Darker Than Love

LOSS AND THE LIVING PAIN

**************** are kanji characters painted in white thick ink over a glossy black plaque that now serves as the 'Kaimyo' (posthumous name given by the Buddhist for the deceased) of IRIE MATSUMOTO.

The plaque is also placed below a huge portrait of the man hung by the funeral altar that is now surrounded by dozens and dozens of white chrysanthemums and lilies. There are enormous wreaths placed all over the huge platform where the casket of the prominent Patriarch of the Dazai Family of the Dojima clan is displayed. Almost all of the people attending the funeral are big men dressed in distinguishing black suits with faces Aoi Chiba could fairly recognize herself as she has already seen most of them back when she used to work as a hostess at Pandora's Club.

The funeral begins in a form of a formal program and it follows a ritual led by a Buddhist priest. Black and silver envelopes are also being handed over by the guests as a form of condolence offering for the family of the dead.

Aoi quietly follows Kenji Yanagi throughout the whole thing and as the ritual ends, they finally find a place to sit a little behind the immediate and closest families who are all seated in rows in front of the altar. Aoi Chiba tries not to look too much around her, in fear of ever seeing someone that might recognize her... Or perhaps someone she might quickly feel uncomfortable with.

Or in other simpler words, she just does not want to see the face of Ito Yamazaki. Aoi knows that with just one look or glance from him, she would instantly slip a reaction on her face. And being in that kind of situation would immediately make matters even worse. With Jin Sasai still guarding and just looming beside her, she cannot really be too weak now. Especially at a place like this, where everyone in the clan is present.

Being troubled by all these thoughts, Aoi eventually gets distracted upon hearing a sound of a woman weeping from a distance. She looks up and follows the faint sobbing noises heard across the hall and she soon catches sight of a woman wearing a black kimono and in tears. She is sitting right in the center of the front row near the altar. She looks a little too young, perhaps around the same age as Aoi's, and she keeps crying too much as her body shakes violently while she covers her face with a scarf. She does not even mind being heard by everyone around her as she pours herself out.

Aoi Chiba could even understand. And she can deeply sympathize with the woman. Seeing how much she is grieving over him, she must be Mr. Irie Matsumoto's woman. There is no other way that she would weep like that and be too affected and emotionally in despair if she is not anything but intimately involved with the man. She must have loved him so much then. And the fact that she could no longer touch the man she loves, much less kiss him, or just hear his voice once again... Deeply cuts into the chest. Like a knife.

It is too painful. And Aoi knows this all because she once had felt that too. Even until now, the remainder of that loss and sudden shock still feels overbearing and brutal at times. Sometimes, Aoi would still find herself feeling so helpless and incomplete while remembering the days she had used to hug him and feel his warmth. Now, she could no longer even see his face anymore... And that reality is what makes it even more torturing when you lose someone so important.

The pain might lessen over time but it will never really go away.

"Are you okay, Aoi?"

She does not even realize that she is already soaking in tears until Kenji's voice hovers over her ear. She quickly blinks and feels his hand brushing a wet spot over her cheek and she turns to him. She meets his eyes, they look so soft while he gives her a small frown. He must think she is weird for tearing up like this all of a sudden. Even Aoi could not exactly explain why she is suddenly feeling this way.

"I-I'm alright," she tries to brush his hand away and she scoots a little further away from touch. She clears her throat and wipes the remnants of her dried tears below her eyes as she looks away.

A little bit closer and she could have already felt like leaning up to him again. Every time he gazes into her eyes, something just suddenly shifts inside her and it breaks all the rules and boundaries Aoi has already set in her mind. She tries not to think too much of what just happened again even when she still could feel the tingling effect on the small spot just below her eyes where he had touched her.

It does not really show on her face, but inside, she was totally flustered.

"It's okay if you feel like crying," he tells her after a moment, but his face is now facing forward, "Just don't let anyone see you like that. You can hide your tears on my shoulder, you know?"

That is the last thing she would have wanted to do, however. Yet surprisingly, it almost sounded tempting. Aoi could only shake her head in denial as she tries to push away the immediate thought.

"I'm alright," she repeats, sounding much steadier now, "I was just kind of lost for a second."

