#♜ ic ⇾ shini.

[nightiingaled]

@rxsolvx | shinichiro & inui

It probably wasn't safe for him to be out alone like this - not at this late hour. Shinichiro knew that he was getting better at navigating home and his neighborhood without too much help, so the familiar territory of the path towards his old shop was nothing right? So he stumbled a few times - he tried not to think too much about it.

And he still had his old strength. He was foolish enough to believe he could use it if he found himself cornered for whatever reason. But the walk was uneventful and when he found the way in, he slipped inside without much trouble.

Shinichiro took in a deep breath and a smile passed across his lips. "Smells like the same old place," he announced. He hesitated. The sound of movement catching his attention. There must not have been enough light because even the shadow of movement was invisible to him. Shinichiro pressed his cane out defensively. He'd heard that he was still staying here, but he had doubted, surely not.

"Inui?" He questioned the dark, turning his head towards the sounds, "Inui, is that you?"

[kakuseii]

Sanzu didn't usually visit the Sano's property anymore but Mikey had sent him to pick up some things and he didn't mind. It was certainly nostalgic.

He smiled behind his mask when he saw Shinichio, and bowed respectfully. "Sano-san, its good to see you. You look well."

Though he considered for a moment that Shinichiro may not recognise him - with his hair grown out and his demeanour kept in careful check. Without his scars showing, he wondered if he was similar to his younger self at all.

//grasps survival Shin in my hands

Shinichiro was sitting on the porch of the Sano home getting some good old recommended sunlight. He was subject to heavy bouts of depression since his accident. One couldn't be surprised after all, he'd lost a lot, gained other things he didn't want in the form of seizures. He was a glass half-full kind of guy though, so Shinichiro always seemed to pop back up from each bout like a boxer winning another match, so he never did worry too much.

Sound caught his attention, footsteps drawing closer to him. Could be anyone at this time of day, so he waited to see who would make themselves known. The voice was so familiar and he had a suspicion that the owner was bowing, but he couldn't quite place it at first. It sounded...grown up.

"Haruchiyo?"

[kakuseii]

Shinichiro couldn't deny how much he enjoyed having Inui around. It was different than having the old gangsters messing about, talking about old times. Inui brought fresh eyes, fresh ideas and thoughts. The next generation. He didn't think himself qualified at all, but he wanted to shape it somehow. To make sure the new generation knew about the good times, the golden ages, as it were and how real gangsters acted.

But sometimes he just wanted Inui to be a kid. And that alone was nice enough.

"Yeah? You think, huh?" Shin exhales a ring of smoke away from Inui. "I'll try and make sure to have one in stock, but don't go changing your mind on me." He teased softly.

He reached out and laid a hand on Inui's hand and tousled it a little. "Stick around and I'll teach you how to fix it up too, so you don't have to come to me all the time to fix it. Would you like that?"

@nightiingaled | Shinichiro leaned back against the entryway of his shop, lighting up a cigarette with careful hands. “Ah, nothing too important I guess. Mumbo jumbo - I think it means ‘don’t stand there celebrating stuff that isn’t worth your time’.” He laughed, a cheerful melodic noise, “‘Course I could be wrong and just spouting nonsense to tease you, Inui.”  (Shinichiro to Inui)

Inui kept his eyes on Shin as he lit the cigerette; he thought it looked so cool but he didn't like the smell. He wanted to try it himself...

"Mmm. I think the bikes are worth my time. I found a bunch of magazines about them and they all look so nice." He had an excited look in his eye when he spoke. "I really like the RZ so you gotta have one to sell me when I get older."

He wasn't good at school and he didn't really have hobbies, so it was something he could focus on to fill his time with while Koko studied or tripped over himself trying to impress Akane.

[luck-and-larceny]

♜: How would they fair if they had to rebuild their life from scratch?

OOC: I think she'd end up exactly on the same path. She has regrets about things she has done so she might not go back and do things exactly the same way--- but I suspect she'd end up in exactly the same spot regardless.

