BAREFACED

Chapter 12

As you ride on the back of Mikey's motorcycle you look out around you. The sky is dark and the streetlights are on. You are so fixated on your surroundings that you didn't notice Mikey slowing down. Once the motorcycle stops Mikey gets off, helping you off. You stand still and nervous looking at Mikey. Mikey looks at you and smiles. You look around, noticing that he drove you to the Musashi shrine.

"We are here." He says walking away from his motorcycle. "You have been here before, haven't you?" Mikey hinted, turning towards a staircase and walking up the stairs. You slowly nod and follow behind him.  You feel a pain in your chest as you walk up the stairs. Once you reach the top you see the same people you saw the other day. Draken, Pah-chin, Peh-yan, Mitsuya, and Chifuyu... but there were a couple more people this time... A guy with peachy pink hair is standing next to Chifuyu. He has a smile on his face. Next to him there's a boy with blue hair who looks serious and upset. As you continue to walk closer to them you see Eli kneeling on the ground looking down. You stop walking, standing next to Eli, slightly looking down at him. Mikey slowly walks up the stairs and sits down. You look up at him, feeling your chest hurt more as you take in breathes.

Mikey looks behind you, also making you look behind. Ren is walking up the stairs with bruises on his face. Baji is walking behind him. You turn to look forward. You don't want to be there anymore. You feel like you're going to faint.

"Relax... no one's going to hurt you..." Draken calmly says looking at you. You slowly nod avoiding eye contact with him. Ren stops next to you. Baji walks up a couple of steps, stopping a few steps from where Mikey is sitting, before turning around and looking at the three of you. You stare down at the ground feeling kind of drowsy.  

"Saturday night, Mikey asked you two why you were here..." Draken says pointing at Ren and Eli. "You both said it's because you were curious about Toman... now we are all here again... let's be honest this time..." Draken huffs, relaxing his eyes staring directly at you. 

"I was being honest... my answer isn't going to change... We came-" Ren starts.

"Shut it..." Draken says in a stern tone. Ren slightly squints his eyes at Draken. Mikey looks up at you and smiles.

"I hear your grandmother makes really good dorayaki." Mikey sooths. Your eyes widen as he says that. You slowly look up at Mikey, feeling your throat tighten. 

"How..." You start.

"Eli told me everything... where you go to school... where you live... and about your grandparents... I guess you can say I know you a lot more than you think... If you weren't at Ren's house I would of went to your grandmother's bakery next... Since you live right above it." Mikey says flipping open Hana's old pink phone that Eli was using to contact Toman. "I was hoping you were at home instead... I really wanted some dorayaki..." Mikey pouts staring at the flip phone screen.

"..." You felt nervous... so nervous to the point you wanted to cry... Mikey didn't seem much like how he was in the manga... He has a darker demeanor than he normally does. That or maybe you just weren't too observant on how Mikey really acts. Either way you don't really want to be there. It's all Eli's fault... You look at Eli, clenching your fists.

"So... Yuki... Do you know why I brought you here?" Mikey asks looking at you again. You slowly shake your head. "I don't know if you knew... but apparently there is someone named V going around fighting Moebius and Toman members. But from what Eli has said, you have only had one encounter with just Toman members... Is that right?" Mikey asks looking at you with a blank expression on his face. You didn't know whether you should agree to this statement or not. You chose to not lie and you look up at Mikey, slowly shaking your head, feeling worried about what Mikey will say. 

"No? So, you did fight those Moebius members?" Mikey asks. You slowly nod your head. Mikey sighs and slowly nods his head. "Did you know there are rumors that V is a Toman member going around purging Moebius members...?" Mikey questions, flipping close the phone. You slowly shake your head. "Did you tell anyone you were a member of Toman?" Mikey asks. You shake your head. Mikey slowly nods.

"That's because someone is using your fake identity and going around telling people that a person named V is going to end Moebius... and that V is a member of Toman..." Draken says "Moebius has started attacking Toman members because of that..." Draken adds. "Do you know who exactly is spreading these rumors?" Draken asks you. You look at Eli and shake your head. Mikey smiles and nods. He has a dull look in his eyes... which gives you goosebumps.

"It took a few days to figure out how the rumor started. It had to be either Eli or Ren... So, I had Chifuyu keep a closer eye on them." Baji comments. You look at Eli again who's still looking down at the ground. "Eli wasn't the one to start the rumor, if that's what you think..." Baji adds. You slowly look up at Baji, feeling confused. "Right Ren?" Baji asks looking at Ren smiling. You slowly look at Ren who sighs and looks down. You felt a pain in your chest when you see the look of defeat in Ren's eyes. 

"Usually... I would deal with a situation like this by... you know... taking care of it... with my own hands... but you're a girl. And it's not like it's your fault... right?... You weren't the one going around telling people you were a member of Toman..." Mikey sighs and looks down at the phone in his hand. "But that doesn't mean I won't do anything to your friends..." Mikey continues. 

"Do what? What will you do to them?" You ask. Mikey looks up at you and smiles.

"What do you think?" He says in a stern voice. You look down at the ground feeling guilty. None of this would have happened if you haven't included your friends. 

"So..." Mikey stands up and walks down the stairs towards you. "Let's make a proposal..." Mikey says smiling, putting his hands in his pockets. 

"A proposal?" You question. Mikey nods. 

"I will let your friends walk away unharmed if you give yourself to me." Mikey implies.

"What?" Your eyes widen when he says that. Mikey walks closer, standing directly in front of you.

"Be my bitch and I will let your friends go..." Mikey repeats.