Ravens

Kei eyes the building in front of him for a moment. He has been parked in front of it for the past half hour. He was never scared of people, even the most notorious Yakuza members.

Back in the day, he was the most feared and youngest boss in the streets of Tokyo. Even though he quit years ago, his name is still mentioned to this day. But for some reason, ever since Yuta was born, he always gets nervous when he is about to do something dangerous.

'They know who I used to be, and who I am now. I should be fine.'

Kei gets out of the car and walks to the red door. He knocks three times, then tells the guard the password, "Black is but a color."

A meaty man lets him in and motions to the light at the end of the hallway. Kei follows it until he reaches a large room. A few men are scattered around, doing their own thing. They all turn to him with curious eyes.

"Mr Ichihara, welcome." The Ravens' leader flashes him a golden smile and points to the chair next to him.

"Thank you, Mr Bando." Kei bows his head slightly. "I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me." He takes a few steps and sits by the older man.

"Our mutual friend told me that there was an issue at one of your warehouses. How can I help you, Mr Ichihara?"

"There was a fire a few days ago. The culprit said that the guy who paid him had a tattoo, a bird behind his left ear. I am not sure if it is one of your men, but I just want to make sure that there is no issue between the Ravens and the Ichihara Group."

The Man strokes his beard a few times while thinking. "Your reputation precedes you, Mr Ichihara. Even if you weren't a Raven at the time, you were part of our world. We would never try to start something with an old ally. Please, be assured that I will personally look into this matter."

Kei nods at the leader's words. He pushes off the chair, satisfied with the outcome. Bando mirrors his action.

"Thank you very much, Mr Bando." They bow to each other before Kei walks away. He feels much better being in the sun again, instead of the stuffy building he was just in.

He takes a deep breath when a thought crosses his mind, a dangerous and dark one. 'I hope I never have to go back to that world again.'

When Kei gets home, he finds the whole family having dinner together. Even his father is present, which is rare. He came for the birthday party and hasn't left back to Kyoto yet. Kei joins them after quickly freshening up.

"How is the company doing?" Kenji asks.

"Pretty good, Dad. We are launching a new brand of whiskey in mid-August. Maybe you can try it after dinner and tell me what you think."

"Yeah sure, that sounds good." Kenji takes a spoonful of his soup. "What about the fire? Is there any news about that?"

"We are working on it," Kei answers with a clipped voice, which hints to his father not to ask any further questions.

The rest of the dinner is silent, except for the occasional comments Yuta makes. Kei also notices the daggers Hana is throwing him, but he just ignores her.

After they finish, Kei invites his brother and his father to join him in the office. They enjoy the new Ichihara product. After they take a few sips, Kei clears his throat to get their attention.

"There is a possibility that a criminal organization might be involved in the fire incident."

"What?" Jiro almost chokes on his drink. "How?"

"I met with their leader earlier. I don't think he ordered it, but someone in their group did. And I promise I will find out who did."

"Is this related to your…" Kenji takes a second to choose his words wisely. "Activities?"

"Of course not," Kei protests. "I am not a gang leader anymore if that's what you're asking, Dad. That was a very long time ago."

"Yeah, Dad. He was in high school. How do you even remember that." Jiro takes his brother's side. Even though he doesn't need his help, Kei is grateful for it.

"Okay, okay, sorry I brought it up." Kenji holds both hands up, surrounding. "Just make sure you keep this quiet, we don't want any unnecessary rumors to start going around."

"Of course," Kei agrees with his father. He feels more pressure after telling Kenji about what's going on. He unconsciously unfastens the top button of his shirt and pours himself another drink.

After Kenji and Jiro leave for bed, Kei goes through some work documents for a couple of hours before he starts feeling sleepy himself.

As soon as he opens his bedroom door, though, he notices Hana sitting on the arm chair by the window.

'I really don't feel like fighting right now.'

"Nice of you to finally show up, husband," she spits.

Kei doesn't utter a word, he just heads toward the bathroom for a much needed shower.

"Are you ignoring me?" Hana yells.

"Yes, I am ignoring you," Kei answers her. "I really don't want to fight tonight."

"Did you sleep with her? Is she your new whore?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Samantha Martin," she answers.

"Hana," Kei roars. "You will not disrespect Sam."

"Why?"

"I don't know what is wrong with you these days. Should I remind you why we got married?"

"I know exactly why we got married, but you are disrespecting me by sleeping with your ex-girlfriend."

"For fuck's sake. You are delusional."

He leaves her standing in the middle of the room. The water turn on in the shower and Hana can't help but feel anxious. She sits back in her chair and unknowingly bites her thumbnail. She feels uneasy about the way Kei defended Sam.

'Yes, it was Kei's grandfather who forced him to marry me. He threatened that he would take out his father, Jiro, and himself from the Ichihara will. He even threatened Kei that he would hurt his girlfriend to get him to accept. But my family brought political power to the table, so they benefited from this marriage too. I will not tolerate this behavior.'

"Maybe I need to pay a visit to grandfather."