IC: "What's wrong with my life? Nothing. I did rebuild my life from scratch and now I'm living it exactly the way I choose." Malika purses her lips and taps her thumb twice against her leg as she reconsiders this answer. What she said was the truth. But people don't always want to hear the truth. What they want to hear is something interesting. 'I'm doing great and would change nothing' is not an interesting answer. "OK. Wait. Ignore that." She leans forward and puts both hands in front of her, fingers spread, as if to say Now imagine this. "Let's pretend that instead of needing to make my own way through life I was found as an orphaned kid and taken in by a modestly wealthy family in Gridania. What would my name be?" She gets lost in contemplating this for a moment. "I unno. Leka. Let's go with that. And since this is a modestly wealthy family, I grow up with so much pride for my city-state. Ra ra Gridania! I wear tons of green and yellow-- which is unfortunate because those are absolutely not at all my colors. But Leka doesn't know that. Leka is just so happy to be representing her fair and beautiful land, right?"

Her eyes grow wide and a manic grin crosses her face, "In fact- she wants to represent Gridania even better. To make her parents proud, and because she's such a dutiful and law-abiding citizen, she's going to keep Gridania safe by becoming a Wood Wailer. Now she's firmly decked out in green." She wrinkles her nose. "And that chocobo shit is all toad skin leather, isn't it? That's so gross." She visibly shudders. "Ugh. That's so unbelievably gross. But this isn't about me. This is about Leka. She probably loves the feel of that waxy, weirdly shiny, gross, yucky leather."

Malika sits up straight in her seat, rolls her shoulders back, and lifts her chin haughtily. "She stands out in front of the White Wolf gate all day very importantly telling people that they can't go through it because they're not strong enough to withstand all the difficult wildlife beyond it." She puts on a slightly deeper, affected, self important voice. "Back away, citizen! This gate is not for you! This gate is for me and my impossibly tall Wood Wailer buddy to play cards next to. But like- only moderately well. I don't get much time to go to the Gold Saucer because this gate might get up and wander away if I'm not leaning against it most the day."

She wrinkles her nose again. "Wow. Leka fucking sucks." She lifts her drink in a toast: "Here's to being Malika: a constantly broke, no good, absolute low-life who doesn't have to wear green toadskin leather."

[nightiingaled]

Silent Scream + Shini (Survival verse)

Send me “Silent Scream” for my muse to vent anything they’ve been keeping hidden inside.

"I fucking hate this shit. Just standing by and letting my brother handle this shit by himself. I know he's capable but this is ridiculous. People are dying. They're just kids!"

He rubbed a hand through his hair, seeing the faint shadow of a blur that made up his vision now. "And what do I get to do? Sit around and feel fucking useless! I'm the big brother - I'm supposed to protect Manjiro and Emma, and I can't, not like this. I promised I'd fix it and it just gets worse!"

[kakuseii]

Inui sat quietly against the wall of the shop. Since the fire he'd somehow gotten even quieter, zoning out easily. He didn't entirely notice Shin approaching but when the older man sat down beside him, Inui leant until he was pressed up against him. | @rxsolvx

He'd noticed Inui sitting quietly out of the way, not quite paying attention to what was going on around him. Shinichiro had been listening to one of his old friends who had dropped by talk about old times, reminiscing like always about the good days.

By the time he'd left, Shin had started to get a little tired himself. He wiped grease from his hands and approached Inui's spot, sitting down beside him. When the boy leaned up against him, he smiled softly and closed his eyes a little. "You doin' okay, Inui?"

[kakuseii]

Shinichiro takes the hit to his groin, doubling over slightly with a hiss. But it is back upright in a moment, trying to keep Kokonoi cornered. Like a wild dog, all the gnashing teeth and drool. It makes it want to laugh, but it doesn’t, eyes full of that continued emptiness. Its face was a mask of hate and annoyance.  

“You’re LYING,” Shinichiro growled through its teeth, “Always at the forefront – you tell HIM that. To him, you chose Akane and forgot about him. Left him for me to pick up like some sort of stranded puppy.”

An arm tossed out to stop Kokonoi’s kick, throwing the foot away with a listless press of its arm. “We’re not talking about me,” it snapped. “Do you think I choose how people perceive me? I know I’m not perfect, but at least I had everyone’s back.” 

