... to bring this guy over? Right? ❞ His answer is met only with a smile. She didn't say anything else, and only gestured for him to go out and do just that. The subtle gesture only gave the message of "if you don't do this correctly, Makoto will remain here and you'll die." He knew that much without it being outright told to him, so this was the only other option he had.

So he departed from her office without anything else to say or ask.

---

One last kick right to a gang member's face. That was all to conclude this street brawl, and to send a very concrete message. It was only unfortunate timing for this small gang to be messing around near a business that was clearly under Majima Family protection. Even when it was just Majima alone, the message was made extremely clear that they shouldn't be in his family's territory and causing trouble. Not wanting to risk a greater beatdown by the eyepatched patriarch, the roughed up gang scurried off.

❝ Goddamn idiots. Not gonna last a single day out here if that's how they deal with the yakuza. ❞ Majima grumbled to himself, leaning against the wall and fishing for a cigarette and a lighter. He wasn't tired at all after taking that street gang by himself, but a smoke or two could put his mind at ease before continuing with that search for Hideo Kawamura. So far, he's had no luck, even when the person in question had a distinct hair color of blue. It didn't help that there was a time limit for this search, keeping in mind that Hideo was only here for vacation. There was no telling when he'll leave the city for some location that Majima has no knowledge of, and if it comes to that, then that'll be it for him and Makoto.

He had to find him sooner rather than later. The sooner the better. So it only frustrated him that he had no progress so far.

Soon he figured to push those thoughts to the back of his head, noticing that someone was tugging his sleeve for his attention. Glancing to his side, a young woman was eagerly eyeing him, somewhat confusing him. That wasn't a usual everyday occurrence.

❝ Hiya mister! Wiruko saw your one-man fight against those bad guys, and Wiruko's super amazed on how you beat them all up! ❞ There was so much that made this heavily confusing for Majima. He couldn't tell if it was the fact that this woman was fantasizing him to be some fictional hero or that she was speaking in third person. Almost like this lady had a few screws loose.

❝ This ain't a show, lady. Besides, do ya got anything else better to do? ❞

❝ But Wiruko can't just ignore how cool you were back there! Wiruko has nothing else to do so Wiruko wants to see more of your cool moves! ❞

❝ ... got any real idea on how I am? ❞

❝ Uh... Wiruko doesn't know. ❞

This exchange was just getting weirder by the minute, and it was practically prompting Majima to just leave her be. It wasn't like it'll drive her off, but he supposed that eventually that she'll back off. Annoying enough that someone basically had the wrong idea of him. Taking a long drag of his smoke, he noticed someone walk out of the restaurant business that they were outside of, walking towards this one-sided conversation.

❝ Oh! Master! Wiruko's sorry for wandering off, but Wiruko saw this cool guy win a fight against a bunch of other guys... and! ❞

❝ Wiruko, I've told you already not to cause scenes in public like this. ❞

Oh great, this guy happened to know this Wiruko lady. This was the cue to leave, Majima silently dropping his cigarette butt and flattening it with his shoe. About to leave, he glances over at the strange pair. That's when it hits him. Frozen in place. Who knew it would be that much of a coincidence?

❝ Er... sorry about that. Wiruko's very expressive and hard to keep under control. ❞ The man apologized for Wiruko's behavior, not noticing that Majima had gone stiff upon putting the pieces together. What a coincidence this was for him to run into the person he had to look for since earlier that day: Hideo Kawamura. There was no doubt that this was him. He couldn't just let this chance slide through his fingers, especially with himself and Makoto on the line. So without thinking entirely straight...

❝ ... you're... Hideo Kawamura, right? ❞

❝ Huh? You know about Master? ❞

An awkward silence dwelled around the three of them. Hideo appeared to be shocked that someone he's never met before knew his name. Oh how much Majima wanted to smack himself for jumping the gun on this too soon. He might as well jeopardized the easy way of getting Hideo follow him over to the Millennium Tower and to Eliza. He had to backpedal this quick before things got too hard to fix.

❝ Yeah, my boys always talked about this secret tournament in the middle of nowhere, mentioning that the top guy in the competition was named Hideo. So, it's a real surprise to see you around these parts. ❞ He had to take this slow, make it sound like he caught wind of those competition activities that Hideo was involved in. He wasn't sure where Wiruko fell in this scenario, but his main concern was Hideo at the moment.

❝ Oh... that. It's not that speci- ❞

❝ Wait a minute, Wiruko knows who you are! ❞ Wiruko exclaims, interrupting Hideo's offhand comment about himself. As if proclaiming a mystery solved, she dramatically points her finger at Majima.

❝ You're the guy in charge of the Majima Family, Goro Majima! ❞

❝ W... Wiruko, I don't think this is how you address someone... that's... uh, a part of the yakuza. ❞

That was new. Majima wasn't at all fazed by this. Sure, it was common knowledge in Kamurocho, but for these people that were simply on vacation. It was a bit odd. Not to mention that Wiruko had no idea at first about who he was, and then suddenly saying that she knew all about him on a whim. She didn't seem to be that clever as well, so it couldn't be all acting on her part.

❝ Uh huh. What's your game here, lady? You're not making any ounce of sense since minute one. ❞ Majima grumbled in annoyance. He knew that this wasn't all adding up into finding a way to lure Hideo with him to Eliza, but he felt the need to burn out all that Wiruko had to say before he goes ahead with his move.

❝ Wiruko knows that you know about Master and the stuff that Master does, and well, that only means one thing! ... you want to challenge us, the top competitors of the Seimahai tournament! ❞

Well, that wasn't expected at all, and he felt tempted on denying her claim. However, maybe, just maybe this could work out in his favor. He wasn't sure on what this would end up being, but this may be the one time where his demonic powers could be finally useful to him.

❝ Wait, Wiruko, we're supposed to be on vacation... and a two against one matchup doesn't sound fair. ❞

❝ No problem, you just read my mind there, lady. Saved me a few words there. ❞ Majima's response only surprised Hideo. It seemed like an easy win, whatever this challenge could be, seeing that Hideo and Wiruko didn't look that intimidating at first. It made him wonder what kind of competition they got themselves into, especially from reading up that it was mainly a combat-oriented tournament according to that file. Regardless, the yakuza grinned in anticipation for how this would go.

❝ So... how do we get this challenge going? ❞​