Gangster Cinderella

Chapter Fifty Three: The Night that Everything Changes

Tonight is the first Toman meeting of the year and I already knew it was going to be a shit show. But it's a shit show we must all bear witness to, especially Shikha. Shikha needs to see who Hanma and Kiseki really are. I lightly knock on her apartment door. Hanma and Kiseki have no idea that I'm going to bring Shikha along and that she will finally be exposed to the truth of what really happened to Baji. The door opens to reveal Shikha looking haggard and pale; it has been a long and terrible time for all of us this year and I am unfortunately going to make it worse.

"You ready?"

She solemnly nods before following me down the stairs to my motorcycle. We put on our helmets before speeding off into the night. Just  above the crisp night air whirling past us, Shikha finally says something, "Tell me right here and now, did Kiseki and Hanma have anything to do with Keisuke's death?"

I gulp down a nervous breath, "Yeah...at least that's what Mikey said to me last night."

"I see..." Her arms squeeze me tighter from behind; if that was even possible.

"Do you still want to go?" I ask her, fully prepared to turn around and take her somewhere else, anywhere else.

"Yes. I have to do this, for Keisuke. I have to face them I can't just go on not knowing the truth."

I stare on ahead as I continue to ride down the mostly desolate streets. "You've changed a lot since meeting him."

"Yeah he changed me." She sighs, "Sometimes I have to believe that he's somewhere out there. In what form, I don't know. He could be reincarnated, he could also be in heaven or hell, or he could even be a ghost; whatever he is, I have to believe he's out there somewhere still existing in this world so I can keep moving forward. It's just too cruel to think that he's gone for good."

"I'm afraid I know that feeling a little too well. But I don't think my dad or Baji are out there, I think they're dwelling within us. Their memories and pieces of who they were shine through us. At least that's what I believe."

"I think I can live with that belief too."

I stop at a red light and take a quick glance around; noticing that we're getting ever so closer to the meeting spot. "What are you going to do when they're exposed?"

My passenger is silent for a few long moments before finally speaking up, "Honestly I don't know, I'm probably probably just gonna follow my instincts."

"Uhhhh...please don't get yourself killed." Concern present in my voice as I continue riding towards the shrine.

"I won't...if I die then everything Keisuke was to me will cease to exist. No one will get to know what he means to me."

My mind goes to my father and why I love racing motorcycles; it's to show who he was to me as well. The fastest racer in the whole world, that's who I'm going to be. Even if it kills me. And I know that Shikha's dream is the only way she can express her deep love for Baji to the world. A boy who would otherwise die without his name on many people's lips would live on in my sister's song. We live for those we love and they all shine through in each of us. They shine brighter through those who loved them so deeply; and so we have to live, to show the world our loved one's best sides. All to show why they mattered in the first place.  

An infectious smile spreads across my face as I race straight towards the parking lot, "Good. I'm glad you can continue living in some way." We both climb off my bike after I park. As we walk up the long stairs up to the shrine I find myself grabbing hold of Shikha's hand. She looks back at me, "Your hand looked lonely."

She tightens her hold on my hand, "Thank you."

At the top of the steps there is a sea of teenage boys in black biker attire. Our tightened grasp is enough for us to feel calm before the storm, "I'll be with you 'till the end."

"I know, and the same goes to you." My soul sister replies.

"Cinderella! And Bambi..." a familiar but unwelcome voice calls out to us.

I turn to my sister, "Go to Chifuyu, I'll deal with these assholes."

She pauses for a moment before saying, "Ok."

She rushes over to Chifuyu's side while I face Hanma and Kiseki on Shikha's behalf. "What the fuck do you two want?"

"Hmm~ I'm just wondering why you brought Shikha here." Hanma states with a hidden malevolence to his tone.

"And I'm wondering why it bothers you that I brought her? Almost as though some skeleton is about to be brought out of your closet?" I fire back at him.

"Oh my it would seem you know more about this meeting than I do, care to share princess?" Hanma's gaze turns to anxious hostility.

I smile at him, "Oh you poor poor fool. Well, I'm not one to spoil surprises so try to figure it out on your own." With that I leave before they could think to get another word in.

Chifuyu quickly approaches me, "Hey what did those guys want with you? Did they do anything weird to you?"

"I'm fine Chifuyu...they were just being their usual sketch lord selves." I glare back at the pair.

"Don't worry, this'll hopefully be the last time we have to deal with them." He tries to reassure me. 

"No, I'm afraid it's not. Boys like them never learn when to back down."

Before Chifuyu could respond, a loud booming voice ushers over the crowd, "The Tokyo Manji Gang's first meeting of the New Year will now begin!!" Our attention is brought to the front of the shrine where Draken and Mikey stood. "Toman and the Black Dragons faced each other in conflict. Originally we had a peace agreement but that obviously fell apart. It was caused by discourse between the brothers, Hakkai Shiba and Taiju Shiba. The fight happened on Christmas Eve and we claimed victory. Three people here today will discuss the matter with everyone and we'll decide where to go from there. The first person! Hakkai Shiba to the front!!"

We watch in silence as the boy walks through the parting crowd to reach the front. The moment he looked ahead with that sorrowful look in his eyes, we knew it is going to be a very long night.