CHAPTER 2: Imprisonment

Nobody in the Takagumi smiled that day. Not one attempted to make a joke, to host a party, to play pachinko, to 'chill' in Ginza. They stayed at the Main House, mourning and sending prayers, hoping that their Oyabun who passed away - an accident, the papers said - would find happiness in the afterlife.

Isamu, along with the others, were present at the burial. They had it in the Takagumi's private burial place that was situated a few blocks away from the Main House. Beside him stood Naoki who muttered, "The nidaime is dead," as they witnessed the lifeless body of the man they once called 'father' being buried by a great mound of soil.

Isamu nodded, unable to reply.

"I'm sure it wasn't an accident...Oyabun was better than that. Our kumicho wasn't that weak. That's why he was Takagumi's kumicho." The younger man was having an internal struggle with emotion. Anger, hatred, sorrow, and the sense of loss - all these emotions came upon him and punched him, each contact harder than the next.

Isamu felt his heart beat uncontrollably. He felt that without his black suit, his sin and guilt would be exposed in naked shame. He averted his gaze to the left and instead paid attention to the other members of Takagumi muttering about the sudden disappearance of Koji-sama, the late Oyabun's son.

"He betrayed us," Isamu joined the others in the discussion of the sandaime's sudden absence.

"But he can't do that!" one of them disagreed. "The Takagumi, without a leader, would fall into disaster. If the other groups will see it fit to attack us now..."

"Then we'd just have to install a temporary leader."

"Who?"

"I'd say the one most loyal to the Oyabun. He who saved our late kumicho from death in the Drug Deal Incident."

Eyes turned to Isamu. He directed his attention to the cracks on the ground. "I hardly--" he started.

"But without the sandaime, the Takagumi will stand weak! Isamu!"

"Isamu!"

Naoki looked at Isamu, mild confusion evident in his eyes. "Isamu?"

next chapter: chapter three

1. Nidaime - second generation leader.
2. Sandaime - third generation leader.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical or manual, including photocopy, recording, note-taking, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the author. The story was written by Neith Hale. Illustrations by Teko.