「PART ONE」

「Act 1: Prologue」

「Their point of view」

The motorcycle ride was a ritual a few could understand. Seated behind the oversized fairing he would turn the key and just sit for a moment, listening to the purr of the engine. It was a solid machine and comfortable, a touring model Harley Davison - V ROD CUSTOM - Edge of Rudo. The model was released on May 09, 2016. It caught his attention, that was his bike. He knew it since the first day he saw it in 'RACERS' - a motorbike magazine.

Then he would head for the mountain roads. Once there he disregarded speed limits, opening the throttle wide. Sometimes his knee would be just skimming the ground as he took the bends. This was his therapy. The world disappeared within, as his silence united with the echoing sounds of the motor of his bike.

Speed and sound became one scene letting this moment of bliss and peace extend as much as the light is spreading over the horizon. The ride was long but known. Soon he reached home. He wished for a few more moments to sink inside his world forgotten and ignored.

The youngest of the Amamiya Brothers turned off the engine of his bike, his leather boots touched the ground echoing few tapping sounds. He pulled the key off the engine and remained seated spacing out thought afterthought. A petty second for himself, before stepping back to reality.

Hiroto's POV*:

"Punch after punch. Kick after kick. That's how it was, that's how it is and that's how it will be. A life filled with violence and death. So much death, and while growing older it only got worse.

A dangerous way to grow up, you get addicted to the adrenaline. Slowly fighting becomes one with the essential need of your soul and body. At first, it was to defend and protect what is important to you. Protect it with your fists. Fight fair. That was our code.

But the world doesn't play fair. I found that out from a young age. Then it was a blow under the belt. It took years of hard work, pain, and training.

But now we stand strong. Strong like our brother would want. Look at us now Takeru. We are the Amamiya Brothers. Our name echoes power and fear!

A year ago we had lost everything. Our brother, ourselves and almost our town. We could not save Takeru. But we managed to be part of the ones that aided this city.

Now, like SWORD, we answer when called. Evil never stopped to exist in this world. Every day there is a new enemy rising. We cannot fight everyone, but at least we can make a difference to protect what is close to us.

The war with Kuryu is long over. But the daily battles never stopped. Sometimes we are wishing peace and quiet. But there are those dark times that we enjoy fighting.

The action.

The danger.

And death.

Part of our everyday lives."

---

The quiet and calm days were feathers without hurry, moving this way and that in the air, happy to change direction according to the wind. Just as the feather will in its own sweet time be at rest upon the earth, so the sun will rise and set high in the sky. Though moments were like that were less and less for Masaki. At least inside their apartment, he could find his own peace and rest. Forget the past that was haunting him and try to dream of the future.

The water had already boiled and a bowl with ramen forgotten on the kitchen counter. His stomach was complaining about crunchy sounds reminding him that it was hungry. He stood up and stepped over the counter, his gaze lost in the moment and his thoughts all over the place.

Masaki's POV*:

"Hiroto never listens to his older brother. It's still the same as when we were little. Only now we have lost too much in this world. Our parents, Takeru and we almost lost ourselves. How much you can be deprived of a single raining night. Or better two such nights with years apart.

My only family Hiroto. My baka (stupid) young brother. The most important thing in my life. I guess he knows how important he is to me. But I never told him. And lately, I get worried. We fought a lot, we helped to take down Kuryu. We made bonds and friends during our long journey. We lost Takeru. We found our way.

Our lives have nothing to do with normal and calm everyday living. Hiroto adopted this lifestyle. The action and the danger, I will not deny it. It draws you as a fire a moth.

Though as we cross paths with death, I am worried. Not so much about myself. I am troubled about Hiroto. He should start living his life. And not bet his life fight after fight."

---

The dripping increased neither in its rate or its volume, yet by the time she had read only two pages, it was as good as a hammer to her eardrums. Part of her brain was analyzing the pattern, it was almost regular, but not quite. It was just chaotic enough not to come when least expected and then drip when not. Those little drops of water made her cerebral cortex hiss and recoil as if they were acidly funneled right through her skull.