He rears back to punch Kokonoi, tired of holding itself back.

[Continued from HERE.]

@nightiingaled:

The thing that was Shinichiro had Koko pressed back against the wall, eyes cold and dark and practically lifeless in the way they stared through Kokonoi. It reached out and grabbed the other's jaw in long fingers, grip tightening and digging nails into Koko's skin. "I don't like how you talk to me, you little shit. So high and mighty for such a no-good brat. Abandoning your friends like some kind of spineless jelly."

Hajime wasn't sure what was going on in Sano's mind or what had triggered this sudden hostility. The emotionless void he saw staring back into Shinichiro's unblinking gaze made his mouth go dry, a cold sweat beginning to break out along his temples and the base of his neck the longer he was pinned in place.

Without warning, Kokonoi lashes out with savage knee to the groin, clawing his fingers into Sano's shoulders to pull him into the strike even more as his kneecap grinds against denim.

"What the FUCK do you even know about me-" he hisses, eyes widening enough to display reddened veins standing out against stark white.

"I'm sick of everyone talking shit, acting like they woulda done anything differently. I never abandoned Inupi, I was putting myself through Hell and back to come up with the money for he and Akane's hospital bills. I barely slept, did any dirty job or half-baked scheme and saw it through to completion and perfection. Yeah, okay- Maybe I should have been there more, before he got into all that shit with juvie... But he was always at the forefront of my mind. It was never about replacing him with his sister, knowing full well how they're separate people and still being pulled in both directions due to my own cowardice almost broke me. What the HELL do you understand about it?!"

Koko lashes out with a side kick aimed at Sano's chest, having to rely on cheap shots and dirty tactics to keep in the game- He knew he wasn't as strong or skilled as Seishu, but he wasn't about to go down so easily, especially not after what he'd just been accused of.

"Mister fucking PERFECT, having everyone and their goddamn mother falling all over themselves to kiss your sorry ass?! Don't make me laugh."

[kakuseii]

It was late at night or early in the morning, Mikey wasn't sure. But it was quiet when he snuck out of his room and into his brother's. He pulled back the covers and cuddled up against his brother. He was haunted by what he had done to Haruchiyo but at least Shin didn't seem to hate him. That was his comfort. | @rxsolvx

Shinichiro was a light sleeper. One had to be when you were basically the caretaker of two children and an old man. So it was no surprise that when Manjiro climbed into the bed, the older boy awoke slightly.

It had been a hard day and Shin had struggled to get to sleep after everything. He had taken Haruchiyo to the hospital and stayed to talk to him for awhile. But he was worried about his brother. About that same dark impulse that haunted him. "Manjiro?" he murmured sleepily, "You good?"

[kakuseii]

"I know more than you think." (Mikey to Shin) | @rxsolvx

Shinichiro was sitting outside the house, calmly smoking a cigarette as he fiddled with his bike. He looked at Manjiro seriously and wondered if he meant more than just about bikes.

Did he know everything that he had sacrificed in their previous timeline to try and save him? How far he had gone to protect his brother? Or did he know more about the dark impulse that haunted the older boy? The same impulse that seemed to haunt him now.

Shin exhaled. "You do, huh? Tell me what this is then," he said pointing simply to the motorcycles' brake line.

[nightiingaled]

“How did you get here?” [Shin, from Wakasa]

Your muse finds mine, staggering down a road at night, with torn, dirty clothes and nothing else. Send “How did you get here?” to pick them up. - @kycken

It was a long way home from where he'd woken up, missing any bit of change he'd had and his phone. Shinichiro didn't remember what had happened, but he wasn't the only one around, surrounded by several half-dazed and unconscious bodies.

He didn't recognize them individually, but their uniforms marked them as a rival gang. Had they attacked him? Or had he -- Shinichiro didn't stick around to ask or to wait for the police. He needed to get himself patched up as it was.

So he'd started the trek home, slowly dragging himself bloody and beaten towards home. He recognized the sound of Wakasa's bike and felt relief settle over him, coming to a rest to wait for the other to stop.

"Well....I walked..." Shinichiro joked, face cracking dried blood around his eyebrows and mouth.

