#lady majima just looks like one of my girlies

[bunnybaum]

Majima and tachibana/oda as girlies :}

[majimasleftasscheek]

YES OF COURSE AND TY!! also sorry I had to put this on a new post instead of answering directly. the format totally broke so it worked better here kjdfkljfd

note! if anything seems particularly gender™, my hcs for Majima are genderfluid so just speaking from my own experiences/feelings! peeps are more than welcome to hc things as they like 💖

long post ahead because Goromi makes me FEEL

ooey gooey lore stuff

Majima's interest in fem ideations began at an early age, somewhere in the teens - a passing intrigue in fashion and feminine looks. it was something different compared to the more or less samey, conservative fits men would have (not that women weren’t also the same but there’s certainly a difference between a salary worker and a hostess)

did girly shit with Yasuko that Saejima didn't have any interest in - putting on makeup, painting nails, etc and even tho her personal supply was limited, he enjoyed doing that sorta thing with her when he’d spend days at their place just hanging out. something about that clicked for Majima. something about the work and craft was fun tho not something he'd readily admit even if it was obvious to everyone else. 

he never really thought any of it made him pretty. thought it made him very unattractive really but it made him something else, something not "him" and he really liked that part about it. it’s transformative

Majima never wholly felt comfortable around only men due to his smaller, slender frame and traits like his curvier waist. in a time where being a manly man was the thing™ and tbh still is, he felt excluded and bullied often, especially if he hung around a brick wall like Saejima. he'd often act out aggressively to overcompensate and try to play the brodude with other guys around 

Majima's first explorations into Goromi often made him feel like the things other guys would gossip about him were right all along (”oh he’s a lil sissy,” “why you walking around with a body like that in the yakuza,” “you’d look good in a dress (derogatory)”) so much of his interest in drag was very much suppressed and felt shameful 

during his Sotenbori stint, his interest in femininity really started to take a more serious turn after hanging around cabaret girls - seeing all the glitz and glamour seemed fun and the idea he could just pretend to be someone else for a time was a nice escape especially since it was a place where he was more or less unknown to old associates. not that Goromi is literally a different person, but it meant something certainly, that he would be treated different, for better or worse

as such, his Goromi persona was shaped by this treatment. catty, non subservient, and bitchy was a response to give herself confidence and bite back. early Goromi however was more quiet and reserved due to the circumstances at the time but modern Goromi is loud and proud

80s Goromi was more of a private thing she did in secret, not really ready or confident enough to be public about except with those she really trusted which wasn't many at the time. hostesses would notice Majima took unusual interest in what they were doing during work prep and friends like Yuki would be those he confided in. the girls appreciated his help with hair and makeup, something that gave him fond memories of simpler days with the Saejimas. 

his concerns were often not being passable enough no matter how feminine he'd try to look but he took solace in that his long hair was good enough to hide much of his face

conversely modern Goromi doesn't care how passable she is and her stereotypical look is meant to be obnoxiously feminine. she's a lady and doesn't give a shit if she’s not ”good enough.” that's not to say she doesn't still hold reservations about it. for all her confidence, it's still somewhat of a façade when she knows that the more excessively fem she looks, the more she feels satirical and it’s a battle to keep up her confidence but she has more loved ones around to remind her she’s fine the way she is

I will acknowledge the in game canon that modern Goromi was used as a way to rile Kiryu up for the sake of haha man in dress butttttt in my own spin, Goromi did that because every other man in her life treated her the same way - where the idea of a man in a dress is laughable. figuring Kiryu as one of the guys™ she expected the same but got the opposite, Kiryu totally going along with it. tho they fought at the end to her insistence, it was one of the few times where she genuinely felt validated for being herself, even if it was under the guise of tricking him. she thought, huh, maybe it could be different with him. maybe I could do this unironically. he’s a dumbass but he’s an honest dumbass. it certainly activated something in Kiryu for sure 

my own dealio: I draw Goromi with very obvious cis male features cuz for me, being cis is part of my own genderfluid experience. so I try not to make her lose too much of her masc traits like her muscles, square jaw, facial hair, etc. it’s very important to me that she’s gnc, no matter how passable she looks

general stuff

fav colors to wear are black, red and pink. white is for special occasions

has numerous blonde wigs but the default Goromi one is her favorite with the typical messy tied back style. rarely goes without a wig but more likely to with trusted friends

likes to be pampered and waited on, big on date nights and gift giving (for herself and treating her booboobear)

very proud of her legs so always happy to wear something short and revealing. will do so when it’s cold out and does not want to hear your advice against it (will complain loudly about having sniffles later)

