BAREFACED

Chapter 40

After arriving at an empty parking lot, Baji gets off his motorcycle. You slowly get off too. You cross your arms feeling kind of wary.

"So, Draken is coming to get me?" You ask.

"No Mikey is..." Baji sighs as he leans against his bike. 

"Oh..."

"Why didn't you tell me the black dragons were after you?" he asks, glaring at you.

"I thought you knew..." You softly respond.

"..." He sighs again and looks away. "Why did you ask about Kisaki...?" He shifts his eyes back at you.

"I wanted to know why you had to join Valhalla to get at him..."

"I didn't join Valhalla for that. There are other reasons to why I joined Valhalla."

"Which are?"

"You ask a lot of questions..." He mumbles.

"Mmm..." You hum.

"What do you know about Kisaki?" He softly asks as he looks off into the distance.

"What-"

"I know you know something... hurry and tell me before Mikey gets here." He interrupts. 

"... He's the reason why a lot of things are happening..."

"What do you mean?" He sighs in annoyance.

"Remember when Moebius jumped Draken?"

"Yeah."

"He was behind it." You say. Baji's eyes widen. 

"What do you mean." He looks at you with shock in his eyes.

"He was the reason why Moebius jumped Draken... he's also tied to Hanma..." You slowly say.

"Hanma? Hanma and Kisaki?" Baji furrows his eyebrows.

"Yeah..." You softly say looking back up at him. Baji scoffs and droops his head down a bit. He grips his bike seat tightly.

"Fucking great..." He says in an agitated voice. "So that's what Chifuyu and you were doing?" He softly asks with a bit of annoyance in his voice. 

"Yeah... we wanted to know what Kisaki's intentions were..." You softly say. Baji relaxes his eyes and looks back up at you. In a way you feel like you shouldn't have told him that. None of this feels right. It's all different though... not like how it is in the manga. But now that you think of it... what was even right?

ROOOOOOOAAARRR

A light shines in your face as another motorcycle drives up to the two of you. The bike stops and the light turns off. Mikey gets off the bike and walks over to the two of you. He slowly looks at Baji who's looking out into the distance.

"Baji..." Mikey softly says.

"Mikey..." Baji huffs.

"Do you also hate me?" Mikey asks. You look up at Mikey whose face is blank.

"Maybe..."

"So, you chose to be against me... along with the one who killed Shin...?" Mikey softly asks.

"That's what it looks like..."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Baji smiles through his hair. His eyes in the direction of Mikey.

"..." Mikey looks down at Baji's feet. His face saddens a bit. Baji furrows his eyebrows. Mikey looks back up at Baji and softly smiles. "I don't want us to fight..." Mikey softly says. Baji's eyes widen. Then he laughs.