[nightiingaled]

"Get off me!" [Shinichiro, from Koko (@kycken).]

The thing that was Shinichiro had Koko pressed back against the wall, eyes cold and dark and practically lifeless in the way they stared through Kokonoi. It reached out and grabbed the other's jaw in long fingers, grip tightening and digging nails into Koko's skin.

"I don't like how you talk to me, you little shit. So high and mighty for such a no-good brat. Abandoning your friends like some kind of spineless jelly."

[nightiingaled]

"You are stronger than this!" [For Shinichiro, from Wakasa (@kycken).]

Whenever It took over, everything went black for Shinichiro. That horrible impulse in the deepest part of himself, the hidden and buried monster that came out to play only when it smelled blood. He could feel himself drowning in it, lungs crushed under the weight of it all.

But It didn't care. It did what it had to do and sometimes what it wanted to do. Nothing could tell it to stop. Not even the grip on its shoulder, shaking him like trying to wake the one sleeping within.

It took Wakasa's hand and bent it, threatening to break it at the wrist.

"Of course I'm stronger. And I'm going to make them see it." The rival gang member he had pinned under him, taking the incessant non-stop beating was gagging on blood and teeth. "Let. Me. Go."

[nightiingaled]

« you can’t even punch someone decently, and you want to torture me? » [Wakasa being tortured by the remnants of the Kanto gang, cue Shinichiro curbstomping like 80 dudes?]

They had plans together - Benkei, Wakasa and him - and when Wakasa didn't show, it was unnerving. It wasn't like him to bail without a word. Shinichiro had waved it off for Benkei's sake, but he KNEW something was wrong. He was lucky to find the information that he did - taking a walk to clear his mind and running across a Kodo Rengo remnant talking high and mighty with his buddies. Wakasa's name was dropped and it was over.

By the end there were three unconscious middle schoolers with the last desperately scrabbling to beg Shinichiro for mercy with the last of his consciousness. Shinichiro didn't give it, eyes glazed over and dark as he left them behind.

He found the hideout easily, entering as if he had not a care in the world. The gang froze upon his entrance, the soft sound of his footfalls echoing through the building. Despite his defiance, Wakasa did NOT look well and the rage seething through Shinichiro amplified.

"Hey, hey hey....you weren't invited to this party!" One of the remnants stepped forward, reaching out to shove Shinichiro by the shoulder. He'd have had better luck throwing a punch.

The movement was nothing but a flash, Shinichiro taking his entire leg to the other's stomach and shoving him straight down into the concrete. The force damaged something inside him because blood came exploding out of his mouth in a cough.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Shinichiro demanded loudly.

[nightiingaled]

Shinichiro doesn’t need a mirror to know he looks like absolute shit. Blood has been spilt again and again on his face only to dry and be spilt once again. He forgot a long time ago what they wanted from him - did they want him to join them or to simply scream for their pleasure?

Protecting your guys, a voice reminded him. That's right, he thinks. He's doing this for the guys - for Black Dragon. To protect them from the stupid onslaught of near-adults who don't know how to act like real men.

Shinichiro smirks to himself, unsure if anyone is watching him. He would withstand anything if it meant protecting the people he cared about. "Come on - that all you got!" he yelled, "Bring it on!"

The door opened, one of the gang members leading in a familiar face.

"Waka...Wakasa...!" Shit. "They got you too?"

[nightiingaled]

Shinichiro had taken them on a simple walk from the school, chattering non-stop about different things that garnered his attention that day. He didn’t even really notice that his companion wasn’t paying much attention for quite awhile.

They were meandering in front of a park when Shin went quiet and stopped to look at Wakasa. It was so strange thinking about how they met, how everything had gone. How had he even done it? His crazy thought to just stop this stupid battle between two warring factions just because he didn’t like what it was doing to his neighborhood. And it had worked? He’d been blasted into the concrete, broken his nose and everything, but he’d come right back up spouting his usual nonsense. 

I’m not backing down. 