She had been so determined not to leave the warmth of her bed, curled in the duvet, oblivious to the white puffs of her breath. But now she must get up and go to the bathroom with a wrench because God knows she could not afford a plumber. True be told, the pipes from the apartment above were the issue. Whenever they used the shower, drop after drop would leak inside their shower.

Her roommate told her the problem existed for almost a year now. Amaya moved last week in and she could not get used to the annoying sound. Plus the unlucky feeling to have those dirty and used drops fall on her while showering. She could no longer stand down and say nothing. She would pay a visit to her neighbors above and demand them to fix it. Even if she was told that they were dangerous people that should be avoided.

Amaya's POV:

"I always thought Sannoh Region was the scariest place to live. Even if I was born in a yankii household, I have seen how ugly the world can get. How dark people can treat you.

I was wrong!

I haven't seen real fear until the yakuza showed interested in our region. Implausible how life can change. How you can lose everything and gain more.

I traveled to New York to prove to my family I could manage to make something of myself. I was more than their spoiled daughter. We are oriented from Japan. I grew up with the hope to escape our forsaken city. New York seemed like the safest place in the world.

I never understood why everyone was proudly living in Sannoh, working hard and fighting. From my idiotic brother to any from our friends. -Well, his friends now. I hated it. There was no hope in that part of the city. Fights and motorbike gangs, that was their lives about. Mine too. Before I managed to ignore my past and make a new future for me.

And my wish became true. After graduating from High School I was accepted at New York University. I was an 'A' student, I received a scholarship after scholarship. Architecture and Modern Design was my major. I lived for five years in New York. I threw away my past, family, and childhood. Now I could finally start my life as an ordinary human being.

A month after getting my degree I found work in a large cooperation in Tokyo. I was accepted to be one of the architects behind a new project. At first, the plans were kept as a secret. The government in cooperation with Kuryu Group planned to build a casino. I would be part of one of the largest projects in the country.

I accepted the job and moved back to Tokyo. I started my work there as an architect and at first, nothing seemed off. Though slowly the more I was working and meeting people, I started to put the puzzle together. Kuryu was not what it seemed to be. It was a group of Yakuza clans. And the government was corrupted. Behind the plan to build the casino lied dark secrets.

Day after day, and meeting after meeting, I found out most of the truth. What happened in the past, did not bother me. It was not my problem. But it seemed their deals were affecting people's lives. People started dying, homes burned and families ripped apart.

I could not keep working there. I was never a fighter in my life. I am not a Hero. If I am in danger, I will run. If I have to save myself or someone else. I would save myself. I am a cowered, a spoiled human being. I am nothing like my brother. But what was happening was wrong. I resigned. I lost my work, the apartment that was provided for me.

The only positive news was that Kuryu Group and the Government secrets were revealed a few months later. The Casino was never built and the conspiracy was uncovered.

I did not return home, I still didn't want to have anything to do with Sannoh. I have heard the stories and I knew what was happening at home. Yet it was no longer my home or my city. I saught work but I was declined job after job. I was offered a position in Aseia architects, planning, designing, and supervising buildings. I was accepted as a helper in the Research Architect Unit.

Finally, I found work and a room to share. My workplace as well as the flat I was staying, were located near to my hometown. Yet, it felt that I was already living in another world. At least I thought I had escaped fully from my past."

「Upcoming Chapter: Act Two」

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*POV: Point of View. First-person POV means writing with words like I, we, me, my, mine, and us. POV is definitely one of the more natural forms of writing because when we speak, we always use "I" words. First-person POV is also great in fiction because it gives your readers a deeper look into your main character and gives them their own distinct voice. In this Fanfiction will be added a few times when needed to show a larger point of view of the character.

Thank you for reading! ^_^