𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝗠.𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘂𝘆𝘂

────── seven

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

═══ DEMONS OF
THE PAST ═══

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

WHEN SUNDAY EVENING ROLLED AROUND and Akiko had been cooped up in an apartment with Chifuyu, reading manga after manga and getting to know the boy better, the tension began to rise at a slow, steady pace.

What unsettled Akiko most was the lack of phone calls from her parents. She had expected them to overheat her phone with a thousand calls a day, leaving angry messages on her voicemail. Nothing. Not a single call, not even a text message reached her. Akiko kept stealing glances at the device as though it would magically begin to ring, but to no avail. She wasn't even sure what she was expecting at that point.

Quite frankly, she was disappointed.

Adding to that, she couldn't help feeling like an intruder. No matter how many times Mrs. Matsuno and Chifuyu assured the girl that her presence was more than welcome, she felt as though she was taking advantage of their hospitality and was interrupting their family life.

As a result, Akiko was curled up into a ball on the far end of the sofa as a movie played on TV. Chifuyu's eyes were glued to the screen, every now and again catching a glimpse at Akiko to find her staring at the phone lying on the coffee table. He sighed. His mind began to wander, weighing his options, and finding them as limited as ever. How could he possibly help this girl?

Maybe Baji could help him come up with a plan? Or would it be wiser to head straight to Mikey, seeing as the two were family? After all, if there was one thing Mikey valued above all, it was his family and the close friends he considered as such.

Aside from that, there was still the conflict between Toman and Moebius. Hanma's sudden interest in Akiko, and the fact that he knew of her full name and family, made a knot form in the pit of his stomach. Yet Chifuyu couldn't ignore the irony. The daughter of a man who hated gangs to the very core of their existence, was now caught up in the business of two gangs at once.

Suddenly, someone hammered against the front door. Akiko flinched, assuming the worst, and she jumped up. Eyes glued to the door, she backed away until she hit the wall. Chifuyu immediately rushed forward to lock the door.

The hammering repeated, until even Mrs. Matsuno emerged from her room to check out what all the noise was about.

"What is going on here?" she demanded to know.

Hands on her hips, the woman glanced at the two teenagers, finding them both on edge. A sigh left her mouth, followed by a shake of her head. When she made a move to open the door, Chifuyu latched onto her arm with pleading eyes and shook his head.

"You are going to explain what the hell is going on or you will be grounded for as long as you live under this roof, Chifuyu!"

The boy swallowed. "You see ... uh, Akiko ran away from home. Her family treats her terribly and she had nowhere else to go!"

"Then why are you so anxious? I can handle the parents."

This time, it was Akiko's turn to speak up. "You don't know my father. His temper is something you do not want to witness. I'm deeply sorry for causing you trouble, obasan."