Saejima doesn’t have any particular feelings about Goromi, like with most things he’s like yeah whatever do whatchu want. as far as he’s concerned, Goromi is still the same prickly ass Majima and she appreciates that greatly

Kiryu does treat her differently since he has his naïve, googoo ass traditional ways of behaving around women and it does annoy her because she wants him to know she’s still Majima regardless of how she acts or looks. he’s mad simpo mode for her and it does blind him to some of her grievances when he tries to be helpful. he does mean well but it’s still a learning process

very much loves Haruka and turns into a puddle when called auntie. is a bit more knowledgeable on girl™ things from what she’s learned from Yasuko and the cabaret girls so she’s often the one to help with things like that. her pseudo confidence helps a lot when she has zero idea what to do and it’s more important to Haruka that someone tries and fails than never trying at all. Goromi knows she’s not a traditional stand in for a woman in this case but Haruka’s kindness and acceptance means the world

does her own nails but has Minami do more complex designs. occasionally Daigo helps but you didn’t hear it from me. getting custom dresses is done thru Nishida who is very very tired of early morning rush orders

big into roleplay and especially likes to rope Kiryu into her bullshit. catch me watching from the bushes when she finds him as Suzuki in y5 and goes along with it by constantly languishing about her ex-BF while shaking her ass like “oh woe is me, if only someone depressed and hunky were to comfort me in my time of need” 😪

Ishin Goromi because I’m ill

VIOLENCE

night life as a murderous courtesan, dresses up in traditional oiran fashion except for the loud, blonde wig. I know it’s not really something you’d see people wearing but Ryuji is blonde and Joon-gi is “silver ash” so I can have this okay kljdfskljdfkl. carries an extra pair of sandals so she can ditch her geta (tall sandals) if she needs a quick gettaway

friends with the working ladies in town so if there’s any *problems,* they go to her. she’s got multiple hideouts in various brothels with changes of clothes and other disguises

I like my Majima hcs to be more murdery than canon and Okita is especially murdery so ishin Goromi bumps it up a notch ☝ very thrill of the kill vibes and I just think being covered in viscera is kinda hot 👉👈

Nagakura (Saejima) helps her put on her makeup. he complains about it every time, mostly because she doesn’t stop squirming while he works

traditional makeup at the time was made outta harmful shit so I’m just gonna say hers is made from rice powder and whatnot because I said so lol

usually wears a hannya mask with a flower strapped to the left eye. often a peony or spider lily. very keen on making sure no one knows who she is. will lift her mask just enough to give Ryoma a smooch tho

something I’m still developing in my fic is that she feels a big sense of guilt for having to hide who she is, not really guilt for killing people lol but rather that she does so knowing it makes her life harder and that parts of her life are always going to have to be secret to protect herself and those around her. it makes getting closer to people more difficult but she’s stubborn in the way she doesn’t want to change for someone else

[vinsushi]

Smitten | Chapter 1 : Preparation

quick note, just recently made an account on ao3 as renailla. all my works will be published there too :D

You walked around Kamurocho with your captain, who insisted on going with you a hundred times before you finally gave in. He claimed it was dangerous for women like you to come out at this time. It was 3pm for Christ's sake, the streets were crowded with people going in and out of stores.

The both of you came across a fashion store which seemed newly opened. Beautiful dresses were displayed in front of the store, but the white one in the middle caught your eye. It looked so elegant and majestic that anyone who wore it would be labeled as royalty.

"I bet ya that you'd look pretty in that," Majima suddenly spoke beside you, his head almost rested on your shoulder which made you jump in shock. You nearly forgot he was accompanying you, rubbing your eyes out of embarrassment.

"I'd rather not find out," you told him, taking one last glance at the dress before continuing to walk towards your destination. Sure, you also wondered how you'd look in that gorgeous dress.

"Eh? Why not?" Your captain asked, looking at you as if he's imagining you wearing that dress.

"Not my type of clothing, plus, it'd be a waste of money." You answered him, he only gave you a short hum in return.

The both of you walked back to Majima's office without uttering a single word to each other. On your way there, you ran into a yakuza. He eyed you up and down then smirked, which made you glare at him. He started walking towards you, completely unaware that Majima was here.

'Rest in peace to you', you thought to yourself when he got closer.

"Hey, pretty lady!" The yakuza said, fixing his jacket. "Wanna grab a dr-", he was cut off when a fist hit his face.

"Yeah... nope," Majima said, eyeing the yakuza man on the floor who has now passed out.

"Thanks for that one," you told him. Majima gave you a smile and a thumbs up in return. He placed an arm around your shoulder, keeping you close to him this time, continuing to walk towards your destination.