"I understand," he quickly responds with a nod, "Losing someone you love is something you can only sympathize more if you've truly gone through it."

The last few words he just uttered back to her quickly spark curiosity upon her as Aoi Chiba finally spares Kenji a glance from her seat beside him. She could only see the side profile of his face, so she could not really tell what he meant by that. She can't read what he is thinking at this point but something in the way he just said those words make her feel a little intrigued.

"Why?" she suddenly blurts out, not even minding if she is being quite too inquisitive now, "Have you gone through it before?"

Kenji Yanagi does not try to address her question for a few seconds. But Aoi Chiba could sense him weighing it over his head. He looks a bit troubled and hesitant. As if he does not really want to go over that part of his past. Something must really happen, but he refuses to face it as he just gives her a noncommittal shrug of his shoulder.

"Maybe," he just answers vaguely, "Or maybe not. It's not like it would ever be relevant now."

He must have, obviously. Aoi Chiba does not need to prove anymore. It is all so evident just by his own denial. She could already see it in the way he brushes off the entire topic and avoids her stare. And as she finally discovers this whole another thing about him, her mystified curiosity just spikes up even more. Who is that person? Who did he lose before?

And why does he look like he is still greatly affected by it?

Is that a past lover? A friend? A relative?

For a moment, Aoi Chiba completely forgets where she is exactly right now as she thinks over the possible things that his reaction could mean. Is there something that she must know more about it? It feels like she wants to see what and who he truly used to be... Even if it does not makes sense she still wants to know what kind of man he was before he became this person beside her...

Who is Kenji Yanagi? For real?

Is he really more than what his notorious persona is all about? Or is this all just a pretentious facade to deceive her from ever seeing the real Yanagi that most men are scared to fight against?

There is only one way to figure it out though. Yet Aoi could not really rush it all now. She needs to be patient. She also has to face Ito Yamazaki eventually. And once she finally does, she has to get it together. She can no longer just fight this whole battle one-sidedly. She needs to see the whole truth.

Either Yanagi is the enemy or not. That is the only thing she will have to find out herself.

She will no longer work alongside Yamazaki at this point. He does not really go to be helpful anymore. She will do this all for her own satisfaction. She will make this all for her own sake.

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Jin Sasai could already sense the man approaching them from a distance before he could even see him.

It is Ito Yamazaki.

The one and only man he has ben keeping his abs on since that time the man's name had been menthioned to him when Jin continued to investigate about Cherry.

Just like in his photos, he clearly looks too old to be a new Yakuza boss. His gaits are quite slow and lazy as he crosses the hall to reach them with three big guystrailing him behind.

This is actually the very first time for Jin Sasai and Kenji Yanagi himself to meet the middle-aged man in person. There has not been a chance prior to this for them to formally be introduced and because of the past incidents that had taken place, Yanagi has been too careful of engaging and associating himself with ohter bosses because of evident and indirect thrats he kept getting in the past few months.

And today, it just so happen that a funeral is held. Ito Yamazaki knows this is the only chance for him to directly present himself to the infamous young Yakuza boss. His enemy. His biggest rival and the man who could possibly be the only wall he must cross to get to the top.

Kenji Yanagi.

As soon as Ito finally reaches their side, Jin Sasai quickly stands up from his seat, together with three other men surrounding Kenji. Aoi Chiba notices the sudden commotion and turns her head oblviously to where Jin is facing and instantly catches the sight of Yamazaki.

She almost gasps upon meeting the old man's eyes yet has been so quick to look away in an instant. She begins to feel nervous and tries hard not to show any kind of emotion on her face as she decidedly turns to the opposite direction and looks at Kenji Yanagi who has been sitting beside her. Kenji is not looking at her at the time, he is also staring up to the old man himself.

It takes Kenji a moment before he finally stands from his own seat, and meets Ito's stare in a steady stance.

"Yamazaki," he greets him with a jut of his jaw, his tone cold and too distant to be that friendly.

"Yanagi," Ito replies right away, a sly smile drawing up on his mouth, "We've finally met."