And when had that turned into the Black Dragons and the Black Dragons turned into this? Him and Wakasa, alone on a Friday night, up to their usual. It made him feel nostalgic for something that was standing right in front of him. Shin felt a smile flash across his features and he leaned back into a stretch. “Waka-chan,” he whined, dragging out the name in a childish tone. Pay attention to me. 

The other seemed to come back to the present and acknowledged his absence. Shinichiro laughed and threw an arm around his friend. “Yeah you did, I was talking about these pretty girls that I tried to ask out at school today!” Shin felt a creeping sensation on the back of his neck and turned away from Wakasa to hear sirens in the distance, but they were growing closer. Weird.  “You don’t think those are for us, do you?” he teased. Of course not, they hadn’t even gotten into anything. 

@nightiingaled

It’s almost crazy to think back on it- How a single man had managed to put a complete halt to he and Benkei’s years of rivalry. Shinchiro Sano had not looked like much when he came marching into the fray, spouting some nonsense about needing to unify the Kanto gangs underneath a single banner. Such sentiment was ridiculous in Wakasa’s mind, he was having far too much fun as the White Leopard of Kodo Rengo- Twelve gangs from eastern Kanto that had successfully merged beneath Wakasa’s leadership and infamous fighting prowess. While he saw the merit in increasing their numbers, his ascension was that of violent conquest- Not through buddying up to others and licking each other’s wounds, that was so disgustingly weak it made him want to throw up.

Benkei of Ragnarok’s 3rd generation had been so talked about, that Wakasa knew they had to fight- His very blood sang with excitement and pure joy whenever the other bosozoku leader’s fist managed to swing mere centimeters from his smirking face, as if Arashi were trying to punch that manic grin straight off of Imaushi’s jaw.

Some lanky beanpole with hair slicked back into a classic pompadour simply raised his arms, even managed to grab Wakasa’s extended ankle when he tried to deliver a savage spin-kick, effectively flipping him into the air like a damn pancake. After landing on his ass like a fool, he managed to witness Benkei literally stomp Sano’s head into the damn pavement- Enough to give any man a concussion, bleeding, and possibly a caved in nose. Shinichiro had simply forced himself back up, his eyes wide and filled with a strange intensity that shook even the White Leopard to his very core. Benkei had to move his own leg to keep himself from being thrown around by the thigh like a sack of rice.

Ever since then, Wakasa and Benkei had followed Sano and formed the Black Dragons beneath his leadership. While Shinichiro was the in-title Head of BD, he actually shared his power with his Captains- Making them not only integral to the formation of their units, but also trusted confidants he could rely on to help keep things balanced. Only they were able to get away with criticizing Shinichiro’s choices and decision-making abilities, because he understood that they would be speaking earnestly and prioritizing the values and Code of Honor they followed as bosozoku members.

He’d felt like a complete idiot, like some weird stalker or a lovesick admirer- Waiting for Sano outside of the school gates. Wakasa wasn’t a sentimental type and didn’t even really consider his own subordinates to be ‘friends’ on any level, yet Shinichiro had managed to gain his complete respect and trust during that legendary clash between Kanto’s east and west. Much to his own shock and complete exasperation, he even started using a cutesy nickname around the other male- Having previously shown little more than irritation and stand-offish resistance to Sano’s insistence on referring to him as ‘Waka-chan’ in public. Even Benkei astutely picked up on the fact that Waka was far less impulsive and bad-tempered around Shinichiro’s presence, his own tendency to feel restless, bored, and alone in the world having evaporated completely.

Every day was a blast, even when he wasn’t kicking someone in the face, or throwing another delinquent into his weak-ass pals like a bowling ball into stacked pins. Hanging around convenience stores, eating out together, visiting the Sano’s crazy family household- Even those more peaceful and down to earth moments were special, something that Imaushi hadn’t experienced before in his life, not even in childhood.

It wasn’t like him to space out in the middle of a conversation, but the words Shin was currently speaking only seemed to register as noise, rather than Wakasa’s brain actually processing their meaning and intent.

“Ah- My bad, Shin-chan. I totally spaced out like whoa,” he admits, his odd reliance on slang terminology often seeming ‘out of character’ for someone as capricious and quick to violence as Imaushi was.