Eventually, you reached his office with his arm still around you. You stood behind his desk, watching him rummage through the closet.

"Alright, Y/N-chan!" He yelled in excitement, taking out an empty luggage bag. "Help me with this would ya?"

*skip*

"All good to go, Majima-san," you told your captain who was preparing to go on a flight to Sotenbori in 2 days. He said he was asked to go there for a party or something between yakuzas. You couldn't trust him with packing his things up himself because he would end up forgetting 10 things so you kindly offered to help.

"Thanks for helping a guy out Y/N-chan!" He held out both of his hands with a stupid grin, waiting for you to clap your hands and his together as a way of celebrating. You eventually gave in when awkwardly 10 seconds have passed because he was still stuck in the same position, simply staring. You were his personal assistant, which made his underlings treat you with respect. Though there were times when some of them picked on you, complaining about how a weak, fragile woman like you became his right hand. Of course, this led them to be beaten senseless by none other than Goro Majima himself.

In his luggage was a neat suit his size. You wondered how he would look when he dressed up formally since he's hanging around with his buttons popped out.

Majima sat down on his chair and let down a heavy sigh. "Really wishing I didn't have to go for that place that is practically a fucking bird cage," he pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration. "Lotta memories ya know? some I don't wanna remember."

"Why weren't you able to refuse the invitation?" You asked him, standing in front of his desk.

"Fucking letter said Kiryu-chan would be there."

"And if he won't?"

"I'm taking my chances," he spun around on the office chair. "Besides, gotta dance with some girlies once in a while!" You narrowed your eyes at the latter but quickly recovered so he wouldn't notice. Yet he still did, smirking to himself when he got that reaction out of you. You walked towards the window to look out the city, distracting yourself from the family patriarch.

"Hey, Y/N-chan," he spoke normally. Normally. Like not a high-pitched maniac. That kind of surprised you because you never really heard this side of him.

"Yes, Majim-", before you could even turn around to face him, you were suddenly enveloped in strong arms. Your back was against his chest, feeling his steady breathing, his hands gently touched yours. You were taken aback by the sudden gesture of your patriarch, feeling his chin rest on top of your head. "Take care of yourself while I'm out, alright?" He gave you a tight hug for a second before walking out the door, leaving you frozen in place.

 

You decided to take a stroll around the city to process what just happened between you and Majima. Every street, store, and club reminded you of the times you spent together. Fighting in the middle of the street, or singing karaoke with him. You passed by Nakamichi Street and saw that huge cone you bought with him, surprised no one had even removed it yet. You smiled to yourself when you remembered the time the both of you went shopping for traffic cones.

*flashback*

"I DON'T FIT IN THIS I THINK I'M STUCK HELP PULL ME OUT!" Majima screamed inside the traffic cone. He clearly wasn't gonna fit inside yet he still insisted on trying it out.

You pulled it and revealed Majima panting and shedding so much sweat. Setting the medium-sized traffic cone aside, you looked for a bigger one. "Majima-san, why are we doing this again?"

"I was waiting for ya to ask, Y/N-chan!" You exclaimed and shook your shoulders. "You see, I'm gonna hide in one of these bad boys to surprise Kiryu-chan! Shouldn't take him too long to find me since it'll be in plain sight. Now come on!" He took your hand and started running towards a different aisle with bigger traffic cones. You didn't bother suggesting him other ways to throw off Kiryu, chuckling to yourself when you thought about his plan.

You saw the biggest cone you've ever seen in your life, surely he'd fit in it. "Majima-san, I think this would be nice," he let go of your hand and went towards the traffic cone. He lifted it and put himself inside it.

"IT'S PERFECT!" He exclaimed happily inside it. He got out and carried the cone with two hands. "We're buying this! Let's go!" *Meanwhile in the CCTV footage*

The guard watching the monitors was both entertained and confused at the same time. He didn't even bother wanting to stop you guys since it was the first time he has seen two people trying out some traffic cones.

"I don't even wanna question that," his friend said beside him. "Gotta tell these to my kids later at night.'

 

*present*

 

"Y/N-CHAN!" A familiar voice hollered behind you from across the street. You turn around to see Majima running up to you, gripping a bag in his hand.

"Majima-san?" You asked with a perplexed look, frozen in place. He finally reached you and started panting, bending to place his hands on his knees for support, "what's the rush? Did you miss me already?"

He regained his breath and looked up at you. "Well, yeah that's another reason I came running towards ya BUT! BUT! BUT!-" He stopped to cough a few times, "I got ya this!" His eyes glimmered as he handed me the white paper bag.