It is not directly expressed but it is very obvious how intense and heavy the tension is building between the two bosses. There is not even any move for a handshake and all that the two do is just look at each other's eyes as if they are having a silent conversation... Aoi Chiba could only watch from her seat, a little uncomfortable as she dares not to look at either any of the two men. She looks down on her lap instead, and focuses her attention to it.

The air becomes very stuffy and a little heated until Yanagi finally cuts off the silence.

"I've heard quite a lot about you," he remarks, his smile looking a little condescending despite his words as he continues, "You're very prominent in the red-light area."

Yamazaki has only begun his career as a Yakuza boss a little over just a year ago yet he somehow gets very notorious in just a short time of establishing his gang family. Kenji Yanagi knows all of the little businesses he has been doing even in one of Yanagi's territories but he already decided not to confront the man at this time. He still needs hard and irrefutable evidence to put him down and now, that is something Yanagi is still lacking on his part.

"Not as notable as you though," the older man rebuts, but his smirk looks too fake to even mean what he just said, "I'm very honored and pleased if you have thought of me in that way already. 'Cause in fact, I am actually aiming for that kind of reputation since the beginning... Something as significantly eminent as yours today since not everyone could really reach that peak of fame like you did."

"You seemed like you're regarding me a little to much higher than what I really am, Yamazaki," Yanagi states with a spark in his eyes, "No one could possibly be at the peak of fame especially if that person is a Yakuza. We're supposed to be grounded and discreetly recognized."

"I don't know, though," Yamazaki refutes, "Women don't think the same about you. Must be because of your superior genes and appearance. I can't pretty much compete against that anyway."

"Speaking of women," Yanagi responds with a raise of a brow, "I think you have to scratch that part now, Yamazaki. I don't really like being misunderstood especially with my woman hearing this entire conversation between us. Would you mind taking that back for her?"

For a moment, Ito already guesses what Yanagi is trying to do and as he watches the young boss turns to someone sitting beside him, Aoi Chiba's face comes to view. He gently takes her arm and brings her to stand up while Ito just silently observes them. Aoi Chiba shakily looks and stares back at him, he does not even bat an eye.

"Meet my fiance," Yanagi quickly introduces, his voice sounding very proud yet cleverly mocking, "Her name is Cherry. Pretty, isn't she?"

"I have to agree," Ito Yamazaki smirks back, not even taking the bait as he skims Cherry's body from her head to her feet, "And she's a bit familiar."

"I got her from you," Yanagi quickly replies, an answer that has not been predicted and had come out a bit forced and gritted, "So I think I have to thank you."

He is toying around, and it is clearly shown in the way his eyes shoot darts right back to the older man. Ito Yamazaki almost loses his temper as he tries not to give anything away from that sudden impactful vague statement he just gave him. Yanagi must really know now, even without having to manipulate him. Seems like, Yanagi turns out to be not really much of a total i***t after all. But Ito does not ever mind if this young boss tries to keep playing along with this entire scheme. It all just becomes even more entertaining with him putting up with it.

"Is she one of my hostesses in the Club?"

If Yanagi wants to play this game this way, then Yamazaki will just follow it all for the sake of this humor he thinks could work out. It does not even faze the old man. Not even a little bit.

"No, I don't think you get any of my point now, Yamazaki. Aoi Chiba is MY woman," Yanagi sternly corrects him, surprisingly switching into an intimidating aura with his eyes suddenly turning sharp and menacing as the young boss leans an inch closer to Ito as soon as he utters his words in a softer yet threatening whisper, "She was never yours or will ever be. SHE'S ALL MINE, you hear me?"

He must be really insane... to be this obsessed over a woman like her. What did she ever do to him to make him act this way?

Yamazaki is not even sure if he will actually laugh upon realizing that the seduction is really working very effectively with this naive simp or if he should feel scared that this guy is now suddenly becoming an even more forbidding opponent because of that woman.

There is a blur forming right between them at this point, but Ito still could not clearly notice it. He is too blinded by greed to even read between the lines. And so, for a moment, the older man just hesitates as he tries to match the young boss' stare before he eventually speaks back with the only thing he could come up in his mind at the time.

"I understand," Ito softly obliges, letting the young man take the lead for now, "Then, I won't have anything else to say."

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