Sandpaper kisses, papercut bliss

The cleanup and discard of bodies was a meticulous task that Bonten had perfected. Like the clogs of a clock all moving correctly to get it in working order. Mikey had called Mochizuki, who had been taking care of business on the docks, to bring an icebox. "I got a delivery I need you to pick up."

"Fish food boss? I'm on the way."

The remainder of their night, into the morning was the cleanup. When done the men all settled into the kitchen; coffee was their refuge. They couldn't fall asleep yet; there was more collateral damage to take care of. The first women to enter the kitchen were the dancers. "We're going to be heading out now gentlemen. Thanks for a fun night.", "Seriously I haven't slept that good in forever. You guys throw one hell of a party." Koko handed each woman some cash, for the trouble of having to entertain the traitors. They didn't remember any of the nights events after they had gone to bed.

"Was Senju at least up? The kid will sleep all day if she can get away with it." Akashi asked the women.

"Senju?" Sapphire replied, "Senju left. Her and her friends were gone when we woke up."

Gone? Y/n's gone? She just left? Screwed out of here first chance she got? Do I even blame her? She didn't even let me explain the situation. She didn't even let me see her off, or kiss her goodbye, or get her number. Maybe...no Akashi won't give me a chance to contact her. Am I ever going to see her again?

"Diamond, let me get the rest of those Xans off you, I'll trade you some party powder."

Staring up at Senju's ceiling, Y/n was avoiding her best friend walking around the bedroom. The pacing made the energy even more anxious and on edge. Senju pleaded with Y/n at around five a.m. to leave the Bonten home. Both girls woke up Nami, a struggle. Nami was groggy, but by the time they were ready to sneak out of the house she was fully awake. They had slipped out of the house, down the driveway and got into an Uber.

Neither Senju nor Y/n had told Nami what had happened. When asked about the bandages on them, "We kept drinking after you went to bed, and then we started fighting each other." "Yeah we took it too far and just didn't realize how rough we were being." Nami accepted that answer and was dropped off at her own home.

"Senju, you need to stop with the back and forth. You're stressing me out."

"WELL I'M STRESSED OUT Y/N." Senju ran her fingers through her light hair, exhaling deeply. She plopped down to the floor to face Y/n who was now sitting up at the edge of the bed. She's still in Haru's clothes. I need to apologize and just be honest. Senju collected her thoughts and continued,

"Y/n, I am so sorry. I never, ever wanted you to be a part of this. I have struggled for years to have more friends. Nami's been with me from the beginning but everyone else avoids me like the plague because of my family, my connections. Akashi was in a biker gang when he was a kid, so Nami just thinks it's the same thing now. Just a juvenile biker gang, friends that like to fight and look out for each other. But that's not Bonten. Y/n they're the real deal. They aren't just a biker gang, they're more like a yakuza. They're criminals and the last thing I want is for you to be buried in this with me. I am so mad at Akashi for having us be a part of their night. We almost died last night."

"But we didn't. Senju we didn't die, we're safe, we're home now. It's okay."

"It's not okay Y/n! It's not okay because I know you, I know when someone tells you not to do something or tells you you can't do something – YOU DO IT! Out of spite or just to establish that no one controls you. But I am telling you, you need to stay away from Sanzu. Promise me you will stay away from him."

"Senju I don't know if I can promise that. The situation from last night was fucked up but does it really have anything to do with him? Like how he treats me or how he makes me feel? I mean I have not felt like that in a very very long time Senju." Y/n began to let the tears bubbling behind her eyes fall, "Senju I have not felt that alive in years I've been so fucking numb for so long."

Senju got up from her spot on the floor to kneel closer to her best friend.

"It has everything to do with him Y/n. This is what happens when you hangout with gangsters! You get put in life-or-death situations. He's Bonten's number two in command; last night had everything to do with him."

"Bonten's number two?"

"Yes and there's something else I need to tell you." Senju took a deep breath, calming her shaky voice, "Haruchiyo is my brother."

"Yasuhiro Muto."

The Bonten men stopped arguing to turn towards Mikey who had finally interrupted the heated debate the men were having. Sanzu's body turned to ice. "Her last name isn't Shiro, it's Muto. After Mucho was killed I told her and her mother to change their names to avoid retaliation. She changed it in a sort of honor to him."

"Mucho? You've got to be kidding me, that's impossible." Ran had spoken up.

"It's possible when you have different fathers." Mikey replied.

"He never even mentioned he had siblings." Rindou retorted, not believing the circumstance. "He didn't want any one to know about her. He didn't want his little sister to know anything about delinquents, or the stuff he was involved in. I was the only member of Toman to even meet her back in the day."

The men all fell silent. Mikey jumped off his usual perch in the kitchen. He sighed deep, "I do not think that Y/n will snitch to any one about what happened last night. But it's also important that Bonten has a meeting with her to see where she is mentally. If she denies meeting with us, then we can't trust her. The situation will be taken care of either way."

"Yes sir."

Sanzu finally began to thaw. Muto? Yasuhiro? This is a sick joke. This is some fucked up dream and I'll wake up and she'll be in bed next to me and it'll all go away. No one knows. No one knows that I killed Muto. I mean sure there were some rumors, but no ones ever actually asked and I've never confirmed. And no one knows and no one will ever know.

She'll never know and I'll never tell her.