"What even-", you took the bag from his hands and opened it to see a neatly folded black dress inside. Your eyes widened since it was the dress you have been eyeing the other day at a store.

"What- why'd you bother buying this? It was unnecessary Majima-san." He looked defeated. "Thank you so much, but why?"

"Well y'know," he scratched the back of his neck and looked away, avoiding your gaze. "I was sure that you would look amazing as fuck in it. Plus, I neva got to see ya in a dress before, have I? It'd be interesting seeing ya wear one for a change!" He gave you a toothy grin, making your face heat up at the sudden attack of compliments.

"I-", you were cut off when he suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Ah! Which reminds me!" He exclaimed and placed both of his hands on your shoulders, only for you to blink at him. "You're my date to the ball, bye!" He tapped your shoulders, then walked back to where he came from, leaving you perplexed in the middle of the sidewalk. You could hear him laughing hysterically until he faded into a crowd.

Chapter 2 will be released on God-knows-when !

[my-my-my]

hihi!! if its okay to make a request, i was wondering if u could write something about a platonic/silly thing with y0 majima (ive only just gotten into it) and a teen mc/reader(??) where they have a puppy crush on majima and try to hide it (but its very obvious, maybe even painfully so)?

i think itd be kinda silly and cute watching majima try to reject the kid without crushing their hopes and dreams of love

In most instances, I would've said no to this, but because it's one-sided, I'll try my best!

TW: Interactions with a minor? The minor in question I put to be 16-17 years old. Not sure how to classify this. Majima absolutely has no romantic feelings or thoughts in this.

Sotenbori was alive and well. The barkers were ushering pedestrians into clubs, civilians and yakuza alike wearing their flashiest and best, and the smell of fresh and hot grilled food filled the air.

But Majima was exhausted. Running The Grand wasn't easy, running The Grand successfully was a whole other story. He always made sure to get to the establishment three and half hours before opening, just to make sure inventory was ready, any adjustments needed to be made in the schedule and menu, and what other unforeseen circumstances could creep up before doors opened.

But as he made his way closer to the entrance, he noticed a heavily made up woman, in a dress that didn't fit her quite right. She lookin' for a job? She doesn't have the look we're goin' for...

And as Majima got closer, he noticed that she looked familiar. Maybe he saw her around town? A local at the restaurants he ate at? But she looked a bit young.

"Sorry lady, we're not hiring anyone at the moment." Majima drawled, exhaustion evident in his voice.

"Oh no, I'm not here for a job, Majima-san!" The person explained, her voice nervous and hurried.

Majima narrowed his eye, she does look familiar.

"Aren't ya Akemi-chan's kid sister?" Majima asked.

The girl fidgeted in place, avoiding eye contact with Majima. She let out a quiet "yep" as she vigorously nodded her head.

"Whatcha doin' here then? Akemi-chan's workin' tonight. Don't tell me ya decided to come here to work with her!" Majima exasperated, I don't need to deal with this shit right now he thought to himself.

"No! That's not why I'm here Majima-san, I-, I-" her voice was flustered as she stuttered out her words,

"IReallyLikeYouMajima-san!" She exclaimed, her makeup unable to hide the bright red of her face.

Oh boy. Majima sighed to himself.

"Girly, and ya really are a girly. You got better things to do than hang around here, especially talking to me of all people" Majima explained.

"You don't understand Majima-san! You're so cool and nice. My sister and her friends always say nice things about you too."

"I'm flattered y'all think that of me, but I don't feel the same." Majima said, trying to carefully think of his next words.

"Trust me, the stuff you're hearing from your sister and her friends - they're just seeing the work side of me. We all have different sides of ourselves." Majima winced as he saw the deflated look on her face, as tears started to well up in her eyes.

Majima fished out a pack of pocket tissues and handed it to her.

"Little lady, you got a whole life ahead of ya. What ya like now, is gonna change five years from now. Hell, I bet even in a year from now!" He put his hand on her shoulder to give some semblance of reassurance.

"It took guts kid, to come here and share your feelings for me. Any person worth their salt, and worth your time is gonna respect that of you. I'm proud of ya sharing this with me, but it's not the end of the world that I don't feel the same."

Majima gave a small smile, as she sniffled into her tissue, her make up coming off in the process.

"You'll meet plenty of people cooler than me, I promise you that. I ain't that cool anyways." Majima sheepishly explained, trying to let her down easy. "Don't worry about it", he explained.

A few more sniffles later, she nodded her head, "thank you, Majima-san" she whispered.

"No problem kid, now go home, ya here? Yer sis is gonna get worried if she sees ya here."

"Thank you again, Majima-san." The girl murmured, bowing her head, walking away. Majima sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"I should probably tell Akemi when she gets here." Majima said out loud, his exhaustion catching up to him. As he watched the young girl make her way through the throngs of people, it made him reminisce of the times in his youth, when teenage Majima confessed his feelings for the first time and got rejected.

Majima smiled wryly from the memory. Shaking his head and checking his watch, it was time to get to work.

[maguro13-2]

An Alternative to Defeat Majima (Not the Mad Dog from Yakuza)

(guns firing+fighting sounds)

Majima : Too tought for you, girlies!? You cannot defeat me in a gun fight! I was well-designed to be a perfectly well-designed villain for a japanese anime action show! How do you like that kind of expression.

Takina : I do not like the sound of this. This guy's really good of being an action villain. Come on, John Wick, get your head in the game!

Chisato : Hmm, If only we were like this to defeat him like John Wick does, then I guess there's only one thing we haven't tried to defeat him yet. I know how to make it sound easier to beat you. Okay, Majima. We won't be using our guns in this kind of fight, so that's why we decided to do something different.

Majima : Oh yeah, what kind of moves do you wanna go against me, giving me a full-nelson and do something like John Wick does? (Takina locks with a full nelson) Hey, uhh, what are you doing?

Chisato : I've been waiting for this a secret to do this. Here's goes nothing, this is what John Wick does. This is what John Wick does!

*KICK!*

Majima : Oh man! You hit me in the d*ck!

*KICK!*

Majima : You hit me in the balls!

*WHIP!*

Majima : You son of a b*tch-!

*WHIP X2*

Majima : I am the master of of-

*KICK*

Majima : AAAAH! You cannot defeat me in this fight! I am an invincible villain!

Chisato : Yeah, right! In your dreams, creep!

*KICK!*

Chisato : How's this for your own taste of medicine?

Majima : Just when I am about to bring world domination, my gonards are as indestructible, my penis shaft is as strong like the oak tree of it's will!

Chisato : Hope you like getting your self a masochist. Because your penis won't hurt a fly. (continues kicking Majima in the nuts til her last kick)

Takina : We're not done yet. We still have lot a ways to defeat you. But your not ready to behind bars. We still got one last trick up in our lives. Chisato, commence in operation...[in a deep voice] THE IRON BOOT!

Chisato : With pleasure! (opens up case to reveal the Iron boot) This will make you prove us to never toy with Japan and us anymore! Not even you can understand world domination. (puts on the iron boot)

*IRON BOOT CLANGING*

Takina : [To Majima] Oh you are so gonna get it now, buddy. This is the ultimate price to pay.

Majima : What? No, not that! I would never get something what I deserved! Let's talk this out! Maybe going villainy was way out of hand, I was only playing by the rules, and I-I-I was being stubborn! Ladies, please! You can't do this to me! Think about what other villains of hitman movies every day! Look can we all agree!

Chisato : Okay...[charges] Get ready! Cause I'm about to kick your ass!

Majima : Wait! About everything I said about you girls! The only reason you girls are awesome with guns it's because of...

*KICK!*

Majima : [yelling in pain, with high-pitched voice] JOHN WIIIIIIIIICK!!!

"later..."

Chisato : We finally did it! We defeated Majima together!

Chisato & Takina : [together] Thank you, John Wick!

John Wick : Don't mention it, you two. It's always is what being a a hitman is and what being a hitwoman does. So long, kids. John Wick away! (flies away)

Chisato : Wow! This finally all worked well! I'm glad that's finally over.

Takina : You said it, bud. You said it.

Lyrcoris Fan : Hey, guys! They just defeated the terrorist Majima by kicking him in the nuts! Praise John Wick for this! (Chisato throws her gun at his balls) Ah! My balls!

Chisato : Just a friendly reminder. It's always of being a good agent when you are a hitman or a hitwoman.

Takina : And that's why kicking nuts and twisting wrists is always the method to say Pain and suffering are the best teachers that they always know.

Majima : That's great! I have been defeat after you girls just literally kicked me in the f***ing balls to a gun fight! Why would you just literally kicking a guy in the balls! That is so unfair and uncalled for! This is not part of the deal!

Takina : Don't just don't forget that we are always in top shape of being the greatest secret agents hitman duo in all of Japan of the 21st century.

Chisato : It's the way of life of being hitman that is so cool!

Majima : Yeah, that's really great for you two and it's fan-f***ing-tastic! Can I least go to the bathroom? I really like to pee in a urinal since you girls have literaly defeated me in an alternative way by kicking me in the-*KICK!* OW! My tibia! I think you shattered my tibia! That is literally my shins! Why did you hit me in the shins?!

Chisato : That's for unveiling our secrets to get us killed, Majima douche!

Takina : Yeah, ya douche!

Majima : Oh this is why I hate Japan so much. I knew I should've gone to hell for this!

Chisato : [to the viewers] So remember. If a villain tries to ruin your world, then be a hitman, hitwoman to fight crime...!

Takina : Or we'll put a stomp on yours balls in the nick of time!

Chisato & Takina : Just to spare us some time!

(we then show Ichiban and the group watching TV)

Ichiban : Wow. What a weird show to watch.

Kiryu : Eh, I've always felt like that.

Ichiban : I wonder how that felt for those girls!

(scene slides)

Chisato : See guys! I told being a hero felt great and stopping crime was our duty! Can't we skyrocketed into fame! This is truly an amazing spy action show! Suck it, Gunslinger Girls! (gets hit by a BB) YEEEOWWWWW!!! That's strike one, Asshole! Strike one! It'll be three strikes and your out!

Takina : Yep. Everything's normal alright. Except the part where you don't understand about it. Was it totally worth it.

Chisato : Yeah, definitely worth it.

Mika : I'm gonna give you some meat cuts to heal your eye. It's in the fridge.

Chisato : Best secret hitman job for a girl I have ever had! Now you'll excuse me. I feel like that I'm going to take a nappy after hurting me in the eye. [WHISTLING+THUD!]

Takina : Huh? [To the viewers] Guess that it must be lucky day, isn't it?

[audience clapping]

[Game Over (NSMB WII ver.) - Koji Kondo]

[iris out]

[breziarchive]

Happy Boogaloo Day! Had a request for Majimako: Majima runs into Makoto again at the worst possible time. Could be a serious situation like the middle of the Yakuza 4 drama or a funny one like right when he’s about to kick off a particularly bizarre Majima Everywhere encounter, but either way the timing for this could not be worse.

WORST POSSIBLE TIMING, YOU SAY

god my lesson is in twenty minutes LORD HAVE MERCY SPEEDRUN THIS SHIT

valentine’s day boogaloo - guidelines - ko-fi - majimako zine

~~

Shimano wanted the scamp, that’swhat Majima understood. Kidnapping was a bit on the more heinous sidefor his liking, but hey, wrap the girl into a nice little bow forShimano and Kiryu was bound to show up—leastways, that’s what hewanted. Boss said to do it so he’d have to do it, that didn’tmean he couldn’t have fun along the way. (Andif Haruka got accidentally returned, he didn’t give a shit, all hewanted was a damn good fight with the Dragon of Dojima.) Hetapped his trusty, pummeled baseball bat against his shoulder as thevan sped up and screeched to a halt in front of the batting center.Everything was going smoothly, that is to say, everything was goingabsolutely fucking chaotic in all the right ways.

“Oi! Oi!”he screeched, “Careful with the fuckin’ merchandise, what part ofunspoiled didn’t getthrough yer thick-ass heads?!”

His men weren’t quite gentle asthey wrenched the flailing girl from the backseat of the van, but asthey were dumb as bricks they didn’t flinch as her shoes slammedinto their chins. Though it was efficient, it was fairly bad form tohave such a public display of such a stereotypical kidnapping. Majimawhipped the bat down from his shoulder, striking down the spine ofone of his goons so he croaked and dropped the girl’s legs to thefloor.

“She’s a guest, so treat ‘erlike one, she can walk just fineon her own,” he pointed the bat at the girl’s pudgy cheek,lightly smudged with what looked like a fine blood spray. His eyegleamed, “Can’t ya, girly?”

She stared at him, unafraid of hisgaze, but was complicit all the same. Smart kid. Nowto just shepherd her along and wait for—

“Hey!”

Majima froze. What? Majima neverfroze! But something about thesharpness of that voice—or was it the tone, or just the sound of itall together—made him stop entirely and whip his head to the womanstanding far closer to the batting center than any right-mindedperson wanted to be. Seventeen years ago he left, fifteen years agohe had successfully started to forget her, ten years ago and she wasall but a memory that only came to him in dreams, and now she washere…

And so was everything else.

“What are you doing?” Makotostood her ground, “Where are you taking that girl and why?!”

His eye was a saucer on his face.What are you doing? Kidnapping.Gulp. Where are you taking that girl? Battingcenter. Y’know. Why? Uhh.Uhhh.

Shit. Now? Now, of all times?Of course he’d much rather it hadn’t happened at all, but why didit have to be here, in Kamurocho, during a job—during thiskind of job?! His heart droppedbetween his legs—Kiryu was coming, for sure. Kiryu,who had protected Makoto when Majima couldn’t, who had brought herbrother to her even though it was too late, who had rescued her moretimes than Majima had, yes. Yes, Makoto was the reason Majima took aliking to Kiryu, and if Makoto learned he was on his way thisshitshow would blow sky-high. His goons were barkingat her. He had to think fast.

Majima barreled past them andsnatched Makoto’s arm, yanking her by her elbow. She yelped and hewinced—barking orders back at his goons in as much of a shriek ashe could manage to disguise his voice. Pullingthe woman behind him, he followed the one carrying Haruka to the backof the batting center.

Thinkingfast didn’t always wind up with the best results, but at least theywere manageable ones. He hoped.

The men waiting for him jolted athis harried entrance. First the girl was dropped on the floor, thenMakoto, unceremonious and sloppy. Majima’s heart raced, seeing thetwo of them on the floor like that. Fortunately his men knew betterthan to ask questions as all questions were stupid questions withhim, but they shuffled uncertainly at their boss’s silence and theadded target. Makoto’s glare was sharp and hateful, piercingdirectly into his eye like she had never been blind in her life. Thegirl—Haruka, was it? Damn it, he didn’t want to refer to her byname—cautiously rolled over to Makoto and curled near her arm. Inturn, the woman pulled her under her arm, her fingers turning toclaws with the adrenaline in her veins. Majima had still saidnothing.

“B-Boss?” one of his men inchedforward, “B-Boss we only have enough rope for…one…,”

Majima swatted him on the back ofthe head in a flash, grumbling curses and swears as he took the ropefrom his men. Makoto watched his every move, holding Haruka closerand closer. The back of hisneck screamed, as ifit had been sunburned and slapped multiple times. He had alwaysimagined, at times fantasized, the end of his life being a dramaticmurder of sorts. Didn’t quite think it’d come at the hands ofher, though now he was certainly thinking about it.

He grabbed her shoulder to force herto be back-to-back with the girl but—damn her, damn her thebeautiful woman—she refused and wrenched from his hold.

“Don’t,” she snarled,“Don’t you daretouch us!”

He scoffed. Had a job to do, lady!He placed his hand on her again.

The whole room gasped in shock asthe sharp sting of a hard slap rangin everyone’s ears. Majima flinched as her nails dug in until hebled. Everything stopped.

Damn this beautiful woman.

Alright, well, bad on him, fine. Butthe clock was ticking, and as every head in the room fully expectedhim to unleash an unholy rain of blows on her he was franticallytrying to pull everything together before—

“Boss!”

Majima scowled and threw his headover his shoulder.

“Kiryu’s already on his way!”

Fuck!

He turned back to Makoto and wasimmediately caught by a look of shock slowly being overcome with anexpression he could only describe as she knew howfucked he was going to be. In the strongest moment of defiance in hisrecent memory, Makoto then held out her wrists to be tied as he likedthem. Her shoulders were high and straight, her lids low like she waslooking down on him from a throne. His scowl intensified as if hecould even remotely chew her out, but he only huffed and got to worktying her wrists to Haruka’s, back-to-back, tight enough to keepthem there but not so tight as to hurt them.

Briefly he wondered if she noticed.

Summoning his worst wail he could,he shouted at his men, “Ya heard ‘im! Get out there and warm himup!”

Like a swarm of scared but eagerinsects his henchmen clambered over each other to be out the door asfast as possible lest they faced the Mad Dog’s wrath in a closedroom. Grabbing his bat,Majima tapped it, tried to will her gaze away (as if he could everagain) and moved to follow his men until he noticed one standing nearthe door. He cocked his head and narrowed his eye, noticing that hewas staring at Makoto and Haruka.

“Ain’t fer nothin’, boss,”the henchman supplied, “But thanks fer the little extra sumtin’,”

Theheel of Majima’s palm moved in a flash, crushing into the man’sjaw so hard that the back of his head made a dent in the wall. Hecrumpled at his feet, and without looking back to see Makoto’sdiscretion he kicked the unconscious body out and shut the doorbehind him.

Right. Okay. That was a later Majimaproblem now.

He greeted Kiryu with about all thegrace he could ask to have—baseball to the head and all, beatinghis own dumbass goon to release some of that horrid energy andall—and promised to return the girl to Kiryu because fuckhim if he was gonna hand herover to Shimano now. It was going well, the blood pumping in hisveins was finally starting to serve him right as he readied to brawl,then, from behind the door, of course.

“Kiryu-san!”

Of course.

He had forgotten to gag them.

Kiryu’s head whipped just as hishad when met with a voice seventeen years past.

Of course.

Letting out a howl, Majima lungedand pulled Kiryu into a fray of bats, baseballs, and his own gleamingdagger.

Well. If anything, it was afantastic fight. The threat of two kidnapped girls drove Kiryu’spunches harder than if he was just toying with him in the street.Majima felt several of his bones creak and break, from the whine ofhis lower ribs to the blood spurting from his nose when faced with abaseball head on. Not to say that Kiryu got out unscathed, but it wasthe fight Majima had been looking for.

Infuriatingly, though, he couldn’tenjoy it like he wanted to. Notwith her on his panicked mind.

Hismen were haphazardly strewn on the floor when Kiryu landed the blowthat brought him to his knees. Sputtering,managing to laugh despite it all, Majima’s mouth loosened to saywhatever the fuck words he apparently wanted to say, all of whichKiryu didn’t want to hear.

All he wanted was the return ofHaruka—Haruka and whoever else Majima had kidnapped in cold blood.Idiot. Maybe Majima was hitting him a little to hard in the head, howcould Kiryu not immediatelytell who she was from her voice?

It didn’t matter. The doorunlatched and Makoto left, Haruka in hand. Majima turned his gazeaway.

“Kiryu-san!”

“M-Makimura-san…?” Kiryu askedin awe, “You’re…,”

Majima tried to shut them out.Makoto was still keeping them at a safe distance, a simultaneouslysmart and heart-wrenching move. Blinking back emotion even though hiseye felt dry and pained, he caught sight of movement just behindKiryu.

“Oh, hell no,” he breathed.

Such is life. Such is the Mad Dogleaping in front of Kiryu to save him from a knife in the gut. Hewatched the blood dribble and pool at his feet and heard Makotosaying something—something he couldn’t discern.

Then he passed out.

~~

Makoto watched as Kiryu pet Haruka’shair back as the girl clung to his leg. He seemed awkward and unusedto the gesture but just as genuine as she remembered him. Allof the gang controlled by the man with the one eye had piled out,limping and carrying their boss out to where ambulance lights soonlit up the street. It was for the better, she knew, and as far as shecould tell intervening had only caused her trouble instead of savedany of it—but then, she didn’t know. Could the one-eyed man havedone something truly awful to the girl if she wasn’t there to drawhis attention? She could guess he could’ve.

But would he have? The looks he hadgiven her were strange, like her mere presence had shaken him to hiscore. So did heremember her from way back when? He was a hard man to forget byappearance, so she hadn’t quite forgotten him, although to say shehad thought of him often would’ve been a lie. Tothink, her first time back in Kamurocho in many years and she raninto the same man doing the exact opposite of what he had doneseventeen years ago.

“Kiryu-san…,”she asked after the coast was clear and they decided to make theirway to some food to recover from the shock of the night, “Who wasthat man?”

“Majima?” Kiryu hummed darklyand shook his head, “I wish I could tell you. I wish Iknew, at this point. Whydo you ask?”

Makoto’s hand instinctively wentto the watch around her wrist for reasons she couldn’t entirelyunderstand in the noise and distractions of the city, “I think Imet him once, long ago.”

“Oh,” Kiryu groaned, “I’msorry.”

“No…,”Makoto shook her head, “I think…it was different, back then.”

Kiryu looked at the girl walkingnext to him. Makoto did too. To her it looked like Haruka wanted toreach out and take his hand, but whatever their relationship was itwasn’t to the level she was looking for, and the girl knew it.Twisting her mouth, Makoto took it upon herself and scooped thegirl’s hand up, smiling down at her to earn a smile back.

“Lot of things were different backthen,” Kiryu mused.

“I suppose…,” Makoto hummed,glancing up at the reaches of the Millennium Tower, “But underneathit all, it must still be the same, don’t you think?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, I’m here for theweekend,” Makoto smiled sweetly, breaking the ill tone and finallypulling Haruka into the conversation, “If you want me to watch overHaruka-chan, I can do that for you,”

Haruka brightened and nodded,looking to Kiryu, “Please? It’s lonely when I can’t go out bymyself,”

“Uhh, sure, but,” Kiryu frowned,“If Majima’s after her as well—,”

“Don’t worry about it,” Makotosmirked, holding Haruka’s hand a little tighter, “Something tellsme he already knows what he’s getting into if he comes back,”

“That so? I can never tell withhim,”

“Hmm,” Makoto thought, swingingHaruka’s hand as they walked, “It’s just a feeling, I guess.Maybe that’s all it is.”

Haruka had looked up at her,catching on to what Kiryu clearly did not as he replied.

“Maybe.”